17; to take down an empire

    El, Steve, and Bucky kept their guards up at all times not wanting anyone to jump out, and get the upper hand. El was the first up the stairs when the door to the building rumbled. Bucky, and Steve whipped around, Bucky aiming his gun at the disturbance, and Steve holding up his shield.

  The door squeaked loudly causing El to gulp. "Ready?" Steve asked. "Yeah."

    The doors slid open, scarlet red metal gloves pushing them. They opened more, and there stood the IronMan. "You seem a little defensive." Steve stepped away from the other two lowering his shield. "It's been a long day."

"At ease, soldier. I'm not currently after you," Bucky didn't lower his gun. "Then, why are you here?"

     "Maybe your story's not so crazy. Maybe. Ross has no idea I'm here, I'd like to keep it that way." Tony leant onto the pole behind him,  "Otherwise, I gotta arrest myself."

"Well, that sounds like a lot of paper work," Tony chuckled at the comment. El didn't comprehend what was happening. Was Tony an ally, or an threat? With him, it seemed as though the lines were often blurred. "It's good to see you, Tony."

    "You too, Cap." Tony looked up to the Winter Soldier who was still ready to shoot the newcomer, and scoffed. "You're killing me. There's a truce here. You can drop..." Steve gave Bucky a reassuring nod, and the soldier exhaled lowering his weapon.

This time with Tony, the four silently searched around the abandoned hydra base. El followed the men into a great big room, long dead machines lining each wall. "I got heat signatures."

    "How many?" Steve questioned. "Uh, one."

What El had assumed were dead machines, whirred to life, the fluorescent yellow bulbs casting an eery glow on the the recently murdered Winter Soldiers. "If it's any comfort," El unintentionally jumped at the sudden sound. "They died in their sleep."

    "Did you really think I wanted more of you?" In the middle of the first soldier's head was a bullet sized wound, blood leaking out onto his eyebrows. Bucky tightened his grip on his gun. "What the hell?"

"I'm grateful though. They brought you here." Across the room, in what looked to be an observing chamber, the light switched on. Tony aimed his blaster at the man, and Steve through his shield, but it was a futile attempt. He was locked in a different room, and El was sure the walls separating them were bulletproof.

"Please, Captain. The soviets built this chamber to to withstand the launch blast of UR-100 rockets," Zemo announced proving El's thoughts to be more than correct. "I'm betting I could beat that."

"Oh, I'm sure you could, Mr. Stark. But then you'd never know why you came." El didn't how this man seemed to be twelve steps ahead of them. It was too planned, like they were walking right into his trap. "You killed innocent people in Vienna just to bring us here?" Steve questioned stepping up to the metal door staring daggers through the window.

    "I've thought about nothing else for over a year. I studied you. But, now that you're standing here, I just realized, there's a bit of green in the blue of your eyes." The man chortled, "How nice to find a flaw."

  "You're Sokovian. Is that what this is about?" Zemo shook his head, "Sokovia was a failed state long before you blew it to hell. No. I'm here because I made a promise."

    "You lost someone?" El had to admit the small, weaker part of herself was ready to go, and run in hide in the QuinJet, but something was off. She couldn't leave Bucky by himself. "I lost everyone. And so will you." Zemo turned to his right pressing a button that caused one of the old computers to flash on.

"An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again, but one which crumples from within? That's dead forever. Tony watched the video intently. "I know that road. What is this?" El knew all to well was that video was showing footage of, and it wasn't anything good.