Chapter Text
James still needs me, I have a mission, I don’t deserve death yet. Zemo scowled, mentally berating himself for being selfish, as he tried to pick himself back up.
On the other side of the room, Bucky’s strength was failing him; he had barely managed to contain the thrashes of Matias the Flag Smasher. His wound has probably re-opened.
All three of their movements got interrupted when they heard the clash from the other end of the room.
Sam groaned in agony, his wings too broken to fly. Karli used his moment of weakness to her advantage as she jumped on top of him.
The Flag Smasher trapped within Bucky’s grasp was the first to react, he was already winning against Bucky and took full advantage of Bucky’s shock, he pinned Bucky down as Karli started to strike at Sam in earnest, her hit fueled by sheer anger.
Once, twice, thrice.
Her fist became red and blood splattered.
“Nooo! Sam!” Bucky bellowed and tried desperately to make way towards his fallen friend. Bucky’s guttural screams filled the room, drowning out all other noise, even Zemo, the man who stived in a kill squad, felt his heart tremble.
A decade ago, when Sokovia was taking its last dying breath, a Baron fought to keep it alive by any means necessary. Being nobility meant many things, ballroom dances, arranged marriages,taking off your exquisite dress and donning a uniform of blood when duty called.
It meant tying a young child to a tree while you skinned his mother in front of him. He still remembers the feel of his hand on her hips while he cut off her breast. His eyes were fixed on the little boy, only a few years older than his own. He didn’t need to look at the woman he was torturing, he has had enough experience to know she would live long enough for the boy to break.
“Where is your father hiding?” he asked for the fourth time that night, breaking off her last finger with a mad grin. He tasted copper, he’s sure a demon from hell would think he was one of them. “Where is the coward you are trying to protect?” He demanded.
The boy never told him, just sobbed and screamed begging until his mouth also tasted of copper.
Zemo was shaking as he watched James wailing, the same anger that brought him into the flashback, wrenched him back to the present.
The man holding the Winter Soldier didn’t tremble, or even budge as Bucky’s struggle against him, trying to get to Sam.
He was forced to his knees, his left leg bent at a weird angle, it didn’t look like it was fixable. The man held his arm in place while stepping on his neck with a metal tipped boot.
Zemo can't see his face, Bucky’s eyes are fixed on Sam getting beaten to death.
Zemo wanted to do something. He can’t just watch Sam die either, but there was nothing he could do. He was out of ammunition, out of weapons, his arm was probably broken, he was useless. He stood no chance against super soldiers.
All he could do was hide while he watched Sam’s head take blow after blow until it drenched in blood and disfigured beyond belief, the humble smile never to be able to form again Karli picked up one half of the vibranium wing and smashed his face in. She lifted the red wings up again for more, but stopped when she saw his entire head had caved in.
“Captain America, Matias. We killed him just like that.” She announced in triumph.
They high fived, blood spattered everywhere making them look manic.
She took a look at the wing piece in her other hand. Sam’s blood is still dripping off of it.
“This is vibranium right? I don’t think it could fly anymore but we could melt it down and make some vibranium weapons.”
Matias laughed: “A vibranium sword would be so cool! You think it would stay red? Because I’d love a red sword.”
Karli smirked, “You don’t have good taste, Mattie, What you got under your feet is much cooler.” She kicked Bucky's arm. “A black and gold sword, picture that. It’ll be like real life anime.”
Bucky didn't even react.
“You’re getting ahead as always-”Matias lifted his feet off Bucky’s neck to lower and inspect the arm. “-we don’t even know for sure if it’s vibranium.”
Bucky was whimpering. He didn’t protest his arm being looked at, just taking whatever is happening to him. His body went slack, being twisted any way Matias tried to pry his arm. His blue eyes caught Zemo’s brown and he felt like throwing up.
His face was covered in blood and grime, but his eyes were the most jarring.
He looked like a begging child. The first personality of the night. Little baby kitten mode.
Zemo was once again back in time, his son begging him not to leave. He only let his father leave after being promised he would come back soon and bringing an Xbox for his birthday, his mother giving him reassuring kisses. Kisses of lies.
He also remembered the 8 children he had to kill during his kill squad years. He killed more than that, but 8 of them witnessed the murder of their loved ones, and the looks in their eyes were the worst part of war.
The Flag Smashers high fived again, after confirming it’s indeed the most valuable material on Earth.
Karli lifted up the wings, and hit Bucky with full force.
Bucky just lay there, awaiting death. Even if he wanted to fight, he couldn’t, he’s no longer the Winter Soldier.
Realization hit him like vibranium; Zemo had figured out James’s only way to survive.
It would be a half-life. A soulless prison.
Zemo would have to activate the Soldier.
Zemo wasn’t sure it would work, or if he could undo it, if he would even live to have the chance to try.
Would it be mercy to just let James die? What would this mean for the countless other lives on the planet?
But he had no time to think, as his body was flying.
Karli was going to deliver the killer blow, and Zemo won’t let it happen.
His body should have screamed with pain as he lifted his leg, but somehow he stood up.
He had made it halfway across the room before Matias had knocked him flying towards the wall again, probably breaking another rib.
IT didn't matter, he had done what he needed, and he didn’t feel anything except for his memory pulling through - in perfect Russian: “Longingrustedseventeedaybreak furnaceninebenignhomecomingonefreightcar. Leave and be safe!”
The steel blue eyes that saw him next were not that of a defenseless child, but those of James Buchanan Barnes. Full of hatred .
Not just being activated, but Zemo said the words too fast, his pronunciation too perfect.
It was a practiced betrayal.
Zemo only saw the hurt for a second before the Winter Soldier kicked in, but he’s sure it’s etched into his brain forever, alongside everyone else he had hurt.
He’s lost nearly a liter of blood, his head is dizzy as he tries not to fall down and do anything to help, somehow apologizing. But helpless is all he is, as he watches the Winter Soldier stand up straight, muscles steady despite his many injuries.
The programming took over. The blank eyes looked at him. “Complyin-.”
Karli jumped at him, broken wings in hand, aimed straight at his neck.
The soldier circled his metal hand around her windpipe with his usual reflexes, restraining her.
Matias tried to attack him from the behind and was greeted by a back kick to his knees and his leader’s face hitting his own.
Zemo was too weak to follow what happened exactly, his vision was going in and out of focus, but in the next blink of the eye the Flag Smashers were on the floor, James was out the window, and then Karli was in pursuit.
Zemo closed his eyes, finally resting his head, and hoped James would live.
—-----------
Once again, Zemo wishes he hadn't survived.
He had thought he was in hell, but it was just dried blood making it harder to open his eyes.
He doesn't know how long ago he gained consciousness, but it can’t have been too long, since nobody has come to investigate yet.
He has managed to stand up, wash some blood off with Sam’s half empty bottle of water. Even in death, Sam was the most helpful person in the room.
He’s lucky no one has come yet, he needed to leave. Sam’s dead body would be honored more if it weren’t found next to a international terrorist.
He looked at Sam’s mangled body. It would be courteous to say something, but he couldn’t think of what to say.
His mind jumped to “česť vlasti a rodine”, the unofficial death squad motto, but that was just habit. Sam was not a killer like them.
Sam didn’t even die for anything. His death wasn’t an effort for his fatherland; He didn’t die protecting his loved ones. It was the most horrible death, an empty one.
People don’t plan for their death, but humans want their death to be the grand finale, a firework of life. But what ultimately comes for them, is nothing extraordinary fantastical. Just empty.
And with people like Karli Morgenthau, it would be harder and harder for the common man to have a worthy and honorable death. Super soldiers shouldn't exist. No man should be that inherently better than another.
He was then hit by a horrible realization.
He has created another super soldier and let it loose. Not Bucky Barnes, no - but the Winter Soldier. A supreme killing machine with goals of tyranny.
And he has let it roam the world.
Zemo shook his head with silent laughter. He was a vile man with a fragmented soul, of course God would give him the most evil task.
That was his punishment: he would shoulder all the grimdark, going into hell so others remain clean-handed. His attempt at repenting was frugal to begin with, because he didn’t deserve it. What was he thinking? Trying to do one good thing? He’s roamed too far into darkness to walk free. Of course it wouldn’t end well.
He doubts that he could fix the Winter Soldier and bring back Barnes; it would be fruitless to even try, so it would be up to him to kill him.
It would be his final task, burden all of the world’s evil and be the needed Butcher.