Marvelous Twist #80

Steve Rogers approached Evan, extending a helping hand as he inquired with genuine concern, "You alright?" 

Evan accepted the gesture, allowing Steve to pull him up from the ground. His focus, however, remained on his now-destroyed Porsche, a hint of exasperation creeping into his voice as he commented. 

"No. I just got this car..." He couldn't help but add, his gaze still fixed on the unfortunate vehicle. "I'll be sure to send the bill to SHIELD once this is all over," he quipped, his wry expression directed at Nick Fury.

Fury, never one to show much sentiment, responded with a smirk and a casual wave of his hand. "I'll get you an even better one if we're still alive by then," he retorted, his tone dismissive. There were more pressing matters at hand.

Evan, however, didn't waste time on pleasantries. His attention shifted to the pressing issues ahead, which were abundantly clear in the dilemma of Howard Stark's murder. 

"Anyway," Evan continued, his gaze oscillating between Bucky and the Iron Man suits, "you folks have quite the elephant to deal with. Might as well deal with it now before it comes crashing down on everyone's head."

Steve's expression darkened at the mention of the impending issue, while Bucky's response was a bitter smile. Meanwhile, Tony Stark, speaking through the Iron Man suits, seemed perplexed by the elephant reference. 

"I don't know what the hell kind of elephant you're talking about, but it can wait until you get your asses to Stark Towers," he interjected, his voice laced with frustration. 

"I still have no idea what's going on, but there's a shit ton of SHIELD agents all over the place, and they don't look one bit friendly," Stark added, emphasizing the urgency of their situation.

...

Inside the Stark Towers' conference hall, tension hung in the air like an electric charge. Suddenly standing up, Tony Stark moved with the swiftness characteristic of Iron Man. 

An Iron Man gauntlet emerged from beneath the table, attaching itself to his hand, and he lunged at Bucky Barnes, slamming him against the wall and holding him there with unyielding force. 

The room had been filled with debate, deliberation, and ultimately, a heavy revelation about Bucky's past deeds as the Winter Soldier, including the murder of Tony's parents. The decision to reveal this truth, spurred by Evan's insistence, had now ignited a volatile confrontation.

"You bastard!" Tony's voice reverberated through the hall, and the intensity of the light in his gauntlet intensified as he prepared to unleash a deadly energy blast upon Bucky. It was a moment fraught with vengeance and anger, threatening to escalate into tragedy. 

 Steve Rogers rushed to intervene before Tony could deliver the fatal blow, pushing Tony's wrist upward, causing the destructive energy to strike the wall instead."It wasn't Bucky! He was controlled by Hydra!" Steve's words were passionate and desperate, his grip on Tony's wrist unyielding.

"I don't care. The bastard killed my mom!" Tony's retort was a raw declaration of anguish and fury, the pain etched into every word. The burden of his parents' death weighed heavily upon him, fueling his desire for retribution.

Steve grimaced, torn between protecting his friend and understanding Tony's grief. He readied himself to physically subdue Tony if necessary, but Bucky, the focus of this storm, intervened with a firm hand on Steve's shoulder.

"Stop it, Steve. Brainwashed or not, I did kill this man's parents—alongside many others," Bucky's voice was steady, and he emphasized the weight of his actions. 

"Let me handle this," he asserted, and Steve, though reluctant, stepped back, allowing Bucky to confront the consequences of his past.

Tony Stark remained unswayed by Steve's presence, his intense focus fixed upon Bucky Barnes. He raised his gauntlet once more, its energy cannon charging with destructive power. The room seemed to hold its breath, the weight of Tony's accusation hanging heavy in the air.

"Do you even remember them? How they died—how you killed them?" Tony's voice quivered with restrained emotion, his eyes locked onto Bucky's. It was a question that cut deep, demanding answers from a past stained with blood.

"I remember them all," Bucky's reply was somber, his gaze unwavering. He accepted the gravity of Tony's anger and grief. "You have every right to want to kill me, and after everything I've done, I have no illusion of living happily ever after." Bucky's voice was heavy with the weight of his deeds, and he shook his head in solemn acknowledgment.

"My life is yours if you want it so badly, but I still have things I must do," Bucky asserted, his determination shining through. "The people who used me to kill your parents are still out there, and I won't rest in peace if I die one minute before them," he added, his tone laced with resentment and a burning need for justice.

"All I ask is that you give me the time to deal with them before you take what's rightfully yours," Bucky concluded, his plea sincere and filled with the resolve to right his past wrongs.

Tony's grip on Bucky's collar tightened, his anger and grief bubbling over. His questions were a torrent, laced with pain and seeking answers that could never truly satisfy the loss he had endured.

"What about my parents? Did you give any last wishes? Did you even stop to listen to them?" Tony's voice quivered with a mix of rage and despair. His fingers were poised to unleash the lethal power of his gauntlet. Bucky, however, remained silent, his gaze unwavering, filled with a poignant mix of clarity, resolve, and acceptance.

This unyielding expression grated on Tony's nerves, pushing him closer to ending Bucky's life then and there. The tension in the room hung thick as the confrontation teetered on the precipice of tragedy.

But just as Tony was on the verge of delivering the fatal blow, an annoyed sigh pierced the silence. Evan's voice, tinged with frustration, broke through the deadlock.

"I hate to butt in when it's not my place to do so," Evan began, his words cutting through the charged atmosphere. He had grown weary of the impasse and the imminent violence that loomed. "But you're up against the entirety of SHIELD. Thor is off-world, and you probably don't even know where the Hulk is," he continued, turning to Nick Fury, who nodded with a sense of resignation.

"You people are the only ones willing to go against SHIELD, and you need every hand you can get," Evan pointed out, his gaze briefly landing on Bucky's mechanical arm. "No offense or pun intended, of course," He added, his words an attempt to defuse the tension that had gripped the room.

Nick Fury's words cut through the thick tension in the room before Tony could respond. "The guy is a risk and hazard, even if I were to be polite for Captain Rogers' sake," he interjected forcefully. 

He didn't mince words, expressing his unfiltered displeasure for Bucky's presence. "I'd have ended his life myself if I didn't have to think about Cap coming after me. But we don't have much to work with, and beggars can't be choosers," he continued, his tone dripping with cynicism.

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze unwavering as he addressed the gravity of their predicament. "We've got Romanoff, Clint, and Hill on our side, but the entirety of SHIELD is our enemy. We need Sergeant Barnes' help," Tony concluded, the weight of his words underscoring the dire circumstances they faced.

Hearing Fury and Evan's words, Tony Stark could only grit his teeth in frustration. He hesitated for a moment, his anger and grief still simmering beneath the surface. Slowly, he released his hold on Bucky Barnes, the Iron Man gauntlet on his arm transforming into a wristwatch with a mechanical whirr.

"Fine. You have until Hydra is dealt with," Tony stated, his voice laced with a bitter undertone. His gaze remained fixed on Bucky, a look that could almost kill. The tension in the room was palpable, as if the conflict had only been temporarily averted.

"You better hope they put up a fight..." Tony concluded with a cold and ominous warning, his demeanor now marked by a calm and calculated resolve. He turned away from Bucky and, with measured steps, walked back to his seat, his presence still a palpable force in the room.