I am an arms dealer
Fitting you with weapons in the form of words
And don't really care which side wins
Long as the room keeps singing
That's just the business I'm in
This ain't a scene, it's a goddamn arms race
This ain't a scene, it's a goddamn arms race
This ain't a scene, it's a goddamn arms race
I'm not a shoulder to cry on, but I digress
I'm a leading man and the lies I weave are oh so intricate
Oh so intricate yeah
I'm a leading man and the lies I weave are oh so intricate
This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race, by Fall Out Boy, from the album This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race, released in 2006
Tony doubted Barnes had bombed Vienna. While everyone else was sure- other then the Avengers- he was not. Barnes, for one, read as the kind of guy who was genuine about the fact that he no longer had to hurt anyone. And even if he hadn't been, he obviously cared about Sparrow- who was currently back in the Tower, with a surprised expression.
She had pulled Peter out a panic attack, according to Peter- caused after she showed him what had happened and explained it further- and hadn't mentioned anything about Bucky, even though she looked upset. Can't blame the kid- if she thought it was Bucky, then she must be feeling betrayed. She's probably felt enough of that.
Rubbing his head, and tensing, he looked all around him. Large blocks of rubble were stacked upon one another, and the air surrounding them was thick and dusty, causing many to cough. Shaking off the end of his panic attack, which hit him as quickly as the explosion did, he helped carry people out and to the waiting ambulances, wincing as he aggravated his own cuts.
"Tony, how are you doing?"
Tony jumped, twisting sharply to find the analytical eyes of Natasha watching him. She had a small cut just above her eye, and she was favouring her left leg ever so slightly, but otherwise, she looked none the worse for wear. Shrugging his shoulders, he glanced at the carnage and knowing that this was not going to finish well.
"When am I ever doing something right? But I'm doing better than T'Challa at the minute."
He scowled, ever so slightly, as he saw the Fire Department enter, followed by several teams of paramedics, two members of which made a beeline for the two Avengers. Rolling his eyes at them- he hated hospitals and he didn't need them for such tiny wounds- he pressed Natasha, watching her posture in hopes she'd perhaps give something away.
Because if he knew Steve.. the minute 'Bucky' got mentioned, he stopped thinking with his brain, and only thought about Bucky.
"What do y'think about Barnes being behind the bombing?"
She watched him carefully, and her response was measured, carefully monitoring whatever she was about to say. The 'Iron Man: Yes, Tony Stark: Not Recommended' rang in his head, and he knew she lied much more then she was telling the truth. Rubbing his wrist, he resisted the urge to yawn, not because he was bored, but because he was pushing the limits of how much sleep he could go without.
"Well, the evidence does imply that he did it- but your tech never fails. I'll see what SHIELD can scrounge up."
She walked away, her phone lightly clenched in her hand. Well, that left more questions then answers.. so much for a conversation. Readjusting his glasses, he began to analyse what exactly happened, satisfied that everybody was out. There was something poetic about Tony Stark being surrounded by destruction, and the irony was not wasted on him.
"FRIDAY, get the Maria Stark Foundation out here as soon as possible. JARV, find out about T'Chaka's condition, and about all of the injured."
What the FUCK Rogers?! Tony was still in Vienna, helping the Maria Stark organise everything, while simultaneously paying for any medical expenses- it wasn't like he didn't have enough money for it. Suddenly his headache managed to get even god-damn worse, because fucking Rogers went to Budapest, found Bucky- how the hell did he find out that Bucky was in Budapest?- managed to cause several million dollars worth of property damage, seriously injuring several police officers and civilians, and even worse, killed some of them.
How the fuck could he do that after he repeatedly tells us not to harm someone? Oh wait, I know how. It all goes out the window once James Buchanan Barnes comes into the picture. There were two saving graces to this situation. One, Rhodey and the German Task Force had managed to arrest the three of them before they caused even more damage, and two, Sparrow was still in America with Peter and Pepper.
If she'd gotten involved as well.. the situation would have been even worse. It was going to be difficult to paint Cap and Bucky in a good light as it was- even if Bucky didn't commit the bombing, they were responsible for the events in Bucharest- but it would have been almost impossible if they included the other ex-Hydra weapon. Pinching his forehead yet again, he quickly apologised to the senior investigator, before quickly walking away, nearing a car which would take him to where his jet would be waiting to take him back to the US.
It looked like it would be a long time before he got to see Peter and Sparrow again.. and it was going to be a pain in the ass to explain to Sparrow about Bucky.. her father figure, according to the law... had been framed for the bombing, but how he had killed innocents.
"JARVIS, find out what you can about Bucharest and keep me up to date. See what JOCASTA knows. FRI, keep an eye on the terrible threesome and give me updates about Pep, Pete and Roe. "
Both AI's addressed it with an affirmative, JARVIS going 'Yes Sir,' and FRIDAY being much less formal, with a 'Got it, Boss'. Both AI's were different, his children like Dum-E and Butterfingers and U. JARVIS was formal and fatherly, an echo of the Edwin Jarvis from long ago, his voice reminding Tony of the nights where the man looked after him, protected him in a way that Tony would never get from Howard.
FRIDAY was wily, funny and light, not serious and unburdened in a way Tony was not. There was something they both had in common- they were fiercely protective of Tony and whoever Tony called his own. Sliding into the driver's seat, he expertly weaved throughout the traffic, at a speed that was far too high for the limit, and sighed for the inevitable shit storm. This was not going to be fun to deal with- but then again, when was anything?
Tony's headache only increased as his body was thrown into another time difference. It would roughly be two in the morning in Vienna, but it was only 8pm in New York. Not only that, but he had Secretary Ross to deal with, and that man was an even bigger pain in the ass then Rogers was. Power-hungry, obsessed with the super-soldier serum, and bigheaded to a fault, the man was too close to a megalomaniac than Tony would like.
Then again, people had referred to him as such. That was probably why they didn't get on because their personalities were similar. Walking into the grey room, bags under his eyes and the phone firmly pressed to his ear, he watched Natasha talk with Steve, along with T'Challa adding his two cents every so often.
Everett Ross was much easier to deal with- and the man was lucky enough to be in the same building as him- but unfortunately Secretary Ross, the asshole was the one that he had to deal with right now, as much as he wished he didn't have to.
People said otherwise, but Tony wasn't one to shirk his responsibilities. Something that, with a grimace, he attributed to Howard's harsh teachings.
"No. Romania was not Accords-sanctioned. And, Colonel Rhodes is supervising cleanup."
"Then I assume that Rogers and Wilson will just get away, facing no consequences, then?"
Tony rolled his eyes, taking a sip of the cheap tasting coffee that was just offending him. He was looking forward to his bed.. whenever he got to it. Still, right now that was a long way away, right now he had a grouchy prick Secretary of State to appease. Otherwise, it would just bite him in the ass.
"Consequences? You bet there'll be consequences. Obviously you can quote me on that 'cause I just said it. Anything else? Thank you, sir."
He hung up the call before Ross could find something else to gripe at him about, or try and force him into an awkward situation. He'd gotten himself in enough of those as it was. He looked at Rogers' baby blues, innocence practically screaming out of them and insisting that he was in the right. It was easier to appeal to Steve's stubbornness then fight against it- as Tony had learned many times when the two men's stubborn attitudes would come to blows.
"Consequences?"
He echoed, surprised. Tony shrugged, taking another swig of his horrible drink- ignoring the burn in his throat that was pleading for something better, and ignoring the incessant rumbling of his empty stomach- and gestured to the window, where you could see Barnes- the actual Barnes, Tony checked- immobilised like some kind of animal, which was inhumane, but it was the only way to keep the non-super workers safe. He'd work on that though. Obviously.
"Secretary Ross wants you both prosecuted. Had to give him something. You'll be expected to sit on your ass for a few months, grovel, say your sorry, yada yada, and then you'll be back preaching truth, justice, and the American way. Sure as hell better than jail."
Steve sighed as if it was Tony's fault he was in the current situation. Resisting the urge to say something that Pepper would likely disapprove of, he finally threw his cup in the bin, as Steve crossed his arms in the classic 'Steve disapproval' habit.
"I'm not getting that shield back, am I?"
Of course, that was his first priority. Either the shield or Bucky- not the several people he'd wounded and killed in Bucharest. Natasha watched Tony with a silent eye, before looking at Steve, as she glanced out of the reinforced window.
"Technically, it's the government's property. Wings are the Army's."
"That's cold."
Tony couldn't resist his snarky comment, Sam had practically set himself up for it and it was just perfect. Sighing, Tony cracked his knuckles, still looking out the window as if it held all of life's answers.
"Not as cold as ice."
"Hey FRI. Could you get a Stark Jet ready to go to London in say, two days? For the duration of like a week. Oh, and forge Sparrow a passport- you know how it works. And get the address of one Luke Samson. Book a nice hotel and such- you know Roe's habits."
'Will do Boss.'
"Cheers Baby Girl."
'Will Roe appreciate this course of action Boss?'
"Likely not FRI. But it's the best idea I have, and she needs to be away from Bucky- I don't know how headstrong she is when it comes to Bucky. I can't take the risk of both of them doing something I can't reverse."
He stormed away for one minute, one minute! and everything manages to go to hell for the second time in the space of a day. Barnes had somehow managed to break out- god knows how, probably something to do with either Steve or Sharon, whichever one decided to act first, and there was now a rampaging, PTSD driven, super-soldier on the bottom floor.
There was also an aggravated super-soldier on that very same floor who didn't think, and a now winged Falcon chasing after him. This could have been solved if they'd managed to just contain Barnes, to get him help, and to clear his name without any violence.
"Evac all civilians. Get me a perimeter around the building, and gunships in the air."
Tony was hoping that most of the civilians would be gone by the time the terrible threesome came barrelling in. Otherwise, the casualty list of the two super-soldiers might increase dramatically, and Bucky really didn't need that right now.
"Please tell me you brought a suit."
"Sure did. It's a lovely Tom Ford, three-piece, two-button. I'm an active-duty, non-combatant."
He emphasised the non-combatant part. He was supposed to be retired for God's sake! What part of retired included chasing after Super-Soldiers, dealing with terrorist attacks, and a mentally scarred super-soldier? Natasha rolled her eyes before she quickly flicked them to focus on a clean-faced Sharon, who gestured to follow her as she tore past.
Checking his watch- a normal watch, that only had the gauntlet in it- he followed after her. Hopefully, they could nip this in the bud before something regrettable happened. His glasses automatically flipped from being normal sunglasses to analysing ones, and in the right corner of his vision, there was a video playing from security cameras which were watching Barnes, Steve and Wilson. And T'Challa, who was following them apparently.
They got to the ground door quick enough, so they got into ambushing positions, with Tony hiding behind a pillar. On his right hand, a gauntlet formed, the repulsor whirring to life as it covered him up to his mid-arm. As Bucky was about to run right past him, Tony got out of hiding and hit him with a repulsor- because Bucky was about to shoot an innocent guard.
The bullet made a shirk noise as it deflected harmlessly off the gauntlet and buried into the roof, and Tony caught sight of Bucky's eyes. They were glazed and unseeing. So he is in the middle of a PTSD attack. I thought he was!
"Easy Buckaroo. We're all friends here."
Apparently not. He drily remarked, after being shoved backwards particularly viciously, his back slamming against the exact same pillar he'd been hiding behind a few minutes earlier. Ouch. That's gonna hurt in the morning. Picking himself up, Sharon lunged at Bucky, in synchronicity with Natasha, and it looked like both were going to be able to hold their own.
Until Bucky swept Sharon's legs out from underneath her, flipping her head over heels, and then slamming her into a table. With his metal arm- one that wasn't like HYDRA's, thank fuck for that- he wrapped his cold metal fingers around Natasha's neck, cutting off her oxygen.
"FRI, protocol Can I Offer You A Hand!"
The arm sparked, and became limp, forcing Bucky to drop Natasha who slammed into the ground painfully. Tony released another repulsor blast, which Bucky deflected by raising his arm. T'Challa, dressed in his Panther Suit, came from behind and assaulted Bucky in a rapid flurry of attacks, landing several kicks and punches in the time span it took Bucky to get a single one.
The hit he did land though, sent T'Challa flying, but he flipped mid-air, similarly to Peter, and landed in a cat-stance, before returning to fight, apparently unwinded. Bucky fled towards the stairs, with everyone in purrsuit (He made himself laugh sometimes) but T'Challa was in the lead in the Vibranium suit that Tony really wanted.
How much does it cost to pay for Vibranium? T'Challa jumped, vaulting a railing, and somehow ended up in front of Bucky, but the super-soldier just shoved T'Challa back, keeping a death grip on him as they tumbled down the stairs, landing in a heap at the bottom.
Taking the steps three at a time and really wishing for a suit, he couldn't let loose another repulsor blast until T'Challa moved away. They leapt over another railing as Natasha moved away from all of them, out of view. By the time Tony had caught up to them, Bucky was gone and all that was left was a confused T'Challa.
"I don't suppose you have any idea where they are?"
Tony shrugged. A few more days of no sleep, armed with one teenager and two AI's, and he was sure they would find them. Two super-soldiers and an ex-paratrooper can't be that hard to find in New York- considering two of them stood out more then he did.
"We will."
He reassured, perhaps falsely. Still, in order for Ross to let him find them, the man needed reassurance and confidence. Something that Tony could ooze when he had to- and tools he had learned to manipulate when he was young. Ross gave him a disapproving look, as he looked out the window for a brief moment, before narrowing his eyes.
"We will. GSG-9's got the borders covered. Recon's flying 24/7. They'll get a hit. We'll handle it."
And if they didn't, he thought, FRIDAY, JARVIS, or Peter will. The three of them were like super-sleuths, and as much as he loathed to bring Peter into it, the teen didn't really get much opportunity to get out of it. He was in it from the moment he had become Spider-Man, and he could be in more danger then he had ever been before if Tony couldn't get on top of the Accords. Failure is not an option.
Author's Note
And now we begin to enter the proper events of CA: Civil War. I'm going to keep this short because I have school tomorrow, and I need to sleep, otherwise I'll be grumpy.
QOTW: What do you like and dislike about my portrayal of the characters?
Have a nice week, and I hope you enjoyed.
~Cait
