Notes:

Hi everyone and welcome back!
This chapter is mostly focused on the other Avengers and how they're coping with the loss of their captain.
Just like in the MCU the team isn't really getting along just yet and I just wanted this chapter to shine some light on their side of this story.

Hope you will enjoy it just as much!

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'Jarvis, you up?'

'For you sir, always.'

'Great,' Tony huffed as he entered his workshop after his three hour leave, the lights turning up by 25 percent capacity. 'I'd like to open a new project file, index as: Conjecture 11-3.'

'Certainly,' The artificial voice confirmed as he projected one of the playboy's screens in midair. 'Trouble sleeping?'

'Sleep is overrated buddy.' He rubbed his eyes, the magical sound of the coffee machine causing him to let out a gratified sigh. The smell of freshly grounded coffee beans filled his nostrils as he searched for a clean cup. 'And don't act surprised to see me. It's not the first time I've rolled out of bed at 03.30.'

'I am afraid I cannot argue with that,' It almost sounded like J.A.R.V.I.S. would let out a sigh, but he just decided to continue with the new project. 'Shall I store this on the Stark Industries' central database?'

'You know what? Don't.' Tony sat down behind his screen, running a hand through his tousled hair. He mumbled softly at his own reflection staring straight back at him through his many devices and gadgets. His normally tanned skin was turning pale as it had been kept from daylight for about three months now. His eyes were circled in black, a constant lack of sleep keeping them strained and dry. 'Just keep everything on my private server 'til further notice.'

'Working on a secret project, are we, sir? Or would you wish me to inform the others as well?'

'Nah, let's just not, for now. I don't really have anything to tell them, anyway.' The billionaire opened a folder, showing countless files consisting of video footage, military documents and some S.H.I.E.L.D. intel. 'Besides, there really isn't anyone to inform at this moment, is there? Bruce's asleep, Nat and… uh….'

'Clint, sir.'

'Oh, yeah, right,' Tony rubbed his eyes till they were red, waiting for the caffeine to kick in. 'Well, those two are investigating some leads on another Hydra base, so that leaves… The two of us, really.'

It had been three months since Captain America went missing. Three months since part of Stark Tower got blown to pieces. Strangers invaded the building and claimed "the mortal" as their own.

It all happened so fast. The billionaire hardly had the time to call his suit, watching almost helplessly as the men dressed in eccentric attire aimed their spears at the newest member of the Avengers. He remembered grabbing a large bottle of whiskey from a shelve and smashing it to pieces, using a large shard of razor-sharp glass as a weapon while his suit came flying in. Steve, on the other hand, fought with whatever strength he had regained since his cryosleep.

He remembered the hint of fear caught in those sky-blue eyes which only lasted for a split second. It was almost heartbreaking to see how quickly Steve's entire state of mind could turn from carefree to full fight mode, trying to protect not only himself but Tony as well. The intruders managed to overwhelm and overpower the blond the moment Tony's suit came flying in.

Tony gritted his teeth in frustration, the sight of Steve fighting for his life all to clear in his mind. He had tried to chase them, flying after them and turning all power to his thrusters even before he was entirely wrapped in his red and golden armor. But he was too late, both Steve and the strangers had disappeared in a beam of bright and colorful lights which Tony could only describe as a rainbow.

The Avengers had waited for days for any form of contact, a threatening videocall, a ransom note, anything. they were willing to pay every price, to agree to every condition as long as they could get their captain back. After that, Tony would have simply let it rain bullets, destroying everyone who dared to take their old popsicle away.

No call nor threat came from the assailants. Not even a sign that the Steve was alive. Whoever the men with spears and shields were, they were not planning on letting the captain go.

That was the last Tony had seen or heard from the attackers, and from Steve.

'Show me footage 6.8, start at 01:32,' Tony ordered, eyes completely focused on the material that popped up in front of him. He re-watched Steve being dragged outside, caught on tape by one of the many video cameras. '…Rewind.'

'Sir, you've examined this footage 31 times in the last three weeks,' J.A.R.V.I.S. reminded Tony, though still doing as he asked. 'I do not believe-'

'There's got to be something, J. Cap couldn't have disappeared in thin air.' He held his breath as the footage showed Steve disappearing in the beam of light. 'Well… You know what I mean.' He didn't notice how he was nervously biting the nail of his thumb, completely lost in thought. 'There has to be something I've missed... You know what? Open all files. Photos, videos, all of it.'

The AI did as requested, every document now projected throughout the entire workplace. Tony went through all of them, scanning, observing and desperately hoping to find a clue.

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It was already the middle of the night as Natasha and Clint entered Stark Tower. Their bodies were soar, limbs heavy and muscles aching with every step they took.

'Who's gonna tell him?' Natasha asked after greeting Jarvis and stepping into the elevator.

The archer shrugged, immediately regretting the gesture as a sharp pain shot through his left shoulder. 'Play rock, paper, scissors for it?' he quipped though neither of them smiled. 'I just can't believe it. This is the fourth Hydra base we infiltrated and still no clue on the old guy.'

'Maybe we're searching in the wrong direction, maybe-' the woman sighed deeply, running a hand through her red hair as the elevator moved up. 'Maybe this is a whole new organization. Someone, or something, we haven't dealt with before.'

They remained standing in the elevator just a moment longer, only to step out as the doors threatened to close again. They walked into the communal floor, spotting Bruce on the couch who was just about to take a large bite of his taco, piles of documents at his side.

'Uh… Hey,' the scientist waved a hand, realizing a little to late that he still had his mouth full. He wanted to smile, but his shoulders slowly slumped as he saw the defeated expression on his teammates. 'Nothing?'

'Nothing,' Clint grumbled as he let himself fall on the couch, his muddy boots staining the perfect white leather. 'Not even a hint.'

'Maybe we should look at some other possibilities.' Bruce scooted over, making room for Natasha who slapped the archer's feet of the couch. 'I think we should get Tony and get our heads together again.'

'Yeah,' Barton nodded reluctantly before jumping to his feet. He did not look forward to being the bringer of bad news, the last time their mission had turned out to be a complete failure Tony had locked himself in his workshop for six days straight. 'I'll go get him. Let me guess, he's in his-'

'Workshop. Yeah,' Bruce gave him a melancholic smile. 'I've tried to lure him out of his burrow with dinner just about an hour ago, but he won't even look up from his new project.'

'Another one?' Natasha asked with furrowed brows, only to shake her head as the scientist nodded. 'That man's going to work himself to death if he continues like this.'

'Not on my watch,' Clint strode towards the elevator and headed towards the workshop.

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'Sir, agent Barton is here to see you.'

'One moment, J,' Tony mumbled as he adjusted his goggles and focused on the project scattered across his workbench. He fumbled with a couple of wires on what seemed like a pile of scrap, trying to connect them. 'Just a little… and then it should-' he shrieked, pulling back his hands as a spark ignited between the two wires. 'Damn it!'

Tony looked up, hearing DUM-E move right next to him, a fire extinguisher clutched in its metal grip. 'No! Don't you dare-!' Tony threatened, holding out his hand. But it was too late. The robot spotted the little puff of smoke coming from the new project and instantly covered the scene in a blanket of white. 'Oh, come on!'

'Come in?' Clint quipped as he leaned in the doorway, a smirk plastered on his face. 'Looks… promising.'

Tony turned around, a glare on his face which was as lethal as his weapons. 'Funny,' he snarled as he looked at the mess and rubbed his grease-stained hands on his shirt. 'So, tell me.'

Clint did not have to say a word. Tony already froze for a split second before the archer had even opened his mouth.

'…I see,' Tony's lips pressed into a tight line as he nodded, already reading his answer from the archer's face. 'That's just… absolutely fucking great.' He grabbed a few tools from his workbench, intending to clean the place up.

'Tony,' there was a certain tension in Clint's voice as he saw the playboy pace around the room, his muscles strained as he searched for a towel to clean DUM-E's mess. 'Think you could join us upstairs? Bruce suggested we should-'

'Jarvis, register me as an enemy,' Tony dropped his tools and turned around, meeting Clint's gaze though ignoring his words. 'This is just a test run,' he muttered as he narrowed his eyes.

'A test run?' Clint repeated as he raised a questioning brow, having no idea what the playboy was referring to. 'Tony, what are you trying t-'

The archer gasped as Tony threw himself shoulder first into his chest, knocking all air out of the man's lungs. Clint stumbled and fell to the floor, eyes wide in complete shock as Tony straddled his hips and pinned him down.

'Have you lost your fucking mind?!' Clint shouted as he easily wrapped a leg around Tony's calf and switched their positions in a split second. 'What the hell, Stark?!'

A rough push between the archer's shoulder blades caused him to let Tony go. He shivered as cold metal expanded over his back and chest and wrapped him in a protective suit of armor in mere seconds.

'What the-?!' Clint stood up, trying to find his balance as he looked at his black suit decorated with some thin purple lines. His attention was soon drawn to his left foot, white sludge slipping through the cracks. 'Tony-?!'

'Yeah, that's the part I was working on and then DUM-E… Well, you saw what happened.' Tony panted, a little dizzy as the archer had smacked his head against the cold floor. He got to his feet and ignored the struggling Avenger who was trying to get out of the armory. 'Jarvis, give me the results.'

'Deployment took 9.36 seconds, sir.' The AI informed him, showing all information on a StarkPad. 'Though I do have to add that Agent Barton was in the same room as Mark 8.3. during this so-called assault.'

'So it would take longer if he were somewhere else in the building.' Tony muttered as he played a little with the Mark's holographic blue print.

'Not to mention the amount of damage brought to the building as it will have to crash through walls and doors to get to its destination.'

'Hey!' Clint shouted, finally gaining the billionaire's attention. 'I don't know what's going on here, but could you get me out of this fucking suit already? It stinks, it's uncomfortable and it-'

'-could save your life, when needed.' Tony sounded a little irritated, a wave of his hand causing the suit to simply fall apart, revealing the flustered archer underneath. 'Granted, it needs some improvement… Okay, a lot of improvement, but since Romanoff's almost finished, I can focus my full attention to yours. So this,' he gestured at the pile of metal parts which lay uselessly at Clint's feet, 'just might save your ass someday. You're welcome.'

'Wha-?!' The archer stammered, making way as DUM-E came driving by with a broom, proudly sweeping up the loose parts. 'Tony, I never asked for one of your fancy armors and I- wait, you already made one for Nat?'

'Uh-huh. Next up is Bruce,' Tony explained, already lost in his own world of tech and science as he displayed all blueprints with a simple tap on his StarkPad, a cold blue hue falling over his pale face. 'I have to admit, creating a design for him was- a challenge, considering the giant green rage monster that lives within, but I think I nailed it.'

'… Is this why you haven't left your workshop in over a week?' Clint raised a brow in disbelieve, pointing at all the models. 'To work on this?'

'Again, this will protect you guys when needed. I don't see your problem.' Tony's voice was strained and filled with irritation. He did not even look at Clint as he reached for the holograms and made some changes in the designs. 'Look, if it's about the color I can always change that. This just seemed to fit you.'

'Okay, this is absurd.' Barton sighed and tapped his left foot against a wall, trying to get as much of the white powder from his shoe as possible. 'Listen, we need you out there! We need you to try and- and locate Steve. Or find clues or whatever. I don't need your armor, okay?'

'And neither did Rogers!' Tony finally snapped, crumbling the visuals and tossing them in a digital bin. He walked up to the archer, anger clear in his demeanor. 'And where is he now, huh?!'

'What's going on here?' Natasha had entered the workplace without making a single sound, Bruce sheepishly at her side.

'Tony, Cap's disappearance has nothing to do with your suits!' Clint couldn't help but shout, frustration and constant uncertainty finally getting the better of him. 'You can't wrap everyone in iron hoping that it'll keep them safe!'

'Oh, you wanne make a bet, Legolas?' Tony sneered.

'Guys, maybe we should just talk this out.' Bruce tried as he removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. 'I'm sure we could-'

'And even if those suits are going to protect us,' Clint continued, ignoring the scientist who just raised his hands and sighed in defeat. 'What will your next step be? A suit of armor around the world?!'

'Clint, Tony, you guys need to stop this,' Natasha tried to intervene as she stepped forward. 'You're both on the same team. You're both trying to help but this is-'

'Don't give me that bullshit, Barton!' Tony barely managed to keep himself from punching his fellow Avenger. 'At least I'm trying to-'

'Excuse the interruption, sir.' J.A.R.V.I.S.' voice was hardly heard over the arguing team. 'I have some news which I belie-'

'Not now, J!' The playboy snapped, holding up his hand to shush the AI while still looking at Clint. 'I might not be able to protect the entire world, but I'll be damned if I let anything like this happen to one of you again!'

This outburst caused the room to fall silent, the archer staring back at him in silent bewilderment. 'Tony…'

'If cap had a suit…!' he continued uncomfortably, not truly certain of what he was trying to say. 'If… If my suit was faster, better, then-'

'You can't blame this all on yourself,' Bruce spoke quietly as he took a step forward, his warm voice seeming to calm his friend. 'Tony, we all feel the same. We all feel responsible and we all want Steve back. That's why we've got to work together.'

'I know!' Tony ran a hand through his hair as the harshness in his own voice seemed to startle him. 'I know… I just want to-'

'Sir, I truly believe that this is important.' J.A.R.V.I.S. insisted, gaining his creator's attention once more.

Tony rolled his eyes, letting out a sigh so deep Clint would swear it could be heard throughout the entire tower. 'What?'

'An unidentified flying object has broken through the ozone layer. According to my calculations it will crash at the Northern side of Central Park within a matter of seconds.'

'A U.F.O?' Clint frowned and looked at Bruce. 'Aliens coming to us now?'

'Jarvis, what are we?' Tony asked as he felt a headache coming up. 'Area 51? Let S.H.I.E.L.D. take care of that shit before some cosplaying nerds start circling my tower.'

'Wait, guys,' Natasha stepped up and crossed her arms. 'On all the footage… Didn't it appear that Steve and those assailants disappeared in thin air? Like they were "beamed up?"'

Tony looked at her with wide eyes, '… Well shit.'

It did not take long for the Avengers to assemble and head out, following the coordinates

provided by J.A.R.V.I.S. They soon caught sight of a large fire, setting the trees and grass of Central Park ablaze.

'Fuck,' Clint coughed heavily as he jumped out of the Quinjet, a thick blanket of dark smoke blocking his sight. An object, resembling what he could only describe as a spaceship, had crashed into dirt, leaving a crater. 'The hell is this?'

'Jarvis,' Iron man landed close to the plane, making sure to keep a safe distance. 'Tell me what I'm looking at.'

'Error. Unable to analyze object.'

'Oh, come one!' Tony grumbled, his HUD coloring red as the AI tried to see through the smoke in search of information on the strange object. 'This isn't magic, J. It's technology. You've gotta give me at least something.'

'Guys,' the tension in Widow's voice was clear to hear over their wireless earpieces. 'I think I've spotted Cap's shield…'

Tony spotted the weapon. It was half stuck in the dirt about two yards from the crash site, the Vibranium bright red as it was caught in the flames. He immediately sprinted forward to retrieve the item, only to let it fall from his hands as he felt the searing heat penetrate his armor. 'Fuck!' He shouted as the metal of his suit started to hiss. 'But if this is Rogers' shield…'

'Then that means cap must be in there,' Hawkeye stared at the ball of fire and gulped, Black Widow at his side. 'How the hell are we supposed to-'

The loud roar of the Hulk caused the team to cover their ears. The green beast charged towards the crash, diving into the flames without hesitation.

It were the longest seconds the team had to wait before their fellow Avenger emerged, carrying not one but two bodies in its big and powerful arms.

Hulk carefully placed both bodies on the grass, making sure they were at a safe distance from the crash. He looked at the archer and huffed, 'Less talk. More action.'

'Steve!' Tony shouted, flipping up the faceplate of his suit and crouching at the man's side. God, even the broad and strong Captain America looked small in the colossal hands of the Hulk.

'Rogers!' He lifted the blond's hood, revealing his bruised and bloodied face. There were scorched stains on the man's unfamiliar clothes, pieces of his cloak already burned to ash. 'Rogers, come on. Talk to me.'

'This is not good,' Clint scowled, his fingers wrapped around Steve's wrist. 'He's alive but… God, what happened to him?' he whispered as he spotted the open wound on the man's leg.

'I've contacted Fury, he's on his way.' Natasha was already sitting behind the controls of the Quinjet, ready to take off. 'Now get in here. We've got to get him to S.H. .D.'s infirmary.'

'What about that guy?' Hulk asked, pointing at the other creature he carried from the fire and had placed on the ground. They couldn't see its face as it was covered by its cloak. Couldn't even see if it was human.

But whatever it was, it was in need of help.

Tony held Steve in his arms, using the strength of his suit to lift him. '… Get him in as well.'

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Notes:

Next chapter will have the team coming together and talking again!
I'm thrilled to write for the entire gang and start making developments between Loki and the others.

Ps. I'm a HUGE Stony shipper and I am going to use that. Don't worry, it will still be SteveXLoki (FrostShield, right?) But it will have some Stony hints

...Much to our trickster's dismay...

See you again in about a week or two!