Clint was sitting in the cockpit of the Quinjet waiting for Steve to check in. They had agreed that the rest of the team would hold back until they got word. In the back of the jet, Sam was testing his wing pack without Redwing while Scott and Hope sat talking. But it was Wanda who was the most worried as she paced from the rear of the jet to the front. Bucky had assured her he would be fine, but she still couldn't help but think something had gone wrong. She was about to suggest going in when the jet received an incoming signal.
"Sam! We got a bogey, get up here!"
Sam came running at Clint's call, throwing himself back into the co-pilot's chair. He quickly spun around, activated the radar screen so he could track who or whatever was coming in.
"You got a visual on it Clint?"
"Negative, it's moving too fast for that. I'd say it's almost…"
"…moving at Mach 10. But that's impossible, not even the Quinjets can break that speed."
Everyone in the jet covered their ears at the sound of the sonic boom that broke the sound barrier. It barely blocked them from getting a ringing in their ears. Even Scott and Hope's helmets did little to protect them. Then they all turned as the rear hatch opened and Iron Man stepped in, appearing to be wearing yet another new suit of armor. No one was pleased to see him, least of all Clint who immediately notched an arrow and prepared to fire.
"You have five seconds to get out of the jet, Stark. Fury told you to abandon your…,"
"I'm not here to fight you, Legolas. I'm here to help."
"We don't need your kind of help."
Clint let the arrow fly, he had the perfect shot, but Tony only raised a gauntlet and fired a low level EMP. The blast shorted out Clint's arrow, but did nothing to damage the jet.
"Can I finish? I made a mistake with the way I handled the Accords. None of us came out a winner on that. But Steve and the others are in danger, and I for one am not going to let him die at the hands of Barnes or Natasha."
"What are you talking about, Stark? Have you lost your damn mind?"
"Look Lang, you and Pym don't trust me because of my father. I understand that. But I was researching Lukin, and I found something interesting."
"And why should we believe you? Steve and Nat are in there right now and…"
"Use your head Clint! How long have they been in there? Too long as far as I'm concerned. You don't want to believe me, fine. I'll let the evidence speak for itself. FRIDAY, show them what I've found."
Every terminal in the jet lights up under the control of Tony's A.I. She has pulled up all the information recovered on Lukin, and the Black Widow program as well as the Winter Soldier program. All of them are speechless at just how many trigger words were attempted to take control of both Bucky and Natasha. When the last two videos of their testing go into playback, they can see Natasha on her knees, and even though they can't hear it, they can tell that she's experiencing a blood-curdling scream. One word spoken had her convulsing in pain and then her handler spoke again. The playback was still without sound, but her convulsions immediately ceased, and she stood up. It was in that instant that Clint got a really good look at her handler and knew who he was. He could even read the words on his lips.
"Brushov, no…"
"Who's Brushov?"
"Natasha's handler from the Red Room, Sam. But he's been dead for twenty years…this can't be…"
"Look at the time frame Clint. This video is from 1951. You know the truth about her, just how old is Natasha?"
"I know only what Natasha was willing to tell me, Stark. From what she said, the Red Room didn't begin training Black Widows until the late eighties. She was sure she had been born in '84. The only thing I know for sure is that she was brainwashed and tortured, I don't think she even remembers how many times."
"How many times doesn't matter now. What matters is that I scanned Lukin's base on the way in. And this is what I found when I hacked into his security cameras."
A new recording pops us so all of the Avengers can see. But this time they have sound accompanying the images. They see Bucky and Natasha restraining Yelena as Steve speaks. They hear Lukin blatantly threaten Steve and the soldier still refuses to back down. It is at that precise moment that all hell breaks loose.
"Огонь…"
This word is spoken loud enough for everyone in the jet to hear. A fleeting look of terror falls on Clint's face as he hears it, he has heard it once before and is silent for a split second until he and Wanda both translate into English.
"Fire."
Natasha falls to her knees and is screaming in pain. The sounds of her screams are torturous to those assembled. She's a friend and ally and all but Clint can only wonder what that single word is doing to her. Then Lukin speaks again with another single word in Russian.
"Льда…"
Now Bucky is down on his knees as well, his screams sounding even more painful than those of Natasha. Steve is kneeling between them, completely helpless as he tries to comfort both of them. Wanda is suddenly afraid watching this scene play out because she thought she had managed to free Bucky of any mind control and she realizes that she failed as she translates the word in English.
"Ice."
The team is frozen in shock for a brief instant as they realize Bucky had been correct when he said Lukin had the upper hand. Each one of them is cursing themselves for agreeing to Steve's plan and letting the three of them go in alone with Yelena. Clint and Wanda barely heard the third word, it was spoken so softly, but it had an effect that brought Natasha and Bucky back to their feet, then moving to stand beside Lukin.
"That's it, we're going in there."
Tony spoke with a confidence no one had heard from him in quite a while as he took off towards the compound. The building was a veritable fortress, but the upgraded armor would get him in quicker than it had at the HYDRA base. His flight path around the roof revealed only three guards which he took out faster than they could sound the alarm. Inside the building, Steve is just waking up, and finds himself secured to a gurney as a medical team prepares to draw his blood.
"It is fortuitous that you have finally woken up, Captain. It would be most unfortunate if you missed the demonstration."
"Do you ever get tired of hearing yourself talk, Lukin? I already have."
"Confident to the last. Such arrogance. How typical of you, American."
"Now you sound just like the Red Skull. Seventy-five years later and you're just another want to be dictator. You really should learn some new material."
"Jokes, Captain? I would have thought joking in the face of death would be beneath you. Perhaps you won't find this so funny when I have Natalia cut your tongue out, or perhaps have Barnes choke you to death."
"You could do your worst to me. You've got what you want, let Natasha and Bucky go."
"No. But before the procedure begins, I must ask you. Why did you insist on coming alone? Did neither of your friends warn you? They must have told you I had a plan?"
"They did, that's why we didn't come alone."
Suddenly the sounds of repulsor blasts are echoing throughout the compound, followed by screams of the soldiers Lukin had waiting in reserve in case his plan to regain control of Natasha and Bucky failed. There are more screams followed by an intense explosion which Lukin can tell came from the main entrance.
"You see Lukin; we expected you would have some sort of back-up plan. And while you blathered on and took control of my friends, the GPS tracking device in our jet was leading a friend of mine here."
From above them, another repulsor blast destroys the ceiling, causing the medical team to flee or be crushed. The hole from the blast is large enough to allow entry and a flash of red and gold armor lands in the middle of the room.
"Steve, Steve, Steve,…what did I tell you about throwing a party without me? A Stark always livens up the festivities."
"Under the circumstances Tony, I'll just have to make it up to you later."
"I'm going to hold you to that."
While Tony keeps Lukin guarded with two repulsors aimed, Steve rips himself free of the restraints that had been holding him down. The Soviet General stands there for a moment, then quickly draws his gun to fire. Tony had already expected this and threw a now full sized familiar red, white, and blue disc over to the Captain.
"Thought you might need that!"
After catching his shield, Steve is a blur of motion, whipping around to block the gunfire as it discharged. Eventually the magazine is emptied and Lukin has no choice but to run. Steve quickly gives chase while Tony flies back up through the hole he created, but when they reach the main chamber, chaos is unfolding before their eyes. Ant-Man and the Wasp are fighting the remaining soldiers with Falcon providing cover fire and Tony joins in to help the three of them. Yelena saw Steve chasing Lukin and rushes to aid him in the battle against the Captain. But the real war is occurring across the compound where Clint is locked in combat with Natasha while Wanda uses every bit of power she has to try and stop Bucky.
"Bucky please…, don't let him control you. You're more than just a programmed…"
Wanda's pleas fall on deaf ears as the Winter Soldier continues his assault. He's stronger than her and faster as well when he isn't holding back. She doesn't want to hurt him, she could easily do so. But the feelings she has been developing for him keep her holding back until he has her cornered, and she can see he is ready to make a killing strike. His bionic arm poised, the hand clenched into a fist, she knows she has no choice.
"I am sorry Bucky. I didn't want to do this."
Knowing that she could die, Wanda immediately unleashes the full extent of her powers. Her eyes are completely consumed by the red hex energy and she throws an explosive blast of power at the Soldier. He is violently thrown back, his body skidding to a stop ten feet away from her. If he had any ounce of control, he would have stopped the fight right there, as it is, he shakily gets to his feet. But before he can recover, Wanda has launched herself across the room, putting her hands on either side of his head, still radiating power.
"Don't fight me Bucky, I'm trying to help you."
As the Scarlet Witch infiltrates Bucky's mind, he falls to his knees. And while her fight is starting to turn in her favor, Clint and Steve are being forced towards each other and eventually into a back to back position. Lukin had only moments ago abandoned the fight with Steve, preferring to watch as his men regroup. This left Yelena on her own, but she was proving to almost be a match for the super-soldier, even as Natasha had been wearing Clint down, and even without holding back, he was still doing his best not to hurt her.
"Come on Nat! Whatever he's done, you have to fight!"
Natasha heard the words Clint was saying, but she was consumed by the Black Widow of her past. She was cold, calculating, and every bit the assassin she had been trained to be. Thus far he had been successful in blocking every strike she attempted with her batons, but he would only be able to keep that up for so long before she drew one of her guns. When she did, Steve had just forced a break from his fight with Yelena, throwing her back with a hard hit of his shield. Being in such close quarters with Clint, he heard the gun and easily flipped his shield around in between her and Hawkeye, his arms now positioned on either side of her body. The Glock was fired, the bullets bouncing harmlessly to the ground at their feet.
"Clint, take the shield!"
"Cap…"
"DO IT!"
The archer knew this was a direct order and slipped his arm through the leather straps. When he had it secure, Steve wrapped Natasha up in a bear hug that she tried her best to struggle out of, but her strength was no match for his. He hadn't been holding back against Yelena, but she had been reading his movements and anticipating what he would do. If it came down to a fight with Natasha, he would be in the same situation, and he wouldn't be able to hold back. This would lead to a point where neither of them would walk away.
"Nat, you have to stop! I don't want to hurt you!"
His voice only spurred her to struggle more, she still had enough leverage to grab her other gun, but he just squeezed tighter, and she was forced to drop them. While they were locked together in the struggle, Yelena had recovered and was rushing towards them. Clint jumped in front of her while Tony was flying past, aiming a repulsor blast at the shield which the archer was able to redirect towards the blonde assassin. She had to go back on the defensive, and while she continued the fight with Clint, Natasha was screaming as much in anger as in pain as Steve continued to increase the strength of his grip. Her screams became so anguished he feared he had hurt her and let go.
"Nat…, Nat I'm…"
Natasha was on her knees trying to catch her breath as Steve came around and kneeled in front of her. He could see tears running down her cheeks as he gently cupped her chin so he could look into her eyes. But when she looked up, there was no compassion, none of the love he had seen as she lay beside him after the intensity of his nightmares. There was just a look of unbridled rage as she launched herself back into a brutal attack.
While Steve went on the defensive, Bucky was writhing under the effects of Wanda's powers. She had been pushed too far ever since Lagos and she wasn't holding back. Deep down she was screaming at herself for the pain she knew she was causing Bucky, but she cared too much for him to let him continue to be a slave to Lukin. She had been pretty deep into his memories, and she knew from those experiences that he would rather die than not have control. But as she continued to push, she found a good memory that was trying to break through the programming. It wasn't Coney Island with Steve, it wasn't the Expo before he shipped off to war, it was the hours they spent talking at the palace in Wakanda.
"Bucky, hold on to this memory. Use it, remember who you really are!"
In his mind, Bucky remembered the stupid joke he had told Wanda and heard her laugh. He remembered the sound being beautiful and melodic. And her smile, it was so bright, he found himself smiling along with her. He could feel himself regaining control, and shaking his head free of the cobwebs, his eyes began to clear.
"W-Wanda…?"
"Focus on me Bucky; hold on. I almost have…"
She paused as she found her way into his subconscious where Lukin had controlled him. What she was about to do was dangerous, but she had to do it to save him. Finding the trigger word the General had used, she erased the entire memory of it. Even if she was causing Bucky to lose a part of himself in the process, she could only hope it was better than the alternative. When his convulsions stopped, she withdrew and slowly pulled her hands away. His eyes were now nearly clear and she could safely pull back.
"James;…are you okay?"
"Wanda, I'm so sorry."
She shook her head to say he didn't need to apologize, and was about to place a comforting hand on his shoulder when he pulled her in close, his lips crashing against hers, days later he would tell Steve it was just to remind himself she was real, but in that moment it was pure passion. It was a feeling he hadn't experienced in fifty plus years, and he didn't want to let her go. Unfortunately their moment was interrupted by a loud request from Steve.
"Wanda! A little help over here?!"
Scott, Hope, Sam and Tony were once again fighting Lukin's men who had attacked with a second wave. Clint had just finished binding Yelena's hands and feet and was now trying to do the same to Lukin. This left Steve on his own with a still enraged Natasha cutting off his escape attempts at every turn. Even though he had just recovered, Bucky found himself running alongside Wanda to help his beleaguered friend. He made an attempt to grab Natasha's arm but she dodged, punching him in the face and then breaking his outstretched flesh arm. Wanda stepped in before Natasha could do worse, and promptly received a hard kick to her stomach for her efforts, pushing her right back into Bucky who was at least able to keep her from falling.
"Stevie, lose the helmet! Natasha needs to see your face!"
Even through gritted teeth and the pain of his injured arm, Bucky was able to give Steve an idea. He blocked one more punch from Natasha as he unbuckled the chin strap, flinging the helmet away when he got it off. When she could see his blue eyes clearly, Natasha's attacks began to lose their steam, she was still fighting and he was still on the defensive, but her emerald eyes also started to regain some of their focus. After a few more tense moments, tears began to fall again even though she was still compelled by Lukin's control over her to continue the fight.
"Nat…please. You don't have to do this. Lukin doesn't own you, he doesn't control you. You're an Avenger, you're my partner. I love you."
The last punch Natasha executed had no force behind it as her tears increased in intensity. She was remembering Steve and more of her past as she fell to her knees, hands gripping the sides of her head. Lukin's control was almost gone, but if he was able to say her trigger word one more time, she would revert once again. Clint had him in custody, walking him over to where she and Steve were kneeling, but the archer wasn't taking any chances. He had one of Natasha's guns pressed directly under his chin, ready to fire if the General said one wrong word.
"Let her go."
"No. Natalia is…,"
"Let. Her. Go."
Clint pressed the gun further up into Lukin's chin as he spoke, the heat of the still cooling muzzle burning his exposed flesh. For probably the first time in years the Soviet felt fear, and Steve could see it in his eyes. With little choice, he spoke the words that would set Natasha free.
"Я хотел отпустить вас."
Natasha passed out after hearing those words. She had been under a massive strain for the entirety of the fight and collapsed right up against Steve's chest. The soldier was feeling guilty over how he could have hurt and gently wrapped his arms around her, cradling her body against his as he leaned back.
"Now, call off your soldiers."
"You've won nothing here today, Avengers…"
"CALL THEM OFF!"
Clint's shout was enough to startle the soldiers still locked in combat with Iron Man, Ant-Man, Wasp and Falcon. Some of them continued fighting right up until the moment Clint walked Lukin up to the battle, the gun still firmly pressed in position for a kill shot.
"I'm not going to tell you again. Call them off."
Lukin didn't need to as his men saw that they were outnumbered and he was in custody. One by one they threw down their weapons and put their hands up. When the fight ended, Tony and Sam landed, the former couldn't resist letting his snarky side out as he raised his faceplate.
"Well, that was easy. Kind of makes you long for an alien invasion, doesn't it?"
Steve and Clint just roll their eyes at Tony's lack of humor, while Sam ignores him and moves to help Wanda with Bucky. Tony looks around, hoping for a small chuckle from someone, but is met with crickets. Fortunately, for the rest of the Avengers, FRIDAY interrupts his second attempt at a joke with a timely alert.
"Excuse me Sir, but the back-up you requested mid-flight has just arrived. I should inform you that…,"
"Yeah, yeah just get them in here."
Had Tony let FRIDAY finish what she was going to say, he would have known that his visitor was not just there to take Lukin into custody. No one was sure to expect who would be walking through that door, and it could potentially be Thunderbolt Ross, but once again they were all surprised when they heard his voice.
"About damn time you realized your mistakes Stark. Eight years since you outed yourself as Iron Man, and you still haven't learned your lesson."
"Come on Fury, I helped defeat the bad guy, I recorded everything, by this time tomorrow Steve will be at least cleared of the HYDRA accusation."
"That's only a start. At this point…"
"You want me to go back to being just a consultant. The Accords are still in effect and…,"
"…you need to call a press conference and publically exonerate Captain America, the Falcon, and Agent Romanoff of all wrongdoing. And as for Barnes…"
Bucky and Wanda both look up at the mention of his name, they're not sure what plan Fury has for him, but he can at least have hope that it will involve keeping Tony Stark off of his back.
"…he is being remanded to the care of Captain Rogers if he so chooses, or he can remain in Wakanda if that is his choice."
"I'll agree to exonerating Steve, Sam and Natasha, but Barnes…"
"His status is non-negotiable."
Fury turned away from Tony leaving no more room for debate as his strike team entered the compound and took Lukin, Yelena and the soldiers into custody. The Avengers would never know it, but they were being taken to a new SHIELD prison facility as the organization had been granted a return to legitimacy in the wake of the Sokovia Accords.
"Guess that's it for me then. FRIDAY, plot our return course to New York and…"
"Hold on a minute Tony. Clint, let him have the shield back."
"It's your shield Steve, keep it. My father made it for you."
With that announcement, Tony lowered his faceplate and took off for the Avengers compound. He had to check on Rhodes and arrange for the press conference as well as try to get in contact with Pepper one more time. Steve watched him fly away as the team returned to the jet for the flight back to Wakanda. The return flight was uneventful as Wanda masked Bucky's pain with her powers while Natasha remained unconscious and curled up in Steve's lap. Not knowing what else to do, he gently ran his fingers through her hair as he worried what the future would bring for her and Bucky.