Steve flies the Quinjet towards mountains, Bucky sits behind him, "What's gonna happen to your friends?"
Steve stares ahead, heavyhearted. He sighs and shakes his head, "Whatever it is. I'll deal with it."
Bucky looks thoughtful, "I don't know if I'm worth all this, Steve."
Steve glances around at Bucky, "What you did all those years it wasn't you. You didn't have a choice."
"I know" Bucky sighs, "But I did it."
•
At a hospital Rhodes lies inside an CT-scanner. He's in a blue gown covering his body. Tony paces up to Vision who watches Rhodes grave faced, "How did this happen?"
"I became distracted" vision answers.
"I didn't think that was possible" Tony states.
"Neither did I" Tony leaves Vision looking in on Rhodes. Along the corridor Tony spots an equally concerned Natasha.
Tony and Natasha stand on a balcony looking towards a row of trees, "The doctors say he shattered L4 through S1. Extreme laceration in the spinal cord. Probably looking at some form of paralysis."
"Steve's not gonna stop" Natasha states, "If you don't either, Rhodey's gonna be the best case scenario."
"You let them go, Nat" Tony reminds her.
"We played this wrong" Natasha sighs.
"We?" Tony scoffs, "Boy, it must be hard to shake the whole double agent thing, huh? It sticks in the DNA."
"Are you incapable of letting go of your ego for one goddamn second?" Natasha says.
"T'Challa told Ross what you did" Tony tells her, "so they're coming for you."
"I'm not the one that needs to watch their back" Natasha states, She walks away.
Once Natasha is far enough away Olivia walks onto the balcony where her father is stood after hearing everything that he just said to her.
Once Tony sees her he pulls her into a hug, "are you okay?"
"Yea" Olivia sighs, "so Nat let them go?"
Tony nods, "and I'm going to bring them back" he starts to walk away until Olivia grabs his wrist with a beam, Tony turns around to face her as the beam retracts.
"Don't do anything stupid dad" she tells him, "I can't do this if you die."
"I'm not going to die" Tony smiles as he walks away, He activates holographic images appearing on his wrist device, "What am I looking at, Friday?"
"Priority upload from Berlin police" Friday says.
"Fire up the chopper" Tony demands.
•
Tony flies over a stormy sea in the chopper. He looks surveillance images on a tablet computer, "The Task Force called for a psychiatrist as soon as Barnes was captured" Friday states, "The UN dispatched Dr. Theo Broussard from Geneva within the hour. He was met by this man."
"Did you run facial recognition yet?" Tony asks.
"What do I look like?" Friday questions.
"Uh, I don't know" Tony shrugs, "I've been picturing a red head."
"You must be thinking of someone else" Friday says.
"Must be" Tony sighs.
"The fake doctor is actually Colonel Helmut Zemo, Sokovian Intelligence" Friday tells him, Tony projects the image, "Zemo ran Echo Skorpion, a Sokovian covert kill squad."
"So, what happened to the real Broussard?" Tony asks.
"He was found dead in a Berlin hotel room" Friday answers, "Where police also found a wig and facial prosthesis approximating the appearance of one James Buchanan Barnes."
"Son of a bitch" Tony mutters, "Get this to Ross."
"Yes, Boss" Friday says.
•
A mountain looms on the horizon. A caterpillar truck stops on the windswept mountain plateau. Zemo gets out of the vehicle. Set on rocks is an entrance with huge, rusted double doors. Zemo hacks away at the wall beside the doors. he uncovers a control panel and keys in a code whilst referring to a red book.
The huge, curved double doors break open a crack. Zemo pulls them open wider. He shines a flash light and pulls down the hood of his coat.
Inside is a vast, gloomy space cramped with shelves stacked with filing boxes. Zemo moves a ladder along and searches the boxes. he climbs up the ladder and removes a filing box labeled: декабря 1991 [December 1991].
Zemo walks along a tunnel which opens into a cavernous chamber with a high ceiling. He carries a VHS cassette and a flash light. Standing around the chamber a five large, clear sided capsules. They glow a gold yellow inside. Frowning Zemo walks up to one of the capsules and shines his flash light inside. In the capsule, motionless in a state of suspended animation is the enhanced soldier Josef.
•
Tony flies the chopper low over the broiling sea. He operates the chopper with a touch screen computer in a wall panel, "This is the Raft Prison Control. You're clear for landing, Mr. Stark."
The sea swells and surges as Raft Prison rises up from beneath. A huge, fortified, circular structure with small lights around the sides. Two semi-circular doors open up in the flat circular top.
The chopper lands on a helipad and the doors close above it. Tony, who's left arm is in a sling walks up to Secretary Ross, "So? You got the files? Let's reroute the satellites, start facial scanning for this Zemo guy."
"You seriously think I'm gonna listen to you after that fiasco in Leipzig?" Ross scoffs, "You're lucky you're not in one of these cells" Ross looks at Tony sternly and leads on through a thick, steel security door. Soldiers stand guard in an operations room.
Tony looks at a surveillance screen. it shows Wanda, sitting hunched and bedraggled in a cramped prison cell.
Another security door opens. Tony walks into a chamber surrounded by large, bared windows. Beyond the windows are a number of prison cells. Tony takes in his surroundings, "The Futurist, gentlemen!" Clint claps, "The Futurist is here! He sees all! He knows what's best for you, whether your like it or not."
"Give me a break, Barton" Tony sighs, "I had no idea they'll put you here. Come on."
"Yeah, well, you knew they'd put us somewhere, Tony" Clint states.
"Yeah, but not some super-max floating ocean pokey" Tony says, "You know, this place is for maniacs. This is a place for."
"Criminals?" Clint suggests, He stands up, "Criminals, Tony. Think that's the word you're looking for" He eyes Tony through the bars, "Right? That didn't used to mean me or Sam, or Wanda. But here we are."
"Because you broke the law" Tony states.
"Yeah" Clint sighs.
"I didn't make you" Tony says.
"La, la, la, la, la" Clint taunts.
"You read it, you broke it" Tony adds.
"La, la, la, la la" Clint continues.
"Alright, you're all grown up, you got a wife and kids" Tony states, "I don't understand, why didn't you think about them before you chose the wrong side?" He walks away.
"You gotta watch your back with this guy" Clint says, "There's a chance he's gonna break it."
"Hank Pym always said, you never can trust a Stark" Scott states.
"Who are you?" Tony asks.
"Come on, man" Scott sighs.
"How's Rhodes?" Sam questions.
"They're flying him to Columbia Medical tomorrow" Tony tells him, "So fingers cross" Sam shakes his head, "What do you need? They feed you yet?"
Sam raises his eyebrows, "You're the good cop now?"
"I'm just the guy who needs to know where Steve went" Tony corrects.
"Well, you better go get a bad cop, because you're gonna have to go Mark Fuhrman on my ass to get information out of me" Sam says.
"Oh, I just knocked the A out of their AV" Tony tells him, "We got about 30 seconds before they realize it's not their equipment. Just look. Because that is the fellow who was supposed to interrogate Barnes" He shoes a holographic image of Doctor Broussard, "Clearly, I made a mistake. Sam, I was wrong."
"That's a first" Sam scoffs.
"Cap is definitely off the reservation but he's about to need all the help he can get" Tony says, "We don't know each other very well. You don't have to."
"Hey, it's alright" Tony leans closer to the window, Sam sighs and looks uneasy, "Look, I'll tell you but you have to go alone and as a friend."
"Easy" Tony shrugs,
•
Tony walks to his chopper, "Stark?" Ross calls, "Did he give you anything on Rogers?"
"Nope" Tony answers, "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 line blink" Ross stares at Tony who smiles as he gets in the chopper and the door slides shut. The chopper rises off the helipad and flies away. The doors close on the prison roof.
Sitting in the chopper Tony unclips the sling holding his left arm. He cradles his arm in his hand for a moment. He slowly reaches out the injured arm and presses a button on a panel.
The Iron Man Suit wraps itself around Tony, a hatch opens and he flies out of the chopper as Iron Man. He speeds through dark clouds. Close behind T'Challa is at the controls of a Quinjet.
•
Steve brings his Quinjet into land besides Zemo's caterpillar truck on the remote icy mountain top. The jet's wings fold up beside the fuselage.
On board Bucky pulls out rack of guns labeled Romanoff. He takes a light machine gun. Bucky and Steve stand together, waiting for the exit ramp to descend.
"You remember that time we had to ride back from Rockaway Beach in the back of that freezer truck?" Steve says.
"Was that the time we used our train money to buy hot dogs?" Bucky questions.
"You blew three bucks trying to win that stuffed bear for a redhead" Steve chuckles.
"What was her name again?" Bucky asks.
"Dolores" Steve answers, "You called her Doll."
"She's gotta be a hundred years old right now" Bucky states.
"So are we, pal" Steve smiles, He clamps his hand on Bucky's shoulder.
•
Now wearing his helmet Steve walks with Bucky up to the entrance set in rock. The door is still open, "He can't have been here more than a few hours."
"Long enough to wake them up" Bucky states.
Steve leads them into the cast bunker. They travel down into the depths inside a caged elevator. it stops in the bowls of the bunker, doors slide open.
Steve nods to Bucky and heaves up the cage door. Bucky readies his heavy duty machine gun and they walk along a corridor, keeping close to a wall. Bucky looks into an alcove full of junk then he and Steve move on up some stairs.
At the sound of a loud thud they spin around, aiming down the corridor, "You ready?"
"Yeah" Bucky replies.
Double doors part, forced open by Tony. Steve stares in surprise. Tony walks towards Steve and Bucky and retracts the suit's helmet, "You seem a little defensive."
Bucky keeps his gun up while Steve walks to meet Tony with his shield covering his body, "It's been a long day."
"At ease, Soldier" Tony says, "I'm not currently after you."
"Then why are you here?" Steve asks.
"Could be your story's not so crazy" Tony replies, "Maybe. 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 lowers his shield, "It's good to see you, Tony."
"You too, Cap" Tony smiles, he turns to Bucky, "Hey, Manchurian Candidate, you're killing me. There's a truce here. You can drop" Steve signs Bucky to lower his weapon and he does.
The three of them cautiously walk along a corridor. T'Challa in his Black Panther Suit is hiding around a corner, watching them.
With his helmet and face plate reengaged Tony leads Steve and Bucky towards the enormous chamber with the capsules standing in it, "I got heat signatures."
"How many?" Steve questions.
"Uh, one" Tony answers.
As they enter the vast chamber the lights come on. Hazy, yellow mist descends within the capsules. As well as Josef, each one contains an enhanced soldier from the 1991 experiment. Steve and the others look around, bewildered.
Zemo starts speaking on a speaker, "If it's any comfort, they died in their sleep" All of the enhanced soldiers have been shot in the head. Bucky stares at Josef's corpse, "Did you really think I wanted more of you?"
"What the hell?" Bucky mutters.
"I'm grateful to them, though" Zemo states, "They brought you here" Zemo appears in a control room. Steve hurls his shield but it flies back, "Please, Captain. The Soviets built this chamber to withstand the launch blast of UR-100 rockets."
"I'm betting I could beat that" Tony says.
"Oh, I'm sure you could, Mr. Stark" Zemo smiles, "Given time. But then you'd never know why you came."
"You killed innocent people in Vienna just to bring us here?" Steve looks at Zemo through a window.
"I thought about nothing else for over a year" Zemo states, "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. How nice to find a flaw."
"You're Sokovian" Steve states, "Is that what this is about?"
"Sokovia was a failed state long before you blew it to hell" Zemo replies, "No. I'm here because I made a promise."
Steve studies Zemo, "You lost someone?"
Zemo looks grave, clicks his tongue, "I lost everyone. And so will you" he plays surveillance footage from December 16th 1991. Steve steps over to the screen, "An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again. But one which crumples from within? That's dead forever."
Tony looks at the freeze frame of a secluded road and the date, December 16 1991. His eyes rove, anxiously, "I know that road. What is this?"
The video plays. That car that the Winter Soldier forced off the road crashes into a tree. Tony watches intently as the Winter Soldier rides up and gets off his motorbike. Steve watches Tony's increasing unease. The driver lies on the ground beside the car. It's Tony's father, Howard, "Help my wife. Please. Help" Howard begs, The Winter Soldier walks over and hoists him up by his hair. He stares at Howard's bloody face. Howard stares back pleadingly, "Sergeant Barnes?"
"Howard!" Maria yells. Tony glares at Bucky. In the video the Winter Soldier pounds Howard hard in the face with his metal fist, "Howard!"
In grief Tony closes his eyes for a moment. On screen his father slumps dead. The Winter Soldier puts him in the driver's seat with his face against the steering wheel.
Tony stares in horror. Maria's in the passenger seat with blood streaked down her face. The Winter Soldier walks around and grips her throat. Expressionless he strangles Maria.
Tony watches the screen stunned. The Winter Soldier walks up and aims a gun at the surveillance camera.
Steve watches Tony anxiously. Tony lunges towards Bucky, Steve stops him, "Tony. Tony."
Tony is consumed with grief and tears glistening in his eyes he turns and looks at Steve, "Did you know?"
"I didn't know it was him" Steve lies.
"Don't bullshit me, Rogers!" Tony yells, "Did you know?"
"Yes" Steve sighs.
Tony steps back, his chin jutting upwards twitchy. Tony reengages the Iron Man helmet. He punches Steve to the floor and deflects gunfire from Bucky, disarming him. He grabs Bucky and flies across the chamber. He slams him onto the floor, then jumps on his arms.
Steve's shield hits Tony, distracting him. Steve barges him backwards, Tony shoulders him to the floor and shackles his ankles. Bucky punches Tony who just lifts him and slams him against a machine.
Tony raises a fist but Bucky twists it. A rocket shoots out of Tony's arm, a fireball explodes. Steve slices his shackles as a towering structure of pipework collapses. Tony and Bucky are thrown down a level as twisted metal falls around them, showering sparks, "Get out of here!" Steve shouts to Bucky.
As Bucky bolts Tony fires, but misses. Steve lands in front of him. Bucky hits a control panel and the silo-styled door overhead starts to open, "It wasn't him, Tony. Hydra had control of his mind!"
"Move!" Tony demands.
"It wasn't him!" Steve argues.
Steve grabs TonyS ankle in mid air and smashes it. Tony blocks Steve by shooting down rubble, then falteringly flies up the tower. "Left boot jet failing. Flight systems compromised" Friday says.
"Ah crap" Tony mutters.
Above him Bucky leaps from platform to platform. With stuttering jets Tony gives chase, then kicks Bucky and takes aim, but the energy bold rebounds off Steve's shield onto himself. Tony drops like a stone and lands on a lower platform, "He's not going to stop. Go."
As Tony soars upwards, Steve leaps and shoots a wire which wraps around Tony's neck and drags him back down. He deflects Steve's shield, then tries to target Bucky, "Come on, come on."
"Targeting system's knackered, boss" Friday states.
"I'm eyeballing it" Tony's helmet retracts and he shuts one eye, taking aim at the opening hatch. He fires and hits the giant hinge which explodes, cutting of Bucky's escape route. He flies up, blocks two swings from an iron pipe from Bucky, then grabs him around the neck from behind, "Do you even remember them?"
"I remember all of them" Bucky states.
•