T H I R D P E R S O N P O V
Anna's head pounded painfully as she woke up with a groan. She struggled to open her eyes but knew she didn't have a choice. She felt a heavy weight pressing down on her arm and when she looked to her left, she saw her arm was trapped in a metal contraption.
"Steve. Sam," a voice called and Anna shot up, seeing Bucky standing in front of her.
Two other men hurried into the room and stood at a safe distance from her. One she recognised. The other, not so much.
"Buck..." she whispered. She looked at her brother. "Steve."
"Which Anna are we talking to?" Steve asked her.
"Our mom's name was Sarah. I'm named after her," she told him before turning to Bucky. "Your favourite fruit is plums. You once ate ten in one sitting." She chuckled at the memory and Bucky and Steve smiled.
"Can't read that in a museum," Steve said, relieved his sister was back.
"Just like that, we're supposed to be cool?" Sam Wilson asked sceptically.
"What did I do?" Anna asked.
"Enough," said Steve.
"Oh, god, I knew this would happen." She sighed frustratedly. "Everything HYDRA put inside me is still there. All he had to do was say those goddamn words."
"Who was he?" Bucky asked, folding his arms.
"I don't know," Anna muttered.
"People are dead," Steve spoke. "The bombing, the set-up. The doctor did all that just to get ten minutes with you. I need you to do better than 'I don't know'."
Anna frowned as she dug in her mind, fighting to recall what had happened. It was all very blurry, but she could remember a few key things. "He wanted to know about Siberia. Where I was kept. He wanted to know exactly where."
"Why would he need to know that?" Bucky asked.
Anna looked at him. "Because I'm not the only Winter Warrior. HYDRA created a serum that resembled yours and injected it into a bunch of people, not just me."
"How many?" asked Steve.
"Five, I think, but they could've easily created more," she said. "We have to stop them before they get out." She motioned to the steel trap holding down her arm. "Can someone..."
"Yes, of course, sorry." Steve rushed to the side of the contraption and pulled a lever. It opened and Anna's arm was released. She stretched it a couple of times before it felt normal again.
She looked up and found the three men staring at her. "I'm sorry..." she muttered. "About everything. I never meant for this to happen."
"I know you didn't," Bucky said, walking toward her and wrapping her in a hug. She tightly hugged him back and inhaled his familiar scent. He pressed a kiss to the side of her head. "It's okay."
She pulled back and looked at her brother. "It's good to see you, Steve," she said and he smiled, hugging her as well.
Steve stepped back and motioned to Sam. "This is Sam Wilson. He helped me track you down," he said.
Anna held out her hand. "Nice to meet you, Sam," she said as he uneasily shook her hand.
"You too," he said.
"We should get going before they start searching this area," Bucky spoke up.
"Good idea. Let's go," Steve said and he turned to his sister. "Someone's waiting for you outside," he told her.
"Who?" Anna asked.
"Come on," Steve said and he turned around and led the three of them to a tiny blue car that was parked outside the abandoned industrial building where they had been. A brunette girl leaned against it, her arms crossed.
Anna stopped in her tracks. "Night Wind," she whispered.
The girl pushed herself away from the car and smiled softly. "You can call me America," she said. "It's good to see you again, Anna."
"What are... What are you doing here?" Anna asked.
"We met in 2000, shortly after I had been taken by HYDRA. I escaped after being their puppet for seven years. I never saw you again, so I assumed you were either dead or that you had been transferred. I tried looking for you but I had no clue where to start." She paused and looked down. "I got taken in by your brother and the other Avengers, although I had no clue you and Steve were related."
"Also," Steve spoke up, wrapping an arm around America. "She's your sister-in-law now."
"Y-You got married?" Anna muttered after a good minute of silence.
"Yeah, we did," Steve said, pulling his wife close.
"And you didn't invite us?" Bucky dead-panned, fake-offended.
The four of them laughed. "I'm happy for you, Steve, really," Anna said, stepping up to her brother to hug him.
"Thank you," he said.
Anna pulled back first and turned to America. "Welcome to the family," she said, smiling, before hugging her too.
"We should go," Sam spoke up.
The five of them turned to the minuscule car and Anna raised an eyebrow at her brother. "We'll blend in," he defended himself with a shrug and she rolled her eyes before sitting down in between Sam and Bucky in the backseat. America sat down next to Steve as he took the driver's seat. He turned on the engine and took off.
Bucky's hand snuck toward Anna's as they drove through Berlin and he intertwined their fingers. Anna couldn't help but smile as she felt her cheeks flush.
Fifteen minutes later, they came to a stop under a distant bridge. A sleek, black Audi was already parked there and a blonde woman got out. Anna instantly recognised her from earlier.
Steve stepped out and the four remaining passengers observed the scene.
"Who's that?" Anna asked.
"Sharon Carter," America answered, leaning back in her seat and crossing her arms.
"Carter? Like Peggy Carter?" Anna questioned.
"Yeah, she's her niece or something," America said, shrugging.
To change the subject, Anna asked Sam, "Can you move over a bit?" She was pressed in between the two broad-shouldered men and had ignored it on the way over, but now, her right arm began to fall asleep.
"No," Sam stoically answered.
Anna rolled her eyes and Bucky scooted over as much as he could, providing Anna with a little bit more space. She smiled up at him, squeezing his hand.
The sound of the trunk opening sounded and Steve placed a bunch of objects in the back, one of them being his shield. Sharon shortly waved before she walked to the driver's side and stepped in.
Steve entered the car again and America was quick to take his hand in hers. Anna could help but smile to herself, happy that her brother had found someone he deserved.
***
Steve smoothly steered the car into an empty parking spot in the garage of the Leipzig airport, right next to a silver van. The five of them clambered out and Steve approached the driver of the van, Clint Barton.
"Cap," the archer greeted him.
"You know I wouldn't have called if I had any other choice," Steve said, shaking his hand.
"Hey, man. You're doing me a favour," Clint said before motioning to the brunette girl next to him. "Besides, I owe a debt."
Wanda Maximoff smiled. "Thanks for having my back," Steve said to her.
She shrugged. "It was time to get off my ass."
Anna leaned her arms on the roof of the car as she carefully observed the other people. She trusted Bucky, Steve, and America, but that didn't mean she automatically trusted the others. Bucky placed a hand on her lower back and she shot him a small smile.
"How about our other recruit?" asked Steve.
"He's rarin' to go," Clint stated, opening the sliding door of the van. "Had to put a little coffee in him, but he should be good." In the back of the van lay a middle-aged man who jolted awake at the sound of the door opening. He sat up and blinked tiredly.
"Ah, what timezone is this?" he asked as he climbed out.
"Come on." Clint patted his back and closed the van again.
As Steve reached his view, his eyes widened significantly. With his mouth slightly ajar, he stepped forward. "C-Captain America," he breathed in awe.
"Mr Lang," Steve greeted him, shaking his hand.
"It's an honour," Scott Lang said, continuing to shake his hand. "I'm shaking your hand too long. Wow, this is awesome!" he said, finally releasing Steve's hand. He turned around and said to Wanda, "Captain America! I know you too, you're great!" He shortly grabbed Steve's arms, nodding impressively. Steve turned around, eyeing Anna with amusement glistening in his eyes. She jokingly wiggled her eyebrows at him, making him laugh.
"I just wanna say, I know you know a lotta superpeople. So thinks for thanking of me," Scott said. "Hey, man!" he called, pointing a finger at Sam.
"What's up, Tic-Tac?" Sam said.
"Eh... Good to see you," Scott said. "Look, what happened last time-"
"It was a great audition but it'll never happen again." Sam chuckled.
"Did they tell you what we're up against?" Steve asked Scott.
"Something about some... psycho assassins?" Scott hesitatingly asked, shortly glancing at Anna.
"We're outside the law on this one," Steve warned. "So if you come with us, you're a wanted man."
Scott shrugged. "Yeah, well. What else is new."
"We should get moving," Bucky called.
"Got a chopper lined up," said Clint.
An intercom appeared, saying a couple of words in German. Steve turned to his sister, knowing she would understand. "They're evacuating the airport," she told him.
"Stark," said Sam.
"Stark?" asked Scott.
Steve clenched his jaw. "Suit up!"