DARKNESS.
006. | ❛ you're a criminal now. ❜

Caroline sprinted up the street, skidding to a halt as she turned the corner to the sight of a dozen black police cars surrounding Bucky's building. The task force had been mobilized too quickly, the air space was immediately restricted, and she had lost time in the landing process, and now... she was too late.

Stepping back into the shadow of the building, eyeing up the established perimeter, hunting for a weak spot. About 20 men were stationed on the ground as a covert team infiltrates the stairwell. Her eyes traced up the building, immediately spotting Bucky's window, the boarded glass still intact.

Scanning up, suddenly catching movement from the roof as what seems like a large bird departs. Falcon. If Sam was here, so was Steve and Kiara. Caroline rummaged in her back pocket for her ear piece, hoping that they were still on the old channel that they used. Watching as men descend from the roof, propelling on ropes to Bucky's terrace. Caroline had to do something and couldn't just stand there and be useless, even if she couldn't help him, she had to try.

She removes the scorpion knife from her side and slips it into her hand, quickly sneaking up behind a nearby guard. Glancing quickly around, she quietly connected the hilt with the back of his head, rendering him unconscious, catching his body to lower him silently to the ground.

Hurriedly removing his gun and walkie, adorning them to her body, hoping the communication device will provide some insight on how to help Bucky. She jerked upright, with her vision focusing on Bucky's window as the glass shatters from a gunshot, fired from the neighboring building.

A Sniper.

She watched as men infiltrated Bucky's apartment, shots ringing out moments later. She bite into her lip as she tried to come up with some sort of plan. Some way to help him. Then, suddenly she sees it, a backpack flying out from his window and landing on the adjacent roof, the same roof with the sniper. Now she knew where he was headed. In an instant she was on the move, sprinting back through the streets away from the perimeter.

Climbing in a broken window on the first floor, moving swiftly to the stairwell as she began to race up towards the roof. She quickly reached the door, her right hand gripping onto one of her distance dart knives. She flung the door open and let the knife fly into the first guard, lowering the defenses as the sniper turns around to meet her second dart, thrown instantly after it's sister.

Caroline wasted no time in arming herself with the sniper's dropped gun, training it to Bucky's window hoping to provide some cover. She could see Steve's shield break through the window, spotting a man lining up a gun on her Captain, she fired a quick shot, causing the man to drop.

Steve fervently scans the horizon looking for the friendly shooter.
"What the hell kind of trouble did you get yourself into now Cap?" Caroline spoke into the comm, hoping that Steve to be on the other end.

"Caroline, you have no idea how happy I am to hear your voice." She heard his smile through his exerted laugh as he makes contact with an assailant. "You always come through for me." He huffs as his pace quickens, "Always there for me."

She bite her lip, tensing at his words as she looked through the scope again, watching Steve race back into the apartment. It made her gut twist to hear the joy in his voice, the hopeful tone believing that her presence there was unselfish, convinced of her devotion to him. The walkie rings on her hip, a man's foreign voice coming through over the static "Suspect has broken containment," He says in German, "He's headed down the east stairwell." The line suddenly cuts, leaving her with some information to work on.

She glanced up at the building once more, unable to see anything through the windows, only able to witness the perimeter growing denser. She needed to give him an escape route, a distraction. It takes only moments for her to conceal herself behind a few raised bricks and begin firing warning shots down on the perimeter, causing their attention to turn as they scatter for cover.

She had only squeezed out a couple rounds when she sensed a shadow passing above her. Looking up, Caroline saw Bucky flying through the air, falling with force as he lands harshly on the wall in front of her, rolling painfully to the ground. He recovers hurriedly, springing to his feet as he grabs his backpack in one fluid movement and breaks into a run.

"Bucky," Caroline yells, abandoning the sniper as she ran forward to reach him. At the sound of her voice his foot-steps slow slightly, his gaze turning to her as she sprints towards him, his hand extends back to Caroline, almost reaching for her to join him in his escape. But just as her fingers connect he is ripped forward from her, a black blur tackling him to the ground.

Bucky rose quickly to his feet, his shocked gaze falling on the masked creature. Her reaction instinctually to the new player, returning two knives to her hands as she positioned herself at his diagonal incase the unknown adversary decides to attack again. But the dark fighter has no concern for Caroline, he ignores her completely as he lunges promptly at Bucky, his kicks and hits rising up so rapidly that Bucky could barely block them.

She moved hastily to engage, sending a dagger flying to the fighter's lower back, usually a crippling hit, however her steel blade simply glances off of him, his attention still focused on Bucky. She hurriedly brought the gun to his hand, firing off a few shots, only to watch them glance off too.
Throwing the bulky gun to the ground, she ran towards the fray, blocking a kick aimed at Bucky as he counters with a right hook. She quickly followed up with a knee to the assailant's ribs, to be punctuated by Bucky's foot landing squarely on the fighter's chest. The contact sends the man sprawling back, only for him to slide on his feet, his claws shredding through the pavement.

"Run!" She yelled as Bucky dislodges for a moment, the fighter focusing on Caroline, as a helicopter circles overhead. "Go! I got this!" She yells at him as she blocks hit after hit from the fighter.

Bucky hesitates for a moment before deciding to heed her words, turning to escape only to stop as the helicopter begins a borage of bullets on the rooftop.

"Caroline!" She heard her name bellowed from three conflicting directions. From Bucky; halted in his escape, his eyes wild and frightened as the shots form a pattern on the roof, drawing closer to her. From Kiara; a few feet away lunging towards her sister. And from Steve; having just landed at the edge of the roof, frozen in his recovery.

But it is the dark fighter who reacts, moving swiftly, he tackles her to the ground as the smattering of bullets graze over his suit, his position protecting Caroline.

Steve's eyes snap to Bucky, momentarily confused to be hearing her name echoed by his friend. "Sam!" He speaks quickly, as the dark figure rolls off of him, continuing on his quest for Bucky, jarring Bucky back to his escape.
She rolled quickly to her feet, watching as Sam makes contact with the helicopter, causing it to careen downwards and disappear from sight. She could see Bucky leap from the edge of the roof, the cat like creature following closely behind.

"I got this, just stay safe!" Steve shouts as he sprints by her, following the two men off the roof. Kiara, in a her black suit, followed behind Steve sending a quick glance to her sister before jumping. She thought exasperatedly to herself as she ran to the edge of the roof, looking down to find Bucky once more. She could see him sprinting through the street, another helicopter closely in pursuit of him. The black fighter, Kiara, and Steve hot on his trail.

"Sam!" She shouted, hoping that he was on the comm, "I need a ride!" In a moment, she heard the sound of her teammate's wings.

Quickly equipping her left hand with her scorpion knife, she extend her non injured arm upwards, grasping onto his forearm as he raises her up. Not wasting a moment, she signaled towards the helicopter pursuing Bucky.
With a well-practiced spin, Sam propels Caroline into the cockpit. She set to work crippling the gun men, leaving only the pilot to function so as not to waste lives.

"Falcon" She shout, jumping out at just the perfect moment to be grabbed by her wingman. Her eyes quickly scanned the ground, finally spotting Steve jumping down onto the roadway, continuing his pursuit of Bucky.

"Fly forward, I think I know where they are heading." She instructed Sam as he grips her tighter, lining her body up with his for a smoother flight.

"There!" She pointed at an empty spot in the divided lanes, knowing that Bucky would change direction there; sometimes an old tactic when they would play tag.

Misdirection, that was his next move.

"Sam I can't shake this guy," Steve speaks through the comm, asking for assistance, "Drop me!" She instructed, pointing to the spot, Sam slows up just enough for her running feet to act as a landing gear, releasing her safely to the ground as he redirects towards Steve.

"Right behind you," He responds, confirming his location to Steve.

In a moment, Caroline sees Bucky in the opposite lane, caught by the flashing lights of the police sirens. "Bucky!" She shouted, redirecting him towards her, he shuffles quickly into the adjacent lane, breaking back into a run as his hand connects with hers, his eyes shifting frantically through the cars as they both begin to run.

She glanced behind, aware of Steve's hijacked police car fast approaching on their tail. She broke out of the tunnel coming into the daylight as her lungs sear in pain under the strain of the constant speed.

"I can't." Caroline struggled to breath as her knees started to weaken beneath her.

"I'm not leaving you!" He yells back, his hand gripping more firmly in hers as he spurs her forward. "You have to; I can't keep up." She gasped.

He glances back at her, his hand releasing from hers as she stumbled slightly, unable to keep up with the super soldier. He continues forward at a break neck pace, reaching out to connect with a motorcyclist, expertly discarding the driver as he swings the bike beneath himself. He drives quickly beside her, extending a hand to connect with her forearm, pulling her smoothly on the back of the bike with him as he picks up speed.

"Caroline? What the hell are you doing?" Steve shouts through the comm, his car trailing closely behind the two of them. Before she could answer a scream escapes her mouth as the black cat comes flying forward once again.

At the sound of her cry, Bucky turns quickly, his hand flying out to connect with the throat of the cat. The force of his body and defensive maneuvers send the motorcycle tilting to the side. Her knees grip the seat tightly behind Bucky as hers arms lock firmly around his torso, her left hand reaching for the handle bars as his hand skids along the concreate, keeping the bike from toppling.

The cat like creature is still attached to the two of them as Bucky fights to keep the both of them on balance. Her right leg retracts closely, as she gripped Bucky tightly with her arm, kicking her leg outwards into the dark assailant's chest, dislodging him from the two of them as Bucky pulls her back upright.

"I wasn't in Vienna! I didn't do it! I would never put you or Kiara in danger." He shouts, through the wind as the engine roars, the bike speeding up as she tried to escape. "I know. Someone is setting you up." She shouted back, "Buck, we have to find a way out." His hand moves behind his back, connecting with hers as he slides a small grenade into her palm.

"Up!" He shouts as she passed under the opening from the tunnel. She threw the grenade forcefully at the ceiling, causing a sizable explosion in her wake, littering the ground with dense rubble.

She felt a jerk to the motorcycle as it kicks beneath her, sending her both flying forward. Bucky twists in the air, his metal fingers slipping against her cheeks as Caroline, both come crashing to the pavement, his hand connecting dully with the ground as he cradles her head.

Her shoulder pops at the impact, as the collision forces her away from him. She tumbled along the road, skidding slightly as she rolled before coming to rest many feet away from Bucky, limbs bent out at odd angles and very much unconscious.

"Caroline!" Bucky yells, rising quickly to his feet as the black creature bounds over her unmoving body to lunge at him once more, Steve running closely behind.

In a moment sirens surround them all, armed officer's circling as War Machine lands between the three men.

"Caroline!" Steve cries this time, waiting for a response from her unmoving body. Yet, he raises his hands, surrendering to the officers as he looks confusedly at his old best friend.

Officers approach Bucky cautiously as he dazedly stumbles towards Caroline, repeating her name once more.

"Bucky, stand down." Steve growls, blankly looking at his friend as if he were finally seeing him for the first time. Bucky glances back at Steve, his eyes glassing with unshed tears as his hands rise up to his head in surrender. But his feet continue their deft progress towards Caroline's still form.

"Bucky!" Steve barks as every gun on the premises trains on him, ready to fire if he takes another step. Bucky looks at his friend disconsolately, as he finally drops to his knees, his hands locking behind his head as guards rush forward. "Please... is she alive? Please someone just tell me if she's breathing."

Steve's jaw clenches, watching the way that Bucky strains against his captors, needing to know if Caroline was alright, the friend that believed in him since a young age. The childhood friend that was as important to him as Steve.

Steve glanced at her unmoving form, his every nerve tensing as he thought back on their last few years together from The Battle of New York to The Age of Ultron, and how she was an innocent victim in all of the drama.

He watches as his old best friend is bent to the ground and placed in cuffs. He witnesses the love of his life exhale a breath, easing some of Bucky's tension as he was placed into the car.

"Congratulations Cap." Rhodey says distantly, "You're a criminal."