So, a lot shorter than my last few chapters, but the Siberia fight deserves its own chapter IMO. For now, I hope you guys enjoy this.
Green Hal37: Yes, he probably is No kidding on Thor.
Panther-10: There will be a sequel covering the changes once they get through the viewing and return to the present.
Guest: You're right, that was a typing error I didn't catch. It has been fixed, thank you for pointing it out to me.
The mood in the room was solemn as the recording continued. Each of them was handling the events of the recording as best as they could.
In the lab, Fitz looked over at Barton.
"Should we have a break after this? It's probably a lot for them to deal with," Fitz pointed out and Barton nodded.
"Yeah, they'll probably need some time to process this," Barton muttered before tapping the Comms piece in his ear. "Strange, it's time."
In a bar in Russia, Zemo was on the phone, talking to the maid from his hotel in Berlin. He requests his breakfast be brought up to his room.
"What is he up to now?" Rhodey asked with narrowed eyes.
"Nothing good," Sam muttered.
The maid knocks on the door to his room before opening it. She walks in, carrying his tray, confused upon finding no one there. She puts it down and, to her horror, finds a body in the shower.
"Shit," Tony said as everyone was stunned.
"I thought he liked the maid," Clint muttered.
"Apparently not," Natasha muttered.
Peter shivered at the brutality and ruthlessness of Zemo, remembering Uncle Ben's death.
In a Quinjet, Bucky asks Steve what will happen to the others. Steve sighs, worried about them but promises he'll deal with whatever happens. Bucky expresses doubt that he's worth 'all this'.
"Except it's not about Barnes, it's about stopping Zemo," Scott pointed out.
"Guilt can make it difficult to see beyond yourself to the situation," Thor noted as Steve sighed, knowing Bucky would be dealing with a lot of guilt for all his years as The Winter Soldier.
Steve points out Bucky didn't have a choice when he was The Winter Soldier but Bucky points out that, lack of choice or not, he still did all those things.
Steve grimaced as Clint felt a kinship with Bucky in that moment. If anyone understood what it was like to feel guilt over things you did while having no control, to take lives even, it was Clint.1
The door to the room suddenly opened and everyone looked over to see Strange enter the room.
"It was decided that it would be best if I joined you for the remainder of this recording, for everyone's safety," Strange said, his eyes going from Clint to Steve to Tony. "I know what you've seen so far has been difficult for some of you. But what you're about to see…you'll see betrayal and anger like you've never seen. Prepare yourselves."
Strange then leaned against the wall as everyone glanced at each other, silently wondering what could be worse that what they had seen already.
At a hospital, Rhodey is getting an X-Ray as Tony and Vision watch.
Sam and Tony winced while Vision felt guilt hit him, realizing, for the first time perhaps, what his actions had done.
"Hey, I'm okay, right?" Rhodey said, seeing the looks on their faces. "This hasn't happened yet, so don't feel guilty, any of you."
Tony demands to know what happened and Vision admits he became distracted.
"So you became distracted and your first instinct was to send a blast powerful enough to kill me?" Sam muttered as he glanced over at Vision.
"I apologize. I am inexperienced in the way of battle. I made a miscalculation," Vision said.
"You didn't make a miscalculation, you made a choice that it was worth using a blast power enough to destroy an Arc Reactor on Sam," Rhodey pointed out as they all eyed Vision, this knowledge making them all see with new eyes, and not in a good way.
"That's enough," Steve said and they looked over at him. "We table this for now and keep watching. But Vision, we will have a lengthy conversation about this. It might get loud."
"And I owe you that Captain," Vision acknowledged as the recording continued.
Tony walks down the hall and sees Natasha.
"Something tells me I'm not going to take you letting Cap go well," Tony noted as he saw the look on his on screen self's face.
"And I would have known that when I did it," Natasha said evenly as Steve looked guilty. "I knew my consequences Steve. I made a choice and I don't regret it. If presented with the same choice now, I'd do it again in a heartbeat."
Later, at the Compound, Tony gives Natasha Rhodey's status, saying its likely he will suffer from some sort of paralysis.
Rhodey swallowed the lump in his throat, this being a bitter pile for him to swallow. As he saw the others grim faces, he smiled weakly.
"138. I38 combat missions. That's how many I've flown. Every one of them could have been my last, but I flew them. Because the fight needed to be fought. It's the job; it's the risk we all take. And this hasn't changed my mind about being an Avenger," Rhodey told them and it was silent in the room.
"Very admirable Colonel," T'Challa acknowledged, causing Rhodey to smile weakly.
"Thank you you're highness," Rhodey said humbly.
Natasha points out Steve isn't going to stop, telling Tony he needs to in order to prevent another Rhodey. Tony angrily says that she let them go and Natasha says they 'played this wrong'. Feeling betrayed; Tony makes a crack about Natasha being a double agent, hurting Natasha.
Tony winced in guilt as Natasha, for one brief moment, allowed the hurt she felt to show before her face hardened and her eyes showed no emotion. Tony squirmed as Clint shot Tony a look.
"Well, if that's what you think of me, maybe we were never really friends Tony," Natasha said in a clipped voice as Tony winced.
Natasha incredulously asked if Tony was incapable of seeing beyond his ego for one second.
"You're the one who said I was 'textbook narcissism'," Tony tried for a joke but it just fell flat.
Tony warns her T'Challa told Ross she let Steve go, so they'll be coming for her now.
"I am sorry Ms. Romanoff," T'Challa apologized remorsefully but she waved him off.
"If it hadn't been you, Ross would have found out another way. Don't blame yourself you're highness," Natasha assured him.
Natasha warns Tony he'll need to watch his back before walking off.
Tony winced, knowing she was right. Working with Ross, what was he thinking, Tony scolded himself.
After Natasha is gone, Tony's watch beeps and he activates it, a holographic photo of a corpse appearing. Tony asks about it and FRIDAY explains it's from Berlin police.
"That's what he was up to, he wanted you to know," Sam realized.
"But why would he expose himself?" Thor wondered. "It makes no sense."
"It's all part of the plan," Strange said ominously but did not offer anything else.
Later, Tony is flying in a chopper as FRIDAY explains to him that the psychiatrist who was supposed to examine Bucky, Theo Broussard, was met at the airport by Zemo. Tony asks if she ran facial recognition, which causes FRIDAY to make a sarcastic comment and Tony admits he's thinking of a red head when he talks to her.
"Wow, she's as snarky as JARVIS," Rhodey noted and Tony chuckled,
"Mr. Stark programed us that way," Vision noted and Tony shrugged.
"I like to give you guys a little personality," Tony admitted. "It's boring just having the same thing said over and over again."
FRIDAY identifies Zemo as Helmut Zemo, former leader of Echo Scorpion, a Sokovian covert kill squad.
"Finally, a name," Steve muttered.
"I don't suppose you know anything about Echo Scorpion?" Clint asked, looking over at Wanda and she frowned.
"List might have motioned it once or twice in a conversation Pietro and I overheard while he was doing his experiments on us but we were told to only speak when spoken to, so we never asked," Wanda said, a grim look on her face as she remembered the experiments.
FRIDAY also reveals the real Theo Broussard was found dead in a Berlin hotel, along with a wig and facial prosthesis that would give someone the appearance of James Buchanan Barnes. Dismayed, Tony orders FRIDAY to send all of it to Ross as he realizes Steve was right.
"It still makes no sense," Clint muttered. "Why make the call? Zemo knew it would blow the lid off his entire operation. So why do it?"
The only one who had an answer was Strange, who grimaced as they all turned to him.
"Somethings…are best left unsaid," Strange said ominously.
In Siberia, Zemo arrives at the Hydra facility in a snow plower. Getting out, he walks up to the front door, where he uses a tool to cut away the ice on the panel and opens it. Punching in the code, he opens the door and enters as he turns on a flashlight.
"Shit, we're too late," Scott said as they all paled.
"You have no idea," Strange said, confusing them even more.
Entering a filing room, Zemo finds a drawer for December 1991 and opens it before walking up to a higher level, where he finds the five Winter Soldiers in cryo sleep.
"Shit," Tony summed up what they were all feeling.
Tony is in his chopper, getting clearance to land as The Raft rises out of the ocean.
"What the hell is that?" Thor asked as they stared at the screen in confusion
"That is The Raft, Ross' prison for enhanced/powered individuals or really anyone who breaks The Accords," Strange said grimly.
"The guy has his own prison for people who break The Accords? This can't be legal," Sam said horrified.
"I will make it legal," Pewter joked weakly and they all turned to stare at him. "Sorry, trying to lighten the mood."
In the Lab, Barton gripped his hands tightly as he stared at the prison, Fitz looking at him in concern. He remembered the place well, the guards goading him, Ross interrogating him about his family, listening to Wanda being shocked by the sadistic guards for so much as breathing wrong.
"You okay?" Fitz asked gently.
"No," Barton said shortly as he glared at the screen and Fitz didn't press him.
Tony lands the chopper and meets Ross as gets out. Tony wants to use the satellites to find Zemo but Ross is no longer listening to him and has half a mind to put him in one of the cells in The Raft.
"And of course Secretary Jackass doesn't care about Zemo. Why would he when he's got all the power," Clint sneered as he glared at the screen.
Tony gulped as he stared, realizing, perhaps for the first time, the depths of the truly messy situation his on screen self had gotten into by aligning himself with Ross.
As Tony is led by Ross into the prison, they enter the security room. Tony pauses as he sees footage of Wanda in a cell, in a strait jacket, a collar around her neck with a look in her eye that said she was far from alright.
Wanda flinched at the sight, having another flashback to Strucker and List's experiments. Clint wrapped an arm around her as the other Avengers looked over at her in concern.
"Don't worry kid, we won't let him put you in there," Clint assured her.
"You cannot stop him," Wanda muttered.
"Watch me," Clint said with a smirk that made Wanda feel a little better, if only for a moment.
Tony moves on, entering a room with cells, Clint, Sam, and Scott each occupying one. Seeing him enter, Clint sarcastically claps, calling Tony 'the Futurist', deciding he knows best for everyone else.
Tony flinched but no one said anything, either because they didn't know what to say or because they thought they'd say something they'd regret later.
Strange readied himself, knowing what was about to happen next. And he was not looking forward to it.
Tony walks up to Clint's cell, claiming he didn't know they'd be put here but Clint angrily points out he knew they'd be put somewhere.
Tony avoided looking at Clint, Wanda, Scott, and Sam, knowing that was true. Seeing the remorse on his face, none of them had the heart to criticize him.
Tony argues he didn't know they'd be put here, saying it was a place for maniacs but trails off before he can finish. Clint finishes for him, knowing he was about to say criminals. Clint points out that 'criminals' didn't used to mean him, Sam, or Wanda but that was where they were now.
It was silent in the room, the atmosphere suffocating for them all. The situation was hitting them all hard, what Zemo and Ross and The UN was doing to them, what they were doing to each other…and according to Strange, they hadn't even seen the worst of it yet.
Tony gets defensive, saying that Clint broke the law. Clint, done with the conversation, turns around, saying 'la la la' to block out Tony's voice as Tony accuses Clint of not thinking of his wife and kids before choosing 'the wrong side'.
Strange sprang into action, conjuring two red ropes of energy and wrapping them around Clint as he jumped from his seat and attempted to lung for the stunned Tony.
"I trusted you!" Clint roared, snarling in rage as he glared at Tony, attempting to fight his way out of the energy ropes and get to Tony. "I brought you into my home and shared the one thing I worked my fucking ass off to keep secret! You just put my family in Ross' crosshairs you son of a bitch!"2
Tony was stunned as the implications of what he had done sunk in. He didn't need to look up to picture everyone's expressions. Steve would be shocked and look at Tony with disappointment. Natasha would shoot him a murderous glare, as he knew that the Bartons considered her part of their family and she them. Thor, likewise, would be enraged at this betrayal. Rhodey, like Tony himself, would be shocked at Tony's actions. Wanda would simply glare at her, her eyes flashing red as she resisted the urge to show him exactly what she thought of this betrayal.
"I'm sorry," Tony said his voice little more than a whisper.
"You're sorry. My family is in the crosshairs of a psychopath and you're sorry! Let me go you damn Wizard!" Clint snarled as he whirled on Strange.
"Not until you calm down," Strange said calmly. "I understand your anger, but you will need Tony for what's to come. We brought you here so you don't repeat the same mistakes. Calm down Mr. Barton."
"I'm sorry," Tony repeated, looking at Clint with remorse on his face. "I know that doesn't mean much to you right now, but I am sorry."
"You're right. Right now, that doesn't mean a damn thing to me," Clint said with a nasty smile, looking over at Strange after taking a breath. "I'm not gonna kill him, so you can let me go."
Strange eyed him, wondering if he was being truthful but nodded, letting him go. The energy ropes faded and Clint glared at Tony.
"You know, by nature, I don't trust people easily. I trusted you with the thing I care about most and you used it to stab me in the back. I will never forgive you for that Stark," Clint said in a deathly calm voice before he sat back down.
Tony winced, seeing that Natasha was glaring at him murderously and Thor was giving him a look like he was picturing how to use Mjolnir on Tony's face. Scott and Sam both looked disgusted and furious while T'Challa and Vision both had an unreadable look on their faces. Steve looked at Tony, disappointed while Rhodey and Peter looked shocked. Wanda had a hand on Clint's shoulder, whether to comfort him or to stop him from getting up and trying to attack Tony again, he wasn't sure. She glared at him and her eyes glowed red with her power as she resisted the temptation to attack Tony for his betrayal of Clint.
Strange watched all this, thankful Barton had had the foresight to send him in before this had gotten ugly.
Clint angrily gets to his feet as Tony walks off, slamming his hands against the cell as he warns the guards on the raft to watch their backs with Tony because there was 'a chance he's gonna break it'.
"Too late for that," Clint said gruffly and Tony winced.
Tony walks passed Scott's cell and Scott remembers Hank telling him to never trust a Stark. Tony doesn't even know who he is, to Scott's dismay. As he reaches Sam's cell, Sam asks about Rhodey.
"Thanks man," Rhodey said as he looked over at Sam, who smiled weakly.
"Don't mention it. Us military guys gotta stick together, right?" Sam joked.
Tony says Rhodey is being transferred to Columbia Medical before inquiring about Sam's treatment. Sam incredulously asks if Tony is playing bad cop. Tony claims he just wants to find out where Steve is. Sam angrily states he'll never give them anything as Tony knocks out the audio on the security cameras. Tony warns him they have thirty seconds before they realize it's him as Ross barks at his men to fix it.
"So now you cut the audio. Couldn't do it while you were running your mouth about my family?" Clint sneered and Tony winced.
Steve looked over at him and Clint sighed. Rationally, he knew Tony hadn't betrayed him, at least this Tony hadn't. But the fact that he would have, still could, was something Clint couldn't see passed at the moment.
Tony shows Sam the picture of Theo Brossard and admits he made a mistake.
"Well the world must be ending. You admit you were wrong," Natasha said dryly, her quip having more bite to it than usual.
"It happens on occasion," Tony said quietly.
Tony points out Steve is going to need all the help he can get and Sam tells Tony he needs to go alone and as a friend if he tells him, which Tony agrees to.
Later, Tony is heading towards his chopper as Ross questions him about hat Sam told him. Tony lies, claiming Sam told him to go to Hell. Tony claims he's going back to the Compound as he boards his chopper, giving Ross a cheeky remark about putting him on hold before closing the door.
"First time in this whole thing that it actually seems like me," Tony muttered and Rhodey nodded in agreement.
Ross watches angrily as Tony's chopper lifts off. Once in the air, Tony takes his arm out of the sling and activates his suit, exiting the remote piloted chopper fully decked in his suit, on his way to Siberia.
Unseen to Tony, T'Challa, in a Wakanda ship, was following closely behind.
"Well, this should be interesting," Clint said as he looked over at T'Challa.
"Indeed Mr. Barton," T'Challa said with a frown, hoping he wouldn't murder an innocent man.
1: Fun fact, Clint was originally supposed to appear earlier in the film as part of the team escorting Bucky to the Task Force headquarters, where he and Bucky would bond over being brainwashed.
2: Tony outing Clint's family is probably the worst sin of Phony Stark. He knows Ross is listening in but he brings up Clint having a family anyway. Now, it was most likely just Tony running his mouth as usual without thinking rather than an intentional betrayal, but the fact that he does that shows that Clint made a bad decision in trusting him with his most guarded secret.