Arden stole the Avengers' Quinn jet that she had used earlier with Natasha, disabling the tracker on it and headed to Bucharest. Arden and Steve walking into an apartment, she was confident was Bucky's, while Sam was looking after the perimeter.
"Well, someone's been staying here." Arden commented, pointing at the bed.
Steve walking towards the kitchen, picking up a journal off of the top of the fridge. Arden walking to him to peek at the journal.
"Heads up, German Special Forces approaching from the South." Sam informed them through comms.
"Understood." Steve replied.
"What's with the mask?" He added, looking at the mask covering the bottom half of her face.
"Gotta be a ghost." She scoffed, looking up from the book, feeling another presence in the room.
"Hi James." She greeted, slowly turning around.
Steve quick to turn, seeing Bucky staring at them, dressed in normal clothes, along with a hat to hide his long hair.
"Do you know me?" Steve asks lowly.
Bucky hesitated, just staring at Steve. "You're Steve. I read about you in the museum."
"They've set the perimeter." Sam informed them.
"I know you're nervous, and you have all the reasons to be." Arden empathized, taking a small step towards him.
"I wasn't in Vienna. I don't do that anymore." Bucky defended.
"They're entering the building."
"Well, the people who think you did are coming here now. And they're not planning on taking you alive." Steve mentioned.
"That's smart. Good strategy." Bucky replied, slowly taking a step forward.
"They're on the roof. I'm compromised."
Arden looking slightly down, hearing the footsteps getting closer and closer to them.
"15 seconds." Arden mumbled to them.
"This doesn't have to end in a fight, Buck." Steve pleaded.
"It always ends in a fight." Bucky insisted, pulling off his glove, exposing his metal hand.
"If you're gonna make a play, now would be the time, Cap." Arden whispered.
"5 seconds."
"You pulled me from the river. Why?" Steve asked sternly.
"I don't know." Bucky answered quickly.
"Yes, you do." Steve added, staring at him.
"Breach! Breach! Breach!" Sam announced, then two flash grenades crashed into the window.
Steve deflecting one back out the window, while they stared at the other on the floor. Bucky kicking it towards Steve, but with his quick reflex he covered it with his shield, making a minimal sound and flash.
Two Germans entered through the window, Arden fighting one while Bucky threw a table against the door so they couldn't breach. Steve countering the one at the back door, holding his gun up as Arden kicked him back down the door.
"Bucky, stop! You're gonna kill someone." Steve begged, holding his arm from running out the back door.
"James." Arden pleaded with, looking into his eyes.
Instead Bucky twisted Steve's arm around, slamming him onto the ground, punching a hole right by his head, grabbing a backpack and slinging it out the door.
"I'm not gonna kill anyone." Bucky reassured.
More men breached in the apartment, Arden defending herself while Steve got thrown out the window. When Arden noticed Bucky leaving through the front door, she ran out seeing the mess he made. Rolling her eyes as she grabbed a walkie from a hurt German, crushing it then tossing it aside.
"I'm going for him." Steve informed her, catching up behind her outside the apartment in the hall.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Arden scolded, kicking a German onto the ground.
Steve relayed down, trying to save as many as he could from Bucky, just injuring them. Arden following Steve close behind as they looked out from the building seeing Bucky fighting someone on a rooftop of another building.
"Sam, southwest rooftop." Steve informed him.
"Who the hell is the other guy?" Sam asked.
"I'm about to find out." Steve answered, making a run, jumping off the building and landing near them.
"Sam." Arden called after him looking at the helicopter flying above Steve.
"On it." Sam confirmed, taking care of the helicopter.
"Jumping off buildings? Really?" Arden complained to herself, running down the stairs, jumping off when she was clear from any eyes.
It turned into a chase into a tunnel, Steve stealing a car from a police officer, while Bucky kept running. Arden able to steal a motorcycle following closely behind, when she noticed Bucky headed right back in their direction.
"My day just keeps getting better and better." Arden complained, seeing another person in a black suit join the fight.
By the time she made it to them after part of the bridge collapsed, Bucky, Steve, Sam and the new player were surrounded by police, with Rhodey commanding them. The new player revealing himself as T'Challa. Arden abruptly stopping the motorcycle, pulling down her mask.
"Sorry, Cap. That's my cue." Arden retreated, taking off before she was seen by Rhodey.
Arden making it back to Natasha in Berlin without the notice that she was gone, she huffed, pulling her shirt down as she took a seat.
"How much trouble am I in?" She asked Natasha.
"I covered for you." She answered.
"And where have you been?" Tony asked, walking into the conference room.
"Damage control." Arden partially lied, and Tony just brushed it off.
"Criminals are here. Go get them, will you?" Tony asked the two of them.
Arden and Natasha making their way to the bridge, turning around right by Steve. Arden staying close behind Sam, while Natasha took her place walking right beside Steve.
"For the record, this is what making things worse looks like." Natasha scolded him.
"He's alive." Steve replied.
"Try not to break anything, while we try to fix this." Arden teased Sam and Steve.
"Consequences? You bet there will be consequences." Tony ended his call, making his way towards Steve.
"Consequences?" Steve repeated.
"Secretary Ross wants you both convicted. Had to give him something." Tony explained, slipping his phone into his pocket.
"I'm not getting my shield back, am I?" Steve commented.
"Technically, it's the government's property. Wings too." Arden corrected them.
"Thanks for bailing." Steve turned around to Arden, crossing his arms.
"I'm your only hope on saving Barnes. So, if you want my help, I need to stay neutral." Arden pushed, taking a step closer to him.
"A ghost." Sam commented, and Arden pointed at him as if he was right.
"A spy." Steve spat at her, walking away to sit in the meeting room.
"Just let him cool off." Sam advised her, putting his hand on her shoulder.
While Tony and Natasha watched the preparation of the interview with Bucky outside the glass walls, Arden walked into the meeting room tossing Sam the listing of their belongings.
"Bird suit?" Sam complained.
"I didn't write it." Arden defended, leaning against the table, looking around before she hit the unmute button so they could not only watch the interview, but hear it.
Steve turning around and looking at Arden like he was thanking her, and she nodded at him. She noticed Natasha slowly turn her head, knowing that Arden allowed them to hear.
"Something's not adding up." Steve mentioned.
"Cause a threat, flush him out of hiding. Set a bomb off, get your picture taken. Get millions of people looking for the Winter Soldier." Arden theorized.
"You're saying someone framed him to find him?" Sam asked, shaking his head. "Steve, we looked for him for 2 years, nothing came up."
"Yeah, but you didn't bomb the UN. That turns heads." Arden reasoned.
"That doesn't guarantee that they would get him. It guarantees that we would." Steve added.
"Shit." Arden whispered, looking back at the tv screen, suspicious of the man interviewing Bucky.
Suddenly, the power shut off. The screens turning off, with no visual of Bucky.
"Sub-level five, east wing." Arden informed them of Bucky's location.
They ran out of the room, Arden rushing towards Nat and Tony.
"Whoever is in that room with Barnes, he's is going to trigger him, and that means he's going to be a threat again." Arden informed them.
"Was he ever not a threat?" Tony scolded, tapping his glasses.
"Friday, get me a source on that power outage." Tony demanded to his AI as they made their way down.