Divided |2|

twenty-four

They held their positions as the doors parted. Victoria let an arrow fly and it bounced off of its target. The doors were forced open more and Tony walked out of the elevator. Steve held a hand up to them and took off his helmet, Tony doing the same with his faceplate.

"You seem a little defensive."

Victoria ground her teeth together, lowering her bow. "Do you blame us?"

"Well I mean I wasn't expecting the warmest of welcomes," Tony looked to his right before turning back to them. "But shooting an arrow at me? That seems a little hostile."

"It's been a long day."

Tony turned to Steve before glancing at Bucky, who still kept his gun aimed at Tony defensively—along with Pietro—before holding his own hand up. "At ease, soldiers. I'm not currently after you."

"Then why are you here?"

"You made your view very clear, Tony, when you tried to arrest all of us." Victoria shrugged and adjusted her bow. "What changed?"

"Could be your story's not so crazy, maybe," Tony spoke while walking. "Ross has no idea I'm here. I'd like to keep it that way. Otherwise, I gotta arrest myself."

"Well, that sounds like a lot of paperwork." Steve lowered his shield. "It's good to see you, Tony."

"You too, Cap." Tony look at Steve before his gaze shifted to Victoria. Their gaze held for a moment before she dropped her head. He nodded and turned to Bucky and Pietro. "Hey, Manchurian Candidates, you're killing me. There's a truce here. You can both drop—"

Steve signalled them to lower their weapons and they obeyed. Pietro walked over to Victoria and held onto her waist. She sent him a look before turning back to Tony.

"What about the others? Surely Ross didn't let them get away with what we did."

"They've been locked up in Raft Prison. Middle of the ocean – real nice view." Victoria walked up to him, tears glistening in her eyes as she glared at him. "Don't look at me like that, Vic. You knew what you were doing when you broke the law."

"And I hope you knew what you were breaking when you signed the Accords."

Tony re-engaged his faceplate so that she couldn't see his expression. Steve put his helmet back on before placing his hand on the small of her back. "Now is not the time, Vic."

Bucky nodded before gesturing up the steps again. "We should go."

Victoria shook her head gently at Tony before storming back to Bucky. Steve motioned for Tony to lead the group and he took point, his hand held up as he scanned the place. They slowed before an arch and Victoria's lips parted.

"I got heat signatures."

"How many?"

"Uh... One."

They entered the chamber and the lights flicked on. To their left and right, capsules stood. They held people – the soldiers. Victoria ran over to one and touched the hole in the glass. She followed the gap and found a bullet imbedded into the soldier's forehead.

"What the—Bucky!" He jogged over to her and he frowned. "Was he one of them?" Bucky looked at her gravely and she turned to Steve. "They're dead."

" If it's any comfort," Zemo's voice sounded through the speaker. Victoria spun around, an arrow nocked, looking for him. "They died in their sleep. Did you really think I wanted more of you?"

"What the hell?"

She sent a look to Bucky before looking at Pietro. He sped over to her and stood beside her protectively. Her grip tightened on her bow and she took a breath, staring into an empty glass.

"I'm grateful to them, though. They brought you here."

The glass before Victoria lit up and she gave a short gasp as she fell back, frightened. Zemo appeared in what seemed to be a control room and Steve hurled his shield at the room. It flew back and Pietro helped Victoria up.

"Please, Captain. The Soviets built this chamber to withstand the launch blast of UR-100 rockets."

"I'm betting I could beat that."

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

"People died, Zemo. Good people, why? Just to bring us here? You know, a letter would have been just as good."

"And would you have come so readily, Miss Barton? I did what had to be done, and here you are."

Steve walked to the glass and glared at Zemo. "You killed innocent people in Vienna just to bring us here?"

"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... there's a bit of green in the blue of your eyes. How nice to find a flaw."

"You are from Sokovia," Pietro spoke, walking closer to him. "Is that why you brought us here?"

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

"You lost someone?"

Zemo clicked his tongue and grimaced. "I lost everyone. And so will you." He played a video on a screen beside them of some surveillance footage, showing an empty road. Steve and Tony moved to the screen. Bucky sucked in a breath and Victoria looked at him. He looked torn. "An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again. But one which crumples from within? That's dead – forever."

"I know that road. What is this?"

Victoria looked at Tony who watched the screen painfully while Steve and Bucky stood anxiously. She moved over to Bucky and muttered to him. "Buck—"

She was cut off as the car crashed into a tree in the video. Bucky's face was clear in the video, as he killed Tony's parents. After the deed was done, he shot the camera.

The accident wasn't actually an accident.

Oh my God.