"Son of a bitch!" Laura yelled, "This is all his fault!" She had her hands in her hair and she was on the verge of crying. Crying again.
Natasha couldn't stand to see her friend like this: "Laura, please-"
"No, Nat," Laura interrupted her, "He left us to go fight a losing battle he was never meant to be part of! I've always respected him, never said anything when he was called for a mission in the middle of the night. I had fully made peace with the idea that one day a government agent could step up to my door and tell me my husband had been killed or was missing in action. You know why? Because he was doing something good! He was fighting for what was right! He sure as hell wasn't fighting against the United Nations!"
Pepper, standing silently in a corner of the room, was amazed by the strenght this woman had shown in the years she was married to Hawkeye. Laura was - well, at least she had been - very much in her same situation, with the man she loved risking his life on a regular basis. Actually, with three kids to look after, Laura was in an even worse spot. Pepper thought she could learn something from her.
It was Tony who spoke next though: "Maybe he did believe he was doing what was right," he said, "We don't know what Rogers told him." He couldn't believe he was defending Barton after their last exchange in the Raft.
Laura, however, wasn't placated in the least: "Oh, but I do! Rogers told him you were keeping Maximoff prisoner. He told him to break her free and join him in Germany, that they had a mission! And my retired husband snapped at attention and fucked off to become an international terrorist!"
"Mrs. Barton-" Pepper started, but Laura interrupted her: "Was it even true?" she asked, looking at Tony.
"Was what true?" he asked, not getting the question.
"That you had Maximoff imprisoned. That he had to rescue her" Laura clarified, almost pleading Tony to tell her that it was. That Clint hadn't left his family behind for nothing.
Tony lowered his gaze: "It is true that she was confined here in the Compound. It was a safety precaution to avoid problems after her mission in Lagos. But she wasn't exactly imprisoned. She could go anywhere within the Compound's perimeter, and the Vision had actually convinced her it was for the best if she didn't leave. It was Clint who convinced her otherwise," he said. "It was my fault, really. I should have sat down with Maximoff and told her why it was better if she remained out of the spotlight until I fixed things. But I had to run to Berlin after Rogers and Barnes were apprehended. I owe you an apology, Mrs. Barton."
Laura seemed to calm slightly: "You don't owe me anything, Mr. Stark. Maximoff's mess wasn't yours to fix, you weren't even an active Avenger at the time. And you definitely don't have to answer for Clint's stupid-ass decisions. If anything, I'm the one who owes you. You saved me and my children..."
Tony's cheeks flushed slightly: "Well, not... not me personally... it was Friday who got you out," he stammered.
"Nevertheless, you came when we needed help. Unlike some other people," she added with spite, "So please, no more Mrs. Barton. Actually I'm not gonna be Mrs. Barton for much longer. Me and my children owe you and Miss Friday our lives, at least call me Laura."
Tony looked up at her, smiling slightly: "Only if you call me Tony."
She smiled back: "Will do, Tony."
Fury was preparing to leave the Compound. Romanoff was finally safe, but for the next two years, she wouldn't be much of an asset. Never mind though, the situation had been dealt with.
He had come here only trying to rescue Natasha. Stark had done a lot more, finding out who had grabbed her and why, and putting an end to the whole deal. Not to mention, Tony was handling the media fallout of it all like the champion he had always been.
Back when the Avengers were just an idea, he had thought Stark was going to be a wild card that needed taken down a notch. He couldn't have been more wrong.
He was going to the landing pad where Hill was prepping their helicopter, when Carter's voice stopped him: "Sir?" she called.
He turned around and eyed her briefly: "You part of a military unit, Carter?" he asked.
"Uh- no, Sir..." she answered uncertainly.
"Then why are you standing at parade rest?" Fury jabbed, noticing her military stance. No wonder her and Rogers had hit it off. She was possibly more of a soldier than he was...
Sharon's posture slumped slightly: "It just seemed appropriate..." she said.
Fury turned fully to her: "What can I do for you, Sharon?"
She went straight to the point: "Tony offered me a place as backup for the Avengers. I accepted."
Fury narrowed his eye. Sharon winced slightly under her ex-CO's analytical gaze, but then, the Colonel smiled: "Well, aren't you guys growing up..."
Sharon was confused: "Sir?"
"Nothing, Carter. I'm happy you found your place," Fury smiled, patting her shoulder, "You're gonna have fun here."
Sharon was slightly stunned: "Uh... Okay? I thought you would-"
"Be mad at you because you're leaving? Nah. You're a hell of an operative, Carter. And you'll be in the field a lot more with the Avengers than with me. Besides, I'm sure Director Carter would be happy, seeing her niece and godson teaming up..." he said with a small smile.
Sharon smiled back: "Thank you, Sir."
Fury nodded once more and left.
As he boarded his helicopter, Maria Hill starting the engines, the smile was still on his face.
Look at Tony now, all grown up and taking charge. The Avengers were still recovering, but with Stark at the helm, they would be fine. Of that, he was sure.
Sharon was still thinking about what Fury had said, when she entered the common room. Friday was there, arms crossed and leaning against the wall. It was obvious she was expecting her.
"So you're staying?" the girl asked.
Sharon squared her shoulders: "Yes," she answered, "I'm staying..."
Friday nodded, looking around the room for a moment before looking back at her: "You know, Boss trusts you..."
"Does he, now?" Sharon scoffed, but Friday's tone remained absolutely serious:
"Too many people he trusted have stabbed him in the back. I don't know if he can stand another one..."
Sharon looked her straight in the eye, understanding perfectly what she meant: "I already told him I'll try to make it up to him. I meant every word."
Friday nodded: "I'm glad we understand each other, Agent Carter."
Four days later, a discussion was taking place at the Compound.
"What about Rescue?" Cooper asked.
He was sitting in one of the Compound's living rooms with Friday, Lila, Natasha and a newly arrived Peter Parker. The two Barton kids were engrossed in trying to find Friday a superhero name, and they had dragged Natasha into their quest sometime during their brainstorming. Peter, who was at the Compound for a visit, had also joined them.
"Why Rescue?" asked Friday.
"Well, it was your first mission and you rescued us," Cooper explained, "hence Rescue."
"I like it," said Tony, coming into the room, "You even called those who rescued me in Siberia" he finished.
"It makes sense, but she can do so much more than rescue missions..." Peter imputted. Him and Friday were actually forming the beginnings of a beautiful friendship.
"Your armor makes you look like a lady-knight," said Lila with excitement, "What do you think of... Lady Iron? Do you like it?" she asked with hopeful eyes.
Lila Barton used to have one heroine: Natasha Romanoff. In the last four days, however, she had decided she now had another one, right beside Natasha. Now, if she was ever asked to choose her favourite between them, she would probably answer 'both'. She had a thing for fierce warrior redheads, sue her.
Friday's eyebrows rose slightly, as if she had just had a illumination: "Lady Iron... yes, it has a nice ring to it... I think I'll go with that."
"Doesn't that make you sound like Tony's sidekick?" Natasha joked smirking childishly at Tony. She was probably expecting him to pout at her or something, but the look he gave her clearly showed that he didn't find it funny: "Is there a comment about my ego on the way, Romanoff?" he asked acidly.
Natasha winced. Obviously he still hadn't forgiven her. It was still way too soon to resume trading jabs like in the good old days. Natasha's smile dropped as she looked down.
"That's exactly the point," explained Friday, diffusing the tension, "I am the Boss' sidekick. It's written in my computer coding. I'm practically purpose-built to be his sidekick."
Tony felt his heart swell as he smiled. Maybe it was written in her code, but it didn't take away Friday's free will. "I liked Rescue though," he said, "Maybe I'll use it somewhere someday..."
"But she likes mine more," retorted Lila with a look of smug satisfaction, "so Lady Iron it is."
"Fair enough. Lady Iron," Tony smiled holding out his hand to Friday, "Welcome to the Avengers."
She smiled back and shook his hand.
"Well, that's just not fair," Peter whined, "why does she get to be an Avenger from the get go, but I have to wait till I'm eighteen?"
Friday rolled her eyes at Peter's antics: "I'm biologically twenty, Spiderling" she answered smugly.
Peter only stopped sulking when Friday put an arm around him: "Besides, you know the Avengers have you on speed dial for backup support. That's gotta count for something right?"
He looked up at her and smiled, all tension gone from his system.
After Tony had held a press conference about the recent events, the news of what had happened at the Barton farm had spread throughout the world in an instant. Ross had acted in violation of the Accords, kidnapping Natasha Romanoff and using questionable interrogation techniques on her to find out where the Rogue Avengers had been hiding. However, he was stopped by Iron Man and a random girl who used an armor just like his and went by the name 'Lady Iron'. While a good portion of the media immediately started to make speculations about Lady Iron's true identity, the rest went on to dissect Tony and Ross' confrontation.
Ross had been backed up by a veritable horde of criminals. One of the henchmen killed in the confrontation was Jack Rollins, one of Crossbones' old work buddies back in the STRIKE team. Obviously, not wanting Tony to expose his allegiances and methods to the world, Ross had attacked Iron Man, with... less than success.
At first, the public opinion had had mixed reactions, but when it became known that Iron Man had taken care of the situation, actually enforcing the Accords Ross was supposed to represent, the support behind the document started to grow even more.
When the news reached Wakanda, Clint exploded like a firecracker.
"I wanna know what happened!" he yelled.
"Clint, calm down" Sam tried to interject, but it was no use.
"Calm down, Sam? Calm down!? Haven't you seen the news!? Ross has gone insane and leveled my house! And Stark went there to duke it out with him Western Duel style! Four destroyed helicopters, three of which Apache gunships! And not a single word about my family!"
Scott looked sympathetically at him. He, too, had a daughter that could potentially be in danger. He didn't even want to think about Cassie being the next target in Ross' plans.
"No one knows about your family, Clint..." tried Steve.
"Stark knew. And he was working with Ross, wasn't he?" Wanda chimed in.
"I swear to God, if he so much as touches my family, I will kill him with my bare hands!" Clint vowed.
Steve didn't answer this time. To him it was obvious that Tony was protecting Clint's family by not mentioning them to the Press... wasn't it? Clint was a spy, he probably knew this sort of things better than him... but would Tony really sink so low as to hurt or kidnap Clint's family?
The TV was still turned on, showing images of Ross' funeral. It wasn't a big ceremony like an Army General would normally get: no guards firing salute salvos, no American flag wrapping the coffin. It was a very low-key funeral with very few people attending. Probably what you get when you become a criminal.
That was undoubtedly a fitting demise for a disgusting person. A woman that Steve recognized from Bruce's personal file as Betty Ross stood in the first row, arms crossed and looking at the coffin with a serious, cold and detatched expression.
Clint was still going: "I want answers! I want to- no, I need to know if my family is alright! They could have been killed in the crossfire for all I know! And if they weren't, Stark has them! I need to know where they are!"
Steve suddendly got up from his chair: "Hang on, I gotta make a call." he said simply.
"Wait... a phone call? We can make phone calls?" Scott asked.
Steve ignored him and also the questioning looks all the others were giving him and left the room.
He went back to his quarters and retrieved the burner phone he kept so Tony could contact him in case of emergencies. Well, this was an emergency, and a phone went both ways.
He speed-dialed the only number saved in the phone and brought it to his ear. It started ringing. And ringing. And ringing.
Come on Tony... pick up the phone...
He didn't. Steve tried calling again four more times, with the same result.
He sighed. So many thoughts came and went in his mind, so many possibilities which he pondered and inevitably excluded. He knew the only way to know what had really happened was to find out themselves.
"I'm sorry, but my decision is made, Captain," T'Challa spoke with all the authority his role of king gave him. He had to play this right: maybe at the end of this discussion, this problem would be solved. He already had to exonerate Black Widow to avoid a diplomatic incident, but this time it was different.
Steve tried to negotiate: "Your highness, you don't understand-"
"You are the one who doesn't understand," T'Challa interrupted him, "Wakanda is one of the staunchest supporters of the Sokovia Accords. My father was one of the driving forces behind them. I cannot grant you sanctuary in my country and at the same time leave you to do as you please, crossing international borders without permission and act in complete defiance of international law."
"Does that mean you're not letting us leave?" Wanda then spoke up. Her tone was absolutely disrespectful and she knew it. She also didn't care in the slightest.
As a matter of fact, in that moment T'Challa wanted to kiss her: "You are free to leave Wakanda if and when you wish," he answered, "I will arrange a secure transport that will take you to any destination of your choice. You will not, however, be allowed to return should you choose to leave. That is not how political asylum works." He was really hoping that they all actually did wish to leave, just like her. If they did, Wakanda would no longer be in danger of being sanctioned by the United Nations.
"Alright," Steve interceded, "we understand your position and we don't want to cause any trouble to you or your country. We won't come back, if that's your final word."
T'Challa schooled his expression in a solemn gaze, but inside, he was whooping and doing cartwheels of joy. However, his exuberance was short-lived as Steve continued: "If you can just wake Bucky up, we'll be on our way."
The king eyed him warily: "That decision is not yours to make, Captain. It was sargeant Barnes who chose to be put in stasis until his conditioning could be broken. You cannot dictate when he has to awaken."
Steve wasn't going to back down on this point: "With all due respect, your highness, neither can you. When Bucky chose to be frozen he thought we could stay here indefinitely. Now we have to leave, so the situation has changed."
For several seconds Steve and T'Challa seemed locked in a staring contest. And it was the king who yielded first: "Very well. This is a personal matter, after all. Sargeant Barnes will be pulled out of cryostasis at once so he may decide himself."
As he led the fugitives to where Barnes was kept, T'Challa had to fight very hard to conceal his elation. He had definitely made a mistake extending asylum to the captain's crew, but in a couple of hours, these people wouldn't be his problem anymore.
He didn't know of the burner phone Steve had sent Tony.
Tony was sitting in his office at Stark Industries in LA, and he was pleased with himself.
It had been easier than expected to cover up the Barton's existence, thanks in no small part to the fact that the Committee delegates were too embarrassed to ask too many questions after one of them had turned out to be a criminal.
Friday's voice came in through the desk phone: "Boss, Ms. Van Dyne is here."
It was amazing how his baby girl was still working perfectly as his secretary, especially considering she was physically at the Compound right now. Probably sleeping, given the different time zone.
"Yeah, send her up, Fri."
A few seconds later Hope Van Dyne, clad in a black business pantsuit, entered the office: "Mr. Stark. Such a pleasure" she greeted formally.
"Pleased to meet you too, Ms. Van Dyne. Please, have a seat," he answered cordially, standing up and shaking her hand.
When they were both sat in front of each other at Tony's desk, he continued: "I gotta admit, I was... well, slightly baffled, to be contacted by Pym Technologies."
Hope smiled: "Our fathers have history, Mr. Stark, I'm not denying that. But I'm not my father, and I'm told you're not like your father either. I think you and I could cooperate in a way that would bring mutual benefits if we could leave the past behind us, wouldn't you agree?"
"Oh, absolutely," said Tony with a smile, "although I was led to believe you didn't wanna talk to me about Stark Industries or Pym Technologies?" he queried, going straight to the point.
Hope appreciated that in people: getting to the point without beating around the bush. She leaned back slightly in her chair: "I'm in possession of a piece of technology that you became familiar with during the clash of the Avengers in Leipzig."
Tony raised an eyebrow: "You mean that tiny-giant suit?"
Hope gave him a sly smile: "Indeed. Only mine is more advanced. Flight, for example, is an added ability."
Tony leaned back in his chair too: "Intriguing. Go on."
"Scott Lang is using the Ant Man suit to break international law. As CEO of Pym Technologies I cannot allow our intellectual property to be used for terrorism. I'm sure you understand."
Boy, he did: "I suppose this is where you ask me if you can join the Avengers."
Hope smiled again: "Yes, after we have established a couple of conditions."
Tony opened his arms: "I'm listening..."
"First of all, the Ant Man suit and the Wasp suit are, as I said, intellectual property of Hank Pym and Pym Technologies. That means they are completely off limits for everyone else." Hope said with a hint of warning in her voice.
Tony scoffed: "Ms. Van Dyne, I've spent a good part of my first year as a superhero keeping the Congress away from my armor. I know full well how it feels when they try to take away your toys. We have a deal on that. What's the other condition?"
She produced a photograph from her purse, a picture of two adults and a little girl: "Jim and Maggie Paxton with their daughter, Cassandra Lang," she said.
Tony nodded slowly, becoming serious: "Lang..." he repeated.
When Hope spoke again, there was disgust in her voice: "Scott Lang left behind a daughter and an ex-wife when he became a terrorist." she explained, "They are to be left alone. No one has to know about them, and should they be threatened, I want the Avengers' help."
Great. Another Laura Barton. What kind of people had Steve called on his team?
"We can guarantee their protection in case they need it" he assured.
Hope nodded, satisfied: "Can I join the Avengers, Mr. Stark?"
Tony smiled: "We'd be happy to have you, Ms. Van Dyne."
They shook hands and went over a few formalities before Hope left.
When she was out of the door, Friday spoke again: "Um... Boss, you have five missed calls..."
Tony frowned, checking his phone: "I don't see any missed calls..."
"That's because they are on that... other phone, Boss" she explained.
Oh.
If Steve was calling him, it was probably for Clint. They had probably heard of Ross at the farm.
Tony found that he didn't care: "Give the phone to Laura, Friday. Explain her what it is and tell her to do with it whatever she wants."
When Friday answered, she did so with an amused tone: "Aye aye, Boss."
Bucky stared out of the window at the ocean spreading for miles and miles under the jet.
He was not very sure he made the right choice.
After all, even if he was a super soldier, he was still missing an arm. That had significantly hindered his ability to fight. Not to mention the tiny little detail that he had done precisely zero steps forward in getting free of Hydra's conditioning.
But when Steve had told him he had to leave Wakanda, he couldn't just turn his back on him. He was his best friend, and even in this new century, Steve was too stupid to stay away from a fight. Only now it wasn't just a bully who would beat him up. Nor was it a bunch of Nazis who would simply shoot at him.
Now they were wanted fugitives. The enemy could be everywhere. In a coffee shop, looking at them from the corner of the eye while pretending to read the newspaper. On the streets, walking behind them and talking at the phone. Looking at them from the shadows, preparing to attack.
Steve wasn't ready for that, but Bucky had lived in those shadows. Steve would need him now more than ever.
And yet, while he looked at the immense ocean below him, he thought he would give anything to go back to his crappy apartment in Bucharest.
Laura twirled the black flip phone in her hands, trying to decide if she wanted to use it or smash it with a hammer.
She had loved Clint. They had three kids to prove it. And yet, now that she was miles away from their destroyed farm, she couldn't remember what made her fall for him.
They were supposed to go water skiing.
His old life was supposed to be over. He was supposed to hang his bow to the wall and finally think about his family. But one phone call from Steve Rogers had shattered that illusion, and Clint had disappeared once again.
She knew that it wouldn't be another phone call to get him back. Rogers would be the one to answer this phone, if she were to call. And even if Rogers then put Clint on the line, he would not come back; not if that meant leaving poor little Wanda Maximoff to fend for herself in the big, cruel world. And even if Clint did agree to come back, he was a terrorist now. He would have to face a trial that would probably land him in prison for God knew how many years. Cooper, Lila and even Nathaniel would be all grown up by then. Grown up without their father. Regardless of if she used this phone or not.
It wasn't worth it.
She had made her decision. She went to Tony's workshop and knocked on the door. He was there, apparently working on another armor: "Laura. Can I help you?" he asked.
She handed him the phone: "I'm not gonna use it. Take it back." she told him simply.
Tony looked at the phone, than at her: "I'm not gonna use it either."
"Then throw it away. I don't want it."
Tony hesitantly took the phone. As soon as it was out of her hand, Laura turned around and left.
Tony sighed. Why was he still keeping that thing around?
In the end, he took out the battery and the SIM card and threw everything in his vault, right next to Steve's- no, his father's shield.
"This is the conference room," Sharon said. She was showing Hope Van Dyne around the Compound: "every decision regarding the Avengers and the Accords gets discussed here."
When Fury and Hill had left after Natasha's rescue, and Sharon had decided to stay and work with Tony and the Avengers, she had wondered what Tony's motivations were for offering her not only a job, but also a place to live, even though she was paying him a small rent. She supposed that, with only four active Avengers, Tony was trying to get whatever help he could.
Sharon wasn't technically in the Avengers roster. For now at least, she was just field backup, only piloting the jet and intervening in case of emergency.
She might not be Black Widow, but twice already she had proven her worth: in Youngstown when they had rescued Natasha and at the Barton farm against Ross. Tony could recognize skills when he saw them.
Again, Spiderman had protested: if him and Sharon were both backup, why did she get to go on every mission and he didn't? Tony had managed to placate him pretty quickly, however, by 'officially promoting him as the team's technical support consultant'. Peter's protests had promptly died a quick and painless death.
Hope was actually impressed by the sheer size of the facility, considering that, counting her, there were only four active Avengers at the moment.
"As per your request, the private quarters Mr. Stark has assigned you in the Compound have been fitted with biometric locks that you will have to code yourself with the handprints and retinal scan of everyone you want to be authorized for access," Sharon continued, "the same goes for a section of the armory where you can store your gear. If you would follow me-"
"Sorry to interrupt," Friday said entering hastily the conference room. "we have a situation. A group of terrorists have a nuclear powerplant in Pennsylvania under siege. Seems like they are ready to blow it up." she finished.
"What do they want?" asked Hope, already mentally preparing for battle. "You're not gonna believe this," Rhodey sighed, coming into the room with Vision and Tony. He had finally gotten rid of the wheelchair, and he now walked using either Tony's braces or, like in this occasion, a pair of crutches: "They want full pardons for Captain America and his team. They say they can't trust the actual Avengers to protect the world 'cause we're tied by the Accords. They say only real heroes can get the job done, not those, and I quote, 'UN pussies'. Fucking Rogers just keeps being a pain in the rear even when he's not around anymore." he finished, shaking his head.
Friday spoke again: "The US Subcommittee has contacted us. I'll put General Sawyer on the screen" she said while they all sat down at the conference table.
Tony sat at the head of the table, Rhodey took the seat to his right, Friday to his left. Vision sat down next to Friday, while Hope and Sharon sat on Rhodey's side of the table.
Lieutenant General Daniel Keith Sawyer, a no-nonsense Army senior officer from North Carolina, had recently been appointed head of the Sokovia Accords US Subcommittee after the old one had left the place vacant to replace Ross in the main panel. His face appeared on the screen: "Mr. Stark. I imagine you heard the news" he greeted with a crossed expression.
Tony nodded once: "We did, General. Though we do not know the details."
The General resettled slightly on his chair: "Eighteen minutes ago, a group of armed terrorist has invaded the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station in Berwick, Pennsylvania. They killed two technicians and locked down the entire complex"
"Has anyone engaged yet?" asked Rhodey.
"No," Sawyer answered, "we have two Navy SEAL teams in position and on standby, but everyone's waiting fou you. This seems rather personal for the Avengers."
Tony scoffed: "Yeah, I got that impression too."
Sawyer leaned forward: "The United States of America do not negotiate with terrorists. You're authorized to eliminate the threat by any means necessary. These scumbags think the Avengers are ineffective because of the Accords. Show them how wrong they are." he ordered.
Tony's face twisted in a satisfied smirk: "With immense pleasure, General."
Sawyer nodded before ending the call.
"Well, that was easy" Hope commented, impressed by how quickly they had been granted permission to act.
"Yeah. Sorry to get you out in the field on your first day, Wasp," Tony addressed her, "but this is exactly the sort of mission where your shrinking abilities can come in handy. Gear up, people. We take off in five."
The Susquehanna Steam Electric Station was built right next to the Susquehanna river. Sharon landed the Quinjet on the shore, on the side of the river opposite to the plant, and cut the engines.
The place looked absolutely calm: the power plant was still functioning perfectly, white smoke emerging from its chimneys, but on the outside the facility was completely deserted.
"Okay, so how are we doing this?" Hope asked, clad in her black and yellow Wasp uniform, as they exited the jet. Tony immediately answered her: "There are thirty-seven hostages, according to the latest reports. You're gonna shrink down and look for them. Friday and I can help you with the infrared scanners, but if they're keeping them close to the reactors we won't be able to spot them; the nuclear cores produce too much heat. You think you can drop a man with those stingers?" he asked pointing at Hope's arm guards, which were crackling with electricity like Widow Bites.
Hope scoffed: "Is the Pope Catholic?" she retorted sarcastically.
"Good, then when you've found the hostages start taking down the terrorists." Tony concluded. He then turned to Vision: "You can phase through walls and are immune to radiations. I need you to examine the reactors and search for any explosives near the cores. If you find any, disarm them and remove them."
Vision nodded. Tony then addressed Sharon: "You coordinate with the SEALs. We need an extraction unit ready for the hostages in case we get too tangled up with these guys."
"Alright, I'm on it," she answered while Tony turned to Friday: "You and I are the diversion. We stay here on standby, and if Wasp or Vision get spotted before they can do their thing, we draw fire away from them and keep the hostiles busy while they remove prisoners and explosives."
"I'm ready," Friday answered.
"Alright, let's get to... wait" Tony interrupted himself.
He noticed a shadow drop from the sky towards the building and then disappear in the distance very quickly.
"What? What is it?" asked Hope.
Tony's helmet came up, and he scanned the point where he saw the movement with his infrareds. Sure enough, there seemed to be a scuffle there. He didn't even have time to open his mouth when two seconds later, the Falcon appeared in the sky, landing on top of the complex and firing at a terrorist that had just come out of a door on the roof.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Tony shouted.
Hope eyed him: "What did you see?" she asked again.
"Rogers is here," Tony said, "and he's barging in guns blazing."
"What!? Are you sure?" she demanded.
"We got Falcon on the roof" Tony confirmed. His helmet retracted and he pinched the bridge of his nose.
God damn it Rogers! You don't just charge in like a steamroller in a hostage situation! Especially inside a nuclear facility! It's one of the fucking basics! What the fuck is wrong with you?
Now that the terrorists knew they had been attacked, they could blow the plant or kill the hostages at any moment. They had to move.
"Alright, new plan," Tony said after muttering a couple of curses, "Carter, I want the SEALs ready to join the party. Vision, get the explosives. When you're done, deal with Maximoff. Van Dyne, first you take the hostages and then Lang. Friday, the rest of the terrorists plus Falcon and Hawkeye." he said through gritted teeth. Then his face darkened: "I'll take Barnes and Rogers."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Tony's helmet came back up: "Move out" he ordered.
Bucky was still adapting to the new arm.
After leaving Wakanda, they had had to gather new resources. Everybody except Wanda needed weapons, and he needed a new arm. Even Steve had been forced to admit that life had been easy before, with the financial and technological backing of Tony Stark. Now though, that bridge had been burned to the ground.
Because of me, Bucky thought.
Steve would never say it out loud, but Bucky just knew he had hoped T'Challa would step in and fill the tech void Stark had left. Pretty wishful thinking, considering how the Sokovia Accords should actually have been called the 'Wakanda Accords'.
Back at the time when Bucharest, Berlin, Leipzig and then Siberia had happened, Bucky had been completely out of the loop. He had heard these documents mentioned once or twice in the news, but nothing more. Once in Wakanda, however, Bucky had learned that the very country they were hiding in had been the first to propose a regulation system for the Avengers and other enhanced individuals, as far back as immediately after their stolen vibranium had been bought by Ultron.
However, Stark and the Avengers were not short on detractors. They had managed to find someone who was both rich enough and competent enough to provide them with tech and money under the table without being discovered.
This guy seemed to be a Captain America fan. He had built Steve a new uniform, with a gauntlet that created a magnetic field acting just like a shield. He couldn't throw it like the actual shield he had abandoned in Siberia, but it would have to do.
Then he had worked on Wilson and Barton's gear, and somehow he seemed to have mixed feelings about working on Stark-made tech: he spewed insolences left and right, saying how everything wrong with the world could be summarized in the word 'Stark', but even so he was forced to admit - begrudgingly - the technology was amazing. He could run ordinary maintenance, repair it - well, most of it - in case it sustained damage, but it was beyond his ability to improve.
And finally, of course, he had built Bucky a new arm. Bucky thought it was every bit as good as the old one, maybe even slightly better.
That didn't mean he liked it, though.
That arm was a symbol of what Hydra had done to him. That arm was the Winter Soldier's ultimate weapon. If he had to be completely honest, he was actually grateful to Stark for shooting it off.
But he couldn't fight one-armed, so here he was with a new one.
"Is everybody in position?"
Steve's voice brought him back to the here and now: "Winter Soldier in position," he whispered through his earpiece.
Everybody else followed: "Falcon in position"
"Hawkeye in position"
"Scarlet Witch in position"
"Oh- oh yeah, I'm here! Ant Man in position!"
"Alright, let's go," Steve ordered.
Bucky smashed the outside grate with his foot. It caved in at the first kick. He then crawled into the aircon exhaust vent. He had to be careful not to hit the vent walls too hard with his metal arm, or the noise might have alerted the terrorists of their presence.
When he emerged from the vent inside the building, he saw that it wasn't a problem.
There were three terrorists there. All were writhing on the ground, clutching their heads in their hands and screaming unintelligible words. Their eyes were glowing red and their weapons laid discarded on the floor, next to them. Two were foaming at the mouth, clearly having a seizure.
Maximoff's handiwork made him queasy. With all the brainwashing he had withstood over the years, this sight hit a bit too close to home for his taste. But now it wasn't the time to whine about it: they had a job to do.
Maybe it would have been appropriate to take the guns away from the hallucinating men so they didn't start shooting at their visions, but he had more pressing issues right now than to save a bunch of bad guys from themselves.
Down the next corridor, he met up with Steve and Wanda. Two seconds later, Lang un-shrinked out of a keyhole from a nearby door: "I haven't found any hostages yet. They must be on the other side of the plant" he reported.
"They are. One of the guys I took down told me they are keeping them in the canteen," confirmed Wanda, pleased with herself for her good work.
Steve nodded and looked in the direction of the offices: "Alright then. Bucky and I are going there, Wanda, you get to the reactors and get ready to contain the radiations in case they blow them up. Scott, you go with her, she can't fend off terrorists if she's busy containing the reactor's exhaust fumes."
"Copy that," said Lang full of enthusisam. Then, in a moment, they were on the move again.
They reached the canteen in no time. Steve kicked the door open, ready to fight...
But inside, there was no one.
Bullet holes dotted the walls and tables and chairs were toppled over, clear signs of a fight, but there was no blood or bodies.
"What the hell?" whispered Bucky. He looked around as if to find an answer that he knew wasn't there. Or rather, one that he already knew: "Steve, I think we crashed someone else's party..."
Judging from Steve's expression, he agreed with him. He touched his earpiece: "Falcon, Hawkeye, status..."
"No one outside on the north side of the compound, I'm going in right now," said Barton.
"There's a Special Ops unit on the south side, but it looks like they're retreating," reported Falcon, "They are escorting out several civilians and it looks like they even have some of the terrorists in custody... hang on, I'll try to get a closer look..."
A heavy silence fell on them for about two minutes as Wilson took to the skies again. Then his voice returned, this time panicked: "There's a Quinjet on the other side of the river! The Avengers are here!"
Bucky felt his heart leap in his throat and clog it up completely.
The Avengers...
He's here...
Steve's eyes bulged in surprise and fear: "Everyone, fall back! Meet at the rendezvous point! Now!"
They ran. They tore through the corridors back the way they came.
One last turn to the right, and they saw the exit. It was a secondary one, just wooden double doors leading to a parking lot.
"Almost there, Buck! We're gonna make it!" Steve encouraged.
He simply smiled in return: it was true. They had found no one so far. They were gonna make it.
But then, a familiar, high-pitched whine tore the silence.
Bucky knew that sound.
Sheer terror enveloped him completely, as his enhanced hearing made that sound even louder and more dreadful.
It was a sound he had grown to fear.
In the last months, it had become part of his nightmares, because it was the sound of one of his victims, maybe the most important one, coming back from the dead and seeking vengeance in the form of his son. A son the Winter Soldier had orphaned.
It was the sound of a repulsor charging up, ready to fire.
Iron Man.
The double doors exploded inwards, wooden splinters and wrecked steel flying towards them. Steve activated his magnetic shield and they both scrambled for cover while the debris showered them.
When they looked up, there he stood.
Steve was too stunned to move, speak or even breathe. It was just like Siberia, and yet completely different.
The Iron Man armor looked even more menacing than the last time. Dark gray was covering most of its plating, like a stain of hurt and betrayal.
Back in Siberia, Tony had stepped forward while removing his helmet. He had tried to reason, to help. He had come as an ally. A friend.
But now, while his helmet retracted, he didn't make a single move. He stood in the opening of the door like a stalwart sentinel, blocking their escape to freedom.
Then, when Steve saw his face, another deja-vu reared its ugly head: he was on the third and last Insight helicarrier when he met Bucky- no, the Winter Soldier. His expression back then was just like Tony's right now: detatched, cold, like a Great White Shark circling a wounded and helpless prey.
Tony's brown eyes shifted for a moment on Bucky, then came back on Steve. He tried to look for a crack in Tony's expression, a hint of their previous camaraderie, a minuscule flinch to show him not everything was lost, that their friendship could still be saved, That Tony still cared.
There wasn't any.
"Tony..." he tried.
"Rogers," was the polite, professional, hostile answer. Tony's voice was so cold, it felt like a thousand ice daggers being shoved into Steve's body.
"We don't want to cause any problems," Bucky spoke. Steve turned to him: he had his right hand - his human hand - held halfway up in a mostly aborted gesture of appeasement.
Steve noticed how the hand trembled slightly. He's scared too... oh God, Buck...
Instead, Tony's expression didn't waver in the slightest: "Bit late now, Soldat."
Bucky visibly flinched at the name. Steve turned back to Tony at his venomous answer. This was going downhill fast. He had to do something: "Tony, I... I'm sorry. For everything. I sent you a letter at the time, to try and apologize-"
"Oh, I got that letter. And that stupid phone."
What? "You... you did? But... I tried to call you-"
"And I didn't want to talk to you. As a matter of fact, I still don't. Can't always have it your way, I guess. The days when you could order me around like one of your minions are over, Captain."
Steve flinched at how Tony had just spat the last word: "It wasn't like that. It was never like that, and you know it. I just wanted to know about Laura, Clint's worried..."
"She's safe. So are the kids. No thanks to you, or him."
Steve decided not to pay attention to the last part of Tony's answer. He drew a deep breath: "Thank you, Tony. I appreciate what you did, really."
Tony scoffed: "Then why are we in this situation?"
Steve knew he was losing ground fast. He didn't want to fight Tony. He got lucky the first time, he wasn't sure he would get lucky again: "Tony, please, we just want to leave. It's not too late to-"
"It's been too late ever since you decided I didn't need to know Leftie here killed my parents, Rogers." Tony cut him off.
Steve's shoulders slouched. He had learned one thing or two from Natasha, like how to look as non-threatening as possible. Now was exactly the time to use that knowledge: "I'm sorry, Tony. I really am. If I can do anything, please, you just have to ask."
Tony's eyes narrowed: "Surrender" he said simply, and then, without even looking at Bucky, he added: "Turn him over."
That was it, and Steve knew it. All three of them knew it.
Steve slowly raised to his full height again: "You know I can't do that, Tony..."
Tony raised his chin: "Alright." was all he said before his helmet came up, enveloping his head again.
Steve and Bucky immediately attacked.
"Please! Please, stop! Stop! We're on your side!"
The terrorist convulsing at Wanda's feet had his head in his hands, screaming in pain and anguish as his mind, infected by Wanda's powers, rebeled against him.
"If you're on our side, why don't you want to tell me where you put the explosives?" she growled.
"I-I don't know... I told you, t-they were sup-supposed to be all here... please... i... it hurts... please stop... we are fi-fighting for you! For all of you! To... to have you all pardoned... please..."
Wanda's eyes narrowed and her face contorted in a twisted sneer: "I don't need anyone fighting for me! Least of all someone like you!"
With that, she intensified her hold on the poor guy's mind. He let out an animalistic scream, clawing at his head and thrashing against an invisible enemy. Scott, beside Wanda, took a step back in fear.
"Wanda!"
She completely froze at the sound of that voice, letting go of the terrorist's mind. He promptly passed out from exhaustion.
Turning around slowly, Wanda faced the owner of the voice: "Vision," she greeted in a small, hopeful tone.
"End this madness now, Wanda," the android said, commanding.
"I'm doing the right thing..." she defended herself.
Vision looked down at the tortured man still slightly trembling at Wanda's feet despite being unconscious.
'I can't control their fear, only my own'
He flinched at that memory, before looking back at her: "Torturing someone's mind is never the right thing, Wanda. You are imposing your will on others, and you're doing it without any scruples, pity or compassion. You are acting like a criminal."
"Dude, watch your mouth," Scott said, recovering some of his resolution, "we are looking for the explosives these nuts put around this place. It's the job you guys were supposed to do. Show a little respect."
Vision wasn't sure if this man was being serious: "I have already disarmed and removed all the explosives", he stated simply, "I have already done the job we were supposed to do, Mr. Lang."
Ant Man appeared awkward at Vision's answer, but Wanda narrowed her eyes: "Then why are you still here? Stark ordered you to take us in, didn't he? Why are you still following him like a pet? Don't you see he's putting us against each other?"
Vision's temper was starting to boil: "I have chosen my side, as you have. And on my side, we do not torture people to get what we want. That is what's putting us against each other. And I will not let you continue down this path."
Wanda's powers flared. Her eyes glowed red and her hands were enveloped in scarlet wisps: "You won't lock me up again, Vision. Step aside and let me go."
Vision's eyes narrowed too: "I can't. You must be stopped, Wanda."
She immediately fired her powers at him, aiming for the Mind Stone, thinking that way she could easily overpower him just like she did back in the Compound. But this time, she didn't succeed.
Vision parried her attack with a sort of energy barrier, while the Mind Stone glowed in his forehead: "The same trick won't work twice, Wanda," he warned.
As an answer, she intensified her powers even more. All the lightbulbs in the room frizzled and exploded, leaving the place only lit by Vision and Wanda's clashing powers.
Friday had engaged Falcon and Hawkeye. She was sure she could have taken Wilson down in a one on one fight without even trying too seriously, but that other pest Barton was continuously shooting EMP arrows at her, trying to disable or at least damage her armor.
While she was in the air, of course.
Evidently, these guys didn't care about hurting or even killing them. She was really tempted to stop holding back too, but she didn't want to lower herself to their level. Not if she could avoid it.
Clint and Sam had both heard of her, this 'Lady Iron' character, when they heard the news of the attack on Clint's farm: "Who the hell is this chick?" shouted Sam through his comm while he dodged a repulsor blast.
"Don't know. Probably the new War Machine, since we crippled the old one. Stark must have felt alone without his little sidekick" Clint sneered, shooting another arrow. This one was an explosive with a shrapnel head. It exploded very close to Lady Iron, and most of the shrapnel actually hit her and sent her on a spin.
Friday winced, resettling her stance mid-fall. What little damage the shrapnel had caused to her armor was only cosmetic, but once again she had been forced to break pursuit. She decided she had just about had it with that annoying bugger.
It was time to invert the order. She turned around to attack Clint instead of Sam.
Barton's face contorted in absolute fear as Lady Iron banked to the left and pointed straight towards him. He ran off his perch just as the girl flew over him, shooting a repulsor blast that left a big, blackened scorch mark right where Clint had been one second earlier. Now however, it was Sam who was disrupting her plans, attacking her to distract her from her new target.
Iron Man was similarly engaged with Rogers and Barnes. However, unlike back in Siberia, this time it was the two super soldiers who were struggling.
At their first attack, Tony had unexpectedly stepped aside, letting them get out in the open. Immediately, they realized this had been his plan all along.
In Siberia, they had fought in a closed space. Iron Man had been forced to fight hand to hand, unable to use his heavy weapons. But now that they were outdoors, he clearly had the upper hand.
And not only that: somehow, it didn't look like he was going all out. Steve had seen Tony fight no holds barred, and it definitely wasn't a pleasant experience to be on the wrong end of his weapons. But this wasn't that.
Tony was pulling his punches considerably. He was practically playing cat and mouse with them. Probably having fun too.
"Buck, we gotta draw him back inside! Out here we're just sitting ducks for him!" Steve whispered as they tried to take cover behind a minivan in the parking lot. Bucky simply nodded, and as the minivan was blown in two by a repulsor, they immediately ran back to the building. But Iron Man shot a tank missile right in front of them, causing an explosion that completely blocked their escape route and forced them back in the parking lot instead.
Yep, he was definitely having fun.
"Stop it, Wanda! We will damage the reactors if we continue like this!" Vision shouted. His warning, however, was completely ignored. Quite the opposite, in fact: Lang chose this very moment to grow to giant size, destroying the roof of the building with his mass.
Vision could not move from his position, having to counter Wanda's attack, and could only watch in horror as Giant Man swinged a kick against him.
It hit dead on target.
Vision was propelled more than two miles away, and momentarily knocked unconscious.
Giant Man literally growing out of the building had provided enough of a distraction for all of his compatriots to regroup and counterattack. Falcon managed to land a missile on Lady Iron. She crashed to the ground in the middle of the rubble very near to where Vision had been standing only moments earlier, but got back up almost immediately.
That was when she was attacked again.
She had just gotten on her feet and was about to target Falcon again, when all of a sudden she wasn't on the battlefield anymore.
She immediately recognized the place. The half destroyed bunker, the chilling cold, the snow falling outside.
Siberia.
Her raised hand wasn't pointing at Falcon anymore. It was pointing at the Boss, slouched on the ground, his armor destroyed, blood all over his face.
More blood was also seeping out of the gash on the chest plate. It was staining Captain America's shield, laying next to him. It was all over the floor and walls. There was blood everywhere.
No... NO!
She made to run towards the Boss, but then her computers kicked in.
This is the Witch's doing.
It's not real.
Friday had a hive mind. Scarlet Witch could get in her brain, but not in her program. She closed her eyes and used all of her processing power to clear her head. When she opened them again, she was back.
She turned around with an arm raised, swinging a backhand trying to hit without looking. She got lucky.
Wanda was struck and fell down on the ground. She looked up at Friday, holding her hurt cheek, abject horror in her eyes: "How? How did you break free!?" she yelled.
"Don't you know some people can resist hypnosis?" Friday sneered. She was about to attack Wanda, but Giant Man had turned his attention on her. Friday was forced to take off before he could land a kick like he had with Vision.
A few seconds later, Lang was finally countered.
Wasp grew to giant size out of nowhere, punching him right in the stomach. Scott hunched forward in pain, and Hope kneed him in the face. It was like watching a skyscraper fall.
Scott jerked back, falling flat on his back all the way through the river, with his head resting on the opposite shore. Hope viciously stepped on his chest: "Sorry I'm late, guys. I was helping Sharon and the SEALs with evac," she said. Then she turned to Scott: "That suit is not yours, you little shit! Take it off!" she seethed, raising her foot and stomping down on his chest again.
She was still pressing down on him when Wanda picked her up with her powers. She tried to throw her in the distance, using all of her power, lips pulled back from her teeth in a strained grimace. But no matter how powerful she was, she couldn't hurl all that mass.
She managed to make Hope lose balance, losing her hold on the Wasp just as she fell backwards like Scott had moments earlier.
Tony was still busy with his two targets. He shot a repulsor blast at a car Barnes was hiding behind. The car was blown eighty feet away, taking the Soldier with it. Bucky was left reeling, disoriented and superfically hurt from the explosion and subsequent rough landing. Steve got back on the offensive, but Tony blocked him and punched him in the chest.
All the air was blown out of Steve's lungs, and in a moment the super soldies was on his knees. He was sure Tony had cracked his sternum.
"For the future, that should teach you to leave the reactor alone."
Steve didn't look up as Tony said that, He only managed to get partly upright as Iron Man charged a repulsor, ready to deliver the final blow: "You might want to desist now if you don't wanna leave this place in a plastic bag, Rogers" Tony seethed. Steve's magnetic shield was damaged, he could not defend himself. He couldn't even catch his breath, and even if he was fairly sure his sternum was only cracked and not completely broken, the pain in his chest was excruciating.
Tony had won.
But the tables were about to turn again.
With Wasp momentarily down and Vision still out of position, everybody concentrated their attacks on Friday: first Wanda caught her with her powers and held her still mid air, then Sam hit her with two explosives sending her crashing right against the Avengers Quinjet.
Vision was just returning on site when Clint nocked an explosive arrow and aimed it at the wreckage. He immediately realized Hawkeye's intentions, and he realized something terrible was about to happen: the explosives that he had removed from the nuclear reactors, were stashed inside the now wrecked jet.
"Clint, no!" he shouted. But it was already too late.
Clint released the string and the arrow struck.
The explosion was spectacular. An enormous ball of flames erupted from the destroyed jet, turning almost immediately in an ominous, black mushroom cloud.
Tony turned in that direction and felt his heart skip a beat: "Fri... no... NOOO!" he screamed, immediately taking off towards the fiery inferno.
Steve didn't know what had just happened, but he took the opportunity: "Everyone, disengage and retreat! Now!" he barked through his comm, his voice pained by the blows Iron Man had inflicted him.
All of his team immediately complied. Scott shrunk back to small size and left the battlefield unnoticed. Wanda and Clint simply ran away, while Sam touched down next to Steve and Bucky to carry them to safety.
Tony didn't even try to stop them. He couldn't care less.
Steve and his team had escaped and Hope could be hurt and Lang or Maximoff could have damaged one of the facility's reactors and Friday's hurt Friday's hurt Friday's hurt please no...
He and Vision both threw themselves through the flames with no hesitation. They found her almost immediately.
Friday was sprawled in the middle of the wreckage, half buried under a piece of bent and twisted metal that was once part of the Quinjet's fuselage. Oh God, no... no no no...
Tony took her in his arms and got out of the fire, gently laying her down on the grass. Her armor was dented in various places, the paint singed and blackened by the flames.
He immediately ripped the faceplate off her helmet while Hope, now back to her normal size, joined them. Friday was unconscious. Unresponsive. Tony was scared out of his mind, fearing the worst: "Fri? Baby girl, please, answer me..." he breathed in a broken voice.
To his immense relief, after a few endless seconds her brow furrowed before her entire face contorted in a pained grimace: "Ouch..." she whined.
Vision felt the need to reassure him: "She is mildly concussed, but I do not detect any serious injury, Mr. Stark."
Tony closed his eyes and exhaled a long breath, collapsing supine on the ground. He stayed there, breathing heavily with his eyes closed, trying to slowly calm himself down.
She's okay...
Thank God, she's okay...
However, he found that, while the gut-clenching fear for Friday was slowly fading, it was being gradually replaced by tremendous, unyelding rage.
When he opened his eyes again, they were glowing with Extremis: "Bastards..." he growled.
You're gonna pay for this.
"Ack!" Steve winced. Sam was trying to slowly dress a wound on his shoulder, operation made more difficult and painful because of Steve's cracked sternum: every movement of his pectoral muscles, no matter how minute, caused him to jump in pain, which in turn caused his muscles to contract more, making it even worse.
"Sorry," Sam muttered apologetically.
Steve didn't answer. Nobody really wanted to talk, after what had just happened. First mission back, and it had been against the Avengers.
Scott had had to fight Hope. He had thought she would be on his side, after all Hank hated Stark's guts, and he thought him and Hope were actually building something... instead, the first thing she had done after he'd left was up and join the Avengers. How could she do that to him? To her father?
She had told him the suit wasn't his, while kicking his ass like she had done many times during their training. Well, he had great respect for Hope, but she was wrong. Hank had given him the suit. She couldn't take it away from him.
Wanda was nursing her cheek, where the mysterious girl had hit her, thinking of Vision. He had the Mind Stone in his head! How could he not see Stark was the one responsible for everything that had happened? He had hurt Steve! Cracked his sternum! What could have happened if he had broken it completely instead of just cracking it? Steve could have died!
Thankfully, Clint was there, offering his support. He sat on the couch next to her and put an arm around her shoulders, rubbing her own arm to try and calm her. At least, she still had him.
And Vision would eventually see reason. She was sure of that. If not, she could probably make him, using her powers. She wouldn't like to do it, but she was sure she could. She had defeated him once already, back when she had escaped. She wouldn't like to hurt him or invade his mind, but if she was forced to, she would.
In the end, Bucky was the one who decided that the silence needed to be broken: "Did you see it too?"
"What are you talking about?" Clint asked from where he was sitting.
It wasn't Bucky who answered him, but Steve: "Iron Man," he said simply.
"Yeah. New paintjob, I noticed. Liked the old one better. Maybe the gray is a tribute to War Machine," Scott joked.
Clint scoffed: "if I were Rhodes, I would deck him for even thinking about it. It's Stark's fault he got injured, and now he thinks a 'tribute' is going to magically make things better? That's just disgusting," he said while Wanda nodded in agreement.
"It's not about his looks," Steve stopped him, "He's stepped up his game. He's stronger. Faster. Buck and I fought him two on one and he batted us around like mosquitoes. By the end, he wasn't even winded. And not only that... I think he was not even fighting seriously. I've seen him go all out, and this wasn't that. He was just toying with us."
"Yeah," Bucky agreed, "He's in a completely different league than he was in Siberia. And it can't be just because he's calmed down after the trauma and he's not in the heat of the moment anymore... Whatever he did to that armor, it's some serious upgrade..."
"Wait... He's calmed down after the trauma? What are you talking about? What trauma?" Sam wanted to know.
Bucky furrowed his brow in confusion: "You... you didn't tell them?" he asked Steve.
The blond just lowered his gaze.
Bucky looked increduolus for a moment. Then he let out a tired breath and raked his human hand through his hair: "Dammit, Stevie, you not telling things to your teammates is what caused Stark to flip in Siberia in the first place!"
"I know, okay!?" Steve retorted hotly, then winced again from the pain in his injured chest, "I just... I didn't want to think about it. It's... Stark isn't the only one who's been traumatized by that video!"
"Okay, cut it off," Sam interjected, about to lose his patience, "us common folks don't know anything about what happened in Siberia. Now you two are having this cryptic conversation about videos and Stark being traumatized and we're completely out of the loop. Wanna share with the rest of the class, please?"
"Tell them," Bucky ordered immediately.
"Bucky-"
"No, Steve. No more excuses. You didn't tell them anything and you let them draw their own, biased conclusions. If you don't tell them, I will. We owe Stark that much."
There was a very long moment of silence before Steve finally relented. He took a deep breath to try and center himself before he started speaking: "Tony caught up with Bucky and I immediately after we arrived at the bunker in Siberia. He had come there to help. The three of us, we reached the room where the other Winter Soldiers were being held. Zemo... he had killed them all, long before we got there, each with a bullet to the head."
"Wait, wait, hold up," Sam stopped him, "so these other Winter Soldiers were never a threat to begin with?"
"There was no way for us to know, Wilson," Clint defended, "Steve made the best decisions he could with the informations he had at the time."
If only you knew, thought Steve.
"But it doesn't make sense! If this Zemo person didn't want to use the soldiers, why did he go through all that trouble to find this random base in Siberia? And why the fuck did Stark attack you two?" Scott whined.
"We played in Zemo's hands all along," Steve resumed, "he knew that in that base, there was video footage of one of the Winter Soldier's missions... specifically a hit, back in 1991. All he ever wanted was me, Bucky and Tony right there, in the same room, while he played that video..."
He couldn't continue. Everyone was waiting for him to go on, but he just couldn't.
Eventually, it was Bucky who mustered up the courage first: "It was a video of me, killing..." he exhaled a deep breath, "killing Stark's parents."
Absolute silence fell in the room. Clint broke it first, stuttering like a moron: "but it- that's not- it was an accident, wasn't it? Didn't Stark's parents die in a car crash?"
"That's what Hydra wanted the world to believe," Bucky sighed.
"That's..." Wanda didn't finish the sentence. She didn't really know how to. She didn't even know how she should feel. There was something so deliciously poetic about Stark having to watch a video of his parents being killed, while he was completely powerless to save them... it was Karma at its best. But she had watched her own parents die; she knew better than anyone how much it hurt. She didn't wish that on anyone. Not even Stark.
"That's fucked up..." Sam completed Wanda's thought: "Christ, no wonder he attacked you..."
"He didn't" Steve breathed in a barely audible voice. He could have avoided telling them this last part, possibly the most disgusting part, but if there was a moment to come clean, it was this one. He couldn't stand keeping it for himself any longer.
They all turned their attention back to him. He didn't look anyone in the eye when he finally talked: "I mean, he moved to attack Bucky, but I caught his arm and he stopped. And then... then he turned to face me. Asked me if I knew the truth."
"And did you?" Sam asked. Steve didn't speak, hunching down on himself even more.
"Steve, did you?" Sam insisted.
"I did."
Sam got up as if he had been burned and started pacing: "Fuck..." he cursed under his breath. After a few moments, he turned to Steve again: "How long?" he inquired.
Steve couldn't get any smaller: "Two and a half years. Since the fall of SHIELD." Both Bucky and Sam appeared shocked.
Wanda, Clint and Scott looked down, all with a similar, solemn expression on their faces.
Sam had to take a few deep breaths to calm down: "Alright, I believe it's time for the obvious question then: why - the fuck - didn't you tell him!?"
"I... I told myself it would do no good to stir up painful memories." Steve answered.
It wasn't the only reason. It wasn't even the main reason, but Steve was simply too ashamed to tell them everything.
Besides, Sam was already angry enough as it was: "Oh yeah, and that worked out dandy, didn't it, Cap? For God's sake, all this time we thought Stark had randomly attacked you two for no reason whatsoever!"
"It wasn't Bucky's fault! He was brainwashed, he didn't have a choice! Tony was wrong to attack him!" Steve immediately retorted.
"He was wrong to attack me?" Bucky asked, "Steve, he had just watched me kill his parents! With my bare hands! What was he supposed to do, offer me a drink!?"
"Dammit Bucky, that wasn't you! You didn't do it! It was the Winter Soldier!"
"I AM the Winter Soldier!" Bucky yelled, shutting him up: "You live under this ridiculous delusion that I'm nothing more than Sargeant James Buchanan Barnes, 107th Infantry! Well I'm not! I've been the Winter Soldier a lot longer than I've been Bucky Barnes! And refusing to acknowledge that is nothing but an insult, to me and all of my victims! Especially Howard!" he raged.
Everyone was stunned into silence. Bucky just shook his head and left the room, slamming the door on the way out.
"He's right, you know," Sam said. Steve turned to him to protest, but Sam continued: "about Stark attacking him."
"No, he isn't. It's Stark's fault." Clint countered.
Sam was stunned by the rebuttal. He couldn't believe he actually just heard that: "What? How is that Stark's fault!?" he asked hotly.
"I'm sure if Steve had told him, he would have hunted Barnes down. Steve made the right choice," the archer answered evenly.
Scott was quick to agree: "He's right. Stark's reaction in Siberia proves it."
At this point Sam's exhasperation was bordering on hysteria: "What the hell is wrong with you two!? He just saw a video of his parents being murdered by a man standing in the same room with him! How exactly do you think he should have reacted?"
Wanda answered the question in Scott's stead: "He should have seen Sargeant Barnes was only the weapon, not the assassin."
This time Sam was left absolutely speechless. He couldn't even begin to formulate an answer for Wanda's statement.
She went on: "Look, Sam, I know better than anyone here how it feels to watch your parents die. But Stark should have understood that the responsibility for the death of his parents lies only on the person who gave the order, not on the weapon used to commit the crime." she stated. Clint and Scott nodded in agreement.
Steve felt so heartened by their support. Wanda continued: "instead he just threw a tantrum, like a child. He attacked both Sargeant Barnes and Steve, who had absolutely nothing to do with any of it. And now he's got this new aide, that girl..."
Sam really wanted to protest, but the conversation had already changed topic: "The armored chick? What about her?" Clint asked.
"I'm not sure," answered Wanda, "I tried to get in her head. Everything was normal at first, but then... I don't understand. At some point, her thoughts started to feel different... artificial... I don't know how, but she managed to break free of my powers. It's never happened before..."
"Great. She must be enhanced, somehow," Clint pondered, "or maybe she's another one of Stark's robots. Didn't he learn anything from Ultron?"
Tony was scraped raw.
He had just concluded two of the most stressing video conference calls of his life. The first was with the Accords Committee, which was - predictably - beyond furious.
The Avengers had done their job at incapacitating the terrorists and evacuating the hostages, but Steve's crew had caused fourteen million dollars of public property damage. It had been only out of dumb luck that Giant Man growing out of the power plant and fighting so close to it hadn't damaged the reactors of the facility.
The Committee was very tempted to just pinpoint Steve & co.'s location and send a squadron of jet fighters to blow them up. Tony had almost had to get down on his hands and knees to convince them to let the Avengers bring them in. Frankly, he didn't even know why he bothered. Maybe for old times' sake. The old times when he used to call Steve a friend.
Or maybe, more probably, he actually believed what he told the Committee: the Avengers were their best shot at stopping Rogers with the least collateral damage possible. Yes, they could bomb Steve's ass back to the Stone Ages if they wanted to, but what if they were hiding in a highly populated area? Yes, they could send a sniper to shoot them in the heads, but how could they be sure said sniper wasn't going to be spotted first and then mind-fucked by Wanda to go on a rampage against civilians?
Instead, the Avengers knew how Steve's crew operated. They had people who could counter the specific abilities of each of the fugitives.
In the end, the Committee had relented, granting him more time. But he knew said time wasn't unlimited.
The second phone call had been to Pepper.
She was in D.C. when he called. She immediately dropped everything she was doing and made a beeline for the airport. Tony almost dreaded the moment when she would land at the Compound. She could be way scarier than the Hulk when she was angry. And when he had talked to her at the phone, telling her their kid had been hurt, well. Her anger put that of the Committee to shame. Thankfully, it wasn't directed at him.
Tony was now outside the infirmary, looking through the window at Friday's sleeping form.
Back when she had first emerged from the Cradle, he had felt blessed. As if she was a gift from that God he didn't believe in. Now, Barton, Wilson and Maximoff had almost taken her away from him.
He clenched his fists at his side. Were they really at the point where he had to defend his own daughter from Steve and his team?
Wait... What did I call her? My-
He was distracted from those thoughts when he heard Peter approach: he was running down the corridors towards him. As he reached his side, he stopped and looked up to him with a worried look:
"I came as soon as I heard," he said breathlessly, "How is she?"
Tony gave him a half smile: "She's had her feathers ruffled, nothing serious. The armor protected her and took the full blow. She has a mild concussion and a few scrapes and bruises. Come tomorrow, and her Extremis will have her good as new."
Peter could see through Tony's mask. He was trying to downplay it, but his hands were still minutely shaking with rage and residual fear. Tony was unraveling at the seams.
Peter nodded and his shoulder relaxed slightly: "Good. That's good." he said placatingly before rubbing the back of his neck: "And... how are you?"
Tony looked at him for a moment before shaking his head and turning back to Friday: "It's just never enough." he said.
"What's never enough?" asked Peter, confused.
"They never stop. First, Maximoff threw Vision at the bottom of the Compound. Then they fought us until Rhodes got hurt. Then Rogers and his boyfriend left me to die in Siberia. And now they put my- my daughter into the infirmary."
This time he said it out loud. He couldn't deny it anymore.
Yes, daughter! Daughter daughter daughter! That's what she is: my daughter! It's time to stop pretending she isn't!
And they hurt her.
"They never stop," he repeated, his eyes Extremis orange with barely contained rage.
Peter lowered his head: "I'm so sorry, Mr. Stark..."
Tony calmed down slightly at Peter's words. He smiled at him: "Thanks, kid. I'm so happy to have you on my side," he said.
He looked at Friday one more time: "I've gotta go to work," he sighed after a long pause, hesitantly turning around and leaving.
Peter watched him go, before looking inside the infirmary himself. He decided to go in.
Friday was asleep on her side, her brow lightly furrowed. Peter didn't know if it was because of the pain of her injuries or if she was dreaming.
He took a seat next to her bed: "Hey," he whispered in greeting.
For a few minutes he just looked at her. He felt like a bit of a creep, but he didn't really know what to say.
Then he took a deep breath: "You scared me, you know? You're my friend, I don't like the idea of you getting hurt..."
"Oh, believe me, I didn't like it either." Friday's voice, coming from the speakers, startled him enough to almost jump out of his chair: "Wha- Friday?" he called.
"Nope. Jocasta." she answered flatly, in typical Stark-snark fashion. "Of course it's me!"
"I thought you were sleeping!" Peter exclaimed, looking down at her.
"I am. My body is sleeping, so lower your voice or you're gonna wake me up. My program, though? That never sleeps..."
Peter was absolutely flabbergasted: "Wow. That's... Wow..."
"Creepy?" Friday asked.
"Well... a bit, yes. But in a totally badass way! You're incredible!"
"Aww, thanks. I'd be flushing if I were awake," she answered.
Peter looked at her face again, this time with an analytical stare: "Well, you kinda are..."
Friday hesitated for a long moment before answering: "No, I'm not," she said resolutely.
"Oh, you most definitely are."
"I most definitely am not."
"Are too."
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"I refuse to continue this discussion with you, Mr. Parker."
Peter laughed. Then he looked down at her again: "Alright, alright. But seriously, get well soon, Friday."
"Thank you. I will." she answered.
Peter smiled at her and got up to leave. He was almost at the door when he turned around: "By the way, how long have you been waiting to pull that sleeper-speaker trick on someone?"
"... A while," Friday answered with fake innocence.
Clint found Steve by the window. Their hideout was safe for now, but they would have to move out in a few hours. There was no telling when Stark would would find them. Damned traitor.
"Cap," he called. Steve turned to him.
"I forgot to ask you earlier, we've all been in a bit of a hurry," he smiled, before going serious: "Did Stark say anything about my family?"
"Yes, actually. He said they're safe... We didn't really stop to discuss the details, though. Sorry, Clint." Steve answered.
The archer nodded: "Do you believe him?" he asked then.
On this, Steve had no doubt: "I do." he said, fully meaning it.
Clint turned to look out of the window: "I don't."