After the taxi rounded a bend, Natasha suddenly pressed a hidden button on the dashboard.
A holographic projection rose from the back seat, displaying a real-time view inside the Arbitrator Tower in Malibu—Chen Tian, Tony, 2B, Banner, and Barton were surrounded in a conference room by Agents led by Agent Hill and Coulson.
"What's going on?" Steve asked, frowning.
"After you triggered the highest level alert, Fury immediately sent people to surround the Arbitrators' Headquarters," Natasha's voice grew serious.
"They suspect the Arbitrators are planning something, and now all core members are under 'protective surveillance'."
In the projection, Tony was dramatically spreading his hands, saying something, while Chen Tian sat quietly at the conference table, a faint smile on his face.
Coulson stood beside Agent Hill, his expression wary but maintaining a polite distance.
"Will they be in danger?" Steve asked.
Natasha gently shook her head: "Fury is only suspicious right now; there's no concrete evidence yet.
But..." She paused, her eyes deepening, "Chen Tian asked me to tell you that the next action needs to be completed by the two of us."
Steve frowned slightly: "What do you mean?"
"The other Arbitrator members will remain under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s surveillance," Natasha lowered her voice, "They will be the perfect bait, drawing all of Fury's attention.
And the real mission..." She looked meaningfully at Steve, "will be completed by the two of us in the shadows."
The taxi slowly drove into a secluded lane, finally stopping in front of an unremarkable warehouse.
After Natasha turned off the engine, she turned to Steve: "Chen Tian's design is very clever.
When Fury discovers someone has invaded the archives using his biometric features, he will immediately lock down all Arbitrator members.
But in reality..."
"In reality, we'll be able to operate right under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s nose," Steve finished her sentence, a flash of understanding in his eyes.
"So Chen Tian deliberately had the other members monitored?"
A cunning smile played on Natasha's lips: "The most perfect cover is to make the enemy think they've caught all the key figures."
She pushed open the car door, "Come on, Captain.
The stage is clear; it's our turn."
The warehouse was filled with a faint smell of oil and the metallic scent unique to electronic equipment.
Steve looked around; the abandoned warehouse was piled with rusty mechanical parts and dusty wooden crates, showing no trace of high technology.
Natasha walked directly towards a mottled concrete wall, covered in graffiti and cracks.
Her fingers tapped quickly on several seemingly random bricks, the rhythm like a code.
Steve noticed that each time her fingertip touched, the brick surface glowed with a faint, imperceptible blue light.
"This is..." Steve was about to ask when the wall suddenly emitted a faint mechanical whirring sound.
The seemingly solid concrete wall split open, revealing a passage about two meters wide.
Soft white lights automatically illuminated the passage, lighting up the metal staircase leading downwards.
"Welcome to the Arbitrators' 'rat hole'," Natasha made an inviting gesture, a mysterious smile on her lips.
"We currently have 27 such safe houses deployed globally, and this is the closest one to the Triskelion."
Steve followed her down the stairs, and the sight before him made him involuntarily stop.
The underground space was at least three times larger than the dilapidated warehouse above ground.
Holographic display screens covered the surrounding walls, monitoring global activities in real-time.
The central workbench displayed a variety of the latest Stark Industries equipment, from nanotechnology battle suits to miniature drones.
Natasha quickly pulled Steve to the rectangular metal table in the center of the safe house.
She gently pressed her palm on the tabletop, and the seemingly ordinary metal surface immediately lit up, transforming into a massive holographic display.
"Time is short; we need to get straight to the point," Natasha's fingers glided rapidly across the tabletop, bringing up a series of gamma emission maps related to the Tesseract.
Blue holographic projections rotated between them, displaying gamma radiation data for different areas.
Steve gazed at the rotating holographic projection, then suddenly pointed to a blinking red dot: "Wait, zoom in on this area."
Natasha swiped her finger, and the image quickly focused on a desert area in New Mexico.
Steve frowned: "The classified documents I saw indicated that S.H.I.E.L.D. has a research Base here codenamed 'Project Pegasus,' where Fury is researching energy weapons."
Natasha was momentarily stunned, then smiled helplessly: "New Mexico? Chen Tian and I really have a connection with this place."
Steve looked at her puzzled: "What do you mean?"
Natasha gently swiped her finger across the holographic projection, marking the coordinates of New Mexico in red.
"It's a long story," a slight smile played on her lips, "Once this mission is over, you can access the Arbitrators' archives and review the complete record of the 'Thor Incident'."
She quickly walked to the equipment area, took a black tactical suit from the wall, and tossed it to Steve.
"Right now, we need action, not a history lesson," her voice became serious.
"We need to get there quickly; Fury, that cautious fox, will soon move everything from there."
Steve took the tactical suit, and the moment his fingers touched the nano-fibers, the suit automatically adapted to his physique.
"How do we get there? S.H.I.E.L.D. must have blocked all conventional transportation."
Natasha pointed to the back of the warehouse and pressed a hidden button on her wristband.
The ground suddenly parted, and a sleek, streamlined motorcycle slowly rose, its dark armored surface glowing with a faint blue light.
"Tony's masterpiece," she gently stroked the motorcycle's shining fairing, "It's equipped with a miniature Arc Reactor, and 2B even coated it with a special tactical coating—it can evade radar and jam surveillance."
Natasha suddenly showed a rare expression of hesitation, "It's just... the speed is a bit too insane; I almost crashed during the last test drive."
She took a high-tech wristband from the wall and tossed it to Steve: "So this important task is up to you, Captain.
This thing can directly neural-link to the control system, and your reaction speed is currently capable of handling it."
Steve took the wristband, and its metal surface immediately lit up with a holographic interface, displaying the motorcycle's 3D structural diagram.
He noticed the miniature weapon modules hidden in the handlebars and the faintly visible energy thrusters at the rear wheel.
"This isn't a motorcycle," Steve raised an eyebrow, "It's basically a fighter jet with wheels."
A cunning arc formed on Natasha's lips: "That's why Captain America is needed to tame this Beast."
She pointed to the hidden exit at the back of the warehouse, "We need to depart during a gap in S.H.I.E.L.D. satellite scans.
This motorcycle can take us directly to New Mexico at 0.8-1 Mach."
She suddenly took two streamlined black helmets from a hidden compartment in the motorcycle and tossed one to Steve: "You'd better put this on, unless you want to experience your face being ripped off by supersonic airflow."
The helmet gleamed with a metallic luster under the light, with an 'A' symbol printed on the side.
"1 Mach?" Steve took the helmet, his fingers stroking the nano-coating on its surface, "Tony turned this thing into a supersonic missile?"
Natasha had already deftly put on her helmet, and a faint mechanical sound accompanied the automatic closing of the visor: "To be precise, it's a supersonic missile that can fly close to the ground."
She straddled the motorcycle's rear seat and patted the front seat, "Come on, Captain.
This is much more thrilling than the Harley you used to ride."
Steve put on his helmet, and a holographic projection immediately lit up inside the visor, displaying speed, altitude, and route information.
As he straddled the motorcycle, the seat automatically adjusted to the optimal driving posture, and the touch panel on the handlebars glowed with a faint blue light.
"Hold on tight," Natasha's voice came through the helmet's built-in communication system, with a hint of excitement, "The first acceleration might remind you of how it felt when you were transformed by the Super-Soldier Serum."
The motorcycle engine emitted a deep roar, and the energy thrusters began to glow blue.
Steve could feel that this mechanical Beast was awakening under his hands, eager to tear through the confines of the air.
----
Pierce stood in his office, the Washington Monument visible in the distance outside the floor-to-ceiling window.
He gently swirled the whiskey in his hand, lost in thought.
Sitwell hurried into the office, fine beads of sweat still on his forehead.
"Officer, we just received news," he lowered his voice, "Director Fury has already sent people to surround the Arbitrators' Headquarters; all core members are confined in the conference room."
A barely perceptible arc formed on Pierce's lips.
"Reason?"
"Captain America triggered the highest level alert; someone used Fury's biometric features to invade the classified archives," Jasper wiped his sweat.
"Fury suspects it's an operation planned by the Arbitrators."
Pierce placed his glass on the table, the glass clinking crisply against the marble.
"Interesting," He turned to look out the window, a glint in his eyes, "It seems the Arbitrators also think Fury is hiding something."
Jasper hesitated: "Officer, our surveillance shows that Natasha Romanoff and Steve Rogers are not on the list of those confined."
Pierce suddenly laughed, a laugh that sent shivers down Jasper's spine.
"Perfect opportunity," He walked to his desk and pressed a hidden communication button, "Tell Winter Soldier, tonight's the night."
Jasper's eyes widened: "Officer, go to the Project Pegasus research facility now? But there are still S.H.I.E.L.D. guards there—"
"Precisely why it's the best time," Pierce interrupted him, a cold glint in his eyes, "Fury's attention is entirely on the Arbitrators; the research facility's defenses have been reduced by at least half."
He picked up a folder from his desk and handed it to Jasper, "This is the latest layout of the research facility.
Tell Winter Soldier, I want the Tesseract retrieved intact."
Jasper took the folder, his fingers trembling slightly: "If there's resistance..."
"Eliminate all obstacles," Pierce's voice was like ice, "Including those dogs of Fury."
After Jasper left, Pierce returned to the window.
He pressed the communicator on his wristband: "Rumlow, have the assault team on standby.
Once Winter Soldier succeeds, immediately take over the research facility and destroy all experimental data."
Crossbones' low voice came from the other end of the communicator: "Understood, Officer.
Do we leave any survivors?"
Pierce looked at his blurred reflection in the glass, a cold smile on his face: "None."
Outside the window, bright sunlight illuminated Pierce's face.
"Once I have my trump card, it's time to deal with those disobedient Arbitrators."
----
The night was inky black, and the New Mexico desert was shrouded in darkness, with only a few lonely stars twinkling in the night sky.
Steve and Natasha were hidden behind a sand dune, their nano-suits automatically adjusted to a deep black that blended with the night, even their visors becoming matte to reflect no light.
"This place is more heavily defended than I imagined," Steve whispered, observing the research facility three hundred meters away with his Super-Soldier Serum-enhanced vision.
High walls and electric fences surrounded the main building, spotlights swept the surrounding area every thirty seconds, and armed guards patrolled inside the perimeter with military dogs.
Natasha quickly used the motorcycle's onboard computer to scan the building's structural blueprint: "Fury designed this place to be watertight."
She frowned in thought, "We need to find a breakthrough..."
Just then, a violent explosion suddenly erupted on the east side of the research facility, and the flash of fire instantly illuminated half the sky.
This was followed by a rapid succession of gunshots.
"What's going on?" Steve looked up, alert.
Natasha Romanoff quickly pulled up the thermal imaging: "Someone got here before us!"
The image showed at least twenty heat signatures engaged in a fierce firefight inside the research facility.
As the image zoomed in, Brock Rumlow's familiar face appeared on the screen; he was commanding a team of fully armed special forces breaking through the facility's defenses.
"Rumlow?" Steve's voice was filled with shock. "The S.H.I.E.L.D. special forces team leader?"
He carefully observed the equipment of the soldiers in the image—all standard S.H.I.E.L.D. special forces gear, even the S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem on their tactical vests was clearly visible.
Steve incredulously turned to Natasha Romanoff: "What's going on? Our own people fighting our own people?"
Natasha Romanoff's brows furrowed as she rapidly analyzed the situation: "I don't know either, but they're pushing into the underground laboratory."
Her voice suddenly became alert, "That should be where the Tesseract is stored."
Steve stared intently at the monitor, watching Rumlow skillfully direct S.H.I.E.L.D. special forces members through one security door after another.
His expression gradually shifted from shock to confusion: "This doesn't make sense... they're clearly all our own people!"
Natasha Romanoff suddenly grabbed Steve's arm: "Captain, no matter who they are, this is our chance! We can—" taking advantage of the chaos they're creating.
Steve's thoughts churned like leaves caught in a whirlpool, swirling in a mix of shock and confusion.
Why would the S.H.I.E.L.D. special forces led by Rumlow attack their own research facility? The familiar tactical movements, standard equipment, even the encrypted S.H.I.E.L.D. signals coming through their communication channels—everything indicated that this was indeed a S.H.I.E.L.D. operation.
"Steve!" Natasha Romanoff's voice pierced his confusion like a sharp sword. "Now is not the time to think!"
Steve snapped back to reality, seeing that Natasha Romanoff had already mounted the supersonic motorcycle, her eyes gleaming with determination beneath the black helmet.
He took a deep breath, temporarily pushing down all his questions—the safety of the Tesseract was the top priority.
"Let's go!" He leaped onto the motorcycle's front seat, his nanotech suit automatically connecting with the motorcycle's control system.
The engine let out a deep roar, and the energy nozzles glowed with a faint blue light.
The motorcycle shot out like an arrow from a bow, cutting a black lightning streak across the desert.
Steve pushed the speed to its limit, and the surrounding scenery instantly blurred into indistinct colors.
The HUD inside his nanotech helmet constantly updated the route, guiding them to avoid explosion zones and patrol teams.
"Arriving at the west entrance!" Natasha Romanoff's voice came through the internal comms. "There are two guards there!"
Steve's right hand left the handlebar, his vibranium shield already sliding silently onto his wrist.
The moment the motorcycle was about to hit the wall, he sharply pulled up the front, sending the motorcycle airborne, while two silver beams shot out from the shield's edge.
The two guards fell to the ground without even a chance to raise an alarm.
The motorcycle landed steadily inside the research facility, its tires screeching as they scraped against the ground.
"Clear!" Natasha Romanoff dismounted, already holding two miniature pulse pistols, and their helmets quickly transformed into combat-ready forms.
"Take the underground passage!"
The two quickly moved through the corridor, leaving several precisely stunned guards in their wake.
Steve noticed that all surveillance cameras had been destroyed—Rumlow's people were clearly well-prepared.
"Wait!" Natasha Romanoff suddenly grabbed Steve, pulling him into a storage room.
A few seconds later, a team of fully armed special forces ran past the door, and Rumlow's voice came through their communicators: "Area A is controlled, pushing towards Area B. Tesseract secured, preparing for extraction."
Steve peered through the crack in the door and saw Rumlow handing a metal strongbox to a special forces member, a faint blue light faintly visible through the box's seams.
"They've packed up the Tesseract!" he whispered.
Natasha Romanoff quickly analyzed the situation: "We can't wait any longer; once they leave the facility, it will be very difficult to track them."
She checked her pistol. "I'll count to three, then we rush in."
"Three!"
The storage room door was kicked open, and Steve charged out first, his vibranium shield cutting a silver arc, precisely knocking down the two special forces members at the front.
Natasha Romanoff followed closely, her two miniature pulse pistols firing continuously, suppressing the enemies on the other side of the corridor.
"Steve Rogers." Rumlow's voice came from the end of the corridor. "You came after all."
He raised his gun to aim, simultaneously signaling the special forces member holding the box to retreat.
"Rumlow, put down the Tesseract!" Steve advanced while blocking bullets with his shield. "This isn't how S.H.I.E.L.D. operates!"
Rumlow sneered: "You have no idea what's going on, Captain."
He suddenly pressed a button on his wristband, and the entire research facility plunged into darkness, with only the blue light of the Tesseract box flickering in the distance.
"Night vision mode!" Natasha Romanoff quickly activated her tactical goggles, but when she saw clearly ahead, the special forces member holding the box had already disappeared around the corner.
The two quickly pursued, and after passing several security doors, they finally intercepted the target in the underground passage's vehicle parking area.
Under the dim emergency lights, Rumlow and five special forces members were gathered around an armored transport vehicle, with two members carefully lifting the Tesseract box into the vehicle compartment.
"Rumlow!" Steve's voice echoed in the cavernous underground passage. "Put down the Tesseract!"
A hint of mockery flashed in Rumlow's eyes: "Captain, you're always so naive."
His finger lightly tapped his communicator, sending out some kind of signal.
Before Steve could react, a barrage of bullets suddenly whistled from the shadows.
He instinctively raised his shield, the sparks from metal Impacts glaring under the dim emergency lights.
"Watch out!" Natasha Romanoff suddenly yanked Steve's tactical vest, pulling him sharply to the side.
A cold metallic glint grazed Steve's cheek, leaving a deep scratch on the wall.
Only then did Steve see the figure emerging from the shadows—fully armed combat gear, a cold, gleaming mechanical left arm, and emotionless eyes beneath the mask.
"That's the Winter Soldier!" Natasha Romanoff warned in a low voice. "HYDRA's ace assassin, rumored to have been active since the Cold War."
She quickly checked her magazine. "Be careful of his mechanical arm; he can tear open tank armor with his bare hands."
Rumlow chuckled: "Looks like our star player has arrived."
He leisurely jumped onto the armored vehicle. "Enjoy yourself, Captain."
With a roar of the engine, the armored vehicle sped away with the other special forces members.
"I'll go after Rumlow!" Natasha Romanoff decided instantly, rushing towards a parked military jeep. "You deal with this metal-armed guy!"
Before Steve could respond, the Winter Soldier charged forward like a phantom.
His mechanical arm, cutting through the air, went straight for Steve's throat.
Steve hastily raised his shield to block, and the sparks from the metal Impact were particularly bright in the darkness.
"Who are you, exactly?" Steve retreated using the momentum, trying to create distance.
He felt a strange familiarity with the Winter Soldier and tried to learn his identity through conversation, but the Winter Soldier pressed on relentlessly, his attacks coming like a storm.
Natasha Romanoff's jeep roared away, its engine sound gradually fading.
Only the two warriors and the echo of clashing metal remained in the underground passage.
The Winter Soldier suddenly changed tactics, pulling a machine gun from behind his waist.
Steve's pupils constricted, and he rolled to dodge in the nick of time.
Bullets exploded in a series of sparks on the concrete floor.
"Damn it!" Steve panted, this opponent's fighting style was completely beyond his expectations.
Every move was lethally precise, as if he were a machine born for killing.
Natasha Romanoff's voice came from a distance through the communicator: "Steve, watch out for his close-quarters combat ability! Intel shows he's proficient in over a dozen fighting styles!"
Before she finished speaking, the Winter Soldier was already on him.
A graceful spinning kick forced Steve into a corner, and the mechanical arm slammed down with immense force.
Steve barely managed to block with his shield, but the Impact forced him to one knee, and cracks appeared in the concrete floor.
"What do you want?" Steve gritted his teeth, seizing the opportunity for a sweeping kick, trying to unbalance his opponent.
But the Winter Soldier gracefully backflipped to avoid it, his movements too fluid to be human.
His only answer was another round of bullets.
Steve was forced to take cover behind a discarded truck, listening to the terrifying sound of bullets tearing through metal.
"Natasha Romanoff, this guy's a monster!" Steve yelled through the communicator. "His reaction speed is almost as fast as mine!"
Before Steve could finish speaking, a harsh metallic grinding sound suddenly came through his earpiece.
He quickly peeked out, only to see the Winter Soldier had already leaped onto a military motorcycle, its engine roaring like a Beast.
"Damn it!" Steve cursed, quickly scanning his surroundings and spotting a military jeep parked nearby.
He dashed over, ripped the wires from under the steering wheel, and skillfully hot-wired it.
The moment the engine roared to life, the underground passage suddenly vibrated violently.
"Natasha Romanoff! The facility is exploding!" Steve shouted into the communicator while flooring the accelerator. "The Winter Soldier is heading your way!"
Natasha Romanoff's hurried breathing came through the earpiece: "Understood! Rumlow's convoy is right in front of me, they're—" The communication was suddenly cut off by a harsh static noise.
Steve floored the accelerator, the jeep speeding through the narrow underground passage.
The Winter Soldier's driving skills ahead were astonishing; the motorcycle weaved nimbly between collapsing concrete blocks.
Suddenly, a massive ceiling slab crashed down between them.
Steve sharply turned the wheel, and the jeep skidded, crashing through a pile of debris.
"Boom!" Another huge explosion came from behind, the Impact shaking the jeep almost off the ground.
In the rearview mirror, the entire passage was collapsing like dominoes, and scorching flames surged forward like a tide.
Steve stomped on the accelerator, and the jeep accelerated wildly in the crumbling underground passage.
A bright light suddenly appeared ahead—Natasha Romanoff's military jeep was being closely pursued by the Winter Soldier's motorcycle.
The Winter Soldier made a leap, his mechanical arm grabbing the roof of the jeep, and he flipped onto the hood like a leopard.
He raised his mechanical arm, aiming for a critical part of the engine.
"Natasha Romanoff! Watch out!" Steve shouted, simultaneously swerving sharply, the jeep violently colliding with Natasha Romanoff's vehicle.
Just at that moment—
Boom!!!
The entire underground research facility violently shook, and the Impact of the explosion caused the ceiling to collapse in a chain reaction like dominoes.
Huge concrete blocks, entangled with rebar and flames, poured down, instantly engulfing the three figures in dust.
When the most violent collapse finally stopped, Steve used all his strength to push up his shield.
With a harsh metallic scraping sound, the massive stone pressing down was pushed aside, and Natasha Romanoff slowly got up, protected by Steve's shield.
Through the gradually clearing dust, Steve saw the Winter Soldier standing beside a motorcycle.
His tactical mask had fallen off, revealing a face Steve knew all too well.
"Bucky...?" Steve's voice was almost inaudible, but the name exploded in his mind like thunder.
His pupils constricted violently, and the hand holding the shield trembled slightly from shock.
------------------------
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