Clutching || Bucky Barnes

22

Bucky had his rifle raised and was moving towards the nearest cell. Basil following to peer through the orange glass. There was a man slumped in a metal chair. He was a man with heavily set features that reminded him of a boxer or a brawler. But what caught his attention the most was the bullet wound right through the corpse's forehead. As he glanced around, he saw that al of the cells were nothing but frozen death. None of the super soldiers had been woken, instead they had been shot execution style and left frozen in their chairs.

"Did you really think I wanted more of you?" Zemo asked through the speakers, voice surprisingly soft and completely calm. It was creepier than any nursery rhyme Basil had been singing.

"What the hell?" Steve's whispers echoed round the room.

"I am grateful for them though. They bought you here". A click of a switch and a light was on. Everyone turned, Tony raising his arm again as Bucky raised his gun. Zero's face was highlighted through the glass window of a reinforced steel door. Steve threw his shield but the disc just bounced off it with an echoing clang.

"Please captain", Zemo smile. Basil didn't like that smile. It took him back to that room where he was defenceless and poisoned. "The Soviets built this chamber to withstand the launch blast of UR-100 rockets".

"I'm betting I could beat that!" Tony called back as he approached the door.

"I'm sure you could Mr Stark. Given time".

"Basil?" Steve shot a questioning look at the man. Basil swallowed and began walking towards the door.

"Stop right there corporal, I shall allow the petrifying gas I experimented on you earlier flood the room. I have had enough time to set them up. But then you'll never know why you came". Zemo's smile was smug. Basil froze, bristling.

"You killed innocent people in Vienna just to bring us here?" Steve kept moving until he was staring directly through the glass window into Zemo's dark eyes.

"I've thought of nothing else for over a year. I've studied you. I've followed you. But now that you're standing here I've just realised.... there's a bit of green in the blue of your eyes. How nice to find a flaw". Zemo chuckled. 

"You're Sokovian", Steve spoke. "Is that what this is about?" Basil stepped closer, coming up on Steve's side to see. Zemo barely glanced at him. He was as unimportant to the man as he was back in the Shield base. 

"Sokovia was a failed state long before you blew it to pieces. No. I am here because I made a promise". There was something angry and tragic in his face as he spoke. Steve picked up on it as Basil swallowed. He recognised that look, he had seen it in the mirror many times before. 

"You lost someone", he said before Steve could. Zero's eyes flicked to him and held this time. They seemed to see right through to the raw vulnerabilities in his chest. 

"I lost everyone. And so will you. All of you". His gaze met Steve's again. "An empire which topples to it's enemies can rise again, but one that crumbles from within?  That's dead. Forever".  Then he moved, reaching back to press a button unseen through the window. 

Behind the two of them a small screen lit up. Tony and Bucky stepped forwards. Basil turned and was running back to them before he could think. "I know this road", Tony muttered. His voice raised and he shouted at the door. "What is this?" Bucky was still and silent at his side. 

Basil stopped in the space between them just a the video played and a car crashed into a tree on screen. Tony stepped closer, frowning as Basil drew a breath. "Tony", he called as a motor bike appeared on screen. The video was grainy and old but the sheen of a metal arm was all too visible as the motorbike pulled up alongside the crash site. Bucky turned his gaze from the screen to watch Tony. 

Basil opened his mouth but words didn't come out. His eyes were fixed to the screen as he watched a man fall from the car. The winter soldier stepped towards him, pulling the fallen man up and hitting him once, twice with a metal fist. Those two blow both mechanical and seemingly rageful then Howard Stark was slumping to the grass, form a silhouette on the black and white feed. Tony had began shaking as The winter soldier picked Howard up and propped him in the driver's seat, as if he had been killed on impact. Then he turned and began walking round the car. 

Basil turned his gaze to Tony instead of watching the screen. He saw something in the man's eyes break as he watched his mother die. A few more seconds and the video was over. Tony made an aborted movement but Steve and Basil was there. Steve grabbing him by the arms and Basil jumping in front of Bucky, arms out stretched as if to shield him. "Wait Tony"-

Tony slumped, eyes dazed as he hung his head. "Did you know?" 

"I didn't know it was him", Steve replied. 

Basil stood straight. "Yes". 

Instantly Tony's gaze was on him. He jerked away from Steve's hold and took a step away from them, betrayal on his face. Basil held his gaze and stood firm. "Steve, Bucky, go wait by the plane", he kept his voice calm. 

"Don't you move!" Tony roared as Bucky took a step back, blue eyes wary like a cornered animal's. 

"Steve", Basil's voice was firm. "Go". Steve shifted and then Tony's arm was coming up in a vicious backhand that sent Steve sprawling across the floor. Bucky raised his rifle but a blast blew it to pieces in his hands. Basil moved. Ducking under another swing and throwing his fits forward. It went straight through the glowing circle where Tony's heart would be and stopped. "Stop!" Basil's shout echoed round the room. Steve picked himself up as Bucky dusted off his jacket. "Steve! Go and take Bucky to the plane!" 

"What?" Tony glared, arm still raised and aimed at Bucky. 

Basil met his gaze. "If you move then I will solidify my arm. The particle disruption should be enough to stop your heart and potentially make me lose my arm. This is a warning". 

Tony scoffed, face sickly and cold in the harsh yellow light. "You wouldn't". 

"Like you wouldn't kill Bucky? I know what your thinking". 

"Move!"

"Fucking go Steve!" There was a clatter as Steve raced to Bucky's side. He grabbed the brunette by the arm but hesitated. Basil sighed in frustration. "I told you to go!" 

"No", Steve's voice was firm and stubborn. "No. We are going to talk about this. We're not leaving you". 

"Basil", Bucky's voice was quiet. It was small, unsure, almost afraid. It broke his heart. Basil gasped as tears threatened to well up. Tony wanted to harm them. The team had fallen apart and his friends were all imprisoned. How had things gone so wrong?

unedited