he who hesitates is toast

"Falcon." Maria Hill would probably sound calm and controlled even while being sucked into a whirlpool. "Status?"

"Engaging!" Sam yells back. Steve allows a little of his focus to follow the sounds of Sam's fight, even as he himself barrels forward over the deck of Alpha. It's disturbingly familiar to be slamming the shield, his boot, himself into HYDRA goons while wearing this particular uniform.

But maybe Bucky will recognize it. Maybe it'll be just one more thing he can't quite explain.

Not that Steve has time to think about that just now. He bodyslams an armor-wearing HYDRA enforcer as Sam reports in. "Alright, Cap, I'm in – oh, shi – "

Whatever's happening, Steve doesn't split his focus by asking him to explain. Steve flings himself into the air, slamming two HYDRA soldiers to the ground with a stretch of his body and a strike of his shield, then lands lightly. "Eight minutes, Cap," Maria Hill tells him, and he lifts his wrist to reply. "Workin' on it."

Once inside, it's far easier to make his way to the control center, the large, open space that hosts the brain of the helicarrier. Steve types in the command that Hill had drummed into them, then switches out the target chip with the one in his belt before sending the whole thing home once more. "Alpha locked."