THE LAND IS LARGE AND VAST, every inch covered by inches of undisturbed snow spreading out as far as the eye can see. A mountain looms on the horizon, casting a shadow over the area, jutting out from the edge. The top layer of the snow springs, wheels cutting through the snow as it barrels through, the caterpillar truck not even being affected to it. It stops on the windswept mountain plateau. Boot-covered feet jump down into the snow, walking away the sunlight high in the sky, Zemo getting out of the vehicle. Set on rocks is an entrance with huge, rusted double doors, a wearied logo on the door, a different one on the other. Zemo hacks away at the wall beside the doors. He quickly uncovers an old control panel, not much dust on it due to the cover having protected it from the elements. He gets out the red book and looks in it, quickly keying in the code from inside it. the huge, curved double doors break open a crack. Zemo pulls them open wider. He shines a flashlight and pulls down the hood of his coat.
Inside is a vast, gloomy space cramped with shelves stacked with filing boxes. Zemo wanders down the hall, pushing a ladder down with him, his eyes glazing over each stack, trying to find a specific box. After a bit of walking he stops, pressing the ladder against the shelf and walking up it, bringing out a dusty box from it. He dusts off the front, revealing the words 'декабря 1991 (Russian: December 1991)' labelled onto the front of the box. Zemo quickly comes back down from the ladder and wanders out of the corridor, going through a seat of double doors.
Zemo walks along the tunnel connected to the door, the darkness opening up into a large semi-bright room with a high ceiling. He grips the objects in his hands, the VHS cassette he had just picked up and his flashlight helping him to navigate the surrounding area. He looks around the room, seeing five large, clear-sided capsules with a good amount of dust and grime around them, a control panel next to each one. Zemo walks up to the closest one, rubbing some of the grime away from the glass and shining his flash light inside, looking at the motionless super soldier, Josef, laying inside in a state of animation. He walks back slightly and continues, seeing two empty capsules at the end.
— — — — —
A chopper flies through the clouds, cutting through it with speed, the rain being quickly wiped away by the screen wipers, the water splashing off. Below it, the sea spreads for miles and miles, blending into the dark and gloomy sky. An arm comes from the seat of the co-pilot, touching the computer screen on the wall panel beside them. A hand comes from the pilot seat, batting his hand away - as if to tell them that they're dealing with. The pilot, Yawa, looks over at Tony with a small playful glare before going quiet.
"This is the Raft Prison Control. You're clear for landing, Mr. Stark."
The sea starts to swell, moving away as a large circle building, Raft Prison, starts to come up from the sea. It's a heavy, fortified structure with small search and warning lights on the side to warn any incoming vessels of its large presence. At the top, two semi-circular doors open up, allowing the chopper to come in for a landing on its helipad, the doors swiftly closing above it the moment it touches the ground.
From inside, Tony stands up, his left arm in a sling. He looks over at Yawa who gets up, sitting by the wall of the helicopter, out of sight. "Do whatever you can Tony, we need to get him back." Yawa tells him. "Don't… don't try and push them over again, it won't do anyone any good." Tony nods softly before getting out of the helicopter, walking over to Secretary Ross who is waiting for him with a few armed guards.
"So?" Tony wonders, walking over to the older man. "You got the files?" He tilts his head to the side with a snarky smile. "Let's reroute the satellites, start facial scanning for this Zemo guy."
"You seriously think I'm gonna listen to you after that fiasco in Leipzig?" Ross remarks. "You broke Yawa out. You're lucky you're not in one of these cells." He huffs at him. "Are you even going to bring her in?" He asks, looking towards the helicopter but Tony doesn't say anything, instead just following Ross through a thick steel security door. Soldiers stand guard in an operations room, watching over all of the cells. Tony looks at a surveillance screen, glancing down at the footage of Wanda hunched and bedraggled in a cramped prison cell.
Another security door opens up and Tony walks through it, walking into a large open area filled with different glass fronted prison cells with bars over the window so that even if they broke the glass - which they can't - they still wouldn't be able to escape from the cell. Tony turns around in a circle, taking it all in before he's stopped by the sound of slow clapping from behind him. He turns, seeing Clint standing up from his bed and giving him a mocking clap. "The Futurist, gentlemen!" He calls out in a joking tone. "The Futurist is here! He sees all!" He leans against the glass, his elbows bent. "He knows what's best for you, whether you like it or not." He glances down at the billionaire with hatred.
"Give me a break, Barton." Tony groans, looking over at the archer with a critical eye. "I had no idea they'll put you here. Come on." He sighs, throwing hands.
Clint spits at him in disgust, the saliva hitting the ground. "Yeah, well, you knew they'd put us somewhere, Tony." Clint says darkly with disdain for the older man, his eyes filled with hatred.
"Yeah, but not some super-max floating ocean pokey." Tony retorts darkly. "You know, this place is for maniacs. This is a place for…" His voice trails off, looking up at him.
"Criminals?" Clint suggests, standing up from his bed, his eyes looking at him, boring a hole through his skull. "Criminals, Tony. Think that's the word you're looking for." He eyes him through the bars, leaning against the glass. "Right? That didn't used to mean me. Or Sam, or Wanda. But here we are."
"Because you broke the law." Tony reminds him.
"Yeah." Clint scoffs.
"I didn't make you." Tony argues but Clint just blabbers out to ignore the sound of the man talking. "You read it, you broke it." He said more firmly before getting frustrated as Clint continued to try and drown out the sound. "Alright, you're all grown up, you got a wife and kids." He says, drawing the archers attention back to him. "I don't understand, why didn't you think about them before you chose the wrong side?"
Clint watches as Tony's walk away from where his cell is, the billionaire peering into each of the other ones. "You gotta watch your back with this guy." Clint calls out, his hands pressed against the glass. "There's a chance he's gonna break it." He taunts him, chuckling slightly.
Scott stays by his bed, tracing Tony's movements with his eyes, his expression far from his usual childish view. "Hank Pym always said, you never can trust a Stark." He spits at the man, the smallest amounts of anger sitting underneath his tone of voice.
Tony stops walking, glancing over at him. "Who are you?" He asks, tilting his head to the side, not even staying close enough to get the man's exacerbated reply.
"Come on, man." Scott sighs, leaning forward slightly to see Tony continue along the walkway, stopping outside of Sam Wilson's cell.
Sam looks over at him, his expression not as dark as the others were, but still, behind it, there is some underlying knowledge of disappointment. "How's Rhodes?" Sam asks, concerned for Tony's best friend.
"They're flying him to Columbia Medical tomorrow. So…" He looks down. "…fingers cross." He looks back up as Sam gives him a small shake of his head. "What do you need? They feed you yet?" He wonders.
Sam raises his eyebrows in confusion, sitting back slightly. "You're the good cop now?" Sam questions, crossing his arms.
"I'm just the guy who needs to know where Steve went." Tony remarks.
"Well, you better go get a bad cop, because you're gonna have to go Mark Fuhrman on my ass to get information out of me." Sam snarks at him, glancing away.
"Oh, I just knocked the 'A' out of their 'AV'." Tony smiles. "We got about 30 seconds before they realise it's not their equipment."
"What did you do? Get it back up!" Ross said in the control room, looking at the cameras.
Tony looks from his phone back to Sam. "Just look." Tony said, holding his phone up to the glass, showing a picture of Dr Brossard. "Because that is the fellow who was supposed to interrogate Barnes." He sighs. "Clearly, I made a mistake. Sam, I was wrong."
"That's a first." Sam grumbles.
"Cap is definitely off the reservation but he's about to need all the help he can get." Tony reminds the man. "We don't know each other very well. You don't have to…"
"Hey, it's alright." Sam interrupts the billionaire, holding his hand up. Tony leans in closer towards the glass, his eyes keep on Sam. Sam sighs slightly and looks over at Tony with unease in his eyes. "Look, I'll tell you…" He says quietly. "…but you have to go alone, Yawa is fine but no one else, and as a friend."
Tony nods. "Easy." He replies.
— — — — —
Tony walks back over to where the helicopter is waiting, Ross is standing there with a firm face, the slight suspicion in his eyes as he watches him. "Stark?" He says eerily calmly. "Did he give you anything on Rogers?"
"Nope." Tony answers quickly, lying through his teeth but doing it well. "Told me to go to hell." He chuckles. "I'm going back to the compound instead, but you can call me anytime. I'll put you on hold, I like to watch the line blink." He gives his signature snarky smiles. Ross doesn't react, just glaring at the man as he goes back into the chopper, sliding the door shut.
— — — — —
A quinjet, piloted by Steve, comes into land beside where Zemo's caterpillar truck had been parked amongst the icy mountain top. It hits the ground softly before its wings start to fold up, locking upwards beside the fuselage neatly. On board, Bucky walks up to where the weapons are stored and looks at a rack labelled 'Romanoff', quickly pulling it open with ease. He examines each of the weapons, each ranging in size and power but all deadly. He thinks for a few moments before grabbing a light machine before walking over to the exit ramp where Steve is waiting.
Steve looks over at him as he waits for the ramp to fully descend. He looks him up and down, glancing at the machine gun for a moment before looking him in the eye, a sparkle in the corner. "You remember that time we had to ride back from Rockaway Beach in the back of that freezer truck?" Steve says, the found memory near the front of his mind.
Bucky's eyebrows scrunch, his memories still not fully with him yet, coming in fragments. "Was that the time we used our train money to buy hot dogs?" He wonders.
Steve smiles. "You blew three bucks trying to win that stuffed bear for a redhead." He explains, reminding him if he didn't remember and was too scared to ask.
Bucky looks over at him. "What was her name again?" He asks softly.
"Dolores." Steve answered. "You called her Dot." He tells him.
Bucky laughs slightly. "She's gotta be a hundred years old right now." He says, his fingers intertwining with Steve's.
Steve looks him in the eyes with a smile more suited for a romcom than the battlefield. "So are we, pal." He says lovingly, clamping Bucky on the shoulder and giving him a half-hug, unsure if he would be comfortable with him going further.
— — — — —
Steve was now wearing his helmet, standing inside an old caged elevator, standing on opposite sides of it. It starts to descend into the depths of the old soviet bunker. Steve glances out as the lights disappear, his body feeling the coldness of the area. "He can't have been here more than a few hours." Steve informs Bucky, looking away from the ominous lightning.
Bucky shakes his head slightly, rubbing a mark on his neck with a knowing smile. "Long enough to wake them up." He retorts, his voice low and worried. He can't say anything more when the elevator jolts slightly, the door opening to the expanding darkness of the bowels of the bunker. Bucky get's out first, reading his heavy duty machine gun, his metal fingers hovering over the trigger of the weapon, ready to shoot if things get dangerous.
The two walked down, Steve walking a few steps ahead of him, going up a flight of stairs but a sudden sound of a thud stops him. He turns around, watching as Bucky stands near the top of the stairs, Steve near the bottom, looking towards the rusted double doors nearer the end of the corridor. Steve looks slightly concerned. "You ready?" He asks, trying to comfort him.
"Yeah." Bucky answers, though there is the smallest amount of uncertainty in his voice.
Metal scratches as the double doors are being pushed open, red fingers pulling them apart, revealing Tony his Iron Man suit standing there, Yawa standing right behind him, her hand on her holster. She looks over at Bucky with a face of sorrow. Steve stares in surprise, his eyes widening as he looks at the two of them. Tony walks towards Steve and Bucky before retracting the suit's helmet, looking them right in the eyes. Yawa stays standing back a bit, ready to act on defence at a moment's notice. "You seem a little defensive." Tony notices, looking Steve up and down.
Bucky stays by the stairwell, his gun up and covering Steve's six, his eyes glancing over at Yawa in betrayal a few times. "It's been a long day." Steve admitted, keeping his shield in front of him in case he needs to protect himself.
Tony looks at his language. "At ease, Soldier." He says, almost as if it was an order. "I'm not currently after you." He tries to reassure him.
Steve looks at him suspiciously. "Then why are you here?" He asks.
"Could be your story's not so crazy." Tony remarks. "Maybe." He comes closer. "Ross has no idea I'm here. I'd like to keep it that way. Otherwise, I gotta arrest myself."
Steve forces a chuckle. "Well, that sounds like a lot of paperwork." He replies, lowering his arm slightly, his shield lowered. Tony nods at Yawa and she goes off the offence, turning the safety back on her gun, lowering her arm, her eyes fixed on Bucky. "It's good to see you, Tony."
Tony nods. "You too, Cap." He glances over at where Bucky is. "Hey, Manchurian Candidate, you're killing me." He points to his weapon tracing his movements. "There's a truce here. You can drop…" He doesn't even have to finish talking when Steve signals to Bucky, the man lowering the weapon at the silent order.
The figure watches as the four steadily walk through the corridor, ignoring the flickering lights of the compound. Their footsteps are light on the ground, barely noticeable. Tony stands nearer the front, his helmet reengaging over his face, scanning the surrounding area as they walk into the high-ceilinged room, at the many capsules standing inside it. Tony looks at the capsules, at the six sitting with people inside it, the two hidden and empty nearer the front. "I got heat signatures." He tells the others.
Steve looks over at him. "How many?" He asks quickly, looking around for threats.
Tony looks confused slightly as he looks at the read out. "Uh, one." He replies, sounding unsure of himself. The light suddenly turns on, flickering slightly as it does, giving Steve a better look at the yellow-tinted capsules, at the mist inside them. He looks at them in confusion, his eyes taking note of the uncomfortable look on Bucky and Yawa, the simple yet deeply routed reaction at seeing them standing there.
Zemo's voice suddenly comes through the speaker of the room he is in. He looks through the small bullet proof glass window on the inches–thick metal door. "If it's any comfort, they died in their sleep." He tells them, watching as Bucky looks at the enhanced soldiers, all of which have a singular bullet hole in the middle of their head, right between the eyes. Bucky stops, staring at Josef's corpse in shock. He looks over at Zemo. "Did you really think I wanted more of you?" He sounds offended at the thought.
Bucky's face is filled with confusion. "What the hell?" He asks, the smallest amount of anger can be detected in his voice.
Zemo gives a small smile. "I'm grateful to them, though." He answers, walking closer to the glass, his hands still in the pockets of his fur coat. "They brought you here." He comes closer and they can see that he's in the control room. Steve's eyes darken and he threw his shield at it instinctively, the action mere muscle memory but instead of the vibranium piercing it, it bounces back, hurling back. "Please, Captain." He says with fake kindness. "The Soviets built this chamber to withstand the launch blast of UR-100 rockets."
Tony chuckles. "I'm betting I could beat that." Tony answers, giving him a hard look.
Zemo looks over at the billionaire. "Oh, I'm sure you could, Mr. Stark." He says seriously, not doubting the man's ability. "Given time." He adds. "But then you'd never know why you came."
Steve glares at him in anger. "You killed innocent people in Vienna just to bring us here?" He says, his voice firm, his eyes not noticing the figure in black crouched in the shadows, watching.
"I thought about nothing else for over a year." Zemo admits. "I studied you. I followed you. But now that you're standing here, I just realised…" He studies the man's figure. "…there's a bit of green in the blue of your eyes. How nice to find a flaw."
Steve's eyes widen and he comes slightly closer. "You're Sokovian." Steve realised. "Is that what this is about?"
"Sokovia was a failed state long before you blew it to hell." Zemo retorts. "No. I'm here because I made a promise."
Steve looks the baron up and down, studying his expression. "You lost someone?" Steve asks carefully.
Zemo gives him a grave look, chuckling slightly before clicking his tongue. He looks back over at him. "I lost everyone." He answers, his voice scarily even. "And so will you." He turns on the player, the surveillance footage starts to play on the black and white screen. Steve glances as Zemo before stepping over to the screen, watching it. "An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again." He says ominously. "But one which crumples from within? That's dead…" He gives a smile. "…forever."
Tony looks over at the TV screen, watching as the screen flickers on, displaying camera footage from the night Tony's parents died. He looks at the freeze frame of a secluded road and the date, December 16 1991. His eyes rove, anxiously, looking over at Zemo in confusion and then back at the video footage. "I know that road." Tony says slowly, trying to figure out what's going on. "What is this?" He asks but he gets no reply, just a soft chuckle from the ex-baron. He turns his head back to the screen, watching the video play out.
ᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀʀ ᴅʀɪᴠᴇs ᴅᴏᴡɴ, ᴀ ᴍᴏᴛᴏʀᴄʏᴄʟᴇ sᴘᴇᴇᴅs ᴅᴏᴡɴ ᴀɴᴅ ǫᴜɪᴄᴋʟʏ sᴜʀᴘᴀssᴇs ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀʀ ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ ᴛᴜʀɴɪɴɢ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ, ᴄᴀᴜsɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀʀ ᴏᴄᴄᴜᴘᴀᴛɪᴏɴs ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ᴄᴏɴғᴜsᴇᴅ ᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴛᴏʀᴄʏᴄʟᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴇs ᴄʟᴏsᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴏғғ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ sɪᴅᴇ, ᴀ ᴄᴀʀ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅʀᴀɢɢɪɴɢ ᴀ ᴋɴɪғᴇ ᴀᴄʀᴏss ᴛʜᴇ ᴡʜᴇᴇʟs. ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀʀ sᴛᴀʀᴛs ᴛᴏ sᴘᴇᴇᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ, ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ ᴄʀᴀsʜɪɴɢ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴀ ᴛʀᴇᴇ, ᴜɴᴀʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ᴏɴ ᴄᴏᴜʀsᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍɪsᴍᴀᴛᴄʜᴇᴅ sᴜᴘᴘᴏʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴛᴏʀᴄʏᴄʟɪsᴛ ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜᴇs ᴀs ʜᴇ ᴛᴜʀɴs ᴏғғ ᴛʜᴇ ʙɪᴋᴇ, ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀʀ, ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴀ ᴍᴏᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴡᴏ ʀᴇᴅ ᴅᴏᴛs ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴋ, ᴀ ғɪɢᴜʀᴇ ᴡᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ ᴏᴜᴛ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴋ, ᴍᴏᴠɪɴɢ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ sɪᴅᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀʀ.
Steve glances over at Tony's unease, watching as he sees the scene unfold, anger boiling up inside of him as he watches the actions that Bucky was taking.
ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴛᴏʀᴄʏᴄʟɪsᴛ ᴡᴀʟᴋs ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʟɪɢʜᴛ, ᴡᴇᴀʀɪɴɢ ᴅᴀʀᴋ ᴛᴀᴄᴛɪᴄᴀʟ ɢᴇᴀʀ, ʜɪs ᴍᴇᴛᴀʟ ᴀʀᴍ ɢʟɪɴᴛs, ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴅ sᴏᴠɪᴇᴛ sᴛᴀʀ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ sʜᴏᴜʟᴅᴇʀ ʟᴇᴛs ᴛʜᴇ sᴄᴀʀᴇᴅ ᴄᴀʀ ᴅʀɪᴠᴇʀ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇ's ɢᴏᴛᴛᴇɴ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡɪɴᴛᴇʀ sᴏʟᴅɪᴇʀ's ʀᴀᴅᴀʀ, ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇ's ᴅᴇғɪɴɪᴛᴇʟʏ ᴅᴏɴᴇ sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴡʀᴏɴɢ. "ʜᴇʟᴘ ᴍʏ ᴡɪғᴇ. ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ. ʜᴇʟᴘ." ʜᴇ ᴘʟᴇᴀᴅs, ʜɪs sᴄᴀʀᴇᴅ ᴍɪɴᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ғᴜʟʟʏ ᴛʜɪɴᴋɪɴɢ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴀᴍɪғɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴs ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ sɪᴛᴜᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇ ʜᴀs ʟᴀɴᴅᴇᴅ ʜɪᴍsᴇʟғ ᴏɴ. ʜᴇ ɢʀɪᴘs ᴛʜᴇ ɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅ, ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜɪɴɢ ʜᴇᴀᴠɪʟʏ ᴀs ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴅʀɪᴘs ᴅᴏᴡɴ ʜɪs ғᴀᴄᴇ, ɪɴᴊᴜʀᴇᴅ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʀᴀsʜ. ʜᴇ ɢʟᴀɴᴄᴇs ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀʀ, ᴛʀʏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴄʜᴇᴄᴋ ᴏɴ ʜɪs ᴡɪғᴇ.
ᴛʜᴇ ᴡɪɴᴛᴇʀ sᴏʟᴅɪᴇʀ ᴡᴀʟᴋs ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ʜɪᴍ, ʜɪs ғᴏᴏᴛsᴛᴇᴘs sᴏғᴛ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅ, ʙᴀʀᴇʟʏ ɴᴏᴛɪᴄᴇᴀʙʟᴇ. ʜɪs ғʟᴇsʜ ᴀʀᴍ ʀᴇᴀᴄʜᴇs ᴏᴜᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴏᴜɢʜʟʏ ɢʀᴀʙs ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀɴ, ᴍᴇssɪɴɢ ᴜᴘ ᴛʜᴇ ᴊᴀᴄᴋᴇᴛ ᴏғ ʜɪs sᴜɪᴛ. ʜᴇ ʟᴏᴏᴋs ᴛʜᴇ ᴀssᴇᴛ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇʏᴇs, ʀᴇᴄᴏɢɴɪsɪɴɢ ʜɪᴍ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴀssᴇᴛ ʟᴏᴏᴋs ᴀᴛ ʜɪᴍ, ʀᴇᴄᴏɢɴɪsɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀɴ ᴀs ʜᴏᴡᴀʀᴅ sᴛᴀʀᴋ, ᴀɴ ɪɴᴠᴇɴᴛᴏʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇɴᴛʀᴇᴘʀᴇɴᴇᴜʀ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴀʟsᴏ ᴀ ʙɪʟʟɪᴏɴᴀɪʀᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ᴡᴀs ʜᴇʟᴘɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇ sᴜᴘᴇʀ sᴏʟᴅɪᴇʀ sᴇʀᴜᴍ. "sᴇʀɢᴇᴀɴᴛ ʙᴀʀɴᴇs?" ʜᴇ sᴀʏs ᴡᴇᴀᴋʟʏ, ᴇxᴀᴍɪɴɪɴɢ ʜɪs ғᴀᴄᴇ, ʜɪs ᴇʏᴇs ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴅᴇ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴡɪɴᴛᴇʀ sᴏʟᴅɪᴇʀ ᴍᴀᴋᴇs ɴᴏ ɴᴏᴛɪᴄᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀɴ's sᴛᴀᴛᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ, ʜɪs ᴇʏᴇs ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴀs ᴅɪsᴛᴀɴᴛ ᴀs ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴍɪɴᴜᴛᴇs ᴀɢᴏ.
"ʜᴏᴡᴀʀᴅ!" ʜɪs ᴡɪғᴇ, ᴍᴀʀɪᴀ ᴄᴀʟʟs ᴏᴜᴛ, ʜᴇʀ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ ʜᴏᴀʀsᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ғɪʟʟᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ғᴇᴀʀ, ʜᴇʀ ᴇʏᴇs ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴅᴇ ᴀs sʜᴇ ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜᴇs ᴛʜᴇ ᴀssᴇᴛ ᴘᴜɴᴄʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀɴ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴀᴄᴇ, ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ sᴘɪʟʟɪɴɢ ᴏᴜᴛ. "ʜᴏᴡᴀʀᴅ!" sʜᴇ ᴄᴀʟʟs ᴏᴜᴛ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ, ᴄʀʏɪɴɢ. ʜᴇʀ ᴇʏᴇs ᴛʀᴀɪʟɪɴɢ ʜɪs ʙᴏᴅʏ ᴀs ɪᴛ sʟᴜᴍᴘs ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅ, ʟɪғᴇʟᴇss, ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ sᴏᴀᴋɪɴɢ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴄʀᴇᴛᴇ ʙᴜᴛ ʜɪs ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ᴘᴜᴍᴘɪɴɢ ɪᴛ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ. sʜᴇ ǫᴜɪᴄᴋʟʏ ᴛʀɪᴇs ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ᴏᴜᴛ, ᴏɴʟʏ ғᴏʀ sᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ᴇʟsᴇ ᴛᴏ ɢʀɪᴘ ᴀᴛ ʜᴇʀ ɴᴇᴄᴋ ᴛɪɢʜᴛʟʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ɢʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ ʜᴀɴᴅs.
Tony whips his head around, looking at the two ex-assassins with a steely glare, his expression more forceful towards Bucky than Yawa, probably due to the fact he was the one that actually caused the car to crash. His eyes glance over at Yawa, looking betrayed and enraged at her for having actually killed his mum, the only person that really understood and cared for him when he was a kid.
ᴍᴀʀɪᴀ ɢᴀsᴘs, ʜᴇʀ ʜᴀɴᴅs ɢʀɪᴘᴘɪɴɢ ᴛɪɢʜᴛʟʏ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀʀᴍ ɪɴ ᴀ ғᴜᴛɪʟᴇ ᴀᴛᴛᴇᴍᴘᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛʀʏ ᴀɴᴅ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋ ғʀᴇᴇ, ʜᴇʀ ᴇʏᴇs ᴘʟᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ʟᴇᴛ ғʀᴇᴇ, ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ sᴘᴀʀᴇᴅ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ ᴡʜᴏsᴇ ʜᴀɴᴅ ɪᴛ ʙᴇʟᴏɴɢs ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴏᴋs ᴅᴏᴡɴ, ʟᴏᴏᴋɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴍᴀʀɪᴀ's ᴇʏᴇs ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜᴇʀ ᴄᴏʟᴅɴᴇss, ᴀɴᴅ ᴀɴ ᴇᴠᴇʀ sᴏ sʟɪɢʜᴛ ʜɪɴᴛ ᴏғ ᴘɪᴛʏ, ʜᴇʀ ʜᴀɴᴅ sǫᴜᴇᴇᴢɪɴɢ ᴛɪɢʜᴛʟʏ ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ᴍᴀʀɪᴀ ɢᴏᴇs ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇʟʏ sᴛɪʟʟ, ʜᴇʀ ʜᴇᴀᴅ ғᴀʟʟɪɴɢ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴀɢᴀɪɴsᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴇᴀᴅʀᴇsᴛ. ᴛʜᴇ sᴏʟᴅᴀᴛ ɢᴇᴛs ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴜᴘ ᴀɴᴅ sᴀʏs sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀssᴇᴛ ɪɴ ʀᴏᴜɢʜ ʀᴜssɪᴀɴ.
ᴛʜᴇ ᴀssᴇᴛ ɴᴏᴅᴅᴇᴅ ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴡᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀʀ, ᴏᴘᴇɴɪɴɢ ᴜᴘ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴜɴᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘɪᴄᴋɪɴɢ ᴜᴘ ᴀ sʟᴇᴇᴋ sɪʟᴠᴇʀ ʙʀɪᴇғᴄᴀsᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴀs ʜɪᴅᴅᴇɴ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀɴᴇᴀᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀᴛ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴜɴᴋ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴄᴛᴠ ᴄᴀᴍᴇʀᴀ ᴏɴ ᴛᴏᴘ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ sᴘᴇᴇᴅ ᴄᴀᴍᴇʀᴀ ᴘɪᴄᴋs ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴜᴘ ᴀs ɪᴛ ʀᴇᴄᴏʀᴅs ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪs ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴɪɴɢ ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ ɪᴛ's ǫᴜɪᴄᴋʟʏ ᴄᴜᴛ ᴏғғ, ᴛʜᴇ sᴏʟᴅᴀᴛ ᴡᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛɪɴɢ ᴀ ɢᴜɴ ᴀᴛ ɪᴛ, ǫᴜɪᴄᴋʟʏ ᴅᴇsᴛʀᴏʏɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ sᴜʀᴠᴇɪʟʟᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴄᴀᴍᴇʀᴀ.
Steve looks over at the billionaire anxiously, watching his movements carefully when suddenly Tony lunges for Bucky, in that split second Steve comes in front of him, putting his hands up to try and pacify him, to try and calm down. "Tony." Steve says carefully, trying to avoid setting him off again. "Tony."
Tony looks over at him, his mind is consumed by grief and anger, his eyes hardening, tears glistening around the edges. "Did you know?" He asked, his voice breaking but the anger and betrayal still very much evident in his tone.
Steve's face falls. "I didn't know it was him." Steve argues, trying to reason with him.
"Don't bullshit me, Rogers!" Tony shouts, nearly at the end of his tether. "Did you know?" He repeats, his voice more firm.
Steve looks down ever so slightly. "Yes." He answers.
Tony takes a step back from him, his chin jutting upwards in disgust, his eyes boring into his soul for a second before the helmet reengages, covering his face. He runs at him before punching Steve right in the face, his other hand coming out and deflecting gunfire coming from Bucky, grabbing the gun and disarming him. He quickly grabs Bucky by the neck and flies across the chamber, slamming the man into the cold, hard ground before jumping onto his arms. Steve throws his shield towards Iron Man, hitting him square in the chest, distracting him enough that Bucky manages to slide free of his hold.
Steve barges at him, pushing him backwards only for Tony to shoulder him harshly, toppling him to the ground before shackling his ankles. Bucky runs up and punches Tony, causing him to fall off of Steve. Tony groans before picking him up and slamming him into the nearest machine, banging the ex-assassin's head into the hard metal. He raises his fist but Bucky twists it tightly. Tony grunts before shooting a mini-rocket out of his arm, causing a small explosion.
Steve watches on, his eyes widening when Yawa tries to shoot him. He ducks from the hit before slicing his shackles in a hurry, the towering structure of pipework coming tumbling down. Steve runs, barraging into Yawa, moving both of them out of the way, falling. Yawa looks at Steve in confusion at him saving her. "You're on the wrong side. Tony's using you." Steve tells her, slightly sympathetic at her situation. Steve looks away, hearing Tony and Bucky and thrown down a level, the twisted metal falling down around them in a shower of sparks. Steve looks over at Bucky with a worried expression on his face. "Get out of here!" He orders.
Bucky gets back up off of the ground at the order, running, dodging a blast sent his way by Tony. Steve lands in front of Bucky, protecting the man from Tony, his eyes hard. Bucky uses these few moments to hit a control panel, the large silo-style doors starting to open up overhead. "It wasn't him, Tony." Steve argues. "Hydra had control of his mind!"
Tony looks at him with a hard glare. "Move!" He argues.
"It wasn't him!" Steve argues. He then reaches out and grabs Tony by the ankle of his suit, smashing at minor internal hydraulics. Tony looks over at him and blocks further attacks from him by shooting at the rubble, causing the ground beneath Steve to crumble. He looks away before starting to fly up the tower, his movement unbalanced and halted.
"Left boot jet failing. Flight systems compromised."
Tony's eyes widened. "Ah crap." He grumbles.
Above him Bucky continues to leap from platform to platform, Yawa quickly following up behind him, but by the looks it's not easy to tell if she's aiming to capture or aiming to help him. Tony watches as Yawa leaps towards him, ready to attack. He flies up with stuttering jets in his boots, the power flickering on and off. Tony shakes his head before landing, taking after Bucky on foot, watching as the man is brought down by a swift kick in the legs by Yawa. Tony uses this moment of distraction to take aim at Bucky, but before the blast can hit him Steve's shield gets in the way of its path, blocking the hit. Tony drops like a stone at the rebound of the hit, landing with a thud onto the lower platforms.
Steve looks at Bucky. "He's not going to stop." He warns him. "Go."
As Tony soars upwards, Steve leaps up from behind, shooting a wire out which wraps around Tony's neck, forcing the man back down onto the ground. He quickly makes it to his feet in time to defect Steve's shield before turning around and trying to target Bucky. "Come on, come on." He says to himself, watching as the system tries to pinpoint on the man's form.
"Targeting system's knackered, boss."
Tony grumbles. "I'm eyeballing it." He says reluctantly before retracting his helmet, shutting one of his eyes and taking aim towards the open hatch above him. He fires with accuracy, hitting the large hinge on the door, causing it to explode, the door swinging down and blocking Bucky's escape route.
Tony flies back up, blocking two swings from a metal pipe that were sent his way by Bucky. He grabs the man by his neck, Yawa watching on in fear, shaking, sweat dripping from her head. She looks up at Tony, at the expression in his eyes and she can taste the anger. She takes a few steps back, worried he will go back on her too. "Do you even remember them?" He sneers, looking over at Yawa before glancing down at Bucky, tightening his hold.
Bucky's eyes looked pained and full of guilt. He gulps slightly, gathering his breath. "I remember all of them." He says softly, sounding like a wounded animal. Bucky pushes him back, away from the walkway, only for Steve to jump in and deflect their fall. Bucky lands on the platform with a groan while Steve and Tony land on the concrete opening in the wall, snow drifting in from outside through the large openings in between the pillars.
Steve looks him in the eyes. "This isn't gonna change what happened." Steve tells him firmly.
"I don't care." Tony says darkly. "They killed my mom."
They start to trade punches with each other, ending when Tony manages to pin Steve down to the ground. Bucky watches the kerfuffle, picking up Steve's shield from where it had been discarded, he walks past where Yawa was nursing a headache from where she banged her head against the metal wall. Bucky glances away before leaping down to help Steve. As the two super soldiers fist fight with the man, the shield is thrown between the two of them so fast that it's next to impossible for Tony to calculate their movements and try and get a counter strategy.
Yawa eventually manages to jump down, stepping between Tony and the other two super soldiers, defecting a hit from Steve and sending him barreling into a wall, running up after him, punching him in the head and dodging Steve as he hits her with his shield.
Meanwhile, Bucky struggles to hold Tony at bay, pushing back against him when suddenly he unleashes a large energy beam, the blast pushing Tony back from the recoil force. Bucky lets out a silent scream as he staggers away, his skin at his shoulder hot to the touch and searing into the nerves of his body like a thousand fire ants. Bucky looks down at his shoulder, breathing heavily, looking at the mangled metal and wires, the sparks flying out from where his arm had previously been connected. Tony ignores the look on his face and raises his arm to fire again but Steve rushes up with his shield, the blast hitting right at it.
— — — — —
Zemo is sitting outside in the snow, leaning against a large rock. His phone is in his hand, a voice message being played from its speaker.
"You should've seen his little face. Just try, okay? I'm going to bed. I love you." His wife says in the recording.
T'Challa sneaks up behind him, his footsteps silent on the ground due to his suit. "I almost killed the wrong man." He says quietly.
Zemo scoffs. "Hardly an innocent one." He retorts.
"This is all you wanted?" T'Challa said harshly, annoyance sounding through his voice. "To see them rip each other apart."
Zemo looks towards the sun, his fingers tracing over the keypad of his phone, deleting the voice message from the answer machine. "My father lived outside the city." He said softly. "I thought we would be safe there." He looks down, fidgeting with his fingers. "My son was excited. He could see the Iron Man from the car window." He smiles slightly at the thought. "I told my wife, 'Don't worry. They are fighting in the city. We're miles from harm.' When the dust cleared…" He chokes back, looking back over at the sun, watching as it starts to set. "…and the screaming stopped. It took me two days until I found their bodies. My father…" He looks to the side as T'Challa starts to come closer. "…still holding my wife and son in his arms. And the Avengers? They went home. I knew I couldn't kill them. More powerful men than me have tried. But, if I could get them to kill each other…" His voice trails off, shaking his head and looking up at him. "…I'm sorry about your father. He seemed a good man. With a dutiful son."
T'Challa looks at him with hatred but also understanding. "Vengeance has consumed you. It's consuming them." He tells, coming closer to him, blinking ruefully, the smallest hints of tears leaving from his face as he retracts the claws of his gloves. "I am done letting it consume me." He comes in front of the man. "Justice will come soon enough."
Zemo smiles thinly, fiddling with the gun in his hand. "Tell that to the dead." He remarks softly before facing the gun towards him, pulling the trigger, but T'Challa's hand comes over and grabs the gun just before it can fire the round.
T'Challa looks down at him sternly. "The living are not done with you yet." He warns.
— — — — —
Tony and Steve continue to fight within the silo, trading blows with precision, Tony's form flattering at points when he fails to block blows coming in from the super soldier.
"You can't beat him hand to hand."
"Analyse his fight pattern." Tony orders.
"Scanning!"
"Countermeasures ready."
The hud of the Iron Man helmet flashes red as the second sentence is sent through. Tony quickly grabs Steve's shield, keeping it firm in his grip. "Let's kick his ass." He snarks before flinging the shield away, zapping Steve at the same time knowing he has no means of defence, the blond going backwards, flying head over heels. Steve rises and Tony blocks his punches then zaps him to his knees, right in front of Bucky who's lying on his back.
Steve looks at Tony darkly. "He's my friend." Steve argues, reminding the man, his voice firm but slightly desperate.
Tony looks confused and betrayed. "So was I." He says softly before swinging a punch at Steve, using the hit as a distraction to then throw Steve into a gap in the wall, the man bashing his head slightly against the concrete. "Stay down. Final warning."
Steve staggers slightly, struggling to steady himself on his feet. Blood drips down his face, and his eyes are weary, his breathing heavy. He raises his arms weakly, the muscles trembling slightly as he stares Tony down. "I can do this all day." He says, his voice weak, shaky.
Tony raises his palm up, aiming it towards Steve when Bucky breaks his remaining arm free from Yawa's hold, grabbing onto Tony's foot, causing the man to fall when Yawa throws Bucky into the wall with an apologetic look on her face. Steve runs over and grabs Yawa, pulling her off of Bucky, allowing the man to kick Tony in the face. Steve tries to grab Tony when his hand is blocked by Yawa who flips him onto his back. Bucky swings his legs down like they had been taught, causing her to face plant the ground.
Steve uses this distraction to punch at Tony, bashing the mask with his shield repeatedly, Tony's hands coming up to his face to try and defend himself. Steve beats at him relentlessly with the shield before striking it down hard onto Tony's chest plate, hitting directly at where the arc reactor is in his chest. Tony gasps slightly, looking up at Steve with horror and fear in his eyes at the man who is now panting. Steve looks back down at him, wiping blood off of his forehead. Tony's eyes go wide for a few seconds before closing, his body going lax against the ground.
Steve takes a few steps back, the shield remaining upright, stuck in the centre of the suit. He struggles to get back up again, gripping hold of the shield, taking the edge of it and pulling it free from the crumpled metal. He steps further away from Tony, watching as the man rolls painfully onto his side, Yawa quickly coming over and helping him, ignoring the pain from the blood pooling out of her leg where a blast had caught it. She looks over at Steve, shaking her head slightly in disapproval. She looks over at Bucky in worry, he lies bloodied but conscious, gasping, his hand gripping weakly at the wires sticking out where his arm had been blown off. Steve reaches out and pulls him to his feet, holding him up as Tony looks on.
Tony breathes heavily, laying down on his side, his arm hovering over the damaged reactor. "That shield doesn't belong to you." Tony tells the blond in disgust, spitting blood onto the ground. Steve doesn't reply, instead turning his back on the injured man. "You don't deserve it." He takes a deep breath, trying to control himself. "My father made that shield!" Steve stops walking and lets his arm go lax, the shield drops to the ground, clattering around for a bit before settling on the ground. Steve doesn't even bother to look back over at him, slinging Bucky's arm around his shoulder and walking away.