Memory

Chapter 16

BUCKY'S POV

We arrived in Siberia and the snowfall was a whirlwind. Steve lowered the door, I grabbed my gun and we were ready to head out.

"You remember that time we had to ride back from Rockaway Beach in the back of that freezer truck?" Steve asked me.

"Was that the time we used our train money...to buy hot dogs?" I smiled.

"You blew thee bucks trying to win that stuffed bear for a redhead." Steve told me.

"What was her name again?"
"Dolores...you called her Dot."

"She's gotta be 100 years old by now." I laughed.

"So are we, pal." Steve said, putting a hand on my shoulder. I looked out onto the freezing tundra and took a deep breath.

"You ready for this?" Steve asked.

"I gotta make it back for her, dude. I have to." I said.

"I know, Buck." Steve said. I still had no inclination if Y/N was alright, but I had to push that away for the time being, to stay focused. We walked out and we saw the entrance door was already wide open. He was here.

"He can't have been here for more than a few hours." Steve said, before we walked in.

"Long enough to wake them up." I told him. I didn't know what to expect, I just know that that doctor had everything he needed to wake up the army of super soldiers. We walked in and took the elevator down to the basement, where I know I was kept. Steve kept assuring me that it was going to be okay, but only I really knew what we were up against. We left the elevator, gun and shield up for defense. It seemed too quiet down here. We kept walking slow, keeping pace and then we heard a metal door try to open behind us. We whipped around, ready to defend ourselves.

"Ready?" Steve asked.

"Yeah." I replied. The doors were then forced open and we saw Tony in his full iron man get-up. Steve slowly walked back down the stairs.

"You seem a little defensive." Tony said.

"It's been a long day." Steve responded.

"At ease, soldier I'm not currently after you." Tony called out to me, who still had their gun up and ready.

"Then why are you here?" Steve asked.

"Give you some updates on your team after you left them...and..Maybe your story isn't so crazy...Ross has no idea I'm here, I'd like to keep it that way. Otherwise I'd have to arrest myself.." Tony said. Steve finally put his shield down.

"It's good to see you Tony." Steve stated.

"You too, Cap." He replied. Tony looked back up at me and scoffed.

"Manchurian candidate you're killing me can you put the gun down, this is a truce here." He said.

"I can't do that." I said, in a low tone.

"Why? Because you think I killed your girlfriend? Fortunately for you, I didn't. She hit her head a little bit, got some cuts and scrapes but she's fine. I'm fine too, by the way, that girl almost melted my suit." Tony said.

"She's one of us, Tony." Steve said.

"Yeah I kinda figured when I blasted her 40 feet back and even her baby was fine. Great, we have another super person who just won't die." Tony said.

"They are both okay?" I asked.

"God, am I talking to a wall? Yes, they are both fine. Everyone is safe at the raft prison."

"Prison?" Steve asked.

"It was the best I could do, okay?" Tony said. Steve looked at me and I lowered my gun. We continued on with Tony to find the doctor and the soldiers. We turned the corner to a huge vacant room.

"I've got heat signatures." Tony told us.

"How many?" Steve asked.

"Uh....one." Tony said. Suddenly, all the lights turned on. We still didn't see anyone, but we heard him.

"If it's any comfort, they died in their sleep." He said. We walked around and we saw the other super soldiers, dead, in these glass cases, as if on display.

"Did you really think I wanted more of you?" He added.

"What the hell..." I whispered. I was a mix of emotions but mainly I was just confused.

"I'm grateful for them though....they brought you here." He said. We then saw a light turn on in a small window and we saw him. Doctor Zemo. Steve instinctively threw his shield as the window, but it just bounced back at him.

"Please Captain, the soviets built this chamber to withstand a blast of 100 rockets."

"I bet I could be that." Tony told him.

"I'm sure you could Mister Stark, given time. But then you'd never know why you came." He said.

"You killed innocent people in Vienna just to bring us here?" Steve asked him, walking right up to the window to face him.

"There's a bit of green in the blue of your eyes.... How nice to finally find a flaw." Zemo said.

"You're Sokovian...is that what this is about?" Steve asked him.

"Sokovia was a failed state long before you blew it to hell, no. I'm here because I made a promise." He said

"You lost someone."

"I lost everyone...and so will you." He replied. Suddenly, he flipped a switch and a computer screen turned on.
"An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again....but one which crumbles from within? That's dead. Forever." He said. Tony and Steve walked over to the screen which read "16 DECEMBER 1991."

"I know that road....What is this?" Tony asked, but Zemo didn't reply. I knew what it was. I remembered. I watched them both as they took it in. I could hear the screaming...the groans of pain...it was all coming back like I was living it all over again. Tony kept looking back over at me once he figured it out. Another cursed thing about being brainwashed is...when you come undone at the end of the day...you know you couldn't possibly ever do something so horrific....but you still have the knowledge that you did it. Those nightmarish memories will haunt you forever. The tears started to gather in my eyes and then Tony tried to lunge at me.

"Tony..." Steve warned.

"Did you know?" Tony asked him.

"I didn't know it was him-"

"Don't bullshit me, Rogers! Did you know?" Tony asked again.

"...yes." Steve admitted. Tony looked back at me and I could tell he was furious.

"I should have killed her." He said, looking right into my eyes. He was talking about Y/N. He suddenly knocked Steve to the ground, and then came after me.