STEVE, EVELYN, and Natasha walked forward to Jasper Sitwell. Steve shoved him toward the edge, wasting no time in gripping his suit jacket with a glare hardened on his face. Evelyn crossed her arms over her chest while she shared a glance with Natasha. Both women smirked slightly as Sitwell's scared expression.
"Tell me about Zola's algorithm," Steve demanded.
Sitwell let out a wry laugh. "Never heard of it."
"What were you doing on the Lemurian Star?"
"I was throwing up, I get seasick." Steve forced Sitwell to the edge of the rooftop, leaning him over it. Sitwell simply smiled. "Is this little display meant to insinuate that you're gonna throw me off the roof? Because it's really not your style, Rogers."
Steve nodded. "You're right. It's not. It's hers." Steve stepped aside as Natasha easily kicked Sitwell off the roof. Evelyn smirked as they listened to him scream while plummeting down.
Natasha turned to look at Steve. "Oh, wait. What about that girl from accounting, Laura—?"
"Lillian. Lip piercing, right?" Steve asked, pointing at his own lip.
"Yeah, she's cute," Evelyn agreed with a smirk.
Steve gave her a look. "Yeah, I'm not ready for that."
Evelyn followed Sam's figure as he suddenly appeared, flying over them with Sitwell in his arms. When he threw Sitwell on the roof, he landed—allowing his wings to close.
As the trio walked forward to Sitwell, the man rose his hands in surrender. "Zola's algorithm is a program!" Sitwell yelled causing them to pause. "For choosing Insight's targets!"
"What targets?" Steve asked.
"You!" Sitwell yelled. "Both Starks. A TV anchor in Cairo, the Undersecretary of Defense, a high school valedictorian in Iowa city. Bruce Banner, Stephen Strange, anyone who's a threat to Hydra! Now, or in the future."
"The Future? How could it know?"
Sitwell laughed mockingly. "How could it not? The 21st century is a digital book. Zola taught Hydra how to read it." Steve and Natasha looked at him in confusion. Evelyn was catching on faster. "Your bank records, medical histories, voting patterns, e-mails, phone calls, your damn SAT scores."
Evelyn looked at Steve. "Zola's algorithm evaluates people's past to predict their future," she finished, realizing what was happening.
"And what then?" Steve asked.
"Oh, my God. Pierce is gonna kill me," Sitwell murmured.
"If he doesn't, I will," Evelyn promised with a tight smile.
"What then!?" Steve yelled, shoving Sitwell again.
Sitwell glanced at her. "Then the Insight Helicarriers scratch people off the list. A few million at a time."
Evelyn scoffed. "We need to go," Evelyn said right away. "If it's launching soon, then—"
"We don't have much time to plan," Natasha finished. "She's right. Let's take him."
Sitwell began to complain as they pulled him along. Once in Sam's car, Evelyn was sat in the middle between Sitwell and Natasha. Steve and Sam sat in the front as they began their drive to the Triskelion. There was not much time to think or do anything else. They had to stop the launch.
"Hydra doesn't like leaks," Sitwell said after a moment of terse silence.
Sam looked at him in the mirror. "So, why don't you try sticking a cork in it."
Natasha looked at her phone. "Insight's launching in sixteen hours, we're cutting it a little bit close here."
"Should I call Tony?" Evelyn asked warily.
"No," Steve denied. "He's finally allowing himself to relax with Pepper."
"We can't let this launch happen," Evelyn whispered, worry in her tone.
"I know. We'll use Sitwell to bypass the DNA scans and access the Helicarriers directly," Steve amended.
Sitwell looked terrified. "What?! Are you crazy? That is a terrible, terrible idea."
Evelyn jumped when a thud landed on the roof of the car. She gulped when, suddenly, a metal arm crashed through the window and grabbed Sitwell by his collar. Yanking him from the car, Sitwell and the door went into oncoming traffic. Evelyn gasped as Sitwell was killed by a truck. The Winter Soldier began shooting in the backseat. Natasha jumped into Steve's lap as Evelyn was pulled into Sam's. She breathed out a thanks, which he nodded.
Steve turned quickly, yanking the emergency brake handle. When the car was brought to a sudden stop, the Winter Soldier was thrown down the road—his metal arm catching his fall and skidding him to a stop.
Evelyn stared at him, something familiar shouting at her.
Evelyn yelped as another car rammed into the back of Sam's car. Sam wrapped his arm around Evelyn to keep her steady. Natasha tried to grab the gun she had dropped on the floor just as the man with the metal arm jumped on the hood of the car. Sam held her head as the man smashed his metal arm through the windshield and grabbed the steering wheel—throwing it aside.
"Shit!" Sam yelled as Natasha began to shoot at him. The Winter Soldier blocked each shot, jumping onto the vehicle behind them. The trio's car began to get pulled off the road. Steve managed to grab his shield and position it against the door. Steve held on to the car door and Natasha.
"Hang on!" Steve yelled as Natasha looped her arm into Evelyn's and Evelyn held onto Sam tighter. Steve broke the door open—all four sliding through the street on the car door. When they were able to stand, Evelyn managed to grab a gun that was left on the ground—dropped by the Winter Soldier.
As Hydra agents began to shoot at them, including the metal arm man, Evelyn fired back. Steve blocked a shot with his shield from the masked man, throwing him off the bridge. Sam ran off as Natasha jumped over the edge—shooting the man's eyemask and causing a crack. He ripped off the eyemask. Evelyn was the only one still on top as she shot three guards next to the Winter Solider. The others rose their gun at her.
As the man with the metal arm turned to face her, he rose his hand to the men behind him. "Оставь ее."
(Leave her.)
Evelyn's hand shook as she and him locked eyes. Her heart felt like it stopped. She knew those eyes. She knew that voice. But it was impossible.
A man behind the Winter Soldier laughed mockingly. "You don't give me orders," he sneered, sending a bullet at Evelyn. Evelyn was too shocked and scared to move as it went right past her head. The Winter Soldier's eyes widened, turning and wasting no time in wrapping his metal hand around the neck of the man who shot at Evelyn.
"Я сказал оставить ее."
(I said to leave her.)
Throwing the man down, the Hydra agents jumped over the edge. None wanted to be on the receiving end of the Winter Soldier's hand. As every agent landed on the ground, he turned to see Evelyn standing right in front of him.
"James," she whispered.
Bucky stood in front of her with furrowed brows, wondering how the hell he knew who this woman was. It was obvious she knew him.
"J-James, p-put the gun down," she said softly, reaching her hand up slowly. How the absolute hell was James Barnes standing there? Trying to push aside her feelings and emotions, she finally managed to touch his face. And he allowed her to. She gently pulled off his mask to reveal the rest of his face. She took a deep breath. "Hey, honey," she whispered, a smile forming on her face.
He frowned, his brain shouting at him. She gasped, his metal hand suddenly grabbing her hand as gently as he could but with enough pressure to get his point across. "Stay out of this," he said in a low voice.
"James," Evelyn tried as he pushed her back and jumped over the bridge to land on the ground.
As soon as he made it, Steve attacked blindly—throwing his shield. Natasha joined in the fight, but Bucky had sent a gunshot right into her shoulder.
"James!" Evelyn shouted from above, trying to get him to stop. Someone grabbed her arms from behind just as Bucky turned to look at her. Steve had frozen at the name, already having sent his shield again at Bucky. Bucky turned and grabbed it midair, eyes boring into Steve's. Evelyn groaned, knocking her head back into the person who grabbed her arms. Without wasting a second, she jumped to land in between Steve and Bucky right after Bucky threw the shield back.
"Bucky?" Steve whispered as Evelyn rose her hands in between the two men.
Bucky did not question Evelyn when she called him James because he knew somehow she was right. It was the part of his brain that refused harm to come to her. When this man called him Bucky, a tidal wave of emotions and memories fell through—including the woman in front of him and the man with the shield. "Who the hell is Bucky?" he said, his voice deep and full of confusion.
As Bucky began to bring his gun up, Sam flew in with his wings—kicking Bucky aside. Bucky took aim again just as Natasha used a fallen grenade launcher to hit right next to him.
Evelyn's wide eyes looked around for Bucky just as he disappeared through the smoke. She fell to her knees, hand reaching up to grip the dog tags that had fallen out of her shirt. Steve looked devastated as Hydra agents surrounded them. Natasha was grabbed as Sam was shoved to the ground next.
Evelyn did not budge when Rumlow pointed a gun her way with a smirk.
"Drop the shield, Cap! On your knees! Get on your knees! Now! Get down! Get down!" Steve finally managed to move, raising his hands. "Get on your knees! Down!" Rumlow moved from Evelyn to Steve, knocking his legs to have him kneel. "Don't move." They noticed a helicopter flying by, and Rumlow became a bit paranoid. "Put the gun down. Not here. Not here!"
Evelyn did not even budge as she was shoved inside a van. Her eyes were still wide and shocked. Her emotions finally caught up to her.
James Buchanan Barnes was alive.