DIVINE RETRIBUTION │barnes ²

twenty five

Evgenia crouches behind a container as Steve jogs out into the open field towards the waiting helicopter, the light reflecting off the surface of his shield. She was the backup in case things went sideways and Steve needed help. 

There's a turquoise squeal as a missile zooms through the still air, smashing into the side of the helicopter.

She stays perfectly still but her heart begins beating faster. This was not part of the plan. Uncle Sam had said that it wasn't highly likely that Tony would arrive before they escaped. 

There's another whir and Iron Man and War Machine drop into the airfield, their metal boots hitting the concrete with a loud wooden clash. 

'Wow, it's so weird how you run into people at the airport,' Tony comments snarkly, lifting his helmet to reveal his face. 'Don't you think that's weird.'

Rhodey's voice echoes through the field. 'Definitely.'

'Hear me out Tony. That doctor, that psychiatrist,' he insists, 'Is behind all of this.'

The man in the black cat suit leaps from the roof of a nearby container and lands on the ball of his feet. 

Evgenia doesn't hear his greeting but Steve's reply carries through the com. 'Your Highness.'

'Anyway.' Tony leans back. '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.'

Brown eyes turn cold and hard as Tony stares Steve dead in the eyes. 'Your judgment is askew. Your old war buddy killed innocent people yesterday.'

Zhenya grits her teeth in annoyance. She loved Tony like an uncle but how many times did they have to tell him? 

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

'Steve,' the new arrival's orange voice cuts in, her sharp eyes brushing past the quinjet where Zhenya and Bucky hid. 'You know what's about to happen. Do you really wanna punch your way out of this?'

The Captain doesn't respond but turns around slightly to observe his situation.

Alright!' Tony snaps,' I've run out of patience. Underoos!'

An agile figure dressed head to toe in red and black swings into view, swiping Steve's shield from his hands and flips onto the top of a container, white webs shooting out of his wrists. Zhenya stares bewildered at Tony's new recruit. 

'Nice job kid.'

She can't hear his response this far away so she assumes that the various notions and nervous gestures that he makes are an attempt to converse with Tony and Steve.

'You've been busy,' the blonde says finally. 

'And you've been a complete idiot! Dragging in Clint, rescuing Wanda from a place she doesn't even want to leave, a safe place.' There's a heavy violet sigh in Zhenya's ear and she can only assume it's from Wanda. 'I'm trying to keep you from tearing the Avengers apart.'

'You did that when you signed,' Steve returns firmly.

Tony stares at him in utter disbelief. Then he turns his head away. 'All right. We're done. You're gonna turn Barnes over and you're gonna come with us, now because it's us! Or a squad of J-SOC  guys with no compunction about being impolite.' He inhales heavily. 'Come on.'

Sam's voice breaks through the intense silence. 'We found it. Their quinjet's in hangar five, north runway.'

Zhenya exhales in relief and Steve tilts his chin up in defiance and raises his hands, knowing that the team was ready to put their plan into action. A sudden arrow shoots forward and cuts Steve's bonds off.