Shadows of the past

A Shadow of the Past

2014, Highway, Washington D.C

The tension in the car was high as Natasha, Steve, and Bucky, accompanied by Sam and Jasper Sitwell, travelled down a highway towards the Triskelion. Sitwell's fear was evident in his voice as he spilt HYDRA's secrets, aware that he might not survive the ordeal. The small black car, cramped but inconspicuous, was the only transportation they could secure without attracting attention.

"HYDRA doesn't like leaks," Sitwell admitted nervously, realizing the dire situation he had put himself in. He knew he had become a liability and was unlikely to escape alive, whether it be at the hands of Pierce or one of his associates.

Sam, annoyed by Sitwell's continuous talking, glanced at him through the rear-view mirror and suggested, "So why don't you try sticking a cork in it." His patience with the HYDRA operative was wearing thin, aggravated not by the betrayal but also by the grating quality of Sitwell's voice.

Natasha, calculating the time they had left, poked her head through the gap in the middle. "Insight's launching in sixteen hours," she stated, her optimism tempered by the awareness of the ticking clock. "We're cutting it a little bit close." Her focus was on finding a plan to stop the Helicarrier launch before the impending deadline.

"We know," Steve acknowledged, looking back to his friend as he spoke. "We'll use him to bypass the DNA scans and access the Helicarriers directly," he explained, gesturing towards the captive HYDRA agent. Sitwell, shocked by the revelation, exclaimed, "What? Are you crazy?" Bucky, trapped in the middle of Natasha and Sitwell, couldn't help but mutter a small 'yes' under his breath, acknowledging the audacity of their plan.

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Jasper ignored Bucky's comment and kept on talking, "That is a terrible, terrible idea-" He was cut off by a thud on the roof of the car and a metal arm smashing the window, throwing him into an oncoming truck - killing him instantly.

The figure started to shoot through the roof, prompting the redhead and brunette to climb into the front of the car - Natasha on Steve's lap while Bucky crouched on the central console near the handbrake.

Steve moved to the handbrake and pulled it back, making the car stop almost instantly. Every set of eyes in the car kept their gaze forward to see a woman flying, landing in the middle of the road, rolling onto her feet as she skidded across the ground - the metal arm scraping against the road, aiding her in stopping.

The super soldier's eyes, along with Natasha's, widened, recognizing her as the Winter Soldier. Natasha remembered the time she was shot in Odessa, her face paled, looking at the woman with the metal arm. For Steve and Bucky, it was the night on the roof that played in their minds.

The Winter Soldier looked up as she unhooked her hand from the ground, her face covered - like normal - in a mask that covered the lower part of her face, while a pair of black goggles covered her eyes. She slowly lifted herself from the ground, always facing the little black car that held the two men she was longing to kill. She was prepared to do whatever it took to rid the world of them - she wasn't bothered by the cars passing by. She stopped them in the middle of a highway.

Inside the car, Natasha was ready to open fire until it was jolted forward by a black SHIELD truck, hitting them intentionally, crushing the back of the vehicle - sending the four occupants tumbling forward in their seats, Natasha dropped the gun with the sudden hit. As the car was pushed forward, Winter jumped and landed back on the black car, her hand grabbing onto the roof to hold herself there with a steel grip; there was no letting go this time, prepared for any of their tricks this time.

Sam tried his best to shake her off, but it ended in her metal arm smashing the windscreen and ripping the steering wheel from its respective place in the car. Sam stared at the spot in disbelief. The redheaded woman grabbed her gun and shot toward the area where the Winter Soldier was.