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This Is Your Final Warning

★ ★ ★

Tony, Marlena, Steve, and Bucky made their way cautiously throughout the numerous halls of the old facility, each of them scanning the building for any signs of life.

"Hey, Claire de Lune," Tony spoke as they continued their slow trek down a hallway.

Marlena glanced over at him before continuing her search. She and Tony were at the front, as they were the most invulnerable, or at least that was what Tony had said. She preferred staying with Bucky, just as he preferred her staying with him, but Tony was very persistent.

"What do you want?" she asked, her tone angry. Tony knew she was angry with him, but he was still oblivious as to why she was.

"Can you hear anyone?"

"No, but if I did I would tell you," she answered as she looked at Tony, her irises lighting up with a dark blue. "Wanna know why? Because I don't keep secrets from the people I love."

He pivoted his head around to look at her. "What do you—"

"By the way, I'm lying—I needed to make a point," she cut him off as they stepped through an entryway. "There is someone else here; I can feel it."

"She's right," Tony said. "I've got heat signatures."

"How many?" Steve spoke up.

"Uh. . .one," Tony answered.

The lights flashed on as the four continued through the entryway, revealing six cryo-stasis containers. One was empty, and Marlena knew it had been Bucky's. The thought, however, only made her feel uneasy as she stepped further into the room.

"If it's any comfort, they died in their sleep," a voice sounded overhead.

They stopped for a second before continuing on again to inspect the occupants of the containers, ready to attack just in case they weren't.

"Did you really think I wanted more of you?" the voice sounded again.

Marlena found herself slowly venturing over to Bucky, who was a bit shocked as to what he was witnessing.

"What the hell?" he whispered.

"I am grateful to them, though. They brought you here."

Another light flashed on, revealing the face behind the voice. Steve slung his shield towards the barricade he hid behind, though his efforts didn't inflict much damage. This elicited a low laugh from the man.

"Please, Captain," he started once more. "The Soviets built this chamber to withstand the launch blast of UR-100 rockets."

Tony stepped forward. "I'm bettin' I could beat that."

"Oh, I'm sure you could Mr. Stark. . .given time. But then you'd never know why you came."

"You killed innocent people in Vienna just to bring us here?" Steve questioned as he approached the window the man hid behind.

Marlena let out a breath as she watched their exchange with one another, placing her hand on the small of Bucky's back. He looked down at her, a reassuring smile coming onto his face. It wasn't until his eyes fell on the screen in front of the two of them that his smile fell. Marlena followed his eyes to the screen, her brows furrowing as she looked over the symbols of 16 декабря 1991 being displayed on the screen.

Marlena sauntered over to the screen, Tony and Steve following her shortly, while Bucky stayed several feet away. Tony looked down at the screen, which had now switched to footage of an old video.

"I know that road," Tony mused, looking back up towards the man in the window. "What is this?"

He didn't receive an answer, so the three focused their attention on the screen.

In seconds an old car was speeding down the road, it's stopping point being either a pole or a tree; Marlena couldn't quite tell considering the quality of the video. She noticed a motorcycle in the background, though, and she watched as it stopped behind the wrecked car. A glint caught Marlena's eye as she noticed the man getting off of the motorcycle, and she immediately began to feel uneasy. She glanced over at Bucky and back to the screen without a doubt in her mind that the man in the footage was Bucky during his time as the Winter Soldier.

Marlena watched the footage as Bucky walked over to a man crawling on the ground, pulling him up by the collar of his jacket. The sound was very low, but she could hear the man utter a faint "Sergeant Barnes."

Tony looked over at Bucky, his eyes widening slightly before he turned his attention back to the screen, just in time to see his father's face being beaten in by the man who stood only feet away from him. His thoughts were loud, giving Marlena more than enough insight as to who the man in the video was. This only caused an uncomfortably nauseating feeling inside her, and she covered her mouth with her hand and looked to the floor, unable to continue watching the footage. She could feel Tony's pain and Bucky's guilt, and that was more than enough for her at the moment; she didn't need to continue watching the reason why the two felt the way they did.

The screen switched off after several more moments. Tony paused for a quick second before making a move towards Bucky, but Marlena, who stood at Tony's side, was quick in stopping him.

"It wasn't him, Tony," Marlena tried to reason with him.

Tony glared down at her, his dark eyes filled with pain and anger. "You said you didn't keep secrets from the people you loved, Mar. Was this an exception? Did you know?"

Marlena shook her head quickly, her palms resting on the chest plates of Tony's armor as he leaned over her. "I swear I didn't, Tony."

"Tony," Steve warned, latching onto the wrist of his armor.

Tony spun around, his anger growing as he looked at Steve. "Did you know?"

"I didn't know it was him."

"Don't bullshit me, Rogers," Tony exclaimed. "Did you know?"

There was a pause before Steve nodded his head, "Yes."

Tony pulled himself away from Steve, and Marlena could feel the hurt radiating off of him in more intense waves than before. She didn't have the time to even think before Tony raised his hand, hitting Steve with enough momentum that sent him flying through the air. Bucky raised his gun quickly and aimed it at Tony as he turned around with his repulsor raised and his mask on, but before Tony could make a move towards Bucky, Marlena stopped him.

"Please don't do this," Marlena pleaded with him as she watched Tony struggle beneath the strength of her telekinesis. "He wasn't himself, Tony."

"Move or I will move you," he grunted as he continued to struggle, though he finally managed to locate what it was he was looking for.

"You know I'm stronger than you."

"Are you?"

Marlena wasn't given the chance to respond before a wave of electromagnetic energy burst from Tony's armor, the wave being strong enough to break through her telekinesis in order to reach her. She let out a pained scream as she felt the effects of the energy interrupting the activity of her very complex mind. She clutched her head in pain before falling to the floor, and Bucky, who was now angry rather than regretful as he had previously been, raised his gun once more, only for it to be knocked out of his hands by the armored man.

Marlena lay in a weakened state on the ground, unable to do anything but watch as Tony whisked Bucky away, only for Tony's actions to soon be thwarted by Steve.

Soon enough, Steve was flying towards the cryo container by Marlena, while Tony continued his brawl with Bucky. A stray rocket struck the overhead machines of one of the containers above Steve and Marlena, and Steve quickly relieved himself of the shackles on his ankles before running over and grabbing Marlena from the ground, preventing her from being crushed by the crumbling structure. The momentum of the crash sent Steve stumbling to the ground, as well as Marlena.

Steve leaned up to look at Bucky, while Marlena stayed on the ground trying to gather her thoughts and her strength. "Get out of here!" he instructed, and Bucky nodded before getting up and running off.

Steve pulled Marlena off the ground as she began to recollect herself, and he looked her in the eyes, placing his hands on either shoulder. "Listen to me, I need you to go with Bucky, okay?"

His words had hardly registered within her mind, but she managed to make them out regardless of her state of mind. She gave a firm nod before running after Bucky, stumbling slightly as she tried to remember exactly how her legs worked. She wasn't sure what the hell Tony had done to her, but she knew she was in no position to try and fight him, and that was exactly what he wanted. He knew Marlena could beat him, and though the last thing he wanted to do was harm her, he needed to get through her in order to get to Bucky.

"Bucky," Marlena called after him as she neared his spot beneath an opening of sorts.

Bucky turned to look at her, though there wasn't enough time for him to give her a verbal response. Instead, he grabbed her and began pulling him with her towards the building exit. She was nowhere near as fast as he was, so it was hard for her to keep up. She was also still trying to recover from the blast wave she received from Tony; she was trying to figure her powers out so she could use them, so she could stop Tony before he had the chance to hurt Bucky or Steve.

Marlena was a level down when Tony found his way up to Bucky. He had been climbing onto another level when Tony had kicked him off, sending him flying towards where she stood on her level. Bucky's body slammed into Marlena's, the velocity sending them both crashing into the wall. Marlena let out a cough, the metallic taste of her blood flooding into her mouth. She had broken something, a rib or two most likely, but she would worry about that at a later time when three of the most important people in her life weren't trying to rip each other apart.

Bucky shifted himself into a protective stance in front of Marlena as Tony approached with his hand raised. He knew Marlena was injured—he had practically felt himself snap one of her ribs as they hit the wall—and he didn't need her injured any more than she already was. If taking the blast meant she would be free from harm, he would do just that.

As Tony fired his repulsor, however, Steve jumped in front of Bucky, protecting him with the shield. The blast ricocheted off the shield and hit Tony, and this sent him falling down several levels.

"He's not gonna stop," Steve breathed out as Bucky pulled Marlena from the ground. "Go."

Bucky pulled Marlena away, using whatever strength he could to hoist the two of them upward in order to prevent her from further harming herself. It was only until they reached a ladder that he finally let her go. He began making his way up with her close behind him, but their escape attempt was compromised when Tony shot at the machine holding the compartment door open, destroying it immediately. Marlena and Bucky released their hold on the railings and began the descent down, and while Bucky managed to find ground, Marlena did not.

A look of fear flashed across Bucky's face as his attempt to grab her was unsuccessful, and he watched as she continued falling towards the ground below, not even bothering to notice Tony's presence. Tony slammed him against the wall behind him, and as Bucky came to his senses he found his anger for Tony, as well as the impending brokenness from watching Marlena fall growing deeper. He let out a growl and kicked Tony as hard as he could before picking up a pipe and swinging it at him.

"You killed her," he exclaimed angrily, tears burning in his blue eyes.

Tony ducked as Bucky swung at him again, grabbing the pipe in his hands and using it to pull Bucky into a choke-hold. "Just like you killed my parents," Tony baited, though he knew he hadn't killed Marlena. He had watched Steve catch her, but he figured Bucky deserved to feel the pain he felt as he watched his parents die only minutes ago.

"Do you even remember them?" Tony forced out as his hold on Bucky tightened.

"I remember all of them," Bucky said, his voice cracking.

Marlena watched from her place on the ground as Steve jumped from a platform. He tackled Tony in midair, causing him to release the hold he had on Bucky. Steve and Tony fell to the ground, however, leaving Marlena to watch with fearful eyes. She wanted nothing more than to help them—she wanted nothing more than to protect Bucky—but she was far too weak, and her injuries would only slow her down. Her powers had seemed to phase themselves out as well due to the effect of the electromagnetic wave, and she had figured that out as she tried to save herself from falling.

Tony stood several feet away from where Marlena lay on the ground, but he was too focused on Steve to even pay attention to her. She pulled herself over towards the edge of the cement drop down, her eyes widening in fear as she watched Steve and Tony fight, both of whom were soon joined by Bucky. She had never seen them so angry, nor had she ever seen them so angry with one another. In that moment, she couldn't bring herself to care about the anger she felt for Tony. All she could think about was how much it would hurt her if she were to lose him, Steve, or Bucky, especially at the hands of each other.

Her determination to save them from themselves was what gave her the strength to finally pick herself off of the ground. She couldn't stand to see them fighting with one another; it hurt her more than she cared to admit. She would do whatever it took to stop them, even if it meant risking herself to do so.

Marlena slid down the cement wall and stumbled towards them, ignoring the burning pain in her ribs. The three were so hellbent on destroying one another that they hadn't noticed her, and this only helped her find the energy inside her that was necessary to finish the job. She took a deep breath as she bared her hands, pushing whatever was left of her energy to the surface. She whipped her hands, sending the three men flying in different directions; Steve hit the wall to her right, while Tony hit the wall to her left, and Bucky struck one of the facility's cement support beams.

With her energy now at an all-time low, Marlena fell to her knees, using her hands to hold her up. "Please. . .stop fighting with each other," she breathed out as the three men stood up from the ground, a steady stream of blood making its way out of her nostrils. She had over-exerted herself, and now she was paying for it. She didn't care, though, as she was more than willing to risk the pain so they would stop.

"You defend Barnes now, Marlena, but if you truly knew him and his victims, it'd be a different story," Tony spat.

"Please just stop," she pleaded again, ignoring Tony's very important, yet confusing words.

Tony refused to look at Marlena, and instead focused his attention on reaching Bucky. He wasn't going to stop, no matter what anyone had to do or say about it. In Tony's eyes, Bucky deserved everything he was about to give him. Bucky had taken his family away from him, and Tony wanted him to suffer the same way he had for years. "I'll stop when he's dead."

"No!" Marlena cried out as she watched Tony fire a repulsor beam at Bucky.

Bucky's reflexes were too quick, however. He tore his attention away from Marlena and grabbed the arm of Tony's armor, diverting the beam away from him and to the ceiling. He punched Tony in the chest with enough force to send him flying into the wall. Bucky ran at him, knocking away Tony's arm as he tried to grab him before latching his metal fingers around the arc reactor of his suit. Tony attempted to remove himself from Bucky's hold, but Bucky was too strong—too determined.

Marlena could only watch as Bucky attempted to yank out the arc reactor, her only hope being that he would be able to. She wanted the fight to be over more than anything, and if Bucky could manage to rid Tony's suit of the reactor, then it would be.

Her hope was shattered, however, as Tony's reactor lit up, sending yet another beam shooting towards Bucky. This one actually managed to strike him, and as he stumbled to the ground, Marlena was met with the painful realization of it. Tony had blown his arm off, leaving only a fraction of the metal limb behind. Her eyes welled up with tears as she watched Tony shoot at him again, and Bucky flew through the air before landing on the ground.

In a fit of anger, Steve ran towards Tony, while Marlena crawled over to where Bucky lay on the ground. She raised his head and placed it into her lap, her tear-filled hazel eyes falling on his face. He was in shock, that much she could tell. His metal arm was the equivalent to a normal human arm; it was a part of him, a part of him that he had just lost trying to protect himself, Steve, and Marlena.

"Bucky," Marlena spoke, her voice wavering slightly.

"My. . .my a-arm," he spoke quietly but frantically, reaching his flesh arm up to wrap around the base of her own. "It's gone—it's gone."

Marlena let out a shaky breath as her eyes fell upon the remnants of Bucky's metal arm. "I know, sweetheart. We're gonna get you out of here. You're gonna be okay."

Marlena tightened her grip on Bucky and pulled him further onto her lap, though she was careful to avoid coming into contact with the scorching ends of his arm. She watched Steve and Tony continue their fight with one another in front of her and Bucky; there was nothing else she could do except sit there and hold Bucky protectively as she did so. She was in too much physical pain as it was, and she had no power left.

Tony shot Steve down just in front of Bucky and Marlena, though Bucky was too in shock to pay much attention. Marlena looked up at Tony, as did Steve, slightly afraid of what his next move would be.

"He's my friend," Steve spoke breathlessly, shifting protectively in front of Bucky and Marlena.

"So was I," Tony replied before throwing three abnormally aggressive punches at Steve's face, causing a small gasp to escape Marlena's mouth.

Tony hoisted Steve off the ground, very effortlessly throwing him into one of the few support beams behind him. Bucky had managed to come to some of his senses after noticing the way Tony had thrown him, and he peeled himself away from Marlena in an attempt to help his best friend, much to her despair.

"Stay down—final warning."

Steve took a few deep breaths before standing up, bearing his fists in front of him. "I could do this all day."

Tony raised his hand, more than ready to fire when Bucky latched onto his boot, surprising Marlena who watched from behind. Tony stopped and turned around immediately, kicking his leg out at him and sending him crumbling back into a distraught Marlena. His actions, however, had bought Steve enough time to grab Tony and lift him over his head before throwing him back towards the ground.

Marlena cringed away from the fight, averting her attention back down to Bucky. His face was covered in blood, and Marlena nearly let out a sob at the sight of it. She had never seen him so physically broken and battered before, and it tore her apart from the inside out.

"You're gonna be okay, baby," she whispered to him as she rubbed the blood from his face, not bothering to care that she was staining her gloves while doing so.

He merely hummed in response and pressed his face against her hand.

Marlena turned her attention back to Tony and Steve, though her hold on Bucky did not falter. Tony's face mask was now off, and Steve was beating Tony's suit vigorously and violently with his shield, which was a disturbing sight for Marlena to see. She watched as Steve raised his shield above him, and she could see the fear in Tony's eyes as he did so, most likely because her own eyes mirrored them. She feared for Tony's life in that moment, but she was met with a wave of relief as he simply buried the shield into the arc reactor of Tony's suit, effectively destroying it.

A few tears escaped Marlena's eyes when she came to the comforting realization that the fight was over. She let out a breath and leaned down, ignoring the stabbing pain in her ribcage. She pressed her head gently to Bucky's chest as she was overwhelmed with the feeling of relief, while Bucky simply gave her arm a gentle squeeze, rubbing it with the pad of his thumb.

Steve ripped his shield from Tony's suit and stepped over him, trailing over to Bucky and Marlena after doing so. He reached down to touch Marlena's shoulder, and she looked up to face him, her tear-filled eyes softening in the slightest.

Marlena assisted Steve in helping Bucky up before Steve pulled her up himself, jarring her broken ribs slightly.

"That shield doesn't belong to you," Tony spoke as Steve pulled Bucky against his side. "You don't deserve it! My father made that shield."

Steve glanced back at Tony before looking down at the shield on his arm. He dropped the shield to the ground without question and proceeded to pull Marlena to his side before further escorting her and Bucky away. The three of them headed out of the building, overwhelmed with relief in the fact that the fight was finally over.

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