Chapter 20.

Steve flattened his hands on the dining room table, bracing himself for this discussion.

It had only been minutes since his return to Earth with Thor. His leg ached, he was wearing stolen clothes from some random patient at the hospital, and this day seemed like it was never going to end.

His team stood around him, waiting.

"Tony was attacked," Steve said flatly.

Thor added, "We spoke to an ancient being called Fa – a friend of mine. He gathers information from all over the universe, as a filter feeder sucks nutrients out of the water."

Bruce frowned, exchanging a glance with Clint.

Steve sighed. "He wanted an analogy. I said he was like a sponge, and we looked up how sponges feed. And, well, here we are."

Natasha smiled, lightening the room. "Glad you guys had fun on your little field trip."

Steve returned her smile, despite the serious situation.

Clint said, "Where do you meet an ancient being? Starbucks?"

Thor was puzzled. "No, the Starbuck cluster is rather empty." He paused, grinned, "Oh, you were speaking of the coffee chain." He nudged Steve. "Can you imagine?"

Steve gave him a steady look, waiting.

"We were at a bar called Anda," Thor went on, "Where the Cortex and the-" He cut himself off. "In space. We were in space."

Steve said, "Fa heard the Deltarans took out a contract with someone called the Whisperer."

Everything was happening so fast that Steve had not had time to organize his thoughts. How could he explain this to them, when he barely understood it himself?

Steve did his best to be concise, but the story came out jumbled.

His team was silent for several minutes afterward, processing.

"So, Tony chose to go after you?" Bruce said at last.

Steve nodded grimly.

"You're way off the reservation," Clint said, shaking his head. "Aliens are just…"

"We've dealt with aliens before," Steve said.

"And mind control," Bruce added.

"And I am a god," Thor said.

Clint stared at Thor, seeming to process this information all over again.

Rhodes said, "Is this Whisperer character coming back? How do we fight it? And how do we get Tony back?"

Steve looked at Thor, wishing he could keep this information to himself.

But Thor said it.

"I do not know of any beings who have recovered."

Rhodes stared at him, grief quickly replaced by anger. "I don't believe that."

Steve put a hand on his shoulder. He was tense, ready to fight – but to fight who? He was a missile with no direction. "We'll bring him back," Steve said. "As far as we know, the Whisperer has never attacked a human. It might be different for us."

"He's fixated on you," Nat reminded him. "When he comes, he'll come straight at you."

"I'm ready this time."

Natasha was never one to mince words. "You let him kick your ass because you don't want to hurt him, but that gives him the upper hand."

"I'm not letting him kick my ass – I'm trying not to kill my friend. You should try it sometime."

Nat clenched her jaw, clearly resisting the urge to punch him. "Fine. But if it comes down to it again, and it's him or you, I'll kill him."

Steve knew she meant it.

An uncomfortable silence followed.

Natasha and Rhodes were looking at each other, neither speaking, but there was a silent promise between them. Nat would kill Tony to protect the team, and Rhodes would stop her. It was a toss-up which of the three of them would come out alive.

Steve finally said, "We need a plan."

Natasha finally looked away from Rhodes. "We set up a directional EMP that should be able to knock his suits offline for at least a few minutes, depending on how well he prepares."

Bruce said, "I set it up as a contrast to the reactor technology he uses in his suits. He can counter it, but we should have a window to capture him before he recovers."

Jarvis came over the communicators.

"I have gotten a location ping on Mr. Stark. He was last recorded flying east over the Atlantic Ocean. His suit has been cloaked and I am unable to track him any further."

Steve looked at the table, tracing the patterns in the wood. Tony was headed out over the ocean. He had shown part of himself was still in there in the parking garage.

Even if he kept going, Steve would find him.

He wasn't going to let go.