Chapter 25
AN: So sorry for the delay, like is crazy at the moment. Hope you like this chapter.
Not long after the heartbreaking scene of watching Rhodey fall out of the sky Rhodey has been taken away by emergency medical personnel. As soon as Rhodey was in their safe hands Tony hurried back over to the airport where he gets to Peter and Natasha as Natasha is getting loaded into the ambulance, with Peter standing right next to her. To Tony's relief Peter is still wearing his mask.
"Spiderman," Tony says, hurrying towards him, removing his mask, and Peter turns to him and then hurries forward.
"She's still unconscious," Peter says worried, as he hugs his father. "There's no visible blood so they think there might be internal injuries. Nat told me she was going to end this, but I don't know what happened," Peter admits, pain in his voice, as they break apart.
"I think I do," Tony admits, as after what Peter just said, and where in the airport they are he realizes that Natasha must have tried to stop Steve and Bucky, and they made it so she couldn't. "Pete, I'm going to go to the hospital with Nat and Uncle Rhodey. Uncle Happy's outside the airport and is going to take you back to the hotel," Tony explains.
"What? No! I need to know they're okay!" Peter exclaims.
"People are going to ask questions, a lot of them. We can't have them asking questions about you, I don't want that, and Nat won't either," Tony explains to his son. "I will give you updates as soon as I know more, I promise, and Uncle Happy might even be able to bring you to the hospital later. But for right now I need you to go with Uncle Happy, okay?" Tony says, and Peter is about to object, but then he comprehends the begging on his father's face, and the pleading tone of voice used.
"Okay," Peter says reluctantly, as Tony sees security and police coming.
"Get out of here. You know Uncle Happy's car," Tony says and once he does Peter nods, and hurries away. While he desperately wants to know that Natasha and Rhodey are okay, Peter has realized that this time he has to listen to his father.
As Peter hurries off Tony starts to deal with everything that is left for him to deal with. Thankfully T'Challa offers to take over on a few things so that he can get to the hospital and check on Rhodey and Natasha.
A couple of hours after Rhodey and Natasha were taken away by medical personal Tony, who has a sling on his left arm, and who has been going between Natasha, who last he saw was still unconscious, and Rhodey, is pacing back and forth is watching as Rhodey is being put into a CT scanner. As he paces Tony stops next to Vision who is also watching on.
"How did this happen?" Tony asks, not being able to comprehend that this happened.
"I became distracted," Vision reveals.
"I didn't think that was possible," Tony says, sounding shocked.
"Neither did I," Vision admits. Looking away from Vision Tony turns towards the hallway where he sees Natasha, who is finally awake unlike the last time he saw her, holding onto an IV pole, and wearing a hospital gown, walking towards him. Due to how well he knows her Tony can tell, due to the way that she is leaning on the poll, that she is in pain.
"Nat," Tony says worried, walking towards her.
"I'm okay," Natasha says, as soon as he is close enough, looking worriedly at his arm. Once he is close enough, not even caring that people are watching on, Tony just gentle hugs Natasha, even though he wants to cling to her, and kisses her. "Where's Peter? Is he okay?" Natasha asks in a concerned, but quiet voice, so that only Tony can hear, once they break apart.
"At the hotel, with Happy, he's okay," Tony explains, and putting an arm around Natasha, so that she can lean on him, they walk down the corridor, towards a balcony area, where there is a bit more privacy.
"Good," Natasha says relieved.
"I put your go bag in your room," Tony explains, speaking of the bag that Natasha takes with her on every mission that wasn't in the quinjet, as they get to the balcony. "You should call him. He found you unconscious, stayed with you, he was terrified," Tony explains, it being clear to Natasha who he is talking about.
"I will," Natasha confirms. "How's Rhodey?" Natasha asks, as while she is still putting the pieces together about what happened she knows enough to know that Rhodey was badly hurt.
"The Doctors say he shattered L4 through S1. Extreme laceration in the spinal cord. Probably looking at some kind of paralysis," Tony explains, pain clear in his voice. Wanting to offer Tony some comfort, despite her pain, Natasha reaches over and squeezes his hand. "You know how to call for it, why didn't you call for your suit?" Tony asks, not asking why Natasha faced them alone because he already knows the answer to that.
"Because I thought I would have a better chance getting Steve to stop without it," Natasha admits.
"You were unconscious for a really long time," Tony says, clearly worried, honestly feeling amazed that she is even standing.
"I hit my head as I was knocked down by that damn shield, and the electric shock didn't help," Natasha admits. "But, I'm okay, Tony. Just in a bit of pain," Natasha says, and honestly Tony knows it is a big deal that Natasha is even admitting that she is in pain.
"What are the doctors saying?" Tony asks, and before Natasha can answer they both hear.
"Miss Romanoff!" And they turn to see a doctor and nurse walking towards them.
"You should be lying down! we still have to run tests!" the Doctor says. "Nurse Buth please take Miss Romanoff back to her room," The Doctor who has a nametag reading Doctor Bormann, says.
"Don't fight, please," Tony says, quietly as he kisses Natasha's cheek.
"Don't do anything stupid. Steve's gone off the rails, you need to make sure you don't," Natasha explains to him, as she reluctantly goes with the nurse. Feeling concerned as she knows that there is a chance that things are going to get worse and until she can get away from Medical Personnel there is nothing she can do.
Seconds after Natasha walks away Tony gets an alert on his wrist watch and so he activates it, and a holographic image projects.
"What am I looking at, Friday?" Tony asks curious.
"Priority upload from Berlin Police," FRIDAY explains.
"Fire up the chopper," Tony requests, as he walks out of the hospital, trusting the medical personal to give Rhodey and Natasha the care they need.
A little while later Tony is flying over a stormy sea in the chopper. As the chopper flies he looks at a surveillance images on a tablet.
"The Task Force called for a psychiatrist as soon as Barnes was captured. The UN dispatched Dr. Theo Broussard from Geneva within the hour. He was met by this man," FRIDAY explains as she shows Tony an image.
"Did you run facial recognition yet?" Tony asks curious.
"What do I look like?" FRIDAY asks.
"Uh, I don't know. I've been picturing a red head," Tony says as there is a particular red-head that is always on his mind.
"You must be thinking of someone else," FRIDAY says, knowing exactly who Tony is thinking off.
"Must be," Tony mutters as he wonders how Natasha is doing.
"The Fake doctor is actually Colonel Helmut Zemo, Sokovian Intelligence," FRIDAY says as Tony projects an image. "Zemo ran Echo Skorpion, a Sokovian covert kill squad," FRIDAY explains.
"So, what happened to the real Broussard?" Tony asks.
"He was found dead in a Berlin Hotel room. Where police also found a wig and facial prosthesis approximating the appearance of one James Buchanan Barnes," FRIDAY explains.
"Son of a bitch. Get this to Ross," Tony instructs.
"Yes Boss," FRIDAY responds.
Back at the hospital Natasha is between tests and so she gets out of bed, and moves her bag closer to her, inside she pulls out her phone and earpiece. Once she has the two things she wants she gets back into bed and makes a call.
"Nat? Is that you? Are you okay?" Peter asks worried, answering after a couple of rings.
"Yeah, it's me, Pete. I'm okay, маленький," Natasha assures him.
"You were unconscious, and you wouldn't wake up, I begged you… I just wanted you to open your eyes," Peter explains, sounding upset.
"It's okay, маленький, I opened my eyes, I'm okay," Natasha says, even though she suspects that the doctors would say differently.
"Are you sure?" Peter asks worried.
"Yeah, Bud," Natasha assures him.
"I want to see you, I'm going to get Uncle Happy to bring me to the hospital," Peter explains.
"I want to see you too, Pete, but not right now. It's not safe," Natasha explains to him. "I'll see you as soon as I can, okay?" Natasha asks her son.
"Okay," Peter responds, quiet reluctantly.
"I'm really proud of what you did today," Natasha informs him.
"Thanks, Nat" Peter responds, smiling slightly. "I love you, Mom," Peter tells her, as calling Natasha mom when she wouldn't open her eyes is something that felt right to him, and while he is pretty sure they will have to talk about it at some point it is something he would like to keep doing.
"I love you too, Peter," Natasha responds, feeling overwhelming joy.
Far away from people he loves Tony is landing in a secret, underwater, jail known as the raft. Once the chopper lands on the Helicarrier the doors close above it and Tony walks out, towards Secretary Ross.
"So? You got the files? Let's reroute the satelites, start facial scanning for this Zemo guy," Tony says.
"You seriously think I'm gonna listen to you after that fiasco in Leipzig? You're lucky you're not in one of these cells," Ross says as he looks at Tony sternly before leading him through a thick, steel, security door.
Once through the security door they walk into the operations room where there are soldiers. As he walks through Tony, to his horror, though he keeps what he is feeling off his face, sees Wanda on a surveillance screen, sitting hunched and bedraggled in a craped prison cell.
After walking through the operations room Tony walks through another set of doors and into another chamber which is surrounded by large bared windows. Beyond the windows there is number of prison cells. Tony is taking in all in when he suddenly hears clapping, and he turns to see Clint.
"The Futurist, gentlemen! The futurist is here! He sees all! He knows what's best for you, whether you like it or not!" Clint says sarcastically and so Tony walks over to him.
"Give me a break, Barton. I had no idea they'll put you here. Come on," Tony says, telling the truth as he didn't expect Team Cap to be taken to this place, and Clint spits.
"Yeah, well, you knew they'd put us somewhere, Tony," Clint says.
"Yeah, but not some super-max floating ocean pokey. You know, this place is for maniacs. This place is for…" Tony starts to say.
"Criminals?" Clint asks standing up. "Criminals, Tony. Think that's the word you're looking for?" Clint asks as he eyes Tony through the bars. "Right? That didn't used to mean me. Or Sam, or Wanda, but here we are," Clint comments.
"Because you broke the law," Tony reminds him.
"Yeah,"
"I didn't make you…" Tony says, wanting Clint to take some responsibility.
"La, la, la, la," Clint says.
"You read it, you broke it," Tony says, though unknown to him Tony didn't actually read it.
"La, la, la, la, la," Clint continues.
"Alright, you're all grown up, you got a wife and kids. I don't understand why you didn't think of them before you chose the wrong side," Tony says, not understanding how Clint could sacrifice his family like that. "Not that you care, but Nat's awake, she's in hospital still, and running tests, but she's awake," Tony says, as she knows Natasha would want Clint to know, before walking away.
"You gotta watch your back with this guy. There's a chance he's gonna break it," Clint says bitterly, as Tony walks away.
"Hank Pym always said you can never trust a Stark," Scott says as Tony walks past, and Tony makes a not to call Hope when he gets out of here so that he can get some answers about Scott.
"Who are you?" Tony asks as he keeps walking.
"Come on, man," Scott says disappointed.
"How's Rhodes?" Sam asks, once Tony is standing in front of his cell.
"They're flying him to Columbia Medical tomorrow. So... fingers cross," Tony says, and Sam shakes his head. "What do you need? They feed you yet?" Tony asks curious.
"You're the good cop now?" Sam asks, raising his eyebrow.
"I'm just the guy who needs to know where Steve went," Tony explains.
"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 explains, and as he does Tony uses a couple of buttons on his watch.
"Oh, I just hocked the A out of their AV. We got about thirty seconds before they realize it's not their equipment," Tony explains. "Just look. Because that is the fellow who was supposed to interrogate Barnes," Tony says, as he shows a holographic image of Doctor Broussard. "Clearly, I made a mistake. Sam, I was wrong," Tony says.
"That's a first," Sam says.
"Cap is definitely off the reservation but he's about to need all the help we can get," Tony explains, as while he is beyond angry at Steve for what he did to Natasha, he also knows he has to put that aside to do something bigger, and as difficult as he is finding that he is still going to try. "We don't know each other very well. You don't have to…" Tony starts to say.
"Hey, it's alright," Sam says and Tony leads closer to the window, and so Sam sighs and looks uneasy. "Look, I'll tell you, but you have to go alone and as a friend," Sam informs Tony.
"Easy," Tony responds, and Sam explains what is going on.
A couple of minutes later Tony is walking back to his chopper, as he passed through the security office, he placed something that would help whoever is going to break out team Cap get them out, and Ross, who didn't notice, is walking behind him.
"Stark? Did he give you anything on Rogers?" Ross asks curious.
"Nope. Told me to go to hell. I'm going back to the compound instead," Tony lies. "but you can call me anytime. I'll put you on hold, I like to watch the line blink," Tony says, with a smirk, and Ross stares at him as he gets into the chopper.
Once Tony is in the chopper he leaves the raft and Tony un-clips the sling holding his left arm. For a few moments Tony cradles his arm in his hand then he slower reaches out his injured arm and presses a button on a panel. Once he presses the button the Iron Man suit wraps around him, and a hatches opens. After the hatch opens Tony flies out as Iron Man and speeds through the dark clouds, unknown to him T'Challa is following him.
After a flight that is quicker than by any other means Tony arrives at a bunker in Siberia. As he forces open double doors Steve sees Steve and Bucky, the ladder of whom is holding a weapon. Walking towards them Tony retracts his suit helmet.
"You seem a little defensive," Tony says as Bucky keeps his gun up while Steve walks to meet Tony, using his shield covering his body.
"At ease, Soldier. Not currently after you," Tony reveals.
"Then why are you here?" Steve asks.
"Could be your story's not so crazy, maybe," Tony says. "Ross as no idea I'm here. I'd like to keep it that way. Otherwise, I gotta arrest myself, or Nat will have to do it," Tony comments, and he purposely does his best to ignore an image that has popped up in his head.
"Well, that sounds like a lot of paperwork," Steve comments. "It's good to see you, Tony. Is Nat okay?" Steve asks concerned, as he lowers his shield.
"No thanks to you, which is why I can't say it's good to see you, but I am here to help," Tony informs Steve, as he can't be completely okay with someone who intentionally hurt Natasha, and Steve realizes that Tony is furious with him. "Hey Manchurian Candidate, you're killing me. There's a truce here, you can drop," Tony says to Bucky and only after he gets a signal from Steve does, he lower his gun.
Over the next few minutes the three of them continue to walk along a corridor. Unknown to them T'Challa, in his Black Panther suit, is following them. With his faceplate once more on Tony leads Steve and Bucky towards an enormous chamber with the capsules standing in it.
"I got heat signatures," Tony reveals.
"How many?" Steve asks.
"Uh, one," Tony answers.
Once Tony answers the three of them enter the vast chamber and the light comes on. Hazy yellow mist descends within the capsules and they each display a dead person, causing Steve, Tony and Bucky to look around bewildered.
"If it's any comfort they died in their sleep," Helmut Zemo says through the speakers and Bucky stares at one of the dead people. "Do you really think I wanted more of you?" Zemo asks.
"What the hell?" Bucky asks, sounding very confused.
"I'm very grateful to them, though. They brought you here," Zemo says and Zemo appears in the control room so Steve hurls his shield but it flies back to him. "Please, Captain. The soviets built this chamber to withstand the launch blast of a UR-100 rockets," Zemo explains.
"I'm betting I could beat that," Tony says, as he is pretty sure of that fact.
"Oh, I'm sure you could, Mr Stark. Given time, but then you'd never know why you came," Zemo explains.
"You killed innocent people in Vienna just to bring us here?" Steve asks as he looks through Zemo through a window and Black Panther watches from the shadow.
"I thought about nothing for over a year. I studied you. I followed you, but now that you're standing here, I just realized… there's a bit of green in the blue of your eyes. How nice to find a flaw," Zemo comments.
"You're Sokovian. Is that what's this is about?" Steve asks.
"Sokovia was a failed state long before you blew it to hell. No. I'm here because I made a promise," Zemo explans.
"You lsot someone?" Steve asks as he studies Zemo.
"I lost everything, and so will you," Zemo says in a grave tone of voice and he plays surveillance footage from December 16th 1991, as Steve steps over to the screen. "An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again, but one which crumbles from within? That's dead… forever," Zemo says and as he does Tony looks at the freeze frame of a scheduled road, which also has the date on the screen.
"I know that road," Tony says as he will never forget that road. "What is this?" Tony asks confused.
To Tony's horror he watches as Bucky, back when he was the Winter Solider, crashes the car his parents are in, but it gets much worse. Bucky bashes Howard to death, who recognized him, and then once he has put Howard back in the car, strangles Maria. As the Bucky shoots the camera Steve watches Tony anxiously and Tony lunges towards Bucky, but before he can get him Steve stops him.
"Tony, Tony," Steve says, trying to stop him.
"Did you know?" Tony asks, as he is consumed with grief and has tears glistening in his eyes as he turns and looks at Steve.
"I didn't know it was him," Steve lies.
"Don't bullshit me, Rogers! Did you know?" Tony asks, his voice breaking as he feels betrayed and heartbroken.
"Yes," Steve confirms.
Hearing the conformation Tony steps back, his chin jutting upwards twitchy, as his Iron Man helmet once more covers his face. Before Steve can react Tony pushes him to the floor and he quickly deflects gunfire from Bucky, disarming him. As Bucky is disarmed Tony grabs him and files across the chamber. As he flies Tony slams Bucky onto the floor and then jumps on Bucky's arms. As Tony attacks Bucky, being so consumed by grief that he isn't thinking straight, Steve throws his shield and hits Tony, distracting him.
Taking advantage of the distraction Steve barges him backwards and Tony shoulders him to the floor and shackle his ankles. After Steve is shackled Bucky punches Tony who lifts him and slams him against a machine. As he slams Bucky Tony raises his hand to fire, but Bucky twists his fist around. A rocket shoots out of Tony's arm and a fireball explodes. Seeing the explosion Steve slices his shackles as a towering structure of pipework collapses.
Due to the force of the explosion Tony and Bucky are thrown down a level as twisted metal falls around them, showering sparks.
"Get out of here!" Steve yells to Bucky who is his biggest priority.
As Bucky bolts Tony fires, but misses and Steve lands in front of him. While running Bucky hits a control panel and the silo-styled door overhead starts to open.
"It wasn't him, Tony. Hydra had control of his mind!" Steve tells Tony, wanting him to see sense.
"Move!" Tony yells as after watching Bucky strangle his mother he can't listen to reason as he is far from reasonable.
"It wasn't him," Steve says as Tony flies up, and as he is in mid air Steve grabs him by the foot and smashes his ankle. As Steve does that Tony blocks Steve by shooting down rubble, then with difficult flies up the tower.
"Left boot jet failing. Flight systems compromised," FRIDAY informs Tony.
"Ah Crap," Tony says.
Above Tony Bucky leaps from platform to platform. With stuttering jets Tony gives chase then kicks Bucky and takes aim, but as Steve has thrown his shield the energy bold rebounds off it and hits Tony. The hit from his own weapon causes Tony to drop like a stone and he lands on a lower platform.
"He's not going to stop, go!" Steve tells Bucky.
Just like Steve said he is not stopping and so Tony sores upwards, as he flies up Steve leaps and shoots a wire which wraps around Tony's neck and drags him back down. deflecting Steve's shield Tony tries to target Bucky.
"Come on, come on," Tony says, trying to target.
"Targeting systems knackered, Boss," FRIDAY explains.
"I'm eyeballing it," Tony says, and he retracts his helmet and shuts one eye, taking aim at the opening hatch. Once he is pretty confident with his shot Tony fires and he hits the giant hinge which explodes, cutting off Bucky's escape route. Once the route is cut off Tony flies up and blocks two swings from an iron pipe from Bucky. Once he blocks Tony grabs Bucky around the neck from behind.
"Do you even remember them?" Tony asks, pain in his voice.
"I remember all of them," Bucky responds as he pushes them both from the walkway. As they fall Steve jumps into them to deflect their fair. As Bucky lands on a platform Tony and Steve land on a concreate floor besides an opening in the wall where snow drifts in from outside.
"This isn't gonna change what happened," Steve says, wanting to protect Bucky.
"I don't care. He killed my mom," Tony says as after losing Peggy, almost losing Natasha and Rhodey, and thinking he lost Peter for a few terrifying seconds; then being forced to watch as his mom was killed he has broken, he isn't thinking straight, he is beyond devastated and heartbroken.
Once Tony speaks he and Steve end up trading punches and Tony manages to pin Steve done. Seeing what is going on Bucky picks up Captain America's shield and leaps down from where he is to help. As the two super soldiers fist fight with Tony the shield changes hands between them until Tony manages to zap Steve who is thrown back into the wall. As Steve is thrown back Bucky struggles to hold Tony at bay as Tony releases an energy beam, and then Bucky forces Iron Man against the opposite wall and grips the center piece of the iron man suit that covers the arch, damaging the piece significantly. Needing to stop Bucky before he damages the arc Tony uses the last bit of energy that exists in the piece of the arch to send a blast which knocks Bucky down, his metal arm completely blown away.
Seeing what Tony has done to his oldest friend Steve rushes at Tony with his shield up and Tony fires right at it, and they start to fight.
"You can't beat him hand to hand," FRIDAY says and Tony can't help but think back to what Natasha once told him when she wanted to teach him to fight.
"Analyze his fight pattern," Tony requests.
"Scanning," Friday says as Tony's HUD flashes red while Steve lands blow after blow. "Countermeasures ready," FRIDAY informs Tony, and as soon as she does Tony grabs Steve's shield.
"Let's kick his ass," Tony says and he flings the shield away then zaps Steve backwards, head over heels. Steve rises and Tony blocks his punch then zaps him to his knees, right in front of Bucky who's lying on his back.
"He's my friend," Steve says, trying to get Tony to see sense
"So was I," Tony says, his voice breaking, as he punches Steve then throws him back towards the gaps in the wall. "Stay down, final warning," Tony says as Steve struggles to his feet and he raises his firsts and stares Tony down.
"I can do this all day," Steve says, treating Tony like all the bullies he fought before, not being able to see that he is now the bully; that he is the one in the wrong.
In response Tony raises his left palm, ready to fire, but Bucky grabs his leg and Tony spins, kiching him in the face. As Tony is distracted by Bucky Steve grabs him and lifts him over his head, throwing him to the ground. Once Tony is on the ground Steve bunches him and bashes his face mask of with his shield. Once the face mask is off Tony covers his face, but Steve brings the shield down hard on what Steve believes is just a source of power above the arc, but is actually the arc itself. The second the arc is damaged an emergency protocol, which Tony doesn't know about, is activated.
Struggling to breath Tony looks horrified and he glares fearfully at Steve, who is panting. Both Steve and Tony have blood across their faces. With the arc damage Tony can't move, he shuts his eyes and slumps down, as the shield remains upright, stuck in the center of the Iron Man suit. Struggling up Steve takes hold of the shield, grips both the edge, and pulls it free, doing a but more damage to the arc.
As Tony struggles on the ground, unable to move because of the damage Steve steps away from him and Steve reaches out to Bucky who is lying bloodied but conscious and helps him up to his feet, holding him up as Tony watches on.
"That doesn't belong to you!" Tony exclaims, referring to the shield, from where he is lying on the ground. "You don't deserve it. My father made that shield!" Tony exclaims and as he does Steve stops, raises his chin and then drops the shield before walking away with Bucky's arm around his shoulder leaving Tony, who can't get up, the ground, with the light of the arc flickering, barely functioning.