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One minute later…
Tony's place looked like a disaster zone. Shards of glass, pieces of broken cabinets, and the remains of what had once been a collection of expensive wine bottles littered the floor.
All the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents sent to apprehend Roger were now sprawled across the ground.
Clearly, it was Roger who had put them down.
Of course, given Tony was watching, Roger had held back, sparing their lives. But as for a few cases of severe fractures… well, that was hard to say.
"I said I didn't mind some mess, but that didn't mean turning my vintage wine collection into a puddle on the floor," Tony remarked, eyeing the wreckage. "Do you even know how much all that costs?"
Roger lifted his foot off one of the downed agents and replied, "No, and I don't want to know, since I'm not paying for it."
"Oh?"
"Make them pay, or, better yet, their boss. After all, you let them in."
Roger threw the responsibility back at Tony without hesitation.
With the level of control Tony had over the tower, there was no way he didn't know these agents were coming for Roger. Through his AI, J.A.R.V.I.S., he probably saw them coming long before they arrived, yet he did nothing to stop them.
Maybe Tony didn't feel like getting involved, or maybe he just wanted to see how Roger would handle them. Either way, he had let them in, knowing they couldn't really cause trouble in Stark Tower.
In fact, given their nerve to storm the place even with Tony present, they were lucky he hadn't thrown them all out himself.
Tony smirked at Roger, not pressing him to pay for the damage, and said, "Fine, let's drop it. But it seems Fury's in deeper trouble than we thought if his agents are desperate enough to come here."
As he spoke, Tony nudged one of the unconscious agents with his foot.
Roger looked up at the sky.
Far above, beyond the visible range of the human eye, three helicarriers were rising toward the clouds. Now he could see Cap and Falcon trying to infiltrate, but things weren't going well.
Onboard the helicarriers were only Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson, while Natasha and Clint were nowhere to be found, likely searching for the missing Fury or dealing with other issues.
Once those helicarriers were airborne and the Insight Initiative launched, they'd unleash deadly firepower on hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.
"This can't happen," Roger muttered under his breath.
Without further word, he took off at full speed toward the rising helicarriers.
Tony, left mid-sentence, could only watch as Roger shot off. Looking down at the defeated S.H.I.E.L.D. agents strewn across the floor, he let out a long sigh and said, "J.A.R.V.I.S., clean this up. And… prep my suit. Looks like I've got a party to attend."
…
Steve Rogers was in trouble.
A few days ago, he'd been ensnared by a young woman's ability to manipulate his mind, leaving him haunted by lingering visions.
Before he'd even had a chance to clear his head, he got the news that Fury had been attacked and was missing.
Within a day, he, Natasha, and Clint were all declared enemies of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Not yet free from the illusionary haze, Steve was suddenly forced to confront the harsh reality that his own organization had turned against him.
Now, none of that mattered. Steve understood the true threat behind it all: Hydra had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D., and their Insight Initiative was now a tool for mass extermination.
The only way to stop them was to replace the helicarriers' targeting chips, rewriting the algorithm to make the carriers attack each other.
Steve had fought his way to the chip room without much issue, but there he encountered the last person he wanted to see.
A metal arm with a red star emblazoned on it told him exactly who stood before him.
The Winter Soldier, Bucky.
At this point, Bucky was still under Hydra's control, serving as their deadliest weapon.
Now, on Hydra's orders, he was here to stop and, if necessary, kill Captain America, ensuring Hydra's plan went forward.
Seeing Bucky again after so many years should have been a momentous, if bittersweet, occasion, but under these circumstances, it was anything but a happy reunion.
Steve had no wish to fight Bucky, but there was no choice. The helicarriers were almost in the air, and he hadn't even managed to install a single chip. If he wanted to stop them, he had to defeat the "enemy" in front of him.
"Bucky, don't," Steve pleaded.
The brainwashed Winter Soldier showed no sign of recognition. Without a word, he raised his metal arm and brought it crashing down on Steve.
Clang!
The steel arm slammed against Steve's vibranium shield with a heavy impact, the sound rattling Steve's head painfully.
Fortunately, his enhanced physique shielded him from the worst of the blow. Quickly regaining his footing, he lashed out, aiming a kick at Bucky.
Bucky blocked the kick with his leg, countering with a punch to Steve's side.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The two super-soldiers exchanged blows in the cramped chip room.
So far, Steve was losing ground.
Facing his long-lost friend, Steve hesitated to strike too hard.
In contrast, Bucky had no such qualms, landing blow after relentless blow, forcing Steve to stay on the defensive.
Reluctant to hurt Bucky, Steve was ultimately being dragged into a lengthy standoff, unable to change even a single chip.
Realizing the situation was turning dire, he resolved to put their past aside, at least for the moment. He'd have to end this fight quickly.
But just as he prepared to go all out, he heard Falcon's voice in his earpiece.
"Cap?"
"Sam?"
"Cap! Someone's here, looks like a regular guy. He just helped me install the chip on this carrier and is moving to the next one. He asked if you need backup."
"Someone…?" Steve echoed, using his shield to deflect a punch from Bucky. Taking a brief step back, he replied to Sam, "Not right now, I, "
Bang!
Steve's words were cut off as a distracted moment allowed Bucky to slam into him, knocking him over a railing and down onto a glass platform below.
His shield and chip went flying, while Bucky leaped from the railing, aiming to seize the fallen chip.
"Fine… fine, I need backup," Steve finally admitted, exasperated by his own slip.
The very next moment, a scorching beam of energy blasted through the air.
The beam shattered the glass floor and crashed into Bucky, sending him flying like a baseball hit by a bat.
A figure in black armor flew in through the shattered glass, scooping up the chip as he approached Steve. "It's rare to see you looking so beat up, Steve."
"Sorry… but do we know each other?" Steve asked, still catching his breath.
"We could say that," Roger replied as he approached the dazed Winter Soldier. Gripping Bucky's collar, he rammed his head against Bucky's.
Thunk!
The sickening crack echoed through the room. Even with Bucky's enhanced resilience, the impact left him dazed and unable to continue the fight.
Satisfied that Bucky was out cold, Roger tossed him aside and turned back to Steve. "Don't worry, I held back, he'll live."
Knowing Bucky would eventually become an Avenger, Roger made sure not to hit too hard, using only enough force to subdue him.
Roger handed the chip to Steve. "You handle this part, I don't want to risk messing it up."
He knew replacing the chips would cause the carriers to turn on each other and self-destruct, so he left the technical work to Steve.
Though honestly, he'd rather just destroy the carriers himself.
...
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