Black Panther

- - - - -

"I got eyes on him, Cap."

"Okay, just stand by."

Ana was hiding amongst the crowd, dressed in her stealth suit as she scoped out the area. The market stalls were blooming all around her, crowds and crowds of civilians purchased the fresh goods with friendly smiles on their faces, unknowingly passing an Avenger.

So closed off from the real world, Ana thought with a frown, they had no idea what was going on.

She was leaning on a wooden plank that supported the small hut selling apples next to her. The black overcoat she wore masked her appearance, allowing her to seem normal, like an innocent bystander. She had her sight set on the man on the red shirt and black cap buying plums at a stall across from her.

She always had her eyes on him.

Even when she left Russia, she let the program on her tablet back at the facility track his whereabouts if anything was to happen to him that would require her assistance. Steve was back at Bucky's apartment, waiting there for Ana to come back with his oldest friend. And Sam was on the rooftop, keeping an eye on things.

"He's moving." Sam told her through the radio.

"I see." Ana mumbled.

"Keep a close eye on him, Ana." Steve voiced in concern, as he flipped through a small notebook. He frowned when he settled on a page that was bookmarked with a picture of Ana, and under it scribbles in Russian.

"I'm not going to let him go." Ana sighed and followed at a safe distance as Bucky approached a small newspaper stand, grabbing the abandoned paper he saw the man that eyed him earlier leave behind.

Ana caught a man running off from the corner of her eye. Newspaper — that meant he recognised Bucky. She took a deep breath in, advancing on the soldier as he read the headline, eyebrows creased in confusion.

He looked up, clenching his jaw. This wasn't good. He went to leave, talking the paper with him. Ana was just about to cross the street when a large van zoomed past her, making her stumble back onto the path.

She glared at it. Stuffing her hands into her pockets, she turned her head only to widen her eyes and curse.

"Dammit." She hurried across the road when she couldn't see Bucky anywhere.

She turned a corner, leading up to an alleyway. Hands were wrapped around her in a second, and she was forced back into a wall, away from prying eyes. Ana went to punch her attacker in the chest, when a metal hand whirred and gripped her hands over her head.

"What the hell Bucky?" Ana heaved out, finally seeing his face as he leaned in closer. And by the look on his face, he was surprised at the sight of her.

"I didn't know it was you, doll. I'm sorry." He dropped her hands and settled his own her waist. Ana framed his tired face with her gloved hands and sighed. His lips were pursed, like he was holding back something.

"I know what you're thinking." She started, "And yes. Steve's in your apartment. He wants to see you."

Bucky shook his head, "What's going on, Ana?" He whispered.

"I'm so sorry, Bucky." Ana frowned, "This is the last thing you need."

They pulled back slightly and she frowned, "Do you trust me?" She asked, lightly touching his hands. They tightened around her own and he gulped, nodding. He opened his mouth and replied without any hesitation,

"Yes."

"Then follow me. I'll get you out of this mess, I promise." She strongly pledged, tugging him forward and then they both took off. The newspaper dropped face up behind them on the ground as they disappeared together.

"How'd you find me?" Bucky asked as they turned a corner, walking in a fast pace to his apartment building. Their hands were locked together as the distance between them and Steve decreased.

"I never lost sight of you." She gave him a smile.

"Who else is here?"

Ana swung the door open to the building, nervously guiding Bucky to his room after she heard Sam give her a warning.

"Sam. You remember him?"

Bucky looked lost.

Ana smothered a smile, "The bird man." She chuckled.

Bucky nodded.

"The last time we saw each other I was trying to kill him." Bucky muttered, rubbing his neck.

"I'm sure he's over that." Ana waved it away.

"No. No I'm not."

Ana rolled her eyes and mumbled a 'shut up Sam' before Bucky opened his apartment door quietly. Steve had his back facing them as he went through the small notebook in the small area of the kitchen. Ana closed the door behind her softly and Steve turned around.

His eyes locked on Bucky. And Bucky stayed silent.

"Do you know me?"

"You're Steve." Bucky replied after a small beat. "I read about you at the museum." He lied.

"They've set the perimeter." Sam informed.

Ana crossed her arms behind Bucky and dropped her head. She could tell he was nervous. Seeing Steve for the first time when he actually knew who he was, it was understandable.

"I know you're nervous. And you have plenty of reason to be. But you're lying." Steve said.

"I wasn't in Vienna." Bucky argued. He glanced at Ana as he said, "I don't do that anymore." Softly.

"They're entering the building."

"We know that." Ana nodded. She stepped closer and placed her hand on his arm. "But the people who think you did are coming here now."

"And they're not planning on taking you alive." Steve added.

"That's smart. Good strategy." Bucky nodded.

Ana focused on the thundering foot steps she could hear coming from the staircase outside. She removed her coat and surveyed the room, while fixing her armguards. Again, Bucky had covered up the windows. Stacks of concrete bars sat near the front door. And the back door lead to the balcony outside, it was in a small distance from the office building next to it. Easy escapes.

Bucky watched her as she walked around the room, scanning her new suit. He spotted the red stars on the inside of her armguards and smirked to himself.

"Krasivyye zvezdy." (Nice stars.) Bucky told her. Steve didn't understand.

Ana glanced at the red painted stars, before smiling at him. "Eto byla ne moya ideya." (It wasn't my idea.) She shrugged, before clenching her fists with a huff.

"They're on the roof." She informed.

"I'm compromised." Sam stressed.

"This doesn't have end in a fight, Buck." Steve reasoned as he and Ana watched him walk in front of the door, waiting to fight.

"It always ends in a fight." Bucky mumbled.

"Five seconds."

"You pulled me from the river. Why?" Steve asked.

"I don't know." Bucky replied, removing his gloves and looking down at his metal hand. Ana gritted her teeth at the shouting outside of the door.

"Three seconds!"

"Yes, you do." Steve countered.

"Breach! Breach! Breach!"

Ana widened her eyes when she got yanked back by Bucky just as a flash grenade smashed through the windows. Steve knocked it away from him using his shield and it burst.

Another grenade came in and Bucky kicked it forward as he kept Ana behind him firmly and Steve contained the explosion by covering it with his shield.

"Bucky!" Ana pointed at the window, when another grenade was fired. He lifted up his mattress and prevented the grenade from hitting anyone. She grabbed the table and flipped it forward to keep the German Special Forces from breaking in.

Two agents came in through the window, breaking the glass on impact. Ana threw her dagger forward, imbedding it in one of the men's leg before he could attack Bucky. Bucky kicked his face and knocked him out. She pulled her hand back and the dagger returned to her hands.

Steve handled the agent that had entered through the back door but Bucky resulted in kicking him out and off of the building. Ana chuckled. Steve wasn't happy and grabbed him by his hoodie, only for Bucky to twist away and glare.

"Buck, stop! You're gonna kill someone." Steve shouted.

Bucky forced the Captain down so his back was on the ground and Ana stepped forward. He looked at Steve right in the eye, "I'm not gonna kill anyone." He replied, punching his hand through the floorboards and grabbing his backpack.

He threw it out of the building where it landed on the neighbouring rooftop. Another agent had toppled in through the window, taking Ana into the wall. She was forced back hard, the cement walls cracking. A cry escaped her lips when he slashed at her exposed arms and shot at Bucky.

He curled behind his metal arm, the bullets diverting away from him. Steve took him behind his shield as Ana punched the agent straight in the face with an angry yell. He fell down unconscious and she ran forward while Bucky pushed Steve in the direction of the window.

If they weren't in this situation, Ana would have found it funny.

Bucky held out his hand as he approached the front door to shield himself from the bullets, and took the agent's head and forced it to the side where it collided with a wooden shelf. Ana took a concrete bar and threw it at another agent, brown hair flying in her face as she spun around.

"There's a whole lot of 'em outside, Bucky." Ana breathed out.

"Then we take them on." He said.

Three shots rang out and the hinges on the door were gone. Ana motioned for Bucky to position himself near the wall next to the door and she stood in front, cracking her knuckles. On command, Bucky punched through the wall and hit the agent that was on the other side. Ana kicked down the door for herself and it flew back, crashing into the others.

"Are you serious?" She heard one of them say at the sight of her.

She winked at him and did a spin kick, her boot colliding with his cheekbone, knocking him into the railing of the staircase and making him fall over it. Bucky repeatedly took each of the grappling hooks attached to the agents and pulled them forward so he could punch them hard with his metal fist. Each of them dropped, defeated.

The skylight above shattered as an agent came down, shooting his rifle at his targets. Ana shielded herself behind Bucky, as he wrapped his arm around her protectively and used his metal one to shield them both from the crazy bullets.

He reached out and gripped the barrel of the gun, swinging the man on the other end of it into the wall. Ana ducked underneath his arm and dove forward to tackle down another pair of agents coming up the stairs. Ana lost her footing from the shards of glass and suffered from a punch to the gut.

Bucky jumped forward and crashed into the agent that hit her and pulled her up from the ground. Steve finally joined the party and worked his way down the stairs. Ana took a deep breath in and Bucky locked their hands together, swinging her behind him so she could take down the three agents approaching them.

She tackled the first one, locking him down with her legs and dropped backwards. Letting her grip on him loosen, he fell over the railing and down the flight stairs. As her hands were on the ground, she pushed herself forward once again to attack the two others.

Ana stood upright and dodged each swing, being careful to avoid the large knife in his hands. She bent her torso to the side and took the opportunity to send a hard punch to the ribs. He croaked out a groan and she grabbed him by his flack jacket and stepped forward and threw him into the one behind.

She flipped her hair out of her face and sighed out heavily. Just as Bucky threw an agent off the railings, Steve caught him and gave Bucky a look, "Come on, man."

Bucky's response was to elbow another agent in the face behind him.

He took Ana's arm and pulled her along. She wrapped her arms around him tightly with a smirk as he winked and removed the railings bolted to the concrete. They jumped forward and dropped down to the lower level, the railing detaching as they went.

The door broke off as they kicked it down and Ana went to attack a man aiming his gun at her. She dropped her head, just missing a shot and jumped on him, forcing his head into the wall and knocking him out cold.

The sound of a gun being locked alerted Bucky. He snapped his head in the direction it came from and froze. Before the man could fire his weapon, a shield hit him and Bucky looked up at Steve.

"Get off!"

He glanced at Ana who was stuck fighting off four men. He went to aid her, but seeing her elbow the two behind and head butting the two in front stopped him. Ana wiped off the blood on her arm and turned, only to jump back when Bucky had jumped and landed on her level.

She blinked at him, "What now?"

"I can't stay here." He muttered, planting a kiss to her cheek. He walked past her.

Before she could stop him, he ran out through the door behind him and she turned around. He had already jumped off the balcony and landed on the building opposite, taking his backpack.

"Captain!" Ana called and ran out onto the balcony.

She stopped at the edge and Steve joined her. They watched Bucky fight off another man. But he didn't look like the others. This one was in a full black body suit with silver linings and a mask with two points on the top. And Ana knew exactly who it was.

It was the Black Panther.

"Oh my God. I know him." Ana mumbled wide eyed. Steve looked at her curiously.

"What?" He asked.

Ana shuffled backwards, her heart was pounding violently against her ribcage. Knowing T'Challa and his values, he would do anything to get his vengeance for his father.

"No time to explain!" She dashed off the balcony, hearing Steve's yells for her to stop behind her.

She braced herself for impact and tucked a roll when she landed, before standing up and flipping forward just when the Black Panther slashed at Bucky's face. Before the vibranium claws could slice Bucky's cheeks, Ana's hand gripped the King's wrist and pulled him off.

"Your highness, stop!" She exclaimed.

"Who- Ana?" He breathed out.

A chopper gunner flew up and started shooting at them on the roof. T'Challa pulled Ana behind him, standing tall as the bullets deflected from his suit. Ana's chest was heaving, her hands trapped to her sides by T'Challa's. She looked up as Sam swooped down and barrelled into the chopper. It swirled out of the sky and Bucky took that time to jump up and run off.

Ana went to follow but was forced back. T'Challa blocked her way.

"This is not your fight, Warrior. I suggest you stay out of it."

"You have no idea what you're doing, T." Ana bit out, shaking him off her.

"He killed my father... and many others. I will have my vengeance." He replied. "And no one can stop me."

Ana couldn't stop the King, his speed was too great. He ran past her down to the side of the building where Bucky jumped down from, using his claws to scrape down the white concrete walls. Steve joined her and she shrugged at his look.

"Now there's that guy."

"Come on. We don't have much time. Reinforcements are flooding in." Steve told her.

She nodded and they both jump down. Ana took her grappling hook out and descended down the building carefully as Steve just simply dropped down and used his shield to soften his fall. She had to admire his determination, he was in such a hurry to get to his pal.

They entered a tunnel to avoid the shooting from the chopper. Bucky was being chased by T'Challa, who was being chased by Steve, who was right next to Ana. She was a lot more faster than Captain America and sped past him.

"Stand down!" The police cars tried to keep up with Ana.

She looked over her shoulder and shook her head with a grin. "I don't know the meaning of 'stand down'!" She yelled back.

The cars were moving too slow for her and she jumped on the back and catapulting her body forward. She did this many times until she could see T'Challa. She cupped her hands around her mouth and called out.

"Yo! Panther! You got the wrong guy!"

No response from the King.

She huffed. "I know you can hear me!"

"I don't care!"

Steve zoomed past her in a car and she shook her head. T'Challa decided to latch onto the back of the car and tag along. This was an opening for the Warrior. Bucky was up ahead. She could get to him and they could take their own route and lay low.

A barricade of police cars stopped Bucky from running. He slowed and changed his direction and took a left. Ana watched as he stole the motorbike from a man, and swung it around and straddled it. He revved the engine and boosted forward. Her mouth was agape, it was the hottest thing she had ever seen.

"Damn."

She slowed down, unable to continue at the pace she was going. Her legs were burning and she couldn't catch her breath. The sounds of the police sirens made her turn, an idea popping into her mind. She waited until one of them was close enough before mimicking T'Challa and using her daggers to latch on the back of the car.

It was then she realised she had gotten on the same car Steve was driving. Also the one T'Challa was on. She offered him a wide grin, "Hey kitty."

"We agreed you were going to stop calling me that." He retorted before leaping forward onto the roof of the car before jumping onto Bucky's motorbike.

Ana scoffed as he and Bucky fought. "Seriously."

Sam finally came flying in. After Bucky shook off T'Challa, the Black Panther decided to hitch a ride by taking Sam by the leg. Sam groaned and tried to shake him off. Ana got ready to start sprinting again but Bucky fired an explosive on the roof and it caved in.

Ana hid behind the car, taking cover from the debris. Steve swerved the car and he and Ana leapt off it as it rolled forward. The Warrior and Captain America dashed to Bucky as he slid on his back when T'Challa had clawed at the tires, making it topple over.