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THE FALCON,
THE WHITE WOLF 
&

RED RECLUSE

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months later...

There was little to no warmth that morning. The news reached the Barnes' household at the crack of dawn, so while the rest of the neighborhood was still in its slumber the lone house on block was awake and ready. The two resident supersoldiers, now armed with their chosen weaponry and each suited in custom-built combat gear, prepares for a major mission.

"You think the day's today Karli finally shows up?" Czarina looks over her father as she takes apart her batons to reassemble it.

"Joaquin's been tracking down the Flagsmashers' presence on the city for the past weeks, and according to his intel their plans lead up to this day." Bucky replies.

"Any news from Sam?"

The man exhales, his expression darkens a bit. After a few months off the mission, they were able to take a breather and let the concern for the Flagsmashers take a backseat in their minds.But now Czarina can see her father's deep apprehension about the matter resurface, expression hardened and lacking the lightness she had grown fond of seeing.

"He said he's coming today," the man informs her. "For now we just have to cover the ground they might hit. Joaquin forwarded all the Intel he gathered. We'll use that."

Czarina's phone pings and the file appears on the screen, it will be their guide for the rest of the day until the Flagsmashers decide to reveal themselves and commence their attack. It's the unavoidable conclusion on this chase, they will have to confront and battle them again, what they can prevent is further damage and loss of innocent lives among the public.

She exhales deep and sharp as she scrolls through the information provided by their military friend. All the places and locations mentioned on it are highly populated, frequented by citizens of the city at day. Czarina begins to think about the incident in Latvia months ago with Walker. Their presence in the public place made the situation a lot worse than expected. They can't have a repeat of that.

"Hey," Bucky calls out to her. He looks like he just caught wind of her inner thoughts. "It won't be like before. We have this under wraps. This time we'll get them. Properly."

Czarina closes her phone. She nods with a shaky breath but remains collected nonetheless.

"Yeah." She says as if to assure herself as well. "I just hope this is the end of it. If only everything went better back at Latvia...,"

"But it didn't." Bucky says. "And we have a chance to make right, and we will, right?"

The man takes his hand on the side of his daughter's face, pressing against it. "Get your head on the mission. You with me?"

Czarina nods and responds with certainty and conviction. "Yes."

Bucky musses her hair, light smile leaving him and he returns to assembling their weapons.

He's right. If she wants this to work, her heart and head needs to be on the mission itself. Not on anything else like before. For now her reason for accomplishing this mission is her desire to keep the city safe, and to prevent further violence and bloodshed.

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The two Barnes were the first one to arrive on the scene when everything unfolded.

Czarina and Bucky were escorting the area around the city where the presence of alleged Flagsmashers and their supporters were concentrated. They were there until late afternoon and when the call came through.

It was Joaquin.

The soldier informed them of the situation in New York's GRC Center. Where the Flagsmashers made a hostile takeover of the headquarters with the board of directors still inside. It's immediately put into high alert and authorities are currently being deployed on the building. So far no has reached where the rogue super soldiers are, they seem to be taking the route of a hostage situation.

As soon as they arrive, they are greeted by a crowd of ushering, panicked civilians in the vicinity of the building. Though the primary area is heavily barricaded by the NYPD and heavily equipped personnels to ensure no one gets in or out the place.

"I'm almost there." Sam informs them over the line.

"What's the plan?" Bucky replies.

"Karli's gotta be close. Keep your eyes open." The man reminds them. The pair on the ground roam their gaze on the shuffle of the crowd surrounding the perimeter.

"Well, it could be anybody."

At first Czarina was worried they'll be denied access to the GRC building, given how they are not exactly agents of any government defense force.

But it was the other way around.

"Sergeant Barnes." An NYPD officer greets her father when passed by a squadron of police. A couple of them even nodded at the younger one.

"And by the way, I called in some backup."

As soon as Sam says that, a stranger appears behind the pair. Almost startling them. "Excuse me, sir. Are you supposed to be here?" The man is wearing an overall coat and beanie hat.

Czarina almost went into her defense mode when the man got closer to them. But when his hand presses against his face, a holographic shimmer appears followed by a reveal of a familiar face under it.

"It's me." Sharon assures them. Czarina feels the knots on her stomach loosen a bit on the sight of another ally.

"Sharon, what the hell are you doing here?" Bucky is equally puzzled as his daughter. Which is fair since the last time they saw the woman she's basically an outlaw of the US government, making a life in a lawless, pirate island.

"Relax. No one's looking for me here."

"Well they're looking for different terrorists this time." Czarina chides. Sharon only rolls her eyes on the girl's light jab towards her lifestyle.

"Do I hear Sharon?"

"Unfortunately."

"Hey, Sam. I thought I'd get the band back together." The woman says on her earpiece.

"Thank you. You're risking a lot coming here."

"I hear pardons aren't all they're cracked up to be anyway."

Czarina cracks a smile. Of course, she's not doing this for free labor. It'll definitely help her cause of getting pardoned.

"Depends on the therapist." Bucky stiffens his shoulders.

After the brief congregation of the trio outside the GRC building, they decided it's best to split up so they can cover more ground. Though Bucky instructed Czarina to stay on the west wing of the grounds and avoid the tunnels, he also insisted that he keep her earpiece connected at all times. The three separated as soon as they got around the building, with Czarina staying in her assigned area whilst the other two takes the larger ground.

More chaos erupted at the headquarters when Sam was seen flying in the sky. Karli obviously plans to keep all the GRC council members by the Flagsmashers side at all cost, perhaps as a bargaining chip.

"Rei, Sharon, Bucky, what's going on on your end?" Sam has made it inside the building, Czarina can hear the clamoring on the other line.

"Nothing. All quiet."

Czarina affirms the same thing. No one's going inside or trying to break on the heavy line of the authorities on the perimeter.

"Karli's not coming in, she's forcing everybody out." Sam quickly concludes upon hearing the situation on the ground. "It's a misdirect. We gotta keep everybody inside."

The line was abruptly cut off when a thud echoed from Sam's end. Perhaps he came across another Flagsmasher.

"You guys are gonna have to do something," Heinstructs the other three. It was followed by sounds of connecting punches. "Don't let 'em out of the building.

"You alright in there?" Czarina asks. The three of them have started to enter the building.

"Yeah," the captain answers in between grunts. "Just got visited by some rando'."

"Who? Which Flagsmasher?"

"None. It's Batroc."

Czarina only heard about the mercenary from Steve and Sam's stories during their brief time on the run. But it was enough to share the same ire towards the man. Not to mention Sam, along with Joaquin, came across Batroc earlier this year on a mission. And he really gave them trouble for kidnapping a US Air Force captain.

"Oh, fuck that French guy!"

She can almost swear that she heard Sam laugh from the other end of the comms.

"Here's one of them." Bucky was quick to point out the obvious Flagsmasher in disguise once they got past the entrance. "There's another."

There's a guy in a blue suit near the stairwell who doesn't look like he belongs among the employees, Czarina set her eyes on him right away. "I got this one."

"I'll get the evac." Bucky says.

The two Barnes nodded at each other, signaling their split to cover the place. Czarina jogs towards the guy who headed upstairs instead of joining the crowd. Her immediate thought is the helicopter. It's reported that there will be air transport, If they plan a hijack, it will be a much more high stakes situation.

Shouts echo on corridors of the GRC building, the sound of boots pounding against the marble floors mixed with the wailing alarms. The blue red glow of emergency lights bathes everything in a sharp hue, it flickers intermittently and casts distorted silhouette on the walls. Czarina moves through the chaos like a shadow, her sharp blue eyes scanning for any movement on the floor level. Most of the civilians are headed to their designated transport unit. She needs to make sure no Flagsmashers get a chance to ride along.

The young widow barely paused as her batons hummed to life, their crackling charge illuminating her path. She takes another flight of stairs, careful not to alert the man in the suit she's tailing. The next floor she arrived in was darker, her eyes adjusted to the lack of light.

The first Flag Smasher lunges at her from the side, but she is ready. She pivots on her heel, ducking under his swing followed by a strong jab of the electrified baton on his ribs. The man crumpled with a groan as his weapon clattered to the floor. She didn't waste time watching him fall. The chaos around her demanded speed, precision and focus.

Gunfire erupts in the distance, reverberating through the halls. Somewhere outside, she knew her father was chasing down the trucks. But here, in the heart of the building, the fight was hers. Czarina speeds up to the next floor levels until she reaches the floor where the rooftop is. She sprints towards the outer corridor to open the sealed door but she doesn't make it.

A second attacker barrels toward her, wielding a metal pipe. She sidesteps the swing and twists his arm with brutal might, forcing the guy to drop the weapon before striking him in the back of the knee. He staggers but recovers quickly and tries swinging a punch. Czarina caught his wrist midair, delivering a kick to his stomach that sent him sprawling into a desk.

Czarina lets out a little huff to catch her breath. It's evident that they are stronger than a regular person, they are powered by a serum after all. But they are not fighters. Their strength does not match their skills. She can't help but remember are pretty much working class refugees from countries that kicked them out. These are no soldiers.

She rushed towards the barreled doors leading to the rooftop helipad. It was sealed tightly. Shit. If someone already evacuated and it was sealed from behind... Czarina combined her two batons to create a long stick, she set it to the highest voltage and slid the end against the hinges. The metal joints give out, the entire door falling forward and revealing the scene on the rooftop right in front of her eyes.

An overwhelming surge of cold air rushes inside. The helicopter is already a few feet up in the air, its engine whirring to life and its headlights already in full brightness. But it's what remains on the ground of the helipad that made her heart drop. Couple of evac assigned soldiers sprawled with her brains blown out.

It was an ambush. If only she arrived early.

"Fuck!" Czarina didn't waste any time reaching for a helicopter that's already taken off. She turns in another direction, towards the working elevator on the floor.

"They got the helicopter evac. I repeat, a Flagsmashers hijacked the helicopter. Possibly four passengers in the vehicle!" She shouts on the comms. Come on, come on. It took some time before someone answered her report.

"I got it, Rei. Focus on intercepting the ones on the ground I got the air." Sam finally responds with assurance. It's good to know he's able to disengage with Batroc. The mercenary was a distraction anyway.

The elevator she's in suddenly shakes, it opens up halfway downwards. Shit. She mutters. That's so many levels to climb down. But she has no choice, the hijacked transport vehicles must be nearing the location

Czarina gets out of the elevator, to some east wing of the random floor she arrived at. The air was thick with tension, each clash of weapons and distant cry of struggle adding to the uneasy weight pressing down on her. Smoke from a small explosion somewhere nearby seeped into the hallways, stinging her eyes and making every breath feel heavier. Turning a corner, she froze momentarily at the sight of a figure.

Georges Batroc casually leans against a doorframe, as if he isn't surrounded by chaos. His eyes flicker over her with a mixture of amusement and assessment.

"Ah," he says as he walks towards her, his tone light despite the tension. "The little widow. I was wondering when we'd meet. You know I've come across some of you throughout the years. No one really made a lasting impression."

A huge, mocking grin appears on his lips. "Except for that sweet thing, Natasha Romanoff."

Czadina doesn't indulge his mockery. Her grip on her batons tightens. She took a step forward, but Batroc moved faster, spinning into a kick aimed at her head. She barely had time to block, the impact forcing her back a step.

He was quick, his strikes fluid and precise, but Czarina matched his pace. She deflected a flurry of kicks with her batons, sparks flying as metal scraped against the electrified weapons. Batroc shifted tactics, feigning a strike before grabbing her wrist and twisting. That brought a smile to the mercenary's face.

"Ah, you have a very familiar dance, chérie."

Czarina already dropped one of her batons, but she used the momentum to spin and deliver a sharp elbow to his jaw.

Batroc stumbles back, wiping blood from his lip with the back of his hand. His expression shifts, his smirk sharpening into something more dangerous. He came at her again, knife in hand, slashing with precision. Czarina narrowly, the blade cutting through the air. The last one catches her cheek. Blood drips from the shallow cut on the girl's face. She retaliated with a kick to his chest, using the momentary distance to retrieve her fallen baton.

The fight became a blur of movement, each strike and counterstrike a test of endurance. She can't really fight the large man in hand to hand combat. She just has to dance now as he says.

Czarina used the environment to her advantage, vaulting over desks and ducking behind pillars to create space. "Who sent you?!" She shouts at him as the distance between the returns.

"You'll get nothing from me, chérie." He replies in between heavy exhales. He's getting tired. That's good.

His fatigue became more evident when at one point, Batroc lunged, and she redirected his momentum with a calculated sidestep. The move sent him crashing into a file cabinet.

With a flick of her wrist, she activated one of the Widow's gadgets at her belt. The device shot out a series of electrified cords that wrapped around Batroc, pinning his arms to his sides. He struggled against the bindings, his curses in French mixing with the distant sounds of chaos.

"Are you with the Flagsmashers?"

"Fuck them. No." The Frenchman denies his alliances with the extremist group. "I'm here for revenge."

"To Sam? I don't believe that for one second, I know someone sent you here."

Even amidst the challenge of time, Czarina knows she has to maximize any chances of getting any vital intel. A mercenary doesn't just appear out of nowhere. If he's not working for the Flagsmashers, then someone sent this guy. But refuse to speak anything, he just grunts and struggles against the electric cords wrapping him.

Czarina steps back, breathing heavily as she surveys her work. "Fine. Then just stay put, chéri." She mutters, turning and sprinting toward the exit.

Over the comms, she hears her father's voice along with a revved up engine and blast of sirens. "Rina, where are you? I'm after the transport vehicles, they are by the corner bridge of 8th."

"I'm still inside," she replies as she jogs downstairs on several flights of stairs. "Just cleaning up the leftovers. I'm joining you out there."

Czarina was quick to obtain a motorcycle and to tail the route her father gave her. She hops off her ride as soon as she sees on the other end of the street that the Flagsmashers have engaged in an act of harming their hostages. Whilst her father fights out another Flagsmasher. One of the trucks engulfed in flames, the heat radiating even from a distance.

She rushes to join them. The fire has grown larger and screams of the people inside are already panicked.

Czarina throws herself on the Flagsmashers that Bucky was fighting. Quickly engaging the guy to a hand to hand combat so her father can rescue the GRC members on the burning truck.

As he engages the guy in a one on one fight, she sees in the corner of her eye that the second transport vehicle has started to move. With Karli manning the wheel, while the rest of the Flagsmashers board the truck.

Her father is in no shape to intercept them, he's still demolishing the burning truck on their left to free the hostages. Just then a guttural scream of Karli's name sounded from the edge of the road. John Walker appears amidst the chaos, suited up and with a new shield.

The soldier intended to get to the leader of the Flagsmashers. Perhaps as a revenge for his partner's death in Latvia. That left Karli and her followers no choice but to engage in a fight against Walker. Temporarily abandoning the second truck they intend to drive. As the remaining Flagsmashers gang up on Czarina and Walker, the girl's eyes remain on the unmanned transport vehicle. This is a chance.

She delivered a powerful kick at the female Flagsmasher she's currently dealing with to temporarily incapacitate her. The woman stumbles back. And Czarina gets enough time to reach the truck. She begins punching the sealed door with all her might. Bare fists and arms.

But it won't budge. Some gadget is attached on the surface, it tightens the locks every time the door receives an outside force. Czarina curses under her breath.

"Can you hear me?!" She screams at the people inside. Their voices are muffled, there's no way they can communicate. She can't ask them to release the lock from the inside.

"Dad! Over here!" Czarina calls out to the supersoldier.

On the other truck, Bucky managed to pry open its doors and he's now assisting the people to get out. She needs his help to free the people on the second vehicle as well. She can't do it alone. Her strength is enough.

Czarina continues to try and pull the door or release the complicated lock from the outside. But her attention suddenly got diverted from the ensuing fight just next to her. Her father is still occupied with helping the escaped civilians, and Walker is pinned down on the ground by three Flagsmasher, and Karli is about to deliver a killing blow towards the man.

"Fuck!"

Czarina had no choice. She let go of the door handles and sprint towards the fight. Her body slams against Karli right away, making the woman drop the weapon she's holding. The group's strength divides again to fight both Walker and Czarina. It didn't take long for Bucky to join as well.

Now it's three on four.

The young widow takes on a different Flagsmasher this time. Whilst Bucky fights two and Walker against Karli. She sees that these ones are more skilled compared to the ones she fought upstairs. Perhaps these four are Karli's close circle.

Their collective fight ensues. And Czarina finds herself alone, fending off two Flagsmashers after her father jumps down on the edge of the bridge they are currently in. And Walker has run off to chase Karli on one of the tunnels nearby. The cold air of the night blows against her bruised and scarred skin. But it didn't matter to the girl. The serum in her veins are meant to withstand this. They aren't.

She was proven right when she delivered the final blow against the last Flagsmasher she's fighting. The woman crumples on the ground. Joining the other unconscious one. Czarina turns around to search for her allies but it is their main enemy she finds.

Karli reappeared on the street, with no sign of Walker around. She's boarding the second vehicle transport one again. The screams of the GRC officials trapped inside were audible even over the chaos, their voices a sharp reminder of what was at stake.

"No, no, no," Czarina mutters as she forces herself into a run. Her boots pound against the hard pavement of the bridge. Not now. I have to stop her. I'm the only one here right now.

Karli yanks the driver's door open with one fluid motion. She was seconds away from taking control.

"Karli!" She shouts, desperation evident into her voice.

The revolutionary paused for a split second, just long enough to glance over her shoulder. Her expression hardens on the sight of the blonde girl. "Stay down, Barnes. This isn't your fight anymore."

"You know I can't do that." Czarina lunges towards the redhead. The force is strong enough to send them both sprawling to the ground. They rolled across the asphalt, both girls fighting to gain the upper hand.

Czarina scrambles to her feet first and swings her baton in a precise motion. Karli blocks the strike with her forearm, countering with a sharp kick to the other's abdomen. The impact sent the blonde girl stumbling back, her boots skidding on broken glass.

"You're wasting your strength," Karli says, her voice steady despite the exhaustion. "You can't stop this."

Czarina grits her teeth. She ducks under a wild punch and retaliates by striking Karli's shoulder. "You're killing people who have nothing to do with your fight!" She snapped. "This isn't the way, Karli!"

For a moment, she can swear something flickered in Karli's eyes. Perhaps doubt or hesitation. But it vanished as quickly as it appeared. She shoves the other girl with no holdbacks and delivers a brutal blow to her temple.

Stars exploded in the young widow's vision. She staggers, her balance slipping just long enough for Karli to slip inside the truck. The blonde cursed under her breath. Despite the throbbing pain in her skull she forced herself not to shut down at that moment.

The engine roared to life. Karli slams the door shut, locking herself inside.

"Damn it!" Czarina reaches for the door handle, but the truck lunges forward and nearly drags her off from the ground. She barely managed to grab onto the side mirror, clinging to it as the vehicle sped onto the bridge pathway.

The wind lashes against her face, carrying with it the metallic tang of blood and the putrid stench of smoke. The truck's tires screeches as Karli swerves to avoid debris, the heavy vehicle cruising dangerously with every turn. Czarina grits her teeth, her fingers straining to maintain their grip. Her boots scraped against the truck's side as she tried to pull herself higher. Inside the truck, she could see Karli's determined expression, her knuckles white against the steering wheel.

"Karli, stop!" She shouts over the roar of the engine. "You're going to kill everyone in here!"

"That's the plan." Karli threw open the door and jumped out, rolling on the further side.

Czarina's heart drops, before she could even react, the truck lurch violently to the right. The world tilted as the front wheels slid onto the crumbling edge of the bridge. The vehicle groans under its own weight, the metal frame bending as the front half tipped forward.

The girl barely makes it in time to grab onto the side of the vehicle. Below them, the scaffolding creaks and sways, its rusted beams barely holding together. The GRC officials inside the truck screamed, their terror echoing across the bridge.

"Hold on!" The young widow shouts, her voice hoarse. She pulled herself away from the narrow ledge. Yet still maintaining her hand on the surface of the truck's frame. Her muscles burned, the strain threatening to overwhelm her, but she refused to let go.

From the ground below, Bucky's voice cuts through the noise like a lifeline. "Czarina!"

He sounded alarmed. She can sense the urgency of his tone. What has she found herself into? She can't carry this alone. Bucky needs to make it back atop of the bridge to help her.

Her father disappears from view. He's most likely headed towards the bridge's access. The other Barnes knew it would take him time to reach her, time she didn't have.

The truck groaned again, its weight shifting dangerously. She clenches her teeth, pulling with all her strength. Her vision starts to blur, but she refuses to let go.

"Barnes!"

Czarina's head snaps in the direction of the voice. Walker is on the other end, his hands already gripping the back of the truck. His face was grim but set with determination.

"I'll push, you pull!" She commanded him. To which he complied right away. Together, the two super soldiers strain against the weight of the truck, their combined strength sparing seconds for the civilians inside. The metal creaks beneath them, but the truck holds for now.

But they are not so lucky. Two of Karli's followers appear from the other side of the bridge, their faces covered by the usual masks. They charged without hesitation, their goal clear: to push down the truck and end the people inside it. One tackles Czarina and rips her away from the truck. The other slams into Walker, forcing him to release his grip.

The world spun as Czarina and her attacker plunged off the bridge, wind roaring loudly in her ears. She braces for impact but Walker grabs her mid-fall. Twisting his body to absorb the brunt of the landing. They hit the ground hard, rolling to a stop amidst the wreckage. The girl groans from the numbing pain, her body aches from the impact but she gets up on her feet

Her eyes snap to the bridge. The truck was still hanging on the edge, its passengers screaming for help. Czarina scans her surroundings for any possible way to stop the inevitable. Where are the patrol guards? The NYPD? Amidst the crowd she sees her father jogging towards the spot she stands on. His face is pale and fear is painted on his eyes.

"I jumped back down, I saw you fall." Bucky's voice is tight with worry. He grabs her daughter's shoulders and looks at her as if inspecting for ang sign of major injury.

"I'm fine," she assures him. Though exhaustion weighs heavily on her at the point. She glances at Walker, who stands a few feet away, his expression unreadable. "I got help."

Bucky frowns but doesn't argue. Their exchange was cut off quickly but the eventual fall of the truck above them. They were about to sprint away from the area when the truck stopped mid air. It didn't hit the ground as they expected.

Czarina smiles upon the realization. A familiar glow of blue thrusters slowly rises to reveal the person behind it. Sam is here. His new suit gleams under the bridge lights, the red, white, and blue standing out against the darkness. The shield strapped to his back as he grasps the front of the truck, his thrusters roaring as he lifts it into the air.

Cheers erupts from the crowd as Sam secured the truck, lowering it gently to safety. The GRC officials were pulled from the vehicle, their faces pale but alive. The crowd's gleeful noise swells. Their voices echoes nothing but hope and admiration from what they are witnessing.

For the first time, the world sees him. Not just as Sam Wilson, but as Captain America.

Czarina wanted to stay in the moment for a bit longer but Karli's relentless actions made that impossible. She and her allies are still standing, and they are willing to fight for their movement until the end.

Had to cut off this chapter because it's already so long. Anyways this is my fave chapters of the last act. I put a lot of details in it, I hope y'all caught it! Let me know what you think of this!