//------------------------------// // Chapter 25 - Lights Out // Story: This War of Ours // by JDPrime22 //------------------------------// Berlin, Germany On Route 4:44 p.m. “So, you like cats?” “Sam,” Steve said, cutting him off. “What? Dude shows up dressed like a cat, you don’t wanna know more?” “That’s not what I want to know more about,” Steve explained, turning his attention forward to the front seat, where King T’Challa sat in silence. “But what I do… is how you survived a Barrett .50 caliber round to the back of the head. Your suit, it’s Vibranium?” T’Challa, after so long with his own thoughts, finally came to. He watched as the cars flashed by, as they grew nearer and nearer to their destination. He felt the constant thump in the back of his head, the only remaining essence left of the sniper round that hit him. Then he thought back to the question. “The Black Panther has been the protector of Wakanda for generations. A mantle passed from warrior to warrior. And now because your friend murdered my father… I also where the mantle of king. So, I ask you as both warrior… and king…” T’Challa barely looked back to Steve, “how long do you think you can keep your friend safe from me?” “As long as it takes, jerk.” “Rainbow,” Steve began, his voice falling on deaf ears. “Miss… Rainbow Dash… is that it?” T’Challa asked, twisting his neck back to Sam’s seat. There, he could see the Pegasus glaring at him with near-red eyes, probably from crying earlier. He expected it. He had hit her pretty hard, but it was only to get her out of the way. He didn’t kill her, and he didn’t intend to, but he could see where she was coming from. Sighing, T’Challa said, “I would like to apologize to you. But just know that what I did was in self-defense, not to harm you out of my own gain.” Dash huffed in response, watching the world go by in her window. “I do not wish to stand on sour terms with you… or your friends, Miss Dash.” T’Challa faced forward again, sighing as he did so. “I hope you can come to forgive me.” “You want to be forgiven?” Rainbow asked, turning her scowl back to the king. “Then give up on chasing Bucky!” “I cannot do that.” “He’s innocent,” Rainbow said. “Do you know that, Miss Dash?” T’Challa asked, turning around once more to face her. “Do you really?” Rainbow’s scowl grew heavier as their confrontation continued. Snorting in T’Challa’s direction, Rainbow fell back to the window, her forelegs crossing over one another. The rest of the car ride was silent. By the time they arrived to their destination, the squad of cars drove beneath the road to an underground garage. Soon, their vehicle came to a halt, the doors opening. After stepping out, Steve saw Bucky’s mobile cell, Bucky strapped down inside. All four approached a familiar face, surrounded by so many other unfamiliar faces. The one that looked to be in charge, the only one wearing a suit and tie, smiled once Steve, Sam, Dash, and T’Challa approached him and his armed men. He was a small gentleman, graying hair and a no-nonsense expression. Sharon Carter stood to his right, remaining silent for the time being. “What’s gonna happen to him?” Steve asked. The man smiled. “Same thing that ought to happen to you. Psychological evaluation and extradition.” Sharon Carter said, “This is Everett Ross, Deputy Task Force Commander.” “What about a lawyer?” Steve asked. “Lawyer.” He smiled. “That’s funny. See their weapons are placed in lockup. We’ll write you a receipt.” As their gear passed, Sam muttered, “I better not look out the window and see anyone flying around in that.” “Oh, and I want him,” Ross pointed passed the group of four, prompting their eyes behind them. They watched as a large man stepped out of a nearby vehicle, handled by two soldiers, each carrying an assault rifle at the ready. Just in case. Steve recognized the man. It was the same shooter earlier from the bridge, the one who had shot the King of Wakanda in the back of the head. Ross snapped his fingers. “Yeah, him. I want him with us so we can get him properly evaluated. And don’t take your eyes off him, either.” The shooter, with his hands locked in cuffs and a nasty bruise on his forehead, sent a scowl that could kill to the guards holding him. They didn’t react, and instead pushed him forward where Ross wanted him to go. Sam, T’Challa, and Dash did the same, joining Sharon and Everett where they were leading them. Wherever they were leading them. Steve paused, looking back to the mobile cell. The doors closed. He swore he saw Bucky turn his way before those doors shut. Joint Counter Terrorist Centre 4:52 p.m. “You’ll be provided with an office instead of a cell. Now, do me a favor, stay in it?” Everett Ross said, turning his head to the man to his right. He led the large group of officers, Avengers, royalty, and one equine across to the building. Oh, and including the shooter. T’Challa frowned, eyes forward. “I don’t intend on going anywhere.” “Not until I get another shot at you.” He didn’t even turn around. “Miss Dash, I have already apologized. And for your own safety, I would not recommend what are you seeking to accomplish.” “Yeah, because you know I’ll kick your butt.” “No, because I don’t want to kill you,” T’Challa retorted, not hearing a single response from the mare. “I will defend myself, Miss Dash.” Growling, Rainbow looked away, staying close to Steve and Sam. “Yeah, yeah, sure,” she muttered, rubbing her cheek gently. “Ah… jeez. You know, you didn’t have to go so hard on the cheek, bub.” “I apologize for the wound, but not for defending myself.” After sending a quick glare his way, Rainbow asked Sam, “Hey, did it leave that big of a scratch or anything?” Sam studied the large gash from the end of her left jaw bone to the bottom of her left eye. It was a pretty nasty cut. Got in deep. The three claw marks were painted dark red, dried blood surrounding the scratches. It stopped bleeding during the ride, but the freshness of the cut would break again by the slightest contact. “Uh… nope. Hardly noticeable,” Sam lied. “You sure? I mean, it doesn’t hurt here,” she waved her hoof across her left eye, “or here so much,” slightly above her cheek bone, then hovered her hoof right across the large gashes, “but right here.” Sam bit the inside of his cheek. He shook his head, offering the best poker face he could. “Nope. Shipshape.” Shrugging, Rainbow continued down the long hallway with Steve and Sam. Soon, Natasha joined them, coming from up ahead and walking alongside Steve. “For the record, this is what making things worse looks like. Sam,” she nodded to him in a greeting fashion. “Yeah, how’s it going, Nat?” Sam mumbled. “I could be better. How about you Rainb—?” She paused, eyes widening at the cuts on Dash’s cheek. “Oh, my God, what happened to your face?” “I knew it!” Rainbow yelled, causing Sam to look away. “Anyway, you can thank Pussycat up there for these,” she said, addressing her wounds and pointing forward. Natasha followed her hoof to the front of the group, pausing as her eyes landed on T’Challa. Looks like he went through with it after all. She looked back to the rest of their group. Behind them, handcuffed and escorted by two guards, the shooter cast her no stare, no wavering glance. She knew it was the shooter, what with the news stations practically breathing down recent events, how could she not see it? He wore a heavy, black jacket, dark jeans, and combat boots. Aside from his military-trimmed hair, the large bruise on his forehead, his eyes radiated a kind of darkness. Even if he wasn’t looking at her, Natasha felt that darkness crawl up her spine. Unlike anything she had felt. Who was he? “Romania was not Accords-sanctioned. Colonel Rhodes is supervising cleanup. Yes, we have the shooter, as well. They’re walking in now; we’re gonna find out who he is.” Convenient. That convenience derived from Tony Stark, stumbling around and engrossed in a deeply-heated conversation with someone else on his call. Probably Secretary Ross. Most likely Secretary Ross. He wore a dark blue vest on top of a white button-up and a red tie. “Try not to break anything while we fix this,” Natasha said, breaking away as the group split, leaving only Steve, Sam, and Rainbow to face Stark. “Consequences? You bet there’ll be consequences. Obviously you can quote me on that because I just said it. Anything else? Thank you, sir.” Stark put away his phone, staring at Steve, Sam, and Dash. The three amigos. The three rogues. Digging his palms into his pockets, Tony shook his head. They didn’t react to his disapproving stare. Steve asked, “‘Consequences’?” “Secretary Ross wants you both prosecuted, Dash included,” Stark replied. “I put in a good word for her, though, so she’ll be safe. Dash, Twilight and the others are here, so…” He paused, staring at her face, more accurately, the three claw marks on her left cheek. Rainbow raised an unamused brow, Stark reaching to his own cheek. He shook his head, waving his hand. “You know what? I don’t want to know. Just go find Twilight and the others. They want to talk to you.” Rainbow ruffled her wings, sighing as she did so. “Fine,” she muttered. As Rainbow trotted away, Stark turned back to Sam and Steve, shrugging as he began to walk away. “I’m not getting that shield back, am I?” Steve asked. Tony paused, turning back around. Natasha came up to Stark’s side, saying, “Technically, it’s the government’s property. Wings, too.” Sam shook his head. “That’s cold.” “Warmer than jail,” Stark called as both he and Romanoff walked away. Rooftops 5:02 p.m. Scanning the skies one final time, Matt Murdock gave the biggest sigh of relief he ever had. His heart pumped so hard he almost thought his rib cage was cracking with every pump of blood flooding through his veins. Taking a few calming breaths, Matt wiped his mouth and spit on the ground. Sweat leaked from his mask and poured down his face, but he dared not remove his helmet in case of any cameras hidden anywhere. Might as well be safe than sorry. He was near a government center, so there were probably cameras hidden in places even he couldn’t see. Despite this, with the sun beating down on the back of his neck, Matt turned his eyes to the far right, to a massive building resting near the river flowing through the city. He saw people walking back and forth, so many talking and trapped in their own conversations. He searched for the right heartbeat in a building of hundreds more. His heavy breathing didn’t help to find the right one. For a moment, he just stopped and listened. Breathed slowly. Calmly. And waited. He listened for several minutes, heard the voices flooding in and out of the building, but not the one he wanted to hear. Finally, he heard it. “… Where do you want us to put him?” “Keep him cuffed and in any free room you can. We’ll evaluate him after we’re done with Barnes.” “Yes, sir.” Matt sat himself down, stared right at the building, and listened. Might as well catch his breath. It’s gonna be a long evaluation, especially for Frank. Joint Counter Terrorist Centre 5:07 p.m. Princess Twilight and her friends watched as a pair of large men with rifles shoved an equally large man into an empty room, shutting and locking the door behind them. Frowning, Twilight shared a somewhat concerned glance with Starlight, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy. She didn’t know for sure, but the man they shoved in that room looked oddly familiar. She was hoping she wasn’t’ the only one who noticed. Unfortunately, she was, as the rest of her friends quickly lost interest in the room and the three men inside it. Instead, they brought their eyes forward, Rarity and Fluttershy gasping, Applejack tapping Twilight’s foreleg and prompting the Princess’ attention forward. Aside from Steve Rogers and Tony Stark settling down in a concealed room in the center of the room, speaking but with voices muted due to the glass, Rainbow Dash slowly trotted their way. As Rarity and Fluttershy rushed to the Pegasus, Starlight and Applejack stayed where they were, joining Twilight. They didn’t share her accusing stare, though. That was held primarily by Twilight primarily for Rainbow Dash. “Oh, my goodness! Rainbow Dash, what happened to your cheek, darling?” “Are you okay, Rainbow? Does it hurt?” “No, guys, I’m fine. Just… don’t touch it,” Dash told them, waving the mares off. As Rarity and Fluttershy backed away, Rainbow stepped forward, frowning at Twilight’s expression sent her way. She snorted, saying, “I got it from your little prince friend, Twi. Apparently, self-defense on Earth requires somepony to start scratching!” Twilight sighed. “You attacked T’Challa, Rainbow. He has the right to defend himself—” “Wait, are you siding with him, Twi?” she asked. Twilight didn’t respond, nor nod. Her expression was answer enough. Rainbow gritted her teeth. “After what he did to me?! After what he wants to do to Bucky, and you’re on his side?!” Twilight raised her hoof. “You knew what you were getting into, Rainbow. But it’s over now. James Barnes is secured and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Thankfully, Tony assured us that you won’t be prosecuted, so that’s reassuring.” Rainbow’s glare hadn’t vanished. Twilight’s brow furrowed. “And T’Challa won’t get his hands on him, if that makes you feel any better.” “It doesn’t!” Rainbow yelled, a few eyes turning to them before returning to the computer screens. Twilight frowned at the sudden disturbance Rainbow made, the Pegasus continuing. “We’re helping these people prosecute an innocent man!” “How do ya know he’s innocent, Dash?” Applejack asked. “There’s quite a lot stackin’ against ‘im.” “Because Steve said he was!” Rainbow answered, facing Applejack. “He told me on the ride here that Bucky said he didn’t kill those people in Vienna.” “Steve also said that Bucky’s been brainwashed by HYDRA for 70 years,” Twilight retorted. “A lot could happen in a mind warped like that. He could’ve planted the bomb and completely forgot about it the next day. We won’t know for sure unless we go through with this prosecution and evaluation, Rainbow.” As Fluttershy tended to Rainbow’s wound with Rarity’s spare rag, Rainbow simply huffed in response, looking away from Twilight’s disapproving frown. Rarity, on the other hoof, was more focused on the fresh blood escaping Fluttershy’s gentle dabs to Rainbow’s cheek. She hissed at the blood flowing down Dash’s cheek. “Oh, you are quite lucky I had a spare rag, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said, Rainbow looking to the unicorn. “I was about to leave the facility without it when I came to realize that you could never go wrong with a good, clean rag every now and then. You never know what you might run into.” Speaking of the facility, Rainbow Dash counted her friends, spotting only five. “Hey, where’s Spike and Pinkie?” she asked, Fluttershy pressing harder onto the wound to hopefully help seal it. “They decided to stay at the facility with Vision and Wanda,” Starlight answered. “Probably didn’t want to get too involved with… well… all of this.” Starlight addressed her friends to the bustling area with a wave of her hoof, men and women striding back and forth, several voices nearly drowning out their own. “They’re safe,” Twilight assured, earning nods from Applejack and Starlight. “But… that brings us back to our current situation.” She faced Rainbow Dash, the Pegasus meeting the heavy scowl with an arising one of her own. Fluttershy pulled the bloody rag away. “What?” Dash asked, her tone harsh. “Don’t ‘what’ me, Rainbow Dash!” Twilight sternly exclaimed, stepping towards the Pegasus. Rainbow stood her ground, holding her scowl. “What were you thinking?! Working outside of the law, assaulting German officers, and aiding a possible criminal?! This isn’t you, Rainbow!” Rainbow shot back. “I was just following Steve and Sam. They wanted to save Bucky, and I felt I owed them after everything they’ve done for us! It’s called being a loyal friend.” “If they wanted you to jump off a building with your wings cut off, would you still do it?” Frowning, Rainbow Dash said, “This isn’t the same as that, Twilight.” “It basically is,” Twilight scoffed. She pointed her hoof to her own cheek, Rainbow gently caressing hers. “That’s what happens when you break the law. You get hurt, and you pay for it. Secretary Ross wanted you to be prosecuted just like Barnes.” Rainbow was silent, sitting down and sighing. She closed her eyes, still frowning. Twilight rested her hoof on Dash’s shoulder. “But you’re not going to be. As long as Barnes is brought in and everything is settled, we can finally head back to the facility for some much-needed rest—” “She’s a kid!” “Give me a break!” Nearly everypony flinched, turning their attention to the center of the room. Steve was standing, glaring down at Tony who was sitting. The two appeared to be one edge, their eyes latched with each other, their fists clenched. Tony continued to talk, his voice muffled. The mares watched in silence, trying to listen. In the end, they didn’t hear a word, and Steve left the room. Left Tony alone with his pen. “He’s not crazy, Twilight,” Rainbow mumbled, Twilight turning to her. “Bucky is innocent.” Twilight sighed, stepping forward with her eyes trained on the multiple screens shifting to the interrogation room. “Well, I guess we’re going to find that out, huh?” With that, every blue screen in the room, every blue screen lining the walls shifted to the interrogation of James Barnes. The mares watched as Barnes came into view. The room fell silent, several men and women surrounding the screens and listening intently for what was to come. Each screen showcased a different perspective of the Winter Soldier’s entrapment. “Hello, Mr. Barnes. I’ve been sent by the United Nations to evaluate you. Do you mind if I sit?” The evaluator sat down. “Your first name is James?” He didn’t respond for the longest time. “I’m not here to judge you. I just want to ask you a few questions. Do you know where you are, James?” He stared through the glass, stared with little to no expression at the evaluator. “I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me, James.” “My name is Bucky,” he finally replied after nearly ten seconds of silence. Exhaling quickly through her nostrils, almost sounding like a scoff, Twilight shook her head. “So far… not so good,” Twilight whispered. “Hey, would you drop it, Twilight?” Rainbow whispered back, her voice sharp. “Let the man speak his mind.” “A mind that’s probably still twisted,” Starlight added, Rainbow sending a quick glare her way. “Tell me, Bucky. You’ve seen a great deal, haven’t you?” That emotionless stare remained where it was, the man out of time trapped within the locks of his mobile cell. “I don’t want to talk about it,” he muttered. “Weren’t you the pony that said we should try and help Steve get his friend back?” “That was before Vienna, Rainbow,” Twilight said, shaking her head while staring at the screens. “We don’t even know if it was really him, Twilight.” “Ah don’t think even he knows if it was him or not.” “Thank you, Applejack. We won’t know until this evaluation is through.” “You feel that if you open your mouth that the horrors might never stop.” A long pause followed. “Don’t worry. We only have to talk about one.” “And what then, Twilight? Does he go to prison no matter what? Does he get the help he deserves? Or should we go after the real person behind this like we should have from the start.” “We don’t know if there’s another person behind the bombing, Rainbow Dash, and neither do you,” Twilight whispered back, her voice as sharp as a knife, slowly but surely becoming more aggravated by Rainbow’s constant arguing. “Barnes is our best lead or the culprit behind this attack, and we’re not letting him go until we find out.” “And if he’s not the culprit…” Twilight sighed, closing her eyes. “Well, he’s still responsible for all of those murders he’s committed for the past 70 years.” “Oh, you gotta be kidding me!” Rainbow shouted. Several people shushed them, the mares quickly falling silent. After quickly apologizing, Twilight’s frown returned even worse than before. “That’s not in our jurisdiction, Rainbow Dash!” she hissed. “We don’t get a say in how the government should deal with Barnes.” “Well, we should,” Rainbow hissed back. “You can’t just let Steve lose his best friend for crimes he had no control over, Miss Princess of Friendship!” That was it. Gritting her teeth in frustration, especially at that last remark, Twilight spun around to meet Rainbow head-on, to tell her otherwise. But couldn’t. Because that’s when the lights went out.