This is War

XII

"Help my wife," Howard said. "Please. Help." The Winter Soldier walked over and hoisted him up by his hair. He stared at Howard's bloody face. Howard stared back pleadingly.

"Sergeant Barnes?" Howard realized.

"Howard!" Maria called. Tony glared at Bucky. The Winter Soldier pounded Howard hard in the face with his metal fist.

"Howard!" In grief, Tony closed his eyes for a moment. His father slumped dead. The Winter Soldier put him in the driver's seat with his face against the steering wheel. Tony stared in horror. Maria was in the passenger seat with blood streaking down her face. The Winter Soldier walked around and gripped her throat. Expressionless, he strangled Maria. Tony watched the screen, stunned. The Winter Soldier walked up and aimed a gun at the surveillance camera. Steve and Michaela watched Tony anxiously. Tony lunged towards Bucky, but Steve and Michaela stopped him.

"No, Tony," Steve and Michaela called. "Tony."

Tony, consumed with grief and tears glistening in his eyes, turned and looked at Steve and Michaela before asking, "Did you two know?"

"We didn't know it was him," Steve and Michaela replied.

"Don't bullshit me, Rogers, Evans! Did you two know?"

"Yes."

Tony stepped back, his chin jutting upwards and twitchy. Tony reengaged the Iron Man helmet. He punched Steve and Michaela to the floor and deflected gunfire from Bucky and Michaela, disarming them. He grabbed Bucky who flew across the chamber. He slammed him onto the floor, then jumped on his arms. Steve's shield hit Iron Man, distracting him. Steve barged him backwards. Iron Man shouldered him to the floor and shackled his ankles. Bucky and Michaela punched Iron Man who just lifted them and slammed them against a machine. Iron Man raised a fist, but Bucky twisted it. A rocket shot out of Iron Man's arm and a fireball exploded. Steve sliced his shackles as a towering structure of pipework collapsed. Tony, Michaela and Bucky were thrown down a level as twisted metal fell around them, showering sparks. Bucky dove to cover Michaela, protecting her.

Steve said to Bucky, "Get out of here! Get Mick out of here!" As Bucky and Michaela bolted, Iron Man fired, but missed. Steve landed in front of him. Bucky hit a control panel and the silo-styled door overhead started to open. Steve continued. "It wasn't him, Tony. HYDRA had control of his mind!"

"Move!" Tony ordered.

"It wasn't him!" Steve and Michaela yelled before Steve grabbed Iron Man's ankle in mid-air and smashed it. Iron Man blocked Steve by shooting down rubble, then falteringly flew up the tower.

F.R.I.D.A.Y. said, "Left boot jet failing. Flight systems compromised."

"Ah crap," Tony muttered.

Above him, Bucky and Michaela leapt from platform to platform. With stuttering jets, Iron Man gave chase, then kicked Bucky and took aim, but the energy bold rebounded off Steve's shield onto himself. Iron Man dropped like a stone and landed on a lower platform.

"He's not going to stop," Steve told his friends. "Go."

As Iron Man soared upwards, Steve leapt and shot a wire which wrapped around Iron Man's neck and dragged him back down. He deflected Steve's shield, then tried to target Bucky.

"Come on, come on," Tony said.

F.R.I.D.A.Y. informed, "Targeting system's knackered, Boss."

"I'm eyeballing it." His helmet retracted and he shut one eye, taking aim at the opening hatch. He fired and hit the giant hinge which exploded, cutting of Bucky and Michaela's escape route. Bucky and Michaela fell, the former holding Michaela to shield her fall. Iron Man flew up, blocked two swings from an iron pipe from Bucky, then grabbed him around the neck from behind. "Do you even remember them?"