They would come every hour.
His back stung from the whip marks. Thanks to the brilliant work of a half-assed serum, Tony healed faster than any increased metabolized idiot he knew. Within only thirty minutes, he could heal large gashes that went all the way to the bone, heal burns within minutes, and make bruises disappear.
He was the perfect soldier for Hydra.
Stronger and faster than Steve Rogers ever was, he could take down the biggest advisory with ease. With his brutal training, he knew how to kill with one strike. He was unstoppable.
He was Hydra's biggest problem.
With his healing, he was able to regain his memories within hours after being put in the chair. Hydra hadn't updated their style since the Winter Soldier escaped and Tony was very familiar with what Barnes went through now.
But they were getting close. Tony knew that if they increased the electricity they used to fire his neurons, they would succeed in destroying him.
He leaned his head against the cold cement wall behind him.
Rhodey had to be looking for him. He just had to wait it out a bit longer.
Tony heard footsteps from down the hall. They were coming back.
"Up."
Tony didn't hesitate. He didn't have the strength. Without a word, he got up from his safe haven and looked at his jailer, awaiting commands.
"Follow."
Three guns were trained on him; One filled with bullets, another filled with a single vibranium bullet, and one with the highest electricity setting.
He laid down on the metal table, feeling disconnected as they placed the metal cuffs over his wrists. He didn't wince as the jammed an IV into his veins. He didn't move as they pushed more serum into him.
"Increase voltage. Two-minute intervals."
Tony closed his eyes…
And screamed.
James Rhodes, Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan, Steve Rogers, James Barnes, Bruce Banner…
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
"Build it."
It looked at the disassembled weapon in front of him. A standard US government machine gun. It knew what to do.
Its hands put together each part with dedication and care. It could not fail its handlers. It would not fail his handlers. It was doing this for the good of the world.
"Build it."
A Stark Automatic Rifle. Slightly outdated. Modifications could be made. Its handler needed the best. Its handler demanded the best.
A Stark.
Stark.
"No!"
"Hold him down!"
"Get him in the chair!"
"Tranq him!"
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
"Increase voltage. Ten-minute intervals."
James, Pepper, Happy, Steve, Barnes, Bruce…
He was Anthony Edward Stark: Iron Man.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
"Build it."
It looked at the disassembled weapon in front of him. A standard US government machine gun. It knew what to do.
"Build it."
A Stark Automatic Rifle. Slightly outdated. Modifications could be made. Its handler needed the best. Its handler demanded the best.
A Stark.
Stark.
Tony grabbed the machine gun and opened fire. Two died that day.
It was a small victory.
"Tranq him! Tranq him!"
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
"Increase voltage. Twenty-minute intervals."
Rhodes, Potts, Hogan, Rogers, Barnes, Banner…
He was Anthony Edward Stark.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
"Build it."
A Stark Automatic Rifle. Slightly outdated. Modifications could be made. Its handler needed the best. Its handler demanded the best.
"Modifications needed. Completion time: Two hours."
"Understood. Proceed."
The sonic neutralizer was complete. The sound waves could incapacitate anyone instantly within twenty feet of the blast.
It received food and water. It was content.
"Build it."
He was.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
"What is your name?"
Its handler was a scientist with his face covered in scars.
"Asset. Ready to comply."
Its handler brought over a red and gold metal arm.
"Assessment?"
It looked at the arm, feeling something. This was familiar. He knew this. He knew what that arm connected to and where the plug integrated with the chest unit of the…
Iron Man.
James Rhodes, Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan, Steve Rogers, James Barnes, Bruce Banner…
"No!"
Tony was shoved into the chair, the cuffs crushing his wrists. He was useless. He was Anthony Edward Stark. He was Tony Stark; he was an inventor. He was Iron Man. He couldn't make weapons.
"Increase voltage. Thirty-minute intervals."
"I won't do it. I won't build a single thing for you!"
Doctor Asshole smiled, white teeth nearly sparkling, "Oh Stark, you already have."
Tony screamed.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
T'Challa worried for his Kingdom.
He was King now; his father's legacy passed down to him and the weight of the crown thrust onto him so fast that he found his head still spinning.
The Rogue Avengers were breaking ancient Wakandan tradition by their mere presence. Outsiders were banned from Wakanda and, in the mere hours he was King, he was breaking the ancient laws.
Although Wakanda tradition stated this it was his mother who was the rightful ruler right now, he would soon have to decide what to do with the group he had now acquired.
T'Challa sighed and leaned back in the chair, watching the news networks as they argued about the Accords. While T'Challa agreed wholeheartedly with them, the Accords were becoming a burden that he was not willing to take on.
Without Anthony Stark to be the spokesperson of the new Accords, it was slowly losing its favor. T'Challa feared that he would have to be the one to take up the mantel, exposing Wakanda to the outside world and recruiting new heroes.
"Brother!"
T'Challa activated his beads without thought, not surprised to see his sister, Shuri.
"Miss me already?" He asked, teasing her, "It has been but mere minutes!"
Shuri did not smile, "Someone has gotten into our network and is attempting to open a live feed."
T'Challa wasn't going to doubt his sister. If she was able to block it, she would have done so already. There was no point in delaying the inevitable.
"Allow them onto my personal connection," T'Challa put on his Black Panther mask, "I will speak to this would be hacker."
"Be careful, brother," Shuri replied, "Whoever accomplished this has skills I could not work around. They're smart."
T'Challa nodded and a different face appeared, one he recognized but could not place.
"You're Highness," The man said with an American accent. Just what T'Challa needed, an American. "I apologize for the less than ideal way to talk with you, but I need your help."
T'Challa considered the man. "You were on Iron Man's side at the fight in the airport, no?"
"James Rhodes, sir," Mr. Rhodes gestured down just enough for T'Challa to glimpse the wheelchair the man was sitting on, "You were the last person I can talk to that saw Tony at that bunker."
"The last person?" T'Challa asked, his questions about Stark's sudden disappearance from the Accords sliding into place, "Dr. Stark has not returned?"
"At 0400 hours, a second fighter jet landed after your identified aircraft left. When Ross's men went to – for a lack of better word – apprehend Tony, the only thing there was this-"
Mr. Rhodes pointed with his thumb to the wall behind him. Through a blurry screen, T'Challa caught a glimpse of the familiar red, white, and blue vibranium shield. T'Challa didn't often feel worry, but it was clearly there.
"I don't mean to imply anything, you Highness," Rhodes stared evenly into his gaze, "but Tony isn't just my friend, he's a valuable asset to the world. If any rogue organization gets his hands on him…"
T'Challa nodded, knowing the repercussions of having a man of Stark intellect without a moral compass. Lives could be destroyed; Wakandans included.
"We need the entire Avengers team on this."
T'Challa wanted to be surprised that this man knew about his involvement with the Rogue Avengers, but he found that anyone associated with Tony Stark knew more than most people.
T'Challa sighed and leaned back into his chair, feeling drained. "If I allow this, Wakanda cannot be affiliated."
Rhodes opened his mouth, but T'Challa did not give him the chance, "I cannot allow my people to be discovered. But, if it comes down to it and you are in need of another warrior, know that Black Panther will be on your side."
Rhodes nodded respectfully, "Thank you."
"I will call upon Mr. Rogers and he will speak with you shortly. And – Mr. Rhodes," T'Challa looked the solider in the eye as both a warrior and a King, "Though I do understand that this is an extenuating circumstance, the next time you invade my systems, you will find yourself very unhappy with the results."
Mr. Rhodes only smiled, "Though I would love to take credit, I'll have to hand you over to FRIDAY."
"Hello, your Highness," A female voice spoke, but T'Challa did not see anyone within the camera's view, "I am bosses' AI system. Boss asked me to hack into your systems after the Berlin Conference. Under his protocol, I have connected to your servers."
Though T'Challa knew that Shuri was dying to begin her experimentations with artificial intelligence, she didn't dare do so until she understood exactly what the repercussions of doing so were. Even through generations of Wakandan scientists, none have developed an AI smart enough to integrate and manipulate another system.
"Interesting," T'Challa said, truly fascinated, "Tony Stark's genius was underestimated." T'Challa realized how off topic their discussion had come. "I will allow the connection to the rest of your team now, Mr. Rhodes."
T'Challa stopped the video link and sighed once again. While he didn't have a feeling of bad omens for Wakanda anymore – in fact, this would solve his problem of having the Rogue Avengers he – he feared for the world.
If Tony Stark was truly taken by Hydra, the weapons that man could produce would be earth shattering.
Not willing to delay any longer, he opened the link towards the Captain's private room and prayed to the Bast God that Tony Stark could be saved by his old team.
"Captain…"
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
"Build it."
It looked at the weapon in front of him.
"Modifications needed. Completion time: three hours."
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
Steve Rogers wasn't sure.
He wasn't sure of what to do next, where to go, who to voice his fears to. He was a Captain without a plan, a soldier without his weapon, and a man with a heart so broken that he wasn't sure what to believe in anymore.
He had Bucky back, but at the cost of half of his team's freedom. He knew he was doing the right thing in protecting him, but now that he was essentially stuck on foreign ground he hadn't even heard of, he was lost.
He knew he couldn't stay in Wakanda. He knew he couldn't stop doing missions.
He knew he hurt Tony.
"Steve?"
Steve looked up, glad to hear a familiar voice. "Bucky," Steve looked at the charred remains of his friend's arm. T'Challa had made sure to stop the pain but a replacement had yet to be made. "You feeling alright?"
Bucky didn't answer. He sat down next to Steve and looked out at the Wakanda skyline. Steve had no idea what was running through his head, but he knew that Bucky wasn't particularly happy with what had taken place.
"I don't remember a lot," Bucky said, still not looking at him. "I remember each and every mission they sent me on."
He went silent once again. Steve didn't dare interrupt.
"I get…Glimpses of my old life – glimpses of you," Bucky showed no outward emotion. In fact, he didn't move. Glimpses of a team."
Steve couldn't help himself, he turned towards Bucky as stared. He remembered the Howling Commandos? For a brief moment, Steve felt hopeful. Maybe all of it was worth it, maybe he was going to get his friend back.
"What we did to Stark," Bucky shook his head, "That wasn't a team, Steve. How could you lie to a team member like that? How could you fight him like that?"
Steve knew he wasn't perfect. He knew he had faults. But he also knew that he had to stand up for his beliefs. He wasn't going to let Tony kill an innocent man. He couldn't! How did Bucky not understand that?
"You're innocent, Buck," Steve put a hand on Bucky's shoulder, trying to get him to understand. He felt a desperate need for someone to understand his reasoning. "I couldn't let Tony hurt an innocent man!"
Bucky shoved his hand away with a quick movement. "Tell me, how could you expect a man to stand there and watch someone kill their own parents…and not react."
Steve was speechless. He couldn't speak. It was like he was frozen in the past, feeling guilty as Bucky reprimanded him about trying to join the army. Only this time, it felt like someone was squeezing his heart.
"You had a million chances. Hell, there's no possible way that Stark didn't talk to you before Zemo read that book. Did he not offer you some sort of deal? Did you even read them?"
Steve looked away, feeling guiltier than ever before. He felt disgusted with himself. He called himself Captain, but who was he really leading? The leader should of known every possible route his team could take. Why couldn't he simply read the Accords?
"That's what I thought." Bucky turned back to the skyline. "I'm grateful for this second chance, and I owe you my life, but to leave someone behind like that? I can't support that."
There was a heavy silence. Steve knew nothing he said could justify his actions. The two friends sat by side, yet Steve never felt so far away from him. Tony wasn't the best kind of friend, but he was a friend and team mate, and Steve let him down.
"I'm going to ask T'Challa to put me back in cyro."
"What?" Steve asked, shocked to core, "Buck-"
"I can't worry about some stranger on the street knowing the words."
Steve nodded, trying to wrap his mind around not seeing Bucky once again. This was almost too much. How much more could lose?
"You're not a bad man, Steve," This time, Bucky put his hand on his shoulder. "You stand your ground just as before, but maybe you should be looking at the bigger picture, yeah?"
Steve honestly didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He made his decisions, now it was time to live with them.
He wasn't willing to accept that the Accords are right, but he knew what he did to Tony was unforgivable.
"Buck I-"
"Captain."
It took years living with Tony to not jump at a sudden voice calling your name. However, it was worrying to see T'Challa call on him so soon after arriving in Wakanda.
"Your Highness," He greeted, "is everything alright?"
Everything, it seemed, was not alright.