C (32) The Red Book

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"Both," he hissed in return.

Tony's faceplate lifted. "Steve Rogers told me everything. You wanted to split us apart but you've underestimated how strong a team we really are. You've lost before you've even begun to tear us apart."

Zemo's eyes were widening but also calculating as he considered the information Tony had just dropped on him.

"You attempted to gamble," added Natasha, "hoping you'd win. But you've just earned yourself a prison sentence."

"NO!" Zemo hand's moved quickly and he pulled a gun from the waistband of his trousers and –

"NO!" Tony leaped forward, reaching for the gun as Zemo pulled the trigger.

The bullet bounced off his faceplate and he twisted Zemo's arm, forcing the gun arm down. "Drop the gun!"

He refused.

Natasha kicked Zemo's hand with her suited foot, forcing his fingers to open and drop the gun and she kicked it aside.

Wincing in pain, Zemo dropped to his knees, clutching his injured and now bruised hand.

Natasha deactivated her suit and from her waist-belt, she pulled out a set of cuffs.

With Tony standing with his palm pointed at Zemo, she rounded the man and pulled his arms behind his back, cuffing them together.

"You just confessed to wanting to use the Winter Soldier and," she plucked the Red Book from the floor which Zemo had dropped when Tony had prevented him from shooting himself, "and you killed a man. It doesn't matter he was Hydra, you intentionally murdered him. There is more than enough reason in this room alone to have you convicted and sent down for years."

Zemo grunted but refused to speak.

"I'll make the call to the relevant authorities. We'll need to take Zemo into custody." Tony began to walk away, the rest of his suit retracting back into the arc reactor as he moved into the kitchen.

Natasha stood guard, arms folded across her chest, watching the man carefully.

At least apprehending Zemo meant the Accords would go off without a hitch.

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Tony made a report to the Accords committee regarding their capture of Zemo as soon as they returned to the Compound.

Though he was a representative he was still required by law to write up a written report.

Zemo was taken into custody by the police and taken to a local police station.

Since Zemo wasn't enhanced the Accords committee had no jurisdiction over him.

He was out of their hands for now and would be tried on the crimes he had committed in Cleveland.

The one thing Tony did keep was the Red Book for the Winter Soldier.

He felt it better to keep so they at least knew where it was. He considered destroying it but reason overcame his desire to destroy it.

What if someone else knew the code words and could control Barnes?

They'd be able to use the Red Book against Barnes to gain control back.

Tony placed it in his office, hidden away in a secured draw underneath his desk, making sure only Natasha knew its location.

He was sure it was safe.

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Monday 20th June 2016

It was two days to go before the Accords were due to be signed in Vienna.

Tony was sitting at his desk writing out a speech he intended to make.

He probably wouldn't follow it but he did need to make some notes on what he had to cover.

His eyes were struggling to stay open which was unusual for him.

He couldn't understand it. The coffee should be keeping him awake.

He reached across his desk for his cup and took a sip from his coffee, drinking the rest of it whole.

He wrote a few more lines, read it back and frowned. It didn't make any sense! His vision blurred.

The struggle to keep his eyes open was becoming almost impossible.

"FRIDAY?" His voice slurred. "Wha…"

And then he slumped forward on his desk, his whole body going limp as his body succumbed to the darkness that had been threatening to consume him ever since he had started to drink his coffee.

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Natasha's eyes opened slowly to find Steve shaking her. "Ste… Steve?" Pushing herself up, Natasha looked around and found herself on the floor. "Steve? Why am I… on the floor?"

"You were drugged," stated Steve.

He held up her coffee mug. "The whole pot is contaminated with a sleeping agent. We both were. My enhanced metabolism fought it off quicker."

She struggled to clear her head. "Why coffee? And why wasn't it detected?"

"New batch delivered this morning. Tony opened…" Steve trailed off, eyes widening.

Natasha caught on quick. "Tony!"

Stumbling to her feet, still feeling dizzy, they both ran for Tony's office, Steve helping her along.

She had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Down the corridor and up the stairs, nearly tripping over her feet, Natasha forced herself to move, trying to shake off the effects of the sleeping agent hidden within the coffee granules.

Steve reached the office first, the door slightly ajar.

She was almost afraid to enter it.

He nudged the door open.

"Tony!" Natasha stumbled forward.

He was slumped on the floor, just unconscious, and his office was a mess.

Draws were tugged out, and papers were strewn all over the floor.

Natasha knelt down next to him. "Tony…" She shook him gently.

He started to groan as he was tugged back to the waking world.

His fingers grasped her own. "Wha…?"

"Hey… don't fight it… Sleeping agent…" she advised.

"I… was… was… at… my… desk…" he managed. "I fell… asleep… at… my… desk." He winced in pain, starting to blink rapidly to clear his own vision.

Natasha swallowed, gently sitting him up. "Someone put a sleeping agent in the coffee granules."

Tony rubbed his head as he sat up, awareness coming back to him. "But… why… wasn't… it noticed?"

"It wouldn't be if it came from the usual supplier," reasoned Steve. "Tony, is there anything in this office someone would want to take?"

Tony's eyes widened. He grasped Natasha's wrists. "Nat… check the secured draw underneath the desk."

Realisation hit at his words. Tony did have something someone would want but how had they known to find it there?

She crawled over and peered underneath the desk, using her fingers to probe for the secured draw. It was slightly jarred out of place.

Already knowing what she would find, Natasha pulled the draw out and showed the contents to Tony and Steve.

"Shit," murmured Tony, still slightly drugged.

"What is it?" asked Steve, his eyes flicking worriedly between the two. "What was in there?"

Steve wouldn't know what was there. They'd decided not to tell him when they had apprehended Zemo.

Tony groaned, his mind trying to catch up with the events that were moving far too quickly. "Nat… the Red Book… it's gone."

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