"I've got four. They're splitting up." Sam says through the coms as I hesitantly look at Wanda. The two of us are currently sitting on the roof of a nearby building, waiting until we're needed again. Steve believes this is where the real fight is about to brew now that Crossbones knows we're here. He doesn't want either of us to get caught in the crosshairs of his revenge plot, so we've been asked us to sit out until we're needed. Wanda agreed while I agreed with a little more hesitantly. I preferred to be in the middle of the fight, even if it was just watching someone's back. Then again, I really didn't want to get shot again. Or somehow allow these guys to get away with a dangerous biological weapon. So, here we sit, on top of a large air conditioner, watching the forming crowd from above.

Wanda and I had both taken turns helping get Steve over here since we kinda were his only means of quick transportation from the IFID to this little market. It wasn't too bad. Took us maybe five or so minutes with us taking turns using our abilities to fly him here. Now we just had to wait and see.

After Sam declares Crossbones' men are splitting up, we both see Natasha ride in on her bike before getting caught in a block. She rides the bike right into the two cars and then hops onto their hoods before jumping across them so she can get into the market. "I've got the two on the left." Nat says, dodging and weaving through the crowd of people so as to follow the two men who are running who knows where. At that moment, we see Steve hopping and jumping across the cabs and hoods of cars as he makes his way into the center of the market where Crossbones had crashed the AMV. The crowd surrounding it backs up a bit as Captain America arrives, but not by much. Wanda and I are watching intently, eager to jump in at any moment. Steve crouches down to where discarded gear is before standing back up and looking around.

"They ditched their gear." He says, and both Wanda and I share a quick, apprehensive look. It looks like they're going for speed, not protection in this case. This can make it easier and harder at the same time. "It's a shell game now. One of them has the payload." 

"Heads up Steve!" I shout, noticing an object being thrown at the supersoldier. My warning comes just in time for Steve to throw his shield into the air as an explosion takes over it. My eyebrows furrow together.

Don't they know that shield is Vibranium?

I mentally ask myself before rolling my eyes.

Why are all bad guys so dumb?

"Crossbones headed toward you quick, Steve." Before Steve can turn, Crossbones punches him in the back with some strange sort of mechanical glove that sends him flying into some tables. I sit up straighter but force myself to stay seated. I desperately want to get in there and help Steve, but I also know this is his fight. Just as Steve manages to get up to his feet, I watch as Rumlow punches him in the chest, which sends him flying into more tables.

Does this man have something against tables? I question myself internally, my face set in a hard look as I watch on.

Meanwhile, Natasha has almost caught up with the two men she's chasing, and Sam has caught up with the guys he's chasing. But that's mostly because Sam can fly, and Widow is on the ground having to dodge and weave innocent bystanders. Wilson is quick to take down the man he was in the pursuit of.  "He doesn't have it. I'm empty!" Falcon declares after searching the man for the biological weapon. This means that one of the men Widow is chasing has the vial. I just hope one of the men doesn't decide to break it in the middle of the market. There are too many people here who could get caught in it, whatever it is.

"Tasha, do you want help?" Wanda looks at me sideways as I wait for a response.

"No, I've got it." She tells me curtly, breathing hard. That's that. I pout and twiddle my thumbs.

"Your brother's rubbing off on me, Wanda." I grumble. She gently bumps my shoulder.

"I think you're rubbing off on each other. It's cute. You guys are picking up each other's mannerisms." I narrow my eye at her. "We're keeping a tally."

"Aw, come on Wanda, that was supposed to be a secret." Sam whines around the apparent whir of Redwing.

"Well if we're telling secrets, everybody's betting on whether or not you and Vision are gonna become official." I grin.

"You two are the literal worst at keeping secrets." Wilson grumbles over the comms.

"Oh! Says the one who spoiled that we were holding a surprise party for Pietro and Wanda!" I exclaim as Wanda laughs while clapping her hands together.

"It was an accident! I didn't know it was going to be a surprise!" He defends.

"Sam, we literally all agreed to it being a surprise." I chide before we all fall silent upon hearing an unknown voice travel over someone's, mostly likely Nat's, comms.

"Drop it." He demands, his voice shaky. "Or I'll drop this." The man commands, sounding deadly serious. Definitely Natasha's comms. "Drop it!" The same voice shouts after a moment.

"He'll do it!" A guy shouts. By now, Wanda and I have honed in on Natasha's position on the outskirts of the market. Before anyone has to make a decision, Redwing arrives and shoots the man holding the vial in the neck. The shot distracts the second guy long enough for Natasha to shoot him, and then dive for the vial before it hits the ground. She's back on her feet in seconds.

"Payload secure. Thanks, Sam." Widow says, looking at Redwing while sounding a bit tired.

"Don't thank me..." Sam says, the smirk obvious in his voice.

"I'm...not thanking that thing." Nat says, shaking her head.

"His name is Redwing." Falcon says.

"I'm still not thanking it." Natasha says again.

"He's cute, go on, pet him." Sam says jokingly.

Meanwhile, Steve is still facing off with Crossbones. At the moment, Rumlow's taunting came with a 'Come on!' before throwing his arm at him, to which Steve catches before Rumlow uses his free hand to push him off and then uppercut Rogers. The two continue to fight as Wanda and I watch. "This is for dropping a building on my face." Rumlow sneers through his mask, pressing against Cap harshly, but not forcing Steve to budge. Then, a large blade ejects from one of the gauntlets being worn by Crossbones. I suck in a deep breath and shoot Wanda a look. She seems to share my concern but shakes her head at me. Again, we shouldn't intervene, especially since this is Crossbones, the one Cap deliberately wanted us to avoid.

"Hey, Wanda, do you see that?" I murmur and nod in Rumlow's direction where he's entangled fighting the Cap.

"What?" She leans forward on the air conditing unit, eyes squinting.

"That. His vest. Do you see it?" The brunette continues to stare before shaking her head.

"What do you see, Iris?" Natasha asks around rugged breaths.

"It's...it's a heat signature. Faint, but growing stronger. There's multiple, shaped like small bricks. They're getting brighter each second." I analyze.

"Are you talking thermodynamics or grossly?" Sam asks me to clarify.

"Oh, uh, thermodynamics. Sorry." I finally stand up. Wanda and I watch as Steve begins to briskly walk towards Crossbones after kicking him across the small food court area. Rumlow gets onto his knees and lifts his helmet from his head before dropping it to the dirt. Steve closes the distance between them before grabbing him by the vest, angrily looking down at the dark haired man who's face is heavily disfigured. "I think I look pretty good, all things considered." Rumlow snarkily says.

"Who's your buyer?" Steve snaps, giving him a quick shake. I look over suddenly at Wanda with wide eyes, and she looks at me confused.

"He's wearing a suicide vest." I whisper in horror, only just now identifying the odd heat signature.

"What?" Wanda stands now.

"Guys, it's a suicide vest! And it's charging right now! Steve, you need to get him out of there now! Steve!" I quickly demand only to notice Steve's either not paying attention to comms or his has been damaged.

"Can you stop it?" Natasha asks frantically.

"No, I can only slow it down." I tell her.

"Get down there now. We'll meet you two there." Romanoff demands. I don't have to be told twice before I'm jumping off the side of the building, Wanda in tow behind me. I begin putting my power into slowing the vest's charging process down. I may be good at making things heat up and explode, but I've never been in a situation needing me to stop something from heating up and exploding. So I'm unpracticed and unknowledgeable. My concentration is divided between keeping the vest from detonating and using energy to get to Steve's position. 

"You know he knew you." Crossbones evades Cap's question. "Your pal, your buddy, your Bucky." He spits the last word, glaring at Rogers, who gives him another shake before leaning down towards him.

"What did you say?" He asks eyebrows pulled together.

"He remembered you." Rumlow begins again. "I was there. He got all weepy about it. 'Til they put his brain back in a blender. He wanted you to know something he said to me...." He breaks off a second to pant. "Please tell Rogers, when you gotta go, you gotta go." Then his face becomes mad with an insane glee. "And you're coming with me."

"Steve, get back!" I shout just as Wanda and I land behind him, but it's too late. Crossbones' has hit the trigger.

And I can't stop it.

All I can do is release my hold on slowing the device and instead use my energy to force everybody in a twenty-meter radius from my point back, away from the explosives.