SIBERIA
Once they arrived at the abandoned facility they all cautiously stepped out. The three super soldiers kept their heads on a swivel to make sure they were neither followed, or being walked into a trap.
"He can't have been here more than a few hours." Cassie said as she looked around and noticed the open door.
"That's long enough to wake them up." Bucky said as Steve took cautious steps towards the door.
The three walked in with Steve leading the two and Cassie following shortly behind. While Bucky stayed back with his gun up in front of him watching their backs. They came upon an elevator and as they rode down Cassie brought her gun that was located on her thigh holster up to her hand.
Once the elevator came to a stop Cassie looked around and sent a nod to the two standing across from her. Steve lifted up the metal gate and the three stepped out the elevator. Bucky was first to exit, keeping his gun up in front of him. He was shortly followed by Cassie as she also carried her gun in front of her ready to defend herself if needed.
They made their way deeper into the facility when suddenly a loud thud was heard behind them. The three came to a stop on a small set of stairs and quickly turned to look back. Steve brought his shield up in a protective form.
"Ready?" Bucky asked, looking down at Cassie as they both got ready to fire at whatever came out the creaking door in front of them.
"Always am." Cassie simply said as she kept her gun in front of her.
Yet she quickly brought her gun down when she saw Tony in his suit slid the door open. He took a couple steps towards the three before removing his mask revealing his bruised right eye.
"You seem a little defensive." Tony said as he saw how Steve kept his shield up between them and Tony.
"It's been a long day." Steve simply said as he took a couple steps forward.
"At ease, Soldier. I'm not currently after you." Tony said as he saw how Bucky kept his gun aimed at him behind Cassie.
"Then why are you here?" Cassie asked from her position on the small staircase.
"Could be your story's not so crazy. Maybe." Tony said taking a couple more steps forward. "Ross has no idea I'm here. I'd like to keep it that way. Otherwise, I gotta arrest myself." He added as he walked over and leaned against the wall.
"Well, that sounds like a lot of paperwork." Cassie said with a small sigh.
Tony simply scoffed with a small chuckle at the woman's comment. He then turned to Steve who had brought his shield down from in front of him.
"It's good to see you, Tony." Steve said, getting Cassie to roll her eyes.
"Wish I could say the same." She simply mumbled, getting everyone to look at her.
"Why are you so angry with me?" Tony asked, getting her to shake her head.
"How about you let me tranquilize you. Let me have you feeling the same way I felt, feeling like your strength is being stripped away from you. Have a throbbing headache and feel like you're burning up and growing dehydrated. Because that's how I felt when they tranquilized me at your orders, because and I quote you didn't trust me." Cassie said, getting Tony to look down.
"You're right, and I'm sorry." Tony said with a small nod.
"Eh, we won't be completely good until I actually tranquilize you." Cassie said with a small smile before Tony looked up at Bucky who was still aiming at him.
"Hey, Manchurian Candidate, you're killing me. There's a truce here. You can drop..." Tony said getting everyone to turn to Bucky.
Cassie simply nodded and extended her hand out, getting Bucky to lower his weapon.
The four then made their way through the abandoned facility and still had yet to notice anybody's presence. They saw the damage that had been made from before the super soldiers were put to sleep. From the shadows, T'Challa was following their every move. He still believed that Bucky was responsible for his father's death, and he was seeking vengeance.
"I got heat signatures." Tony said as he walked into a room being followed by Bucky and Cassie right beside each other with their weapons up.
"How many?" Steve asked from his position behind the two.
"Uh, one." Tony said as they entered a huge room. A room that soon had lit up revealing five chambers.
"If it's any comfort, they died in their sleep." Zemo's voice could be heard through the speakers.
The four looked around the room and simply saw how each chamber had a dead super soldier inside.
"Did you really think I wanted more of you?" Zemo's voice continued as the four made their way through the room.
"What the hell?" Bucky simply mumbled as Cassie was looking over at the female soldier that had a bullet plastered into her forehead.
"I'm grateful to them, though. They brought you here." He added as the four came to stand in the center.
Soon a chamber came into view with Zemo inside. Steve quickly tossed his shield at it but it bounced back with no harm being made to it.
"Please, Captain. The Soviets built this chamber to withstand the launch blast of UR-100 rockets." Zemo said through the speakers once again.
"I'm betting I could beat that." Tony said as the four cautiously made their way closer to the chamber.
"Oh I'm sure you could, Mr. Stark. Given time. But then you'd never know why you came." Zemo said, getting Cassie to roll her eyes.
"You killed innocent people in Vienna just to bring us here? So speak, what do you want?" Cassie said starting to run out of patience as she came to stand face to face with Zemo.
"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 glimmer in the hazel of your eyes." Zemo said in a mocking way followed by a chuckle.
"You're Sokovian." Cassie said, noticing the accent the man carried. An accent that was similar to that of her friend, Wanda's. "Is that what this is about?" She asked furrowing her eyebrows.
"Sokovia was a failed state long before you blew it to hell. No." Zemo said, keeping his eyes on the brunette standing in front of him. "I'm here because I made a promise." He added getting Cassie to nod slowly.
"You lost someone?" Cassie asked the guy sitting inside the chamber who simply clicked his tongue.
"I lost everyone just like you." Zemo said, getting Cassie to furrow her eyebrows.
She saw how he turned to the side and clicked something on a keyboard. Quickly the computer next to her flicked on. Cassie turned to look at the screen and read December 16, 1991. As soon as she saw the date she looked up at Tony who quickly came to stand near her as well as Steve.
"An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again. But one which crumbles from within? That's dead. Forever." Zemo said as the brunette saw what seemed to be security footage overlooking a road. A road that she saw in her vision.
"I know that road." Cassie quickly said as her eyes remained on the screen.
At the realization of what was about to be shown Steve tried to pull Cassie softly away from the screen. But she refused and removed herself from his grip. Steve sent Bucky a look and the Winter Soldier simply looked down at the realization of what was about to happen.
"What is this?" Tony quickly asked as he looked over at Zemo.
Zemo didn't answer and soon a car could be seen crashing in the frame. A motorbike with a man on it could be seen. Cassie felt like her heart started beating rapidly as she witnessed once again the accident that changed her entire life.
She saw the bike circle back and come to a stop right beside the wrecked car. Steve turned to look at Cassie who simply had her eyes on the screen in front of her with her chest elevating up and down. She saw how Howard had managed to get out not long before she saw the Winter Soldier get a grip of him and punch him to death with his strength.
At the realization of what was happening and as she heard herself, her mother, and Maria, plead for help through the screen both Tony and Cassie looked up to get a look at Bucky.
Cassie looked back down at the screen and saw how the Winter Soldier took out his weapon and aimed it at the three located in the back. She saw how a bullet penetrated into her shoulder. Another bullet went straight into her father's head. While the other penetrated her mother's abdomen. He then circled around and choked Maria Stark to death.
Cassie had tears blurring her vision as she saw clearly what happened to her. Soon her mind felt like it was playing tricks with her but in reality it was just all of her memories coming back to her like a flood. She saw the cold look on the Winter Soldiers face when he shot at the security camera.
"Cassie." Steve said, placing his hand on her shoulder.
"Did you know?" She simply asked, looking over at Steve.
Steve kept quiet and simply looked at her furious figure. Her eyes were spilling tears, while her forehead frowned showing her anger. Her fists were balled up ready to crash against something. She was hurting and he felt guilty because, yes, he did know.
"She asked a question. Did you know?" Tony asked as he stood beside Cassie.
"I didn't know it was him." Steve said, getting Cassie to shake her head.
"Don't bullshit me, Steve." Cassie said, removing his hand off her shoulder.
"Did you know?" Tony then asked in anger.
"Yes." Steve said after a moment of silence and Cassie simply felt her heart crumble to pieces.
She took steps back from himself and Tony. She was about to walk away when Steve simply spoke up.
"Look he wasn't himself. He didn't have a choice." Steve said, quoting what the girl had said earlier on the jet.
"Yeah, but he still did it." Cassie then said quoting what Bucky had said.
Tony didn't say anything, instead he charged at Steve. Bucky was about to interfere when suddenly Cassie felt a sense of rage consume her. She sent her balled up fist towards Bucky, sending him down to the ground.
Cassie got on top of him and sent punch after punch his way. All while Tony fought Steve.
"You took everything from me!" Cassie screamed as she was driven by complete rage. "YOU!" She said as she sent a strong punch towards him.
Yet she was quickly taken off of him when Steve sent her shield flying her way. Tony then started fighting Bucky as Cassie charged towards Steve.
Steve brought his shield up to defend himself from the kick Cassie was about to send his way. But Cassie used this to her advantage and sent Steve flying into the wall behind him. She then ran back and once again started fighting Bucky.
"FIGHT BACK!" Cassie said starting to grow angry at how Bucky was just letting her beat on him.
"I won't hurt you, Marie." Bucky said only making Cassie 10x more angry.
"Do you even remember them?!" Cassie said as she pinned Bucky to a wall and sent a punch his way once again. "Because I do!" She said as rage completely consumed her.
Punch after punch was memory after memory. She felt blinded but her seek for vengeance wanted Bucky dead. She wanted him to suffer the same way she had suffered the past years.
Soon the building around them started collapsing. But Cassie had managed to make her way through. She was about to chase behind Bucky before Steve stood in front of her.
"Cassie, please don't do this." Steve said, bringing his hand up to try and caress the woman's face.
"Get out of my way." Cassie simply said as she flicked his hand away and flipped him over with her legs sending him down to the floor.
Cassie then followed behind Bucky and managed to catch up to him. They climbed up the tower that was designed for jets to fly in and out of. She clipped his foot, sending him down to the floor. Seeing him beneath her she quickly started punching him again slowly but surely weakening him. She then pulled her gun out and aimed it at him.
"You once said I was just like my father." Cassie said, aiming her gun down at a weak Bucky. "But you're wrong, because I'm just like my mother." She said as she pulled the trigger but as she did so Steve's shield got in the way.
Before she knew it she was pushed away from the soldier and went tumbling down to the bottom layer. She groaned loudly as she saw Steve, Bucky, and Tony land right beside her. Cassie got up and looked over at Bucky whose face was completely bruised and who looked completely weak. Cassie herself was growing weak but she didn't surrender. She was about to charge over at Bucky once again but Steve quickly got up and stood between the two.
"Cassie, stop this won't change a thing." Steve said, getting Cassie to shake her head.
"I don't care. He killed my family." Cassie said as she simply pushed him out of the way and went over to a weak Bucky.
"Ms. Thompson." A new voice said as it came to stand between her and Bucky.
Prince T'Challa removed his mask and had his hand up to try and stop the girl.
"Don't let vengeance consume you." He said, knocking some senses into the angry girl.
"He killed my papa." Cassie said as her teary eyes looked straight at T'Challa. "He killed my mama." She said, sounding like her younger self pleading for her parents to come home.
"Do this for them, walk away. Don't let the rage drive you to do something you'll regret doing in the future." T'Challa said as Tony stood up and charged over at Steve who stood in his way between him and Bucky.
Cassie looked down at a weak Bucky before closing her eyes and releasing the balled up fists she had. She suddenly felt her legs grow weak yet before she could reach the floor T'Challa pulled her into a tight hug.
"Come with me. We can offer you protection. We can help you." The Prince said and a sobbing Cassie simply pulled away and looked over at Steve who was fighting Tony.
She felt a huge sting in her heart knowing he knew and didn't tell her. She then looked over at a weak Bucky before looking back over at T'Challa.
"Help me, I don't want to become the Devil from my nightmares." Cassie said with a nod as she looked down at her shaky hands.
The two simply walked away from the fight. Cassie couldn't get the image of her parents' death out of her face. Every time she closed her eyes it would come to her. As well as any other memory she didn't have.