Steve followed after Everly as she slowly stepped farther into the apartment. If one could call it that. The walls were crumbling and the lights produced a soft hum. The kitchen was fully stocked, indicating that there was indeed someone living there. A faint glow shone through the windows which were plastered with newspapers. A mattress sat in the corner along with a single blanket and a pillow. Everly lightly dragged her fingers through the dust that had collected on the shelf beside her before rubbing them together. Steve grabbed a small leather-bound journal from atop the fridge, flipping it open curiously.
"Heads up, Cap. German Special Forces, approaching from the south." Sam warned. Everly huffed, turning to Steve and perching her hands on her hips.
"Understood." He suddenly stiffened, spinning on his heel. She followed his gaze and her eyes widened when they landed on Bucky across the room. Not the Winter Soldier, Bucky. There was a bit of fear that flashed across his features for a split second as he glanced between the two. The silence that devoured them was suffocating.
"Do you know me?" Steve asked quietly.
"You're Steve." Bucky nodded lightly, his eyes flicking to Everly. "And Everly. I read about you in a museum."
"They've set the perimeter." Sam stated through her earpiece, though she had tuned him out entirely. Steve slowly stepped forward and set the journal softly on the counter.
"I know you're nervous, and you have plenty of reason to be. But you're lying."
"I wasn't in Vienna. I don't do that anymore." He hurried, peering anxiously back and forth between them.
"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."
"That's smart." Bucky nodded. "Good strategy."
"They're on the roof. I'm compromised." Everly's heart quickened at the soft sound of footsteps just outside the door.
"This doesn't have to end in a fight, Buck." She said, watching intently as he walked over to the shelf against the wall and slipped the black gloves from his hands.
He sighed. "It always ends in a fight."
"Five seconds."
"You pulled us from the river." Steve's tone had quickly grown urgent. "Why?"
"I don't know." Bucky returned, meeting his eyes.
"Three seconds." Everly's hands curled into fists and she braced herself.
"Yes, you do."
"Breach! Breach! Breach!"
She flinched as a grenade crashed through the window, though Steve quickly batted it away with his shield. A flashbang was tossed through another of the windows, landing perfectly at Bucky's feet. He kicked it toward the pair and Steve flipped his shield over and dropped it to the wooden panels of the floor, concealing the blast in a dome. Bucky flipped up one end of the mattress and ducked behind it as a bullet crashed through a third window. He tossed it aside and flung the table in front of the door which the Special Forces had begun to beat down.
A few men smashed through the windows and Everly ducked beneath a few bullets. The small room erupted into chaos, a line of bullets riddling the cracked ceiling. She drove a foot into the chest of one of the armed men, slamming him against the crumbling wall. Bucky headed toward the back door leading out to the balcony as Steve latched onto his arm.
"Buck, stop!" He shouted. "You're gonna kill someone." Bucky slammed him to the floor and plunged his fist through the boards beside Steve's head.
"I'm not gonna kill anyone." He said as he yanked a backpack from beneath the floor. He tossed it out the door where it landed on the rooftop of a neighboring building. The man Everly was fighting smashed the butt of his gun into her face. She stumbled backward and he switched his aim to Bucky, who held his metal arm before him to deflect the bullets. Steve jumped to his feet and shoved his shield out in front of his friend. He tossed Steve across the room and through the window where he took out an enemy as he rolled to a stop.
Everly finally regained her composure, though the black spots still danced in the corners of her vision. Bucky stepped toward the man firing at him, his metal hand out in front of him to block three shots before he slammed the man to the ground. Everly grabbed a brick at her feet and threw it at one of the armed men. He flew backwards, ripping the bathroom door off its hinges as he clattered to the floor. She let out a deep breath and her eyes met Bucky's. He stared at her a moment, his expression softening ever so slightly before plowing a fist through the door and kicking it down.
Everly stepped over an unconscious man laying in the doorway and scooped up a battering ram from the floor, swinging it into the chest of a man who lunged toward her. She tossed it aside and looked at the bodies all around her with wide eyes. Though when she looked close enough, she could see the rise and fall of every chest. He wasn't killing them. She peeked over the railing of the blocky, spiral staircase to see Bucky a few levels below herself. He took out person after person with ease and continued his rapid descent. A frown fell over her face at the quiet voice coming from behind her. She spun around to see a man leaned back against the wall, a radio gripped tightly in his hand. He looked up at her with fear-filled eyes as she sent him a glare and plucked the walkie from his grasp. She crushed it in her hand just as Steve ran up behind her, immediately leaping over the railing to the level below. She landed on the lower level and shot her arm out just on time to catch a man that had been flung over the railing.
Steve looked at Bucky and sighed. "Come on, man."
Her chest heaved as she dragged herself over the bent railing and stepped into the hall, which was flooded by the sun's light. Bucky rolled across the rooftop of the next building over, scooping up his backpack as he made a run for it. Her eyes grew wide when a dark figure slammed into him from behind, each of them sent crashing to the ground. The figure picked themselves up in one smooth motion before a pair of claws extended from the tips of his fingers. The pitch-black suit reminded her of a panther, along with his swift movements. She bounced on her toes a few times, watching nervously as a fight broke out between them. Whoever the mysterious person was, they were on a mission. She took a few steps backward and drew in a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for the jump. Steve appeared behind her and looked down upon the fight, his expression plastered with worry.
"Sam, southwest rooftop." He hurried.
"Who the hell's the other guy?"
"About to find out." Everly groaned as she launched herself forward, gaining as much speed as possible before making the leap. The wind was knocked from her lungs as she rolled to her feet. Steve landed beside her with ease and she cringed at the pain that shot up her legs. A few bullets were sprayed across the rooftop and she peered into the sky to see a helicopter hovering above them.
"Sam."
"Got him." Sam responded as he whooshed by overhead, slamming both feet into the chopper causing it to spiral through the air.
Before they even got the chance to assist Bucky in the fight, he had scraped himself off the ground and made a run for it once again. Everly's stomach dropped and she rushed forward as he threw himself over the edge of the building, the mysterious panther following closely behind. Steve jumped from the ledge without hesitation and she soon followed. Her legs burned as she raced after them, dodging the bullets that once again rained from the sky. The chase led them down into a tunnel, cars honking all around them as the trio hurried between them. Everly groaned in annoyance at the sirens that echoed off the concrete walls, flashing blue lights reflecting off the ceiling.
"Stand down!" A man yelled from the car behind her. She looked ahead of her to see Bucky, the panther, and Steve still sprinting full speed. With only a moment's consideration, she jumped in front of the wailing car, smashing into the windshield. The car skidded to a stop and she rolled off the hood, hurried to the driver's side, and yanked the man out before slipping inside. She slammed on the gas, weaving in and out between cars. She swerved into another lane to drive alongside Steve and reached over to pop open the passenger door.
"Need a lift?"
He quickly jumped inside, his eyes wide and his chest heaving as she raced after Bucky, passing the speeding panther in doing so. A thud sounded on the back of the car and Steve twisted around in his seat.
"We've got company." He hurried. Everly cringed as she yanked the wheel back and forth, trying desperately to shake away the unwelcome hitch-hiker.
"Sam, I can't shake this guy." She groaned, peeking at the dark figure through the rear-view mirror.
"Right behind you." He returned. She peered once again in the mirror at the cluster of police cars behind them. The blaring sirens bounced around the tunnel walls and rang in her ears. Her grip tightened on the steering wheel as she carefully watched Bucky, afraid that she would lose him. He swerved left, jumping over a line of barrels when he saw a crowd of police cars coming from the opposite direction. She cranked the wheel to the left, crashing through the barrels.
Her eyes grew wide when Bucky reached out hand as a man drove by on a motorcycle. Bucky latched onto one of the handlebars and swung the bike through the air, tossing the man aside in doing so. She huffed, pressing her foot harder against the gas pedal as he sped off.
Steve looked up at the roof worriedly when more banging sounded from above them. The panther launched himself off of their car, lunging straight for Bucky who wrapped his finger's around the stranger's throat. The dark figure pushed off of the wall, tipping the motorcycle nearly on its side. Bucky threw out his metal hand, the fingers scraping against the pavement as sparks sprinkled the air around him. He finally kicked the panther away and straightened himself out. The stranger tumbled to the ground and Everly quickly swerved to avoid hitting him.
He jumped into the air, latching onto Sam as he came flying in from behind. Bucky tossed a small device into the air and it stuck to the ceiling of the tunnel. The explosion sent a cloud of smoke and and rubble crashing to the concrete. Everly cranked the wheel to the right, the tires screeching as they skidded.
"Time to go." She hurried, grabbing onto Steve's arm as she dragged him from the car which continued rolling after them. Bucky had been knocked off his bike and the panther loomed overtop of him, the claws flicking back out from the tips of his fingers. Steve tackled him to the ground and they both stood to their feet glaring at one another.
Everly froze as police cars surrounded them, skidding to a stop. Armed men hopped out of each, all training their guns on the group before them. Everly fell to her knees at the crippling pain that consumed her every inch, a cry pushing past her lips. Steve spun around to face her, his eyes growing wide before Rhodey landed with a clang beside them in his suit. He held up his palms and a gun emerged from his shoulder as he stood taller.
"Stand down, now." He ordered. Steve hesitantly slipped the shield onto his back, glancing worriedly at his friend. "Congratulations, Cap. You're a criminal." He stepped toward her, only for someone to pin his hands behind his back and force him to his knees.
Everly squeezed her eyes shut, unable to ignore the wave of pain that had crashed over her. A pair of frantic hands scooped hers up, cuffing them behind her back, but she couldn't find it in her to care.
"What did you do to her?" Steve pressed as he was ushered away, his face creased with worry. He continually peered over his shoulder as she was forced to stand, though they practically had to carry her, the toes of her shoes scraping against the concrete as she struggled to walk. She was shoved into the back of a van alongside Steve. T'challa, King T'Chaka's son had turned out to be the one behind the mask of the panther. He sat just before them, staring blankly ahead of him. Sam sat in the row just behind them, glancing between everyone.
Steve watched with a heavy heart as Everly's hands trembled. She bit the inside of her lip to keep from squealing, ignoring the metallic taste that filled her mouth. Her breaths were shallow, as if she could hardly manage them. Her head tipped back, her eyes still pressed tightly shut as a tear rolled down her cheek.
A few minutes went by before she visibly relaxed, her eyes snapping open as she drew in a deep breath. The agonizingly familiar pain had finally subsided, though her hands only seemed to tremble more as she looked around, her chest heaving. Steve met her panic filled eyes. He didn't know what happened, and didn't know how to help.
"Are you okay?" He asked softly, as if afraid to disturb the quiet that had washed over the back of the van. She remained silent, her gaze locking onto her shaking hands resting atop her lap. She dropped her head into her hands as her teeth lightly chattered from shock.
Sam's voice soon sliced through the tension in the air. "So, you like cats?"
"Sam." Steve quietly scolded.
"What? Dude shows up dressed like a cat, you don't wanna know more?" He quickly returned. Steve's eyes flicked to T'Challa sitting before him.
"Your suit... it's vibranium?" He asked hesitantly.
T'Challa peeked over his shoulder. "The Black Panther has been the protector of Wakanda for generations." He explained, his accent thick. "A mantle, passed from warrior to warrior. And now, because your friend murdered my father, I also wear the mantle of king. So, I ask you, as both warrior and king... how long do you think you can keep your friend safe from me?"
A/N
Sorry about how absolutely horrible this is... This chapter was so hard to write :(
Also, I just wanted to say again how much all your support means to me. Every time I get a notification on this story, it brings a smile to my face. And reading your comments makes my day! I still can't believe that people would willingly take time out of their lives to read something I wrote. It's incredible and I can't thank you enough <3
~Haley