Odin's words were quickly proven right. Because of an accident, one strike from Vision sent War Machine—Rhodey—falling straight out of the sky. Whether it was Falcon Sam or Tony Stark, neither could catch up. They could only watch helplessly as he plummeted to the ground.
Tony Stark looked at the fallen War Machine in despair. He put one finger on Rhodey's chest and said quietly:
"Scanning for vital signs."
"Heartbeat detected. Medical emergency team is en route."
Friday's voice sounded.
Only now did Falcon Sam arrive belatedly. Vision's strike had been aimed at him earlier but missed—hitting War Machine instead. His face was pale with shock.
"I'm sorry." Sam barely got the words out before Tony Stark, furious beyond restraint, blasted him away with a repulsor shot.
Vision rushed over immediately afterward.
Tony stood there staring at the chaos before him, expression filled with helplessness. In the distance, the figures of Captain Rogers and Winter Soldier Bucky were already leaving.
The conflict had ended with such a result—War Machine Rhodey's fate unknown.
The scene shifted to a Quinjet flying toward Siberia.
Inside the jet, Winter Soldier Bucky asked, "What will happen to your friend?"
Captain Rogers let out a sigh, his voice tinged with a sob. "No matter what happens, I'll face it."
"I don't know if I deserve this from you, Steve," Bucky murmured, dazed.
"What you did all those years… it wasn't your fault. You had no choice," Rogers said, turning toward him.
"I know. But I was still the one who did it," Bucky replied bitterly.
The scene shifted again—to Rhodey undergoing a CT scan.
Off-screen, Tony Stark exhaled in relief upon seeing his friend alive. He knew this was another timeline, a future event that could still be changed—but the moment he saw it, his heart clenched painfully.
Especially the earlier moment when Rhodey lay motionless with blood dripping from his nose. That had truly terrified him.
Outside the CT room, Tony looked at Vision and asked, "How did something like this happen?"
"I lost focus," Vision answered helplessly.
"I thought something like that was impossible," Tony said, equally helpless.
"So did I," Vision replied softly.
Not far away, Black Widow Natasha approached Tony.
The two walked to a quiet spot.
"The doctor said his L1 through S4 are shattered," Tony said. "Severe spinal tear. He's likely to suffer partial paralysis."
"Steve won't stop. And if you don't stop either… then Rhodey is getting off lightly," Natasha said.
Hearing this, Tony let out an incredulous laugh. "You let them go, Natasha!"
"We were wrong," she said.
"We?" Tony sneered, unable to hide the sarcasm. "God. Being a double agent must be impossible to shake off—it's in your bones."
Natasha's expression shifted slightly. The words had clearly hit the painful memories of her Red Room past.
As a Russian, she would never have chosen to serve the Americans unless she had been left with no other path.
Those were memories she never wanted to revisit.
"Can't you let go of your pride, even for a moment?" Natasha asked in frustration.
Tony inhaled deeply. In the end, he couldn't bring himself to truly attack his former teammate. He said:
"T'Challa told Ross what you did. They're coming for you."
"You should be careful—not us."
Natasha said this as a reminder, then turned and left.
At that moment, Tony's smart watch projected a new message. He frowned. "What is this, Friday?"
"Priority upload from Berlin Police," Friday responded.
After reading the information, Tony stiffened. "Start the helicopter!"
But the scene cut abruptly—to a prison. Those who had assisted Captain Rogers were all locked up.
Captain Rogers' recording began to play.
"Tony, I'm glad you're back at the base. I don't want you wandering alone in that mansion. We all need family."
"The Avengers belong to you more than to me."
"I've been on my own since I was eighteen. I've never truly fit in anywhere—not even in the army."
"I think I trust people—individuals."
"And I'm grateful that most of the time, they didn't let me down. So I can't let them down either. You can change the locks, but maybe they shouldn't be changed."
The scene shifted again—showing all the guards in the prison unconscious, clearly hinting at what had happened.
"I know I hurt you, Tony. I thought not telling you about your parents was protecting your feelings. But now I understand—I was protecting myself. I'm sorry. I hope one day you can understand."
"I also hope we can agree on the Accords. Truly. I know you're just doing what you believe is right. And so are we. It's all we can do."
"Secretary Ross—priority call," Friday announced.
"The Raft prison has been breached."
"Alright—patch it through."
Tony said.
"Tony, we have a situation!" Ross began urgently, asking for assistance.
But Tony cut him off immediately, ignored him entirely, and hung up on the spot.
"No matter what happens… I promise, if you need us—if you need me—I'll be there."
The screen went black. The atmosphere among the onlookers had grown extremely heavy.
Without a doubt, the video revealed far too much. The arrival of new superheroes was only a small part of it.
More importantly, it showed the ideological conflict between them.
The Avengers, up until now, had three supposed pillars—but in practice, their fighting power depended mostly on Hulk and Thor. Their spiritual leaders were Captain Rogers and Tony Stark.
No one else could split the Avengers so easily.
But these two—these very two—had clashed so deeply. At first, their conflict still seemed manageable, something that could be resolved with explanation and mutual cover.
But once War Machine was shot down—and crippled—
There was hardly any room left to repair the damage.
Because the nature of the conflict had escalated. It was no longer just a clash of ideals.
And many wars escalate for exactly this reason.
Nick Fury exhaled slowly. Though the entire situation had been nerve-racking—calling reinforcements, major battles—it seemed the final outcome hadn't yet crossed the line of no return.
Though War Machine was crippled, it appeared Tony Stark and Captain Rogers hadn't severed their bond completely.
Even though they had split—and likely for a long time—Tony had ignored Ross' call for help without hesitation.
That meant Tony had ultimately forgiven Rogers—or at least didn't intend to pursue the matter to the end.
In other words: their conflict ran deep, but not deep enough to turn them into mortal enemies.
There was hope. There was still a chance.
But the atmosphere remained somber.
"Tony… I don't really know what to say…" Captain Rogers finally broke the silence. "But I think what happened to your friend—it was an accident. Truly, just an accident."
"Of course it was an accident. What else could it be? Intentional?" Tony responded with a cold laugh.
Seeing his friend shot out of the sky—even if it was an accident, even if it was another timeline, even if it hadn't happened yet—still made him furious.
It even gave him a new idea: future armor must include a parachute. For situations exactly like this.
If needed, it could save a life.
"I think none of us wanted this. And this is only a future incident from another timeline. It hasn't happened yet. We have time to change it," Natasha said.
"Sure. None of you wanted it. But you still betrayed me, Natasha. I trusted you too. Is our friendship worth that little compared to Steve's?" Tony said through clenched teeth.
Though he knew, logically, they weren't wrong—he still couldn't accept it emotionally.
Because the footage revealed much.
The doctor who awakened Bucky's Winter Soldier persona and sent him on a rampage—he was the true mastermind.
And the reason they framed Bucky in the first place—
It was because they knew his connection with Rogers.They wanted to sow discord.
They wanted the Civil War.
If the Avengers tore themselves apart, the enemy's plan would succeed completely.
Tony understood all this logically.But emotionally?Impossible.
Not only had his closest friend been shot down—possibly to live the rest of his life paralyzed—
More importantly, he had been betrayed.
He knew he could never compare to Rogers in the hearts of Hawkeye or Natasha—but it still hurt.
-----------------------
Completed English PDF of this fan-fic on my Patreon shop if you want to support and own the full fan-fic in one go. Just grab the PDF and binge the entire story from start to finish!
Guys, I've uploaded some High Quality english translated fanfic on my Patreon shop! Feel free to check it out-if you're interested, you can grab a copy and support me there.
patreon.com/SuperTL
Here are a few titles of recently uploaded fanfics:
" Accelerator in Marvel "
" Marvel: Glory of the Sun God (18+) "
" Marvel +18: My Travel Frog Steals Across the Multiverse! "
" DC Universe: Starting Off Controlling Batman "
" Marvel Starting from Gwen Spider-Man "
" Marvel: Invading the Multiverse, Wanda and Gwen Are Shocked "
" Just Arrived in Marvel, System Awakens Silver Superman "
" Marvel: I Took Over Iron Man's Team "
many more are available 47+
Your support means a lot-thanks in advance, legends!
patreon.com/SuperTL
(End of Chapter)