Chapter 23: The Arrogant Star-Spangled Man with a Plan
"Take me to 44th and Eighth Avenue," Ryan instructed the taxi driver.
"You got it," the driver replied with suspicious enthusiasm.
Ryan studied the driver's face in the rearview mirror, then glanced back at the two black SUVs maintaining their tail. Something felt off about the man's eagerness—most cab drivers avoided Hell's Kitchen like the plague.
The taxi headed south along Fifth Avenue from the Upper East Side. As they approached Midtown, the driver suddenly swerved and pulled over at a major intersection.
The next moment, he drew a pistol and pressed it against Ryan's temple.
"Hands behind your head. Don't make this harder than it needs to be."
CRACK!
Lightning-fast, Ryan's fist connected with the driver's jaw, instantly knocking him unconscious.
Ryan had suspected the setup from the beginning. No legitimate cabbie would eagerly drive into Hell's Kitchen without asking questions or demanding extra payment.
He stepped out of the taxi to survey his surroundings. The intersection was completely empty—no pedestrians, no traffic, clearly cordoned off by federal agents.
Police barriers blocked every street, and S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives surrounded the area in tactical positions. The two SUVs that had been following pulled up nearby.
Click!
Peggy Carter emerged from the lead vehicle, her trademark brown waves framing her face as she approached with a professional smile.
"Long time no see, Ryan."
Ryan shrugged casually. "Has it? We just met a month ago."
"Perhaps a month for you, but for me it's been thirty-eight years. Quite long enough."
Ryan paused, studying her unchanged appearance with growing confusion. "That's impossible. You look exactly the same. What are you, some kind of witch?"
Peggy chuckled softly. "Hardly. If you want answers, why don't you come with us and we can discuss this properly?"
Ryan took several steps forward, testing her reaction. "Aren't you worried I might snap your neck before your agents can blink?"
If he could get close enough, Ryan was confident he could take Peggy hostage and negotiate his way out of this trap.
Peggy seemed to read his intentions and raised her hand in a stopping gesture. "I'd advise against that course of action, Ryan. Starting a fight here wouldn't be wise."
"You think these agents can stop me?"
Just as Ryan prepared to make his move, another voice interrupted from behind Peggy.
"Sir, I'd strongly recommend listening to her."
The iconic red, white, and blue uniform was unmistakable—star-spangled chest piece, wing-adorned helmet, and that ridiculous color scheme that somehow managed to look both patriotic and garish.
Captain America stepped forward, vibranium shield held ready, positioning himself protectively in front of Peggy.
"Steve?"
Ryan instinctively halted, scanning the area for other Avengers. If this was a full team operation, he needed to reassess his options.
Steve Rogers, recently revived and still completing his rehabilitation training, frowned slightly. "Since you know who I am, I hope you'll cooperate with our investigation."
Hearing Steve's formal tone, Ryan felt a wave of relief wash over him.
A knowing smile spread across his face. "You pompous relic! Didn't Peggy tell you who I am?"
Steve shook his head curtly. "Your identity is irrelevant. What matters is that you come with us voluntarily."
"Wrong answer, fossil!" Ryan wagged his finger mockingly. "You're just an antique who's been frozen for seventy years. You have no idea what you're dealing with."
Steve glanced at Peggy and spoke in a low voice. "Peggy, negotiation appears to have failed. I'm going to have to use force."
"Steve, no—" Peggy tried to intervene, but her warning came too late.
Steve pivoted and hurled his vibranium shield in a perfect arc toward Ryan's center mass.
Whoosh!
Ryan sidestepped the spinning disc, which embedded itself in the taxi behind him with tremendous force, launching the vehicle several feet backward.
When Ryan turned back, Steve was already closing the distance with enhanced super-soldier speed.
BAM!
Steve's knee strike connected solidly with Ryan's chest, producing a dull thud. Ryan merely staggered back two steps, completely unharmed.
Steve's eyes widened momentarily in surprise before he caught his ricocheting shield and pressed his attack.
Ryan's smile faded. Clutching his serum case in his left hand, he clenched his right fist and threw a devastating punch at the approaching super soldier.
CLANG!
Ryan's knuckles slammed into the vibranium shield with tremendous force, creating a shockwave that rippled outward and lifted the hem of Peggy's skirt.
This was exactly what frustrated Ryan most about fighting Captain America. With that shield, Steve became nearly untouchable—like a turtle hiding in an impenetrable shell.
Peggy had warned Steve that Ryan was no ordinary opponent, but the recently awakened super soldier still clung to his 1940s mindset, underestimating modern threats.
Only now, mid-combat, did Steve realize he might be outmatched.
He barely managed to dodge Ryan's next swing before slamming his shield edge toward Ryan's torso.
Ryan caught the blow and stepped back, then grabbed the taxi's door and wrenched it completely off its hinges.
WHAM!
Ryan swung the improvised weapon at Steve, who raised his shield defensively.
When Ryan lifted the door for a second strike, Steve instinctively raised his guard again—but instead of the door, Ryan's boot connected with his chest.
BOOM!
The kick launched Steve backward into a nearby SUV with such force that the entire vehicle's side crumpled inward, metal buckling around the super soldier's impact crater.
"Ugh!" Steve nearly lost consciousness, struggling to catch his breath. Drawing on his extensive combat experience and legendary willpower, he forced himself upright.
"I can do this all day," Steve wheezed, raising his shield defiantly.
"Jesus Christ, can't you learn any new lines?"
At that moment, S.H.I.E.L.D. snipers positioned on nearby rooftops opened fire.
Thwip!
A tranquilizer dart pierced Ryan's arm, its powerful sedative beginning to course through his enhanced bloodstream.
"Shit. Should have seen that coming."
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
Multiple tranquilizer rounds struck Ryan simultaneously from different angles.
Ryan grabbed the car door and began running, using it as an improvised shield.
Steve, clutching his aching ribs, gave chase with grim determination.
Both enhanced individuals moved with superhuman speed, their pursuit resembling a high-speed car chase on foot.
"All units, pursue!" Peggy commanded. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents immediately mobilized, vehicles screeching as they joined the hunt.
Ryan's head began spinning from the accumulated sedatives, his limbs growing stiff and uncooperative as he crossed through a busy shopping district.
Steve was gaining ground with each stride.
"This is not good," Ryan muttered, spotting a subway entrance ahead.
He rushed down the stairs just as a train was preparing to depart. Without hesitation, Ryan leaped forward, smashing through the car's window in an explosion of glass and rolling into the passenger compartment.
By the time Steve reached the platform, the train was already disappearing into the tunnel system.
"Peggy, he's on the Brooklyn-bound Red Line!"
"Copy that!"
Inside the train car, Ryan swayed like a drunk, the sedatives making him increasingly unsteady as he moved toward the rear of the train.
A opportunistic thug noticed Ryan's valuable-looking case and made a grab for it.
Even half-conscious, Ryan's enhanced reflexes kicked in. He seized the would-be thief's wrist and applied gentle pressure.
Crack!
The man's scream echoed through the car before Ryan casually threw him against the train wall, where he crumpled unconscious.
The other passengers immediately gave Ryan a wide berth.
Knowing S.H.I.E.L.D. would be waiting at the next station, Ryan made his way to the rear coupling between cars, opened the emergency door, and without hesitation, leaped into the dark tunnel.
"Oh my God!"
"Did he just jump?!"
Horrified passengers tried calling 911, but found no cell service in the subway tunnels.
When the train stopped at the next station, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents swarmed aboard, only to learn that their target had vanished into the labyrinthine subway system.
By the time the tactical teams reached Ryan's approximate landing zone, there was no trace of him to be found.
End of Chapter 23
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