Steve Rogers charges out from behind an overturned police car, shield raised to deflect a volley of gunfire erupting from a bank's shattered entrance. Smoke hangs in the street, sirens wailing as panic drives civilians for cover. Natasha vaults the car beside him, twin pistols ready.
“On your left!”
she calls, eyes flicking to a rooftop where a masked HYDRA agent levels a rifle. Steve hurls his shield; it ricochets off the brickwork, knocking the sniper's weapon away. He scans the chaos, police pinned down, hostages inside, HYDRA uniforms blending with the crowd. The air smells of cordite and burning oil. Steve feels the weight of every eye on him, the city waiting for a hero to lead. He signals Natasha to move, preparing to breach the bank as gunfire cracks overhead, and somewhere in the melee, a voice on HYDRA's radio hisses,
"Initiate Winter Protocol."