Secrets And A Spider

-23-

We waited in silence for the lift to stop, once it did Steve opened it and we all walked in, weapons ready. "Riley, you getting anything?" Steve asked as I scanned the place. "No, if it here's someone here they're blocking my signal, or using some kind of tech anyway," I replied as we kept along the wall. We were walking up a staircase when the door behind us rattled. They instantly turned with me, Steve ducking and Bucky aiming his gun, whilst all of mine popped out of my suit. "You ready?" Steve asked, we both nodded as the door opened...Only to reveal my dad.

He removed his helmet and I did the same, reflecting his look of defeat and sadness. "You seem a little defensive." Tony spoke, walking closer, Steve stepped in front of me, shield still raised. "It's been a long day." He replied, Tony looked up at Bucky. "At ease, soldier. I'm not currently after you." He called.
"Then why are you here?" Steve questioned. He sighed, "maybe you're story's not so crazy. And my daughter was right, she always is." When he spoke he reached for me, his suit pulling back to reveal his hand. I sighed, drawing back my own glove and reaching forwards, tapping his hand twice underneath, before we interlocked our fingers. It was something we had done since I was little, a gesture of apology, and forgiveness. If I was in the wrong, I'd reach out first and he'd tap me instead. "Are Peter and Rhodey okay?" Was the first thing I said to him, "Peter, yeah...Rhodes, I'm working on it. But he's gonna be okay, in time." I let out a sigh of relief, hugging him before we turned to the others.

"Anyway, Ross has no idea that I'm here and I'd like to keep it that way. Otherwise, I gotta arrest myself." Tony informed.
"That sounds like a lot of paperwork." Steve teased, making my dad scoff. "It's good to see you, Tony," Steve said, finally lowering his shield. "You too, Cap." Then he looked back to Bucky, who still aimed his gun. "Hey, Manchurian Candidate, you're killing me. There's a truce here, you can drop." I laughed at his classic, joking tone of voice and waved Bucky to put his gun down. "Come on, I'll lead," Tony stated, stepping ahead. Bucky looked like he wanted to protest but I nudged him to stand at the back with me as we walked.

We finally turned into another room and a heat signature burst into view. "Dad, you picking this up?" I asked.
"Yup, heat signatures." He replied.
"How many?" Steve asked.
"I'll correct my dad, heat signature." I answered as we slowly entered the large room. As we did, long tubes lit up yellow, smoking slightly at the top. "If it's any comfort, they died in their sleep." Zemo's voice came over the speaker. As we walked further in we could see the people, motionless, dead. "Did you really think I wanted more of you?"
"What the hell?" Bucky muttered under his breath, I glanced across to Steve and my dad, who were also looking into the tubes. "I'm grateful to them, though. They brought you here." When he spoke, the other side of the room lit up and we all readied our guns, Steve launching his shield. "Please, captain. The Soviets built this chamber to withstand the launch blast of UR-100 rockets" I rolled my eyes as me and my dad revealed more tiny rockets. "I'm betting we could beat that." He mocked, "oh, I'm sure you could Starks. Given time. But then you'd never know why you came."

"You killed innocent people in Vienna just to bring us here?" Steve questioned, walking right up to the door of the chamber where Zemo hid. "I've thought about nothing else for over a year. I studied you. I followed you. But now that you're standing here...I just realised, there's a bit of green in the blue of your eyes." Zemo chuckled, "how nice to find a flaw."
"You're Sokovian. Is that what this is about?" Steve questioned, he shook his head. "Sokovia was a failed state long before you blew it to hell. No. I'm here because I made a promise."
"You lost someone?" At Steve's question, Zemo clicked his tongue, "I lost everyone. And so will you, child or not." My dad and Bucky both moved closer to me as he said this, but I just pointed to the screen that flickered to life. "An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again. But one which crumbles from within? That's dead. Forever."