---

  "Hahaha! Non we are wrecking these guys!"

  Kue ughed wildly, mowing down enemies with his rifle. With his cybernetic arm, he felt no recoil at all firing single-handedly with ease, trailing right behind Non.

  "Damn it! These two are monsters!"

  "We need Winter Soldier support! We can't handle this alone!"

  "Why the hell is a b researcher fighting like this?!"

  "Is he even a real scientist?! What the hell?!"

  Non moved like a phantom each stride, each shot surgical. He bsted through obstacles with explosive precision, switching to his assault rifle and dropping HYDRA soldiers one by one with pinpoint accuracy.

  The soldiers couldn't aim for his vitals they'd been ordered to use tranquillizers and tasers. But those projectiles were slow, easy for Non to intercept with his enhanced reflexes and vibranium shield.

  And Kue's security team? Providing ample cover fire.

  In mere moments, the two of them had broken through the safehouse.

  "There's a river just ahead!" Kue shouted, now mostly recovered. "I've got a speedboat stashed there!"

  "Then let's move use that arm properly! The energy reserves should still be full!"

  Non yanked two smoke grenades from his belt and tossed them behind. Kue dropped his overheated rifle, his cybernetic arm transforming into a sonic emitter. He swept it toward the enemy—

  THUMP! Blood exploded from the noses and ears of nearby HYDRA agents.

  "Damn, this thing works," Kue grinned.

  "I tuned it to the average human heartbeat frequency," Non said, eyes scanning ahead. "But when you're up against tougher targets, you'll need to recalibrate. The arm will collect feedback data in real-time."

  "Got it," Kue nodded, sticking close.

  Soon, the sound of rushing water grew louder.

  "There! That's the river!"

  Kue's face lit up. Freedom was just ahead. Sure, he'd lost a cache of data and Vibranium, but he was alive.

  Suddenly, Non's instincts screamed. The hairs on his neck stood up. Without hesitation, he raised his shield behind his head.

  CLANG!

  A heavy blow struck the shield. Non's mind raced.

  He knew who this was.

  He used the force of the hit to roll backwards and create space. Kue turned in shock to see their attacker.

  Curly brown hair. Cold eyes. A lean but lethal physique. And that unmistakable metal arm, far more advanced than Kue's.

  "The Winter Soldier," Non muttered.

  Even without a name, that silhouette was iconic.

  HYDRA's elite weapon is Bucky Barnes. Like Non, he'd received a variant of the super-soldier serum. But unlike Non, Bucky's version was fwed. His mind was unstable. His autonomy was compromised.

  But his instinctive combat prowess? Second to none.

  Kue didn't recognize him. He unched a sonic bst, sending Bucky stumbling backwards with blood dripping from his nose.

  "Keep hitting him! I'll hold him off!" Non called.

  Bucky's eyes locked onto Non. The target was clear.

  Perfect. Non had spent a week training for this.

  He charged forward, shield raised.

  BANG! BANG! CLASH!

  Shield and metal fist collided. Non was stronger and faster, but Bucky had years of battlefield experience. Every time Non seemed to gain the upper hand, Bucky's instincts reeled him back into control.

  It was a stalemate. Hardware vs skill.

  But more footsteps approached.

  "Move it!" Kue shouted, waving his sonic arm. But Bucky was quick to shift focus. Each time Kue prepared to fire, Bucky changed angles.

  "I'm here for him!" Bucky growled. "You stay out of it!"

  Kue hesitated, torn. If he left Non, he might escape.

  Non narrowed his eyes. "You really think HYDRA was gonna let you walk? They had a spy in your bed."

  Kue's eyes flickered with anger. He gritted his teeth and swung his arm again.

  This time, Non pressed the offensive pushing Bucky into position with a flurry of blows just as Kue fired.

  WHUMM! WHUMM! WHUMM!

  The feedback readings started to stabilize.

  Bucky staggered. Blood poured from his nose and ears.

  He dropped to the ground twitching, barely conscious.

  "Just a second-rate knockoff," Non spat. "No vibranium. No future."

  Non raised his shield to crush Bucky's skull—

  But more Winter Soldiers were incoming.

  "Forget him! We need to move!" Kue yelled.

  Non emptied his rifle into Bucky's chest. BANG, BANG, BANG! Blood sprayed across the dirt.

  Then he pulled two grenades from his belt, popped the pins, and dropped them beside the twitching soldier.

  Tick-tick-tick...

  "GO!" Non Shouted.

  Kue's jaw clenched. This guy really hates HYDRA...

  And Non didn't give a damn if this was Steve Rogers' old pal.

  HYDRA had come for his head.

  That made them dead men walking.

  Not even Stark himself would get a pass if he got in the way.

  BOOOOM!!!

  The twin bsts ripped through the jungle trees shook, and the ground trembled.

  Just ahead, the speedboat came into view.

  The two of them leapt aboard.

  Non sliced the mooring line with his shield. "Start it!"

  VROOOOM—!

  The engine roared to life.

  Behind them, the safehouse erupted into a massive explosion an inferno engulfing the entire hill.

  "Heh. They wanna chase me?" Kue grinned, holding up a detonator. "Screw that I blew the whole base sky high."

  Non turned to him, gaze icy.

  "You tried to abandon me back there."

  Kue's smirk froze.

  "I didn't actually do it..."

  The truth was, he'd heard what Non said. He knew HYDRA had him marked. If he lost Non now, he was as good as dead.

  And now he understood something:

  Being a Vibranium dealer meant nothing to real power pyers. To them, he was just a vendor a dispensable pawn.

  But Non?

  Non was different. A brain like his could convert Kue's wealth into an unstoppable force.

  And in a world ruled by strength...

  That was everything.

  ----

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