Begrudging Friends // TFATWS

22

Sam and Nia flew after the helicopter again, still being shot at any time they got close. He managed to get close enough to hack into one of the hostage's phones, sending them a message to put in their earbuds. Ayla Perez, the representative from the Philippines, was the only one on board with flight experience.

Moments after Sam sent the message, he heard the click of her answering and said, "A little birdie told me you know how to fly a helicopter."

Sam and Nia flew parallel to the helicopter and the pilot veered toward them, causing them to yell, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" They screamed as they fell into the water.

Sam grunted and groaned as he and Nia flew up and yelled, "Whoa! Boy, you just earned this ass-whoopin'." He deployed Redwing and caught up the the chopper before speaking to Ayla once again. "Okay. What we're gonna do requires perfect timing. We're gonna count down from five. When we get to one, you're gonna grab the control. Okay?"

He sent Redwing ahead of the chopper before he heard Ayla say, "Five... Four... Three... Two..."

When Ayla got to two, Sam and Nia sped up, flying towards the chopper at full speed. When they were within a few yards, they flipped over so they were going feet first and tucked the wings into their packs. He kicked through the door and took the pilot of the side door before grabbing him. Sam, realizing if he deployed his wings, they'd both end up in the Hudson, kicked the man off so he could deploy his wings and fly back up to the chopper.

"Nice work, Ayla," Sam and Nia complimented.

---

Bucky and Delia were still in the midst of their fight, trying to avoid being hit with the metal beam. Bucky grabbed the beam and hit the Flag Smasher, knocking him down.

They watched as a truck crashed onto the rafters and stepped back. The truck continued slowly falling.

Bucky and Delia looked a the heavily dented shield that had been tossed down, then looked back up at the truck.

John pulled the truck back, groaning. Flag Smashers attacked from both directions and he knocked them back, but they kept coming. He was pulled away from the truck by Karli and everyone screamed as they fell.

Creaks and clanks sounded as the truck began falling before suddenly stopping.

Sam flew back to the GRC building, struggling to push up the falling truck. Nia followed a short distance behind and stared with a worried expression. Bucky pulled John up. Delia and Bucky stood below, ready to catch the truck. He managed to push it back onto stable ground on the unfinished building.

Bucky, Delia, Nia and John stared up and the couple smiled proudly.

The crowd below cheered and someone said, "That's the Black Falcon there. I tell you."

"Nah, that's Captain America," another man said.

Bucky, Delia and Nia smiled with pride as they looked up at Sam.

Sam used Redwing to cut the lock on the back of the truck and some people in the crowd went to help those aboard. Before he could get down to the others, Karli threw a spike at Bucky, Nia and Delia, the former of whom caught it before it could hit the women who ducked. Before she could do anything else, Sam threw his shield, hitting three of the Flag Smashers.

Karli took her mask off and said to Sam in an angry tone, "You of all people bought into that bullshit?"

"I'm trying something different," Sam replied. "Maybe you should do the same."

Suddenly, there were a few small explosions, shortly followed by smoke, gunfire, and people screaming. Delia looked around, trying to see and heard Sam say, "This way."

Delia, John, Nia and Bucky followed the sound of Sam's feet on gravel and they eventually cleared the smoke.

The group ran into the building and Bucky said, "Hey, Sharon. Jamie. We're underground. We entered the tunnel on William. Heading south."

"Looks like they split up. Here," Sam noted, stopping.

Bucky, Nia and Delia did as well, but John turned the corner and kept going.

---

Sam and Nia started down a tunnel, but slowed when they heard someone whistling. The whistling continued, leading them to a room in a large warehouse. They looked around the room and heard two gunshots. They ran toward the sound of the shots, Jamie soon running with them, only to find Karli, Sharon and another man.

The man was dead and Karli, holding a gun on an injured Sharon, said, "Sam, Nia, Jamie, stay back."

"So, what's next, huh?" Sam asked as he stood near Karli. "You kill ten this time, then, what, a hundred? Where does it end? Please, let me help you."

"Don't try and manipulate me," Karli retorted, turning her gun to Sharon.

Nia ran to help Sharon.

"Karli, don't!" Sam and Jamie tackled her to the ground and she landed next to a pile of cement blocks, then threw them at them. Sam and Jamie punched and broke the blocks and dodged them. Eventually, she gave up on the cement blocks and ran up to them, trying to punch, hit or kick them. Sam and Jamie blocked her punches and tried to disengage as Sam said, "We're not gonna fight you! Karli..."

Karli began growing more frustrated and fought harder, doing anything she could to get them to fight back. She hit them with a metal pipe and knocked them to the ground before yelling, "Stay down!"

"No," Sam and Jamie replied as they stood.

---

Bucky, Delia and John caught up to a couple Flag Smashers trying to escape.

""Mercy bears richer fruit than strict justice"," John said.

Bucky turned the phone. "It's a great app. Thank you."

The Flag Smasher was taken away.

John clapped Bucky's right shoulder and Delia's left shoulder.

Bucky and Delia said to John, "Lincoln, really?"

"Great man. Great quote," John reasoned.

"Not when you say it."

The three walked away.