"What else do you want?"
Nick looked around. Everyone who met his gaze lowered their heads, not daring to look at him directly.
"Why don't you dare to speak now?"
"Steve, come on. Tell me what your plans are."
Fury was clever enough not to mention the agreement at all.
"I intend to continue my mission,"
"I'm still going to Siberia."
"I'm not willing to stop until I find out the truth."
Facing the leader, Captain America spoke calmly, neither humble nor overbearing.
"Alright. Approved. You can leave now."
Nick didn't say much. Since Captain America was determined to go, no one could stop him.
Captain America understood the situation as well, so he turned and left directly, heading straight for the hangar behind the submarine where the fighter jets were stored.
"I'm going too. This matter concerns me as well."
After saying that, Bucky followed in Captain America's footsteps without looking back, not sparing Nick a glance. After all, Bucky wasn't a superhero, not an Avenger, not part of S.H.I.E.L.D., and not under Nick's authority. Freedom of movement was his right.
"Alright, two of you are enough,"
"As for the rest of you, go back and recuperate."
Without waiting for anyone else to speak, Nick issued the order directly.
Sometimes leadership worked like this—alternating between pressure and leniency to maintain authority. The Avengers needed to be handled differently. Captain America had a stubborn temperament, so Nick gave him some freedom first. As for the others, he couldn't let them all go.
"I'm heading back too,"
"I'll have a drink or two when I get home."
"Pepper is still reheating my hamburgers."
"Friday, have a plane pick me up."
"Understood, sir."
Tony clearly wasn't satisfied with Nick's decision, but since Nick was the boss, he didn't say much.
The fight had escalated to its limit, yet Captain America still couldn't be stopped. Was it really inevitable that the rift within the Avengers would only grow wider?
"Uh, well…"
"I think I should go back too."
"Aunt May is still waiting for me."
"Go on, kid. It's been a long day."
Nick still had a good impression of Little Spider-Man. Hearing that he was leaving, he turned and spoke with a smile. Perhaps because of his age, Little Spider-Man had an inexplicable tendency to become everyone's favorite.
Just like that, this civil war dissolved under a few words from Fury. Without a doubt, Blaine had played a crucial role in all of this.
Captain America and Bucky went to Siberia. Tony went home. Little Spider-Man went home as well. Black Panther disappeared after everything ended. The remaining people were all detained by Fury.
"Is it finally starting?"
Blaine, who had been standing on the submarine using shadow stealth while enjoying the sea breeze, saw a stealth fighter take off from the rear. He identified it as carrying Captain America and Bucky.
In everyone else's eyes, the battle was over. But in Blaine's view, there was still a small climax to come.
Not long after Captain America and Bucky left, another aircraft flew out. It was a special plane from Stark Industries, clearly summoned by Tony. After Tony left, Little Spider-Man also changed back into his ordinary high school clothes and swung away. This was the Atlantic Ocean, though—Blaine had no idea how he planned to get back.
Just when Blaine thought no one else would make a move, another black figure leapt out. Hawkeye took a look and saw that it was Black Panther, T'Challa. He seemed to be following the same direction as Captain America and Bucky.
"Going to Siberia as well?"
"What kind of deep hatred is this?"
"Oh, right. Avenging his father's death. That at least makes sense."
Seeing that no one else was coming, Blaine summoned the wind beneath his feet and flew into the sky. Since his flight speed was likely faster than Captain America's jet, he wasn't in a hurry and followed at a leisurely pace. When he arrived, there might be a good show waiting.
Siberia.
This was a high-altitude region, with snow-covered mountain peaks and an extremely harsh environment. Hidden within the mountains was one of HYDRA's old bases, the interior completely hollowed out.
Rumble…
With the roar of engines, two figures jumped down.
Tony, who had been halfway home, grew increasingly uneasy the more he thought about it. One concern was for Captain America. The other was a strong intuition telling him that things weren't that simple.
In the end, Tony decided to violate the agreement and act on his own.
He pressed a button on his seat. In an instant, the Mark armor unfolded and wrapped around his body. Fully armed in the blink of an eye, the seat retracted backward. Tony dropped straight out of the plane, the thrusters beneath his feet igniting as he shot off toward Siberia.
At an entrance halfway up the mountain, Captain America and Bucky had already carefully calculated their approach and moved inside.
So far, they hadn't uncovered Zemo's true plan. They still believed that Zemo intended to use Bucky to locate the other Winter Soldiers and unleash them to destroy the world. They assumed several Winter Soldiers might still be active inside, so they advanced with extreme caution, ready for battle at any moment.
However, the deeper they went, the more confused they became. Inside was nothing out of the ordinary—an old military base, shattered instruments, abandoned control panels, rusted and unusable weapons scattered across the floor, along with various bottles, containers, and sophisticated experimental devices. Everything looked like a facility long since abandoned.
But when a row of cryogenic chambers appeared in their field of vision, they could no longer suppress their doubts. Moving closer, they saw a man covered in frost inside one of the chambers. The door was open, and he wasn't breathing.
"Is this it?"
"That's right. Another Winter Soldier."
"But he's dead."
They continued forward. In a larger laboratory, they found the bodies of the other Winter Soldiers. Though lifeless, their bodies were remarkably well preserved.
Just as confusion set in, a sudden clatter drew their attention.
"Hey, hey, hey—it's me, it's me."
Seeing Captain America about to strike, Tony quickly revealed himself.
Given the environment and the tension, it was no wonder Captain America and Bucky had reacted so sharply.
"How did you get here?"
Seeing Tony, Captain America relaxed slightly. At this point, even if Tony wanted to fight him and drag him back, it wouldn't be easy. Besides, it was obvious Tony had left without authorization as well.
*************************************
You can get access to early chapters on patr*on
If you like my work and you want to support me then you can become my patron on patre*n.
My patr*on account is Lord_Immortal_0170