Nick Fury was not easily rattled, but even he felt a chill run down his spine when he glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Su Zhan sitting in the back seat. The man had appeared in his car without a sound, as if conjured from thin air. Fury's single eye narrowed, his mind racing with a thousand questions and suspicions.
"You want a ride?" Fury asked, his voice dry and edged with disbelief. "You can sneak into my car without me noticing, but you still need a lift?"
Su Zhan leaned back, his tone casual and unconcerned. "It's just a ride. No need to worry about me. When we get there, I'll get out on my own."
Fury studied him for a long moment, his gaze sharp and unyielding. Su Zhan was relieved that Fury's eye was not a laser, or he might have been burned straight through. With a resigned sigh, Fury started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. He kept one hand on the wheel, the other close to his sidearm, mind whirring as he tried to guess Su Zhan's true intentions.
As they approached a red light, the car slowed to a stop. Fury glanced over at Su Zhan, who seemed utterly unfazed. Just then, a police car pulled up beside them. The officers inside eyed Fury with suspicion, their gazes lingering.
Fury, already in a foul mood, glared back. "What? Need to see my license?"
The police car's lights flashed, then it moved ahead. Fury grunted and set off as the light turned green. Suddenly, another police car swerved in from the left, slamming into the rear of Fury's vehicle. The impact sent the car spinning, crashing into the police car ahead. In an instant, Fury's car was pinned between two police cruisers, trapped with nowhere to go.
The airbags exploded out, cushioning Fury from the worst of the collision. He shook his head, dazed but alert, and looked at Su Zhan, who sat calmly, completely unscathed, as if he were just a passenger on a Sunday drive.
"System alert: structural damage detected," the car's AI chimed, its mechanical voice cutting through the chaos.
Fury's jaw clenched as he glanced at Su Zhan, who watched the unfolding scene with detached interest. More police vehicles pulled up, and a black SWAT van screeched to a halt. Armed officers poured out, forming a perimeter around the car.
"Begin operation," one of them barked.
Su Zhan murmured something under his breath but made no move to intervene. He was waiting—waiting for the real threat to appear.
Fury's heart pounded. He knew this was no ordinary police operation. He was being hunted, and the Winter Soldier was coming for him. Any attempt to escape now would be futile.
"Washington Police Department… There is no police force in this area," the car's AI announced, confirming Fury's worst suspicions.
Gunfire erupted, bullets ricocheting off the reinforced shell of Fury's car. The vehicle shuddered with each impact, but the armor held. This was, after all, the director's car, modified for just such emergencies.
"Got anything to say?" Fury shouted at Su Zhan, frustration boiling over.
Su Zhan shrugged, his expression unreadable. "Not really."
"Damn it, get me out of here!" Fury yelled at the AI, giving up on his silent passenger.
"System override initiated," the AI responded.
"Restart, now!" Fury barked, his patience gone.
Outside, several attackers hefted a heavy hydraulic battering ram, slamming it into the side of the car. Each blow rattled the frame, threatening to tip the vehicle over.
"Body defense integrity declining," the AI warned, anxiety creeping into its synthetic voice.
Fury's hand hovered over the weapons console, ready to fight his way out if necessary. But before he could act, a strange sensation swept through the car. A shimmering field of dark green energy enveloped the vehicle, and suddenly, the car began to rise, lifting smoothly above the surrounding barricade of police vehicles. It hovered for a moment, then gently settled on the other side, free from the trap.
"What are you gawking at? Drive!" Sun! he shouted.
Fury slammed his foot on the accelerator, and the car shot forward, tires squealing as it tore down the street.
"Now you help?" Fury grumbled, glancing in the rearview mirror at the pursuing vehicles.
"I was dizzy when we got hit," Su Zhan replied, his tone almost bored.
Fury shot him a glare. "What the hell is going on? You must know something, or you wouldn't have just shown up in my car!"
Su Zhan smiled faintly. "Natasha came to me. She's my woman, so of course she'd come to me. But you, Fury, you were once a member of S.H.I.E.L.D. with her. I thought I'd return the favor and save you once."
"Save me? Do you even know what's happening here?" Fury pressed, his curiosity now overtaking his anger.
Su Zhan's eyes glinted with amusement. "Don't pretend you don't know. Even if you really don't, I'm not here to solve your puzzles. Just keep driving. The car's about to fly again."
Fury instinctively braked as he saw a figure standing in the road ahead. The man was dressed in a black tactical suit, his face obscured by a mask and goggles. His left arm gleamed silver, a mechanical marvel, and in his right hand, he cradled a submachine gun.
"Who is that?" Fury asked, his voice tight.
"That's the one who wants your life," Su Zhan replied, slowly opening the door. "Find your own way out. The rest of these small fry shouldn't be able to stop you."
With that, Su Zhan stepped out of the car and strode calmly toward the Winter Soldier.
Fury gunned the engine, ready to make his escape, but the Winter Soldier was already moving. In a flash, he hurled a small, ring-shaped device—a magnetic bomb—toward the car. If it attached, it would detonate instantly.
Su Zhan's hand shot out, catching the device in midair and holding it effortlessly, the bomb suspended between his fingers.
For a moment, time seemed to stand still. Fury watched in awe as Su Zhan faced the Winter Soldier head-on, the city's chaos swirling around them. The real battle was about to begin.