THE SUPER SOLDIER looked at the crossword puzzle in front of him. He's been at it for a while now, frequently adjusting his cap and tapping the table in frustration as he tried to solve one of the clues.
"You look like you're having some trouble." Wanda spoke through the comms. She sat a few tables away also wearing a hat in an attempt to stay incognito.
"Do you guys know a six letter word for strong, as a storm?" He asked.
"You're actually doing that puzzle?" Sam replied.
"I gotta pass the time somehow."
"Severe." Natasha gave an answer from her seat across the room.
Y/N looked at the puzzle and wrote the word. "Wow, duh. I can't believe I didn't get that. Thanks, Tasha."
"That was going to be my answer." Sam added.
"I'm sure it was." Natasha responded in a sarcastic manner.
"Enough with the puzzles, guys." Steve said in a stoic tone. "Wanda, what do you see?"
It was now back to the task at hand: Apprehending Brock Rumlow AKA Crossbones, who had been hitting police stations around the world for their firearms. The Avengers were in Lagos since their intel pinpointed Rumlow to strike there next.
Wanda glanced back and saw two policemen in front of the bank.
"Standard beat cops. Small station." She looked again before turning back around and sipping her tea. "Quiet street. It's a good target."
"There's an ATM on the south corner, which means?" Steve asked again.
"Cameras."
"Both cross streets are one-way."
"So compromised escape routes?"
Y/N chimed in after solving another crossword clue. "Means our guy doesn't care about being seen. He isn't afraid to make a mess on the way out."
"You see that Range Rover halfway up the block?" The Captain asked the witch.
"Yeah, the red one? It's cute."
"It's also bullet-proof, which means private security...which means more guns...which means more headaches for somebody. Probably us." Natasha added from her table.
"You guys know I can move things with my mind, right?" Wanda remarked before taking another sip of her tea.
"Yes, you can." Y/N replied. "Cap, why can't we just have Wanda toss Rumlow into the sky or something? Or have Pietro wrap him in duct tape really fast?"
"Well, he has to show up first." Steve answered. "And that sounds absurd."
Y/N scoffed and continued with his puzzle. "No it's not."
"Looking over your shoulder needs to become second nature." Natasha told him.
"Anybody ever tell you you're a little paranoid?" Sam spoke.
"Not to my face. Why? Did you hear something?" She replied.
"Eyes on target, folks." Steve told his team. "This is the best lead we've had on Rumlow in six months. I don't want to lose him."
Sam chuckled. "If he sees us coming, that won't be a problem. He kind of hates us."
"Who do you think he hates the most?" Y/N asked.
"You." Sam and Natasha answered in unison.
"Really?" Y/N asked with genuine surprise.
"You kicked his ass and left him to get buried in rubble." Sam said.
"Oh, yeah." Y/N replied. "I didn't drop the building though. You and Cap brought the carriers down."
"I don't think Rumlow cares."
Rogers ignored their exchange and looked out the window of the building he was hiding in. He noticed a garbage truck trying to get through traffic.
"Sam...see that garbage truck? Tag it."
From the roof of a building a couple blocks away, Sam deployed Redwing from his pack and manned it. He flew it down towards the street and scanned the vehicle using its X-Ray feature.
"That truck's loaded for max weight. And the driver's armed." He informed them.
"It's a bettering ram." Natasha said in realization.
"Go now." Steve ordered.
Wanda was confused. "What?"
"He's not hitting the police."
Y/N knew it was time to act. He dropped his pencil and left the table before running out of the cafe with Natasha and Wanda following.
The truck rammed through the entrance of the Institute for Infectious Diseases. A few more vehicles containing Rumlow's mercenaries arrived afterwards and shot down the security guards upon exiting.
Crossbones got off one of the trucks and ordered his men to infiltrate the building. A few mercenaries threw gas canisters through the window to subdue the occupants and put on their own gas masks before going inside.
Several of Rumlow's gunmen were on lookout outside, and they suddenly heard a noise in the sky...similar to a jet flying by.
They looked up to see a glimpse of the Falcon, who dropped off Captain America and the super soldier quickly kicked one of the mercenaries down.
He brought up his shield to deflect incoming bullets before kicking the truck in front of him into the shooter. He tossed his shield at a mercenary which hit their chest and retreated back into his hand.
A gunman was perched on top of a car and shot at Steve, but the soldier blocked his gunfire and ran toward him, leaping up onto where he was perched and kicking him off.
"Body armor, AR-15s. I make seven hostiles." Steve reported through the radio.
Sam soared towards two soldiers who were shooting at him. He deflected the bullets with his wings before swiftly kicking them both in the face simultaneously.
He looked up to see an incoming mercenary and quickly shot him down with his gun.
"I make five." Sam communicated back as he looked over the edge of the roof.
Wanda floated down into the area and spotted one soldier. He shot at the witch to no avail, as she formed a force field to shield herself before lifting the man up with her powers.
"Sam!" Wanda exclaimed.
Falcon flew downwards towards the floating man and kicked him in the face. His body went limp on the floor as Sam landed on his feet.
"Four." Sam added.
A few more soldiers arrived and fired at the two Avengers, in which Sam quickly shielded both himself and Wanda with his wings.
One of the gunmen were hit in the head with a baton that immediately retreated back into the hands of its user. Freedom Fighter, in his civilian clothing, ran up and pushed-kicked the mercenary beside the one he had just taken down into the truck.
The third soldier could barely react before Y/N swept his legs and electrocuted him on the floor with the tip of his baton. The fourth and last mercenary nearby was about to pull the trigger but Y/N wrapped his neck with the wire of his billy-club and pulled him into his fist.
He thought he was done, but two more mercenaries arrived and were prepared to fire at Y/N. Fortunately, Pietro ran in and disarmed them using his super speed. They looked at their empty hands in confusion before the silver-haired twin took them out with a flurry of quick punches.
Pietro glanced at Y/N. "Saved your ass again."
"Again? This is the first time you've done so." He replied.
"Nah. Remember five months ago?"
He referred to when the Avengers saved him from the HYDRA base.
"That was a collective effort."
Pietro tried to think back at other times. He finally recalled one.
"Ah. How about when you misplaced Natasha's gun and I told you where it was?"
He had a point. You never mess with Natasha Romanoff's arsenal.
"Okay, you did save me there." Y/N admitted.
They exchanged quick chuckles before regrouping with Sam and Wanda.
Sam toggled the infrared on his goggles and scanned the upper floors of the building. He assumed Rumlow and a few of his mercenries were up there.
"I got hostiles on the third floor." He informed them.
"L/N and I are going in." Steve said as he walked up to the four, then turned to Wanda. "Just like we practiced."
"And clear out the gas while we're in there." Y/N added.
She nodded and lifted both super soldiers with her magic. Captain America and Freedom Fighter crashed through the third floor window and engaged the mercenaries inside.
"I got a truck filled with Rumlow's men fleeing the scene. Possibly prepping for extraction." Natasha spoke through thee radio.
"You got it covered Sonic?" Sam asked Pietro.
"Gotta go fast." He breathed out before speeding away.
Back inside the building the two super soldiers continued fighting the masked gunmen. Thanks to their superhuman metabolism, Steve and Y/N were immune to the toxic gas.
Captain America hit a mercenary with his shield before ripping off his mask. The man choked on the gas before being kicked away by Steve. Y/N bounced his baton off a pillar that hit the gunman's face.
He sprinted towards the disoriented man and took him down with a scissor kick.
The two took cover once one of Rumlow's goons shoot at them. Steve bounced his shield off the floor which bounced off the wall too before hitting the back of the gunman's head, knocking him out.
He ran to his shield and picked it up from the floor, but then came face to face with another goon who suddenly arrived. Y/N immedilaty pulled away the gun with his billy-club's wire and took the man down with a flying kick that hurled him into the wall.
Steve strapped his shield onto his arm and panted.
"I saw that move earlier. Romanoff teach you that?" He asked.
Y/N chuckled. "I don't need teaching, Cap. I just watch."
Wanda finally removed the toxic gas from the building. Sam was covering her, shooting at reinforcements that had arrived. Falcon ultimately took them all out by deploying rockets from his pack.
Crossbones, already with the payload, left through the back door and saw the disapting gas in the sky.
"They're here."
Y/N and Steve ran into the room and spotted an empty case. Based on its looks and many caution stickers on it and around the room, they feared the worst.
"Rumlow has a biological weapon." Steve informed the team.
Natasha, who was outside and spotted his men going to their vehicles, reported back. "I'm on it."
The two super soldiers traversed the building and also took out any stragglers within. They made it to a balcony that overlooked the lot and spotted Crossbones on a truck manning a mounted grenade launcher.
Y/N's eyes widened. "Oh, sh—"
Steve lifted his shield before Rumlow shot at them. The vibranium shield took most of the projectile's explosion but still heaved the two several feet back. Rogers helped his son up before running with him through the building. Crossbones kept shooting grenades into the third floor, the walls and pillars around Y/N and Steve being blown up.
The final shell hit nearby and knocked them both out of a window. Y/N landed on top of truck as Rogers hit the edge of it before landing on the cement. His son groaned as he got down from the top and helped Steve to his feet.
"Sam." Y/N spoke into the comms. "He's in an AFV heading north."
Y/N picked up Steve's shield and handed it back to his father. Steve groaned as he stretched his shoulder.
"Yeah, I think he hates as both equally." He remarked.
Natasha and Sam took it upon themselves to deal with the mercanaires that fled with Rumlow. They knew one of them had the bio-weapon.
Sam flew towards the two goons he spotted and kicked one of them down before initiating a spinning kick that launched the other into the wall. He checked their bag but didn't find the vial.
"He doesn't have it. I'm empty!"
Meanwhile, Natasha was chasing the remaining two mercenaries. She ran through the market, using her mastery in parkour to maneuver over tables and through civilians.
She made it to the middle of the market and tackled one of the goons. Natasha fought them and ultimalety took them both down with her signature grapple move.
She leapt towards her gun as one of the goons got back up and held his weapon. They aimed at one another.
Suddenly, the other goon got up and brandished the vial in his hand.
"Drop it. Or I'll drop this." The goon ordered.
"He'll do it!" The other man cut in.
Fortunatley, Redwing flew in and shot the man down. Natasha immedialty gunned down the other goon before dropping down to catch the vial. She kipped back up and let out a sigh of relief.
"Payload secure." She said into the radio. "Thanks, Sam."
"Don't thank me." Sam replied through Redwing's speaker.
"I'm not thanking that thing."
"His name is Redwing."
"I'm still not thanking it."
"He's cute. Come on, pet it."
Steve and Y/N traversed the market and saw a vest on the floor. Since the vial was secure all they needed to do was find and appehrend Rumlow.
"Gears been abandoned, he's probably hiding in plain sight." Steve reported.
Suddenly, a C4 stuck to his shield. To keep the explosion away from nearby civilians, he threw it in the air before it detonated.
Y/N heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Crossbones about to throw a punch. Y/N stopped the hit by grabbing his fist, but Rumlow swung his other arm and sent the young super soldier flying through a wooden barrier. Steve quickly engaged Rumlow and started fighting him, but was also thrown away.
"I've been waiting for this!" Rumlow shouted as he walked up Steve.
He rolled away before Crossbones could stomp down on his face. Steve got up and fought him again, but was ultimaley upperutted and heaved against the wall. Before Rumlow could land more blows, Y/N grabbed him from behind and threw him to the floor.
Crossbones quickly recovered and started swinging. Y/N weaved and evaded each attack before landing a right hook across his face.
Y/N took out one of his batons and tried electructing him in the neck, but it didn't phase him.
He chuckled. "Your bitch tried that already. That don't work on me anymore!"
Rumlow landed one good left cross at his face before pinning Y/N to the wall.
"After I'm done with you, I'm going to make sure she suffers." He threatened while mentioning Natasha.
A blade popped out from his gauntlet and he tried to stab Y/N, but the young man dodged his attack and forced him to stab into the wall. He bent Rumlow's arm before elbowing him and ripping the gauntlet off.
Crossbones laughed as he activated the blade on his other gauntlet. "This won't end like two years ago, kid. I'm going too kill you."
"Not on my watch." Steve said as he joined back in, standing to his right.
Rumlow snarled beneath his mask. "Then I'll kill both of you."
The villain let out a bellow before engaging the Sons of Liberty. He swung at Rogers twice, but the super soldier evaded both swipes and put his arm in a hold before landing a couple hits himself. With Steve still holding Rumlow, Y/N hit him with a roundhouse kick that sent him flying several yards back.
The two walked up to the defeated Crossbones and Steve removed his mask, seeing the burnt and disfigured face of the former S.H.I.E.L.D-slash-HYDRA agent.
"I think I look pretty good all things considered." Rumlow remarked.
Rogers grabbed him by the collar and held him up. "Who's your buyer?"
He chuckled. "You know, he knew you. You pal, your buddy, your Bucky."
Steve pulled him closer. "What did you say?"
Y/N was about to listen in, but he looked to his left and saw an injured civilian being overlooked by a few others. The shrapnel from Rumlow's explosive earlier must've hit them. The young man quickly ran over to offer aid.
"He remembered you." Rumlow spoke to Steve. "I was there. He got all weepy about it. Till they put his brain back in a blender."
Steve just glared at him, not knowing what to say. Rumlow noticed his reaction and laughed.
"Look at you. Your friend is gone. How long until your son is taken next?"
"Shut up." Steve angrily shot back.
"It's only a matter of time. You really want to endure that suffering?" He replied. "Consider this mercy."
Steve looked down and saw the trigger to Rumlow's explosive vest in his hand. For a split-second, Rogers feared the worst, but a force field surrounded Rumlow as he detonated the bombs.
Wanda contained the explosion within the bubble as Rumlow screamed in agony. She tried her best to keep it active and floated him into the sky, but let it go too early.
The force field burst and the explosion hit near the side of a building. Debris and glass flew everywhere as fire engulfed the entire fourth floor. Yells were heard, both within the building and from bystanders outside.
Y/N looked on at the damage in awe. "Oh, my God..."
Steve was speechless for a moment, but finally mustered some words. "Sam...we need fire and rescue on the south side of the building."
Wanda put a hand over her mouth, looking on in horror at the damage she caused.
She didn't mean for it to happen. She dropped to the floor and started to cry.
Pietro came to the scene and looked at the fiery chaos. He heard the explosion from across the city after dealing with Rumlow's mercenaries.
"What the hell happened?" He asked into the comms, but got no response. Inside, he was more worried about his sister. "Wanda? Are you okay?"
He got no response as well, but it didn't take long before he spotted her on the floor in her despair. He ran up to his sister and knelt beside her.
"Wanda?"
She kept her eyes fixated at the damage, not even turning to face her brother. He looked at what she was seeing as well admist the silence.
"I did this." She finally spoke as tears streamed down her face. "This was my fault."
Pietro didn't know what to say. He wasn't there to witness what happened and wondered why his sister was blaming herself. Either way, he hated seeing her like this.
He pulled her in for a hug and the witch sobbed into his chest. He caressed her back and tried to offer any form of solace he could give.
He should've been here, Pietro thought.
He should've stopped whatever happened before it did. He should've been here with Wanda.
He should've been faster.