White | B. BARNES

Chapter 34

📍 Siberia, Russia | June 2016

With his helmet and faceplate reengaged, Iron Man leads Steve and Bucky towards the enormous chamber with the capsules standing in it, "I got heat signatures."

"How many?" Steve asked.

"Uh, one."

As they enter the vast chamber, the lights turned on. The capsule that contains the other super soldiers from the 1991 experiment was filled with yellow mist.

Steve and the others look around, bewildered.

"If it's any comfort, they died in their sleep," a man spoke through a speaker.

All of the soldiers had a bullet on their heads while Bucky stared at Josef's corpse.

"Did you really think I wanted more of you?"

"What the hell?" Bucky was confused.

"I'm grateful to them, though. They brought you here," then the man named Zemo appeared in a control room. Steve wielded his shield, which flew back. "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.

"Oh, I'm sure you could, Mr. Stark. Given time. But then you'd never know why you came," Zemo replied.

"You killed innocent people in Vienna just to bring us here?" Steve asked as T'Challa watched from the shadows.

Steve looked at Zemo through a window.

"I thought about nothing else for over a year. I studied you. I followed you. But now that you're standing here, I just realized..." Zemo said, "There's a bit of green in the blue of your eyes. How nice to find a flaw."

"You're Sokovian. 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 Steve.

Steve studied him, "You lost someone?"

Zemo clicked his tongue, "I lost everyone. And so will you." He played surveillance footage dated from December 16th, 1991. Steve stepped over to the screen. "An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again. But one which crumbles from within? That's dead... forever."

Tony looked at the freeze-frame of a secluded road and the date, December 16, 1991. He grew anxious, "I know that road. What is this?"

The video played. Tony watched the car of his parents drove off the road with his father on the ground gasping for help, "Help my wife. Please. Help."

The Winter Soldier walked over and Tony's father up by his hair.

"Sergeant Barnes?"

"Howard!" A woman's voice was heard.

Tony glared at Bucky as the video continued, showing how the Winter Soldier killed his father.

Tony closed his eyes for a moment in hurt before watching the Winter Soldier strangled his mother with no emotions. Tony watched the screen, stunned as the soldier walked up and aimed a gun at the camera.

Steve watched Tony in weary before he stopped him from lunging towards Bucky, "Tony. Tony."

Tony turned to Steve with his eyes glistening, "Did you know?"

"I didn't know it was him," he replied.

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

"Yes," Steve admitted.