⏳ 2016

I stepped out onto the empty airfield, my heart racing in my chest. This wasn't going to be pretty, that was for sure. But I was getting to Siberia, by any means necessary.

The helicopter stood before me, ready to be warmed up and flown to a very cold place. I ran to it. The whistling and snapping of metallic object of some sort of explosive reached my ears and I skidded to a stop to see an electromagnetic charge arc up the blades and down the tail of the vehicle, dismantling the engines.

I looked up to see Iron Man and War Machine, and they flew down to meet me, landing in front of me.

"Wow, it's so weird how you run into people at the airport," Stark remarked sarcastically, turning to Rhodes. "Don't you think that's weird?"

"Definitely weird," Rhodes agreed.

They were trying to put me off my game, but I wasn't going to fall for it. I wasn't in the mood for it to begin with.  "Hear me out, Tony," I began, him sending me a heated glare. "That doctor, the psychiatrist, he's behind all of this."

I turned to see the prince of Wakanda—the Black Panther—leap and land to my right. "Captain," he greeted.

I inclined my head. "Your Highness."

"Anyway," Tony said as he circled around Rhodes to stand on his other side. "Ross gave me thirty-six hours to bring you in. That was twenty-four hours ago. Can you help a brother out?"

"You're after the wrong guy."

"Your judgement is askew," he countered bitterly. "Your old war buddy killed innocent people yesterday—"

"And there are five more super soldiers just like him. I can't let the doctor find them first, Tony. I can't."

"Steve." I whipped to Nat behind me, her wearing an expression of warning. "You know what's about to happen. Do you really wanna punch your way out of this one?"

I had to admit it, I was glad not to see Andi in their ranks. But neither was the Vision, which meant there was still time for her to arrive. If she came later in the game, arriving as their secret weapon, the likelihood of us losing was higher.

But I'd felt something as I was suiting up. Something peculiar. A change. Something different was going to happen than what was going to twenty-four hours ago, and nobody knew who's favour the wind would be blowing in when that change hit the floor.

I turned back to Tony, my decision remaining the same. I wasn't going to surrender. I'd come this far. If I had to punch my way out of it, I was fine with leaving with bloody fists.

"All right," Tony called, irritated. "I've run out of patience." He cupped his hands around his mouth. "Underoos!"

When I saw the webbing stuck to my shield, I was confused. When my shield was ripped from my grip and my hands webbed together in return, I was curious, as the perpetrator flipped over my head and landed on a baggage carrier, holding my shield.

I...had no idea what was perched there, dressed in red and blue, black web designs running all the way down the suit. I squinted as the eyes of the wearer did too.

"Nice job, kid," Tony congratulated.

"Thanks," a boy's voice squeaked, breaking, even. "I could have stuck the landing a little better, it's just...new suit." He waved his hands around, dismissing his remarks. "Wait, it's nothing, Mr. Stark. It's, it's, it's perfect. Thank you."

"Yeah, we don't really need to start a conversation," Tony shut him up.

"O-Okay." He turned to me and saluted. "Cap-Captain." I smirked and supressed a chuckle as his introduction to me wasn't as strong. More like an awkward whisper. "Big fan. I'm Spider-Man."

"Yeah, we'll talk about it later."

"Hey, everyone," the kid, Spider-Man, greeted.

"Good job," Tony concluded.

Wherever Stark wrangled this kid out of, he was exploitable. Lack of experience always was; the kid screamed of it. He was going to be the easiest to take out.

"You've been busy," I remarked.

"And you've been a complete idiot," he growled. "Dragging in Clint. 'Rescuing' Wanda from a place she doesn't even want to leave, a safe place." With every word, his voice rose in anger and frustration. "I'm trying to keep..." He exhaled heavily. "I'm trying to keep you from tearing the Avengers apart."

I breathed out. He didn't see it. He didn't understand. He was coming from a place far from where I stood. He didn't realise that it all started because he put pen to paper. He didn't realise the damage this could cause.

"You did that when you signed," I said definitively.

Stark clenched his jaw, tired and out of options and utterly done with me. I could see all that on his face. I'd said once that I wasn't trying to be difficult, and I wasn't. But to him, I was. And that was fine. I didn't care. All I did care about was getting Bucky to Siberia and stopping that doctor from unleashing five more death machines on the world.

"All right, we're done," Stark growled lowly. "You're gonna turn Barnes over, you're gonna come with us, now, because it's us," he snarled, "or a squad of J-SOC guys with no compunction about being impolite."

I refused to look at Stark. Instead, I was examining my surroundings; the battlefield. I was looking for a way out. I knew where they were. I knew they were waiting, waiting for a signal to begin the attack.

"We found it," Sam announced over the line, and I tipped my head slightly. "Their Quinjet's in Hanger Five, north runway."

I turned back to Stark. I was just as done as he was. There was no going back now. If it's a fight he wanted, then a fight he'd get.

I raised my webbed hands, a signal to get the party started, Stark watching me intently. An arrow whistled into the atmosphere and tore through the webbing, a perfect shot releasing my hands.

"All right, Lang," I hissed through my earpiece.

In no time flat, the Ant-Man made his appearance, sizing back to normal from ant-size to somersault backwards, kicking the kid in the red and blue suit in the face and securing my shield in the process and doubling back to stand by me.

"I believe this is yours, Captain America," he said with gusto, handing my shield back to me.

The armoured men turned to the parking deck where Clint and Wanda hid, and then looked back to the terminal where Bucky and Sam were stationed. They flew off, Stark heading to Clint and Wanda and Rhodes to the others.

"Barnes is mine," the Panther snarled.

I hurled my shield at Rhodes, disorientating him to get a head start on the cat. I followed the Wakandan, catching my shield as it flew back to me and threw it at the cat. I caught it as it boomeranged back to me, the Panther rolling out of being hit before I grabbed his neck and tossed him over my shoulder with all my weight behind me, rolling over to do so and getting back on my feet as he did.

"Move, Captain," his Wakandan accent thick. "I won't ask a second time."

I rolled my head, stretching my neck, and gripped my shield tighter. He made the first move, leaping into the air and kicking out with his leg aimed at my chest. I raised my shield as a black foot connected with it. He struck me once, twice, three times, twirling in the air and landing as I stumbled back, the hum of contact against my shield loud. I regained my stance as he attacked again. He swung first and I ducked. I rolled away and slammed my shield into his back. He staggered forward and glared back at me, his shoulders hunched in irritation.

Explosions hit my hearing and I snuck a glance at two figures running towards the hanger, a lick of flame and plumes of smoke as vehicles circled around the Barton and Wanda ignited, Stark soaring close behind.

I raised my shield just in time for the Panther to rake his claws down the surface of it, the screech of Vibranium against Vibranium murder to my ears. I leaned back as his claws cut the air where I'd stood seconds earlier and ducked right as his other flew beside me, and then the other side, and I bobbed as he sliced the air above my head. I raised my shield once more as the Panther clutched the top of my shield, trying to pull it down to expose my chest.

I caught Rhodes from the corner of my eye and had no time to react as I flew back upon the impact of the Panther's foot to my chest. Rhodes flew over the black cat, a baton in hand sparking with electricity and slammed it against the surface of my shield. The booming hum of his weapon against Vibranium sent War Machine back with force. He charged towards me again, but I was ready for him. I somersaulted and felt my boot hit his armoured back, Rhodes hitting the ground hard and sliding away, the metallic clang of his baton breaking like music.

The Panther didn't waste any time, going in for another swoop of his claws which I dodged. I leaped into a flying kick, whipping around to feign smacking him the first time, but landing on that foot to strike him with the other. The Wakandan rolled away as Rhodes stood, throwing away his broken baton.

"Hey, Cap, heads-up!" I turned to Lang, who threw a miniature toy truck my way. I examined it with a raised eyebrow. "Throw it at this." I looked at the circular disk he held with a glowing centre before he tossed it War Machine's way. "Now!"

I hurled the toy at it and watched the two collide, the truck expanded immediately as it slammed to the concrete before Rhodes, exploding in fire and smoke.

"Oh, man, I thought it was a water truck," Lang marvelled as I lowered my shield and stared at him with a questioning glance. "Uh, sorry."

We took off, heading over towards the hanger on the other side of the airport. This was our chance and we needed to take it while Stark was debilitated. It was now or never.

"There's our ride," Barton announced as he and Wanda came up behind us.

"Come on!" I called as Sam and Bucky joined me on my right, and we charged towards the hanger. It was so close. We were going to make it. We were going to make it to Siberia. We were going to stop that doctor and stop the release of those Winter Soldiers and finally fix Bucky.

And then a beam of yellow energy parted the concrete before us, ripping it up and halting us in our tracks. I looked up at the Vision hovering above.

And so the big hitters had finally arrived. If the Vision was here, no doubt Andi was in close proximity. Or she was planning on making a big entrance. We were seriously in trouble now. Sure, we had Wanda as our main player to hit the ball out of the park. But if Andi was going to turn up on Stark's side, we didn't stand much of a chance.

I took a deep breath. I had a feeling I was going to fight her in all this mess sooner or later. If I had to do that, then fine, as much as I seriously did not want to. Fighting the person who had been there for me through thick and thin—through war and loss and bloodshed and heartbreak—that I thought loved me with all her battered heart, that was now possibly going to throw away everything—going to throw me away—rather than be with me until the end of the line...was more than I thought I could deal with.

But if I had to fight her so I could save Bucky...then that was what I had to do.

"Captain Rogers," the Vision boomed. "I know you believe what you're doing is right." Stark's team joined him, landing and arriving before us on the other side of the way, the hanger ominously standing so far behind them, our ride heating with purpose inside. "But for the collective good, you must surrender now."

Silence roared from the gorge between them and us, the crackling of fire hardly heard and melting into the background. This was it. This was what we had to do to get outta here. We had to fight them. Our former team mates. Our friends. Those that we trusted, or at least thought we did once. I never wanted it to come to this. Honestly, I didn't. But if I had to break some bones to get Bucky to where we needed to go, then that's what I was gonna do.

"What do we do, Cap?" Sam said.

He knew the answer. We all did. There was no going out of this democratically. There was only one option.

I exhaled. "We fight."

We walked, and, as we did, so did they. We jogged, and so did they. We picked up the pace, and I watched as the armoured men and the Vision took to the sky. I heard Sam extend his wings as the wind took him, and the hum of Wanda's telekinesis launch her high above. The gorge was closing as the two sides charged, sending my heart into a gallop, throbbing in my throat, my blood pulsating enough to deafen me.

And then an explosion of powerful energy blasted out, a wave of gold so full of force that I could feel the rage waft from it as it whisked us all off our feet and threw us to the concrete. My breath was ripped from my chest and I heaved. The others around me groaned, most of it coming from Lang rolling around to my right. My ears popped with the sound of exploding trucks and carriers surrounding us as the energy wave faded out in a shower of dust.

I pushed myself to my elbows, and my breath hitched in my throat. Things had just kicked into the next gear. The next three gears, in fact. And I was right about the entrance.

Dressed in her signature red suit with flaming hair cascading down tensed shoulders, her hands were raised, palms facing both Stark and I. Her eyes burned blazing holes through my skull, balls of green so enraged and frustrated and pulsating with fury, that they were far, far away from hypnotising. And then they rolled over to do the same to Stark as the combatants on both sides slowly rose.

"This has to stop," she snarled deeply and low, but loud enough for all to hear, deadly enough to send shivers down my spine. She glared at me. "Now."

❈Author's Note: Hey, there! Yeah, you know what I'm like. I like to split up tense scenes just to irritate you guys ;) Sorry, it's what I do best.

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