ℜ𝔲𝔰𝔱 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔅𝔬𝔫𝔢 | Winter Soldier | Bucky Barnes

VIII

✪

The atmosphere in the car was tense as Sam drove them to the Triskelion. The four friends had approximately sixteen hours to shut down the Insight project before millions of people would die.
Jasper Sitwell quietly looked at Athena with resentment and a hint of fear for a while before he spoke up, "HYDRA doesn't like leaks." The message was specifically directed at Athena, but the others didn't realise that.

If it had been any other situation or organisation, Athena hadn't been worried. But this was Hydra, the people who made her, and Athena took heed in Sitwell's words.

Hydra wasn't exactly known for hugging it out. Athena knew they would kill their own family if it meant patching up a leak.
Sitwell was probably being hunted down in that exact second, by someone sent to kill him. Athena wouldn't share the same fate though.
Sure, she was a traitor, but she was too valuable to just get rid of. No, if she was caught, Hydra would take all that was Athena away, and then they would recreate her as that perfect weapon her father had always thought her to be.

Athena alone had put big fat targets on the other three's heads. But now that they were also in possession of Sitwell. Those targets where accompanied by a huge neon sign saying, 'necessary collateral damage'.

"Why don't you try sticking a cork in it." Sam said sassily turning around to glare at Sitwell. Athena looked back as well noticing Sam's anxiousness. "Insight is launching in sixteen hours, we're cutting it a little bit close here." Natasha voiced everyone's thoughts and concerns.

Steve took in a big breath of air before answering. "I know. We'll use him to bypass the DNA scans and access the Helicarriers directly." Sitwell looked at the avenger in horror. "What?! Are you crazy? That is a terrible, terrible idea." Athena looked back at Steve and Natasha who were sitting in the back with Sitwell.

"Maybe he's right, perhaps we should plan this properly before we make a mo-." Athena's sentence was left unfinished as a huge thud sounded from the roof, and their car swerved for a second by the impact.

A metal arm suddenly smashed the car window, roughly pulled Sitwell out through it and threw him into the oncoming traffic. Athena flinched as a truck, and a truck driver unable to hit the breaks in time, hit Sitwell, most likely killing him instantly.

Natasha breathed sharply as the winter soldier started shooting at them through the roof.
A bullet managed to graze Athena's arm before Sam made a split decision and stepped on the breaks making the Winter Soldier drop down onto the street in front of them, graciously skidding to a halt using his bionic arm as a break, sparks from metal hitting asphalt, flying everywhere.