Fall of the Mighty ★ [4] ✔

Vindication

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ACT 2

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⏳ 2016

Thunder boomed outside as we flew over dark marsh and farmlands, the snow-capped mountains of Siberia looming ahead. Mist and rainclouds shrouded the skies, leaving only ominous greyness.

The silence was as thick as Vibranium. It was almost intimidating. But there was nothing to say, we both knew that. What happened back there? It didn't need to happen. The look of Andi's agonizing and enraged expression flashed before my eyes every time I blinked, haunting me and my decision. She'd made one too. She'd decided to side with Stark. I didn't blame her for it. I could never blame her for it.

"What's gonna happen to your friends?"

I didn't turn to look at Bucky when he asked a question I didn't want to answer. Their fate wasn't going to be a happy one. They would be locked up with the key thrown away. And I didn't want to begin to think about how Ross would deal with Andi. That is, if they could.

I thought about my reply carefully, cherry-picking my words with caution before I sighed. "Whatever it is..." I bit my lip to bite back any emotions. "I'll deal with it." I didn't know how I would, but I'd find a way.

Silence took us again until Bucky said, "I don't know if I'm worth all this, Steve."

I forced my expression into an unreadable one, but failed as I sent him a sympathetic glance. He was worth it. He was my best friend. I would've been so utterly lost without him back when...

"What you did all those years," I began, "it wasn't you. You didn't have a choice."

"I know." I looked at me, his look so bland and matter-of-fact. "But I did it." His expression crumbled into a haunted one, and he looked away, ashamed to look at me in the eye.

I pitied him. He didn't deserve to go through everything we did. He didn't deserve to be made a weapon of mass destruction. He was a war hero. He was my friend. My brother. And I was going to do everything in my power to fix him, no matter what.