[ WWII AU ] Chantez, compagnons, dans la nuit la liberté

[from_the_outside]

There's nothing strange about Yvette Rheaume or the credentials she provides to Monsieur Lavigne when she arrives to replace Amelie. "Her mother is ill," Lavigne explains to the girl. "You will fill in for her duties until she returns, yes?"

Yes, of course. And it's a relief when the girl proves both capable and well-mannered; he simply cannot afford to force Herr Schneider to wait. If the facility were to cancel their monthly orders, he'd lose hundreds, thousands of francs in profit, money which assuages his guilt at assisting the enemy. He explains the process to the girl as they ride in a jeep towards the facility, and impresses on her the need for perfect discretion. "I will expect you to take clear and comprehensive notes," he reminds her. "We cannot miss any opportunity to re-supply."

"Yes, sir," she promises, and dutifully notes his instructions.

His ears are ringing by the time they reach the facility and Herr Schneider steps outside to greet them, his sharp eyes resting for a moment on Yvette. "Who is this lovely creature?" he asks, and Lavigne hastens to assure him of her loyalty and credentials. The German nods and politely ushers them inside. Lavigne is too relieved and too focused on the robust order to come to pay much mind to the way the man keeps half an eye on Yvette.

But she doesn't miss it. Not a single glance.

Comments

[nerves_of_ice]

Two of the three remaining cycles swerve around the first and keep going. The third skids sideways as the wreckage of the first crashes into it and goes down in a tangle. Bucky holds his fire back from them and swings his rifle sight back to cover the entryway and shipping gates as a second explosion goes up on the other side of the facility.

By now, HYDRA's agents should be thinking that they're trying to break in from the rear. Steve and the others should be pouring down from the top any second now, and it's on him to make sure they're not met by trouble when they do.

[from_the_outside]

The sounds of the battle are clear as she finishes tying up the driver and shoves him into the backseat with Lavigne.

... maybe a little too clear, as the roar of motorcycles hums between the trees, getting louder and louder. She ducks around the side of the car and retrieves the sidearm that had been stashed in the wheel well, the sets herself behind the car's body, muzzle pointed at the road and every nerve alight and ready.

[nerves_of_ice]

Steve's first over the rise, the rest of the squad hot on his heels as he drops down into the open space and slings the shield through the loading dock, then charges in after.

Bucky continues to cover from above as the first prisoners start to clear the door away from what's going on inside, running in a group back and away from the facility.

The front door opens and Schneider backs through it into the clear, obviously intending to make a break for it. Bucky sets his jaw and fires a single shot to the base of his spine.

If they can take him alive, they could use the intel - but the lives of the squad and the prisoners are his priority.

[from_the_outside]

The Colt in her hands barks as the first of the motorcycles comes humming over the road. The driver ducks as the bullet sparks off the body of the machine and reaches for his own sidearm as the second bike rockets toward them.

Sharon breathes out and focuses, squeezing off another two shots, one of which finds purchase in the rider's shoulder, sending him swerving toward the trees at the side of the road. Inside the car, Lavinge and his driver make muffled noises of panic, squirming at each shot.

"Oh, shut up," Sharon mutters, taking aim at the second rider. "Don't distract me."

[nerves_of_ice]

Another explosion rocks the facility from the inside, sending up a truly hideous plume of foul black smoke. Looks like someone's found the ammo preparations center, Bucky figures, and picks off an agent that tries to run one of the trucks out of the loading dock. He takes out the tires next for good measure, and keeps one eye on Schneider for any signs the man's going to be exceptionally stupid.

A glint through the small factory window catches his attention - one of HYDRA's, drawing a bead on someone--

The rifle cracks again and glass shatters. On the other side of the window, the HYDRA agent drops.

[from_the_outside]

Air hisses and the car groans and shifts as the second rider takes out one of the tires. Sharon replies with a careful shot to his front wheel that sends him skidding to the ground, just as the first rider wrestles control of his bike back once more.

"Hey," Sharon yells to Lavigne and the driver. "Either of you happen to have an extra magazine in there? No?"

They stare at her with wide eyes and she grimaces, then squeezes off a shot that punctures the first bike's fuel tank, sending a dribbling stream of gas onto the road.

[nerves_of_ice]

Things are getting quieter inside, which either means that they're moving deeper into the facility or that the situation is wrapping up from active fighting to the aftermath, he thinks, as another knot of prisoners makes their way around the rear of the trucks and into the dubious shelter of the trees with the rest. They're smart enough not to try to run too far but instead are huddling up, for the most part, save for a few who are keeping watch and looking for anything they can use in defense. One's collected a crowbar, he notices, and another scans the open space before making a break to try to strip the sidearm from one of the fallen guards.

Bucky keeps an eye on them too, just in case, and waits for the signal to descend and join the mop-up.

[from_the_outside]

God, she misses her suit. And her thigh holster. And her extra magazines.

The first rider abandons his leaking bike and squeezes off three shots, each of which shatters one of the car windows as she takes cover behind the vehicle. Instead of looking up and over the body, she shifts lower and to the side, then leans out from behind the exhaust pipe and fires. The rider collapses with a scream, his right knee turned into a mess of blood and bone, as the second rider staggers up from his wrecked cycle.

He looks dazed, which is good. She's starting to run out of bullets.

[nerves_of_ice]

The ear-splitting sound of Dugan's whistle comes floating out of the factory. Bucky scans the area once more, then stows the rifle and pulls his carbine instead before making his way from cover down the side of the ridge to the prisoners.

"Hold here for a second," he tells them. The one with the crowbar looks at his uniform jacket and tries to straighten to attention. "Yes, sir--"

"At ease," Bucky says. "This isn't over yet." He leaves them gathered there and makes his way over to check the fallen, confirming each kill, then circles to Schneider.

[from_the_outside]

The final rider, cursing in German, dodges his way closer to the wrecked and bullet-ridden body of the car. Her first shot misses by a bare inch; the second jams the Colt as a cartridge sticks.

There's no time to think about it. She throws the sidearm past the edge of the car, letting it skitter on the ground, then is up and vaulting over the trunk in the next second to take advantage of the way his head swivels to follow the gun's trajectory. One foot lands on his shoulder, shoving him back; the other follows in a snapping kick that catches him in the jaw.

He bellows and stumbles back, and she's on him in the next second, a flurry of strikes thudding into him until at last he's on the ground and she's breathing hard, hair and clothes mussed and rumpled.

[nerves_of_ice]

Schneider's not in great shape, no surprise there, but he's alive. Bucky removes his sidearm and gives him a quick check for weapons, then beckons to crowbar guy to join him as he studies HYDRA's fallen officer.

The man bares his teeth and spits at him. "Cut off one head, two more--"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, heard it before," Bucky interrupts. "Don't worry. We're gonna cut off all the heads before we're through. Count on it."

[from_the_outside]

Neither of her assailants are dead, but they're not exactly in the best shape, either. She digs out more rope and binds them – the one with the blown-out knee mercifully stops screaming once he passes out – then makes sure Lavigne and the driver haven't somehow managed to wriggle free.

"In the original iteration of this plan, I had control of a drivable car," she tells them, as they stare at her over their gags. "But I guess we're just going to have to wait to get picked up."

[nerves_of_ice]

"What's your name, soldier?" Bucky asks as the crowbar-carrying man joins him. "Jenkins, sir. Private Mark Jenkins."

Bucky looks up at him. "Okay, Jenkins. Keep our prisoner here alive and under watch so we can track down the rest of his buddies, you get me?" He makes it clear enough so that the others can hear, just so no one gets any ideas about getting some of their own back."

"Yes, sir!" Bucky gives him a tired grin. "Hold the line," he says, and moves to the gate, then clears it before ducking inside to take in the situation.

[marvel_npc]

Gabe and Jim are moving through the ranks of prisoners, releasing them as they go, as Steve sets the shield into its harness on his back. He half-turns as Bucky comes in, and gives his best friend a nod. "Cleaned them up pretty good," he says. "It wouldn't have been so great if this shipment had left the facility."

He glances around before looking back at Bucky. "I lost sight of Schneider. Did he get out?"

[nerves_of_ice]

“Not far,” Bucky promises. “Wounded him and brought him down. Figured we’d want to question him if we could. He’s out front under guard by one of the prisoners - a Private Jenkins.”

He looks around too. Things seem pretty well in hand. No Zola, but this’ll be another punch in the eye for HYDRA, and that’s always good. Bucky turns back to Steve. “Schneider sent a team to follow Lavigne and Sharon when they left, “ he reports. “I brought half of them down, but couldn’t get them all before they made the curve.”

[marvel_npc]

Steve looks grim and starts heading for the door. "We should get after them, then," he says, and raises his voice. "Dum Dum, take charge here. Bucky and I are going for Sharon and Lavigne."

[nerves_of_ice]

“You got it, Cap,” Dugan says. “Schneider’s out front,” Bucky tells him. “Wounded, prisoner.”

A stifled cheer goes up from the ex-prisoners close enough to overhear, as Dugan grins. “Good news. We’ll bring him in while you two wrap things up.”

[marvel_npc]

Steve tosses off a salute and a quick smile to the now-freed prisoners, then jogs out the door and heads for the nearest motorbike.

"How many managed to take off after them?"

[nerves_of_ice]

“Two.” Bucky snags the next bike over and starts it up. “I took down the other two and the door mechanism. I had to choose, Steve.”

He manages to throttle his worry back, but it’s there all the same.

[marvel_npc]

"You made the right choice," Steve assures him. "Sharon would say the same thing."

Bucky knows her better than he does, but he thinks he's right all the same... even if he's having a hard time concealing his own concern. The bike coughs into life and he accelerates, tires screeching against the gravel.

[nerves_of_ice]

She’d shown them all she can handle herself, he knows, and she’s been very open about being good at what she does. She’ll be fine. She has to be, Bucky tells himself, as he roars after Steve down the road.

They can’t have gotten too far, right?

[from_the_outside]

It's actually kind of a nice day, she thinks, as she lounges back on the hood of the car, keeping an eye on her four trussed-up antagonists. The newly-unjammed Colt sits loosely in her hand, just in case any of them get any stupid ideas, but they seem sufficiently unhappy enough to have been beaten by a woman the first time around.

She looks up at the sound of motorcycles and tenses -- only to relax as she recognizes that familiar red, white, and blue uniform and the figure on the bike beside him.

Sharon lifts her hand in a wave as they come near. "Hey, guys," she greets them. "Finished already?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"All but the cleanup," Steve says, as they pull up. It's a good thing he's the one who's answering, because Bucky's laughing too hard to talk.

[from_the_outside]

Lavigne tries to yell something, probably unflattering and almost definitely in regards to her womanhood, but it only comes out as a muffled series of grunts. Sharon grins at Steve and Bucky as she pushes herself off the hood of the car and walks their way.

"Think you've got room for a few more pieces of trash?" she asks, tipping her head towards the four unhappy men.

[nerves_of_ice]

"I think we can squeeze them in," Steve says, dryly. "Buck, you good over there?"

He waves his hand weakly at both of them and goes to check over the car. "Messed this up pretty good, didn't you?" Bucky observes.