Chapter Text
The city stretched around them on either side of the bridge. Gray steel faded into the gray clouds that hung overhead. It wasn’t supposed to rain, but even if it did, they wouldn’t stop in the middle of their mission. Not when they were so close. Not when a lead had finally panned out to be something.
A few days ago, they had picked up chatter about the Winter Soldier. They were moving him by train from a facility in Boston to a shipyard, and from there it sounded like they wanted to take him to Madripoor. It was time to move before Hydra could hide him away again.
Boston . It was practically under their noses the entire time.
Miranda shoved her hands into the pockets of her denim jacket and shivered. Natasha was poised at the other end of the bridge so they could watch for the train. How she wasn’t freezing in just a leather jacket, Miranda was sure she would never understand. A thick hoodie and denim jacket weren’t enough.
“What’s the ETA, boys?” Natasha asked over their coms.
“The train is pulling out of the station now. There’s just one problem,” Sam said.
“What’s that?”
“There’s three trains,” came Steve’s answer. He sounded breathless like he had chased one of them down. He probably had. “And we don’t know which one he’s on.”
Miranda turned and looked down the tracks towards the facility. They had a minute or two before the trains would pass beneath them. “It could be a trap.”
“Wouldn’t be surprising,” Natasha said. “As long as we move fast, we should be able to check all three trains. There’s four of us and Redwing can scan for heat signatures.”
“It’s too risky,” Steve said. Wind in the background. Yeah, he definitely chased after a train and jumped on.
“This whole mission is risky,” Miranda said. “So what’s the new plan?” She could see the trains now. Three of them, side by side on each of the tracks. She looked to Natasha, who nodded. They both began to move to where they had set up their repel gear over the edge of the bridge. The original plan had been for them to lower themselves and drop onto the train, then find a way in and find Bucky. It’s just now there were three trains.
“Sam, how many people are we looking at?”
“There’s about 8 people scattered in each train,” he said. “Most are towards the front, but in the middle one, there are three guys in one of the freight cars.”
“That’s probably where Barnes is,” Natasha said. She stepped over the railing.
“Then that’s the train we hijack,” Steve said. “I guess I picked the right one.”
Miranda watched as the trains grew closer. She stepped over the railing and lowered herself as much as she dared. At this distance, she could sense the Hydra agents in the front few cars. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. The train rumbled past beneath her as she counted, then let go.
Her eyes flew open as she fell and she hit the top of the car with a dull thud. She pressed herself down as they passed under the bridge, which was rapidly disappearing when she looked up. “Sam, which car are they in?”
“It’s the fifth from the end.”
Miranda counted. She had landed on the seventh. Convenient.
Steve emerged over the edge of the last car. “Nat, you good up front?”
“Give me a second,” she said. Muffled fighting sounds crept in from the background. Then a metallic clang before, “I’m in, but their controls require two people.”
“I’m on my way,” Sam said.
“Andy, we’ll enter from both sides of the car,” Steve said. “Wait for my go-ahead.”
“Got it.” She pushed herself up and ran forward so she could jump over the gaps between cars. Steve did the same. When only the fifth car was between them, they gave each other a sharp nod, then carefully climbed down between the cars.
The ground was a blur beneath her feet as she balanced on the connectors. Miranda held on to the car behind her hard enough to leave divots in the metal. Which is what got her attention. Shipping containers shouldn’t be soft enough for her to do that, even with the serum.
“This is definitely a trap,” she said to herself. “But why?”
Miranda looked around wildly for anything that might pass as a clue. Nothing. She’d have to explain this later, she was sure, but she reached out with her powers to get a better read on what awaited them inside the car.
There were three people, just like Sam had seen. Hydra agents. They were guarding something, but they were aware that they were a decoy. It didn’t make sense. They were guarding the box with the cryo chamber in it. Bucky was supposed to be in there.
Miranda widened her scan. Her heart pounded in her chest. There was someone behind her. There was someone in the car, and they were walking towards her.
“Steve, it’s a trap,” she said just as a metal hand burst through the container and grabbed her by the throat. Her hands instinctively latched onto his arm and tried to pry his fingers off her throat. The tips of her shoes barely held her up. If he let go, she would fall under the train.
He yanked her through the wall. It crumpled inward like it was nothing, but Miranda felt the jagged edges tear through her clothes and cut into her skin. She hit the floor hard enough to knock the wind out of her, which wasn’t fair given that she had just been choked.
Miranda coughed and scrambled backward to try and put some distance between them. He may be Bucky, but not right now. His mind was the same electric, charred mess it had been when they first met. They had wiped him again.
“Please,” she croaked. She wasn’t sure what she was asking for. Her hand came up to protect her throat as her back hit a crate. She sat up more.
He said nothing.
“Andy, what’s going on?” Steve asked.
“Come to the next car,” she said. “He’s here.”
The wood next to her head exploded under his fist, narrowly missing her face as she rolled to the side. Miranda popped up on her feet and held her hands open in front of her.
“I don’t wanna hurt you,” she said.
“What’s going on back there?” Sam asked.
Miranda didn’t have time to answer before she found herself locked in hand-to-hand combat with the same man that had taught her how to fight. Which meant that they were at a stalemate. She could predict his moves, and he could predict hers even if he couldn’t remember why. It didn't help that the only light came from the Miranda-shaped hole in the wall.
“Could use a little help!” she managed to squeak out while she ducked to avoid a metal fist aimed at her face. The car was too tight to get any advantage or distance. Miranda aimed her open palm at his face and released a flash of light, her own eyes squeezed shut. It dazed him long enough for her to tackle him.
"Almost there," Steve said.
Miranda glanced up to see his boots hit the connector outside, and that was her mistake. Bucky used the moment of distraction to flip them and put her in a stranglehold. Her hands clawed at his face. Ripping off his goggles might even the playing field a bit.
Steve got his bearings and managed to pry Miranda out of the stranglehold. She rolled away, gasping for breath. Her head spun and stars clouded her vision. Next to her, Bucky had gotten back to his feet. Steve engaged him. Miranda slumped against one of the crates. Her throat burned with each breath.
Something whirred and clicked to life in the crate.
Miranda grabbed their ankles and yanked as hard as she could. They hit the floor with a bang a breath before the box behind her exploded. The device inside had released a blue charge indiscriminately. The beam spread out and charred the other crates in the car, leaving a smoldering line that cut through the darkness for a moment before fading. Apparently, Hydra didn't care if the Winter Soldier was damaged if it meant she and Steve were taken out.
Steve and Bucky continued their fight on the ground like they hadn't nearly been bisected. Steve held Bucky's arm in a lock that would break it if he had better leverage.
"Stop fighting," Steve said.
Bucky didn't say anything.
It hurt to breathe, so Miranda wasn't ready to try to talk. She scrambled forward to press her palm against Bucky's forehead. Sleep , she commanded. It was a simple spell, but it worked. Bucky's body went lax in Steve's grip, and Miranda felt his breathing even out. Steve released him.
"That went well," Steve said.
Miranda huffed. The day was far from over. They still had to get him out of here and get back to base.
Thunk. Thunk thunk thunk.
The car tipped as it began to rise in the air. The cargo had been secured, but the three of them sure as hell weren't, and slid into a wall of crates as the car tipped.
"Uh, Cap, please tell me you're not in the car that's being airlifted out," Sam said.
"Bucky and Andy are in here, too," Steve said. He grunted as he pushed Bucky off of him.
Sam swore. "The train is gonna stop moving if one of us lets go."
Miranda wanted to know why someone would design a system like that. It seemed like a risky failsafe. Not that it mattered now if Hydra knew they were on the train or not. They clearly did.
"We'll get ourselves out then," Steve said. He pushed to his feet as the car rocked again, this time in the other direction. He held his balance.
Miranda slid into the device. A small control screen was right above her.
It counted down. Five, four, three —
She scrambled to get Steve's attention but she was too slow. The machine emitted a soft hiss as an opaque gas flooded out of it. And Steve took a face full of it when he reached down to help her up. He sputtered and pulled her to her feet.
The gas slowly curled around their feet and floated upwards.
Steve hauled Bucky onto his shoulders in a fireman's carry. Miranda peeked out the hole. They were too high to jump with an unconscious passenger. She turned back and shook her head. The motion made her dizzy and she tightened her grip on the wall for support.
“Andy says we can’t make it,” Steve said.
“Why can’t she talk?” Natasha asked.
“Bucky had her in a chokehold.” Steve paused. “Let the train stop, they know we’re here. We need an ex—” He cut off and swayed.
Miranda grabbed him before he tipped over. She helped him lower Bucky onto his side, then they both sat down hard. The car was nearly full of that gas. What little air came in from the hole wasn’t enough to disperse it.
The last thing Miranda heard before she fell unconscious was Sam.
“We’re on our way but they’re climbing fast.”
Then there was nothing.