Civil War: Rewritten

2

"The Task Force called for a psychiatrist as soon as Barnes was captured. The UN dispatched Dr. Theo Broussard from Geneva within the hour. He was met by this man," Friday. 

"Did you run facial recognition yet?" Tony asked.

"The fake doctor is actually Colonel Helmut Zemo, Sokovian Intelligence. Zemo ran Echo Skorpion, a Sokovian covert kill squad."

"So, what happened to the real Broussard?" Natasha raised an eyebrow.

"He was found dead in a Berlin hotel room. Where police also found a wig and facial prosthesis approximating the appearance of one James Buchanan Barnes."

"Son of a bitch. Get this to Ross," Tony rubbed his face. 

" Yes, Boss."

Natasha and Tony spent the rest of the ride in a tense silence, neither sure of how to address the situation. Natasha resorted to scanning the files and holograms again, to see if she could decipher any of it and gain new insights. Tony found a small gadget to fiddle with to keep his hands busy. 

"Boss we are beginning descent" Friday's voice broke the silence. 

"Well, here goes nothing," Tony muttered, Natasha following as he lead them towards the RAFT. Ross was watching them from the surveillance cameras, greeting and allowing them inside.

"So, you got the files? Let's reroute the files and start facial scanning for this Zemo guy," Tony said, only traces of his confidence facade apparent.

"You seriously think I'm gonna listen to you after the fiasco in Leipzig? You two are lucky you're not in one of these cells," Ross coldly replied.

Ross led Nat and Tony through the prison so that they could see their former teammates. They were completely caught off guard when they looked down on the lower level and saw Wanda in an isolated cell. She was in a straight jacket, a shock collar on her neck. Tony stopped in his tracks, remorse and regret filling his features. He wanted to protect her, the reason she was asked to stay at the Compound with Vision. Natasha concealed her emotions and maintained a straight face, but her heart was breaking for Wanda, knowing exactly how she feels. She gave Tony a small and comforting pat on the shoulder, her way of telling him that she would address it. Ross continued the walk towards the former Avengers' cells, Natasha beginning to trail behind. Once they arrived at their destination, Ross turned around and looked at her. 

"You going in or not?" He gave her a puzzled look.

"I have different matters I would like to discuss with you, actually," she responded calmly, looking him in the eye. 

He walked towards her, nodding his head as a signal for her to follow him. He turned back to Stark, "5 minutes."

Natasha raised her chin at Tony, wishing him good luck. He nodded in appreciation, taking a deep breath before opening the door. 

"Why is Maximoff there, alone?" Natasha asked, no hints of emotion in her voice. 

"She is not a US citizen and poses as a threat to our nation's security," Ross replied, matter-of-factly. "She's dangerous. Her powers, we don't know the extent of them. We don't know how to control them."

"The way you have her, respectfully, is inhumane," Natasha retaliated. "She's a human."

"She is capable of leveling buildings, Romanoff," Ross was becoming impatient. "Do you need to be reminded of the damage in Lagos?"

"Just," Natasha exhaled, knowing this was going nowhere. "Remember, when you treat someone like a caged animal, they're gonna act like it."

Ross remained silent, leading them into the security room so they could monitor Tony's conversation with the Rogue Avengers. Ross moved past Natasha to stand upfront with the security, while Natasha hung back to observe.