the Austrian Alps, 1944

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Winter still clings to the Austrian Alps. Steve thinks with a grim smile that of course, even at this time of year, they don't have a mission someplace warm.

Between the intel from MI-6 and the ever-mysterious Doyle, they have a location for Zola. Location is a generous term: they have a train, and a track, and a hope that the two intersect.

Falsworth is watching the track through binoculars, while Morita and Jones listen to encrypted messages on an Enigma machine they liberated from one of the HYDRA bases. Dernier prepares the zip line equipment and Dugan paces, his weapon at the ready.

The cable for a zip line is in place. They're just waiting for the train.

Comments

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve grabs the weapon and fires one shot at the door, enough to disintegrate it to nothing, and then runs down the length of the car.

[nerves_of_ice]

Three more shots, unsuccessful; the other guy's better-armed, and has the better cover.

Bucky changes his angle to try to get a better line of sight, and tries again.

Two shots in quick succession, then two more -- and the Colt clicks empty.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve peers through the door that separates him from Bucky, just in time to see Bucky's pistol run out of ammunition. Steve ducks back to avoid attracting the attention of the HYDRA agent and checks his own sidearm. There's a few bullets left, enough for Bucky to finish the guy off.

Steve hits the door control with his elbow and it slides open. He gestures with his pistol to Bucky, and then tosses it to him when he nods.

[nerves_of_ice]

It's as seamless as if they'd planned it in advance, as graceful as any dance could ever be. Bucky drops his own weapon and catches Steve's in one smooth motion, then rises to his feet and steadies his aim straight down the car as Steve charges in.

As Steve hits the top storage container and sends it flying straight for the HYDRA agent's head, their enemy ducks to the side -- and into Bucky's line of fire.

CRACK.

The HYDRA agent drops like a rock, and Bucky lowers Steve's gun and walks forward to join his friend.

"I had him on the ropes."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

"I know you did."

There's almost no time to breathe before Steve hears that whine again, and the agent Steve had knocked over earlier is behind them, weapon at the ready.

"Get down!" Steve shoves Bucky behind the shield.

The deflected pulse rips a hole in one side of the train and knocks Steve against the other.

[nerves_of_ice]

"Fire again!"

Dazed from the impact, still kneeling where Steve had pushed him down, he hears Zola's frantic order ring through the car.

"Kill him! Now!"

It galvanizes him into action.

Steve's lying defenseless against the far wall, but his shield's rocking back and forth on the ground within reach. Quicker almost than the thought itself, Bucky grabs it up and gets to his feet, bracing Steve's shield in front of himself the way he's seen his friend do so often and firing shot after shot from Steve's gun at the agent whose weapon's whining to full charge again.

The blue-lightning pulse flashes once more, and he manages to deflect it down the length of the car with the shield -- but the force of the blast knocks him backward.

The shield goes flying from his hand as Bucky slams into the torn metal that used to be the side of the train and slides along it through the hole, out over the abyss.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve scrambles to his feet, grabs the shield and throws it at the HYDRA agent, knocking him flat on his back.

He yanks off his cowl and shouts, "Bucky!" as he climbs out onto the torn metal. "Hang on!"

He makes his careful but quick way as far as he can, clinging to the handrail.

[nerves_of_ice]

He's clinging like grim death to the far handrail, buffeted by the wind of their passage as he dangles over the chasm below.

As Steve moves from the safety of the car onto the treacherous footing of twisted steel, Bucky does his best to inch back toward him, shifting one hand at a time.

Metal screeches, and the rail jerks under his grip.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

The footing is precarious, the railing is coming undone with every rock of the train, and the abyss below is deep and deadly.

There's no further to go, no time to waste when the railing is going to give way any second. Steve reaches for him. "Grab my hand!"

[nerves_of_ice]

Third time's the charm.

The thought floats randomly through his mind, and even in the midst of this mess a tiny smile flickers. He'll tell Steve about it later over a beer back at their local.

Bucky edges as close as he can get and stretches out his right arm as far as he can reach, grasping for Steve's hand --

-- close enough that it's easy to see the sudden horror on his face as the handrail rips free under his weight.

A raw cry is torn from him as he plummets downward, scrabbling helplessly at the air for purchase that's nowhere to be found.

It echoes from the sides of the gorge long after his fall has carried him beyond view.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

For a moment Steve is too stunned to react.
"Sometimes I think, if you didn't have me, there wouldn't be a single person in the world who really understood you..."


And then.
"You've never failed anybody in your life, and you're not going to start now."



The grief takes hold.