Bucky was already headed for the door when the sound of his phone ringing drew his attention. A line formed between his eyebrows when he saw Sam’s name flash across the screen. Hitting the Answer button, Bucky didn’t even have the chance to say hello before Sam’s voice filled his ear.
“We’ve got to move fast. They’re gunna hit the GRC meeting. They may already be there by now.”
Shit. Bucky grabbed his gear and made his way out into the hall. He didn’t bother waiting for the elevator. There wasn’t time. He turned left and made his way towards the stairwell. “On it.”
Bucky ended the call and began sprinting down the stairs. He was making his way towards the front door when a sudden thought hit him. His girl’s office building was near where the GRC meeting was taking place. His eyes widened for a fraction of a second before returning to normal. If she was anywhere near her office when the attack took place… When it was all over, Bucky would tell Sam he didn’t even remember dialing her number. She was answering before he realized he’d made the call.
“Hey Bucky.” Her sweet voice gave him a momentary sense of relief.
“Doll, listen.” Bucky struggled to keep the swirl of anxiety out of his voice, only allowing the slightest tremor to come through. “I need you to pack a bag and get out of the city. Head to the compound upstate, and I’ll meet you there.”
“Bucky, what’s going on?”
“I promise I’ll explain everything later. I just need you to do this for me, okay?”
Silence filled the line. Bucky’s heart pounded against his rib cage hard enough to break it. Stepping out onto the street, he looked down at his phone to make sure the call was still connected. She was still there. He brought the phone back up to his ear.
“Doll, please.”
“Okay,” she said, her voice small. “Bucky, whatever is going on, just be careful, okay?”
Bucky’s eyes fell shut. His mouth drew into a hard line. Taking a deep breath in through his nose, he sent up a silent prayer to whatever god was listening to get them both out of this alive.
“I’ll see you soon.”
Bucky ended the call with a long exhale. At least she would be out of the way. Now he could focus on stopping Karli and her band of loyal followers. He threw his leg over the side of the bike. It roared to life beneath him. He raced through the dark New York City streets. The sooner he and Sam could put this Flag Smasher business behind them, the sooner he could bring his girl home.
Smack. Clang.
Bucky caught the shield as it ricochets off Karli’s skull. Pulling back his arm, he let the shield fly. The large metal disk collided with her stomach, knocking her to the ground. Sam caught the shield on the rebound and braced himself for another round. When Karli made no move to get up, he placed the shield on his back.
Taking a few deep breaths, Bucky stepped forward, broken glass crunching against the asphalt with every step. The night hadn’t gone how they had wanted. There were casualties, but he and Sam kept them to a minimum. Now, with the leader of the movement at their feet, he hoped they could put this whole thing to rest.
Karli wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Turning her head towards them, she looked up at the two men with fire in her eyes.
Bucky wondered how either of them had ever thought they could reach her. He learned long ago that radicals could not be reasoned with. They believed so wholeheartedly in their cause that everything else became meaningless.
“It’s over, Karli,” Sam said. “Tell the rest of your people to stand down. Nobody else has to get hurt.”
Her eyes zeroed in on Sam’s face. “My people? These are not my people. These are the people of the world that your lot decided to abandon. I didn’t create this. You did.”
“That’s enough,” Bucky warned.
“Enough? It will never be enough. Not until the world recognizes that we are all one people. Putting the needs of one group above another solves nothing. It only creates more chaos. As long as you push us, we will push back. The world will understand that soon enough.”
There was a note of victory in her voice that struck Bucky as odd. They’d taken her people down. What could she possibly have to feel victorious about?
His eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
A sly smile spread across her face. Her gaze shifted to something over his left shoulder. Bucky followed her line of sight to a shop window on the far side of the street. A wall of TVs lined the display. He could see some sort of news programing playing on them, but he couldn’t make out what was being said. It was most likely coverage of the carnage he and Sam found themselves in the middle of. Every news station in the world would be reporting it by now. He dismissed it with a huff and started turning back to Karli when a familiar logo caught his eye. His head whipped back towards the screen. He could just make out the large “A” with a circle around it on the side of the building.
Bucky’s mouth went dry. He took a shuffling step toward the screens. Then another. Each step brought the image into clearer focus. Throngs of people surrounded the newly rebuilt Avengers compound, each one sporting a mask with the familiar red palm print across the face.
An icy shiver worked its way down Bucky’s spine. His knees threatened to give way beneath him.
“Y/N…”