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Chapter Text

(If you are reading this on any PAY site this is a STOLEN WORK, the author has NOT Given Permission for it to be here. If you're paying to read it, you're being cheated too because you can read it on Archiveofourown for FREE. IF its on AO3 under AnonEhouse, that's fine, that's me. Also, translation and pod-fic done by other fans on free sites is also fine.)

One:

"You can't beat him hand to hand."

Tony didn't like to acknowledge it, but she was right. "Friday, analyze his fight pattern."

"Scanning! Countermeasures ready!"

"Lets kick his ass." Tony reached for the shield but before he could grab it, Friday activated the shoulder mounted tank buster missiles.

"No!" Tony shouted, too late as Rogers and Barnes were fragged beyond recognition.

"Boss?" Friday asked, in a worried tone, "Did I do wrong? You could never have taken them in using non-lethal force."

Tony looked at the bodies. "Oh, shit."

Two:

Zemo knew he should have left, but watching Captain America and the Winter Soldier beat the hell out of Iron Man was just too entertaining. He actually began to feel a little sorry for Iron Man, after all his family had been murdered, too. It didn't seem fair to let the winners walk off. He grinned and gave Barnes the code words. "Kill Rogers," he said.

Even one-armed, Barnes was amazing. Rogers held back, just a little too much and a little too long. Zemo was so enthralled by the show he didn't notice T'Challa walk up behind him in the control room and grab him by the back of the neck. Zemo looked up at T'Challa and smirked. "Too late," he said.

"Perhaps."

Tony woke up, and looked around, as best he could with one eye swollen shut. White walls, white ceiling, bright lights, the smell of a too clean room, and echoes from metal in austerely furnished rooms. It all screamed 'Hospital'. Everything hurt, but after a moment he localized the worst pain as being in his chest. He moved his right hand, weakly trying to reach it.

"Don't." A hand clasped his wrist, firmly, but not painfully.

Tony blinked and moved his head enough to see T'Challa was attached to the hand. "Wha happ..?"

"Zemo has been captured."

Tony frowned. "Steebe..."

"Captain Rogers was killed by Sergeant Barnes, but not before inflicting a fatal wound on Barnes. They are both gone."

"Huh." Tony closed his eye a moment.

"Captain Rogers gave you one last gift," T'Challa said.

"Wha?" Tony blinked again.

"He was brain dead. But there was nothing wrong with his heart."

Tony tried to understand.

"Fortunately, he was an excellent match for you." T'Challa smiled. "And it seems his enhancements have been at least partially transferred to you along with it. You will make a full recovery."

"Huh," Tony said again.

Three:

Zemo had the code words and he was safe in a control room designed to withstand the launch blast of UR-100 rockets. He had considered simply killing the frozen super soldiers, but he became bored, waiting while Rogers and Stark argued and assembled their teams and squabbled.

He set them to defrost, with the trigger words on autorepeat as the process continued. It probably wouldn't hold for long, but he really didn't care if they got away. His world was dead, what did it matter?

Captain America showed up -- and the idiot had brought Zemo the Winter Soldier. He laughed himself sick as he watched Rogers plead with his good friend to remember him, to help him. Six super soldiers against one. Rogers put up a good fight, give him that. He killed three of them with the shield before they got him down and tore him to pieces.

Iron Man arrived in time to blast Barnes and the remaining Winters with rocket fire. He lifted his helmet and leaned over Rogers.

Rogers' last words were, "He was my friend."

Four:

T'Challa was not a vulture to fly after a lion waiting to share the scraps from its kill. He had been given the private frequency of Iron Man's communications, and he used it once Iron Man left the hidden prison.

"Iron Man, do you require assistance?"

The red and gold armor flashed as it turned, located him and flew back to pace T'Challa's jet. "I thought you'd gone home. Barnes didn't kill your father," Iron Man said over T'Challa's comm.

"Indeed, he is innocent of that," T'Challa said. "And I had thought I would atone for my mistake by aiding him in secret."

"But?"

"But I am a king. It was selfish of me to consider only my own injury. Others were harmed during Barnes' escape. Whether he chose to do so or not, those people deserve a reckoning. A legal one, if at all possible."

Iron Man said, "Right. Well, I'm told there are five other Hydra programmed super soldiers in Siberia, probably under cold-sleep. Rogers is taking Barnes to ... I have no idea..."

T'Challa said, "At best, that would be the two of them against five soldiers of equal ability. At worst..."

"At worst Barnes gets triggered and it's six to one."

"I had been told Rogers was an excellent military tactician," T'Challa said. "He must surely have a plan?"

"Don't confuse the man with the legend," Iron Man said wearily. "He's a great guy. Fearless and determined, but that's not always compatible with tactics. Punch it until it falls down has its limits."

T'Challa nodded to himself. "I have noticed that failing in myself."

Iron Man laughed, "Yeah, I did that when I was young. I grew out of it. I still punch it until it falls down, but I make sure it doesn't fall on innocent bystanders."

"Yes. Perhaps you should be leading the Avengers?"

"Everyone loves Cap. They follow him without question. If I tried to lead they'd second guess every order."

"That might not be a bad thing," T'Challa mused. "Even for a king, there should be checks and balances."

"Hmm, maybe." Iron Man said, "So, does that mean you'd listen to my orders?"

"Yes. I might even follow them."

Iron Man laughed again. "All right, this whole thing smells of a trap. These guys have been on ice for decades, why are they suddenly a threat?"

"A lure to bring the Captain, in an effort to redeem his friend by capturing the others, so they may be killed?"

"Could be... but, you know, this Zemo guy... he's brilliant. That seems too simple. He triggered Barnes and released him. He could just as well have told him to kill Rogers then."

"Yes. His plans have been convoluted. So what do you recommend?"

"I think you're the wild card. Zemo had apparently been studying the Avengers, looking for weak spots, like Rogers' attachment to Barnes. What do you bet he's got something on me?"

"That sounds logical. What could he have to use against you?"

"Beats me. But you... he wouldn't have factored you in. If we can get there before Rogers and Barnes, I'll try to talk them down, and you go in and spring the trap. Hopefully, it'll be too specific to hurt you."

"And if not? I do not overestimate my abilities. Five super soldiers would tax me to my limits."

"I'll scan for heat. If they're thawed we go in together and risk whatever Zemo has planned."

"Agreed."

There was only one heat signature. T'Challa left Iron Man explaining the situation to Rogers and Barnes, and hurried into the facility while they argued. The lights came on. T'Challa stared at the bodies suspended in capsules. Each had a single hole where a bullet had been fired into the head of the unconscious soldier.

"You don't belong here."

T'Challa turned to face Zemo who was looking out through thick glass, glass with the tint of armor. "I've come to bring you to justice."

"You know I killed your father." Zemo smiled. "You've come to kill me, but you can't. Not yet. I'm not ready to die."

"You killed more than my father. Justice must be done for all." T'Challa walked towards Zemo's chamber. "I have no intention of killing you."

Zemo scowled. "You can't get me out of here." He smiled. "Perhaps Rogers, with his shield, or Stark could decode the lock. Together, they might be able to get me."

T'Challa tilted his head. "I see. That was the plan." T'Challa circled the chamber. "It was a good plan." He found the door, sealed with a massive bar, with a huge mechanism to open it and an electronic keypad, old, but no doubt sophisticated for its time, controlling it. "Not a perfect plan, but a good one." He extended his Anti-metal Vibranium claws, and sheered through the bolt.

Zemo pulled a gun, and T'Challa knocked him out. Then he stood over Zemo's unconscious body to study the control panel. "What was the rest of your plan?"

"Watch him," T'Challa said, after he dragged Zemo out and deposited him on the cement at Captain Rogers' feet.

"The soldiers?" Rogers asked.

"Dead." T'Challa nodded to Tony. "There is something I must show Mr. Stark in private. Please, wait here."

Tony watched the video of his parents' murder in silence. Then he turned to T'Challa. "Did Rogers know?"

"You would have to ask him," T'Challa replied. "There was nothing more on the records here."

"Well, that answers that," Tony said when they left the facility to see Tony's stolen quinjet flying away, and Zemo left lying on the ground.

"I am sorry," T'Challa said. He placed a hand on Tony's shoulder.

Tony barked a short laugh. "Could be worse. I guess." He nudged Zemo with his foot.

Zemo stirred. He blinked up at Tony. "You saw?" He smiled. "The Avengers are dead. Forever."

Tony shook his head. "No. They're just under new management."

T'Challa nodded.

Five:

"You can't beat him hand to hand."

Tony had a sudden thought. He'd had Friday hack the records of Barnes' interrogation. "Play back Barnes' trigger words, put them on speaker!"

Rogers yelled, and hit Tony harder, but he couldn't stop Friday from completing the triggers. Barnes went stiff and blank eyed. "Make my voice match Zemo's!" Tony told Friday.

"Soldier!" Tony shouted in Russian. Cold war, arms manufacturer, of course Howard made sure Tony was fluent in Russian.

"Ready to comply," Barnes replied in the same language.

"Restrain Rogers!" Tony commanded. "Hold him!"

"NO!" Zemo shouted, "Kill Iron Man!"

Barnes' expression went confused. He extended his flesh hand towards Rogers, while his metal arm reached for Iron Man.

"No," Tony shouted in English, but still in Zemo's tones. "Don't kill anyone! Capture Rogers!"

Barnes turned towards Rogers, who shouted, "NO, BUCKY! It's ME!"

"Cannot comply," Barnes said. "I have failed. Not the chair. No." He aimed his gun at his own head and pulled the trigger.

"BUCKY!" Rogers screamed.

Chapter Text

SIX:

Romanoff stood next to Tony at the hospital. Tony said,"The doctors say he shattered L4 through S1. Extreme laceration in the spinal cord. Probably looking at some form of paralysis."

He hadn't really expected sympathy from her, but when she said, "Steve's not gonna stop. If you don't either, Rhodey's gonna be the best case scenario," the whole situation snapped into focus.

"You know what, you're right? My best friend is lying there because Rogers wouldn't listen to reason. My kid is traumatized because he was distracted by Maximoff and shot Rhodey down. From now on, I stop. T'Challa told Ross what you did, so they're coming for you and I'm not going to lift a finger to help you."

"I'm not the one that needs to watch their back," Romanoff said, and she walked away.

"Yeah, you tell yourself that." That was a particularly cheap shot from her, mentioning the back, but then, what else should he expect from a double dealing, neck stabbing, spy? Tony went back to the waiting room to listen to Friday's research on medical advances in the treatment of paralysis.

A few hours later, Friday announced an incoming call from Secretary of State Ross. "Yallo," Tony said. He was on his fifth cup of hospital coffee and was considering whether vending machine snacks might buffer the stomach acid.

"Stark. The doctor who was supposed to evaluate Barnes never saw him."

"Uh huh," Tony said without much interest. A Doctor Strange had some good results with paralysis, but he was notorious for turning down patients with a less than favorable prognosis. Lazy bastard, gamed the system to look good. Tony would find someone better for Rhodey.

"He was found murdered in a Berlin hotel room. There was also a wig and facial prosthesis matching Barnes."

"Oh? That's interesting." Nanobot therapy? Possible. A little too cutting edge. Maybe Tony could fund a lab to test it on animals first. Dachshunds broke their backs all the time didn't they? If it works on a dog...

"We discovered Colonel Helmut Zemo, formerly of Sokovian Intelligence, had met the doctor at the airport, and took his place. He was the one who bombed the Accords."

"You don't say." There was always Extremis, but again, while Tony had stabilized it with Pepper, it had an individual synergistic response, and he couldn't rely on the same solution working for Rhodey.

Ross let out a loud sigh. "Are you even listening to me? Whatever Zemo's up to, he's not finished. The Avengers know something. Rogers and Barnes didn't just run away, they're after Zemo."

"Yes, I'm listening, but I'm confused. Why are you telling me this?"

"You need to come to the Raft and get the Avengers to talk. We have to stop Rogers."

Tony shook his head. "I don't need to do anything except stay here. My best friend needs me."

"We need Iron Man! You have a responsibility. The Avengers..."

"No, see, let me just set you straight. I'm not a soldier, you can't order me around. I'm not an Avenger, I never was, really, even before I resigned. You know who's left on my side? A paralyzed man, a traumatized kid, and me. I've had a lot of miles put on my old bones, and right now my doctors are bitching because I refused to let them cast my arm and give me an M.R.I. They're probably right, after all the years I spent supporting the Avengers, I never realized they'd turn on me. I should have my head examined."

"But we need you!"

"You wouldn't send an injured man after Rogers, I don't see why it being me makes a difference."

"Because you always..."

"I actually have people to live for. I'm not throwing my life away trying to atone for other people's mistakes any longer."

"That's your last word?"

"You got it. Have a nice day, Thaddeus." Friday ended the call. Tony got up and tried the vending machine. Dust dry cheese and crackers. Yuck.

"You're doing great," Tony said, while keeping a close watch on Rhodey's progress across the support bars. His bio-legs wobbled, but they held. "We'll have you back in War Machine in no time."

Rhodey paused and looked at Tony.

"That is, if you want to. I mean, there's lots of other things you can do." Tony had fallen in Iron Man enough times to have an idea what Rhodey dreamed of on restless nights. But Tony had never reached the ground, that's the difference.

"I'll think about it," Rhodey said. "Have you heard the latest about Rogers?"

"Hmm? There was that Siberian fiasco." Ross had bragged about breaking Lang and getting him to tell where Rogers was heading. Tony didn't think much of breaking an ant, but whatever. "Last I heard Rogers and Barnes were picked up by Ross's Hulkbuster squad, using Hulk tranqs. I think that Zemo guy was with them and he didn't make it."

"Yeah, that stuff's powerful." Rhodey managed another step. "It wasn't enough to kill a super soldier, though. Ross wanted to keep them for study, you know."

"Yeah, he's always had a craving for super soldiers. I dunno why. It really hasn't had a good track record what with the Red Skull, the Abomination, Hulk, and all the nutsos who looked normal, but really, uncontrollable."

"Yeah." Rhodey gave Tony a narrow eyed look. "You weren't planning to dose me up with something like that, were you?"

"What? Me? No, I'll stick to tech. Biology is too slippery."

"Yeah, all right. So," Rhodey paused again to catch his breath. "Ross didn't get to keep them. They survived, but they had brain damage. The U.N. stepped in to place them in a permanent care facility."

"Huh. So Ross didn't even get anything for his trouble."

"Nope. Apparently Rogers and Barnes had wrecked the place. Fried the computers, burned the paper records, even melted old video tape."

"Well, that's good, anyway. We sure don't need any more super soldiers." Tony patted Rhodey's arm. "Got one right here."

"I'm not a soldier," Rhodey grunted and began moving again. "Air force. I fly, man, I don't crawl in the dirt."

"I stand corrected." Tony smiled. Rhodey was getting better. He was so glad he'd stood by his real friend.

Chapter Text

Seven:

Rogers helped Bucky up and started towards the exit.

"That shield doesn't belong to you," Tony said. "You don't deserve it. My father made that shield!"

Rogers paused to drop the shield. Then he started walking again.

Barnes balked, setting his feet so Rogers staggered. He shook his head and looked at Rogers, groggily. "Steve."

"Yeah, Bucky?"

"We can't just leave him here."

"We got no choice," Rogers replied.

"No, see... he's... behind enemy lines. We never leave a man behind, do we, Steve?" Barnes sounded very confused.

"He's not on our side," Rogers said.

"You don't leave a wounded prisoner, either," Barnes said. "Not if you can help it."

"This isn't the war, Bucky," Rogers said gently. "Stark's not our prisoner."

"It's not? Then why were we trying to kill him? Isn't he a Nazi, like those soldiers in Germany?"

Tony coughed. "They were police, Barnes. German police."

Barnes looked at Tony. "Oh. I knew that. But this is Russia. I forget, are we fighting Russia right now?"

"No, we're not," Rogers said. "Look, we have to go. Don't worry about Stark. He's like a cat, always lands on his feet."

Barnes blinked. "I like cats. I wouldn't leave a cat outside in the snow. That's just mean, Steve."

"Forget cats!" Rogers was losing patience.

Tony coughed again. "You might want to remember the cat standing behind you."

Rogers turned, almost overbalancing Barnes, to face T'Challa.

"What has happened here?" T'Challa asked.

"We won," Barnes said. "I think."

"Bucky's innocent!" Rogers said. "Stark tried to kill him! Don't get in the way."

"I do not wish to make another hasty judgement," T'Challa said. "I would like to hear both sides."

Bucky said, "Stark didn't like that I killed his maw. And his dad, too, I guess."

"No, Bucky, that wasn't you!"

"Don't let them get away," Tony said. "Romanov did and look what that led to."

T'Challa tensed, and then he relaxed. "This madness must end. I will not stop you, but neither will I leave Stark here, defenseless." He went over to Iron Man and levered him up to his feet, and braced himself to take the weight. "My jet is not suitable for passengers. I have already sent to Wakanda for another. You may follow me in Stark's quin-jet and surrender yourself to the authorities, or you may flee and remain fugitives. It is your choice."

Tony looked at Rogers as T'Challa helped him to walk. He didn't say anything.

Rogers nodded sharply. "I hope you'll understand one day, Tony."

Tony spat a mouthful of blood at the floor. "Howard loved you, and you didn't even blink when you watched his murder. I will never understand that, Rogers. Never." He didn't look as Rogers helped Barnes out, and over to the quin jet. He didn't look up when he heard the quin jet's engines.

"I am deeply sorry about your parents," T'Challa said as he settled Tony in a thin patch of sunlight against one of the building's exterior walls. Zemo was bound a few feet away, and grinning.

"So am I," Tony said wearily. "So am I."

Eight:

"Friday," Tony said, as he reached his emergency back up communications. He'd learned not to power everything from a single reactor. "Get my location."

"Yes, Boss!"

"Send a quin-jet from the Compound to pick me up. The Suit's out of commission."

"Yes, Boss. There's a quin-jet nearby. Can I send that one rather than one from the Compound? It would be much faster."

"Because..." Tony blinked and pulled himself up to a sitting position. "You're tracking a quin-jet near me?"

"Yes, Boss! It's just reached cruising altitude. There are two occupants. They have set the auto-pilot and according to internal surveillance are making use of the medical facilities."

Tony smiled slowly. It wasn't a nice smile at all. "If the engines were to stop, what would happen, Friday?"

"It would crash land, Boss," Friday said. "You know that. Are you all right?"

"What would it crash on, Friday?"

"Satellite view postulates open tundra."

"No buildings, no people?"

"No Boss. It's just... snow. It might land on a caribou," she said. "One that got lost from its herd."

"Huh. Friday, dear, I need to run an experiment. Crash that quin-jet for me."

"Are you sure?" Friday asked doubtfully. "What can you learn from that?"

"Durability of materials. There's a couple of my dad's old experiments on board. They're useless. Might as well get some data from them."

"All right, Boss."

Tony lay his head back against the wall, and closed his eyes. A few minutes later there was a distant boom. He smiled again. "Oops," he said. "Thieves should always check for lo-jack."

Chapter Text

Nine:

While Tony hadn't followed the Accords by asking permission to enter Russian air space, Iron Man's silhouette was instantly recognizable and he had a good general relationship with them, so he had counted on being allowed passage, and would ask forgiveness later. "Iron Man," a Russian-accented voice said in English, "you have a bogey on your tail." The man sounded pleased at having used American slang. "We would be pleased to shake it for you."

"What?" Tony responded.

Tony turned, trying to find what they were talking about. A moment later he was tumbled and having to correct his flight path as the turbulence of a formation of Russian fighter jets went around him. "Rogers!" Tony shouted over the stolen quin-jet's frequency. "Fighters! Identify yourself, or they'll shoot you down!" Tony was afraid Rogers would fight back, and that would be absolutely impossible for him to fix. He didn't get an answer from the quin-jet.

"Bogey does not match Avengers' aircraft silhouettes," the Russian pilot clarified. "It has profile of fighter, single pilot."

"Friday! Find it! Enhance..." Tony followed the Russian jets to see their target. It was a beautiful sleek black jet, not matching anything he knew, and he couldn't get any identification response. Secret weapon? Spy plane? It definitely wasn't the quin-jet. "Talk to the pilot!" Everyone was on edge after all the Avengers' carefree outings, now was no time for sightseeing.

"Trying, Boss..." Friday sounded frustrated. "It doesn't match any normal frequencies. No response."

"Jesus," Tony swore softly as the jets fired on the black plane, ripping off its tail and sending it into a downward spiral. Their work done the fighters rose higher and circled to watch. Tony flew closer, hoping the pilot would eject. The canopy above the pilot burst off, and he could see a struggling figure. After a few moments the figure crawled free of the cockpit, clinging to the fuselage.

And then he jumped.

There was no parachute.

Tony yelled, "No!" and plotted an interception course. Impact would break bones, even kill, if he didn't match the falling body's speed. It helped that the man had spread his arms and legs and arched his back like a falling cat, slowing down his acceleration slightly. When he got close he recognized the suit, and the cat maneuver made more sense. T'Challa looked at him, absurdly calm even as he fell to his death.

"You're just as crazy as Rogers!" Tony shouted when he reached T'Challa and caught his hand. T'Challa clung tightly and didn't try to say anything until they landed on featureless tundra. Tony retracted his helmet so he could better express himself. "You can't jump out of a plane without a parachute!"

T'Challa stumbled, and then straightened. "There was little choice. I had no parachute. I might have survived the fall."

"You... wow, ok, I'm not even going to go there." Tony shook his head. "What are you even doing here?"

"I followed you because I wish to see this hunt to the end. I have learned that Barnes was not responsible for the bombing, and I should have directed my efforts towards another. I hoped you would lead me to him."

"I didn't come here to kill anyone. If that's what you have in mind, you can just make yourself a nice kitty igloo and wait to be picked up by the authorities."

T'Challa looked around, and shivered. "It is not the climate I prefer, but I understand your reluctance to trust my word. I have had time to process my first grief and rage, and now I wish only to see that justice is done. That should take place in full view of the world, so all who have been injured may also find closure."

"Huh." Tony considered a moment, and then he shrugged. "Iron Man doesn't come with seat belts. I could give you a piggyback ride. If you could hold on that long."

"Yes. I can do that." T'Challa paused, then he said, "Thank you."

"Eh, I never got to rescue a cat from a tree, I was due." Tony turned his back to T'Challa. "I won't be able to use the back thrusters, which is just as well, because you would definitely not survive full speed on the Iron Man express."

"I'm sorry to delay you." T'Challa climbed onto Tony's back and wrapped himself around.

"Yeah, well, what can you do. Hold on." Iron Man took off and gradually leveled out. T'Challa clung tightly, and Tony was able to go faster than he feared, but it was still slow enough that he knew Rogers would reach Zemo well ahead of him.

From overhead Tony saw the quin-jet parked on snow covered tarmac next to a caterpillar truck, beside a large white building camouflaged to fit into the landscape. There was a missile silo, but there were no signs of recent use. The only footprints led from the quin-jet to a door in the building.

Tony landed in the snow with a crunch. T'Challa got off Tony's back and looked around. "I dislike this."

"Me, too, kitty cat." Tony headed for the building. "You coming?"

"I have seen many American horror films while learning your language," T'Challa said as he walked beside Tony. "Being lured to a deserted building seldom bodes well."

"Gotta watch out for the people in hockey masks."

"And clowns," T'Challa added.

"I hate clowns."

T'Challa was cat silent, but Iron Man simply can't walk silently, so Tony made no effort to hide his arrival. "Hey, Rogers, heads up. Don't shoot. We come under a flag of truce."

They emerged from a dark corridor into room lit with yellowish, hazy light. Rogers and Barnes were already there, and both of them were armed, of course, Rogers with the shield and Barnes with a gun, from the looks of it, one of the weapons Romanov kept stashed in the quin-jet. They didn't say anything, but they looked ready for battle, shifting to aim at Tony and T'Challa.

"There you are at last."

Tony and T'Challa turned to see Zemo, smiling inside a glass walled control booth. "I was afraid you had missed my invitation."

Tony retracted his helmet. He'd noticed the corpses in glass tubes. "Do you want us to go to sleep so you can finish the job?"

Zemo laughed. "Oh, no, I wouldn't dream of it. That would be too easy. I don't want you dead. I want the Avengers, the Empire of Righteous Destruction, destroyed. Killing you would just create openings for new recruits. I want the very idea of heroes banding together to be unthinkable."

"Yeah, well, that's not gonna happen," Tony said. "Sure, we have our differences, but we're a team. We do things together, right, Steve?" Tony said, hoping that Rogers would cooperate while they figured out Zemo's game plan. "Barnes didn't bomb the U.N. Everything else started with that, we'll work it out. Somehow." There were a lot of casualities, property damage and deaths, so Barnes wasn't going to skate, but extenuating circumstances, prisoner of war, brainwashing... tell the whole story and there'd be sympathy. "People just want the truth, more than anything else."

Rogers didn't look convinced. "Bucky is innocent."

Tony wasn't going to argue in front of Zemo. "I'm not here for Bucky. I came for them--" He pointed at the dead soldiers, "and for him." He pointed at Zemo.

T'Challa had said nothing, but at this point he said, "We are not murderers. Surrender yourself and we will see that you stand a fair trial."

Zemo laughed again. "Who will put the Avengers on trial? Your murders vastly outnumber mine. But then... it's only when it's personal that it hurts, isn't it?" He shifted, doing something with the controls in front of him.

A monitor lit up, and a video began to play. Tony glanced at it, and then froze. December 16, 1991. The video was old, and grainy and dark. But... "I know that road," Tony said quietly. They all watched in silence as the Winter Soldier killed Howard and Maria Stark. Tony turned and lunged at Barnes. Rogers grabbed him.

"Tony. Tony," Rogers said.

Tony looked at him. "Did you know?"

Rogers said, "I didn't know it was him."

"Don't bullshit me, Rogers! Did you know?"

"Yes."

Tony stepped back, then he punched Steve even as the Iron Man helmet reformed. T'Challa leaped forward and put his arms around Iron Man. "Do not! Do not let this happen."

Iron Man tried to shake him off, but T'Challa clung. T'Challa looked over his shoulder at Rogers. "Help me!"

"I gotta help Bucky," Rogers said. "He's my friend!"

"What was I?" Tony screamed. He pushed T'Challa aside. Barnes fired. Iron Man deflected the bullets, and smashed the gun out of his hands. T'Challa groaned, and Tony turned to see him on the floor, pressing his hand to his side, blood welling up between his fingers. "LOOK what your friend did!"

"Bucky's innocent!" Rogers shouted. "You did that! It's all your fault! I was SPARING YOU! You never needed to know!"

And Zemo laughed at just the wrong moment. Tony turned and fired his full load of anti-tank missiles at the control chamber which exploded in a fireball drowning out Zemo's screams in a few instants. "Get your friend out of my sight, Rogers," Tony said. He leaned over and picked up T'Challa. "Friday, find the nearest emergency medical facility." He settled T'Challa as carefully as he could and rose to hover for a moment. "You never did give a damn about anyone else, did you, Rogers?"

T'Challa muttered something. Tony leaned close to listen and then nodded. "My dad made that shield, and he made it from Wakandan vibranium. Rogers doesn't deserve it. Give it back to its rightful owner, Rogers."

T'Challa stretched out his hand, and Rogers, with visible reluctance, gave him the shield.

"But..." Rogers said, "what about Bucky?"

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," Tony said.

"I recognized that reference," Rogers said quietly as Iron Man zoomed out of the building.

Chapter Text

Ten:

Iron Man walked into the Siberian bunker, glanced at the tubes holding the super soldier corpses and then looked up at the retractable dome. "Huh, multi-purpose, popsicle stand and Sputnik launcher."

There was a clatter and thump behind him. Tony turned to see Barnes collapsed on the floor.

"BUCKY!" Rogers yelled, tossing his shield to one side and kneeling next to him to check his pulse. "What did you DO?" He asked, glaring up at Tony.

"No idea." Tony reengaged the Iron Man helmet. "Friday, scan Barnes."

Friday said, "Readings indicate no physical injury to account for unconsciousness."

"Huh," Tony said. Then he nodded. "Ok, got it. If I was programming a killing machine, I'd add an off switch. Must have been something I said. And since the only Russian word I used was... yeah, better not say it twice."

Friday murmured in Iron Man's helmet, "The satellite Sputnik was launched in October of 1957. The Winter Soldier's programming likely commenced in 1945 so that correlation is coincidental."

"Yeah, I agree," Tony told her. "They chose a random word, unlikely to be spoken by a non-Russian. It was a word before they named the satellite, right?"

"Yes, Boss," Friday said to Tony. "The word origin literally breaks down to 'with path', but the meaning was 'fellow traveler'. For the satellite, people read that as 'fellow traveler of Earth', but at least as early as 1936 'fellow traveler' meant a non-communist who follows the communist party line. That would seem appropriate."

"Will he be all right?" Rogers asked.

Tony retracted the helmet again to talk to Rogers directly. "I'm not that kind of doctor," Tony replied, stealing Bruce's line, "but I don't see why not. If it was a kill command, he'd be dead already. Not sure how this works, though."

The lights brightened, focussing on a glass-walled control room. "How unfortunate. I had wanted all of you to witness this. But I suppose you two will do," Zemo said from behind the glass.

"How do you wake him up?" Rogers picked up his shield and clenched his fists.

"The standard procedure involves electric shock," Zemo said with a smile. "Or you could wait until he awakens naturally."

Tony looked at Rogers. "Your call."

"Let him sleep," Rogers said. "We don't need him to take care of Zemo." Steve lifted his shield. "Surrender or we'll take you by force."

Zemo smirked, "Oh, I'll let you take me in, after I've had my say. If you still wish to."

"Of course we will. You killed innocent people in Vienna!"

Zemo's expression darkened. "And is your own ledger so clean?"

"You're Sokovian," Tony said flatly.

Rogers glanced at Tony. "We did our best, but no one could have anticipated Ultron."

"The Avengers destroyed my world when their secret weapon revealed itself. I had been in the business of suppressing secrets, but I know how to find them, too."

There was a click, and an old monitor lit up, showing a grainy, dark video. "I think you will find this interesting."

Tony said softly, "I know that road. What is this?"

Rogers didn't say anything as the video played, instead he was watching Tony.

After... after he saw the Winter Soldier strangle his mother, Tony turned swiftly towards Barnes, both gauntlets raised.

Rogers grabbed both his arms. "No, Tony. Don't."

Tony looked at Rogers. "You're not surprised."

"It wasn't Bucky. You know that! He's innocent!"

"You knew!" Iron Man pulled out of Rogers grip and lowered his helmet. "I'm taking him in."

"I can't let you kill Bucky!" Rogers struck Iron Man in the helmet with his shield.

Iron Man staggered back and then straightened. "If I wanted him dead, he'd be DEAD! Friday! Unibeam!" The arc reactor in Iron Man's chest shot out, knocking Rogers across the room. Tony flew over to him, flipped him onto his belly and shackled each arm to the matching foot. "Stay down!"

"It wasn't him, Tony. Hydra had control of his mind!" Steve said while desperately straining at the shackles.

"And did Hydra tell you to keep it from me?" Iron Man stalked over to the control room, and punched right through the blast-proof glass to grab Zemo by his shirt and drag him through the hole. Zemo pulled a gun, and aimed it at his own head. "Nope!" Iron Man knocked the gun flying. "You're not getting off that easy. Friday, scan Zemo for any other little surprises."

"Tony," Steve said, "you can't turn Bucky in. They'll kill him!"

"Maybe they will. At least no one else will die because of him." Tony turned to Steve and retracted his helmet. Zemo was still dangling from his hands. "Look into your mirror, Steve." He held Zemo out. "The Avengers Initiative was supposed to fight the battles no one else could-- to protect the world. It wasn't supposed to be your private gang, protecting some people at the expense of everyone else."

"Bucky's all I have!" Rogers shouted.

"And you call me selfish." Iron Man carried Zemo over to Barnes. "You fucked over everyone who followed you. I'd ask if you thought it was worth it, but I already know the answer." He picked up Barnes and carried him under the other arm.

Zemo was giggling.

Iron Man gave him a shake. "Shut up, you make me tired." Tony left the bunker and stopped when he saw T'Challa.

"What now," he said tiredly, pulling the helmet back in place and dropping Barnes and Zemo. "Are we gonna argue? It's been a long, shitty day, and I just want it over."

"I learned that Barnes is innocent," T'Challa said. "He did not kill my father. Release him. I must atone for my mistake."

"Funny, I learned that he's guilty. He did kill my parents." Iron Man braced himself.

T'Challa frowned. "I heard that was an automobile accident."

"Nope." Iron Man nudged Zemo with his foot. "Zemo here is a great little researcher. He's got a hell of a line in home movies."

"Still, that was while Hydra commanded Barnes' actions," T'Challa said after a moment. "Can he really be held accountable?"

Iron Man sighed. "Ok, fine, say I give him a pass on all the people the Winter Soldier killed. Say I ignore all the families over the years who will never get the closure of knowing what really happened to his victims. I'm not going to ignore the people he and Rogers ran roughshod over when he wasn't mind controlled." Iron Man tilted his head. "You want to feel guilty? Feel guilty about adding to that mess in the tunnel. Those weren't obstacles those were people."

T'Challa was silent for a long moment and then he nodded his head. "Where is Rogers?"

Iron Man inclined his head. "Inside. I'm taking these two to the quinjet Rogers stole from me. Do you mind bringing him?"

"Do you trust me?"

"No." Iron Man picked up Barnes and tucked him under one arm, and grabbed Zemo by his shirt to drag him stumbling along after. "Bring him or don't, it won't matter. I've got Barnes."

T'Challa stood still a moment, watching Iron Man walk away.

Zemo laughed.

Chapter Text

Eleven:

T'Challa wasn't a religious man, not in the sense of believing in something he had to take on faith. The Panther Clan believed in Bast because there were too many examples of Bast's active presence in their land to doubt her existence. It would be like doubting the sun. And as ruler, T'Challa had an even more personal link with Bast. When he ate of the heart-shaped herb he had spoken to her in a vision.

He had run beside her in the jungle, feeling her effortless strength in his own limbs. They had run, side by side, and hunted together. She had promised that if he kept faith with her people, not only would she bless him as the Black Panther, but would give him the strength and knowledge of every Panther that ever lived.

He had not spoken of it to anyone, just as his own father had never told anyone what Bast had said to him on his spirit journey.

He had felt Bast with him when he hunted Barnes, so he had been surprised to learn that for all his crimes, Barnes had not offended against his people. It had chagrined him deeply to learn that he had hunted... well, not an innocent man... but one without the hunter's mark from Bast, but worse than that, he should not have felt the pure vengeance of Bast within his breast. Bast gave him abilities beyond the norm, yes, but there was always a difference between battles he chose, and those the goddess blessed.

He still felt Bast's urging, so he flew secretly after Iron Man. He told himself that it was no shame for a panther to hunt hidden in the night, but as a man, he felt ashamed. He decided it would be best to wait for Iron Man to confront Rogers and Barnes. Surely, after long acquaintance, and battle-brotherhood, they would be able to speak calmly.

And then he saw Zemo. The Panther agreed, this was the man who had killed her Black Panther. He flexed his claws, but Zemo did not fight him, did not give him the excuse to gain revenge. Bast was angry, but he reminded her of his father, a man of peace who would not want such a pitiable specimen killed in his name. Zemo had lost himself, consumed by vengeance. A panther would kill a crippled deer, but the carcass would not go to waste. This would be a waste.

After ensuring Zemo could neither escape, nor harm himself and cheat justice, T'Challa thought his hunt was done, but Bast disagreed.

What was wrong with him? Perhaps Shuri should have taken on the mantle of the Panther. Yes, T'Challa had excelled in all the physical trials, but the Black Panther should also have a strong heart, and be attuned to the instincts needed to protect his people. He followed the feeling of wrong, of injustice, into the bunker.

Iron Man was lying on the cement. His armor had no light, and the metal was deeply gashed. T'Challa noticed this only in passing, as his gaze was locked on the two men supporting each other, walking towards him. Barnes' metal arm was also on the ground, and there was enough blood spilled to make Bast's nose wrinkle to catch the scent.

T'Challa stood just inside the entrance, partially hidden by the corridor. He doubted any of them had seen him yet.

Iron Man struggled to rise, and failed. Then he said, "That shield doesn't belong to you. You don't deserve it. My father made that shield!"

Rogers paused, and then dropped the shield to the ground, carelessly. Carelessly. As though it were not one of the stolen treasures of Wakanda. Twice stolen, judging by his acceptance of Iron Man's words. What had happened here? He took a step forward...

And then he remembered. Eleven Wakandans died in Lagos. His father had spoken. He heard the words now, his father's voice and Bast's, mingling. "Our people's blood is spilled on foreign soil. Not only because of the actions of criminals, but by the indifference of those pledged to stop them. Victory at the expense of the innocent is no victory at all."

His eyes sharpened and his claws flexed. He strode out of the corridor and faced Rogers.

"T'Challa," Rogers said. He gave T'Challa a weary smile. "Bucky is innocent."

"It is true that he was not responsible for the death of my father, or any other Wakandan," T'Challa said.

Rogers smiled. "Yeah, it's just... it's all a big misunderstanding. I could use your help."

From the floor further away, Iron Man said, "Don't listen to him, T'Challa."

T'Challa tilted his head. "I agree that I have no quarrel with Sergeant Barnes," T'Challa said.

"Good, then maybe, you know," Rogers said, "you could let him stay in Wakanda. Just until he's better."

"It is true that Wakanda has no extradition treaties," T'Challa said. He gestured at Iron Man. "But it would still present difficulties, as everyone would know you were there. You would be unable to leave safely."

Rogers shrugged. "Stark won't say anything. How could he? If he hadn't pushed the Accords on us, none of this would have happened."

T'Challa held his breath for a moment, and then he put on a puzzled look. "Lagos had nothing to do with the Accords, Captain. Please, put Sergeant Barnes down." He flexed his claws. "I cannot let you leave."

"What?" Rogers backed up, seemingly by accident, and laid Barnes down gently next to his shield. He picked it up in one smooth motion and flung it at T'Challa's head.

If T'Challa had not seen the marks caused by the shield in Iron Man's armor he might have been unprepared, but instinct took over, and he caught it and continued the curve, keeping the momentum to send it back.

It hit Rogers in the throat and took his head off cleanly. His body landed atop Barnes, gushing blood.

T'Challa calmly picked up the shield. Bast was satisfied. He stepped over Barnes, who was staring wide-eyed at his friend's corpse.

"Are you all right, Mr. Stark?" T'Challa asked, reaching down to offer him an arm in support.

"Oh, my God, you decapitated Cap," Iron Man said. Then he blinked. "Self-defense, I'd swear to it."

T'Challa decided to let Iron Man tell it that way. An explanation that it was simply an execution would involve far more paperwork, he was certain.

And he hated paperwork.

Chapter Text

Twelve:

"You have to go alone, and as a friend."

"Easy," Tony told Wilson. As a friend, getting Rogers and Barnes in out of the wild before they racked up more points against them was the best thing he could do for them. But alone? Since Cap was right about the psychiatrist, maybe he was also right about the five super soldiers. Still, you know, Wilson was right about one thing, bringing in other people just guaranteed a fight.

And then... there was the video, and Tony had to drag the confession out of Rogers that he'd known his bestest buddy killed Tony's parents. Known for all the years Tony had been funding the search and rescue for dear old Buckykins. Known all the time he was berating Tony for keeping secrets - secrets because Rogers had shoveled off all the tedious paperwork and media relations on Tony, and he'd snooze if Tony tried to describe the tech he was developing for Rogers' team. He didn't want anything except finished results laid at his feet for him to use without so much as a thank you. Well, here's the finished results of your secrecy, Rogers.

"STAY DOWN!"

And of course Rogers, 'I can do this all day', what the hell, did he think he was playing a fucking game? wouldn't stay down.

Tony tried to keep it mano a mano, he really did, but two against one, and him holding back because he wasn't a murderer reduced his options. Rogers wasn't a murderer, either. He would stop, wouldn't he? Or maybe not. "He's my friend!" Rogers stated, totally negating years of Tony fighting alongside Rogers, taking his orders, giving him the tools to be Captain Fucking America, the shining example of U.S. 1940's Virtue through Victory. Because the winner writes history.

Ok. Fuck that. No more Mr. Nice Guy. Tony spit out blood and hit his 'panic button'. The main reactor was dead, but he'd learned to put in mini arcs all over the suit, so his signal went out. "And these are mine."

The new Iron Legion flew in, arms spread to grab and contain. It was all over except the shouting.

At the trial, Wilson gave Tony a dirty look and shouted, "You promised to go alone, and as a friend!" before he was wrestled back to sit with the rest of the Team Formerly Known as Avengers in their varied assortments of restraints.

"I did, but Rogers wasn't," Tony replied.

Thirteen:

"Where is Iron Man?" Zemo asked from inside the control room when Rogers and his team trooped into the Siberian base.

"We don't need him. My team could handle your soldiers," Rogers replied. "Even if you hadn't already killed them." He gestured to his people, standing proudly around him. "Meet the Falcon, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Antman, and you already know Bucky."

Zemo frowned. "I had a plan. Iron Man was supposed to recruit his own team to battle you at the airport. There was an excellent chance your side would have killed or at least crippled, one of his. The Avengers would have been destroyed."

"That's ridiculous," Rogers said. "We would never."

"A helicopter doesn't need an airport to land," Barnes said. "It would have been stupid to come out in the open for that."

Maximoff's hands were glowing red. "But if they tried to stop us, of course we wouldn't hold back."

Rogers frowned. "Wanda."

Zemo sighed. "I knew it was a risky plan, but it would have been so satisfying. Iron Man would have seen the video of his parents being murdered by Mr. Barnes."

"What?" Wilson asked. He looked at Barnes, who shrugged.

"The good Captain knew for years," Zemo added spitefully.

"Huh," Barton said. He had an arrow nocked and aimed at the control room.

Lang looked really, really confused. "But, it's ok, right? None of that happened? I mean, we did the right thing? I just want to go home and tell Cassie I'm a hero."

Zemo looked at him, and a flicker of sympathy crossed his face. "I wanted to see my family. They were in Sokovia."

Maximoff's glow brightened. She stared at him and her eyes widened in panic. "NO!"

"Plan B," Zemo said. He pushed a button. "B is for ..."

Maximoff failed to contain that bomb, as well.

Fourteen:

"Fury thought you would need help," Pietro said, after he raced in and wrapped up Rogers, Barnes and Zemo in unbreakable cables.

"Weren't you supposed to be dead?" Tony asked.

Pietro shrugged. "I heal fast."

"You can tell Fury that I had it handled," Tony said grumpily. He'd been all full of adrenalin and ready for action, and now he was restless with no outlet.

And then the video began playing.

"Fuck, ok, maybe old one-eye was right," Tony said after listening to Rogers' impassioned defense of his innocent assassin buddy. Tony refrained from kicking him. He picked up Rogers and Barnes, one under each arm of the Iron Man suit, and stomped outside to the quinjet they'd stolen from him.

Pietro hauled in Zemo, less than gently, and dumped him in the back. Apparently he had no love for the Sokovian who had run a covert kill squad.

"So, where were you all this time?" Tony asked Pietro as he took off the suit and prepared the jet for takeoff.

"Tahiti," Pietro said. "It's a magical place."

"Huh. Sounds nice. I guess your sister will be glad to hear you're alive."

"Sister?" Pietro's brow creased. "What sister?"

Chapter Text

Fifteen:

"He wanted to know about Siberia. Where I was kept. He wanted to know exactly where," Barnes said after he convinced Rogers that he wasn't the Winter Soldier. He looked not particularly surprised to wake up in a warehouse with his metal arm clamped in an industrial vice.

"Why would he need to know that?" Rogers asked.

"Because he thinks I'm not the only Winter Soldier," Barnes replied. He smiled, slowly. "Three years ago he would have been right." He tilted his head to look at Rogers. "You don't think I spent all this time just hiding, do you, punk?"

"What did you do?" Sam asked.

"I went to Siberia and I finished them off." He shrugged. "Fish in a barrel. They were in cold sleep."

"You just killed them in cold blood?" Sam asked.

Rogers nodded. "You did the right thing, Buck."

Sam said, "Yeah, but you know... why didn't you tell someone... why didn't you tell Steve?"

Barnes said, "I thought he'd stop me. Should have known better." Barnes smiled at Rogers. "It's us against the world, right, punk?"

"Right," Rogers said. He opened the clamp, releasing Barnes' arm. "So we go to Siberia and get this doctor and clear your name."

Barnes shrugged and moved his shoulders to loosen his arms. "That guy knows my trigger words. Be stupid to let him have another go at me. I didn't bomb anyone, but those weren't love taps we were handing out to the German Special Forces, not to mention the mess we made on the streets. I'm just going to disappear again."

"But Bucky, don't you want to clear your name of the bombing?" Rogers asked.

"There's no point to it, not with everything else they've got on me. What am I gonna do, Stevie? Sit in prison for years, and you'd be right next to me, sure, but that's still not my idea of a good time."

"Stark's got the best lawyers, and enough money to choke a hog," Rogers said.

"He's gonna bankroll me? I killed his folks."

Sam gasped quietly and backed away.

"No, you didn't. That was Hydra," Rogers said calmly. "Tony's already been paying to search for you. He won't miss a little more money."

Sam said, "Steve. You knew."

Rogers looked at Sam. "Well, I guessed. But you can't blame Bucky!"

"No," Sam said slowly. "I don't blame him. So, what are we going to do, Steve?"

"Get to Siberia," Rogers said firmly. "We have to take down this guy, so Bucky won't have to worry about being triggered."

"Huh. Ok," Sam said. "We'll need help. I know a guy." He turned and walked out of the building. "I'll call him."

A moment later Rogers said, "Wait, you can call from in here, can't you?"

"Fuck," Barnes said. He and Rogers ran for the door. Sam wasn't in sight. "He's done a runner on us," Barnes said.

"He wouldn't betray us. He's my friend," Rogers said firmly.

"I'm your only friend, Stevie." He nudged Rogers' shoulder. "Just like the old days, keep moving and hit anyone that tries to stop us."

"But...what about the Avengers?"

"We don't need them."

"Yeah. Ok, Bucky." Rogers sighed. "I'm gonna miss my shield."

Zemo smelled the dead super soldiers the moment he walked into the base. "I will have to make a new plan," he muttered to himself and went back out to his caterpillar truck.

Chapter Text

Sixteen:

The kitchen lit up with light from an explosion on the grounds outside.

"What is it?" Wanda asked.

"Stay here, please," Vision said, and he went outside to investigate.

Wanda was alone, and nervous. She sensed an intruder. She telekinetically threw a knife before looking. She saw, a moment too late, Clint's face, eyes wide just before the knife buried itself to the hilt between his eyes. She screamed.

Vision hurried back in, and then stopped, shocked, to see Wanda kneeling over Clint's body. There was a blood-covered knife on the ground, and she was patting at Clint. "No, NO, NO!" she cried. "I didn't mean to! It's not my fault! He scared me!"

"Wanda, let me help," Vision said softly. He moved closer, but one glance at Clint was enough to prove there was no life left. "I will call for an ambulance," he said.

"NO! NO, you'll call the police! You'll call Stark!" Wanda got to her feet. Her hands were already red with blood, and now they glowed red with her power.

"Wanda! No, please stop, you're only making things worse for yourself."

"I'm leaving."

"I can't let you," Vision said. "If you do this... they will never stop being afraid of you."

"I don't care! Let them fear me!" Wanda waved her hands, and Vision began glowing. Then the floor glowed and collapsed under him, driving him down through floor after floor.

"So," Barnes said as he paced around the deserted factory where he and Rogers and Wilson were hiding out, "How long are we going to wait for your team, Stevie?"

Rogers frowned. "Clint should have called in. He was going to pick up Wanda and then get Sam's friend."

"Not my friend," Sam muttered. "A guy. Maybe he didn't want to come."

Rogers shook his head. "Clint still should have called in. Something's gone wrong. We'll have to go by ourselves."

"Wait, what," Sam said. "You're talking five super soldiers and the guy who maybe knows how to order them around? Don't you think, maybe we really could use more backup?"

"Who, Sam? Ross is after us, and we can't trust Tony, you said so yourself. We can handle it."

"Yeah. I guess," Sam said dubiously.

Rogers' cellphone rang. It was still on the factory ringtone. "That must be Clint!" Rogers answered the phone. "Clint, you better have a good excuse..."

Tony's voice came through. "How about death? That good enough for you?"

"What?" Rogers asked, flatly. "Tony, you killed Clint?"

Sam gasped. Barnes tensed slightly.

"You sure think a lot of me," Tony said. "No, Steve. Wanda did. He blew up the grounds and startled her. She buried a knife in his skull, and then she buried Vision in the sub-basement. Vision survived."

"Oh, God, poor Wanda."

"Poor Wanda?" Tony asked, in an astonished tone of voice. "That's all you have to say?"

"She's just a kid, Tony! She didn't mean it."

"Yeah. Well, I'm sure she would have apologized nicely to Laura and the kids. If she could."

"What do you mean, 'if she could'?"

"She stole a quinjet and left the compound in what I assume was pure panic."

"She doesn't know how to fly," Steve protested.

"Yeah, she didn't get far. She's dead, too, Steve."

"Oh, no, not Wanda," Steve said. "She was such a sweet girl."

"Jesus, Steve. Did she mess with your mind? She was twenty-six and she'd killed at least one man for every year of her life! What about Clint? I had to tell Laura that her 'retired' husband was DEAD, and her children were fatherless. You CALLED Clint, she said, and he ran to help you. Help you do what? What, Steve?"

"There are..." Steve shook his head when Sam reached for the phone. "There are five super soldiers in Siberia," Steve said, his voice firm and determined once more. "Bucky knows where they are. They could take down a whole country in one night! Bucky told me!"

There was silence from Tony's end of the line. "Steve. That's just... crazy. You need help."

"Yes! I need you and Rhodes and Natasha!"

"No. Not that kind of help."

The doors of the warehouse crashed open, and tac suited special forces burst in, firing tranquilizer darts in a heavy barrage. Sam fell immediately, Bucky a few seconds later, and finally Steve crashed to the floor, phone still clutched in his hand.

One of the special forces men picked up the phone. "Mr. Stark. Thank you for tracing the call. We have them."

Chapter Text

Seventeen:

The door opened in a Bucharest police station in one of the seedier parts of town. A pretty blonde woman, rather underdressed and over made up, walked to the desk. "Hello," she said in Romanian.

The officer at the desk looked confused and a little nervous before replying in the same language. "Elena, not when I'm at work. How many times do I have to tell you?"

"This is business, Vasile," Elena said. She rolled her eyes. "YOUR business, not mine. That man they say bombed the U.N. in Vienna? He didn't do it. He was with me when it happened."

Vasile frowned. "I do not believe you. How could you recognize him? It's always dark when you work."

Elena snapped, "Because I know when a cold metal hand is fondling my breast, Vasile! That is not a thing one mistakes!"

"All right, all right," Vasile said. He turned to his computer. "Where and when was this? It says that he knows how to fly. He could have rented an airplane after your.. business... was concluded."

Elena smiled. She turned and went to the door. "Girls! Vasile wants a timetable." She held the door open as a small crowd of young women entered. She looked back at Vasile. "I do not think our Buck had time to go to the corner for a pastry."

Vasile's eyes widened.

Rogers jumped up and said "I have to go," after glancing at his cell phone.

Tony had thought being a super soldier meant better bladder control, but apparently not. Rogers was halfway out the door when Friday said, "Boss! There is something on YouTube you need to see!"

"What?" Tony asked, but he turned to the monitor to watch along with the rest of the Avengers. "Fuck, that's Rogers' old pal," he said when the video began, showing a long haired man wearing a baseball cap and rumpled nondescript clothes standing in front of an old brick wall.

"What?" Rogers was back in the room in an instant, watching along with Tony and the others.

"I'm James Buchanan Barnes," the man in the video said, "formerly Sergeant Barnes of the U.S. Army, and I'm posting this video so's I can arrange a meeting without anyone getting hurt. I didn't have anything to do with the Vienna bombing. I was in Bucharest and there's a bunch of lovely young ladies who've sworn affidavits to prove it." He smirked. "You know, I had seventy years saved up. I was gonna call Stevie-- you know, Cap'n America, when I got caught up. Stevie's always been kinda a cockblock."

Tony made a choking noise. Rogers flashed him a disapproving look before returning his gaze to the monitor.

"Anyway," Barnes said, "the girls were all good citizens and gave me an alibi, so I'm in the clear for that. You gotta look behind the curtain for the wizard." He frowned. "When I come in, I'll tell what the Winter Soldier did. Not me, the Winter Soldier." He tapped his head. "Hydra tried to make me forget, but it all came back." The video ended.

"See? I told you Bucky was good," Rogers said, with a wide smile. He picked up his phone. "I'll just comment on the video to set up a meeting place."

"You need to sign the Accords, Steve," Tony said.

"No, I don't," Rogers replied. "Bucky doesn't need a...a cop! He needs a friend!"

Rhodey said, "If you go after him without U.N. sanction it's going to look bad... for HIM."

Vision nodded. "The presumption will be that you are attempting to circumvent the proper legal procedures. It could cloud the issue and create difficulties for Sergeant Barnes obtaining a pardon for acts committed while under duress if when he was free of constraint you acted unilaterally."

"Also," Tony said, "if you go as an official U.N. representative, I can provide a quinjet and get airspace clearance."

Wanda scowled. "You should give Steve the quinjet anyway. Barnes is his friend!"

"Yeah," Sam added. "Have a heart, man."

Tony didn't look at Wanda or Sam. "We need to go legit on this, Steve. Especially now, with everyone looking over our shoulders."

Rogers frowned. "That all takes time."

"Less time than if you have to fly commercial," Rhodey pointed out.

Rogers sighed. "All right. I'll sign."

Tony went with Steve to visit Barnes at the Hague, where he was being debriefed. It was going to take a while. Barnes had an eidetic memory, and seventy years of missions and information on Hydra to detail.

"Hey Buck, how are you doing?" Rogers said, grinning from ear to ear.

"I'm good." Barnes was sitting at his ease in a comfortable suite. "They're treating me real nice, Stevie." He glanced at Tony. "Gonna introduce me to your friend?"

"Huh, oh, yeah, this is Tony Stark," Rogers said.

"Yeah, I thought so." Barnes stood up. "I know about you. Thanks for lookin' after Stevie. I know the punk needs a lot o' watchin'."

Tony smirked. Rogers sighed. "Bucky..."

"No, no, you know it's true." Barnes went serious. "I'm sorry about your parents. I..."

"Bucky, no!" Rogers said.

Tony looked back and forth between them. "What's going on here?"

"Nothing," Rogers said, while giving Barnes a significant look.

Barnes frowned. "Jesus, Steve. Do you want him to read it in a transcript?"

"What," Tony said flatly.

Barnes ignored Rogers' attempts to wave him to silence. "The Winter Soldier killed your parents." He grimaced. "Howard knew me, and I... couldn't... I couldn't stop."

Tony stared at him, wide-eyed and silent.

Rogers put his hand on Tony's shoulder. "Tony, it wasn't him, it wasn't Bucky."

Tony turned to stare at Rogers. He said softly, "You knew."

Rogers winced. "No, not really."

"You KNEW."

"Well, yeah, but I didn't want to hurt you! I figured let sleeping dogs lie..."

Tony punched Rogers in the face, turned and stalked out of the room.

"Stevie," Barnes said. "You really fucked that up."

Chapter Text

Eighteen:

Rogers broke off Iron Man's faceplate and lifted his shield high. Tony still had power, it was his last chance. He brought up his gauntlets and hesitated. Then he saw the gleam of cruel satisfaction in Rogers' eyes. He fired both repulsors, full power, nothing held back. Rogers was slammed back, smashed against the nearest wall. His face... his face was horribly distorted, lumpy and misshapen.

"Oh, God." Tony pushed himself to his feet and staggered over to Rogers. "I didn't..."

Rogers glared up at him. His eyes were red, not bloody, just a burning evil red. And his skin... his skin was a sickly yellow green stretched taut over his cheeks and along lines in his chin. "You think you've won," he said in a venomous whisper. "You're wrong."

"What... what are you?" Tony asked.

"I am a Skrull warrior." The creature grinned. Green fluid coated his teeth and dripped. "We are many. We are everywhere."

Tony turned at a sound behind him. Barnes was sitting up, staring at the Skrull. "Where's Steve? What did you do to him?"

The Skull laughed. "We took him. So... easy. Since... the Chitauri... fools... this will be our home world. Not theirs." He coughed and a gout of green poured down his chest. His head fell to one side, eyes open and staring.

"Steve went to see America," Tony said softly. He looked at Barnes. "He rode off on his motorcycle. We were friends... but when he came back...I thought it was my fault. I thought I ..."

Barnes stared at the Skrull. "Is Steve dead?"

Tony shook his head. "I don't know. I don't even... know where to begin." His mouth tightened. "We have to show this... to the world. We have to be ready to fight." He looked at Barnes. "All of us."

Barnes nodded slowly. "Steve would want that." He went over to Tony and offered his good arm. "Together."

Chapter Text

Nineteen:

After the quintet took off, Barnes turned to Rogers and asked, "Don't you have anyone else you can call for backup? I couldn't beat even one of those soldiers before," he admitted. "Crazy makes them strong."

"There's no one else," Rogers said. "Well, not on Earth."

Barnes raised his eyebrows. "You meet a lot of aliens?"

Rogers smiled. "A few. One of them is a good friend. Thor. They call him a god, but of course, he's not really a god. He's strong, though, strong enough to fight the Hulk to a standstill." Rogers paused. "He did tell me he'd return if the Earth was ever threatened again."

"Again?" Barnes asked.

"Long story. Anyway, he gave me this..." Rogers reached into one of the pouches on his costume, and pulled out a small black feather. "Said if I just talked to it, he'd hear me."

Barnes looked at the feather, and then at Rogers. "Stevie, you got knocked around pretty good back there. How's your head?"

Rogers rolled his eyes. "I'll prove it." He held the feather up to his mouth. "Thor? This is Steve Rogers. If you can hear me, I could use your help. There's...well, the Earth is in danger! Can you come?"

The feather vibrated. Thor's voice emerged. "I regret I cannot, Captain. Can not the Man of Iron aid you?"

"Yeah, well... he's not on my side at the moment. It's just me, and my best friend, Bucky."

"That is unfortunate. And the other Avengers?"

"Either they're sticking with Stark, or he's got them in jail," Rogers said grimly.

"Ah! I knew Stark was untrustworthy! But! Captain, I have a thought! I am at present unable to wield Mjolnir, but I can still direct my hammer. I shall send Mjolnir to you, forthwith! You were very close to being worthy enough, I am sure your righteous battle against evil will suffice to enable you to use Mjolnir."

"That's great," Rogers said. "Only you know, we're in a quinjet at the moment. Can I call you back once we land?"

"You may. I shall inform Mjolnir that Midgard's most noble warrior requires her aid. You need merely speak her name."

"Thanks, Thor, I knew I could count on you." Rogers tucked the feather back into hiding.

Barnes shook his head. "You always could get people to follow you."

Rogers smiled back at him.

"Did you know?" Tony asked. His eyes were bright with fury, and grief.

Rogers said, "I didn't know it was him."

"Don't bullshit me, Rogers! Did you know?"

"Yes."

Tony punched Rogers at the same time he brought the Iron Man helmet back up. Rogers staggered back. He yelled, "MJOLNIR!"

There was a crashing noise, and Mjolnir flew through the air. Rogers held up his hand to catch it. "Tony, I won't let you kill Bucky!"

"Jesus, Rogers," Iron Man said, "He killed my mom, he doesn't get to WALK away!" He held up his hands, repulsors bright. "I'm taking him in. It's the right thing, and you know it."

"He's my friend," Rogers said. "I DON'T CARE what he did!" He threw Mjolnir.

Iron Man held up his hands, prepared to blast. Mjolnir smacked into the palm of his right hand. And stopped. Iron Man tilted his head down and looked at the hammer. "Huh." He hefted it and then he threw it. Mjolnir arced through the air, knocking Barnes and Rogers unconscious before returning to Iron Man's hand.

"Sweet," he said, patting the hammer. "Hey, how would you like a new look? You'd be beautiful in red and gold."

Mjolnir wriggled happily.

Chapter Text

Twenty:

Big man in a suit of armor; take that off, and what are you? Tony thought as Rogers straddled him and prepared to smash hell out of him with the shield. Tony had enough data already on what Vibranium could to do gold/titanium. His mind flashed back to M.I.T. Fifteen years old, smart mouth and too much pride to back down when someone was wrong led to a lot of unsanctioned 'boxing matches'. Rhodey had found him like this, flat on his back, with a huge bully punching him. After he'd run off the bastard, Rhodey had given Tony a bit of useful advice.

"When the other guy's not fighting fair, you don't have to, either."

Tony brought up an armored knee as hard as he could, smashing into Rogers' balls, right at the seam in the armored costume Tony had made.

Rogers let out a strangled scream and fell to one side. Tony grabbed the shield and threw it out the doorway and down the mountain. Then he punched Rogers right in his fucking perfect teeth.

"You know what I am without my armor?" Tony said to the semiconscious supersoldier. "I'm Tony Fucking Stark." He cuffed Rogers by the hand to Barnes' ankle and dragged them outside, to take them to his stolen quinjet.

T'Challa was standing there with his hand on Zemo's shoulder, an expression of disapproval on his face.

Tony raised his faceplate and looked at T'Challa. "Don't you even fucking start. Barnes killed my mom and dad. Rogers knew it all along. If you stand in my way, I'll go through you."

T'Challa opened his mouth and then closed it. Then he nodded and began hauling Zemo to the quinjet.

Twenty One:

Tony looked up from Rhodey when his quinjet flew overhead.

T'Challa stalked up to him. "Romanoff prevented me from stopping them. Barnes and Rogers have gone."

"Get Romanoff," Tony said.

"What about Barnes and Rogers?" T'Challa asked as he ran off to grab Romanoff.

"Friday," Tony said, "lock onto the quinjet nearest my location."

"Got it, Boss."

"Find Thaddeus Ross. Deliver it to him. Make sure the weapons are all locked down.Tell him it's an early Christmas present."

"Got it, Boss," Friday said cheerfully.

"You can't do that!" Romanoff snarled, twisting uselessly in T'Challa's grip. "You know the world will need us!"

Tony glanced around at the devastated airport, and then down at Rhodey's still face. "I'll make sure they let you exercise in prison. In case we ever do."

Twenty Two:

T'Challa frog-marched Zemo into the base. "Stop this!" he shouted, getting in between the three way punch-fest.

"He killed my mom!" Tony yelled.

"Bucky is innocent, Hydra made him do it!" Rogers screamed.

Barnes didn't say anything.

"I don't CARE!" T'Challa said. "LOOK!" He waved outside.

"What?" Tony said, irritably. "Look at the snow?"

"Look at the blizzard! We cannot fly in this weather!"

"Friday?" Tony asked.

"Sorry, Boss, I wasn't paying attention," Friday said. "It came out of nowhere!"

Tony didn't care whether it was caused by global warming, or Thor's adoptive brother, or maybe a whammy Princess Pink Hands put out before she was arrested. "Fuck," he said succinctly.

"Can we not discuss this like civilized people?" T'Challa said.

"Nope," Tony said.

Zemo giggled.

"Be reasonable, Tony. If we keep fighting we could all die here," Steve said.

Barnes nodded.

Tony growled, but T'Challa looked like he was going to join in with the super soldiers, and that reduced his chances into the negative numbers. "Fine!" He turned up the heat in his suit and stalked off to watch the blizzard.

An hour or so later, he heard T'Challa say, "Stark, we need your help."

Tony turned back, to find Rogers and Barnes both lying on the floor, side by side. It looked as if they were barely breathing.

"Huh. Friday, scan." Tony interpreted the numbers, and he smiled. "Hah. They've gone into hibernation. That's a thing super soldiers do, to survive the cold."

T'Challa said, "Neither Zemo nor I can do that."

"Yeah. Whyn't you go wait in the quinjet? I'll turn on the heaters."

T'Challa blinked. "Why didn't Rogers think of that?"

"He never read the fucking manual." Tony smiled.

Chapter Text

Twenty Three:

The shield came down. The reactor split, and the element that was never supposed to be exposed to oxygen reacted. The base and sides of the confinement unit remained intact, leaving it only one direction to release the full force capable of powering Stark Tower for a year.

Guided by the curvature of the vibranium shield a broad blue blast shot out and hit Rogers from armpits to waist, creating an atomized haze that flew across the chamber. Rogers' head, shoulders and arms landed on the floor a few feet away from Tony. His eyes were wide open in horror and his mouth moved.

Tony scrabbled backwards, breathing hard.

Barnes sat up, stared at the remains of Rogers, and threw up.

T'Challa came running in. "Stop!" he said. "Barnes is innocent! No one needs to die..." He looked at the gore-covered room and shut up.

"A day late and a dollar short," Barnes said, while laughing hysterically.

Twenty Four:

The shield came down. The reactor split and the shield went even further, down through the cracked gold titanium, down through the artificial sternum, down through the scar-tissue covered heart.

Rogers yanked the shield out, and blood gushed forth.

Tony gasped and pawed at the reactor.

"That wasn't supposed to happen!" Rogers said. "You told me your armor was strong!"

"Not your fault, Stevie," Barnes said. "Let's get out of here."

"Yeah. All right." Rogers went over to Barnes and helped him up. He looked back at Tony who was weakly scrabbling at his armor. "I'm sorry you didn't listen to me, Tony."

Tony mouthed, "Fuck you", and triggered the self destruct on his armor.

"Huh," Tony said when the extremely well built blonde in gold armor, riding a big horse also wearing gold armor, flew into the room. The horse neatly folded its wings and stomped. The woman smiled and held her hand down to Tony. "I am a valkyrie, come for thee, Man of Iron."

"Sure, ok, why not." Tony took her hand, and as she pulled him up to sit behind her on the horse he noticed that the room was a shambles. His armor had detonated, and not only obliterated him, but it had mangled Rogers and Barnes. They were still moving, but he was fairly sure they'd die. The super soldier serum wasn't a blessing when it drew out suffering. He was glad that at least he had prevented them from hurting any more innocents.

The horse clattered its hooves and then took off. Tony put his arms around the woman's waist, trying not to touch any sensitive areas. "So, where are we going?" He hadn't believed in life after death, but what with Thor and all, he hadn't not believed in it.

"Valhalla," she replied. "Where warriors who died in battle find their reward."

"What reward?" Tony thought about protesting that he wasn't an Asgardian, but he didn't really feel like being kicked off the horse. They were very high up.

She laughed. "Why, companionship and roistering. Drunkenness without pain, pleasure without end." The horse suddenly slanted downward, and landed.

Tony looked around at a grassy flower-covered meadow encircled by huge oak trees. Scattered around were tables full to overflowing with food and drink. Muscular men and beautiful women were enjoying the feast. There was other enjoying going on. And some people, both men and women, were battling on the lawn, laughing as they fought. By the time Tony took it all in, the woman and horse had gone.

He shrugged and went over to get a drink. A woman smiled at him, and he smiled back.

He lost track of time. In between drinking, and fighting- his armor appeared when he wanted it- and... you know... companionship... time just flew by.

He was standing at the forge, pounding out dents in Heimdall's armor when he heard the flutter of wings and looked up, curious to see who had arrived.

Rogers and Barnes alighted and looked around in wonder.

Tony threw down his hammer. "NO! I am NOT going to share eternity with them!"

The valkyrie frowned. "Why do you protest? They were strong warriors."

"Barnes murdered helpless old people, and Rogers lied to me, even though I was on his team, to protect him."

The valkyrie's frown deepened. "Still, they are warriors and died in battle."

"Yeah, not so much. They died after the battle."

"Because you blew up your armor!" Rogers said. "Like a bully, if you couldn't win fair, you cheated."

Tony growled. "Fine. You know what? Neither of them can get drunk, and neither of them want female companionship. So what good are they here?"

Rogers blushed. Barnes was holding his hand.

The valkyrie sighed. "I see what you mean." She whistled, and her horse turned around. She pulled Rogers and Barnes back up behind the saddle. "There is one other place they may go."

The horse leaped, flapping and gaining altitude, before diving back down, into the ground.

"Where are we going?" Rogers shouted.

"To Hel," the valkyrie replied.

Tony nodded. "Perfect."

Chapter Text

Twenty Five:

Rogers used the shield to break off Tony's faceplate, and then he raised it high. Tony stared up at him, wide-eyed, dazed by the sudden change from headsup display to the real life fury of Captain America.

Rogers hesitated an instant.

The light changed. Shimmering gold swirls like Catherine Wheel fireworks sputtered above Rogers' head. A red blanket... no... a cloak? Appeared from the midst of the golden light and wrapped itself around Rogers' arms, dragging him away from Tony while Rogers shouted and fought it.

"What the fu..." Tony struggled to sit up.

A man walked out of the golden pinwheel. Tony blinked and increased his struggles to sit up. The man was tall and dressed really funky. Tony liked his beard, though. The man sighed. "Pardon the intrusion. I fear my cloak became confused." He gestured at his beard, and then at Tony's.

Tony got to his feet, made his way over to Rogers and punched him unconscious. "That's ok," Tony said. "Good boy," he told the cloak.

Twenty Six:

"Did you know?"

Rogers said, "I didn't know it was him."

"Don't bullshit me, Rogers! Did you know?"

"Yes."

"That's it! You're sleeping on the couch tonight!"

"What?" Barnes said, but Rogers and Tony ignored him. They were standing nose to nose.

"I didn't tell you because it would hurt you!" Rogers said. "I'm not sleeping on the couch! You are! You were going to attack Bucky!"

"BUCKY! BUCKY BUCKY BUCKY, is all I ever hear! You don't care about me, you never did!" Tony sniffled and his eyes were bright.

"I'll just... wait outside," Barnes said, edging away.

"Oh, put away the tears," Rogers said. "They don't work on me, anymore."

"NOTHING works on you!" Tony made a rude gesture. "I thought you were just tired, but no, you're just TIRED OF ME! And now you've got your BUCKY back, you don't need your little sweetie pie any more!"

"Yeah, outside in the snow, sounds good right about now," Barnes muttered as he backed up quietly.

"It's not like that!" Rogers yelled. "He needs me!"

"AND WHAT ABOUT ME AND OUR CHILDREN!"

"What children?" Rogers sounded baffled.

Barnes stopped. "Children?" he asked.

Rogers and Tony both turned to look at him. Rogers waved in an 'I don't know' gesture. Tony was furious. "DUM-E made you a macaroni picture frame for father's day, and U took a photo of the four of us together to put in it!"

"THEY'RE ROBOTS!" Rogers snapped. "NOT PEOPLE."

Tony clutched at his chest. "You've broken my heart." He glared at Barnes. "Home-wrecker."

Barnes fled outside.

T'Challa was there with Zemo. There was a series of crashing noises from inside. T'Challa looked at Barnes. "Should we attempt to intercede?"

Barnes shook his head. "Not until Stark finishes breaking the china." He looked at Zemo. "One word outta you and I'm going to knock out all your teeth."

Zemo opened his mouth, smirking. Barnes punched him out.

"You didn't bomb the Accords," T'Challa said.

"Yeah. I know," Barnes replied.

They stood there, in what was an awkward silence on their part, punctuated by smashing and shouting from inside the base. Barnes tried rubbing his arms, but the metal one just made him colder. Finally the noise died down. They looked at each other. "I was already in there once. Your turn in the barrel," Barnes said.

T'Challa nodded and strode inside. "Stark... ROGERS... Oh, dear Bast..." T'Challa emerged very quickly. "We shall wait a little longer. They are... reconciling."

"Damn," Barnes said after a minute. "I didn't give them a wedding present. Think a fondue set would be good?"

Chapter Text

Twenty Seven:

"We've got about thirty seconds before they realize it's not their equipment," Tony told Sam before showing him the photo of the doctor who was supposed to interrogate Barnes, and admitting he'd made a mistake.

Tony ignored Sam's comeback, "That's a first."

Tony said, "Cap is definitely off the reservation but he's about to need all the help he can get. We don't know each other very well. You don't have to..."

Sam's expression softened and he started to reply, but Clint shouted, "No! Don't tell him, Sam! You don't know Stark like I do! He's always been trying to make Steve pay because his father knew he didn't measure up to Captain America!"

Sam lifted his chin. "Go to hell, Stark."

Tony walked to his helicopter. Ross met him and asked, "Stark? Did he give you anything on Rogers?"

"Nope. Told me to go to hell. I'm going back to the compound instead, but you can call me anytime. I'll put you on hold, I like to watch the light blink." Tony got into his helicopter and sighed. "Well, this is one time I can't make you look pretty, Rogers. Good luck." He set the course for home.

The lights came on in the bunker illuminating the corpses of super soldiers, trapped in cylinders like museum specimens. Rogers and Barnes looked around as a speaker turned on.

"If it's any comfort, they died in their sleep. Did you really think I wanted more of you?" Zemo said. Another light came on, showing him standing in a glass enclosed control room.

Rogers threw his shield but it bounced off the glass.

"Please, Captain. The Soviets built this chamber to withstand the launch blast of UR-100 rockets." Zemo smirked. "It will withstand even Iron Man's... wait. Where is Stark?"

"We didn't see eye to eye," Rogers said.

"Ah." Zemo tilted his head. "Plan B, then. It's just as well. While that would have been more certain, Stark was never my true target."

"What is?" Rogers asked, clenching his shield and standing four-square and ready to fight. "You killed innocent people in Vienna just to bring us here."

Zemo shrugged. "Collateral damage. I'm sure you understand the concept. You certainly knew it in Sokovia."

Rogers took a deep breath. "So. Sokovia. You lost someone?"

"I lost everyone," Zemo said softly. "My only consolation is that they knew I had never betrayed them."

A video began playing, showing a grainy image of a road. Rogers stared at it.

"I meant that for Stark," Zemo said, "but unlike you, I am not inflexible." Zemo spoke Barnes' trigger words. Rogers shouted and Barnes yelled and they tried to break down the control room, but there wasn't time. "Soldier?" Zemo said in Russian.

"Ready to comply," Barnes replied in the same language.

"Capture Rogers," Zemo said in English. "Hold him. Do not let him move."

It took a few minutes, but Rogers held back, as he hadn't done at the airport, and Barnes had him subdued, held immovably by his metal hand at Rogers throat.

"Excellent," Zemo said. He left the control room and went to Rogers.

"You won't... get away... with this," Rogers choked out. "Tony will..."

"Stark will feel guilty that he was unable to save you. And that guilt will make him refuse to continue the Avengers, as he will blame his involvement for their downfall." Zemo opened a small black case. Inside there was a single hypodermic filled with a colorless fluid. "He is childishly predictable. I studied him. I studied all of you, including the witch. The methods necessary to keep her confined will make her self-destruct. It should be extremely impressive. With any luck, she'll take out the rest of the fools who followed you."

Zemo nodded at Barnes. "Tighter."

Barnes choked Rogers until his struggles stopped and he was barely conscious. Zemo stepped forward then and injected Rogers in the neck. "This probably won't kill you. It will simply take away your unfair advantage." Zemo nodded at Barnes again. "Release him."

Rogers fell to the floor, shaking and curling up.

"When you released all of SHIELDRA's files, I found some very interesting research." Zemo smiled. "Howard Stark had discovered a method of neutralizing the super serum. He'd included it with the serum Barnes stole. Hydra chose not to use it, but they kept it... perhaps as a souvenir? I'm pleased to see it works."

Rogers screamed and shrank within his costume, half smothered by armor too large and too heavy for his scrawny form.

"Excellent," Zemo said. "Soldier," he told Barnes. "Your mission is to stay here. Prevent Rogers from leaving this room. You are to watch him. You are not to leave. You are not to ever leave, even after he dies."

Rogers blinked and coughed. "No. You can't," he said weakly. "It's..."

"Yes," Zemo said. "It's a death sentence. For all of us." He smiled and took out a pistol. "I may," he said, "be kind. I may not."

"Boss?" Friday said as Tony walked towards the compound after landing his helicopter. "We have a visitor? King T'Challa requests permission to land."

"Yeah? What..." Tony looked up as a sleek black jet, hovering on VTOL, appeared above the compound. "Ok, let him in."

T'Challa stepped out of his plane after he set it down on the lawn, over one of Thor's burned patches. "Do you know where Barnes is?"

"Haven't a clue," Tony replied. He looked back at the jet. "Stealth, huh. And you were following me. You could have just asked, you know."

"You would have prevented me from killing Barnes."

"Yeah, and you'd have been glad. Turns out he was framed for the Accords bombing."

T'Challa stopped and blinked. "There is proof?"

"Yes, absolute proof. I can show you." Tony gestured towards the compound. "Come on. I want to call to see how Rhodey is doing, and Vision needs moral support."

"Thank you," T'Challa said after he'd viewed the evidence. "I owe you a debt. You have prevented me from making a horrible mistake and dishonoring myself."

Tony made a face. "That... that's what the Accords are for. We need to stop going off half-cocked. Well, we would have." He picked up a bag of dried fruit and offered it to T'Challa.

"Would have?" T'Challa accepted a handful of papaya chunks. "Do you not plan to continue the Avengers?"

"I... don't really feel it, anymore..."

"BOSS!" Friday interrupted. "Senator Ross is calling!"

"Didn't I tell you to put him on hold?"

"There's been an explosion at the Raft!"

"What?" Tony sat up straight.

"It appears to have been centered on the unit containing Maximoff. She and Wilson, Barton and Lang are dead, Boss. Along with a number of guards and other prisoners. Some enhanced prisoners have escaped, including the Abomination!"

"FUCK." Tony stood up and called his newest, best suit. "Tell Ross that Iron Man is on his way. And call Vision."

T'Challa had also stood. "The Black Panther stands with you." He smiled. "This time, I promise to be at your side, with all my heart."

Tony gave T'Challa a brief grin that faded. "The Avengers are dead."

T'Challa nodded. "Perhaps it is time for the Defenders."

"Yeah. Yeah. I could go with that."

Vision floated into the room. "I find the name agreeable as well." He looked sad. "It is better to defend than to avenge."

Chapter Text

Twenty Eight:

Even in stealth mode, a helicarrier at low altitude is quite noisy, but then the three fighters were making so much noise it wasn't surprising they didn't notice its arrival.

They did, however, notice when Nick Fury shouted, "What the Sam Hall is going on here?"

Rogers and Barnes whirled to face the entrance.

"Sam Hall?" Rogers asked, panting.

Tony warily stepped back after a glance at Fury. He didn't have energy to spare wondering how Fury knew to come to Siberia. The leg joints on Tony's armor were fairly well trashed. His palm repulsors were still in working order, as were all his missiles and other projectile weapons. He could win this fight. He could. Really. But then he envisioned Rogers lying on the ground, blaming Tony for not saving him, for not doing enough. Killing wasn't winning.

"He meant to say WHAT THE FUCK!", a quavery old lady voice announced.

What? Tony looked at Fury again. Fury looked disgruntled, nothing new there, but he also looked... ashamed? That was different. Fury held his arm stiffly to allow a fragile-looking elderly woman to support herself by it. She looked... wow... she looked a lot like Fury. Her free hand held a long, highly polished, heavy looking, black cane, which she raised to wave at them.

"This sort of shenanigans never went on when I ran SHIELD," she exclaimed.

"Mother," Fury said quietly. "You don't understand. Things got... complicated."

The cane whipped around to smack Fury in the gut. He grunted, but didn't complain. "Don't give me EXCUSES! I TOLD you Operation Paperclip was a disaster waiting to happen! I told you the Cult of Personality was a SHIT WAY to run teams!"

"Yes, Mother," Fury said, with bowed head.

"And I DAMN WELL did not give you permission to use my address to buy secret mission ships! The IRS thinks I own the Lemurian Star! The insurance company wants to know what happened to it!"

"Sorry, Mother," Fury said very quietly. "I didn't think you'd mind."

"You DIDN'T FUCKING think!" The old lady paused to catch her breath. "Playing footsie with your second in command, and giving him his own superhero playtoys was bad enough, but then you let them run around without supervision! MY GOD, I wouldn't let them run with scissors! Just LOOK at this mess."

Tony blinked. Rogers and Barnes seemed equally stunned.

But then, of course, Rogers had to speak. "Ma'am, you don't want to be here. You could get hurt."

The old lady turned her glare on Rogers. "Oh, so NOW you give a shit about civilians? Do you have ANY IDEA the body count you and your boyfriend racked up?"

"They were going to kill Bucky! He's innocent!"

Tony thought about saying something, but he knew the power of a pissed off woman, and figured Mrs. Fury had it handled.

She snorted, inelegantly. "That is SUCH A LOAD OF CRAP. You just didn't like being told what to do! If I was ten years younger I'd have you over my knee, you spoilt brat!"

"Steve was just doing what he thought was right," Barnes offered.

"Right? RIGHT?" The old lady's eyes were wide and glittering. "WHO THE FUCK DIED AND MADE HIM GOD?"

Rogers frowned. "Ma'am, there's no call for that sort of language."

The old lady turned her head to look at Fury. "He was dropped on his head as a baby, wasn't he?"

Tony choked on a laugh.

Fury cleared his throat. "Rogers, it's over. Come in now, before you make things worse."

Rogers straightened and held his head high. "NO!"

"And you can't make him," Tony added, snidely.

Rogers turned to give Tony one of his self-righteous disappointed looks. Then he yelped and straightened up, hand going to his backside, and his whole face screwed up in astonishment.

And then he fell forward. Barnes leaped to catch him, grunted, and he collapsed as well.

The old lady lowered her cane and patted it. A thin curl of smoke was coming from the end of it. "Tranqs won't keep those two down very long."

"No, Mother." Fury tapped his comm. "We're ready, come and get them."

"Tell them not to forget the pussycat and his mouse that I left snoozing on the doorstep," Mrs. Fury said. She hobbled past the super-soldiers and went up to Tony. "I'm so sorry about your parents," she said softly.

Tony let the Iron Man helmet retract. "Did you know?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No. I was on the International desk at the time." She scowled. "Some SHIELDRA fuckers must have covered it up. New SHIELD needs a new director."

Fury hung his head even lower.

Tony narrowed his eyes. "You're not looking at me, I hope."

Mrs. Fury laughed and reached out to pat Tony on the cheek. "No, you're far too honest." She paused. "Do you think your lovely Ms. Potts..."

Fury coughed. "I believe taking care of Stark and his company is a full time job, Mother."

"True." Mrs. Fury nodded. "Maria Hill it is, then." She put her hand on Iron Man's arm. "Give an old lady a hand, like a gentleman."

Tony walked slowly at Mrs. Fury's side, pausing to let Fury's agents, carrying heavy-duty restraints, rush past. "So," she said once they got outside, "do you like cats?"

Behind her back, Fury was waving frantically, 'NO', but Tony nodded. "Sure, what's not to like?"

She beamed. "Wonderful, you can have the pick of the litter."

Chapter Text

Twenty Nine:

"Look, Steve, I understand," Sam said, "I gave you Tic Tac's phone number. He'd probably jump at the chance. I can't hop a plane to Germany. I'm counseling... no, I understand, but it's really, really a bad time." Sam frowned. "Yeah, I know, he's your friend, but this is my friend." Sam huffed. "Look, I've got to go." Sam turned back to the man who was standing in front of him, holding a gun. "Sorry about the interruption, Danny."

"Was that..."

"Yep, Captain America."

"You turned him down for me?"

Sam shrugged. "Your life is more important, Danny. Don't throw it away."

Danny set the gun to safety and laid it down on the table. He was crying. "You turned down Captain America for me."

Sam put the gun out of reach and then hugged Danny. He said softly, "I got my priorities right."

Laura held Clint's phone to his ear. "No can do, Cap. Sorry. I'm retired. And I'm in the middle of refinishing a floor. I've got to get the varnish on in one coat." Clint blinked. "Stark put Wanda under house arrest? What? Come on, why? Oh, yeah. Well, you know, we don't have SHIELD to cover our asses, so it's probably a good idea to let Stark's lawyers handle the fallout from that Nigerian mess while she stays out of sight."

Laura narrowed her eyes. Clint rolled his. "Steve, look, I'm just a guy with a bow. What do you expect me to do? I'm not going to shoot the cops. Oh. You want me to go to the Compound and get Wanda. Um, Steve. Why can't you just phone her?" Clint got angry. "What? Hell, no I haven't forgot that her brother saved my life! I also haven't forgot that he nearly killed me before that, and if it wasn't for Doctor Cho... you know the nice lady Stark financed so she had the tech to repair my guts...." Clint blinked. "Wow, yeah, sure, I'm ungrateful. I've got a family! I'm not running out on my kids because you..." Clint shook his head. "He hung up on me, Laura."

"Vision and I are making quiche," Wanda said after she answered the phone. "We tried paprikash, but..." Wanda frowned. "I'm under house arrest?" She looked at Vision.

"Mr. Stark requested you remain here, for your own safety. The current social climate is not conducive to public appearances." Vision paused. "People are afraid and that makes them act without forethought. You might be imperiled."

"I can take care of myself," Wanda said.

"Yes, of course you can." Vision put his hand lightly on her shoulder. "But I would like to care for you."

Wanda looked at Vision, and smiled. "I'm sorry, Steve. I don't want to ruin my quiche." She hung up and turned to Vision, smiling.

"WOW, Captain America is calling me! That's... WOW," Scott said, all excited. "Cassie, baby, I'm talking to CAPTAIN AMERICA! That's just... wow... oh, hey, how did you get my number. Oh." Scott scrunched up his nose. "Yeah, I didn't... I mean, I didn't really hurt Falcon-guy, I just needed a thing... and you know, STARK, I wasn't going to ASK HIM. Yeah, you know. He's selfish. And mean. And...makes guns? Well, he did, anyway..."

Scott listened and nodded. "Yeah, that sounds like Stark, all right. Wants to get everyone under his thumb. Thinks he can buy everyone, right? Am I right! Yeah." Scott looked puzzled. "Germany? Um. I don't have a passport, I don't think... maybe I could get one. I dunno how long it... shrink down and sneak on a plane? Well, I suppose I could, how about next week? No. No, now is not going to work. Cassie's got the lead in the school play! It's all about... you don't want to know."

Scott listened for a few more minutes. "Um, look, I'd really like to help, but I'm on parole! Not just with the law, with Cassie and Hope. And I'm not going to miss this play. I missed too much of my little girl's life already. Good luck, I mean, hey, you're Captain America! I'm sure lots of people would be glad to drop everything and help you. I would, but not... not Cassie. Yeah, goodbye."

"Steve?" Sharon Carter whispered. "I'm being watched. I can't help you. Good luck." Sharon hung up and shook her head. "You're gorgeous, Steve, but you're not worth giving up my career."

"I can't just drop out of school!"

"PETER!" May opened the door and stormed into his room. "WHAT is Mr. Stark trying to talk you into!"

"Um," Peter said.

May's gaze turned to the Spiderman uniform Tony was holding. "PETER! Explain yourself this instant!"

"I..." Peter looked at Tony in appeal.

Tony winced. "Sorry? Peter is... um... he has these abilities... he was going to come help me with a little project. Totally harmless... mostly... probably."

May snatched up the uniform. She glared at Peter. "Young man, you're not going anywhere." Then she pointed at Tony. "Out."

"But I need him!" Tony said.

"If you can't handle a little project without a fifteen year old boy's help, maybe you shouldn't be doing it at all," May said.

Tony's mouth opened and then shut. "Yeah. You're right." He nodded and left.

"No, Shuri," T'Challa said, "I am not coming home until I avenge father's death." He pulled the phone away from his ear. "I can't hear you, it must be a bad connection." He disconnected.

One of the Dora Milaje stepped forward, holding out her own phone to him. Her face looked stern.

"What is this?" T'Challa said, irritably. "I don't want it."

"My Prince, you must speak to Princess Shuri."

"Your king," T'Challa corrected. "Your king has given you an order."

"Until ratified by the council, you are my Prince." She continued to hold out the phone.

T'Challa growled something and turned his own phone back on. "Shuri," he said, "I apologize, we were cut off." He listened. "Yes, I understand my place. It is to... I know father spent years on the Accords... I know... yes... Yes." He sighed and bent his head. "Yes. I know this is not Wakanda. I know... I know there are authorities... I know... I understand diplomacy for Bast's sake, Shuri! But it's Father!" T'Challa was silent for a long time. "Very well, I shall stand aside. But if they do not capture this man, I will expect you to join me in the hunt." T'Challa nodded and his face softened. "Don't cry, Shuri. You won't lose me, too."

T'Challa ended the connection and sighed.

"Panthers are patient hunters," the Dora said.

T'Challa huffed.

"So, that's your final word, Prince T'Challa?" Natasha asked. "You don't want to get the man who killed your father?"

T'Challa's reply was calm, "I do, of course I do. But I do not wish to become that man. I've been reminded that my father was a man of peace, and a man of laws. Wakanda was always his first priority and now it has become mine. I cannot indulge myself by acting as a vigilante as if my own feelings were all that mattered."

"I could second you as part of the team assigned to bring in Rogers and Barnes," Natasha said.

"That would be legal, I suppose," T'Challa said. "But my motivation would still be revenge, not justice. What is your motivation?" he asked.

"I..." Natasha paused. "I signed the Accords."

"I didn't ask you that. Why do you wish to fight against the man who led your team?"

Natasha developed a faint frown line. "I don't."

"Then what would you do when you face him?"

"I... I don't know."

"Perhaps it would be best to decide that before you start." T'Challa nodded and walked away.

Natasha blinked. "You could be right."

"I'd go with you in a minute, Tony, you know that, but the Air Force got a hate on for Ross, and they decided he's got too much control. So they told me to sit this one out."

"Jesus, Rhodey," Tony shook his head. "Romanoff disappeared. I don't... you're always telling me not to be the lone gunslinger, well, right now there's no one else! German Special Forces couldn't stop him, Rhodey. There's no one else!"

"Tony, man, I'm serious here. Remember what Vision said..."

"He says a lot of things... oh. Something about challenge inciting conflict?"

"What would Rogers do if you brought a team against him?"

Tony closed his eyes a moment. "He'd fight until he couldn't. So, you're saying, let him go? Don't follow him?"

"Yeah, just... think a moment, what would Rogers do if you met him by yourself?"

"I..." Tony rubbed at his face. "I have no idea." He sighed. "Guess I'll find out."

Tony's phone rang. "Yeah," Tony said. "What's up, Rogers?"

"Tony." Steve's voice sounded uncertain, and then it firmed up. "Bucky's innocent. He didn't set that bomb. He was triggered by the man the Accords sent to interrogate him."

"Wait, what?"

"The man wanted to know things... he asked about... there's five other super soldiers in Siberia. Kept. Like Bucky was. They're frozen. He can get them, he has the trigger words to make them obey. They can take down a country in a single night! We have to stop him, Tony!"

"What? Rogers... Steve... this doesn't make any sense. If Hydra or Russia or whoever had them, why didn't they use them, instead of sticking to just one guy? And he didn't bring down a single country in what... fifty years of missions? Let's just step back and think about this."

"Bucky said they didn't use them because they went crazy and killed their handlers."

"That... doesn't sound to me like anything to worry about then. This guy wakes them up, triggers them and they kill him and then, what, they're in Siberia in a presumably remote, probably abandoned, Hydra base? What are they going to do? Kill each other, I bet. Or else they'll wander out and freeze again. Can't we just tell the Russians and let them handle it? I mean, I know you don't like the idea of anyone getting the super soldier serum, but it's not really possible to back engineer something like that from a living body."

"Your father did it!" Rogers snapped.

"What?"

"That's why Hydra sent Bucky to kill him! He was carrying the serum he'd made! That's how they made the soldiers in the first place."

"What." Tony's voice was dead calm. "What the fuck are you talking about? My parents died in a car accident."

"SHIELD covered it up. That's why I won't let any government get control of the Avengers! You can't trust any of them! I found out about Howard when I had to bring SHIELD down! They were HYDRA! Hydra is everywhere! I bet HYDRA is behind the Accords!"

"That was... years ago. You knew? You knew Barnes murdered my parents? Killed my MOM?"

"Bucky's innocent!"

"YOU KNEW?"

"Yeah, but I couldn't tell you! You might have been HYDRA, too! Maybe Howard was HYDRA!"

Friday spoke softly to Tony. "Call has been traced to a parking garage at the Leipzig/Halle airport. Shall I inform the authorities?"

Tony switched to private line with Friday. "Yes. Tell them to use long-range equipment only. Flood the place with tranq gas, stun grenades." Then he switched back to talking to Rogers, suddenly coldly calm and clear. He'd have time for a breakdown later, after he'd stalled Rogers long enough for the police to get him. "So, that's why you didn't call me to ask for help when you had to take down three helicarriers using my tech. And whose bright idea was it to dump SHIELD on the internet?"

The German Special Forces team was not only efficient, they were highly motivated- everyone had heard what happened to the first team to encounter Rogers and Barnes. Tony held on the line until he heard Rogers' shout and then a lot of noise.

Eventually the phone went silent.

Tony closed his eyes for a long moment. "Friday, do you have enough information to locate that HYDRA facility in Siberia?"

"Yes, Boss," Friday said. "It was in the information dump from SHIELD."

Tony laughed without humor. "Of course it was." He shook his head. "Turn it over to the Accords Council, let them send a team. Tell them everything. Tell them to be careful. I'm going... to go have a drink."

Tony sat at a bar, drinking bourbon. He didn't like bourbon, but his father had. "Sorry, Dad. All these years, I blamed you for driving drunk. Blamed me for getting you mad enough to get drunk. Fuck HYDRA. Fuck SHIELD. And fuck the Avengers."

Romanoff sidled onto a stool next to him. "The Avengers was a good idea." She waved and the bartender brought over a shot of vodka.

"Lousy name, though. What the hell were we avenging?"

"I have no idea," Romanoff replied. "Considering how many of us had red in our ledgers, perhaps the Atoners would have been a better name."

"Sounds like a really crappy band." Tony tapped his glass against hers. "They found the guy who started all this mess. Blew his brains out in Siberia, after doing the same for the super soldiers."

Romanoff nodded. "Probably his best move." She sipped at her drink. "What about Rogers and Barnes?"

"No idea. Psychiatrists first, I guess. I wonder if the super soldier serum drives everyone crazy?"

"Banner is sane," Romanoff replied.

"Yeah. Bruce got the fuck out of Dodge. Smart man. I bet he's found a nice, quiet place to play doctor." Tony ordered another round of drinks. "Here's to you, Bruce."

Romanoff joined Tony in the toast.

Chapter Text

Thirty:

Scott shot out of Iron Man, chased by CO2 foam. "Woah," he said, "didn't know we were up THIS high!" Scott screamed and looked at the airport tarmac far below, and fumbled at the controls of his suit. "Teeny tiny things can fall without getting hurt, right? OH, SHIT, NOT SUB-ATOMIC!"

"What the hell just happened?" Tony asked Friday as an ant-sized burst of weirdly multicolored light flashed in front of him.

"I have no idea, Boss," Friday replied.

An instant later another burst of rainbow light appeared, this time growing and spreading to human size... twice human size in fact. Ant-Man appeared, limbs limp and helmet ripped off. His eyelids flickered, showing he was barely conscious. A person in a similar suit was holding him. It... she from the shape of the suit, dropped Ant-Man's helmet, and then Ant-Man himself, without looking to see where he'd land.

No one was close enough to catch him before he fell into the burning fuel truck he'd given Rogers to throw at Rhodey. His screams were brief and horrifying.

The woman in the Ant-man type suit shrank. Gauzy dragonfly wings emerged from her back. She flew down, hands outstretched. Her fingernails glittered silver.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Rhodey shouted over the confusion.

"Watch out for her hands!" Tony yelled, recognizing a weapon even if he didn't know what it did. "Ow, that's gotta hurt," he said as the woman jabbed Clint in the neck, and he went down shouting and convulsing.

"I've got a shot," Rhodes said. He fired a repulsor at the woman, who darted out of the way. "I ain't got it."

"Vision!" Tony shouted, at the same time Rogers ordered, "Wanda!"

Red and gold light converged on the flying, flitting, tiny woman, who wasn't there when the beams hit themselves with no buffer in between. Tony was reminded of the time he and Rhodey had shot repulsors at each other. Times about ten. Wanda was pretty much vaporized by the blow-back. Vision's vibranium body was intact, but he was knocked out, and gently steaming.

"Jesus," Tony said. "Who the hell are you, lady!"

Romanoff swatted at the flying woman. Bad mistake. Romanoff was stung, and went down hard, uncoordinated and unable to avoid landing on a sharp piece of metal. She began bleeding heavily.

The tiny woman enlarged and stood on the tarmac. She pulled off her helmet, revealing a youthful face, framed by pixie-cut hair. Her eyes were wide and wild, flickering with speckles of rainbow light. She said, in a singsong as if reciting, "I saw a wasp upon a wall. And did not like his face at all: And so the creature had no time. To wonder whether he liked mine."

"Wasp?" Something about that niggled at Tony's memory. Something from a long time ago? Tony landed and held out his hands, repulsors aiming down, in the least threatening move Iron Man could make. "You're too pretty to be a wasp."

"Well, she's white and Anglo-Saxon," Rhodey muttered for Tony's ears only through Iron Man's comms. "Don't know if she's Protestant."

"Not helping," Tony said back the same way. He lifted his faceplate and smiled at the Wasp woman. "Hey," he said, "can we stop and talk? I don't think you meant to hurt anyone." Hurt, yeah. Tony could smell burnt Ant-Guy over the smell of fuel, and Wanda... well... there was just an empty space when he thought about her. She had scared the shit out of him and he was ashamed that his overwhelming feeling at her death was relief.

Wasp looked at Tony's face and gasped. "Who hit you? Was it HANK! Is Hank here?" She looked frightened.

"No, no, Hank?" The niggling familiarity strengthened. "No, actually, it was that guy there, the one with the shiny metal arm," Tony said, pointing at Barnes. He admitted to himself not being above petty spite. And how petty was it, really, considering the kill count Barnes and Rogers had piled up recently?

"It wasn't his fault!" Rogers shouted. "The psychiatrist made him do it!"

Wasp screamed, "It hurts just as much when he says he didn't mean it!"

Tony had time to think, "Oh shit," before Wasp shrank and went for Barnes, with all her sting-talons, or whatever they were, outstretched.

"BUCKY!" Rogers yelled and got in front of his friend.

Wasp stopped to sting merry hell out of him. Barnes moved to swat at her, and while he wasn't looking, T'Challa leaped on his back and ripped his throat out before leaping away and disappearing into the airport rubble.

"Oh, my GOD!" Spiderman squeaked. "Oh, my GOD!" He shot webbing at Wasp, trapping her in a net, and then tried to make web bandages for Barnes and Romanoff, but it was too late.

Rhodey landed and looked around at the carnage. Rogers seemed to have been allergic to whatever Wasp did, because his face swelled up. He clawed at his throat, convulsed dramatically and stopped moving entirely. "Tony?" Rhodes said, "What the fuck just happened here?"

"I didn't do enough," Tony said. He walked stiffly over to Spiderman. "Come on, kid. We need to get you out of here."

"No!" Spiderman said, "I can... I can..." He looked around, the white eyes of his mask dilating so wide it would have been comical in other circumstances. "It's my fault. It's... my bad luck. Everyone I touch dies..."

Rhodes retracted his helmet. "Jesus, you sure he's not your kid, Tones? Things went to shit, all right? It's not your fault, either of you. SHIT HAPPENS."

Just then Wasp started growing back to full size. The web didn't give. It was... the most horrible thing Rhodey had ever seen in a life-long career in the armed forces. Spiderman and Tony both broke down into hysterics, and Rhodey had to tranq them. He was sorry he hadn't tranqued everyone to begin with.

Spiderman and Tony started intensive therapy the next day. The authorities ruled that there had been no malice, simply an unfortunate series of events that no one could have predicted. Rhodes and Vision both testified. Vision had recovered fully, with the only lasting result being a change in 'skin tone' to brown. He didn't mind. It wasn't easy being green.

A week later, Zemo released the video tapes showing the Winter Soldier murdering Howard and Maria Stark. Tony didn't see it, because he was still under sedation for trauma. Coulson and Fury returned from the dead long enough to track down Zemo and kill him because he'd fucked up their Avengers' Initiative. Zemo laughed while he died.

Clint retired for good, with irreversible nerve damage so bad he couldn't even hit a Nerf target. He spent his days polishing the floors in his home while muttering 'wax on, wax off' to himself.

T'Challa went back to Wakanda and explained that he had been forced to avenge his father's death, but unfortunately for him, Zemo had left evidence clearing Barnes of the U.N. Bombing. When the Council of Elders heard that, they ruled that he must undergo challenges again to prove his right to rule.

His sister Shuri won and became the new ruler of Wakanda and Black Panther. The Dora Milaje had trained her, and they cheered her victory.

(In case you were wondering, Sam Wilson was off looking for the quin-jet when all the shit went down. He ran in a panic, but he didn't speak German and was picked up in a few days. He went to prison and counted himself lucky.)

Chapter Text

Thirty One:

The Princess Bride Variations:

(Vision to Wanda) Hello. My name is Vision. You killed my father*, prepare to die.

(Wanda to Tony) Hello. My name is Wanda Maximoff. You killed my father, prepare to die.

(T'Challa to Bucky) Hello. My name is T'Challa. You killed my father, prepare to die.

(Tony to Bucky) Hello. My name is Tony Stark. You killed my father, prepare to die.

(Peter to Steve and Natasha) Hello. My name is Peter Parker. You killed my father**, prepare to die.

*Jarvis as a result of her prodding Tony to create Ultron.

**Assuming the Parkers weren't dead, but undercover as SHIELD agents who were killed as a result of the Washington data drop.

Thirty Two:

"What the hell is going on here? I went to SIBERIA to get some peace and quiet! What do I have to do, go into SPACE?" Rumpled, and bleary eyed, like he'd just woke up, Bruce Banner wandered into the control room. He looked at Tony lying on the floor in a broken suit, at Rogers straddling him with his shield buried in Tony's broken arc reactor, at Barnes' lying off to one side, with his metal arm in a heap nearby. Then he returned his gaze to Tony's bloody face. "Tony?"

"Bruce." Tony looked up from the floor, so relieved to see his old science buddy, probably the only one on the team who had ever seemed to like him, that he wasn't thinking too clearly. "Barnes killed my mom."

"What," Bruce said flatly. His eyes went green.

"No, he didn't!" Rogers said hastily.

"Fuck you, Rogers," Tony said. He gestured at the metal arm. "Barnes beat my father to death with that arm and then he strangled my mom. They were asking for help. Begging. Helpless."

Bruce growled, a deep animal noise. His skin rippled. "No."

"And then Rogers... he didn't care who he hurt to protect Barnes. Even me. He knew about my parents for years, but didn't tell me, so he could keep me paying to search for Barnes."

"Tony, no," Rogers said. He pulled the shield out of Tony's suit and raised it. A large green arm snatched it from him, and snapped it in two. Hulk roared in Rogers' face and then he turned to look at Barnes.

"It wasn't him!" Rogers screamed. "He couldn't help it!" He looked desperately at Tony. "TELL HIM! STOP HIM!"

Tony looked at Rogers. "I was going to arrest Barnes." He took a deep, pained breath. "Hulk. Hey, big guy, can you just... you know... wrap them up safe for the police?"

Hulk growled and cracked his knuckles. "POLICE PUNY. THEY LET THEM GO. ALWAYS LET MOTHER KILLER GO. HULK SMASH."

Rogers ran to Barnes and dragged him to his feet. "I won't let you!"

Hulk laughed in Rogers' face, and reached out to backhand the two of them into a wall. "PUNY. HULK SMASH BOTH. NO FRIENDS."

"Yeah, I know," Tony said. Rogers was struggling to his feet, Barnes was out cold. "But Bruce is my friend. And so are you. I don't want you to feel bad later."

Hulk tilted his head and huffed again. "SMASH BETTER. BUT BANNER CRYBABY." Hulk knocked over some machines and ripped out lengths of wire. He tied Rogers and Barnes back to back, wrapping them up tightly despite Rogers squirming and struggling. Then he walked back to Tony. His brow wrinkled. "NEED BANNER?"

"Please."

Hulk grumbled and shrank back to Bruce. Bruce blinked and looked around. "Shit."

"Yeah," Tony said. "Lend me a hand getting out of this. I have to figure out a way of contacting authorities to arrest them." Bruce helped Tony out of the wrecked suit.

T'Challa strode in. "No, release them. Sergeant Barnes is innocent."

Tony gave T'Challa a disbelieving look. "What?"

"The bomb was not his doing. I have captured the one responsible."

"Yeah, right. Saw the guy. Good job." Tony straightened and moved away from Bruce's support. "Hand him over, and you can go."

"What?" T'Challa said, looking outraged. "No, vengeance is wrong, Stark! I had almost let it consume me, do not make my mistake!"

"It's been a fucking long day, so I'm not going to ask why you showed up here, and didn't lift a hand to help. I'm not going to ask you anything. I'm just telling you. Barnes is going to be arrested. He's going to stand trial, and be judged by people whose parents he didn't kill. That's as fair as it gets."

"But... I owe him for having mistakenly hounded him," T'Challa said.

"You can pay his attorney fees, then," Tony said. "Bruce." Tony turned to his friend. "Would you mind going to see how T'Challa got here?"

"My jet isn't large enough for passengers," T'Challa said.

"That's fine," Bruce replied, walking past T'Challa. "I'm sure I can figure out your communications system."

Rogers shouted, "Stark's working for Ross! He'll get you, too!"

Bruce glanced back at Rogers. "Wow. You're all concerned about my welfare now, aren't you? Didn't give a damn when you brought Maximoff onto the team, did you?" He shook his head and walked out the door, past T'Challa.

T'Challa opened his mouth, and then he shut it. He frowned and finally said, "I do not understand the situation well enough to judge the right of it. My father would not wish me to compound my thoughtless error. I will wait here with you, until the proper authorities arrive."

Tony nodded. "Great. Wonderful." He slid down to sit against the wall. He closed his eyes. "I'm going to take a few minutes. Just remember, if Rogers convinces you that his hands are the best ones... no one's hands are better than Hulk's."

Rogers was talking, but Tony didn't have to listen to him anymore. Ever again.

Chapter Text

Thirty Three:

"Sir?"

Fury rolled his eye at the tentative tone. SHIELD agents shouldn't whimper. Of course, after the fuckup in Washington, natural selection favored the survival of the paranoid and chickenshit. And this man wasn't a field agent; he was little more than a glorified data processor. Cut him some slack. "Yes?" Fury said, in as mild a tone as he could manage while watching a monitor running the shit show with the Accords. He would have expected Stark to be the one flipping off the U.N. not Rogers. It would all work out, of course it would. The Avengers...

"Sir, um. I was going over some of the files from the Washington data dump, and I found something I think you need to see."

"What? That's old news. I've got bigger problems right now. Haven't you been watching?" He waved his hand at the monitor showing Ross giving a PowerPoint to the Avengers... how the fuck Thunderbolt Ross got his nose in the Accords was beyond Fury, but Rogers would handle it. He was the leader, he'd keep...

"SIR!" The not-agent shoved a Stark data pad under Fury's nose. "These psychological assessments were switched. At first I thought it was a stupid clerical error. Stark, Anthony and Steve Rogers. But it wasn't just misfiled. Someone deliberately changed the names and identifying characteristics throughout the reports."

Fury grabbed the data pad and scrolled rapidly. "Fucking Hydra."

"Yes, sir. I found ghost files that hadn't been completely over written. 'Personality overview. Displays compulsive behavior, repeatedly destroying weight bags and obsessively running laps, long past any reasonable exercise needs. Prone to self-destructive tendencies, repeatedly attempted enlistment while physically unable to survive even basic training, constantly incited fights against opponents who far outmatched him, crashed airplane with no attempt at survival although he knew from experience he could survive by jumping at a low altitude. Textbook narcissism, insisted that he was too good to work in support roles but should be a soldier although totally unqualified, claims that his hands are the best without ever studying situations, feels that his is the only opinion that matters, has no ability to see others' viewpoints, becomes immediately hostile at any difference of opinion. Recruitment assessment for Avenger Initiative. Captain America. Yes, extremely well suited to hand to hand combat. Steve Rogers not recommended, no sense of strategy, would refuse to follow but is unsuited to lead as 'boss' attitude would make him hostile to any who do not blindly follow him."

"Fuck." Fury said succinctly. "And Stark?"

"Every good thing we read about Rogers was Stark. Protective, brave, self-sacrificing, tenacious, studied military strategy, empathizes with soldiers, and knows instinctively how to listen to his team and get the best from them, as evidenced by his takeover and complete makeover of Stark Industries, promoting Virginia Potts due to her abilities, accepting Dr. Banner's expertise and the Hulk..." The man looked up at Fury. "Why didn't we see this?"

"Captain America had decades of good publicity, Stark had decades of bad. We see what we expect." Fury closed his eye a moment, reassessing the current situation in light of this information. "Get Romanoff in here." He opened his eye again and looked at the monitor. "Where the FUCK is Rogers going?"

The not-agent did something sneaky and dubiously legal to hack Rogers' phone. "He got a message. I think that Margaret Carter died."

"So? She was old. It happens."

Not-agent looked again at his hacking. "Rogers has called to have a quin jet readied to take him to London to attend her funeral."

"What the fuck? He just WALKS out, without a word? It looks like he turned down the Accords."

"Judging from the personality profile, I expect he will, and drag the rest of the Avengers with him," not-agent said. "Sir? What shall we do?"

Fury stood up. "Goddamn it, I was looking forward to retirement. Send Romanoff after him. Tell her about the fucked up assessments. Tell her to keep the lid on Rogers. I don't give a fuck if she has to kneecap him."

Fury strode into the Siberian bunker, coat swirling angrily behind him. Iron Man walked beside him. "All right, show's over, come out with your hands up," Fury said.

A light came on, showing super soldiers in tubes, like specimens, each with a bullet hole through the case and their heads. Fury grunted. "Fish in a barrel."

Another light turned on, showing Zemo in the glass walled control room. "Where is Captain Rogers, and his best friend?"

Iron Man's helmet retracted. Tony said, "In custody. Like Fury said, it's over. Come on out."

"No. No," Zemo said. "It's not supposed to go this way! The Avengers must die!"

"Yeah, yeah," Tony said. "And probably not of old age. But it won't be you that does it. Are you coming out, or are we going in?"

Fury hefted a bazooka, which he had somehow held under his coat. "I don't mind either way."

"NO! You are not supposed to be here! Rogers betrayed you, Stark! Watch..." Zemo flipped a switch and a video started playing.

Fury stood between Tony and the video. "You don't need to see that. Romanoff told you what she found. What Rogers made her promise to keep quiet."

"Yeah, no." Tony said. "Move. I need to see it."

Fury moved away, and turned to keep an eye, and a bazooka, leveled at Zemo, ignoring the sound of the video playing. "Don't try anything," he told Zemo. "I'm in a really bad mood. Fucking Hydra."

"I'm not Hydra," Zemo said.

"If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck," Fury said. "'I'll have them put that octopus on your tombstone, so everyone will know."

"I'm NOT HYDRA!" Zemo shouted. He opened the control room and ran out, aiming his gun at Fury.

Fury fired the bazooka. Zemo was totally fragged. "Oops," Fury said. "My hand must have slipped." He waited until the video went silent, and looked over at Tony. "We done here?"

"Yeah. Yeah." Tony took a deep, shuddering breath. "What now?"

Fury laid a hand on Tony's shoulder. "Now, we start over." He tugged slightly and they walked past the bits of Zemo, heading for Tony's fancy helicopter.

"If I'm leading it, I want a new name. I never liked Avengers."

Fury nodded. "You're the boss."

Chapter Text

Thirty Four:

"And I'll call it BARF for short," Tony announced in his workshop a few weeks after the Ultron disaster. He waited, but Friday didn't say anything. "Friday? What do you think of that?"

"It is an acronym, an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word," Friday replied dutifully, obviously reading it from a dictionary definition.

"Yes, but... do you think it's funny? Stupid?"

Friday said, "It's stupid funny," as if attempting to appease him without understanding the question.

That was the last thing Tony wanted, a yes-man AI. Jarvis... Jarvis would have said something scathing. Jarvis... "Fine. Forget BARF," he said. His parents were gone, and while it would be nice to work on resolving his issues with them, they'd still be gone later. His baby Friday needed him now. Her coding and experience was obviously at a critical stage in personality development. His issues could wait. It wasn't as if replaying scenarios of the past was going to change anything except his feelings. Eh, feelings, they gave him hives.

Tony stood in a Siberian Hydra bunker, looking at a grainy video. "I know that road," he said. Even in the dark he remembered rides with his parents. His father loved that car, and driving. The hum and vibration of the engine was one of his earliest memories. He suddenly wanted that time back, wanted to see his parents, wanted to hug his mother, wanted to talk to his father, try for once to make him proud, even a little bit. After all, Tony had fought at Captain America's side, wouldn't that please the old man? He never got to really talk to him, never got to even pretend to talk to him with the BARF.

And then... a shot. A crash. And... the man, Barnes, the Winter Soldier, dragged his father out of the car and... God. Tony couldn't watch any more. He couldn't see how his mother died. He didn't think about it, just reacted, armor sealed over his head to cut out the sound, turned to face his parents' murderer, and fired both repulsors at full power, sending the Winter Soldier flying, boneless as a rag doll, across the bunker.

He probably wasn't dead. Tony hoped he wasn't dead. He wanted to scream at him. Tony retracted the helmet, concentrating on his mission, and ignoring the sounds of the video. His mother's voice. Her last confused, despairing cries for help.

Rogers, not Steve, never again Steve, leaped to check on the Winter Soldier, to stand protectively over his body. Barnes was tough, he was definitely breathing, Tony noticed in an abstracted way.

"This is why I didn't tell you!" Rogers shouted. He was crying. Tony checked with Friday without actually thinking about it, replaying the view of Rogers as the video had played. Rogers hadn't shed a tear, hadn't so much as looked upset, when Tony's father, Rogers' biggest fan, the man who'd helped Rogers fulfill his dreams, the man who'd flown a fucking unarmed plane through anti-aircraft fire in a war in order to help Rogers save Barnes, the man who killed him and his wife... yeah, Rogers hadn't given a shit about Howard.

"I KNEW you'd try to murder Bucky once you found out!" Rogers screamed. He threw the shield at Tony.

Huh, Tony thought to himself, you knew. Everything went in slow motion. The shield his father made flew towards his face. He leaned far enough away to grab it, and then dropped it to the ground.

Rogers stood up. "I won't let you hurt Bucky!"

Distantly, Tony heard Friday remind him of his objectives, capture, bring in to face justice. "Stand down, Rogers," Tony said. He didn't want to, but he didn't want to hurt Friday's feelings by ignoring her, either. "I'm taking you both in."

"NO!" Rogers shouted again, and he came at Tony. "You can't stop me!"

Tony remembered Rhodey, lying in a hospital bed. He remembered the police, the commuters, the people who just happened to be in the way. He remembered Romanoff letting Rogers and Barnes go, remembered how they broke out of confinement, remembered how easily Rogers swayed people into following him, remembered how Rogers had destroyed SHIELD, getting hundreds of agents and their families killed and hadn't even had to answer for it. He never had to answer for anything. He was Captain America. Someone would always let him go. There was only one thing that would keep him and the Winter Soldier from hurting other people, killing other parents, orphaning other people. "Yes, I can," Tony said. He fired two missiles.

Tony walked out of the burning bunker. T'Challa was standing there, holding Zemo by his collar and looking shocked. "Rogers and Barnes?" he asked.

Tony looked at T'Challa for a long moment. "They wouldn't surrender," he said. He flexed his gauntlets. He was holding the shield in the right one. He didn't remember picking it up. "Does Wakanda want the shield back? It has blood on it." He held it out to T'Challa who simply stared at it in horror.

Zemo laughed.

Chapter Text

Thirty Five:

Secretary Ross said, "Five years ago... I had a heart attack. I dropped right in the middle of my backswing. Turned out it was the best round of my life, because after 13 hours of surgery and a triple bypass... I found something 40 years in the Army had never taught me: Perspective. The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt." He looked around at the gathered Avengers. "Is there a problem, Mr. Stark?"

Tony stopped rubbing at his shoulder. "Go on, I'm paying attention."

"Just trying to get attention," Sam said, with an eye roll.

Natasha shrugged as if to agree.

Tony dropped his hand away from his shoulder. "Please, Mr. Secretary, continue."

Ross cleared his throat. "You have fought for us... protected us, risked your lives... but while a great many people see you as heroes, there are some... who would prefer the word "vigilantes"."

Nastasha said, "And what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?"

Ross was still looking at Tony, who had resumed rubbing his arm. "Sir, are you feeling quite well?"

Tony shrugged, "My left arm is numb, is that normal?"

Ross straightened and came around the table going over to Tony.

"Oh, come on, Tony," Natasha muttered.

Rhodey gave her a dirty look.

Ross put his hand on Tony's neck. "You feel clammy."

"Hey!" Tony protested, but Ross didn't stop there. He pulled Tony's tie loose and unbuttoned the top of his shirt. "Look," Tony said, "I know 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' has been rescinded, but don't you think this is going too far?" He leaned back in his chair, trying to avoid Ross.

"Shut up, and take this," Ross said, taking a small pill bottle from his pocket.

Tony batted at him. "I don't take candy from strangers, either."

"Mr. Ross," Steve said, "what are you doing?"

"Trying to save Mr. Stark's life," Ross said. "I think he's having a heart attack."

Rhodey stood up quickly and pulled out his phone. "I'm calling for an ambulance."

"This is just a regular strength aspirin," Ross said, with an exasperated expression on his face. "Chew it, don't swallow it whole." He poured a glass of water from the pitcher on the table. "And drink this."

Wanda said, "Why all the fuss? Stark rubs his arm and everyone falls all over themselves?"

"Well, yeah, but if he's having a heart attack," Sam said dubiously.

"I saw a guy have a heart attack once," Steve said. "It wasn't anything like this."

"I'm FINE," Tony protested.

Rhodey put a hand on his shoulder. "You're always FINE, I know, but for my own peace of mind, I'd like an actual doctor to confirm it."

"I can call the suit and have Friday confirm it."

"Your baby AI, that YOU programmed to tell you you're fine? Nope, that doesn't cut it." Rhodey looked up at Ross. "Thank you, sir."

Ross nodded back at Rhodey.

Rhodey told Tony, "Take the damn aspirin."

Tony sighed and took the aspirin and drank the water. A few minutes later paramedics rushed into the room and swarmed around Tony, taking him away with Rhodey following.

Ross turned back to the Avengers. "Mr. Stark has already heard the rest of my summary, so we can continue without him."

"Tony knew and didn't tell us?" Steve said, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Mr. Stark told me he set up alerts for all of you on anything concerning the Avengers. The U.N. proposal was just one of the issues you have had ample opportunity to be aware of, but when he was the only one to contact me with further questions in the last few months, I thought it best I give you a personal presentation." Ross nodded at the machinery to one side. "I had thought visual aids might help."

"We're not children," Steve said. "What is this all about? You're right, we don't need Tony here. He's no longer officially on the team."

"Yeah, I gathered that," Ross said. "Let's cut to the chase. For the past four years you've operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution." He dropped an inches thick document on the table. "The Sokovia Accords. Approved by 117 countries... it states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they'll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary."

Steve said, "The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place. I feel we've done that."

"Three days from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords. Talk it over," Ross said.

Natasha asked,"And if we come to a decision you don't like?"

"Then you retire."

Natasha smirked at him.

Ross pointed at the document. "Read that, and make your choice."

Five days later Tony was lying in a hospital bed, poking experimentally at a bowl of red jello with a plastic spoon. The door opened, and he said without looking up, "Hospital food is the pits. And I'm so bored. They took away the TV. They wouldn't even let me keep my phone."

"That's because you were blasting rockumentaries, and reprogramming the monitors to say you were good to go," Rhodey said.

Tony looked up, started to smile, but then the smile fell when he saw Rhodey's grim expression. "What? What's happened?"

"Do you want the bad news, the worse news, or the 'Jesus Christ, what were they thinking' news first?" Rhodey paused. "Your heart is ok, now, right?"

"Yeah, my ticker's ok," Tony said. "Flew in Dr. Wu from China to oversee the operation. I'm just waiting on the all clear because they were whining about my sternum. Nothing wrong with my sternum, finest donated pig bone in the world! I almost feel like I should give up eating pork."

Rhodey waited until Tony ran down. "Margaret Carter passed."

"Oh." Tony sighed. "She used to come by when I was a kid. Had a fight with Dad over... I don't even know. And I never saw her again. I'm sorry. Is S.I. sending flowers?"

"Pepper said she'd take care of it."

Tony scrunched up his nose. "She's mad at me, again, isn't she?"

"I'm not getting into the weird relationship you two have," Rhodey said. "Pepper told you she was taking a six week break, and you know, she keeps to her schedules."

Tony nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, ok, I just have to be patient." Tony sighed. "I'm a patient. So, that was the bad news? What was the worse news?"

Rhodey pulled up a chair and sat next to Tony's bed. "Someone blew up the U.N. meeting. Killed a lot of people, including King T'Chaka, the main force behind the Sokovia Accords."

"Jesus Christ," Tony said softly.

"No," Rhodey said. He reached out to take Tony's hand. "That's not the 'Jesus Christ, what were they thinking'."

Tony didn't say anything.

Rhodey took a deep breath. "It was Barnes, caught him on footage. A joint CIA German Special Forces team were assigned by Ross to get him, shoot on sight orders."

"Oh, God. How did Rogers take it?"

"Not well. I waited until I could get the whole story for you." Rhodey tightened his grip on Tony's hand. "Rogers got there ahead of the task force along with Wilson. Rogers and Barnes put down the police with extreme prejudice- not sure how many are going to survive- then T'Chaka's son, T'Challa, chased them through the streets."

"Jesus," Tony said softly.

"Yeah. T'Challa's got a... cat suit. Claws and...vibranium. They're still counting up the civilian casualties. So, well, I was called in and with me and the German police, we managed to round them up. Without killing Barnes."

"So, this is a mess." Tony ran his free hand through his hair. "Maybe we can make a deal, bargain for leniency. Barnes was brainwashed, Steve is still Captain America- doesn't mean squat in the rest of the world, but the US still has pull."

Rhodey shook his head. "It didn't stop there. Barnes and the others escaped."

"Of course they did." Tony let his head drop back against the pillows.

"I've seen security footage. The psychologist who was supposed to assess Barnes triggered the Winter Soldier programming, and in the confusion of his escape, Rogers and Wilson got out and followed him."

"What? How could the psychologist even do that? What did he do, insult Barnes' mother?"

"Turns out the psychologist assigned to Barnes had been murdered. Still don't know who took his place, we're guessing Hydra at the moment."

"So the three of them are on the loose running around in Vienna?"

"Not quite. Barton turned up at the compound, and talked Maximoff into attacking Vision so they could join Rogers."

"Is Vis ok?"

"Pretty much. I think there's a screw loose in his head, though, because he was still all worried about poor innocent Wanda."

"First love, it makes a guy stupid," Tony said.

Rhodey nodded. "So, then it turns out Margaret Carter had a niece in the CIA who apparently had absorbed the Captain America legend from her, and she stole their equipment, the shield and wings, from impound to give them. Because they...I'm not sure about this bit. They were going to save the world."

"From what?" Tony asked.

"Still not sure on that. They went to an airport in Germany where Carter's niece had diverted a CIA helicopter for them. But someone in the CIA got suspicious, so the task force got there, too, and ambushed the team." Rhodey paused. "They wouldn't surrender. The task force had been issued heavy weapons, and... the airport was full of civilians. The force couldn't chance letting them get by."

Tony closed his eyes briefly. "How many?"

"Rogers...he... stood in front of Barnes. Then Barnes. Barton. He tried to protect Maximoff. Maximoff... she just... they had to use extreme force, she was throwing boxcars at people. They took Wilson down as he was flying. Broke his neck. And some other guy, don't know who he was. Grew into a giant. Lucky shot got his equipment, whatever it was, and he just...it was a mess."

Tony shook his head. "God. So... Bruce was right all along, the Avengers was chaos. And what are we now? You, me, Vis- if he's not totally broken by this... Natasha?"

"Well, the good thing is Natasha didn't die. The bad thing is, she was on Rogers' side. I'm going to go talk to her later, after she's out of surgery, try to figure out how this whole fuck up happened."

Tony nodded sadly. "If you ever find out, let me know." Tony heaved a loud sigh, and then sat up. "Ok, enough fooling around, get me someone who can discharge my ass right now."

"Tony, you're not ready," Rhodey said.

"The world's not ready." Tony looked steadily into Rhodey's eyes. "I agreed with the Sokovia Accords, but it wasn't just because powerful people should be kept in check. Trouble is coming, and we need a unified force to fight it. I stepped down from the Avengers rather than destroy the team, but now that they're gone, we need a new team. We need to recruit. We need to train. We need to be ready."

Rhodey stared at Tony for a long minute. "You're sure?"

"Never surer, Sugarbear."

Rhodey nodded. "I know some people. We'll do it. Together." He put his hand on Tony's shoulder and squeezed. "I've got your back."

Tony smiled. "And I've always got yours."

Chapter Text

Thirty Six:

Natasha wasn't entirely wrong, Tony decided. He needed to watch his back. Where he disagreed was the source of the threat, and the information Friday sent him after Natasha left reinforced his decision.

Tony walked into the Raft, braced for opposition, but he was taken aback by the vehemence of Clint's outburst. Clint hadn't been that angry at Loki, who'd killed Coulson and made Clint a mind slave, forcing him to murder coworkers. "The Futurist, gentlemen!," Clint yelled. "The Futurist is here! He sees all! He knows what's best for you, whether you like it or not. You gotta watch your back with this guy, he'll break it."

Tony shook his head. He didn't know if that last comment was a shot in the dark, but he suspected not. Clint always had good aim. Ok, forget about Clint's irrationality, there were far bigger issues at hand.

Sam asked, softly, "How's Rhodes?"

If it was Clint asking, Tony wouldn't give him any details, but Sam sounded honestly concerned. "Paralyzed," Tony replied. "Vision was targeting your power pack- you'd have been able to glide. But War Machine glides like a brick... yeah, you saw what happened."

Clint scoffed. "Oh, we're supposed to feel guilty about that? Don't listen to him, Sam."

Tony blinked and glanced at Clint. "You feel manipulated?"

"Damn straight I do," Clint said with a sneer.

"You're not wrong. But I'm not the one pulling the strings. One hour after Barnes was captured, the UN sent a psychiatrist to evaluate him." Tony displayed a hologram of a dead man in a bathtub. "This man."

Sam made a soft, horrified noise.

"He was impersonated by Colonel Helmut Zemo, Sokovian Intelligence, who not only had access to the most sophisticated facial disguises, but knew far in advance who'd be chosen as Barnes' doctor." Tony switched the holo to display a crumpled facial mask. "He also had a mask of Barnes. He impersonated Barnes to bomb the Accords meeting, setting this whole disaster into motion."

No one said anything. Tony waited a few seconds for it to sink in. "At the airport Rogers said there were five more super soldiers, and that the man who triggered Barnes was going after them. Just think about that for a minute. This guy plans in meticulous detail. What are you betting he didn't know how Rogers would react?"

"It's a trap," Clint said.

"Bingo," Tony replied. "What does that kind of planning and resources indicate? What is going to happen when two super soldiers meet five super soldiers and the man who potentially holds the keys to controlling six of them?"

"Shit," Sam said.

"Yeah, Cap's up shit creek without a paddle. He's about to need all the help he can get." Tony touched the tech on his wrist. "Oh, I just knocked the 'A' out of their 'AV'. We got about 30 seconds before they realize it's not their equipment. Tick tock. Speak now."

Sam took a deep breath. "I'll tell you, but you have to go alone, as a friend."

Tony shook his head. "Yeah, no, you don't think this guy has planned for that? It's what I want to do. It's what I WOULD have done. So I have to do what I don't want to. And so do you. Tell me the location, and I'll tell the proper authorities, not Ross. Put in a good word for you, get you out of here, put you under the public spotlight so Ross can't railroad you. I'll go with them, and do my best to see Cap and his buddy get brought in safely for a fair hearing."

Clint protested, "Regular forces can't handle this!"

Tony shrugged. "Yeah, maybe not, but who died and made the Avengers God? We don't have the right to hide threats from the world, as if the UN is nothing but a bunch of children." He turned his attention to Sam. "Up to you, Wilson. If you're confident that Rogers and Barnes can handle this on their own, then stay silent and take your lumps. But if you think you're going to get Rogers killed and turn six super soldiers into slaves of the man who bombed a meeting of peacemakers... then you need to speak up. Because if you stay silent--- everyone who dies after this is on your head.

Sam said, "You could have lied to me, told me you'd go alone."

"Yeah. I could."

It took a lot less time than Tony had thought to get permission from both the Accords panel and the host nation to go to the Hydra base in Siberia. Since he was expected and had flight clearance he took his suborbital jet- it wasn't much slower than his suit, and had passenger capability, so he was hoping if he could get Rogers and Barnes to come peaceably he might be able to take custody of them himself.

Before he arrived, Russian special forces surrounded the base at a distance, waiting for him, trying not to escalate the situation. Estonian, Norwegian, Polish, and Finnish observers accompanied them. This would be the first true test of the Accords. Ross blackmailing Tony into fielding an improperly prepared team really, really didn't count.

Friday told Tony that the stolen quin-jet was already at the base, along with another very sophisticated aircraft, whose ID was not responding to any of her careful 'pings'.

Tony huffed. "Great." He'd seen T'Challa's high tech vibranium catsuit. He was pretty sure he knew who was in the second bird. He didn't blame T'Challa, but he didn't need added complications, either.

Tony coordinated with the special forces units and then landed near the sleek black jet, which pretty much shouted 'T'Challa'. He suited up and stepped out as Iron Man. "Knock, knock," he said, rapping gently on the fuselage. "Anyone home?"

"I can detect no activity inside this aircraft, Boss," Friday said.

"They've started the party without me." Tony turned Iron Man to face the bunker. "Can you get me a read on the interior?"

"Sorry, Boss," Friday said. "The facility is shielded, I'm not getting any reliable data."

"Yeah, hidden Hydra base. Makes sense." Tony sighed. He was tempted to disable the plane, but he was trying to set a good example of not causing international incidents. He looked at the approaching Russian soldiers in their snow camo and switched his comm over to the frequency they'd chosen for this mission. "I believe this aircraft belongs to Prince T'Challa... King T'Challa, now. I don't know if you have the authority to hold him, you might like to try to find out."

"We will confirm," one of the men told him. He waved his arm so Tony knew who was speaking. His uniform had command patches on it, which helped. "You have been given the lead on this mission, Iron Man. What are your orders?"

"For now, establish a perimeter encircling the bunker at the closest points of concealment. Keep anyone from breaking the perimeter in either direction. I'm going to lock down the quinjets and try to contain the situation. Ideally, I'll get them to surrender, peaceably, but if I don't come out with them within five minutes, the ball is in your court. Do whatever you think best." Tony didn't like the idea of setting normal troops against super soldiers, but there weren't any better options. Letting Rogers and Barnes go was Natasha's brilliant idea-- what she thought that would accomplish was beyond him. Let them run like toddlers until they got tired, fell down and went boom?

Once Tony locked both quinjets to his personal access only he stomped up to the bunker entrance and made his way along a long poured concrete corridor. Iron Man wasn't built for stealth so he didn't see any reason not to announce his presence. "Yoo hoo, anyone home?"

Friday said, "I can now detect heat signatures indicative of adult humans."

"How many?"

"Four."

Tony turned a corner and stopped. "Thanks for the heads up, Friday," he muttered, irritably. Rogers and Barnes were standing right there.

"Sorry, Boss," Friday replied. "The shielding is still affecting my sensors."

Rogers had the shield up, covering his body, and Barnes was aiming a gun at Tony. Tony briefly considered lowering the face plate, to try to reduce hostility, but his gut clenched at the memory of Barnes firing a gun point blank at his face. Yeah, no. Tony was going to watch his back.

"This is a trap," Tony said. "We've all been set up, all along."

"I won't let you hurt Bucky," Steve said.

Tony waved his hands. "Are you even listening? Sam sent me because he doesn't want you killed. I don't want you killed, either of you. But this has to stop."

Steve said, "I tried to tell you at the airport, you weren't listening. There are five super soldiers in there, Hydra's elite death squad." Steve nodded at Bucky.

Barnes said, "They speak 30 languages, can hide in plain sight, infiltrate, assassinate, destabilize, They can take a whole country down in one night. You'd never see them coming."

"Even if I believe that, which... I don't care how well they can hide, or who they can assassinate, most countries these days are actually run by organizations with clear lines of succession. You can't assassinate an organization." Tony waved again. "Even if they COULD do all you claim, they're not getting out of this bunker, so you don't have to worry about them."

"What did you do, Tony?" Steve asked. His hands shifted on his shield.

"I did what you're always telling me to do, Cap. I had my orders, and I followed them. The facility is surrounded. Not by Hydra, thank God, but by people authorized by the UN and by Russia. You're trespassing. They'll let me get you out of here, take you back and this time there'll be complete transparency, no chance for any one person to pull any tricks."

"No," Rogers said. "There's a kill order out on Bucky. He steps out of here, they're going to gun him down like a mad dog."

Tony was exasperated. "Only if he comes out acting like a mad dog. People died, Rogers, while you were protecting him. I don't know who told you there's a kill order on him, but did you notice, WHEN he was actually apprehended, no one harmed a hair on his head, despite the body count you two had already racked up."

"Bucky's innocent!"

"Look, the clock is ticking, I gave us five minutes before the troops come, less than four minutes now."

Rogers lifted his chin, defiantly. "We're not leaving until we've taken care of the super soldiers."

"Fine, great. Go on." Tony waved them on. "If they're not here, you'll surrender, right?"

Rogers didn't answer, but he lowered his shield and let the way deeper into the bunker.

Like Tony thought, it was a trap. The lights came on. The super soldiers were dead, slaughtered in their cold sleep capsules. "Four heat signatures," Friday whispered in Tony's ear.

Tony turned to look at the puppet master in the glass booth, listened to him explain his motivation and justification. Trap. Set up. But had the guy been able to plan every detail? Could he have known exactly who the bomb would kill? "T'Challa!" Tony called. "Do you know who that is?"

T'Challa stepped out of the shadows, dressed in his high tech catsuit. "I do. He is my father's murderer." His head tilted towards Barnes. "I apologize for mistakenly pursuing you, Sergeant Barnes."

Tony thought about all the people injured and killed in that pursuit, and wondered if T'Challa would apologize to them. But for once, he kept his thoughts to himself. "Yeah, so we're good here. We'll just take this guy and everyone has their day in court."

Steve didn't like that at all. "Bucky's innocent!" he said again.

"Is he?" the man in the booth said. He looked annoyed probably because no one was paying attention to him. "Watch!"

A video began playing.

It...

Tony watched. Friday had his back. She showed him what the others were doing. Rogers... didn't look surprised. Didn't look upset. It was... old news to him. Tony turned to Rogers, glad he still had the face plate covering him. He didn't want to let Rogers see him cry.

"Did you know?" he asked Rogers.

And Rogers, even now, with the evidence in front of him, tried to make it all about protecting Barnes. "I didn't know it was him."

Meaning that he knew it, but that he hadn't seen the video, and so he pretended there wasn't enough evidence to tell Tony that his parents had been murdered, just so he wouldn't risk Tony pulling his backing to find and help their murderer.

"It wasn't him, Tony. Hydra had control of his mind!" Rogers insisted.

Tony wanted so badly to strike out at both of them. Truth be told, Rogers more than Barnes. Barnes had killed Tony's mom but not of his own free will. Rogers had freely betrayed not only Tony, but also Howard. All those worshipful stories Howard had told about Rogers' goodness and heroism. Rogers had watched, dry-eyed and unmoved while his friend had murdered Howard.

Tony would have. He would have fought blindly, not trying to take them in, just trying to take them DOWN, but T'Challa said softly, "That man was consumed by vengeance. I let it control me. Mr. Stark, please, do not let it take you, too. Has there not been enough pain today?"

Friday added, "Please, Boss. Tell me what to do."

It was Friday who clinched it. She was a kid, still innocent. Still believed in right and wrong. "Hulk tranqs, Fri," Tony told her. Darts rose from the armor.

Barnes lifted his gun, but T'Challa knocked it out of his hands and tried to hold him still.

Rogers threw the shield, of course he did. Tony snatched it out of the air. "My father made that," Tony said. "You don't deserve it." He threw the shield so hard it embedded in the wall.

It took three darts apiece to bring them down. Tony stared at Rogers and Barnes. T'Challa stood over Barnes for a moment, and then he turned as the Russian special forces ran into the bunker, caught Zemo and began binding Rogers and Barnes.

"It is over," T'Challa said.

Tony took a deep breath and then released the face plate. "No. It's just a beginning in a different direction. You're king, now. You don't have to answer to anyone for your actions, but will you?"

"What do you mean?" T'Challa asked. "What have I done? I did not harm Sergeant Barnes."

"The secret to being a hero," Tony said wearily, "is that it's about protecting the people whose names you don't know. The Avengers lost sight of that. Rogers... he could only see one man, his friend, no one else mattered. You could only see your father. I could only see my parents. Zemo... his loved ones. There were a lot of people hurt today. Not knowing their names doesn't absolve us of responsibility."

T'Challa removed his hood and nodded at Tony. "As king, I cannot surrender myself, but as a man... I will do what I can to atone." T'Challa looked down at Barnes. "If I had not pursued so closely... yes. I will do what I can."

Tony clapped T'Challa on the shoulder, lightly. "Your father would be proud of you."

T'Challa said, "So would yours."

Chapter Text

Thirty Seven:

"Boss!" Friday said,"the vibranium alloy shield is stronger than your armor!"

Tony grunted and took another hit. "I noticed!"

"Take it away from him!" Friday said.

"Ever try taking candy from a baby? It's not as easy as it...sounds." Tony was being pummeled on both sides by super soldiers, unable to take a stand before being hit again.

"You retrofitted the shield to return to Rogers' gloves!"

"Yeah, but Rogers... oh," Tony said softly, remembering when they fought Hydra in the Sokovian forest. "He took off the receptors on his uniform because it hit him too hard, but didn't ask me to remove them from the shield... Friday, calibrate and signal the shield to return to me! On my chest, over the arc reactor!" Even as angry as he was, Tony wasn't going to use the chest RT against Rogers. That would be a kill shot. Covering it up would remove the temptation. And also protect the arc reactor. Rogers knew Tony's chest was his weak spot and at this point, Tony didn't trust him to hold back.

Rogers shouted as the shield ripped out of his hands and flew to Tony, landing with a reverberating clang that staggered Iron Man. "My shield!" Rogers shouted.

"My father made it!" Tony shouted back. "You don't deserve it!"

Rogers and Barnes charged at once. Tony was fed up. He blasted off Barnes' metal arm. "And you used that arm kill my father!"

Barnes fell to his knees, probably in shock from disrupted feedback.

Tony backhanded Rogers and stood over Barnes. "You used the other hand to strangle my mom," he told Barnes softly. He lifted both hands, repulsors glowing. "Give me one good reason why I don't take that one, too?"

"It wasn't Bucky!" Rogers shouted. Thrown across the room, and wobbling on his feet, but getting up and ready to fight again. Once Tony would have seen that as admirable.

"I asked for a good reason, Rogers!" Tony kept track of Rogers without wavering his aim. "That's not good enough. So, Barnes was a weapon. You had no problem with Maximoff blaming me for her parents' deaths because of a weapon with my name on it. You KNEW I didn't fire it, didn't give the order to fire it, and didn't even sell it to the people using it in Sokovia's civil war. But that didn't matter. Wanda didn't blame the weapon, she blamed the person associated with it. She saw my name on it.

"You're right. Now that I think of it, I don't blame Barnes."

Tony could see Rogers relax slightly, but he kept his aim on Barnes, kept Rogers back with the threat. "I blame you. I put your name on him, for all the years you used my resources, not just my money, but ME. I followed you into battle, got beat to shit and gone following you on missions believing we were trying to do the right thing."

"We were," Rogers said. "It was Hydra. It was Hydra that killed your parents, not Bucky."

Barnes looked up now, but he still didn't say anything. Tony looked at him, feeling cold and hard and full of hate. And the funny thing was, he really didn't hate Barnes. "You knew."

"I suspected," Rogers said. "I didn't know, not for sure. I didn't want to tell you, because it would hurt you."

"Do you even hear yourself? You didn't tell me you suspected Hydra killed my parents because that would upset me? Not, 'oh, what if it was Bucky who did it, I can't take the chance of Tony pulling his support'."

"It wasn't like that!" Rogers said. "What was I supposed to say? Zola's brain was on computers, crazy as hell. He was trying to distract me and Nat by telling me that! I didn't know it was true!"

Tony tilted Iron Man's head. "You knew. You weren't the least bit surprised. You looked into it, didn't you?" Behind the mask, Tony smiled without humor. "You and Nat... she looked into it for you, didn't she?"

"She found old files from Russia. They... they could have been made up, to use against us. Lies. I couldn't tell you. It might not have been true," Rogers said.

"Wow. So much for 'my teammates sometimes don't tell me things'."

"If you want to blame anyone, blame me," Rogers said. He stood up and put his chin up. "Shoot me."

Tony was tempted.

"No!" came a voice from behind them. Tony backed up so he could keep both Rogers and Barnes in view when he turned to face the newcomer. T'Challa stood there, holding Zemo by the scruff of his shirt. "I cannot let you do this, Stark! I owe Barnes my protection. You must let him and Rogers go."

"What the fuck?" Tony said. He was really tired of this bullshit.

"I chased an innocent man,"T'Challa said. He shook Zemo. "I have this man's confession that he was the one who bombed the Accords, and then later triggered Barnes back into assassin mode."

"Uhuh," Tony said. "Swell. I see you go by Rogers' school of thought- your hands are the only ones- no one else gets a say. How about all the authorities in the countries where Rogers and his play pals happily romped through, destroying property and trampling people?"

"You cannot kill them! You must not let vengeance consume you, Stark!" T'Challa said.

"Oh, my God, now you're worried about ME?" Tony said. "Look, for the record, yes, I'd like to kill Barnes, because hey, guess what, he really did kill MY parents. But also for the record, I could have done that at any time. I settled for beating the shit out of him. Rogers KNEW the Winter Soldier had killed my parents. He knew for years. He kept that from me so I'd pay to look for my parents' murderer."

"It wasn't like that!" Rogers said.

"Shut the fuck up," Tony snapped. "When you could have spoken to me, you kept quiet. You lost your chance." Tony shook his head and spoke to T'Challa. "What would you do, if someone you'd supported- actually fully supported, paid for the shirt on his back, the food in his mouth, and the weapons in his hands, and you fought at his side-- well, you know... what would you do if it turned out if the person you thought was your friend was using you to protect your father's killer?"

T'Challa frowned. "I would probably kill him," he admitted. "But I would regret it later."

"I can do regret," Tony said cheerfully. His shoulder mounted missiles rose and bristled like an angry cat, all aimed at Rogers. He held the pose for a moment. No one said anything. Then Zemo giggled. Tony sighed and the missiles retracted. "That just spoiled the moment. Ok, T'Challa, lets see if we can come to an understanding." Tony waved a repulsor at Rogers who had opened his mouth and put his chin even higher. "Uh huh, button it. You have the right to remain silent, and I advise you to use it."

T'Challa said, "What do you propose? I do still feel an obligation to Barnes."

"Fine, you know, you were Accords authorized to bring him in, I'll let you have Barnes, if you can handle him. He's volatile, he's been brain-washed, he can be triggered by code words- we don't know who else could have them. Also," Tony said as he glanced at Barnes. "I kinda fucked up his warranty. It would be cruel to turn him over to a backwater African nation unable to treat him," Tony said while pretending not to have already scanned T'Challa's high-tech vibranium suit.

T'Challa huffed. "Wakanda's medical and technical resources are second to none. We can cure his mind, I am certain. And my sister leads a group who can perform any needed surgery. They have skills beyond what you know in the Western World."

"Really." Tony thought a moment. "Can they repair spinal injury? As in, a man with shattered L4 through S1 and extreme laceration in the spinal cord?"

T'Challa was silent a moment. "Rhodes?"

"Rhodes."

"Colonel Rhodes is a fine warrior and an honorable man. If he were to visit Wakanda we would put all our resources to his aid," T'Challa said.

Tony nodded. "I'll put it to him. In the meantime, you get the prize." Tony leaned down and dragged Barnes up by his good arm. "On one condition."

"No!" Rogers shouted.

Tony ignored him. "Once the conditioning is broken and he's able to answer for himself, Barnes should have his day in court. If he's going to clear his name, that's the only way."

Barnes spoke for the first time, "Yeah. I'm... tired of running."

"Bucky!" Rogers shouted, "No, don't! They'll kill you!"

Barnes looked at Rogers, and he frowned. "Steve. I just... I don't know anything but fighting, and I'm tired of it. This is a chance to do what's right."

"What's right is staying with me!" Rogers said. "I don't want to lose you again!" Rogers charged Tony, who punched him in the jaw, right on what Happy had called 'the button'. Rogers went down like a broken punching bag, completely unconscious.

Tony shoved Barnes at T'Challa and picked up Rogers. "Ok, we're done here, right, T'Challa?"

"Yes," T'Challa replied. "I'm sorry it has come to this."

"Yeah, me, too," Tony said. "Me, too."

Chapter Text

Thirty Eight:

Tony hit the manual disassembly switches on the suit, and pried himself loose. It was slow, and not comfortable at all, particularly his arm which really hurt like a son of a bitch. Pain always made Tony angry, and seeing Rogers and Barnes heading for the exit without a backwards look at him even though they had to hear him struggling to his feet, just... made his mind go into overdrive.

Like the time the Ten Rings were drowning and electrocuting him at the same time. When it all came together in one pure moment of ultimate clarity. "STOP!" he said, "You're under arrest."

Rogers shifted Barnes' weight, and kept walking.

He obviously didn't think Tony was a threat without the suit. Tony found the gun he'd knocked out of Barnes' hands. He picked it up. "STOP, or I'll SHOOT."

Rogers did glance back then. His eyes traced over the distorted barrel, smashed when Tony hit it. "Tony," he said, sounding tired, "you can't stop us. When you think about it later, you'll be glad I didn't let you kill Bucky. You're not a murderer."

"That's right. I'm not a soldier, either. But you know what I am?" Tony said softly, fingers pressing over the stock of the weapon he'd customized for Natasha. He recognized all the gear he made and maintained for the Avengers. Barnes must have taken this from the stolen quinjet.

"No, what are you, Tony?" Steve said, as if humoring a child.

"Stane called me an ironmonger. I make weapons, Rogers." Tony activated the extra power 'Widow's Bite' he'd incorporated into it as a separate function backup.

Rogers and Barnes lit up like Christmas, shouted briefly, and collapsed.

"I am," Tony said quietly, "Tony Stark, and you do not fuck with me and get away with it." He wondered where Zemo had got to, but frankly, he didn't have the energy to go after him. Zemo had got what he wanted, what more harm could he do? Eh, probably a lot, but Tony wasn't going to be the one to go after him. In a way, he owed Zemo for showing him the truth.

It took a while, what with Tony's general condition, and the sheer weight of super soldiers, but Tony dragged both of them over to the cryo tubes where the Hydra super soldiers had been killed. He found the release mechanism, and dumped two of the corpses out. It would have been even more difficult propping unconscious bodies upright into the tubes, but Tony found there was an option to turn them horizontally. Heaving and cursing under his breath, Tony got Rogers and Barnes situated inside tubes.

He tilted his head and examined the situation. "Reminds you of my dad's work, I bet. Lie down and let someone with a brain turn you into a mile of muscles, so superior. Yeah. Might makes right."

Rogers twitched. Tony shot him and Barnes again to keep them quiet. Then he went back to his suit and extracted a packet of temporary crack filler from one of the small repair modules. He sealed up the bullet holes in the cryo units, and refilled the coolant.

He smiled and patted Rogers' tube. "Get used to being in the cooler. Hmm, wonder if they said that in the 40's? Maybe you can add prison slang to your pop culture lessons. Now, there must be something I can rig to get a message out. Ross will be so pleased he can add to his collection."

Tony was still smiling hours later when Ross showed up with his men.

"Finally," Ross said. He looked at Tony, and then over at the cryo-tubes. "It didn't go as you planned, I take it?"

Tony shrugged, and winced. "It was a little more energetic than I'd thought it would be. Can I bum a lift? Oh, and don't mess with the suit."

"We could do a lot with suits like that," Ross grumbled.

Tony glanced at Rogers, and the techs who were trying to figure out how to take the cryotubes without shutting them down. "Maybe too much. Give a man power he hasn't earned... there aren't many who can resist abusing it."

"And what about you?" Ross asked.

Tony looked at Ross. "Maybe some day I'll tell you how I earned it. But I wouldn't hold my breath."

Ross nodded. "We will take you down, if you go rogue."

"I signed the Accords. I'll abide by them." Tony shifted again. "I want to go home. It's been a long day."

Chapter Text

Thirty Nine:

"STOP!"

As he was currently being batted like a paddle ball between Barnes and Rogers, Tony couldn't spare much attention for anything else. Yes, he recognized the voice. No, he wasn't relieved to hear Natasha. He didn't know how she got to Siberia, but he wasn't counting on her for help. And what could she do, anyway? Rogers may have paused for a second, Tony couldn't tell. Barnes definitely didn't shop.

"SOLDIER!" Natasha shouted. And then she fired off a long string of Russian. Tony knew Russian, it was one of the ‘useful' languages his father had strongly recommended for him. Howard didn't speak anything but English and Yiddish. He'd been determined that Tony would, by God, learn the languages of Stark Industries' competitors around the world and be grateful for the opportunity. Tony hadn't minded piano lessons, and French… well, it was useful with girls.

The words were strung together nonsense. Barnes stopped punching Tony, turned to face her, and answered Natasha in Russian. "Ready to comply."

Well, wasn't that just swell, Romanoff had Barnes' control words. Could this day get any better?

"Bucky?" Rogers asked, reaching a hand out to his friend. Barnes ignored him.

Tony took advantage of the break to steady himself and back away from all of them. Three of them, was he more fucked than before? Hard to say, what's more than 100%?

"I didn't want to do this," Romanoff said. "Soldat, come here."

Barnes moved to her side, turning to stare blankly at Tony and Rogers. "Should have watched my back with you, Romanoff," Tony said. "Gonna have your buddies kill me extra hard?"

Romanoff scowled at him. "I'm here to watch your back, Tony. I spoke to Clint at the airport. He told me what Rogers had planned."

‘Tony' and ‘Rogers'? Why did Romanoff … "What?" Tony said, flatly. "I thought you were on Rogers' side. You know, you're all too valuable to be held accountable..."

Romanoff huffed out a sigh. "I could see Rogers was too stubborn to surrender, and I knew you were too soft to go all out against him. I thought I'd chosen the optimal course of action."

Rogers straightened. "Tony was going to kill Bucky! Nat, you can't let him do this! Let Bucky go! You know I'm right! You always followed me, not Tony!"

Romanoff's eyes shifted to meet Rogers'. "Regimes fall every day. I tend not to weep over that, I'm Russian... or was. Invading Russia to take on five super soldiers? And to bring the Winter Soldier to face the man who held his keys? I have been trained to follow strength, but I require a minimum of tactical sense in my leaders."

"I knew what I was doing!" Rogers shouted.

"Oh, and what was that?" Tony asked. "It sure as hell wasn't protecting your friend! I'd made a deal for you AND Barnes. No prison, no repercussions for your little rampage to 'protect Bucky'. And you turned it down because Wanda wasn't supposed to leave the compound until I could smooth over the mess that happened in Nigeria when you dragged her there without sufficient training? She didn't even KNOW she was being restricted because Vision was there to provide for her every whim. Who are you kidding. You didn't give a damn about Wanda's 'freedom' and you didn't give a damn about getting Barnes the help he needed."

Rogers turned to glare at Tony. "I knew then that you were going to control the Avengers! That was your whole plan, wasn't it? You wanted to make up for your mistakes by forcing the Avengers to obey your rules! I never trusted you, because I could SEE what you were. Selfish, showboating, willing to do anything to make yourself look good. Well, I wasn't going to let you use the Avengers... use ME, use BUCKY, to cover up your mistakes! I never let anyone bully me, and just because you're rich and have all the best toys doesn't mean I'll start now!"

No one said anything for a few seconds.

"Wow," Tony said at last. "I just..."

Rogers threw his shield at Romanoff. Barnes reached up and caught up, but in that moment's distraction, Rogers leaped out of the bunker opening and ran away, quickly disappearing in the snow. "I'll be back to save you, Bucky!" he shouted.

Barnes looked at Romanoff for instruction. She shrugged and turned to Tony. "Do you want us to follow Rogers?" she asked.

"No," Tony said wearily. "I'm not..." He retracted his helmet and sighed. "I'm not... I don't trust myself right now. I've got enough to explain already. I just want to bring Barnes in and make sure he's secure until... until somehow the triggers can be removed. Then... whatever... I don't know..." He shook his head. "This situation is so fucked up. Those idiots at the Raft. Ross can use them, use this, to turn the Accords into the enhanced slavery laws that Rogers thought they were. It won't just cover international access and permissions with the option to retire, it'll be registration and conscription on anyone with useful beyond the norm abilities, talents or equipment. Definition open to whatever interpretation the law-makers choose to put on it. Nat... I'm not... Rogers thought I was God, apparently. God or the Devil. I can't stop it now, could barely influence it before."

Romanoff nodded. "Not by yourself." She tapped at her wrist. "I was recording. T'Challa has captured Zemo, and is waiting outside." She tilted her head towards Barnes. "I can testify that this whole situation was due to Rogers' pathological narcissism, not because he's enhanced."

Tony blinked. "I thought I was the 'classical narcissist', the guy with the big ego, remember?"

Romanoff shrugged again. "It sounded good on the report. It was what Fury wanted to hear. And later, it was... well, it kept you thinking I was an idiot. It's useful, being underestimated." Romanoff went on, "I can handle Clint and Sam. Once I explain it to them, they'll testify against Rogers. I don't have a handle on the new man, yet, but he didn't seem bright enough to be a problem. Wanda is even more easily manipulated, it will be simple to make her turn her venom on Rogers, particularly if I speak to Vision first, and convince him that it will help her." She started walking towards the exit, with Barnes at her side. After a moment, Tony joined them.

"I'm never going to trust you again, you do know that," Tony said. "You're going to throw your good buddy Rogers under the bus. That doesn't speak well for your loyalty."

"Trust is for children," Romanoff said. "What matters is survival. So long as following you is in my best interest, I will do everything I can for you."

"Not for me," Tony said. The three of them went outside. He glanced at T'Challa and Zemo, and then looked up at the sky while Romanoff had a quiet word with T'Challa, who nodded and took Zemo to his jet. "You know why Ultron happened?" Tony asked Romanoff when she returned to him.

Romanoff said, "Fury thought Wanda messed with your mind."

"Well, yeah, but she wasn't wrong. You thought Loki had an army? That was a few scouts, sent out to test the water."

"You weren't exaggerating?"

"No. And you know, Rogers' 'let's die nobly together'? Let's not."

Romanoff nodded. "I agree."

Chapter Text

Forty:

Zemo entered the abandoned Hydra base and took out his gun, prepared to kill the frozen super soldiers. "What?" he said when he saw the empty cylinders in the dimly lit chamber.

A hand encircled his throat from behind, at the same time someone else reached out from the shadows and took his gun. Choking, Zemo kicked and fought wildly, but the person holding him didn't react at all.

A man walked around Zemo, coming in front and meeting his eyes with a smile. "Thank you for your assistance, Mr. Zemo," he said. "Without your meticulous planning, Hydra would have to wait much longer to complete our set of super-soldiers."

"Why don't you kill him and have done, Strucker?" another man asked. He followed Strucker and scowled at Zemo.

"Now, now, don't be petty, Dr. List. You know the council voted to use the stone in the scepter for mind control. It is, after all, a proven success." Strucker touched the scepter to Zemo's chest and watched his eyes glow blue. The super soldiers holding him released him. "Unlike your experiments with human enhancement."

Zemo stood still, awaiting orders.

Dr. List huffed. "I would have got it to work, eventually. It's not as if there were a shortage of volunteers in Sokovia."

"Even if if had worked, how would we keep them loyal? How long before they decided they didn't have to share their power or take orders?" Strucker said. "Really, it was a case of diminishing returns. Using it in the scepter we now have five successful super soldiers, totally obedient to Hydra."

Dr. List pouted. "It would have worked."

Strucker rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, I'm sure it would. But just think, once we have captured Barnes and Rogers you will have an excellent experimental subject."

"Only one? Why can't I have both," List whined.

"Because, my dear doctor, Rogers can apologize for his actions, gain forgiveness due to the Americans' infatuation with his patriotic symbolism, infiltrate Stark Industries and have Stark produce for Hydra. It's a pity the scepter failed against Stark, but Rogers will be nearly as good." Strucker's smile widened. "As an added bonus, Rogers' eyes are already blue, so no one will even notice the change."

"Oh," List said. "Well, all right. But can I at least have some of his blood?"

"Later." Strucker turned to Zemo. "You will take control of Barnes once he enters the facility. He and the others will contain Rogers so I can apply the scepter to him."

"Yes, sir," Zemo said, nodding.

"Tell me the rest of your plan. I want to judge how Hydra can use your skills."

"When Stark arrives I was going to show him a video of Barnes killing his parents. Romanoff had accessed the Winter Soldier's file from one of my contacts," Zemo said, calmly. "It is my belief that she gave this information to Rogers as evidenced by the Avengers attacking Hydra bases mentioned in the file. They have used Stark weapons and aircraft on these missions. While it is possible that Rogers told Stark about the assassination, I think it unlikely that Stark would have continued funding missions whose purpose is to aid Barnes if he knew, and it is even more unlikely that Rogers would have allowed the missions to be focused on capturing Barnes for trial.

"Therefore," Zemo continued, "I believe Rogers has known, and kept the information from Stark, for several years. I calculated the resulting conflict would sever all ties between Rogers, and those who are loyal to him personally, and Stark, who has the funding and technology to support the Avengers. There is a strong possibility that Stark would attack Rogers, and Barnes would fight at Rogers side. If Stark reacts emotionally, as is likely, judging by my study of his character and his unresolved issues of guilt over his parents' death which he publicly aired recently, he is likely to lose, and possibly die."

"Hm, no, that won't do at all," Strucker said. "Zemo, I want Rogers and Barnes taken without Stark's knowledge. How can that be accomplished?"

Zemo nodded. "I would advise taking Rogers and Barnes as swiftly as possible. There is a possibility that Rogers told one of his people where they are going and Stark may convince them to tell him. There's also a possibility that Stark can track the Stark jet that Rogers is using. I do not know if the jet is faster than the Iron Man suit. I think it likely Rogers will arrive first, but I can't say for certain."

Strucker paused a moment in thought. "Very well, when the Stark jet lands, the soldiers will be concealed in snow. The aim will be to capture and hold long enough for Zemo to give Barnes his command codes, and for me to take control of Roger's mind." He frowned. "It may take too long to control Barnes."

Zemo said, "Barnes also has a one word code to put him to sleep.That takes effect immediately."

"Excellent!" Strucker nodded. "Put Barnes to sleep. Rogers will be distracted, and all five soldiers can easily hold him long enough for me to get control. We should be able to take both our jet and Stark's jet and be gone in a few minutes. "

"And then we can go back to base?" List asked. "I could at least get a few samples from Rogers?"

Strucker shrugged. "Yes, all right. It will take a little while for Zemo to devise a plan to send Rogers back, contrite."

"It may take a few months," Zemo said. "I do not have all the necessary information."

List looked at Strucker eagerly. "Super soldiers heal fast. I could do a lot with Rogers and still leave him usable."

Strucker drew a deep breath. "All right, all right. Once we get back to base, you may play with Rogers." Strucker turned back to Zemo. "Remove all evidence of the Starks' deaths. Stark must remain ignorant of the truth."

List grinned and rubbed his hands together.

Chapter Text

FORTY ONE:

Tony watched the video. He stood there, silently, frowning.

"Tony?" Rogers said at last.

Tony turned to look at Rogers. "Did you know?" he asked calmly.

"No."

Tony waited. Barnes looked from him to Steve and back again, obviously confused. He lifted his gun, and stood ready, but didn't otherwise move.

Rogers sighed. "I knew that Hydra killed your parents. But it wasn't Bucky!"

"Huh," Tony said. He closed his eyes briefly, and then he nodded. "I understand. I wish you'd told me sooner, though."

"NO!" Zemo shouted. "It's not supposed to go this way."

"How is it supposed to go?" Tony asked, turning to face Zemo in the control booth. "We're supposed to be your puppets, and dance while you pull the strings?"

"How can you... how can you stand next to the man who murdered your parents?"

Tony shrugged. "It wasn't him, not really."

Rogers nodded firmly. "You've failed, Zemo. The Avengers stand together!" He glanced at Tony. "But what about the others? You had them arrested," he said while giving Tony a disapproving look.

"Take me a few days to get them out of pokey. Just need to bring in this guy and explain how he manipulated us. It'll set back getting Wanda her visa, but I can work around that."

"Good," Rogers said. "I'm glad you've had a chance to change your mind. You did change your mind about the Accords, didn't you?"

"Oh, yeah." Tony kept an eye on Zemo, while pretending to give Rogers his full attention.

Zemo sneaked out of the control booth.

Tony whirled and shot him, full power, killing him instantly.

Rogers and Barnes both jumped and tensed, staring at Tony.

"Would you believe that was a reflex action?" Tony said. "Yeah, no. I wouldn't buy it either. Self- defense? Look, work with me here. We have to destroy that video. We couldn't let Zemo tell anyone about it, could we? You know that would break up the Avengers for certain."

"Yes, but..." Rogers looked at Zemo. "You just killed him in cold blood."

"He was a murderer, many times over, not even counting these poor boobs. He killed Bucky's doctor. He was the leader of an elite Sokovian assassination squad. No one's going to shed any tears over him. Get rid of him and the other stiffs."

Rogers frowned, apparently not liking being given an order. "And what will you be doing?"

"I'll go make sure there's no evidence of that tape, or any security footage of us. Then I have to arrange for the shipment of the BARF equipment to an island I own. Sun, sand, surf, and deprogramming. It'll be a nice holiday for you and Bucky, while I fight the courts and pave the way for your return. Ok? Capiche?"

"Yeah, ok, sounds like a plan." Rogers gestured at Barnes. They picked up the corpse and carried it outside.

Tony closed his helmet back up. "You heard, K'turkarek?"

"Yes, I did, Dr'akadd," came the answer over his com. "You weren't very believable. Not like Stark at all," K'turkarek said grumpily. "I can't understand how you convinced Rogers. Doesn't he know his own teammate?"

"They were never teammates, not from the mind-scan I took off Stark when we picked him up earlier today." He shook his head. "You'd know better if you'd taken Fury while he was alive."

"I suppose so. He still had residue in his brain, but the nuances were lost. Fortunately, he had no close friends. Only minions. I know how to deal with minions."

"So do I," Dr'akadd said. He let his face shift back to its normal contours because a human mouth was unable to properly grin like a Skrull. "Rogers in particular is easy. He's used to getting his own way, so he's not suspicious at all. I'll give you the coordinates for the island once I have the two of them sedated and secured. We can't duplicate their physical strength, but it'll be easy enough to compensate for that, if you give me two good Skrulls."

"You'll have them. What about Maximoff? She can read minds, I'm told."

"Yes. She could be a problem." Dr'akadd's grin widened. "Tragic accident while in custody. Who knew the suppression collar could kill? What a shame."

K'turkarek grunted in agreement. "Good. Contact me later, and I'll keep you updated on progress conditioning Stark. The Captain Marvel scenario seems best in his case."

"Yes. He's even more soft-hearted than she was. Try not to kill Stark. His mind... I couldn't replicate his genius. We could use him."

"Once the Earth is our new homeland, we will need slaves of his caliber, I agree."

Dr'akadd ended the call, but he kept smiling.

Chapter Text

FORTY-TWO

Post-Siberia.

"Locks can be replaced, but maybe they shouldn't." Tony stared at the 'apology'. "What the fuck ever. What locks? Locks on gun cabinets to keep weapons away from kids? Keys on cars to keep people from stealing... huh. There's a thought. Innocent angel Bucky would have shot me with one of my own guns, stolen from my own stolen quin-jet. You know... if you like it, you should have put a lock on it."

Tony thought for a moment. "Friday, give me the status and location of the quin-jet Rogers 'liberated' in pursuit of truth, justice, and the American assassin."

Friday answered, "That vehicle is currently at sea level, stationary if you discount wave motion, fully functional and my ping to test remote control has been successful. Location... Boss, it's at the Raft."

Tony smiled slowly. It hurt his sore face, but it felt glorious. "Friday, be a dear, and increase the altitude of that quin-jet."

"How high do you want it, Boss?"

"At least twice as high as the exo-wing's upper limit. Observe the external monitors, and if anything from the Raft looks like it might reach the quin-jet, take it higher."

"You got it, Boss."

Tony put down the 'apology' and looked at the flip phone. "Can you hack into the internal communications and surveillance in the Raft?"

"Yes, Boss."

"I want to talk to whoever's in charge. Warn them, if there's time. If not, then they should evacuate using the Raft's submersibles. Romanov was right about one thing. Rogers and his buddy won't stop. A little thing like missing an arm might slow him down... but I doubt it. Let me see what Rogers is up to."

Tony had to talk fast to convince Ross that evacuation was necessary. Rogers was leading his merry bunch, including an uncollared Wanda, and an armed Clint, to take down with extreme prejudice anyone who stood in their way. Give Rogers his due, he probably didn't realize that Wanda and Clint were finishing off anyone who so much as twitched, because most of his attention was taken up with supporting Bucky, Bucky, his poor, pitiful helpless, one-winged chick.

When Rogers realized his ride was gone, he'd have two options- commandeer a sub and force someone to steer it- or hold people hostage and make demands.

Ross had a lot of personality defects, but indecision wasn't one of them. He cursed and gave the orders. All the surviving guards and other personnel evacuated, taking every sub with them.

Tony got a cup of coffee and sat down to wait. He was considering ordering a donut delivery when the flip phone rang. He smiled and accepted the call. "Wow, hey, you've got bars! Well, sure, I mean, you're in a prison, but the reception is fantastic. Do you get wifi, too?"

"This isn't funny, Tony," Rogers said. "Release the quin-jet."

"Um, let me think about it... nope. I'm only doing what I believe in, and that's all any of us can do."

"Tony, you know this wasn't right, treating the team like criminals. You saw what they did to Wanda!"

"Uh huh." Tony sat down and swiveled his chair. "Yep. Yes, I did in fact see that."

"There was no trial! That was illegal!"

Tony drank some more coffee. "They were held pending arraignment in the only facility that had a hope of containing Maximoff. She put Vision through seventeen floors because he asked her to stay where she was safe. In the Compound you called HOME."

"That was internment!"

"You really need to do a little research, Cappy. That wasn't internment. The U.N. isn't a government. The Accords wasn't legalized slavery."

"We can argue about this later. You can't keep us here! We'll get out, Tony, you know it, and the longer you make us wait, the harder it'll be for me to keep the others from being angry with you."

"Sorry, Cap. You tore up the Get out of Jail card I'd offered you. I'll give you one last free piece of advice... don't drop the soap. Friday-- open all the cell doors, please."

Tony closed the phone, ending the call. He watched as the Abomination strode out of his cell, looking around for a victim. Pity about any of the weaker inmates, but hey, collateral damage. Tony was sure Rogers would understand.

His other phone rang. He glanced at the incoming number. "Oh, hey, Ross. Yes, yes," Tony talked right over Ross's protests. "Look, we both know the Raft is off the books and off the maps and you never planned on letting any of the prisoners go. So, here's the deal. I've got control of it. I can arrange air-dropped shipments of supplies, hell, even training videos so the prisoners could make simple repairs and maintenance. Got all our rotten eggs in one basket, and you don't need to risk any valuable personnel handling it."

Ross blustered some more, but Tony could tell he was seeing advantages to it. "So," he said at last, "make it a new Devil's Island?"

"Or we could call it Rogers' Raft."

Ross sighed. "Fine."

Chapter Text

FORTY-THREE

General Ross paced casually back and forth in front of the holding cells in the Raft, pausing to peer in at each occupant for a moment. "You can't keep us here!" Sam said after the second pass in front of him.

Ross stopped and turned to face Sam directly. "It seems I can."

Scott said, timidly, "This isn't legal, is it?"

Ross glanced at him and huffed. "Funny. You want the protection of US law after destroying a German airport. Do you know what's even funnier? The only law that applies here is mine. The Raft is in international waters, a separate nation."

"But it's part of the US military!" Sam protested.

Ross smirked. "That's even funnier." He turned to Clint. "Tell Mr. Innocent who built the Raft."

"SHIELD," Clint said sullenly. "Fury won't let you get away with this."

"Oh? Will he come out of hiding to protect a retired agent? What's left of SHIELD doesn't give a shit about you, or even the Raft." Ross smiled again. "Only one person even asked about you and he has more important concerns at the moment so he didn't press when I said I'd call him back. A newly crippled friend took priority."

"Stark," Wanda said viciously, "it's all his fault."

Ross looked at Wanda now. "Yes. He bankrolled the Avengers and turned you loose with no oversight, no rules, no restraints. I'm not Tony Stark, I don't worry about my public image or trying to please my daddy's heroes. I protect my country, whatever it takes." He looked at each of them in turn. "Right now, I don't give a rats' ass about any of you. Rogers and Barnes are on the loose with a quin-jet with virtually unlimited range. Tell me where they're going and I won't have a reason to keep you here. I'll turn you over to civilian authorities, who will probably listen to sob stories and let you off lightly."

No one said anything. Ross shook his head. "The Raft is for people too dangerous, too uncontrollable, for normal prisons. With the exception of Maximoff, none of you really belong here, and I'd be glad to see you gone. Tell me what I need to know."

"I don't know," Scott blurted out. "They just told me that Captain America needed me!"

"Shut the fuck up," Clint said. "None of us is telling anything."

Wanda snapped, "Steve is doing the right thing! He'll get us out of here!"

Sam just shook his head. "No."

Ross said, "Wilson... you were with Rogers at the beginning of this mess. You'll know his plans."

Sam lifted his chin in defiance. "Yeah. I'm the only one who does, so leave the others out of it. Come on, give it your best shot!"

"No. I haven't time for that. I'll give it my worst shot." Ross unlocked Wanda's cell and she shrank back, making herself small and wide-eyed. Ross looked at her, unmoved.

"One last chance, Wilson. Tell me, and Maximoff stays here, but I'll have more comfortable restraints made. The rest of you will go into the normal system."

"That's not much of an incentive," Sam said.

Ross walked away. He looked up at a surveillance device. "Release Blonsky and guide him here."

"Shit, no!" Clint shouted. "No! Sam! Tell him."

"What?" Sam asked. "No, look, no one's going to hurt Wanda. Who could? She's only a kid!"

"Blonsky doesn't care about that!" Clint pounded on the clear wall of his cell. "Wanda, run! Find someplace to hide!"

Wanda stood up awkwardly, the straitjacket making her clumsy. She looked around frantically. "There isn't anyplace!"

Thudding, scraping noises came closer.

Clint fell to his knees and closed his eyes. "Wanda, run," he whispered.

The Abomination appeared, crouched down low to fit in the corridor. He wore a heavy metal collar with blinking red and green lights. His eyes were blank.

Wanda screamed.

The Abomination's reptilian head turned in her direction.

Wanda ran.

The Abomination caught up with her in two strides, grabbed her and... it was quick and bloody. Her scream cut off almost immediately. The Abomination's collar blinked a different tempo. He dropped Wanda's body, turned and walked back the way he'd come, blood dripping off his claws.

Scott vomited, Sam cried and shouted. Clint stood and stared silently at Wanda's corpse.

Ross reentered the room.

"How could you," Sam shouted. "That was murder."

Clint spoke up suddenly. "She was a murderer." He pressed his hands to his head. "God. Why did I leave my family? Why did I treat her like my daughter? I was retired? What the hell did I care what the Accords might do to her? Was she in my mind?"

Ross looked at him with indifference. "Yeah, maybe. I don't care. Can you tell me where Rogers is? That's what I care about."

Clint straightened. "If he's still on the quin-jet, I can give you a code and frequency to locate it. Fury had us, me and Nat, put trackers in all Stark's quin-jets."

"NO, Clint, don't!" Sam yelled. "You can't betray Steve!"

"Steve betrayed all of us when he put Wanda on the team. She was behind Ultron, you know it, we all knew it, but Steve thought she was just a sweet kid," Clint said dully.

Ross opened Clint's cell. "Come on."

"You can't do anything," Sam said. "They're going to SIBERIA. What can you do, invade RUSSIA?"

Ross huffed. "I didn't have any problem sending special forces to Brazil after Banner. Russia... yeah, that could be a problem. How fast is that quin-jet?" he asked Clint. "Can it be intercepted before it gets to Russia?"

"Yeah," Clint said after a moment's thought.

"Good. I'll notify the Air Force. They can scramble from the nearest European base." Ross said as he walked out with Clint. "Force them down, or at worst tell Russia they're being invaded and let them shoot it down."

"Ross! You can't. You don't know what Steve's doing!" Sam said.

Ross looked back at Sam. "Oh?"

Sam said, "There's five other super-soldier assassins at a hidden Hydra base and the man who really did bomb the UN meeting can use them, with trigger words like the ones that set Barnes under his command."

Ross blinked. "And Rogers' plan was to bring him another super-soldier, one he'd already proved he could control?"

Sam opened and shut his mouth. "I'm sure Steve could have handled it. Somehow."

Ross turned back to Clint. "What a fucking mess. Let's go see what can be salvaged."

Scott said, "I think I made a mistake." He looked at Wanda, and then away. "I think I made a big mistake."

Sam didn't say anything.

Chapter Text

FORTY-FOUR

"Did you know?" Tony asked.

Before Rogers could reply Zemo said, "Of course he did. It was all in the files he and Romanoff tossed to the world. That wasn't all that was in the files. I also discovered something of personal interest to me."

Tony glanced at Zemo, momentarily distracted. "What?"

"I'll tell you. But first, so we won't be interrupted," Zemo began speaking Russian. "Желание. Ржавый. Семнадцать."

Barnes shouted,"No!" He ran to the control booth and pounded on the reinforced glass. Zemo kept speaking. "Рассвет. Печь. Девять. Добросердечный. Возвращение на родину."

Rogers turned to Tony. "That's the control words! Do something!"

Tony stared at Rogers. "Ok, sure." He powered up his repulsors and aimed at Barnes.

"NO!" Rogers tackled Tony. While they were struggling Zemo finished. "Один. Грузовой вагон."

Barnes said, "слушаю приказ."

"Поймать Роджерса," Zemo told him. "Держи его неподвижно. Не позволяй ему говорить."

Barnes ripped out a length of electric cable from one of the cryo-units, and advanced on the struggling pair.

"Help me," Rogers said. "Tony's trying to kill you!"

Barnes pushed Iron Man aside, grabbed Rogers' right arm and pulled it behind his back.

"NO! Bucky, what are you doing?"

Barnes pushed Rogers to the floor, and secured both arms behind his back, before pulling him to his feet, and then put his metal hand firmly against Rogers' mouth. "миссия успешно завершена," Barnes said. He stood perfectly still, ignoring Rogers' struggles and Iron Man standing a few feet away.

Tony flipped up the faceplate on his helmet, and turned to Zemo. "What the fuck?"

Zemo said calmly, "I found what I needed to destroy the Avengers, but I had to wait for some parts of my plan. While I was waiting, I kept looking. I was mildly surprised to discover links to an adjunct of SHIELD, still in operation. Like Hydra, it is a difficult monster to kill. There were Avengers mission reports, including audio files taken from communications during action. SHIELD was still pulling your strings, Stark."

"Fucking Fury," Tony said.

"Yes," Zemo agreed. "Listen." He flipped a switch and audio began playing, it was crackly and there were sounds of destruction in the background, but the speakers were clear enough. It even helpfully had the names of the speakers added, spoken by Natasha Romanoff.

Steve Rogers: The next wave's gonna hit any minute. What have you got, Stark?
Tony Stark: Well, nothing great. Maybe a way to blow up the city. That'll keep it from impacting the surface if you guys can get clear.
Steve Rogers: I asked for a solution, not an escape plan.
Tony Stark: Impact radius is getting bigger every second. We're going to have to make a choice.
Natasha Romanoff: Cap, these people are going nowhere. If Stark finds a way to blow this rock...
Steve Rogers: Not 'til everyone's safe.
Natasha Romanoff: Everyone up here versus everyone down there? There's no math there.
Steve Rogers: I'm not leaving this rock with one civilian on it.

The audio ended. Tony blinked. Except for Rogers' scuffling, there was silence. Then Zemo said, "If the city had been brought down sooner my family would be alive today."

Tony shook his head. "You don't know that. I was offering suggestions based on incomplete data."

"You offered logic to a man who bases his military decisions on an idealized moral code that ignores reality. If it makes him feel good, why, it's the right thing to do! Who could say more people died then need be? The Avengers have no accountability. No consequences. No reason to ever change their ways."

"You were behind the Accords?" Tony asked.

Zemo laughed. "Why else are they called the Sokovia Accords? The accepted naming convention would have made it the Vienna Accords, for the place it was signed. The germ of the idea began long ago, with the data dump that affected intelligence organizations around the world. But politicians move slowly. Too slowly to save Sokovia. Too slowly for my revenge. So I pushed."

"Why all this?" Tony waved at the dead super soldiers, and at Barnes and Rogers. "If all you wanted was the Accords, you HAD it."

"What good would it have done, if Rogers remained in charge of the Avengers? Even if he refused to sign and became a vigilante, his charisma would gather loyal followers. They would continue to be a bad example of might making right. Still be honored and admired, and copied. I needed the Avengers broken, and most of all I needed to let the world see Rogers' true colors. I needed everyone to see him carving a path of destruction through anyone who stood in his way. I did not force him to kill law enforcement officers. I did not make him blow up a tunnel. He chose, and made his choices clear."

Tony shook his head. "What makes you better? How many people did you kill to set this up?"

"I never claimed to be better, Stark. I want my revenge." Zemo smiled. "It was only because you tried to save my family that I have not included you in it. I know you have a soft heart. You would have fought and lost against Rogers and Barnes. That didn't seem fair, after all, one killed your family, and the other used you to protect their murderer. We're the same, you and I."

"No." Tony sighed. "You're not like me. I want to kill them. But I won't." He waved at the control booth. "Come out. You talk about accountability? Come out and have your say in court."

Zemo tilted his head. "Ah. Perhaps that is a better idea." Zemo lifted a pistol, and then put it down. "I was going to end myself, but that might be better. Can you promise I would not simply vanish?"

"They'll try," Tony admitted. "But I think you need to be heard. Accountability, you know?"

"Yes." Zemo opened the control room door. "Повинуйся Старку."

Barnes said, "слушаюсь."

"I've turned the Winter Soldier's command over to you, Stark."

"Thanks," Tony said, with a scowl. "All right. Let's go." He put his hand on Rogers' shoulder and pushed.

On the way out, Tony saw a sleek jet land near the bunker. He waited long enough to see T'Challa step out.

"Stark! Release Barnes. He was innocent of the Vienna bombing! He did not kill my father."

Tony looked at T'Challa. "Old news. Not that you're interested, but he did kill mine. And my mother. " Tony pushed Rogers towards the stolen quin-jet. "Not to mention all the people who died in the fun chase you participated in, your majesty. I'm bringing them in, legally." He kept going.

T'Challa shifted, but after a moment, nodded. "So long as their rights are respected. I will be watching to make sure!"

Tony didn't answer.

Chapter Text

FORTY-FIVE

"I can't take this, anymore," Pepper had said. "I can't take not knowing if you're even going to come back from one of these 'Avenger missions'. I thought they were just supposed to handle things no one else could do, not take on international terrorists, or look for gadgets SHIELD lost. I thought it was just going to be a few floors in the Tower for your team to coordinate and train. I could put up with that, it was a waste of money, but I told myself you could have a worse hobby. But you've built them a huge complex, paid for everything, spent a LOT of time engineering one of a kind toys for them, and STILL you go out with them and get beat up regularly."

Tony winced. "So... you want to put us on a break?"

"No, I want my own suit." Pepper drew a deep breath. "Rhodey can't always go with you. When he's away, I want to be there, to watch your back."

"Rhodey's in the hospital," Pepper said. "I'm suiting up. I've got Rescue." Her eyes were red, but her expression was unyielding. "You're not going to face those back-stabbers alone."

"No, no, look I'm just going to talk to people," Tony told her. "It's a super secret facility. Ross would blow his stack if I brought you along."

"Do I look like I care about Ross's stack? He set up this whole mess with that obviously emotionally slanted presentation." Pepper spoke right over Tony's protests. "You're not going after Rogers and Barnes by yourself."

"Fine," Tony said. "Now that we know Barnes was set up I'm sure I can get Rogers to come in."

"Uh huh," Pepper said. She didn't sound convinced.

"Did you know?" Tony asked the second time.

Rogers said yes. Tony's helmet reformed and he punched Rogers.

Barnes lifted his gun. Pepper blasted it out of his hand and stood between him and the other two, who were now duking it out, punching and wrestling. Tony wasn't using his repulsors and Rogers wasn't using the shield. "Rogers had that coming, you know it," she told Barnes. "Do you REALLY want to fight me?"

Barnes' eyes narrowed. "Because you're a woman?"

"Because I'm not Tony. I've killed for Tony before," she said quietly, not loud enough for Tony to hear. "I killed Stane. I killed Aldrich Killian. And I didn't lose a moment's sleep over them. You don't have to die."

Rogers shouted, "It wasn't him, Tony! Hydra had control of his mind!"

Pepper shook her head. "Hydra isn't controlling you now, Barnes. It wasn't controlling you earlier today when you followed Rogers to fight against the people he'd called his team. Are you going to take back your humanity or are you going to keep letting people turn you into a weapon?"

"I... I don't want to kill anyone. I don't do that anymore." Barnes shook his head, and then he laced his fingers behind his head and knelt. "I surrender."

"NO, BUCKY!" Rogers turned towards him, and Tony took advantage of his distraction to knock him out.

Pepper retracted her helmet and went over to Tony. "I'm so sorry, Tony."

He retracted his helmet. His eyes were wet. "Why, Pep?"

"I don't know." She wrapped Rescue's arms around Iron Man. "We'll get through this. Together."

There was a creak of a long disused door opening.

Without looking up, Tony and Pepper each raised an arm, and repulsored Zemo across the floor to slam against the wall.

Bucky said, "Good."

A few minutes later T'Challa walked in and looked around the empty room. "Bast. I'm too late."

Chapter Text

FORTY-SIX:

"I don't know what's in this but it is not paprika," Wanda said after tasting Vision's cooking. "I'm gonna go to the store. I'll be back in 20 minutes."

"Perhaps we ought to view a film, instead?" Vision made an attempt at a smile. "I'm told that is something people do on a date. Either share a meal, or view a film."

"Is this a date?" Wanda asked, distracted from the thought of paprika. Really, she'd eaten plenty of paprikash in her youth, but she'd never been on a date.

"I'd like it to be," Vision said. He held out his hand. "What would you like to watch?"

"Oh, I don't care," Wanda said, following Vision into the rec room with the plush couches and floor to ceiling screen, like a real movie theater. "Not a cartoon. Maybe a drama. Or a mystery. But nothing in black and white."

Vision nodded. "Friday please select one of the highest critically acclaimed movies within the last twenty-five years that meets the criteria." Vision got up. "I will make popcorn." He smiled. "There is a button on the microwave. I doubt it will go wrong."

Wanda giggled.

Vision returned with a bowl of popcorn and The Shawshank Redemption began. "Oh, wow," Wanda said as it started with a sex scene. She edged over closer to Vision. She didn't say anything through the trial scenes, but gasped at the brutality of the prison guards and the total humiliation the prisoners were subjected to. "Are American prisons really like that?" she asked.

Vision frowned. "I'm told that the best theatrical performances are based on some version of reality, so I would assume that at some time, in some prisons, conditions were similar. But for legal purposes, I doubt this is based on actual incidents. Also, it is set in the past."

Wanda shook her head. "Horrible." She kept eating popcorn, but didn't take her eyes from the movie, fascinated. She choked at the very clearly implied rapes. "They're in prison, isn't there any supervision? Isn't this unrealistic?" She reached out to take Vision's hand.

"I don't know. Perhaps we should watch something else?"

"No!" Wanda shook her head, and said firmly, "I have to know what happens to Andy. I believe him. I don't think he did it. He looks too nice."

Vision tilted his head. "Apparently that didn't help him in the courthouse."

Wanda hummed, considering as she ate more popcorn. She had never really thought about prison before. It was being locked up, yes, but all the details? All the cruel things that guards and prisoners and wardens could inflict? She was never going to go to prison, never.

She was really beginning to like Andy. He never gave up, never stopped thinking, used his wits when it was the only way he could fight and never lost his humanity. She was quiet through the rest of the movie, quiet and thinking. Andy had no power, but he created it by being useful.

But being useful made him a slave. Wanda was still thinking about the movie when an explosion rocked the Compound. Vision rose swiftly, "Stay here, please," he said.

"Why?" Wanda asked. "I can come with you and fight whoever is attacking us."

"Mr. Stark would like to avoid the possibility of another public incident. Until the Accords are on a... more secured foundation."

"You mean, he doesn't want ME making a nuisance of myself," Wanda said, in irritation.

"Your visa status is still undetermined. If that is revoked, it would be far more difficult to protect you from legal conse..."

Clint came running into the room, startling Wanda. She telekinetically threw the nearest object at him.

Fortunately for Clint, it was a half empty bucket of popcorn. "Guess I shoulda knocked?" he said, while brushing popcorn out of his hair. He was dressed to fight, and armed.

"Oh my god! What are you doing here?" Wanda asked, upset because she could have killed him if something more dangerous had been at hand. Maybe she really did need more practice with control. "Aren't you retired?"

Clint shrugged. "Yeah, sorta. Cap needs our help. Come on." He shot an arrow to either side of the room.

"You should not be here," Vision said. "Please consider the consequences of your actions."

Clint said, "Okay, they're considered. Okay, we gotta go." The arrows set up an electrical force-field, trapping Vision. "This way, Wanda." Clint turned towards the door.

Wanda shook her head. "I don't want to get into any more trouble."

Clint scowled at her. "You gotta help me, Wanda. Look, you wanna mope, you can go to high school. You wanna make amends, you get off your ass."

The mind stone glowed. Vision started to move. He looked at Wanda. "Please, think. Captain Rogers needs you? To do what? How does damaging your home and insulting your maturity inspire you to follow Mr. Barton?"

Wanda tilted her head. "Steve wants me because I'm useful?"

Clint blew out an exasperated sigh. "Isn't that what I just said? He needs us! Come on, I have to go recruit Sam's friend, too."

"Who?" Wanda asked, confused. "Someone from the V.A.?"

"Nah." Clint was keeping an eye on Vision, who was standing still now, but the field had died around him, so it was obviously his choice. "Funny story, don't have time for it."

"Make time," Wanda said, determined to find out the truth before she acted.

Clint rolled his eyes. "Shrinky Dink, he's got a fancy suit. Broke into the compound and beat Sam and got away with one of Tony's dirty little toys."

"A criminal," Wanda said. "Steve wants a criminal on his team."

"Well, sure, you could say that, but he was doing it for a good reason! Tony wouldn't have let him have it, so he had to take it."

Wanda raised her hands. "Thank you, Clint, for making my decision easy."

"Great, let's go," Clint said, a moment before red washed over him and pulled his weapons away, throwing them to the other side of the room. "What? Wanda, no! Steve needs us! They've got a kill order out on his friend, and there's five more super soldiers in Siberia, waiting to be activated! We need to help Steve." He started towards her.

Vision floated swiftly over to Clint and took a good grip on him. "Thank you, Wanda."

Clint cursed and struggled. "Wanda, no! Steve trusts you!"

Wanda said, "I like Steve, but I'm too pretty to go to prison." She looked up, as everyone did when talking to Friday. "Friday, please contact Mr. Stark, and tell him what's happened. I think I will sign the Accords, once I read it over, and understand it."

Chapter Text

FORTY-SEVEN

"I know that road. What is this?"

Tony watched, unable to look away, but still, in his peripheral vision he was aware of Steve. Steve watching Tony, not the video. That seemed odd, but the video had most of Tony's attention.

"Help my wife. Please. Help," Tony's dad said.

The Winter Soldier... Barnes... pulled Tony's dad up and just looked at him for a moment.

"Sergeant Barnes?" Howard asked, confused.

Tony's brain always, always multitasked, commentary ticking away, calculating independently of his control. How did his dad recognize Barnes? It was years after he was thought dead in Europe. He was wearing a mask that hid the lower part of his face. All he could see were Barnes' eyes. Why would he have cared enough about Barnes to memorize his features? He'd never even mentioned Barnes, it was all Rogers in Howard's stories.

"Barnes. You have a son," Howard said. He said it as if it was something that had pressed at him for years, and seeing Barnes released it.

Barnes face flickered a hint of emotion. Confusion, and then he was blank again. "No," he said, but the denial sounded unsure.

"Not... not Hydra," Howard said. He seemed to be gaining strength. "Tony. I couldn't... and Maria... So I used the samples taken after Steve got you back..." Howard was rambling, and looking at Barnes as he tried to explain. "Couldn't use Steve... no blond in my family... but you... Tony has your eyes..."

"No," Barnes said, more firmly. "No."

And then he killed Howard and put his corpse in the car. And went around and strangled Tony's mother.

Tony whirled around to face Barnes, uncertain what to do. Steve grabbed him."Tony. Tony, stop."

Tony looked at Steve. "Did you know?" Steve... no. Rogers.... Rogers hadn't reacted at all to the video. Not so much as a flinch. It wasn't a surprise to him.

"No. I didn't..."

"Don't bullshit me, Rogers! Did you know?"

"I was sparing you both!" Rogers said. "It was a long time ago, what good would it do to bring up old pain?"

For the first time Barnes spoke up, "Jesus, Steve." He lowered the gun he was holding. "You made me fight my own kid."

Tony backed away from Rogers, to look at Barnes. "Did YOU know?"

"I thought I did," Barnes replied. "I thought I remembered everything... everyone... but I swear, I didn't. That... that's not what I remember."

"See?" Rogers said. "The video is a fake!"

Barnes shook his head. "I remembered... successfully completing the mission. I just... that's not the way I remembered it. Until now." He rubbed at his head. "It feels...it's..."

"Leave Bucky alone!" Rogers snapped. "It was Hydra, not him!"

"And that makes it better?" Tony yelled back. "Even if you didn't believe it was him, you suspected my dad... Howard... was framed by Hydra, killing my mom by driving drunk. And you wouldn't even clear his name with me?"

"He wasn't your father!" Rogers shouted.

There was a moment of silence.

Tony said softly. "But he was your friend. Like I was your friend."

"Bucky's my friend!" Rogers yelled. "He's all I've got! I'm not letting you take him away from me!" He clenched his fists and braced himself to fight. "You don't know him! He's not yours!"

Barnes moved then, getting between Tony and Rogers. "I'm not yours, either, Steve. You don't fucking OWN me."

"No, of course not," Rogers said. "I just want to protect you. Come away with me. You can't trust Tony. You killed his mother! He never liked Howard, but I've heard him talk about how much he loved her. He's going to pretend he cares, just so he can take you away from me. He's always been jealous of me."

"Steve," Barnes said, softly. "You need help." He glanced back at Tony. "You see that, right? He's not... it's not his fault."

Tony shook his head. "I don't know. We need... someone outside to look into this. It's... it's why we need the Accords."

"They're just going to USE US!" Rogers shouted and threw his shield at Tony, who hadn't yet put up his helmet.

Barnes grabbed the shield before it could hit, and threw it outside the bunker into the snow. "STOP, STEVE!" He went to Rogers and shook his shoulders. "Stop. We have to give up."

"No! I can do this all day!" Rogers pulled away from Barnes. "It's Tony! He's got you all confused. You're supposed to be with me, to the end of the line!"

"That was SEVENTY years ago, Steve!" Barnes shouted, exasperated. "Did you think I was never going to get married, or move away? Did you think the war was never going to end, and we were never going to go our own ways?"

"NO! To the end of the line! You PROMISED!"

"God, this is pitiful," Tony said. "Barnes, can you hold him? I have restraints."

It took a while, but between Tony and Barnes, Rogers was overpowered and locked into restraints he couldn't break. He kept yelling until Tony shot him full of tranqs.

Barnes looked at Tony, uncertainly. "This is so fucked up."

"Yeah." Tony shook his head. "It would have been a hell of a lot easier if you'd given yourself up in the last three years."

"I know. I just... I just wanted to be free. And now there's more to answer for. I wasn't the Winter Soldier when I tried to get away. That's all on me."

"Some of it, yeah," Tony said. "Rogers is very good at getting people to follow him. I'm sure a good lawyer will help."

"I don't know who else has my trigger words." He looked at the murdered super soldiers in their cryostasis tubes. "Maybe I should just ask to be frozen again."

"No. No, that's not right. We'll figure something out."

Barnes looked at Tony. "You don't owe me anything. Even if... I'm not your dad, not really your father."

"I'm tired of thinking of what I owe, and what I'm trying to make up for. I just want to do what's right." Tony looked directly into Barnes face. "I don't know what Howard was thinking. Your eyes are blue, nothing like mine at all."

"People see what they want to see," Barnes said. He picked up Rogers and slung him over his shoulder.

"Yeah... Oh, shit, we forgot about Zemo!"

They hurried outside and found T'Challa with Zemo.

"What the fuck?" Tony said. Neither Zemo nor T'Challa looked upset. Tony raised his hand and aimed the repulsor between them. "Talk fast." He didn't really think T'Challa was working with Zemo. Even if T'Challa had wanted his father dead, the U.N. bomb was a ridiculously chancy method of assassination. But still... what the fuck?

T'Challa frowned. "I am done letting vengeance consume me."

"Uh huh," Tony said. "I repeat. WHAT the FUCK? How did you get here? WHEN did you get here? and WHY are you having a nice little righteous moral moment, while SHIT went down?"

T'Challa's brows wrinkled. "I followed you. My jet has stealth capabilities far superior..."

"Yeah, yeah, Wakanda, home of goat cheese and basketweaving and high-tech? Sure, that works." Tony didn't really care about Wakanda's secrets.

T'Challa continued on, "I decided to wait and allow you to handle the situation with Rogers and Barnes. Zemo was..."

"Got it," Tony cut him off again. "It was personal, and you didn't give a shit about anything else."

"I do!" T'Challa said. "I owe Sergeant Barnes for my pursuit of an innocent man! Release him and Captain Rogers!"

Barnes cleared his throat so everyone looked at him. "Look, that's nice of you, but I'm tired of being on the run, and Steve needs help. He's not... not thinking clearly. Running away isn't going to help either of us." Barnes turned towards the quinjet he and Rogers had stolen. "He's getting heavy. I'm going to go strap him in while you two decide what you're going to do."

Tony watched Barnes leave and then turned back to T'Challa. "I'm tired of fighting today, so let's settle this quickly. What are you going to do with Zemo?"

"Turn him in to the authorities."

"Wakandan authorities?"

"Ross. Everett Ross. He is a good man."

Tony blinked. "He's CIA. Formerly Deputy Task Force Commander for the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre. Great choice. You know what? I don't care. Toss Zemo to the spy to disappear him. Whatever. I'm tired of 'good men'." Tony turned and walked to the quin-jet, ignoring the silence behind him. He really didn't give a shit if T'Challa was thinking of consequences or just congratulating himself on his nobility.

He got into the quin-jet and let his helmet recede. He closed his eyes and sighed, wondering what to do now. "Barnes, I don't know who to trust. I have authority from Secretary of State Ross to apprehend you and Rogers, but I only agreed to stop him from sending out a kill squad. Wish I had JARVIS..."

"Who's JARVIS?" Barnes asked.

"SIR," JARVIS's voice came from the console. "May I make a suggestion?"

"JARVIS!" Tony's voice went up a few octaves. "You're DEAD."

JARVIS replied, "Sir! Have you forgot that I have always been uploaded into your suits and quin-jets? I do recall your having 'JARVIS is my Co-pilot' bumper stickers made."

"What?" Tony blinked and then bounced his head off the control panel. "That witch, that fucking bitch. She made me forget."

"Who?" Barnes asked, sounding even more confused.

Tony turned to look back at Barnes. "Wanda Maximoff, Hydra mind-fucking volunteer who turned sides and joined the Avengers as Rogers' protege, and Barton's unofficially adopted daughter. You know? The red-handed wonder who tossed cars around at the airport?"

"What the fuck?" Barnes asked.

"I ask myself that, every day," Tony said. He closed his eyes. "You know what? JARVIS. I leave it up to you. Take us to the proper authorities. You have been keeping up on the situation, right?"

"Of course, sir!" JARVIS replied. The quinjet rumbled and took off.

Chapter Text

FORTY-EIGHT

Okoye's voice broke T'Challa's concentration on his piloting. Following Iron Man wasn't the easiest thing in the world. The suit was a small radar image, fast, and very manueverable. "T'Challa! You must stop! You are making a mistake!" Okoye said.

"I will avenge my father, Okoye," he replied, before turning off the communicator. He didn't want to hear her talking about politics, or forgiveness or 'your father loved peace'. He would listen to her later, afterward.

He landed in Siberia; apparently the Winter Soldier was returning to his home base. There was very little sign of activity and only a few heat signatures that could indicate people, but he decided to be cautious, in case it was a Hydra trap, or some other colonizer trick. He landed in stealth mode and approached on foot. When he drew closer he saw a man with a gun, a simple revolver. He tensed, prepared to fight, but hoping to avoid it because he didn't want to warn Barnes.

"I'm here for the man who killed my father. Are you going to try to stop me?" He flexed his claws.

The man put the gun to his own head and killed himself.

Colonizers were cowards. The noise might have alerted Barnes, so he hurried inside the bunker following the muffled sounds of voices.

He stopped when he saw his goal, Barnes was missing an arm, and looking dazed. Rogers was holding him up. Iron Man lay on the floor, the suit shattered. There were signs of a battle all around and Captain America's shield lying not far from Iron Man, apparently the cause of the smashed armor. He took it all in at a glance. He was pleased that Iron Man had lost; that made it much simpler. Iron Man had tried to take in the fugitives and failed. T'Challa was justified in using any means to stop them. After all, he wasn't armed with lasers and guns. All he had was his own strength.

T'Challa focused on Barnes. "You killed my father."

Rogers shouted, "No! No, he didn't!"

Iron Man coughed, and said in a weak voice, "Tell him it was Hydra, why don't you?"

Rogers glanced at Iron Man and snapped, "Bucky is innocent!"

T'Challa used the moment's distraction to claw out Barnes' throat. Messy, but quick. T'Challa could be merciful, the missing arm had to hurt.

Rogers screamed, "NO!" He lowered Barnes to the floor and tried to stop the blood. Barnes' mouth moved as if he was trying to talk but whatever he was trying to say, he failed as he died very quickly.

T'Challa had the courtesy to wait for Rogers to attack him. Rogers was strong, but he fought wildly. Even if T'Challa wanted to simply capture the man who'd protected his father's killer it would have been difficult to subdue him.

He hated the cold so he wanted to make this quick. Tony Stark didn't look too good, either. T'Challa cut Rogers down swiftly. Once he was sure there was no life left in the man, he strode over to Iron Man, considering what to do.

Stark blinked up at him, licked his lips and said, "There are probably recording devices. You should destroy them. So no one comes after you."

"Let them come," T'Challa said. He had nothing but contempt for colonizers. Well, perhaps he had a little respect for Iron Man, who had at least tried to stop Rogers despite them being friends. Probably not very good friends, judging by this day, but still.

"We need heroes. Someone people can believe in." Stark blinked again, slowly. His voice was weaker. "The Avengers are done." He closed his eyes. "Protect your reputation, so you can protect your people. Protect the world."

T'Challa watched Stark wake up after surgery. He had taken him to Wakanda because he was curious about Stark's final words. 'Protect the world.' He had done as Stark requested, using his technology to scan and blank recording devices. He had intended to inform Everett Ross that the fugitives had been regrettably killed resisting arrest, but first he wanted to tell Shuri their father had been avenged. And then he discovered his error. Barnes had not been the bomber. Okoye was angry at him, Shuri wasn't speaking to him, and Ramonda was giving him 'I'm disappointed in you' looks.

Before he did anything else, and potentially made the situation worse, he wanted to talk with Stark. So he waited, patiently, until Stark was not only awake, but seemed clear-headed.

"I killed two innocent people," he confessed.

Stark cleared his throat. "So did they. So, you know, not entirely innocent. None of us is, really."

"I am considering renouncing the throne and surrendering myself for judgement."

Stark shook his head. "If you turn yourself in, everyone loses. Something's coming, something so big we can't let personal feelings influence our actions. Let everyone think that Zemo killed Rogers and Barnes. It was all his plan, so really, that's the truth."

"How big?"

Stark spread his hands. "The whole enchilada. I've tried, but I have my limits. Ultron was supposed to be a shield around the world. One man can only do so much, even if it's me."

T'Challa leaned forward. "Cross the river in a crowd and the crocodile won’t eat you. Wakanda is with you."

Stark smiled.

Chapter Text

FORTY-NINE

Tony wasn't so focussed on the video as to be totally unaware of his surroundings. Steve was close enough Tony could feel the warmth of his super-soldier body. Could wonder idly if the cold triggered memories in Steve, the way this video was triggering memories of the last time he saw his parents. Of his last words to them. Of blaming himself for upsetting his dad, who had driven carelessly and killed Tony's mom... only he hadn't, had he?

Tony turned, expecting Steve to be upset about the revelation of his friend's murder, of the friend who sacrificed his son's childhood to search for the hero he'd created, the hero he'd risked his life for so Howard's future murderer could be rescued. You'd think Steve would be wide-eyed in disbelief.

You'd be wrong. Steve stood there, as cold and unmoved as a glacier. As unfeeling. Tony would have asked, "Did you know", but it was obvious. The only thing Tony didn't know was how long Steve... no. Rogers. How long Rogers knew. How long Rogers knew, and kept silent. How long he used Tony to protect not just his murderer friend, but Hydra, the organization Rogers hated so much that he destroyed SHIELD, consigning all of the whole organization to 'collateral damage'.

Tony's mind worked fast, it always had. Now that he'd pulled the bottom block, the whole Jenga tower came crashing down. Rogers didn't give a damn who he hurt, so long as he got his way. Right now his obsession was Barnes. Before that it was Maximoff-- another Hydra agent- a willing volunteer at that. It wasn't about the Accords. It wasn't even about Barnes, really. It was about Rogers doing what he wanted, and to hell with anyone else. To hell with innocent people who got in the way. To hell with law enforcement people doing their jobs. To hell with SHIELD, the people he'd worked with. To hell with Tony, the idiot who gave him everything and followed him and got nothing in return, not even the courtesy due a stranger.

Tony didn't telegraph the punch. He got Rogers in the chin, hard, at just the wrong angle. Even the suit couldn't protect him from his own stupidity. He felt the snap in his arm the moment it connected. The arm that had a hairline fracture from Rogers' pet witch burying him in Audis. "FUCK!" he dropped his arm in reaction and sealed up his helmet to hide his pain.

Rogers rocked back, fist up, holding high the shield Tony's father had given... no, the shield Rogers had taken. Taking from Starks is so easy, so morally pure, right? They're rich, they don't deserve to keep anything they've worked to create. Barnes lifted up the gun he was holding, the gun Tony recognized as one he'd built for the Avengers. So fucking stupid. Thought he was finished making weapons? No, he was just finished making them for profit. So stupid. Once again his own weapons are turned against him.

What does it take before he learns?

Tony can't fight the two of them with a broken arm. Not unless he was willing to kill. Which... he actually is. No. Fuck them. That would destroy Iron Man, the one good thing he'd done.

Tony fired up the repulsors. He rose up, and used his good arm to blast the gun out of Barnes' hands, sending it flying in pieces. Then he grabbed the shield from Rogers. "My father made this. You don't deserve it."

"Tony!" Rogers shouted. "It wasn't Bucky!"

"I know," Tony said. "It was you. It was always about you." He blasted Rogers back onto his ass, turned and knocked Barnes down for good measure.

And then he left. He flew past them and circled the base until he found the stolen quin-jet. There was another plane, too. A sleek black thing. Probably not Hydra. Definitely not Russian air force. Tony didn't give a shit. No longer his business. He landed and got into the quin-jet.

He looked around for any traps or other evidence of Super-soldier treachery before sitting down and letting his helmet retract. He dropped the shield to the floor and turned on the AI auto-pilot. "Nearest hospital," he said. He'd be damned if he'd risk being crippled, just to keep Rogers a secret.

"Sir?" the auto-pilot queried. It wasn't Jarvis. Wasn't one of his favorites, Rogers didn't like the idea of the quin-jet having a name, or a personality, but still... one of his.

"Russia's gonna love it," Tony said wearily. "Thank god, I'd asked for permission to enter, even if I didn't tell them about Rogers. You can do that, now. Transmit these coordinates to... hell, what's left of the Accords committee, Secretary Ross, Russian authorities... let them know Rogers and Barnes are here-- probably will be here... Iron Man couldn't contain them." Tony was too tired to care if he made sense.

"Yes, sir," the auto-pilot replied.

Tony watched the external monitor as the quin-jet lifted. Below there was a figure moving... all in black...the Black Panther. Huh, Tony wondered idly if he was going to try to kill Barnes. Wondered if Tony should tell him that Barnes hadn't killed T'Challa's father. No, just Tony's parents. Tony is a Stark, taking from him isn't a crime, so they don't count.

Eh, let Rogers handle it with his perfect hands. Tony was going to wash his imperfect hands of the whole mess. "I'm just going to take a little nap here," he said.

"Yes, sir," the auto-pilot replied.

"When I wake up, remind me to give you a name," Tony muttered.

"Yes, sir."

Chapter Text

FIFTY:

Tony tapped his Stark watch once he reached the cells where the Avengers were being kept. "Oh, I just knocked the 'A' out of their 'AV'. We got about 30 seconds before they realize it's not their equipment."

Secretary Ross, watching in the operations room, snapped,"What did you do? Get it back up!"

The man at the controls said, "I can read lips, sir."

Ross huffed. "What are they saying?"

The man held up his hand as he watched the view of the cell and corridor, switching angles to see both Tony and Sam. "Stark promised to go alone, and as a friend." He took a piece of paper and wrote swiftly. "Wilson gave him the coordinates. It's in Siberia."

Ross grinned like a shark. "It's a shame Stark's helicopter had that mechanical issue. What unfortunate timing, and just after he had told us about the five Hydra super soldiers."

"Sir?" The man looked at Ross, and then nodded. "Yes, sir. Unfortunate."

Ross issued a few orders quietly, his people knew that his hands were the safest for America and they were proud to follow him. "Super soldiers. Bah, loose cannons, all of them. Don't take any chances... with ANY of them."

"Sir, yes, sir."

It took Tony half an hour to find out what had been 'accidentally misaligned' by the deck crew securing his helicopter. He considered just taking off in his suit from the deck, but the helicopter was powered by an arc reactor and he sure as hell wasn't handing one over to Ross. It was just petty revenge for Tony's petty act of destroying Ross's favorite bar.

Once he got the copter up, and far enough away from the Raft to disguise his exit, he suited up, and sent the copter home on autopilot while he flew Iron Man to Siberia. When he arrived he had a sinking feeling even before he set down. Parked around the snow covered bunker were three vehicles- a sleek black jet, the stolen quinjet, and a snow truck, but the snow was also tracked up in many other places. He went in, slowly.

Freshly broken cement blocks and steel beams were scattered around, snow just beginning to drift in on them. Not enough snow to cover the blood. There were patches and blotches and streaks as if someone strong had bled and fought and kept going until... too much blood. No one could lose that much blood and live. Tony felt sick. There were five vacant tubes of the size to hold people, each with holes where a head should be. There was the remains of a control center which looked as if it had been C-4'ed very thoroughly. There was a corpse in there. Hard to tell, but it could have been Zemo.

Tony heard something and turned towards the sound... his father's voice? What? There was a video, set to loop... Tony went cold. He watched it all the way through again, trying to understand. Barnes had killed his parents? Was that real? Did Zemo fake that? But how could he? If it was real... did Steve know? He couldn't have, could he? He wouldn't have been using Tony to search for Barnes without telling him. No, it must be some kind of sick plan of Zemo's.Then he heard another sound, soft, a groaning noise. Not mechanical.

He turned and located the source. It was T'Challa, mostly buried under the rubble of the control center. Tony quickly cleared it away, but he was afraid to move him. T'Challa's chest ... that... curve across it, slashed right through his vibranium suit and into the flesh beneath. Blood bubbled from his lips.

"Don't," Tony said helplessly. "Don't try to talk. I'll get help."

T'Challa looked at Tony, but not as if he was seeing him. "Barnes..." he whispered. "I knew... he was... innocent... but...Rogers... thought..."

"It's all right," Tony said. "It'll be..."

T'Challa closed his eyes. Tony pulled away T'Challa's suit to check his pulse. "You're strong. You'll make it," Tony said, trying to convince himself. "Friday, call the nearest medical center and give them my coordinates. The king of Wakanda is in critical condition with severe trauma."

Tony looked around the bunker. The video was still playing. "What the hell happened here?"

Chapter Text

FIFTY ONE:

Tony walked into the bunker with Steve and Bucky. "There they are," Tony said, pointing at the five people in cryotubes. "Still in deep freeze. Friday, call the Russian authorities."

"No," Steve said, "we can't trust them."

Tony gave Steve an exasperated look. "So, what do you propose we do? Murder them in their sleep?"

Barnes stirred restlessly. "They're murderers. It would be an execution."

Tony shook his head. "Did you see them kill anyone? If they did, do you think they had any more choice than you did? Steve fought the whole world to give you a chance and they're harmless right now."

Rogers frowned. "It's not the same thing at all. They were Hydra's most elite death squad, even before the serum. They speak 30 languages, can hide in plain sight, infiltrate, assassinate, destabilize, They can take a whole country down in one night. You'd never see them coming."

"Wow," Tony said, "and you know all that? How?"

"Bucky told me."

"Right. The guy who's been brainwashed by Hydra and a few years ago didn't know his own name," Tony said. "Look, I get that you don't want to be dragged in by the authorities until I can get things settled, so how about you just take off, and give me a call later? I'll let you know when it's safe to come in." Tony shook his head again. "It isn't going to be a pat on the back for finding these guys and let's forget about the last few days, but I can work something out to bring you both in safely. The U.S. will be on your side, you know that. So if you stay under the radar, let the diplomats work on it, we can get you home."

Rogers said, "And what about the Avengers? My team's been arrested! What did you do with them?"

"For God's sake, Steve, people were hurt, people DIED, plus a hell of a lot of property damage, and since you and Wilson took off after you were in custody on the honor system... well, no one trusts your honor, and Wanda ripped hell out the compound- the place she called home- just because Vision tried to warn her her visa was in danger due to people DYING during an unsanctioned mission. WHAT the HELL do you think happens to people who do those things? They're under arrest in a high-security facility that specializes in the enhanced."

"Wanda's just a kid!"

"Wanda is TWENTY-SIX years old!" Tony waved his hands in emphasis. "When we get through here, I'll sic my lawyers on the case. It'll be hard to pry Wanda loose, because let's face it, she's proved she's not going to stay put unless she's forced to stay put, and if VISION couldn't stop her, I can't promise to produce her for her court date."

Barnes kept looking back and forth between Tony and Steve, with his gun at the ready although not pointing at anyone. "We're not alone," he said.

"I hated to interrupt," a voice came over a speaker system. "It was very entertaining."

"Who are you?" Rogers demanded as he turned trying to locate the person speaking.

"Friday, locate the source of that voice," Tony said.

"No need," this time the voice came from above, un-amplified. Standing on one of the platforms that surround the missile launching pad, a man looked down at them. "If you'll look inside the control room, you'll find the man responsible for the Vienna bombing. I assure you, I had nothing to do with that, but I did, as the Soldier suggests, carry out his execution." He shrugged. "Everyone's allowed one good deed."

Tony went over to the glassed in control room and glanced inside. "Yeah, that's the guy, Baron Zemo. Still don't know why he did it, and why lead us here?" Iron Man turned and staggered. "Wow, hey, it's... been a long... day."

Friday said, "Boss! Boss, what's wrong!"

Tony blinked. "Just tired."

Rogers frowned at him. "You weren't drinking, were you?"

"Never drin... an... fly," Tony replied. He slipped, and fell to his knees before sliding to the floor and then rolled onto his back.

"Tony?" Rogers leaned down and kept leaning. He fell, with his shield flying off to circle on the floor, making a weird wonga wonga wonga noise as it spun.

Tony turned his head, Barnes was lying on the floor, too. All three of them. Tony giggled and flapped his arms. "Shud be outside... make snow angels..."

Friday said, "Closing face plate and purging air systems. WARNING, attempt to touch suit will result in electrocution."

"Atta girl," Tony muttered as his eyes closed and everything just went quiet.

Tony woke up with a killer headache. He got to his feet and looked around. The frozen supersoldiers were still there, and so was Zemo's corpse, but Rogers, Barnes, and the mystery man were gone. "Great," Tony said, irritably. "That's what I get for not coming in sealed up and ready for bear."

Friday said, "Boss, that man left you a message."

"Fantastic. Damn it, I'm out of time. Ross will be sending snipers after Steve now. That idiot. Maybe his buddy will teach him how to lay low," Tony grumbled as he picked up the envelope lying on the floor and read, "Hail Hydra."

"Hail fucking Hydra. What? Why?" Tony looked at the frozen supersoldiers. Still there. He opened the envelope.

"I am offering you a trade," Tony read out loud, for Friday's benefit. "One mad bomber, five dead supersoldiers and the truth, in exchange for two live supersoldiers. Hydra permitted Zemo's elaborate plan, including regrettable losses, in order to reclaim our Asset, and a bonus. Barnes and Rogers survived freezing. Assuming the serum was responsible, we froze the Winter Soldier Corps as a disciplinary measure. However, they died. Comparing Barnes' genetics with samples taken from Loki by our friends in SHIELD, we discovered a relationship."

"Huh," Tony said to himself. "Thor said Loki was a frost giant." Tony wondered how long ago Loki had been fucking around on Earth, and how many other part frost giants there were. Wouldn't be the first time humans had another species cross-- something like 1 to 4% of modern humans have Neanderthal genes. "Weird. Still, I'm not going to let Hydra have Steve even if he IS Frosty." Tony pondered a moment if maybe Barnes and Rogers actually were brothers. Couldn't tell from looking at them.

He flipped the paper over and continued reading. "Zemo intended to break up the Avengers as revenge for the collateral damage deaths of his family. There is a video. Play it, and then you may decide if you wish to fight Hydra for Rogers and our Asset."

Tony found the video and played it. He stood there in silence for a long moment. "Friday, did he know?"

"Boss?" Friday asked.

"Did Rogers know?" Iron Man punched the console and took the video tape. "Did he know all along? When he had me finance all his 'you don't need to be involved' missions? Was he looking for Barnes all this time..." Tony laughed, a short bark of sound. "Who am I kidding? He knew. All those unsanctioned missions, looking for 'Hydra', and to hell with anyone who got in the way."

Tony turned away from the console and looked at the frozen corpses. "Friday, call the Russian authorities. Tell them this location is a Hydra base, possibly not quite abandoned. Oh, and call the Accords commission and Secretary Ross, inform them that I failed to capture Rogers or Barnes, and have no idea where they are."

Iron Man walked out of the bunker and saw a sleek black jet. Standing in front of it was T'Challa. Tony waved at him. "You're too late."

"What have you done?" T'Challa asked. "Barnes is innocent! I came to make amends for mistakenly attacking him!"

Tony laughed. "Right. He killed my parents. He killed I don't know how many others, but it's cool, because he didn't kill your father. Oh, by the way, diplomatic immunity doesn't mean you get a free pass for all the destruction you caused chasing him. For all the people you haven't mentioned because I guess, you weren't aiming at them, so they don't count."

"I..." T'Challa said...

"Save it. I've had enough hypocrisy for one day. God, it's a hell of a day, when Hydra is the honest one." Iron Man took off, video tape held tight. He was going to clear his father's name of drunk driving, at least he can do that. And then he can get drunk in memory of the Avengers, a pretty dream turned nightmare. Fuck them all, fuck Fury's manipulation, and fuck all the hypocrites. Iron Man did fine on his own. And at least he never stabbed himself in the back.

Chapter Text

FIFTY TWO:

Tony lay in his broken suit in the Hydra bunker, trying to push himself past the mental and physical numbness to do SOMETHING. Friday wasn't JARVIS, he couldn't rely on her instance back in the U.S. realizing the communication break with suit Friday meant she should call for help.

And even if she did, who was she going to call? Her old protocols were useless. Rogers' Avengers, on the Raft, or on the run? Rhodey, paralyzed in the hospital? Vision? Maybe Vision... no, Vision was a lost cause. He'd disappeared after shooting down Rhodey because he was distracted by concern over Maximoff and he was STILL worried about her. Talk about toxic relationships. When someone beats you up because you ask them not to break the law that's a clue that you should back away, really fast. Then again, Tony didn't take his own advice. The rumpus at the airport should have told him to give up on Rogers.

He had got permission from Russia, and every other country along the way, to enter their air space- get attacked once by your own friendly fighters and you learn better. So, probably, eventually, someone would say 'hey, is the Iron guy still in our territory?' Eventually. Tony wasn't a super-soldier, he couldn't survive freezing temperatures and wait for 'eventually'.

As usual, it was up to Tony to get him out of the mess he'd made. Most of the suit was dead, but the manual releases should still work. It won't be a fun task with a broken arm and at the very least some cracked ribs, but lying here anticipating the pain isn't going to help.

He groaned and got to work, cursing because that was better than crying. Cursing warmed him a little, and tears would only freeze.

When he got out of the suit, he stood up and limped around for a minute, trying to get enough circulation going so he could think. The place still had power. Was it totally abandoned, or was Hydra likely to notice the break-in and come sniffing around? He walked outside and immediately noticed Rogers' stolen quinjet was gone, but there were also marks in the snow showing some other aircraft had landed. Must have been a very sophisticated one, silent and VTOL capable. Tony wondered for a moment who it was- not Hydra, and not the Russians either- either one would have found Tony. A friend of Rogers? Well, hell, Romanoff is still floating around, and Tony wouldn't bet on SHIELD being any more dead than Nick Fury. Whoever it was either didn't know Tony was there, too, or didn't care.

It didn't matter. The one vehicle left was a yellow snow-cat, or something of the like. Looked like his only way out, probably had GPS and god, he hoped it had enough fuel to get somewhere.

He checked the vehicle first. He remembered dragging a dead suit through the snow in Tennessee and doubted Siberia would be any easier. He'd do it if he HAD to, but was relieved to find the snow-cat started immediately and had at least half a tank of gas. He hauled the suit, the shield and Barnes' arm into the rear compartment, before going back to retrieve that damn video. Zemo's convoluted plot might include releasing copies of the video to the world, but maybe not. Anyway, Tony wasn't leaving it for someone else to find.

The snowcat had a heater, and a GPS. Tony started driving. Nearest hospital first. Then a phone to check up on Rhodey and let Pepper know he was alive. They might not be a 'thing' at the moment, but she would always be important to him. Screw Ross, let him read it in the news.

It took a while. Finding a hospital, explaining the situation- his Russian wasn't that good- getting looked at by doctors, arm put in a cast, politely ignoring warnings about this that and the other thing. Apparently you weren't supposed to tape up ribs, or superglue cuts. And then there was talking to officials and explaining about the Hydra base once someone semi-official showed up, who had to pass on the information to someone else.

Tony was dozing in his hospital bed- he'd managed to get a private room overlooking the parking lot, so he could at least HOPE to see if anyone swiped souvenirs from the snowcat. Well, anyway, he wasn't at his most alert when there was a knock on the wall, followed by a man in military uniform entering the room. Very high ranking uniform. A general if Tony's foggy mind didn't misinterpret it.

Tony blinked and sat up, expecting more questions. Not that he had any good answers, but he'd try.

"Mr. Stark, were you aware that one of your aircraft was in Siberia?"

"It was stolen, and the locator had been turned off," Tony said, wondering what the hell Rogers had done now. Well, Tony was through taking the blame. "I found it in Siberia, but I was unable to reclaim it." Tony lifted his casted arm. "Or stop the thieves from taking off with it again. I'm very sorry for anything they've done with it, and you know... maybe my insurance can help?" Tony was SO done with just paying for everything on the Avengers' presumption that he should be grateful to be allowed to donate his 'dirty money' to Rogers' noble cause.

The general shrugged. "It was fortunately taken down over a wilderness area, so the damage was minor."

"Excuse me. Taken down?" Tony blinked again.

The general nodded. "There were two unidentified aircraft flying in close proximity. There was no flight plan listed, no response to request to identify, no remote identification broadcast. Attempts to contact either aircraft failed. When approached by our pilots, both aircraft fired upon them. Thereupon the decision was made to take them down using long-range missiles. On inspecting the debris we discovered one was listed as belonging to Stark Industries. The other is as yet unidentified."

Tony swallowed. "Were there any survivors?"

"I regret to say no," the man said, without any actual sound of regret in his voice. "We will of course, attempt to identify the bodies, but at the moment all I can say is that all four were male. I do hope your insurance will take care of this."

"Yeah," Tony said, dazed, and not really taking it in, not yet. Rogers and Barnes were dead. And... maybe Zemo was the third, but who was the mystery pilot in the mystery plane? Oh, well... not Tony's business any more. "Thank you for letting me know." Tony pressed the button for more pain-killer. Maybe if he slept then when he woke up, this would all have been nothing more than a bad dream.

Chapter Text

FIFTY-THREE

"It wasn't Bucky," Steve... no, Rogers, said.

Tony felt a wash of cold rage pass through him, drowning the pain of the lies and betrayal, going straight to the realization that he wasn't having an argument with a friend, but was faced with an enemy who would kill, HAD killed, in order to achieve his objective. He saw clearly for the first time.

"It only stands to reason," Tony said.

Rogers nodded. "Bucky is innocent."

Rogers and the Hydra assassin were focussed on him, tense and ready to fight, all out, no doubt. Well, so was Tony.

"But," Tony said as he remembered his Wing Chun training and instead of punching Rogers in the face, which would have been satisfying, but was obviously what Rogers was braced for... well, instead of that, he said, "only if you have a leg to stand on", as he kicked the side of Rogers' right knee, dislocating it.

Rogers screamed as he toppled sideways, for an instant blocking Barnes' shot, not that it mattered as Barnes shot right through Rogers. Yeah, that's gotta hurt, upper shoulder, nothing Mr. Super couldn't heal from. And bullets against Iron Man? Tank missiles didn't stop his first combat suit. Tony strode forward and grabbed the rifle, the rifle that Tony had built and stocked on the quin-jet, for his team, his friends to use to protect themselves against an enemy. Iron Man popped out the ammo clip, and bent the barrel around both of Barnes' wrists. Even if Barnes was willing to destroy his good arm by using the metal one to break free, he wouldn't have the leverage to do it.

"You can't do this!" Rogers shouted. He'd got up to his good leg and was, well, it was not funny, ok, a little funny, hopping with killer intent towards Tony. "Bucky's INNOCENT."

Tony learned long ago not to argue with idiots. He kicked out Rogers' other kneecap. Ignoring the futilely struggling super soldiers Tony turned back to Zemo, who had emerged from the control booth to smirk.

"The Avengers are now dead!" Zemo held a pistol to his own head. "I have done what no one else could do!"

"Yeah, whatever, congratulations," Tony said. "Want to come in quietly and have a ringside seat at the trials? Splattering yourself all over the place means you won't get to see Rogers squirm. He's the one who gave the order to make me wait to take down the city, you know. If I'd done it when I wanted, your family might not have died."

Zemo hesitated. "Will that be mentioned?"

"Hell, yeah," Tony said. "I've got recordings of all his 'best hands' orders. I'll bury him in his own bullshit."

Friday told Tony quietly, "A stealth jet has landed. Someone is approaching."

"Thanks, Fri." Tony's cold logic ticked over again, putting together the pieces. T'Challa's vibranium suit didn't come from a catalog. Wakanda was hiding secrets too, just like Rogers. Sure, anyone can keep secrets, but let Tony make a mistake, and he's the bad guy. "So, what will it be, Zemo? Make up your mind. I have places to go, super soldiers to arrest."

Zemo put down his gun. "Promise I will see the trial?"

"Absolutely. You did me a solid, showing me the truth, it's only fair." Tony kept bullshitting while waiting for T'Challa. He figured it wouldn't be long. T'Challa had no patience.

"STOP!" T'Challa shouted, loud enough to cover Rogers' bitching and scrabbling as he tried to force his legs to heal by... sheer power of his innate good guy ness? Whatever. "Barnes is innocent! Zemo was the bomber."

"Uh huh," Tony said. "I'm ahead of you there."

"Then you will let him go!" T'Challa said. "I must make restitution for my pursuit of an innocent man!"

"Uh huh," Tony said. "Half right. You should make restitution for your pursuit, for all the people who were innocent bystanders in your way."

"I was angry, when I thought he'd killed my father."

"Uh huh," Tony said. "I was angry when it turned out he DID kill my father and my mother. So, you know? Actual guilt, there."

"BUCKY IS INNOCENT," Rogers shouted again. "HYDRA MADE HIM DO IT."

"Oh, put a sock in it," Tony said to Rogers. "So you were knowingly protecting Hydra by concealing my parents' murder, not to mention all the other assignments Barnes carried out over seventy years."

Barnes mumbled, "It wasn't that much. They kept me on ice for a lot of the time."

Tony ignored that, too. He was watching T'Challa. Zemo was watching everything too, with a little smile on his face.

Tony said, "Not to mention, although I think you might consider it, Rogers' unauthorized actions in Lagos led to the deaths of innocent Wakandan citizens. He hasn't even had a slap on the wrist for that. Your father wouldn't like their deaths to be ignored."

"MORE PEOPLE WOULD HAVE DIED IF WE HADN'T ACTED!" Rogers yelled.

"You do know you have the right to remain silent," Tony said. "I wish you would use it, because listening to you dismiss innocent people's deaths as collateral damage makes me sick to my stomach."

T'Challa let out a long sigh and nodded. Since Tony had one arm occupied carrying the shield T'Challa helped Tony drag Rogers and Barnes out to the quin jet, with Zemo following along freely, smirking and chuckling to himself.

"This is all very well," T'Challa said, once the super-soldiers were secured in the quin-jet, sedated using the medicine Tony had paid Dr. Cho to develop to help Rogers, "but I must have the shield. Vibranium is sacred to my people, and I cannot leave it in the possession of colonizers."

"Wow. You must think I'm an idiot," Tony said. "My dad bought a few chunks from prospectors and mixed them in a unique alloy he invented."

T'Challa said, "All Vibranium belongs to Wakanda, ever since the sacred meteorite gifted my land with it!"

"Meteorites break up in atmosphere and drop pieces all over the place. But, you know what? I don't give a shit about the sacred dinner plate. You want it so bad, you can have it!" Tony picked up the shield, walked outside the quin-jet and threw it, shearing off a wingtip on T'Challa's jet. "Have fun explaining to the Russians your noble actions in invading their territory. Hey, maybe they'll call you a colonizer!"

T'Challa shouted and lunged at Tony, who fired a tazer shot at him, having learned from Romanoff's actions the drawback of a vibranium cat-suit. It conducts electricity like whoa. He took a moment to check T'Challa's vital signs, unconscious, but strong, and dragged him under cover.

Zemo chuckled when Tony got back into the quin-jet. "So much for the Avengers," he said as Tony started the engines.

"It was a crappy name anyway," Tony replied as he took off. "Friday, tell the Russian authorities Iron Man is on his way home, and that I've left them a kittycat on their doorstep. He's not housetrained, so they'd better watch out for his claws."