One more chapter after this, and then it's on to Book II: Siren Meets Doctor Strange!

Chapter 13

"You know, if you had said 'draw a picture of the place we're going to look for the genetically engineered super soldiers,' I would have drawn this," Temperance said quietly as she and Tony carefully entered the remote, Siberian HYDRA facility. Steve and Barnes had to be inside already - they'd seen the jet outside, but no sign of the rogue men. "All of these top secret government project labs look the same."

"If I see a visitor's comment box mounted on the wall anywhere, I'll be sure to let you know," Tony replied as they walked down a hallway. Tony's arm lifted in preparation to defend them should someone appear at the other end. Temperance nodded toward an elevator to their left, and Tony pulled the metal gate up to open it. Once on the elevator, Temp turned to look at Tony.

"Remember, we aren't here to argue with him," She said, her tone firm.

"Yes, mother," Tony replied, "I'll play nice."

Satisfied, Temp turned back to face the gate, just as they stopped on the lowest level. The fluorescent lights in this hallway were flickering, and Temp wondered how the power was still on at all as she pulled up the gate and they began to walk forward, still on their guard. They'd only made it about halfway down the hall when they heard voices coming from their right. Tony signaled for her to stop and asked Friday how many heat signatures were on the other side of the double doors they'd stopped near.

"Two," Friday replied, causing Tony and Temp to exchange a look. Rogers and Barnes. Temp pressed a few buttons on the control panel next to the doors, but they wouldn't slide open. Tony, growing impatient, forced his fingers into the crack and pried them open. The doors creaked and groaned under the force of his hands as they opened - the sound obviously surprised Steve, who turned and brought up his shield for protection, and Barnes, who raised his rifle in their direction. Temp saw Steve relax the slightest bit when he realized it was them, but he didn't lower his shield or move to greet them.

"You seem a little defensive," Tony observed, his mask disassembling and revealing his face.

"It's been a long day," Steve replied.

"For everyone," Temp added, drawing his attention. He gave her a small, almost imperceptible nod of acknowledgement.

"At ease, soldier, we're not currently after you," Tony told Barnes, whose rifle was still raised. He didn't move to lower it.

"We know you didn't do it," Temp clarified, "we're here to help."

Steve's shield lowered a bit, and his shoulders relaxed. He looked to Tony for confirmation. Tony obviously didn't like eating crow, but he reassured Steve nonetheless, "Ross has no idea that we're here; I'd like to keep it that way. Otherwise we've got to arrest ourselves."

Steve's shield lowered completely, finally convinced, "that sounds like a lot of paperwork. It's good to see you guys."

"You too, Cap," Tony replied with a faint smile. Temp felt relief blossom in her chest as an understanding passed between the two men. Finally, they had a common goal. She didn't have to choose a side. Half the team was in prison, of course, but that was a problem for later. Right now, the natural order was restored.

"Hey, Manchurian Candidate, you're killing me," Tony called out to Barnes, who was still watching them through the sights of his gun, "There's a truce, here."

Steve turned and nodded at Barnes, who reluctantly lowered his weapon. The four of them continued together down the hallway. Temp wasn't too proud to admit that she felt better with three people having her back versus just one. Barnes, who had raised his rifle again to prepare for any lurking enemies, shot an uncertain look over his shoulder at Temp as she came up beside him.

"You're not going to shock me again, are you?" He asked in a wry tone.

"I guess that depends on you," Temp murmured back, her focus still on every shadow in the building that appeared to reveal movement. It was unsettling to have almost no context for their enemy and no idea about his plans or motivations. After a few minutes, they came to a set of open doors that led into a large, dark room.

"We got heat signatures," Tony announced after Friday scanned the room and reported to him.

"How many?" Steve asked as Barnes' shoulders tensed, and Temp glanced around warily.

"One." Tony replied. There was a resounding clank as a few of the lights in the room turned on. The lights were coming from inside the cryo tubes scattered throughout the room, illuminating their contents. Temp stepped forward first, the hair on the back of her neck rising as she took a closer look at the nearest tube. The man inside was dead.

"He's been shot in the head," Temp said quietly, aware that someone, somewhere was watching them.

"They all have," Steve added, taking the lead and stepping forward to inspect some of the other tubes. Every muscle in Temperance's body tensed as the crackling sound of an intercom ripped through the eerie silence.

"If it's any comfort, they died in their sleep," a voice announced through the speakers. The four of them glanced around, trying to ascertain a source, but they couldn't find any, "Did you really think I wanted more of you?"

"What the hell?" Barnes murmured, still holding his rifle at the ready.

"I'm grateful to them, though. They brought you here."

Another light flipped on, and they all turned quickly to face it's source - the man was standing behind a tiny window on the far wall, his silhouette cut by the light. Zemo. Without hesitation, Steve hurled his shield at the window, but it bounced right off and boomeranged back to him.

"Please, Captain," Zemo continued, his voice soft but mocking, "The soviets built this chamber to withstand the launch blast of UR-100 rockets."

"I'm betting I can beat that," Tony said.

"Oh, I'm sure you could, Mr. Stark," Zemo assured him, "Given time. But then you'd never know why you came."

Temp wasn't sure she wanted to know why.

"You killed innocent people in Vienna just to bring us here?" Steve asked, walking directly up to the window to address the man. Temp hung back, stepping closer to Tony to get his attention.

"I don't like this," she said quietly, not taking her eyes off the man in the bunker. Tony tried to give her a reassuring smile, but she knew him well enough to know that he was unsettled, too.

"I've thought about nothing else for over a year," Zemo continued, "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."

"The super soldiers are dead," Temp told Tony in a hushed tone, "that's why we came here. And this guy's obviously working alone; I say we don't bother with him."

"You're Sokovian," Steve said to Zemo, "Is that what this is about?"

Temp's anxiety was quickly mounting. She didn't know what he was about to do, but it had become clear that they were his targets. She tried to appeal to Tony one last time, "Tony, we should go. He's baited and lured us here."

"He's a terrorist, Temp. He killed innocent people," Tony reminded her quietly, "Are we really gonna arrest our own friends but not this guy?"

Temp took a breath to try and unravel the tightly-wound knot forming in her chest.

"You lost someone," Steve said.

"I lost everyone," Zemo replied. Temp felt a hot pang of sympathy that lasted only a moment and then turned to ice as he continued, "and so will you."

A computer display switched on. The three men immediately gravitated toward it, their curiosity piqued. Temp's sense of dread had long overpowered her curiosity, but she followed Tony nonetheless. The intercom crackled some more as Zemo continued, "an empire toppled by its enemies can rise again. But one which crumbles from within? That's dead. Forever."

The video was a black-and-white security or traffic cam recording of a dark road. The time stamp at the bottom read "16 December 1991".

"I know this road," Tony announced, earning a bewildered look from Temperance. She didn't recognize the place or the date, "What is this?"

A car came speeding into the frame and smashed into a tree. The video had sound, and the creaking, tearing sound of metal echoed through the large stone room as the accident played out. Though the scene was unfamiliar to her, Temp knew that Tony's parents had died in a car accident, and though she didn't know the exact date, the time seemed roughly to match up.

Help my wife, a man pleaded as he fell from the open driver's side door and crawled away from the crash. The woman in the passenger seat called out for Howard. Temperance stepped forward quickly, pressing a couple of buttons next to the screen that looked like they might control the power. Nothing happened.

"Tony, come on," She coaxed, placing a gentle hand on his arm, though she knew he couldn't feel it through his suit. He ignored her, his eyes a mix of hard and vulnerable as he watched the screen. Temp couldn't bear the thought of him watching his parents die. It was too much. She looked to Steve for help, but he stood immobile, watching Tony.

Sergeant Barnes?

The words came from the screen. From Howard Stark's mouth. Temp froze at the revelation and swallowed hard, forcing her gaze to turn back to the video. Tony's mother continued to call for her husband as Barnes grabbed him by the hair and began to hit him in the face with his metal arm. Barnes hit Howard until he stopped moving and then dragged him back to the car, placing him behind the wheel and staging his body just right. Temp's gaze slowly lifted and turned to Barnes, who didn't meet her eyes. When she looked back at the screen, Barnes had circled the car to the passenger side and opened the door. He reached in and grasped Maria Stark's throat. Temp averted her eyes, permanently this time.

When the video ended, Temperance turned to look at Tony, who still stared at the screen, unmoving. They all waited with bated breath, knowing that a reaction was forthcoming but not knowing what form it might take. After a few seconds, Tony lunged toward Barnes, and Steve grabbed him to hold him back. Tony's expression was accusatory when his eyes turned on Steve.

"Did you know?"

Steve hesitated, and Temperance's heart hammered. He couldn't have known.

"I didn't know it was him," Steve said. Temperance, who had come to stand close to the men to break them apart if needed, pried Steve's hand off of Tony's arm and edged a shoulder between the two of them. Her eyes, locked on Steve, were a challenge.

"Don't bullshit me, Rogers," Tony said from behind her, "Did you know?"

Steve hesitated again, and Temp could hear the blood rushing in her ears, "Yes."

Tony stepped back, wounded by the revelation, and Temperance stepped around to face him, "Tony, let's get out of here, okay?" She said softly. She reached out to place a hand on his arm, but before she could, he had lunged left and punched Steve with his palm repulsor on, sending the man rolling to the ground.

"Tony, wait!" Temperance cried, but it didn't matter - she knew there was nothing she could say to stop him. Barnes had raised his gun to fire on Tony, who shot a repulsor blast to knock the weapon out of his hands. They began to fight hand-to-hand and Temperance stood there helplessly, hating herself for hesitating. Tony grabbed the front of Barnes' jacket and ignited the jets on his feet, sending the two of them flying across the room and into the cement floor. He had Barnes pinned beneath him. Steve, who had still been laying near Temperance, climbed to his feet and pulled his arm back to hurl his shield at Tony's back. Temperance grabbed his arm and jumped onto him from behind, throwing her weight to the ground to pull him down. She threw all of her momentum into her legs as they hit the floor and launched him off of herself so that he flipped onto his stomach and she was now standing between him and the others. He climbed to his feet slowly, his eyes accusatory as he watched her stand her ground.

"Temp, I don't want to hurt him," he told her, his voice level.

"I know," Temp said, "But if it comes down to it, you'll choose Barnes, and I can't let that happen."

"He'll kill him," said Steve.

Temp didn't move; didn't blink. She could hear the sounds of Tony and Barnes struggling behind her.

"We can stop him. Together," Steve continued. That would be the ideal ending to this skirmish, but she didn't trust him. Couldn't trust him. He'd already hurt Tony. When she still didn't move, Steve exhaled deeply and charged on her. They exchanged blows for a minute or two, Temperance meeting every attempt of his with a block. Had he forgotten that he was the one who taught her how to fight like this? Temperance heard the sound of metal breaking and a groan from Tony behind her, and she became distracted. Steve used the opportunity, knocking her feet out from under her.

"I'm sorry," He said as he pulled his arm back to deliver a blow to her head. Before he could, he was launched backward and rolled to the ground as one of Tony's cuffing devics formed around his ankles. Temp glanced over to see that Tony now had Barnes pinned to the wall. The repulsor beam on his palm geared up to fire, but Barnes caught his hand and forced it to turn, aiming at Tony's face instead.

"No!" Temperance yelled, climbing to her feet and running to help. Tony managed to turn his hand a few degrees more, and the beam missed him, instead firing into the far wall. Several tons of equipment exploded, causing concrete and metal to rain down everywhere. Temp fell to the ground, covering her head.

It was quiet for a few moments after the destruction, and Temp moved to push herself off the ground. She stopped when the dust settled, and she saw Tony laying pinned under some rubble.

"Tony," She tried to call out, but instead she sucked in a lungful of dust and sputtered pitifully. An image flashed in her mind of a crumbled building - the one that had collapsed on top of her father in New York. Her nightmares had tried to fill in the blank of his last moments hundreds of times, and they were chillingly close to what she witnessed now. Every moment that Tony didn't move was a moment that Temperance was sure she would never get back up. Still, she forced herself to crawl toward him. Somewhere behind her, she heard Steve yelling for Barnes to get out of here. It was for the best - if Barnes got away, Tony would have a chance to settle and they could go after him later, with a clearer head. When she reached Tony, he was shoving the metal debris off of himself and sitting up. Temperance's chest ached with relief to see that he was okay.

"Don't get up," She tried to coax him, but he didn't even hear her. His mask folded away to reveal his face, and Temp could hardly stand to look at the pain and hurt written there.

"He killed my parents," was all Tony said before his mask reappeared, and he was in pursuit of Barnes again. Temp got up and followed. Tony had fired at Barnes, who was now running away, and missed. Steve had stepped in his way to prevent him from pursuing Barnes. The loud groan of shifting metal sounded from above, and they looked up to see that the hatch at the top of the missile silo was opening. Tony turned to look at Temp over his shoulder, "do not let him leave."

He turned back and engaged with Steve, who had grabbed onto his boot to drag him back to the ground and fight with him. Temperance swallowed hard and then set off to climb up the side of the silo after Barnes. She knew what it was like to lose a parent. And she was terrified of being reminded again. If someone was going to die today, it was not going to be Tony. Steve had made his choice, and she was making hers. Many of the retractable work platforms were down, and Temperance and Barnes both leaped from platform to platform, making their way toward the open hatch. Right as Barnes was reaching the top, Temperance caught his leg and pulled him back down to the highest platform.

"If I leave, this ends," He growled, "you have to let me go."

"No," Temp said, blocking one of his blows and elbowing him in the face. Killing him wasn't right, but letting him go wasn't right either. He managed to knock her to the ground and turned to climb up again, but she got back to her feet and jumped onto his back, dragging him back down. At the same time, a repulsor beam shot past them and destroyed the hinge of the hatch, causing it to fall shut with a force so hard, Temp thought the platform they were laying on might fall as well. She glanced down to see Tony making his way up with only one boot jet, struggling to keep stability. A rappelling cord, shot by Steve, wrapped around the neck of Tony's suit, and he cried out as Steve jumped off one of the platforms and they both plummeted to the bottom of the silo. The moments she'd spent watching them gave Barnes the upperhand, and he grabbed her, lifting her up off the platform and slamming her into the concrete wall. Sparks still flew all around them from the hatch explosion. Temp managed to hook a leg around his calf and knock him down, following his stumble with an elbow to the head. She spun them around, slamming him into the wall instead.

She pulled back a fist to punch him, but he knocked her other hand away from him and grabbed a loose cable hanging near them, pressing it against her shoulder. Volts of electricity shot through her system, so powerful that her body convulsed and all her thoughts ceased. She tried to reach a hand out to him, but he stepped out of reach, releasing the cable. As the electricity stopped flooding her body, she went weak and fell silently off the platform, falling to the bottom of the silo like a rag doll. Bucky took a moment to catch his breath before looking up at the closed hatch. He might as well help Steve now.

When Temperance awoke, there were a few blissful moments where she knew no struggle, no conflict, no duty. And then,

"Stay down. Final warning."

Temp coughed and winced, rolling onto her side. Tony and Steve were nearby, just down a concrete slope, fighting. Tony had been the one to speak, gaining the upper-hand and giving Steve the chance to forfeit. Temp felt nauseated, and her vision spun, but she could see that Barnes was laying near Tony's feet, his metal arm gone. She stood, cradling her midsection as she stumbled toward the incline. Barnes grabbed Tony's foot, and Tony turned to kick him in the head, knocking him back out. This was enough to distract Tony, though, who was lifted over Steve's head and then slammed back down into the concrete. Temp slid down the slope to where they were, grimacing in pain. Steve had climbed over Tony and was punching him repeatedly.

"Steve, stop," She gasped. He didn't even hear her. He picked up his shield and slammed it into Tony's mask, over and over.

"Stop," she tried again, louder, as she climbed to her feet again. The mask fell from Tony's face and Steve pulled the shield back again. Tony's arms came up to shield his face.

"I said stop," Temperance cried, snatching his cords with her mind and pulling them taut. Steve froze in place. He and Tony both turned to look at Temperance, who was standing before them with unadulterated rage in her eyes. "This is over."

Steve slowly lowered the shield, shaking profusely as he tried to fight her hold.

"Temperance, don't do this," He said, his teeth grinding from the effort of trying to break free. Temperance yanked harder.

"Leave," she said, her voice firm and full of vitriol. She glanced at Barnes, who was gaining consciousness again, "before I change my mind."

Against his will, Steve stood, stepping away from Tony, who still lay there in shock from the onslaught he'd just received from his friend. Steve looked at Temperance, his eyes hard. He walked over to Barnes and helped him up, propping him against his shoulder. Temperance watched him move, her eyes narrowed.

"That shield doesn't belong to you," Tony said, struggling to prop himself up on his elbows. "You don't deserve it. My father made that shield!"

Steve led Barnes away, stopping as he passed Temperance.

"Drop it," She commanded without a hint of remorse. After a moment of struggle, he did.

They left without another word, and Temperance could feel his will yielding to hers as he realized that there was no fighting her. When they were gone, Temp fell to her knees, exhausted and haunted by the broken look in Tony's eyes as he tried to rise. It was over.

She felt no relief.