SEVENTEEN
"I'm almost there."
"Good," Bucky mumbles back to Sam through his comm. "Now we need to figure out how to get Lyn through. The government are after her, so anyone sees her, they'll restrain her."
"I can always attac–"
"We're not supposed to do anything illegal," he cuts in, rolling his eyes.
Over the comm, he hears her pretend to yawn. "Boring. I'll figure it out. Sam, what's the plan?"
"Karli's gotta be close," Sam tells them solemnly as he flies overhead, Bucky weaving his way through the NYPD teams posted all around the GRC meeting. Lights flicker all around him, throwing him back into memories of bright lights in his eyes and a needle in his skin, but he just grits his teeth. Not the time. "Keep your eyes open."
"Well, it could be anybody," he replies, passing a group of police that nod respectfully at him, calling him sergeant. It feels so weird being called that after so long. White Wolf. Winter Soldier. Terrorist. Avenger. It's just another in a long list for his long life.
"Yeah, you never know who's sneaking behind you."
At the familiar voice, he just turns knowingly, catching sight of Evelyn walking beside him with a smug smile on her lips. Back to wearing her jeans and shirt, she managed to steal one of Bucky's spare leather jackets to protect her from the cold of spring Manhattan, red hair tied up in a bun to avoid attraction.
"Look at that. You're matching," comes Sam's amused voice over the comm, Bucky barking out a sarcastic laugh. "How'd you get through the authorities?"
"I'm a Winter Soldier, Sam," she scoffs lightly, rolling her eyes dramatically. "You think a few police officers are going to catch me? Yeah, right. Anyway, should probably let you know before you find out yourself and get mad at me or whatever... but I called in some backup."
Bucky's eyebrows furrow, puzzled. Evelyn has basically no contacts, so how is it possible she called someone in? Unless she broke Zemo out of prison. His heart sinks at the mention, knowing it's definitely something she could do, although when she would have had the time he has no clue.
"Excuse me, sir," a voice behind them calls, and they turn before Bucky purses his lips, realising Lyn shouldn't have turned around, too, her face on show. "Are you supposed to be here?"
However, he's caught off-guard when Evelyn rolls her eyes at the police officer, scoffing, "Honestly, it's in a blonde's blood to act all dramatic. Get over yourself, Carter."
Chuckling, the man presses something at her temple before the skin becomes pixelated, some sort of mask being pulled off along with the beanie, revealing a mop of blonde hair. "Yeah, you're one to talk, carrot-top," the police officer-turned rebel casually replies, the two sharing a knowing look.
"You called Sharon?" Sam questions through the comm in surprise, recognising the voice as Evelyn passes her an earpiece. "I thought you two hated each other."
"Hate," Sharon corrects casually, the three making their way closer to the building. "Still do. But we're putting our differences aside to work together and save the meeting."
"Speak for yourself," Evelyn comments with a sideways glance, hiding her amused smirk. "I called you in case I get caught. Then I can sell you out, too, and feel good about myself while I'm being prosecuted in prison."
Having expected the answer, Sharon just shakes her head slightly. "Yeah, well... I hear pardons aren't all they're cracked up to be anyway."
"Depends on the therapist," Bucky mutters, casting a surprised look in Evelyn's direction. Her smirk finally shines out at that. He never would've thought she'd get over Madripoor last time, but here they are. Working together.
"They'll move on the building soon," Sam warns. "Be ready."
"You know, we didn't finish our conversation," Bucky recalls a few minutes after he gives Sam the affirmative, glancing towards Evelyn for just a moment before turning his attention back to the building like the others.
At first Evelyn doesn't recall, but when it finally hits her, she has to force herself to stifle a groan. "Now? You're doing this now?"
"If we don't survive this then–"
"Now you're talking a load of shit, Barnes. Everyone's getting out of this alive. Alive and well and everything's going to be fine and then – only then – will we have this conversation. It'll be a short conversation, mind you, because I'm going to win, but if you're so desperate for a conversation then we'll have one."
"Is flirting really necessary right now?" Sharon comments offhandedly, the two immediately turning to her with glares. She pointedly ignores them, heading further away and checking the other side of the building. "Sort out your problems later – we have a job to do. Grace, have any weapons on you?"
"A gun."
"Just a gun?" she scoffs. "What happened to the grenades in your bra? Or the EPM in the heel of your boot? Or the–"
"Yeah, well, I didn't have much time to go all the way to Brazil and stock up on weapons! Not all of us are excessively glitterati and can afford to–"
"Anything going on on your end?"
Sam's voice cuts through, followed by the sound of smashed glass and fighting before going silent. Bucky hesitates, then shakes his head. "Nothing. All quiet."
"No one's moving toward the building," Sharon calls, and that's when Evelyn realises.
"If there's something going on in there, she's going to try forcing everyone out. Everyone gathered. Scared enough to get them listening to any orders, and she has spies everywhere. We gotta get to them before she does."
"Shit."
No sooner than that does a kerfuffle start on Sam's end, clearly fighting someone. "You guys are gonna have to do something. Don't let 'em out of the building."
The three are already heading inside, going through the detector, except it starts beeping the moment they go through. "Oops," Sharon mutters boredly, and Bucky just glances away before catching sight of a soldier with a gun passing, knowing there's something going on with him as he shiftily moves about. Must be one of the Super Soldiers.
"Carter, deal with him," Evelyn's already saying, moving the other direction and calling over her shoulder. "Barnes and I'll get the evac. Come on."
Bucky just nods before walking alongside her, the two heading down a couple of corridors to find them, knowing they're running out of time. Karli knows the plan. They don't.
They barely pay attention to a woman walking towards them, the perfect picture of calm, before saying, "Mr Barnes, Ms Grace... it's Karli."
Only then does Bucky stop, jaw clenched as he stares at the woman. She smiles knowingly, holding a phone out, and it's only after a moment that Bucky takes it before putting it on speaker for both of them. Evelyn takes mental note of how it seems to be connected through some kind of Flag Smasher app. "Karli?"
"Aren't you tired of fighting for the wrong side?" she's immediately saying in vain, resulting in the man scoffing as he heads down the stopped escalator.
Evelyn's too antsy to listen to the call, though, gesturing for him to stay on it before she dashes off, knowing they need to stop the rest of them before they head off with hostages.
Overhearing the announcement of them being in the cars, she goes down to the basement level as quickly and quietly as possible, sneaking her gaze around the corner, ignoring the wild thumping in her chest. Another mission. She thought she was finally through with those, but it feels like there'll always be people she needs to fight.
Maybe that's why she wants to turn herself in. To stop fighting.
"They've put something on the doors," she mutters into the earpiece, trying to figure out how to stop the vans. "I think it's to seal them, but they don't look easy to get off."
"Well, we have limited time, so you need to figure out how to stop them," Sharon replies. The redhead rolls her eyes. Why'd she call her to help again?
The vehicles start heading off, and Evelyn grits her teeth before running forward, no plan in her mind, no faith in her chest, nothing except the cold hard truth: she's trying to save the people who are hunting her down.
It makes sense, after all. She worked with the people who killed her daughter against her will. It only fits that she's changed allegiances, only to have the same thing going on.
"Look out!" one of the drivers yell, but it's too late. A pole's thrown straight through the windshield, but Evelyn's aim was off. Instead it goes straight through, burying itself in the passenger seat's occupant instead of the driver.
Eyes wide, the driver hurriedly presses the acceleration, going straight for her, and she has to dive to the side to stop herself getting run over. "Shit!" she yells, aggravated as they start driving away.
Gaze darting around, she spots some motorbikes chained up, immediately rushing to them before pulling the chain off with all her strength, grateful about the serum running in her veins for once.
Just before she drives off, Bucky jumps into the one beside her, Sharon scoffing in their ears. "Seriously, guys, you had one job."
"You worry about your guy," Bucky tells her solemnly, and on an unspoken word both bikes rev, tires screeching as they make their way out.
The night is almost pitch black, lit up by nothing except the street lamps and the car lights scattered over the motorway. It seems almost perfect, dark and solitudinous, except they can see the vehicles in the far distance. They need to hurry up.
"What happened with Karli?" Evelyn shouts over the billowing wind, not tearing her eyes away from the road. Even then, she can feel Bucky's sigh.
"It was just a distraction. I tried warning her..."
She purses her lips. "Well, this is what she's gotten herself into now. We capture her, but we don't kill her. That's not the job. We put her in the Raft, then we talk some sense into her."
"Okay," both Sam and Bucky chorus (although the former's voice is strained from the fight on his end).
Sharon, however, tells them calmly, "Well, that's one down."
"How'd you manage that?"
"Mercury vapour... amongst other things." Before Sam can comment anything about her killing a guy, she adds, "You better speed things up. The chopper's about to take off."
"Bucky! Evelyn!"
"I don't fly, man, that's your thing," Bucky calls back to Sam as Evelyn harsh breaks, catching sight of a shortcut through an alleyway. Hurriedly going down, he follows on his bike, engines revving loudly, and he realises, "We can cut them off!"
"Such a genius!" Evelyn yells sarcastically, Bucky rolling his eyes before they turn onto the main road, wheels skidding as they harsh turn, only to catch sight of barriers between them and the vans, now with Flag Smashers in the front.
The redhead falters, but Bucky glances towards her. "Follow my lead!"
He accelerates.
"What?" she yelps, caught off-guard, only for her eyes to go wide as he tips the bike forward so he can lunge at one of the Flag Smashers watching the two. They both go rolling to the ground, but Evelyn's not about to take a tumble for no reason, braking and turning the tyres with force, managing to narrowly avoid a crash.
No sooner than the motorbike stops does she jump off, leaping over the barrier and running over to the Flag Smasher, grabbing him from the back of his collar just before she punches him across the face, his own fist that was aiming for Bucky falling limp at his sides for a moment.
Both the Winter Soldiers fighting them is dangerous, Karli realises in a panic, smacking the steering wheel before clambering out of the vehicle. Stay calm, stay calm... "We need a diversion. Give them someone to rescue."
"What do you mean?" one of the others question.
"Light it up."
The petrol from the bikes are spilt over the exterior of one of the trucks just before a match is lit, and Bucky gasps when the flames leap up out of the corner of his eye, screams reverberating in his ringing ears.
Evelyn takes longer to realise, too invested in the light, aiming a good kick at the man's chest before he grabs her ankle, throwing her onto the ground forcefully. A yelp escapes her lips before she throws herself back up, easily knocking his legs out from under him. That is, before the flames catch her attention, and the screams echo in her head, and the fear hits her like a tidal wave.
No sooner than they escaped the car did it catch on fire, and she wished thereafter with all her heart that she was still inside.
"LYN! EVELYN!"
Her eyes cloud over, hands starting to shake, but there's something else. That's when she finally pays attention to Bucky yelling her name. Gritting her teeth, she turns towards him, only to catch a glimpse of him struggling to break the seal she saw being put on earlier, punching it with all his force, again, and again, and again–
Because maybe if he gets them out, if he saves them, he'd have saved Adelina, actually saved her instead of killing her another way, and Evelyn wouldn't hate him or have suffered so much at his hand, and he wouldn't have the guilt crawling up in him every single night–
"JAMES!"
Another hand is right by his then, grabbing a hold of the handle, pulling with all her might. Bucky turns to glance at Evelyn fleetingly, the tears in his eyes lit up in the glow of the flames, before he grabs the handle. Their hands are side by side, the hands that killed, the hands drenched in blood, the hands trying to save the very people who once hunted them down.
Their faces are going red from the heat and the exertion, pulling harder and harder and harder, till the device suddenly breaks. They stumble backwards for a moment but Bucky recovers first, hurriedly pulling the doors open properly and making way, the pair helping the senators out.
That is, till the sounds a few feet away from them grab their attention, and Evelyn's whole body jolts at the sight of John Walker on the ground, Flag Smashers punching and kicking him with all their might. "Take over!" she yells at Bucky, running over, then immediately ramming her body straight into the group.
Two of them stumble to the side, momentarily caught off-guard, but the third is ready, aiming a punch straight for Evelyn's head. She dodges it, reaching up to use the Flag Smasher's strength against him, but he's ready. With the serum running though both their veins, the serum that uses components of her blood, they're completely evenly matched.
Till the second one jumps at her, but John's ready. He's back to his feet, throwing the shield between them before fighting them off, the pair of unlikely heroes working together.
"I thought–" John struggles through laboured breaths. "I thought– You weren't into the whole– 'Doing the right thing' gig!"
A yell escapes Evelyn's lips as she whacks her opponent hard, knocking him out of commission for a few moments as she turns to glance at John. "Fuck the right thing. I'm here 'cuz Barnes is here, and like you said, he's my partner."
A few seconds, then a confused John: "You're not gonna ask what the hell I'm doing here?"
Just the question itself is laughable, sending a strange sensation in Evelyn's chest, because maybe that's what she's been asking herself this whole journey. She's been trying to figure out why she's here, what purpose she has, if she's even necessary, if she deserves to be there after everything she did. But in the end, she was there because she believed it was what she was meant to be doing. John Walker is no different.
"Who the hell am I to judge?!"
Then a scream echoes in her ears.