The Man My Father Always Talked About • A CAPTAIN AMERICA STORY

38

~38~

     The helicopter landed on a snowy cliff an hour or two after take off. Clara held onto her leather jacket tightly as her and her brother in an Iron Man suit walked through the deserted bunker. "You really think they're going to trust you after what just happened?" Clara asked.

"Not really," Tony answered. "That's why you're here." Clara shook her head softly. The two came upon a steel door where Clara tried to hack the system to open it. It failed and she hit the wall in frustration. "Chill out sis. What are big brothers for?" He said, and she could imagine him smirking under his helmet. Tony used his suit's strength to open the door. The first thing Clara could see as she peered over Tony's metal shoulder was Steve standing with his shield over his chest and Bucky kneeling with his gun pointed at them. Steve stared at Tony as he slowly made his way into the room with Clara close behind. They walked towards Steve and Bucky, Tony retracting the suit's helmet to say the first words.

"You seem a little defensive." Tony said. Bucky kept his gun up while Steve walked toward to two.

"It's been a long day." Steve said, still holding his shield up for defense.

"At ease, Soldier. I'm not currently after you." Tony said, putting his hands out to show he came in peace.

"Then why are you here?" Steve asked.

"Could be your story's not so crazy. Maybe. Ross has no idea we're here. I'd like to keep it that way. Otherwise, I gotta arrest myself," Tony explained.

"Well, that sounds like a lot of paperwork." Steve lowered his shield and looked between the two siblings. Tony and Bucky continued to have a staring contest as Steve approached Clara. "Were you caught?" He asked, looking down in fear of her answer.

"Tony worked out a deal with T'Challa. I have no idea what it's about, but as of now, no." Clara replied. Steve let out a breath he had been holding.

"What you did," he started, but Clara stopped him.

"Was stupid and dangerous," she finished. "But I'd do it again." Steve met her gaze, starring into her brown eyes as if he hadn't seen them in years. She stared back, drowning in his ocean blue eyes. It was until the sarcastic voice of her brother that they turned to him.

"Hey, Manchurian Candidate, you're killing me. There's a truce here. You can drop... " Tony started, and Steve motioned his hand for Bucky to drop his weapon. Steve and Clara walked side by side, sharing glances at each other as they walked down the halls. Tony lead the three others into a large chamber with five large capsules in the center of the room.
"I got heat signatures." Tony said, breaking the tense silence.

"How many?" Clara asked, furrowing her eyebrow as she placed her hand over her iron glove in case she had to activate it.

"Uh," Tony hesitated as if he was wrong. "One." As they entered the further into, the lights suddenly turned on, making the four of them look around to see who was there.

Clara's eye winded as she examined the contents of the capsules. "They're dead," Clara said only loud enough for Bucky, who was standing behind her, to hear. She gasped softly as she saw the bullet holes in all of the soldiers heads. She glanced at Bucky, who looked at the others with guilt. "Did you know them?" She asked. Before he could answer, the crackling of an intercom interrupted them.

"If it's any comfort, they died in their sleep." The voice was familiar to Clara, having heard it seconds before he caused Bucky to become the brainwashed Winter Solider. Everyone inched closer to each other as they stared through the door Zemo stood behind. "Did you really think I wanted more of you?"

"What the hell?" Bucky mumbled.

"I'm grateful to them, though. They brought you here." Steve hurled his shield at the door, but it bounced off the walls before returning to 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 said, his cockiness showing.

"Oh, I'm sure you could, Mr. Stark. Given time. But then you'd never know why you came." Zemo teased the Avengers with the knowledge that they needed.

"You killed innocent people in Vienna, framed an innocent man." Clara started bluntly.

"All for what?" Steve added. "To bring us here?"

"I thought about nothing else for over a year." Zemo answered truthfully. "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." Clara saw Steve clench his jaw as the Zemo explained his past.

"You're Sokovian," Steve stated. "Is that what this is about?"

"Sokovia was a failed state long before you blew it to hell. No. I'm here because I made a promise." Zemo answered, still staring at the four of them.

"You lost someone?" Clara asked, her voice gentle as she remembered the blond speedster she lost on Sokovia. The Avengers destroyed and innocent town to take down the villain they created.

"I lost everyone," Zemo said coldly. His shoulders relaxed and he was less tense when he uttered, "and so will you. An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again. But one which crumples from within?" Clara's eyes widened as the man spoke, knowing something bad was bound to happen. Something would draw the Avengers further apart. "That's dead...forever."