I throw the shield. It glances off the railing and knocks him in the back of the head, sending him to his knees even as it then lodges itself in whatever machine he’d been pouring over before I entered the room. I launch myself up the stairs, not taking them two or even three at a time so much as using the structure to propel myself upward in leaps and swings, before I flip over the edge of the catwalk and land in front of a Baron Zemo who’s still trying to stand. I stalk past him and pull the shield out of the wreck of machinery, and fit it to my arm again before I turn back to him.
“Get up.”
“Captain.” God, his voice. It’s been so long since I heard it. I feel sick.
“I did not expect to see you back here.”
“I know,” I tell him and take two steps forward. Enough to reach down and grab him by the front of his tunic and haul him up, and shove him back against the railing.
“Can you remote detonate the bomb on the plane from here?” I ask him, my voice low, smooth, steady. To my own ears, I sound calm. The Baron, however, seems to find something in my tone disturbing.
“N-nein. I do not know how you discovered it without setting it off, but it is no matter! Why would I destroy it? It was to serve as a trap, to end the lives of you and that insufferable brat of a-”
I pull him away from the railing and slam him back into it again. His foot slips over the edge as he tries to balance himself.
“Then I want whatever stupid ray or giant gun you’ve got hidden away here, Zemo, because I know there is one! There always is!”
“There is nothing,” he spits back at me, as best he can from behind the cowl permanently affixed to his face, “that can stop that plane now. You see I tired of the Skull’s failures, tired of watching you best the Furor's best, over and over! You could stop the plane and die trying or you could fail,” he practically crows.
“And now hundreds of thousands will die! So you see, Captain, it is what you Americans call a win-win, for me.”
I don’t really care that he’s laughing. Not at me. It doesn’t last long, anyway, because I grab him by the throat and jerk him forward to look him in the eye, to make sure he’s looking me in the eye.
“I’ll stop it, all right. I’ll stop it, Zemo, and you’ll have lost. But I will make damn sure you never get the chance to do this again.” Any of this. Any of this, ever again.
“Was-” I tighten my grip to cut off his question.
“Does it count as a war crime,” I ask him, “if I kill you now?” I can feel myself shaking, feel the pressure in my jaw from my molars grinding together.
“I never thought you could justify them, but maybe... I was wrong.”
no subject
“Get up.”
“Captain.” God, his voice. It’s been so long since I heard it. I feel sick.
“I did not expect to see you back here.”
“I know,” I tell him and take two steps forward. Enough to reach down and grab him by the front of his tunic and haul him up, and shove him back against the railing.
“Can you remote detonate the bomb on the plane from here?” I ask him, my voice low, smooth, steady. To my own ears, I sound calm. The Baron, however, seems to find something in my tone disturbing.
“N-nein. I do not know how you discovered it without setting it off, but it is no matter! Why would I destroy it? It was to serve as a trap, to end the lives of you and that insufferable brat of a-”
I pull him away from the railing and slam him back into it again. His foot slips over the edge as he tries to balance himself.
“Then I want whatever stupid ray or giant gun you’ve got hidden away here, Zemo, because I know there is one! There always is!”
“There is nothing,” he spits back at me, as best he can from behind the cowl permanently affixed to his face, “that can stop that plane now. You see I tired of the Skull’s failures, tired of watching you best the Furor's best, over and over! You could stop the plane and die trying or you could fail,” he practically crows.
“And now hundreds of thousands will die! So you see, Captain, it is what you Americans call a win-win, for me.”
I don’t really care that he’s laughing. Not at me. It doesn’t last long, anyway, because I grab him by the throat and jerk him forward to look him in the eye, to make sure he’s looking me in the eye.
“I’ll stop it, all right. I’ll stop it, Zemo, and you’ll have lost. But I will make damn sure you never get the chance to do this again.” Any of this. Any of this, ever again.
“Was-” I tighten my grip to cut off his question.
“Does it count as a war crime,” I ask him, “if I kill you now?” I can feel myself shaking, feel the pressure in my jaw from my molars grinding together.
“I never thought you could justify them, but maybe... I was wrong.”