Scars That Last Forever II

Chapter Twenty

Tony swears in and then sits down in the chair. Ms. Rickards walks up to him and asks him sevral questions about our behavior and if he saw us as a threat. Next, she asks a few questions about different encounters with us. 

"Mr. Stark, have you ever been alone with either Mr. Parker or Barnes for an extended amount of time?" Ms. Rickards asked.

"Yes, Bucky and Steve were away on a mission, so I watched Peter for that weekend," Tony responds. 

"Over that weekend, did you notice any unusual behavior," she questioned. 

"No. Peter had various nightmares, which is to be expected considering everything he has been through. He also had a few panic attacks in that time as well. However, nothing unusual. All of the Avengers have panic attacks and nightmares from time to time, not just Peter and Bucky," He finished with confidence. 

"Thank you, Mr. Stark," Ms. Ricakrds said and then sat down. 

The other lawyer stood up from her chair and walked towards Tony. 

"Over the time that you watched him that weekend, did he leave the tower," She asked pushing her glasses back up her nose. 

"Yes. He had to go to school on Friday and then he went to his friend's house afterward," Tony responded without hesitation. 

"How can you be sure that he was at his friends house?" The lawyer asked. 

Tony looked slightly taken aback, and I clenched my teeth understanding perfectly what she was implying. Tony began, "Because I trust him, becuase I know that he doesn't want to hurt anyone, beucause after the HYDRA incident I put an emergency tracker on him just incase something were to happen. No, I was not spying on him becuase he knew about it too, he wanted it. I checked the tracker and saw that he was at his friends house. After all, Peter is still a 15 year-old kid with friends and that goes to school," Tony tried to concel his anger but it showed a little at the end. 

"Had Peter shown any violence towards a person since HYDRA," 

Spider-Man. 

Spider-Man takes out bad guys, not kills, but punches and webs up. Tony can't lie. 

"Only on missions authorized by the director of SHIELD, Nick Fury," Tony stated. That isn't a lie, Fury did authorize my patrols, he did tell me when I could go and when I couldn't, he also gave me a couple missions. 

The laywer then moves on to asking similar questions, but about Bucky, he responds in about the same way. Bucky still has his hand gripped onto my shoulder and when a few hard questions are asked I can feel him squeeze a little harder. 

Once she is done, Tony walks down from the chair and exchanges a quick word with Steve as he makes his way foreward. 

Ms. Rickards follows Steve but stops before the stand and flips to a page in her notebook, "Mr. Rogers, what was Bucky like before the war?'

"Funny, kind, caring, and so much more. Bucky is my best friend and before the serum when I was bullied he would always protect me or stop me. Bucky was always charming and all of the ladies loved him. When he signed up for the war, he wanted to make the world a better place, he was and still is a good guy," Steve finished. Bucky looked down at his medal arm. 

"Once Bucky came back, did he change?" 

"Yes. The unspeakable things they did to him changed him, but if those things happened to any other guy, they would have crushed his soul. But not him, Bucky is more serious and I can see the fear and regret in his eys. However, I still can see the same old Bucky I knew in the 40s, he is still kind and caring and funny. He is still a good guy," Steve finished his little speech and his eyes look a little teary. 

"What was your first thoughts when you found out what had happened to Peter and Bucky?" 

"Guilt. Bucky and Peter didn't deserve this, it just happened to them and their was nothing they could do about it."

"From what you heard what di HYDRA do to bot Bucky and Peter," Ms. Rickards asks. 

I squeeze my eyes shut and bury my head in Bucky's shoulder not wanting to hear what he is about to say, not wanting to relive the pain. 

I feel Bucky nod slightly, probably to Steve, and then his voice echos through the room, "They brainwashed Peter, tourtured both of them in various ways including forcing them to kill others on missions, when they came to the tower they where both severly mal-nourished and Peter didn't know what any food was besides bread," 

After Steve answers the question Ms. Rickards says, "Was their punishment for not killing worse than being killed?" 

"Yes." Steve answered quickly, and he belivied it too. He belivied it with every bone in his body.

Ms. Rickards nods and then sits down. The other Lawyer stands up and walks towards Steve. She shuggles a couple papers and clears her throat, "You said HYDRA's punishment was worse than death, how is that possible," 

Steve grits his teeth before responding in an angered tone, "Peter and Bucky had everything taken away from them, their freedom. HYDRA made them want to die but niether of them having the ability to die. Not giving them a choice about anything. Bucky and Peter knew nothing but pain and darkness and fear, their punishment was worse than death, not just physically but also emotionally. They were constantally told that they are worthess, they constantally had to live in fear, and that is worse, so so much worse." 

The lawyer went on to ask him a few more questions about our behavior and mental stability, but I tuned them out, becuase next Bucky is going to testify. He is going to have to open up about every god damn things they did to him. And after that, it's my turn. 

I am going to have to relive it, but instead of keeping to myself I have to tell the world. 

I have to tell the world what a monster I really am.