Chapter 8: The Sleepy Showdown – Or, "Bucky, You Look Tired. Have You Been Bashing Heads Lately?"
The next few days were a blur of adrenaline, clandestine movements, and the constant threat of discovery. Adam, Steve, and Natasha were fugitives, hunted by an organization that had infiltrated the highest levels of global security. Adam continued to be their secret weapon, using his "King's Haki" to silently neutralize any S.H.I.E.L.D. (read: HYDRA) agents who got too close. He left a trail of napping henchmen, turning what should have been tense escapes into a bizarre game of 'Red Light, Green Light,' where 'red light' meant 'everyone falls asleep.'
' This is getting ridiculous. I'm essentially a walking, talking tranquilizer gun. 'Oh, you're trying to arrest Captain America? Here, have a nice nap. Dream of fluffy bunnies and world peace.' It's efficient, I'll give it that. But it's not exactly 'superheroic.' More like 'super-sleep-inducingly-annoying.' '
The plan was to get to a specific data drive, one that contained all of Project Insight's damning secrets. This led them to the infamous highway chase, a sequence Adam remembered vividly from the movies. He knew it was going to be intense, and he knew they'd be facing the Winter Soldier.
"Alright, this is where it gets messy," Adam muttered, squeezed into the back of a beat-up pickup truck with Steve and Natasha, racing towards their destination. "We're going to have company. Very fast, very metal-armed company. Try not to get shot. Or, you know, just aim for the arm. The metal one. It probably doesn't feel pain. Unlike my rapidly beating heart."
Natasha shot him a look. "You nervous, Stiels?"
"Nervous? Me? Never! I'm just… anticipatorily excited! For the inevitable, highly choreographed vehicle-based combat! It's going to be epic! Provided we don't, you know, die."
The chase began as expected. HYDRA agents in unmarked cars swarmed them, trying to force them off the road. Adam, leaning out the back of the truck, would unleash quick, targeted bursts of his King's Haki. Drivers would slump over their steering wheels, sending their vehicles veering wildly. It created an immediate, chaotic bottleneck, disabling their pursuers without a single gunshot or explosion. It was incredibly effective, but also resulted in a comical amount of fender-benders involving unconscious drivers.
"Hey, guys, warning! Looks like the guy in the black sedan just fell asleep! Might want to swerve!" Adam yelled over the wind, barely containing his laughter. ' This is like a real-life Mario Kart, but instead of banana peels, I'm throwing unconsciousness at people. I should get a bonus for environmental storytelling. '
Then, he saw him. The Winter Soldier. Perched on a motorcycle, a grim silhouette, his metal arm glinting in the sunlight. Adam's blood ran cold. This wasn't a nameless HYDRA grunt. This was Bucky Barnes. Brainwashed, deadly, and carrying a truckload of tragic backstory.
"Okay, this is where it gets really messy," Adam murmured, his previous bravado momentarily forgotten. "He's here. The metal arm guy. He's… persistent. And also, probably needs a hug. And a really good therapist."
The Winter Soldier was terrifyingly efficient, effortlessly dispatching the remaining S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who hadn't succumbed to Adam's power. He caught up to their truck, leaping onto the roof, his movements fluid and deadly.
"He's on top!" Steve yelled, trying to swerve.
Adam knew this was coming. He knew the fight between Steve and Bucky was crucial, a moment that chipped away at the Winter Soldier's conditioning. He also knew his sleep power wouldn't stop Bucky. Bucky's willpower, even in his brainwashed state, was likely off the charts. But he could try to disturb him. To plant a seed.
As the Winter Soldier dropped down into the bed of the truck, engaging Steve in brutal hand-to-hand combat, Adam braced himself. He couldn't risk putting Steve to sleep, obviously. But Bucky? He focused his King's Haki, not on incapacitation, but on mental pressure. He tried to make it feel like a sudden, jarring memory, a whisper in the back of his mind, a sense of something wrong.
He locked eyes with Bucky for a split second, the assassin's gaze cold and empty.
"You know, you look really familiar," Adam shouted over the roar of the wind and the sounds of the fight, trying to inject as much casual, disarming sincerity into his voice as possible. "Have we… met? You look like a guy who's been through a lot. Like, a really lot. Are you from Brooklyn? Because you give off major 'Brooklyn bad boy with a tragic past' vibes. You look like you could really use a cup of coffee. Or maybe just a good, long rest. You look tired, pal. Really tired. Like you haven't slept in… oh, seventy years?"
The words, carefully chosen, were a direct hit to Bucky's fragmented memories. Adam saw it. A flicker. A momentary hesitation in Bucky's eyes, a shadow of confusion that crossed his face before being violently suppressed. It was barely there, a fraction of a second, but it was there. His movements, usually flawless, seemed to falter just enough for Steve to gain a momentary advantage.
' Bingo. Not enough to stop him, but enough to make him think. Enough to annoy the super-assassin. My work here is done. '
The fight continued, brutal and fast. Adam, realizing his contribution to Bucky's mental state was done for the moment, focused on the remaining HYDRA agents who were trying to flank them. He unleashed another wave of King's Haki, sending two more motorcycle riders gently sailing off their bikes into unconsciousness, their vehicles skidding harmlessly away.
They finally escaped the highway, the truck severely damaged, but with the data drive in hand. They found temporary refuge in a quiet, abandoned warehouse. Steve was shaken, clearly affected by the encounter with Bucky. Natasha was already working to upload the data.
Adam, slumped against a crate, took a shaky breath. ' That was… terrifying. More terrifying than the giant space whales, actually. At least the space whales didn't have a personal connection. And they didn't look like they needed a hug and seventy years of therapy. '
[ SYSTEM MESSAGE: Plot Event: Highway fight (meddled). GP earned: 200. ]
[ SYSTEM MESSAGE: Plot Event: Encountered Winter Soldier (witnessed). GP earned: 500. ]
"Well, that's… something," Adam muttered, looking at the GP notification. "Two hundred for making cars crash due to sleepy drivers, and five hundred for getting my butt kicked by a brainwashed super-soldier. Fair trade, I guess. The system really values mental anguish."
He felt a pang of genuine empathy for Bucky. This wasn't just a movie plot; it was a real person, suffering. His sarcasm, usually a shield, felt thin and inadequate in the face of such profound tragedy. But he pushed it back. He had a job to do. A world to save. And a super-soldier to eventually convince that therapy was a good thing.
He joined Steve and Natasha, offering a weak smile. "So, about that data. Does it explain why everyone decided to skip their mandatory 'how to not be a secret Nazi' training?"
Natasha, typing furiously, didn't look up. "It's worse than we thought, Adam. They're everywhere."
Steve looked at the data being uploaded, his face grim. "Project Insight. They're going to launch. We have to stop them."
Adam nodded, his humor momentarily set aside. "Yeah. And I've got just the thing to make sure everyone involved has a really, really bad day. Starting with their coffee supply. And maybe, just maybe, I'll figure out a way to make them all understand how truly awful their life choices are." He was thinking about the Point of View Gun. Its time was coming. Oh, yes. Its time was definitely coming.
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