Steve was sent flying backward by the punch, but he quickly regained his footing. At the same time, Bucky charged out, and the two instantly clashed.
Sam moved in to help, but Bucky spun around and threw a punch. Mechanical whirring sounded from the metal arm.
Bang—!
Sam was blasted straight into the wall, embedding into it before his head lolled to the side and he lost consciousness.
Without his shield, Steve could only engage Bucky in close combat. The two exchanged rapid blows at point-blank range. Their combat experience and techniques were almost perfectly matched, leaving neither able to gain the upper hand.
But Bucky's metal arm was a devastating weapon.
Another burst of mechanical noise rang out as Steve was punched straight into the elevator shaft, the elevator doors collapsing along with him.
Bucky didn't stop. Carrying the fake-unconscious Zemo, he escaped toward the outside.
At that moment, the entire building was being evacuated, and chaos had broken out everywhere. Zemo successfully blended into the evacuating crowd and slipped away, while Bucky had to fight his way out directly—he was simply too conspicuous to hide.
He cut down who knew how many people before finally reaching the first-floor lobby.
But someone was waiting there.
Natasha, clad in a black tactical suit.
She had been waiting specifically to prevent Bucky's escape.
And she'd been right.
Bucky showed no mercy and immediately threw a punch. Natasha's movements, however, were incredibly agile. She dodged around the blow and used her signature scissor takedown.
Her entire body wrapped around Bucky as she spun like a top. Against an ordinary person, the force would have instantly brought them down.
But Bucky was the Winter Soldier—a super soldier.
The move had no effect whatsoever.
Instead, Bucky grabbed her by the throat with one hand.
The mechanical arm's strength was terrifying. Veins instantly bulged across Natasha's forehead as suffocation set in. Her eyes began to redden from lack of oxygen. In a few seconds, she would die.
Suddenly, a black-and-gold blur flashed past.
At the same moment, Bucky—still gripping Natasha—was smashed away by the incoming figure.
Natasha collapsed to the ground, gasping desperately for air. The rush of oxygen flooding back into her body left her dizzy and disoriented, unable to stand.
"Natasha, are you alright?"
T'Challa hurried over and took out a small respirator, placing it over her mouth.
Pure oxygen flowed into her system, rapidly stabilizing her condition after the sudden suffocation.
Natasha waved weakly. She didn't even feel like speaking, only greedily inhaling oxygen from the device.
Nearby, Erik and Bucky were locked in a fierce battle.
Erik completely dominated the fight. As before, while Bucky was indeed a super soldier, his enhancements simply couldn't compare to the Heart-Shaped Herb.
As they fought, Bucky steadily retreated before intentionally exposing an opening, allowing Erik to kick him straight out through the building entrance.
Knowing he couldn't win, Bucky immediately got up and ran, vanishing into the crowd.
What no one knew, however, was that he hadn't escaped through the confusion at all.
Instead, he circled around the other side of the building via an outdoor staircase and reached the helipad.
A helicopter waited there.
That was his real escape plan.
But just as the helicopter lifted off, Steve suddenly appeared from nowhere and grabbed onto the landing gear.
Exactly as Zemo and Bucky had intended.
Zemo needed Steve to fully believe this man was the real Bucky. And for that, the two needed prolonged contact.
The easiest way?
Make Steve take Bucky away himself.
As the helicopter rose into the air, Steve used his superhuman strength to forcibly hold it down. Seeing this, Bucky deliberately crashed the helicopter into the ground.
Just before the explosion, both he and Steve jumped from the wreckage, plunging toward the water below.
Then Bucky tilted his head and pretended to lose consciousness.
Steve successfully rescued him and quietly escaped the base with him.
---
At the airport terminal, Zemo sat calmly reading a book.
He had already escaped the Avengers base and made his way to the airport.
On the television overhead, a news report played:
> "James Barnes, the mastermind behind the Vienna U.N. bombing, has escaped custody today. Also missing are Avengers members Captain America Steve Rogers and Falcon Sam Wilson. According to reports…"
A satisfied smile appeared on Zemo's face.
He glanced at the time, closed his book, and walked toward the boarding gate.
Displayed above it was the destination:
Russia.
---
Just as Zemo boarded the plane to Russia, a cloaked Quinjet silently landed in an open area not far from the new Avengers base.
The hatch opened, and Nick Fury and Karl stepped out.
"Looks like we're late. Steve already ran off with him."
Karl had already seen the news. He now knew about the fake Bucky situation.
After all, the real Bucky had already been blown to pieces by him.
"Not too late. I think it's time we made contact with them."
Nick Fury took out an earpiece and put it on.
"Natasha, what's the situation over there?"
Fury activated the comms.
Sure enough, Natasha was a spy no matter where she went.
Within seconds, her voice came through.
"The power still hasn't been restored, but things have mostly stabilized. The people in charge are furious about Bucky escaping. They want to pin the blame on the Avengers now. Tony's currently negotiating with those damn politicians."
Inside the building, Natasha had moved somewhere private to report the situation.
"Karl and I are nearby. Pass a message to Agent Sharon—have her arrange a meeting with me. I've got something for you."
Fury said.
Apparently Natasha wasn't his only planted agent—even Sharon Carter was one of Fury's people.
The man really had backups everywhere.
"Understood. I'll have Sharon contact you. And Director… Karl isn't going to do anything reckless, is he?"
Natasha asked worriedly.
The moment Karl appeared at the base, he would instantly become the center of attention.
Steve was one thing—he was a World War II hero, a national symbol of America.
But Karl?
Calling him a terrorist threat wouldn't even be an exaggeration.
The U.S. government was still trying to figure out how to make him pay for the Capitol incident. If he voluntarily showed up now, those politicians would absolutely order the Avengers to capture him.
But who could stop him?
Even if every Avenger attacked together, they probably wouldn't survive a single hit.
Of course, the politicians wouldn't care about whether the Avengers lived or died. To them, the Avengers were merely tools.
But tools had minds of their own.
And that highlighted the Avengers' current predicament.
After signing the Sokovia Accords, they had truly become political instruments.
Disobey orders, and they'd be hunted worldwide.
And those people had no bottom line whatsoever.
Forget "leave family out of it"—if things ever reached that point, the first targets would absolutely be your family and friends.
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