"Steve, no. You can't."
"I can and I will."
"No, you can't. You're the Captain. You're our leader. We'll fall apart without you."
"You won't." Steve studied Tony for a long moment, then said, "You take over. You lead them."
"We tried that once, remember? I failed miserably."
"That's because I was still there."
"No, Steve, stop—"
"Tony, enough." For once in his life, Tony clamped his lips shut. "I've made my decision. If you're so keen to see me as the leader then follow my orders: get the others and get out of here."
"You can't do this—"
"I can. HYDRA wants me. Not you, not Hank, not Bruce, not SHIELD. Me. And they're going to get me, if it means you're all safe."
Tony stared and tried to swallow. He'd known before this even started that he couldn't win, but he'd fought anyway. Defeat was a bitter taste in his mouth and he swallowed again, trying to make it go away.
"They'll torture you."
"I know."
"It won't be anything quick or kind. They'll drive you insane and even then, they won't kill you."
"I know."
"And they'll never leave us alone."
Steve's eyes snapped to Tony's.
"You know they won't," Tony sighed. "They'll get you to martyr yourself, to die for your team, but in the end they'll be back. They always come back." He looked at the floor and shook his head. "Were you really naive enough to think that they wouldn't? That your death would really change everything?"
"Tony…"
"It won't change a thing. It'll only rip us, your friends, apart. It'll leave us so haunted and riddled with guilt that when HYDRA does return, none of us will want to stop them."
He turned to Steve then and saw doubt in the Captain's eyes.
"Don't do this," Tony whispered, his voice an open plea. "Please don't give up. Fight."