Sam, Natasha, Steve, and Bucky were sitting at the dining table for breakfast waiting for Leah to appear. Unfortunately for them Marc was the first one to appear and shirtless may one add. "Mr. Spector I believe Ms. Azure will not appreciate your lack of clothing," a butler chastises.
"Oh come on just because they're here," Marc complains.
"Just him alone Alfonso," Leah states as she walks in. "Keep chastising him and I'll never hear the end of it." She was wearing silk lilac pajamas and a matching silk robe. "Although you could be courteous to my guest," she argues with Marc. He shrugs his shoulders in return.
"You've never complained before," he argues.
"That's because I only have to deal with you most of the time," she retorts. "Now play nice, I have to go meet up with Murdock before the trial. Oh and everything you need is on my office desk. Word of advice next time ask Konshu to make sure you have all the pieces of the puzzle."
"You know you've been a bit of a bitch lately."
"Blame the lack of coffee." She turns to the four heroes. "Please don't let this troll get to you he's mostly all bark and no bite." Marc glares at her for her comment. "Like I said all bark. I'll see you all the trial everything here is available to you. Cars are in the garage just ask the staff for directions. Keys will be in a draw right next to the door." She then rushes out in order to meet up with Matt on time.
"Well she seems like a woman on a mission," Sam jokes.
"You get used to it," Marc adds. "I've never seen her not working on something. Don't get alarmed if you don't see her around. She's usually staying in one of her other places or working on a story."
"Sounds like a busy woman," Natasha observes. Marc shrugs in reply.
"That's just how she is." Nothing was said for the rest of breakfast. Marc left right after finishing breakfast. The four heroes left after getting ready for the trial.
Leah arrived at a coffee shop right by the courthouse. "You're late," Matt teases her.
"Yeah well I hate wearing suits. Makes me feel like a snob," her nose scrunches as she says this.
He lets out a small chuckle. "I'm sure you look fine." She lets out a little scoff. "So you're testifying today."
"Yay me," she says sarcastically. "Don't know why they still want to call me up. They have no evidence I even wrote the article. My best guess is they will try to get Zemo to admit that I'm the High Priestess."
"Will he?"
"To be frank no, Zemo will lie by omission. The name I gave him was Mai Ytinrete, so he would be lying that the High Priestess isn't Mikaela Azure."
"It's shaky at best but it may just work. Anything else should I know?"
"Leah Azure was wanted by the government," she admits. This catches his attention. "She worked on the super soldier serum and there were those with that knowledge. So when the government was after her she went into hiding. The way she did it was to live under an alias and all records about her were erased. The one who helped her do that was Howard Stark." Slight shock appeared on his face.
"If you admit that Howard Stark hid someone from the government the public might turn on Tony. Calling him a hypocrite for judging Rogers for doing basically the same thing his father did."
"Which is why I'm telling you this now. Leah is the only person that Bucky remembers in all his years in Hydra. What kind of questions would they ask if they dig up the fact she disappeared in the 1950's. I hear the ideas run through people's heads."
"I'll take care of it. But you have to be honest about one thing."
"Haven't I been?"
"No you have but this is a little bit different. Why was Leah so adamant on staying hidden from the world? What was she scared of?"
"She was the last person who knew the formula to the super soldier serum," she admits.
The trial started once the judge entered the courtroom. "Is the prosecution ready to call upon their first witness?" the judge asks.
"Yes your honor," Mr. Whister states.
"Proceed."
"The prosecution calls Helmut Zemo to the stand." The whole courtroom went quiet. All heads turn as the bailiffs escort him into the courtroom. Zemo didn't let it bother him. He takes his seat at the witness stand and the bailiff swore him in. "Mr. Zemo I don't expect that you will be here today."
"You wouldn't be wrong," Zemo admits. "But it wasn't an unseen situation as the articles had come out." A light smirk appeared on Leah's face. She knew that he was being cheeky on purpose.
"Yes, well I believe it's no surprise to anyone here that you bombed the meeting of the Sokovia Accords."
"I admit that I did that."
"And you used Sgt. Barnes to do so."
"That is correct."
"Your honor, this is not any new information," Matt interrupted. "I don't get why Mr. Whister is stone-walling."
"Get to the point, Mr. Whister," the judge informs."
"Why did you pick Sgt. Barnes to frame?"
"Sgt. Barnes was the Winter soldier," Zemo states as a matter of fact. "With his connections to Captain Rogers and the deaths of Mr. Stark's parents it was an easy option." Bucky slightly tenses at his comment.
"And you were the one to reveal that Sgt. Barnes killed Howard and Maria Stark in cold blood?"
"Objection!" Matt objects.
"Overruled but tread lightly Mr. Whister," the judge warns. "The witness may answer."
"Yes I was the one who revealed to Tony Stark how his parents were murdered."
"A fact that Captain Rogers failed to inform Mr. Stark."
"Yes he did admit that he knew the information beforehand."
"Thank you, no further questions." Whister goes back to take his seat.
"Redirect your honor?" Matt asks. The judge gives his confirmation. "Mr. Zemo why did you bomb the United Nations?"
"I wanted someone to pay for the death of my wife and child," Zemo admits. "The destruction of my home."
"But my client had nothing that, isn't that right?"
"That is correct."
"In fact it was a rogue A.I. robot that was created by Tony Stark. Correct me if I'm wrong."
"Objection," Whister tries.
"Overruled the witness will answer the question."
"Yes, Mr. Stark was the one that created the A.I. known as Ultron that led to the destruction of Sokovia."
"So you decided to make the Avengers destroy themselves. And the way you did it was to turn the two man faces against each other. Actually you went beyond that you sought out a man who had nothing to do with Sokovia as your main tool to destroy them."
"Yes I did," Zemo admits no problem. "Sgt. Barnes fit in too perfectly in the scenario. Don't get me wrong I have nothing against Sgt. Barnes. I even have some respect for him." Leah, Matt, and Bucky tried to read between the lines. The only thing is that Zemo is a highly intelligent man which makes his actions confusing. One will have to look at the picture from all the bread crumbs he leaves to understand everything.
"Why do you say that?"
"Not a lot of men can bounce back per say after their imprisonment. It was never personal as he was just a means to an end. If there was any other way I would have taken it. However, using the Winter Soldier was too good of an opportunity to pass up."
"No further questions," Matt closes.
"The witness can step down and the prosecution can call upon their next witness," the judge instructs.
"The prosecution calls upon Mikaela Azure to the stand." She stands up and as she makes her way to the stand Zemo whispers something to her.
"The way you may be able to save him is to admit the last thing you'll admit to yourself," he whispers. She understood what he was getting out but now wasn't the time. Leah died years ago Aleana took her place and then Mikaela. Some figures need to stay dead for now. She takes her seat with a blank look on her face.
"Ms. Azure can you explain what your occupation is?" Mr. Whister asks her.
"I'm an investigative reporter. I run my own news site but I'm also a free agent for other news agencies."
"Yes the one that works closely with the High Priestess if I'm not mistaken."
"Yes she is also one of the reporters on the site."
"The exact reporter that wrote the article that brought this whole case in question."
"Objection, the prosecution is making speculation on something that has nothing to do with the witness," Matt argues.
"That article has everything to do with the trial," Whister argues. "The trial would not have happened if it wasn't for that article."
"You have no proof that it wouldn't have happened." The judge bangs his gavel not amused.
"Move on Mr. Whister and tread carefully mind you," the judge warns.
"Ms. Azure are you related to a war nurse named Leah Azure?"
"Yes."
"May I ask how?"
"She's my grandmother."
"Is she now. Do you have any knowledge if she knew Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes?"
"Objection, relevance?" Matt argues.
"I'm getting to that."
"I'll humour it for now, but you are on thin ice Mr. Whister," the judge states firmly. "The witness may answer."
"She met Cpt. Rogers at a Stark Expo. As for how she met Sgt. Barnes I believe she was his nurse when Cpt. Rogers returned with him and other soldiers from a Hydra base."
"So she didn't know them that well or...?"
"She only met Sgt. Barnes once and as for Cpt. Rogers, it was brief moments while she worked under Dr. Erskine and Howard Stark. I don't understand what you are trying to imply."
"Do you know why she was wanted by the government?" Her eyes widened for a brief moment. "Well?"
"S.H.I.E.L.D had hired Argon Zola, she didn't agree with it. Zola lied and said she was a former Hydra operative. Why they believed him I don't know."
"If she wasn't a former Hydra agent why did she run? Why would a person run if they were innocent."
"She was protecting someone."
"Who? Who was she protecting? Who was worth it that much she would risk her innocence to protect." Letting out an angered sigh before peering over the crowd.
"Captain Roger," she admits. Murmurs go through the crowd. Bucky turns to Steve equally confused.
"What does she mean she was trying to protect you?" Natasha asks him.
"I don't know," he admits.
"And how was she protecting him?" Whister questions her with slight mockery. "She disappeared and Cpt. Rogers was already declared dead."
"Being a nurse was a front. A front created by Dr. Erskine and Howard Stark, to allow her to work on the super soldier serum in secret. She was the only person alive who could recreate it. Thing is she didn't believe anyone but Steve Rogers deserved to be Captain America. She was protecting the idea of him. And she wasn't going to allow anyone to tarnish the name Captain America. So yes she ran but she ran so no one would get power they didn't deserve." No one expected her to admit that. No one knew that there was one other person who had the secret of creating super soldiers. Especially one that everyone knew as just a nurse.
"No further questions." Whister had no idea what to ask next. He was completely taken off guard by what she just admitted.
"Redirect your honor?" Matt ask.
"Go ahead I'm interested to see where this was going," the judge admits.
"Ms. Azure you just admitted to why your grandmother went into hiding."
"Yes," she replies.
"That mustn't be easy as all her records were erased. People practically forgot that she existed. Was she the one to erase them?"
"No, someone else did. She didn't know until after the deed was done."
"And who was that person?"
"That person was Howard Stark." Tony, who was in the crowd, was taken aback by this revelation. He couldn't recall his father ever talking about Leah Azure. Was she the cryptic friend his father would bring up every once in a blue moon.
"Objection, she has no proof of this," Whister objects. She pulls out a mail envelope out of her pocket.
"I have the last letter Howard Stark sent to Leah Azure." Holding it up for all the courtroom to see. "This is your proof." She hands the letter to Matt knowing Foggy would help learn the context of the letter.
"May I continue your honor?" Matt asks the judge.
"Proceed."
"Why did Howard Stark help Leah hide from the government?"
"They were friends and he didn't believe in the reasons that made her wanted.She was going to leave and basically disappear. Howard offered her his help to disappear so he erased any trace of her and hid her from the world. The only ones who knew where she was were Howards Stark and Peggy Carter. She didn't disappear out of fear or guilt. It was to protect the legacy of someone she truly believed in."
"No further questions."
"The witness may step down," the judge instructs. She steps down with a solemn look on her face. She couldn't imagine what was going through the men's minds. Bucky probably trusts her even less as she knew much more than she was telling. Steve probably feels guilty that one of friends had such faith in him leading her to hide to protect the idea of him as a hero. Tony was conflicted as he learned one of his father's secrets. Leah no longer knew who or exactly what she was saving. Bucky from being treated as a villain rather than a victim. Steve from the knowledge that he would have been "the only one capable of becoming" Captain America. Tony from him doing something it might ultimately regret.
Sometimes the truth hurts; however, sometimes it's a necessary evil of the one who speaks it.