Perfectly Civil

Landing the Quinjet in the snow, Steve waited as he and Bucky armed themselves. They weren’t sure what they’d be walking into, but they knew it would involve another fight.

“You remember that time we had to ride back from Rockaway Beach in the back of that freezer truck?”

Bucky nodded and grinned. “Was that the time we used our train money to buy hot dogs?”

“You blew three bucks trying to win that stuffed bear for a redhead.” Steve reminded him.

“What was her name again?”

“Delores.” Steve told him. “You called her Dot.”

“She’s gotta be a hundred years old right now.”

Clapping his hand on Bucky’s shoulder, Steve smirked. “So are we, pal.”

Then they made their way out into the snow and found the door to the building already open. “He can’t have been here more than a few hours.”

“Long enough to wake them up.”

Walking inside the building, they took an elevator down to the lowest level where they quietly followed the hallway. When a loud bang was heard behind them, they turned and readied themselves for a fight, only to come face to face with Tony.

“You seem a little defensive.” The billionaire quipped as Steve held his shield in front of him.

He nodded. “It’s been a long day.”

Looking to Bucky, Tony sighed. “At ease, Soldier. I’m not currently after you.”

“Then why are you here?” Steve asked him.

“Could be your story’s not so crazy. Maybe.” He looked around and then faced Steve again. “Ross has no idea I’m here. I’d like to keep it that way. Otherwise, I gotta arrest myself.”

“Well, that sounds like a lot of paperwork.” Steve told him before lowering the shield. “It’s good to see you, Tony.”

“You too, Cap.” Then they looked at Bucky. “Hey, Manchurian Candidate, you’re killing me. This is a truce here, you can drop…”

Bucky watched as Steve gave him the go-ahead on dropping his gun before actually doing so.

As they walked through the building together, they let Tony lead as he could scan for people in a way they couldn’t, so they followed behind him. Walking into the main room, Tony held out his hand and let his gauntlet light up in preparation of a fight.

“I’ve got heat signatures.”

“How many?” Steve asked.

“Uh…one.”

Entering the room, they walked forward and saw that the other soldiers were dead in their cryo-chambers.

“If it’s any comfort, they died in their sleep.”

As the men walked through the room, Zemo continued his speech. “Did you really think I wanted more of you? I’m grateful to them, though. They brought you here.”

Suddenly a light went on and Zemo’s face was seen behind a piece of glass. Tony instantly charged up his gauntlet while Steve threw his shield, only to have it bounce off the wall and fly back at him.

“Please, Captain. The Soviets built this chamber to withstand the launch blast of UR-100 rockets.”

“I’m betting I could beat that.” Tony told him.

“Oh, I’m sure you could Mr. Stark. Given time.” Zemo said with a smirk. “But then you’d never know why you came.”

“You killed innocent people in Vienna just to bring us here?” Steve asked him as he walked up to the door to face Zemo.

Zemo nodded. “I’ve thought about nothing else for over a year. I studied you. I followed you. But now that you’re standing here, I just realized…there’s a bit of green in the blue of your eyes.” He chuckled. “How nice to find a flaw.”

“You’re Sokovian.” Steve said. “Is that what this is about?”

He shook his head. “Sokovia was a failed state long before you blew it to hell. No. I’m here because I made a promise.”

“You lost someone?” Steve knew the look of a person who had lost a loved one well enough now to recognize it on the man’s face.

“I lost everyone. And so will you.” He clicked a button and a video popped up on a screen next to Steve. “An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again. But one which crumbles from within? That’s dead. Forever.”

Tony walked over to Steve and looked at the man before glancing down at the screen. What he saw nearly made his heart stop. “I know that road.” He looked down and saw the date on the tape. “What is this?”

They watched as a car crashed onscreen before someone pulled up on a motorcycle. Steve watched Tony carefully as the video played out in front of them.

“My wife…help my wife.” Howard stuttered out from the ground.

Tony watched as the man got off the motorcycle and ripped Howard’s head back by his hair.

“Sergeant Barnes?”

“Howard…”

Tony glanced up at Bucky as his mother’s voice rang out onscreen. He knew in his heart what this video was, but he hoped to God it wasn’t what he thought.

That hope ran out as he watched Bucky murder his father with a blow to the head before walking over and choking his mother to death.

As he moved to attack Bucky, Tony felt Steve grab his arm. “No, wait, Tony.”

“Did you know?” The billionaire whispered, anger filling his voice.

“I didn’t know it was him.” Steve started to say but Tony glared at him.

“Don’t bullshit me, Rogers. Did you know?”

Steve hesitated for a second before nodding. “Yes.”

Tony looked down and let his anger stew for a moment. He thought about his parents, both good and bad, and how they were murdered. Then he thought about Kara and how her fiancé knew they were murdered and said nothing about it to them.

Then his anger reached a boiling point, and he punched Steve, sending him flying along the floor. Turning to Bucky, he knocked the gun from his hand and started throwing punches as the other man did the same.

Then Steve jumped back in, and the fighting really began.

Kara flew as fast as she could without drawing too much attention to herself. She’d left not long after Tony’s call, leaving Rhodey with Happy, and used FRIDAY to pinpoint her brother’s exact location. After receiving the coordinates, she realized he really was in Siberia at an old HYDRA base.

Between Steve’s story and Tony’s, she had figured out that that must have been where Bucky was kept, and it was probably holding all of the other Winter Soldiers as well. She just hoped that she got there in time to help the people she loved fight some of the worst monsters in history.

It wasn’t until she got closer to the base that her senses finally picked up on what was happening. Using her x-ray vision, she saw Zeno sitting on the side outside in the snow. As she landed near him, he scoffed.

“You’re too late. Your friends are already tearing each other apart.”

“What are you talking about?”

Then her ears picked up on the sound of fighting from inside the building and she was torn. She didn’t want to leave Zemo in case he escaped but she knew her family might need help. Luckily, she was saved from having to make a decision as she saw T’Challa walking up behind their villain.

“Go.” He told her and she didn’t hesitate.

Laying his helmet down in the snow, he approached Zemo cautiously. “I almost killed the wrong man.”

“Hardly an innocent one.” Zemo responded.

“This is all you wanted?” T’Challa asked him. “To see them rip each other apart?”

“My father lived outside the city.” Zemo told him. “I thought we would be safe there. My son was excited. He could see the Iron Man from the car window. I told my wife, ‘Don’t worry…they’re fighting in the city; we’re miles from harm’. When the dust cleared, and the screaming stopped…it took me two days until I found their bodies. My father…still holding my wife and son in his arms.

“And the Avengers? They went home. I knew I couldn’t kill them. More powerful men than me have tried. But…if I could get them to kill each other…” he trailed off. “I’m sorry about your father. He seemed a good man, with a dutiful son.”

“Vengeance has consumed you. It’s consuming them.” T’Challa said after a moment of reflection. “I am done letting it consume me. Justice will come soon enough.”

Zemo chuckled. “Tell that to the dead.”

Then he lifted his gun to his chin and pulled the trigger. Fortunately, T’Challa was faster and used his suit to block the bullet as he dragged the man to the ground.

“The living are not done with you, yet.”

Back inside the building, Steve and Tony fought hand to hand. Bucky, having had his metal arm blown off by Tony, laid on the side injured and broken.

Rolling on top of the billionaire, Steve threw a few more punches before ripping off his faceplate. Grabbing his shield, Steve continued hitting Tony and brought the circular piece of vibranium down to Tony’s chest. He heard the ground crack as he slammed the shield into Tony’s arc reactor.

“Steve!”

Freezing in his spot, Steve realized what he had just done as he looked up to see Kara staring at him in horror. Falling off of his friend’s body, he breathed heavily and stood. He took a step towards his fiancé but stopped as she stepped away from him, her face filled with fear and sorrow.

“Kara…”

“Just go.” She told him her voice low and filled with pain. “You’ve done enough and the last thing we need is your daughter seeing you in prison or worse.”

Watching her for only a second more, he moved to Bucky and helped him stand.

“That shield doesn’t belong to you. You don’t deserve it.” Tony told him, struggling to sit up. “My father made that shield!”

The siblings watched as Steve paused before dropping the shield with a thud on the ground. It echoed off the walls and made for an eerie mood as the super soldiers left the room. Immediately, Kara was running to Tony as he sat, breathing heavily.

“Are you okay?” She asked him, swallowing the tears that had gathered in her throat.

Tony stared at her for a moment before lifting his gauntlet-covered hand to her cheek. He watched as tears filled her eyes but saw that she refused to let them fall for his sake.

God, he loved his sister.

Then she collapsed next to him, and they sat in silence listening to the retreating footsteps of the man they called family.