Hello,

I am sorry it took me so long to get this out. I sat here for weeks working on one chapter. I don't know what it is, but this chapter was a beast to get out.

I am still not happy with it, but here it is.

Let me know what you think.

Chapter 13:

The Fluctuating Clock

Tony, remaining in the suit, exploded like a fire cracker through the top floor doors of the Tower. The word overreaction came to mind, but right now, all sense of logic had flown out the door like a bat out of hell. FRIDAY's words echoed loudly in his head, and his dread was seconds away from detonating in his chest. Shit. Shit. Shit. He cursed, almost overwhelmed by the severe pounding in his chest. Everything was multiplied by threes, and his panic went through the roof. It was both unnerving and frustrating. He took on Thanos, the biggest baddie in the known Universe, but yet, he was reacting like a rookie at the thought of Ayo and Rhodey.

Iron Man, hovered high, in the air must've looked like an avenging angel. His panic was hidden behind the metal mask, hiding the storm within. The mask acted like a shield to the bleak and eerie scene before him he stepped into. Darkness, straight from the movies, had befallen the entire tower, casting heavy spooky shadows. It was a stark comparison to the surrounding New York Sky lines and its unhealthy glow. The tower could only be described as a black hole, the light disappearing around it. It was ghastly. If he didn't know better, he would blame the absolute blackness on magic.

With the Iron Man gauntlet up, Tony slowly glided across the room, scanning every inch. In the dusk, it was impossible to make out anything besides large, nonsensical shapes. JARVIS, in the attempt to be helpful, switched over to Infrared, but even with the power off, Tony was unable to see past the first few levels. JARVIS, though difficult with the floors still giving off heat, was unable to detect any living being. Under any normal situation, this wasn't surprising, considering the top levels weren't accessible to Stark Employees just yet. While it was true that Tony wanted to have the top ten floors for research and development, he (Past Tony) hadn't pulled the trigger yet, having a hidden desire buried deep in his stomach to play family with the Avengers.

Suddenly, the lights kicked on as he crossed his personal lounge. "Stark engineers were able to reconnect the Arc Reactor and restored power," JARVIS replied, switching off the infrared.

"I can see that," Tony replied, drily as his eyes watered, adjusting to the light. "Are you and FRIDAY able to reconnect with the Tower?"

"No, Sir." JARVIS answered. "The servers are still offline. Just the power has been restored."

Tony had put fail safes with fail safes in place, backup plans for his back up plans, not wanting to be caught with his pants down; yet, somehow someone had demolished all of his plans. Once Tony figured it out (by back hacking it and stripping it down to it core), it would never happen again. "Anything from Rhodey and Ayo?" he asked.

"No, Sir."

This didn't bode well. The dread that formed earlier nestled deep in his stomach. Tony continued to glide through the top floors, clearing each room. His nerves were nails against his arms, and an eerie tension filled his chest, his lungs straining to inflate. A coldness, he couldn't rid himself of, filled his chest that, as his brain started to turn on him. What the hell was he even looking for? He knew the top floors were clear. Why was he wasting time? He lingered for a second as he struggled to breathe. Every breath was an inferno. He couldn't even begin to explain this feeling.

It wasn't until he got to the shared (and larger multiple leveled) lounge did his heart skip. His head spun as he flashed back—or forward in this case—to the Ultron's fight that transpired in this lounge. JARVIS was speaking, but it fell on death's ear. Tony squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to breathe. He pushed a good memory of Peter forward, visualizing the smile on his face when he finally got his latest gadget to work. In the memory, Tony had sat there as Peter jumped for joy on the ceiling. On the freaken ceiling! (Don't ask him how). Tony could feel himself smile just thinking about it.

With a deep exhale, he opened his eyes and took in the massive room. What he saw struck him; granted, it wasn't anything that he hadn't seen before. Luckily, none of the exterior windows had been smashed, but that luck did not proceed to the other sections of the room. The glass shelves behind the bar were shattered, and broken glasses were strewn across the bar as if something heavy was tossed into it. The glass and metal (who the hell designed this futuristic lounge) railing were destroyed in several places and gone in others.

"Shit," Tony cursed as he quickly inspected the rest of the room. Sofas were overturned and tossed aside. Broken photos laid torn on the ground. Tables were snapped in half.

"I would suggest you fix the server before you panic, Sir, so FRIDAY and I can reintegrate into the tower and perform a full inspection."

Tony glanced once more around the room, his heart skipping a beat. Scattered across the room, blood could be found. It wasn't a lot, but someone was hurt, which wasn't surprising with the state of the room. "Still no sign of Rhodey and Ayo?"

"I am still unable to reach them. However, Miss Potts is calling." JARVIS answered. "She's inquiring about the status of the tower. She has been fielding calls."

"Update her then." Tony ordered, his tone colder than he intended. Exhaling, he turned from the lounge and headed to the server room.

"She is asking to speak with you."

The Iron Man suit picked up speed. "Tell her I am busy." he said. After everything that he had put her through, he knew he was being shitty. He was giving her whiplash. One minute, he was warm, the next he was cold. He had push her away at no fault of her own. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to deal with that. With her. "Daddy is on a mission."

*O*O*

The server room was enormous, taking up an entire floor. Heck, Tony had gotten lost a few times when he first built it. Even now, he got lost, having to reply on JARVIS from time to time. A few hours and cut fingers later, the tower was back to normal and all systems were running. There were a few sequences that Tony wanted to check in full detail, but for now, he had other things to worry about.

"We have completed a full inspection of the building. There are no unauthorized persons in the Tower at this time," JARVIS announced via the building speakers.

"There is also no sign of Colonel Rhodes and Miss Ayo," FRIDAY added.

"There is damage across several floors: minor structural damage. I have dispatched our normal contractors to repair the damage." JARVIS answered.

"Have you tried pinging their phones?" Tony asked, as he exited the server room and made his way back to the lounge. "Also, make sure we have thorough background on those contractors. We don't need any more surprises."

"I am insulted, Sir." JARVIS answered, dryly. "I have already attempted, and once more, was unsuccessful in reaching Ayo and Colonel Rhodes. Their phones are likely destroyed or jammed."

A tremendous sense of exhaustion abruptly smacked Tony as he stepped into the large shared lounge. "Do we have any techs available to test these blood samples?" he asked, kneeing down in front of one of the blood puddles.

"I can assign a few to process the area," JARVIS answered.

"Thanks, J." Tony murmured, his mind already spinning. While he liked to pat himself on the back a lot, there was no denying the technical expertise needed to shut down the tower and cut JARVIS off from the Tower. It would take some heavy muscle. And considering he had stolen the only stable Winter Soldier, all signs pointed to Hydra, who had to be biting at the bit to get their weapon back. Since they couldn't locate him here (thanks goodness that he had Barnes hidden away), they must've taken Rhodey and Ayo as a consolation prize. If he knew his villains as he thought he did, Hydra was torturing them as he spoke for Barnes' location, which did nothing for Tony's stomach.

"Should I phone the authority?" FRIDAY added.

"Phone Romanoff," Tony directed. She wasn't his first choice, but a truce had been called.

"Connected," JARVIS answered, after a few seconds.

"Stark," came Natasha's harsh voice. They may have been going back and forth for a while and had a cold tones with each other, but there was something dangerous there. An edge.

"The-"

"Fury's dead." She stated, firmly and quickly. "I don't have time for your-"

"Dead?" he uttered, shocked, his brain swirling. The old timeline, a damn movie, replayed in his head. He wasn't apart of the previous Fall of SHIELD and didn't know the particulars, but he knew the aftereffects. He remembered going into overdrive, trying to save the many SHIELD agents who's covers were blown. He remembered finding the ones who weren't lucky. He remembered building the Avengers to cover the void that the loss of SHIELD had created. At some point, some of it may have blended together, but a little voice in his head was screaming 'this is too soon.' It was all too soon. "Too soon," he murmured, the words coming out of his mouth before he knew it.

"What is too soon?" she asked, annoyance present in her voice.

"Nothing." He asserted, quickly.

Natasha huffed. "Fury was murdered. I don't have time-"

"The Tower was raided," Tony interrupted again. "Ayo and Rhodey are missing."

Natasha didn't respond at first. "I assume they were looking for our friend." She replied, picking her would carefully.

"Yes, but instead, they took Ayo and Rhodey, who didn't go down without a fight. There's blood everywhere," he said, his voice quivering.

"Don't go there." She firmly stated, her voice strangely warm. She paused, taking a deep breath. "Look-"

Something quaked inside Tony. They didn't share feeling or comfort the another. Plus, neither one of them were decent at the warm and feelies. He would leave that to someone else like Sam or even Steve. "I don't need any false pleasantries from you."

"You don't—" Natasha started before cutting her own self off. She must've turned from the phone as her voice sounded distant. "It's Stark." She adjusted the phone, the phone shrieking for a second

"Romanoff," he called, when she didn't return back to the phone. Harsh, angry whispers could be heard in the background; one of which was Rogers. Tony knew that voice from anywhere. "Natasha."

The phone shifted again, as Natasha brought it back to her lips. "Now isn't good for me. I'll come back tomorrow for your hand to hand training." She answered, her tone changing.

Tony was always good at catching lies, the key being to never believe anything that anyone said. Now, he faultered at times, because he was a sucker, but for the most part, he knew the clues. The slight drop in her voice followed by sharp uptake was enough for him. "Rumlow?" he asked.

"Yes." She replied.

"Okay, look—"

"Got to go," Natasha cut off, disconnecting the call.

Tony, mouth opened, stood there for a few second, staring at the wall. "She just hung up on me." he said in disbelief. "She hung up on me." His anger simmered.

"I am sorry, Sir. A first for you, sir." JARVIS answered, deadpanned.

"Ha ha," He replied, ignoring the ache in his back. He was still feeling the beating he took a few days ago.

"I only speak the truth."

Tony ignored his AIs, as he stomped to the public lab on this floor. With a watchful eye, he sat at the lab table closest to the window. He had pretty much stayed out of this lab after waking up in this timeline. There was no read reason. No reason to work in it either. The tower was out outfitted with enough labs that he could work in a different lab each day. It was a scientist/engineer wet dance, and even now, Tony smiled at the beauty of each of them. However, he preferred his own lap, enjoying his privacy. Granted, this one has the better view.

The light brighter than normal, Tony rested his head against the cold metal lap tables as he tried to recall everything he could about the Fall of SHIELD. How could he not remember when SHIELD fell? "Shit," he uttered as he picked up his head. It probably wasn't too far off from the original timeline, moved up by a few weeks by the most, but he could've used those weeks. Barnes could have used that additional time. Tony pushed back on the table and eyed the two lap techs. "Try calling Romanoff again. We need a face to face chat," he requested.

"The call is going to voicemail, Boss." FRIDAY answered. "Boss, I am beginning-"

"Keep trying." Tony snapped, cutting off whatever she was going to say. This was pointless and he knew it. Knowing the former Russian Spy like he did, she would've gone radio silent. "Try Rogers and Barton."

"I am unable to reach either Captain Rogers or Agent Barton," JARVIS answered.

Tony exhaled slowly, as a picture of Barton's family formed in his head. Once Fury's 'death' hit press, Barton, a proud and protective father, most likely rushed to his family's side in attempt to safeguard them. Fury and Romanoff were the only one who knew about Barton Family, which was probably why they lasted the Fall of SHIELD while others did not. A realization popped into his. "Call T'Chaka and tell him 'it's starting.' We need to get people in place now." In the previous timeline, he hadn't acted fast enough, and people died.

"Sir, would you like to speak with him?" JARVIS asked.

"No, just let him know what we know. There was an attack on the Tower. Rhodey and Ayo are missing." Tony instructed as he got to his feet. He turned from the lab table and covered his mouth with his hand. He, eyes closed, pinched slightly as he exhaled deeply. "Fuck." He cursed as anger sparked in him. He, with a roar deep from within, picked up the chair threw it. "Fuck." He repeated, reaching for something else. Anything else. He didn't care. This time it was a tablet, which shattered on impacted.

"Sir, I must ask you cease," JARVIS spoke.

Tony may have heard his AI, but there was not an ounce of hesitation in him. Anything he could reach became a projectile. He became lost in his anger. After everything. After everything that he had done, this was where he was. All his hard work was for nothing. Peter's petrified flashed before his eyes. "Fuck." He hissed, picking up yet another item. The pure panic in Peter's face would hunt him until Tony died.

He looked like a wild bull, tossing around items like they were nothing. Several glass tables, ranging from lab tables to carts, were shattered. A few large glass monitors, which looked more like glass walls/pillars than monitors, were smashed, sending glass shards across the room. It crunched loudly under his foot, embedding deep into the beds of his shoe. Several chairs were on their sides, several with broken arms. After it was all said and done, the lab was a mess. It was a war zone, matching the actual warzone outside the lab.

Tony's anger still surged through his veins, edging him forward. The only thing stopping him was his heavy breathing and the numbness spreading up his arms into his shoulders. Sweat rolled down his warm red face as his chested moved up and down in a rapid motion. His breathing was labored, and he struggled to expand his lungs and take in air. His version darkened for a second, and his balance faltered. "Fuck," he repeated, yet again, as he eyed the mess he had created.

"Do you feel better now, Sir?" JARVIS asked. If he was human, there would have been an eye roll.

"Someone is being sassy," Tony replied, softly. Wobbly on his feet, he leaned—more like fell backward against one of the few upright tables.

"We need to be to keep up with you, Boss," FRIDAY added.

Sitting on the edge, he bent over slightly, resting his head in left hand. His right was tucked against his chest. The sound of his heartbeat echoed in his ear. "Not now." He begged, closing his eyes. He tried to reopen them, but they were too heavy. "I need to focus. I need to figure out where they took Ayo and Rhodey. I need to stop HYDRA and those Super Soldiers. No telling what five would do on an unexpecting world." He said, letting out a heavy yawned. Just speaking was exhausting. "Any luck with Romanoff, Rogers or Barton."

"No, Sir; however, King T'Chaka has been asking to speak to you." JARVIS answered.

Tony pinched the corner of his nose and let out a harsh groan. "Not now-"

"Boss, there is something you will want to see." FRIDAY interjected

He opened his eyes, peaking up over his hand. "What?"

"SHIELD had issued an alert for Captain Rogers." FRIDAY answered.

Tony exhaled, his eyelids feeling like a ton of bricks. "I need you and JARVIS do a deep drive. Look for anything and everything about Rogers. Searching through everything you can get your nonexistent hands on. They're going to need us." As he wasn't invited to the party originally, he wasn't clear on the details. Rogers wasn't forthcoming, not that Tony blamed him. His whole world was rocked, learning that his best friend was brain washed into a killing machine by an evil Nazi organization. That could scramble anyone. However, there was one thing he knew of: The Battle at the Triskelion.

"On it, Sir."

"Can you find me a Sam Wilson in D.C.?" he asked. It wouldn't hurt if he tracked down Sam Wilson. No doubt Rogers would tap him in. "He works with Vets. If it helps, he was in the Air Force. A pararescue airman to be more detailed."

"On it, Boss."

*O*O*

If he was going to war, Tony was going to need his war colors. After a few additional enhancements to the suit, JARVIS and FRIDAY added the famous colors that Iron Man was known for it. It was a requirement for taking on Nazi. So, while he waited for that, he took a small nap. Destroying a lab did take a toll on him, and while sleeping did not sound appealing, he needed to be alert.

FRIDAY and JARVIS had been communicating with Wakanda. For Tony's own sanity, the AIs were keeping a watchful eye on Peter, who was still celebrating with Ned. And for some ungodly reason, he checked on Doctor Strange as well. He had no idea why, considering Strange made it through the first time. He was a cocky, arrogance, egotist, narcissist asshole, who thought he hung the moon…. The irony was not lost on Tony, but he wasn't going to knowledge that right now. Plus, his concern for Strange was food for thought for another day. He was not interested in doing some soul searching right now. He had down enough soul searching him for a life time.

*O*O*

Tony wasn't sure what he expected from Sam Wilson, but color him pink. Wilson's house wasn't large, but it wasn't tiny. Although, he wasn't the best judge of what tiny meant. Everything was tiny to the billionaire, who had multiple million dollars mansions and yachts all across the world. He was sure he had closets larger than people's apartments. So, let it be known he was not a good judge of what tiny meant. He wasn't good judge of what sensible meant, but that was a story for another time. Besides, Wilson's house was decent if you were into that sort of thing. Yes, there was a tone in Tony's head when he thought those words. It was a little too white picketed fence for Tony likening, even if there was a point in his life that he wanted that.

The Iron Man out of sight, Tony made his way to the front door. The grass was slightly overgrown and brown in some spots. Wilson did not seem like the gardening type; yet, flowerbeds lined the house. The flowers had not yet bloomed, only spouting an inch or so out of the ground. The weeds, which seemed to have a mind of their own, spouted up randomly. Tony eyed them for a quick second before knocking on the door. Hearing nothing, he knocked swifter. Tony leaned toward the window to see if he could peep in, but the curtains were drawn.

Tony let out a hard, deep sigh. He returned to the door, knocking once more. This time, it was heavier, making his knuckles hurt.

"I'm coming!" came the familiar cranky voice of Sam Wilson. "Hold your horses." Sam's words soon turned into mumbles, angry mumbles.

Tony paused, lowering his hand. Sam's heavy steps were loud enough that Tony could hear them. If he wasn't so damn tired, he would laugh. He was also too damn angry, and shit, scared. With timeline changing, Tony had no idea how this would turn out. Ayo and Rhodey could-

The door opened, revealing a very wet Sam Wilson. There were a few things that Tony never wanted to see, and this was one of them. Sam must've just gotten out of the shower, because his hair was still wet, and water still dripped down his naked chest. The only thing covering the future Avenger was a large white towel, wrapped loosely around his waist. It hung low enough that Tony could see the beginning of his- Nope, he wasn't even going to think it. However, there was an interesting scar that traveled up his side.

"What-Tony Stark? Tony Stark is at my door. Why is Tony Stark at my door?" He asked, his anger morphing into confusion. "Did your car break down? Or…your Iron Man suit?" Awkwardness leaked through his voice as he cocked his head to the side. "I'm-"

Tony glanced between Wilson and the door, wondering if Steve happened to have made it here before him. "Sam Wilson. I know who you are. Are you going to invite me in?" He paused, giving him a Chester Cat like grin. "What are your neighbors going to think?" he asked, teased.

Sam's grip on his towel tightened, almost revealing too much. "What?... um, sure." He replied, stepping to the side.

*O*O*

After pointing Tony to the direction of the living room, Sam had disappeared up the steps, mumbling to himself as he went. Tony had no idea as to what, but he could assume it was a few colorful curses. Being Tony Stark and all, he had heard it and could replay it on will. Some were not appropriate to speak aloud.

Deep sigh, Tony sank into a chair in front of the window and leaned back, staring out the window. A chill danced in the air, goosebumps forming on his arm, but you would never know it as the sun masked the chill. It was beautiful day. Tony supposed it was a good day as any to take on Hydra. A good day for Rhodey and Ayo to be tortured he supposed as well. It had been years since Tony had been tortured, but he flashed back like it was yesterday. The icily water was a ghostly presence against his skin as the whip they struck his back. Both Ayo and Rhodey are warriors. They can handle anything. He reasoned, though he had no luck in calming himself.

"What you are seeing?"

Tony flinched, which was quickly followed by irritation. "What?" he uttered, turning to face the now dressed Wilson.

"I know that look. I've seen that look. Experienced it myself." He paused, eyeing the dark cycles under Tony's eyes. "Saw things." He said, not saying anything more. He folded his arms across his chest. He was now wearing a hoodie and sweatpants.

Tony's eyebrow rose. "Not really interested in your assessment. Not one of your vets at the VA."

Sam gave him a good once over. "Okay," he said, putting his hands up in a surrounding motion. "Well obviously, I know who you are, but I'm surprised you know who I am."

"I know things," Tony replied, cheekily. He leaned back in the chair, forcing a smile to his face.

Exhaling deeply, Sam asked, "So, why is Iron Man in my house?"

Tony closed his eyes for a second, debating on what to tell Sam. Sam Wilson, any version or timeline, was a straight shooter; yet, this Sam was a stranger to him. There was no telling how Sam would respond. "Captain American."

Something hard flashed behind Sam's eyes. "Okay." He stated, slowly. "But I do not see how I can be of help." Suspicion laced into his expression. "I don't know the guy."

It was interesting to watch Sam's face morph. "I know we all know that's a lie." Tony gave him a sassy smile. "Running buddies… granted, can Rogers call anyone a running partner? How many times has he passed you?" Steve's running schedule was not one of Tony's fascination, but he could imagine people eyeing Steve as a piece of sweet candy as he ran. He had heard the stories, or rather, he had heard Sam whine about it to Rhodey who laughed his ass off the entire time. 'On your left' was always said with such bitterness that Tony couldn't help but cackle. Steve, even the no-nonsense man, snickered at Sam's hyped up pain. Captain America could be a real painful ass at times.

Sam spread his legs, getting into a semi defensive stand. "I wouldn't really call us friends."

"Easy, Wilson. I'm trying to help. Have you seen the news lately? SHIELD is asking for Rogers' head on a silver platter." He leaned forward, reading his elbows on his knees. "I'm just trying to help our boy."

"I have seen it. Seemed a little shady to me."

"Hella shady."

"So, I take it you know what's going on?" Sam asked.

"I do. An angry Nazi organization wanting world domination. Same old same old," Tony waved off.

"Oh, is that all?" he grumbled to himself.

"And Government corruption." Tony smiling weekly.

Sam let out a heavy sigh. "So, a normal day for you. How can little old me help you?" he asked.

Before Tony could answer, there was a soft knock on his backdoor. "That," he answered, nodding toward the sound of the knock. Another heavy knock rattled the door.

Puzzled, Sam peeped over a shoulder. "Okay, how did you do that? Do I even want to know?" Tony didn't answer, only leaned back and watched as Sam walked back to the door. His body blocked the view of the door, but there was no hiding Steve's large form. "Hey, man."

"I'm sorry about this. We need a place to lay low." Steve replied with an arm around Natasha, keeping her close.

"Everyone we know is trying to kill us." Natasha added, sounding so heartbroken. When she first learned of Hydra, she looked like someone kicked her puppy. Now, she was destroyed.

Sam paused a moment before replying. "Not everyone." He turned and nodded toward the living room.

Tony got to his feet, crossed to the doorway and leaned against the frame. "Look who the bird dragged in."

Both of Steve's and Natasha's head popped up. "Stark," Rogers uttered, surprised.

"How did you know we be here?" Natasha asked over Steve.

Tony's eyes danced between the three of them. Natasha was worse for the wear, a few more bruises marking her skin. She was covered in a thick layer of ash and dirt, and her clothes were torn, ripped in several places. Steve, though equally disheveled in appearance, wasn't as banged up, having only a few cuts and scrapes. There was a trail of dried blood on his forehead, but overall, he was in one piece. "I know stuff, but first, why don't you two get cleaned up. I am sure Wilson be okay with that."

Sam gave Tony a look before nodding at Natasha and Steve. "Sure. There's a shower and spare bedroom on the second door to the left."

*O*O*

Sam, the perfect house wife, decided to cook for the group. Over his shoulder, he kept studying Tony, taking him part. It was unnerving, especially considering there was a storm raging beneath his skin. Peter's cries be saved reverberated deep within Tony's head, and it was mentally exhausting. Tony hoped seeing the preteen Peter would settle him. Granted, it would do him a world of good once he had Rhodey and Ayo back.

Natasha and Steve showed their faces little less than an hour later. All signs of their previous fight disappeared from Steve, who looked only to have a missed a few hours of sleep. The ash and soot were now gone from Natasha's face, but she still looked like shit, though Tony wasn't going to tell her that. She had a permanent scowl on her face, and even if she was injured and had one arm behind her back, she would still kick ass.

The two of them joined Tony at the table, while Sam hovered at the stove. "How did you find us?" Natasha asked, concerned lace into her words.

Tony glanced toward Sam, pondering what the former Airman had to be thinking. "Hydra is not going to find you. I just know things." He replied with a shrug.

Steve eyed Tony with a curious expression. "Not good…," he started, anger leaking through before stopping himself. He took a deep breath before repeating. "Not good enough." He finished softly. No doubt their last conversion playing in Steve's head. "I think we need to put everything on the table."

"Okay, but first, what happened to you?" Tony eyed, eyeing the scratch on Natasha's face.

Sam leaned back against counter table while Rogers spoke. Tony could hear the bitterness and fury in his voice as he mentioned Zola and the days' events. "And I think we all know who in SHIELD could launch a domestic missile strike."

"Pierce, who happens to be sitting on top of the most secure building in the world." Natasha offered, staring off. She looked tiny as she curled into herself.

Tony wondered if this was the conversion in the previous timeline that Sam offered his undying loyalty to Captain America. "So, what is the plan?"

Steve flexed his hands. "Tony," he chastened softly. He was walking on glass. "You next."

"Where to start?" Tony hummed, feeling their eyes on him.

"Tony." Natasha eyed the genius, watching his every twitch. "Can you tell us happened to Ayo and Rhodey?"

Tony tensed as he felt both Sam and Steve's eyes on him, scrutinizing him for any kind of clues. "It seems we pissed off Hydra, when we raided their base. They retaliated, attacking the tower and jumping their plans for world domination."

Steve was unimpressed. "If you had told us, we would have assisted. You didn't need to do this alone."

"Kettle Black, Rogers." Tony retorted with a 'tsh'. He puffed out his cheeks letting out the breath he was holding. "Besides, we weren't alone," Tony added with a large circler gesture. "However, that isn't the point. I couldn't use SHIELD's gold boy to break into a Hydra base. They would have known in a second who we were."

Natasha's eyes narrowed, knowing exactly why Tony didn't bring Rogers. She also knew exactly who Hydra was looking for without it being said. "And they took Ayo and Rhodes when they didn't find what they wanted," she asked, though it really wasn't a question.

"What did they want?" Sam asked.

Tony could feel Natasha's eyes on him. "We broke into their system, stole data," he lied once more. He briefly explained what happened in the base, minus the James Barnes part. JARVIS did put together a briefing for Rogers and Barton, but he wasn't sure if they reviewed it.

"You didn't think to hold off? Didn't think to call in back up? That—"

"Hindsight is 20/20, Rogers. Trust me. I don't need a lecture from you!" Tony snapped.

"What was so important to risk showing your hand? We're on the run, you were attacked, and Fury is dead." Steve stated, breathing through his nose. His hand right hand balled, as he sat perfectly still. He exhale deeply in an attempt to keep his voice down. "Ayo and Rhodey are hostages of Hydra."

This conversion was going south real fast. "I know! Trust me I know." Tony snapped. "But I will get them back."

"Any idea where Hydra could have taken them?" Sam asked, trying to cut through the tension.

Tony had no idea, but with Wakanda hunting down all of the bases, they would find them. "No." he answered.

"Tony," Steve called, struggling to keep his cool. He visibly took some deep breaths. "Listen, I didn't-"

It annoyed the fuck out of Tony that Steve thought he was scared. He definitely was not scared of him. "Fury isn't dead." He announced, trying to change the subject. Well, I the fuck hope so. He thought. He could've royally screwed up the timeline, but if Fury got away from Barnes in the previous timeline, he could get away from a different Winter Soldier.

"What?!" Natasha expressed, loudly

"I don't know where he is. I just know he's alive." Tony answered, gently.

"We saw his body." Natasha countered, harshly.

"You saw what Fury wanted you to see. He needs Hydra to think he's dead." Tony responded.

Steve opened his mouth to speak but Sam beat him to it. "This can wait. Whatever this is going on between you guys." His eyes danced between Steve and Tony. "We are being targeted. We need to deal with that first."

"Us?" Natasha asked. Her mood lightened at the knowledge that Fury was alive.

Pulling a file seemingly out of nowhere, Sam dropped a file on the table, "Call it a resume."

Tony watched as Natasha picked up a photo of Sam with his para-rescue team. Both Steve and Natasha seemed impressed by Sam, who flipped through file to show them his wings. If Tony hadn't already seen those wings and hadn't already built the man better ones, he would've been impressed. It was hard to be impressed when you knew the future.

"None of this surprises you, does it?" Sam said, turning his attention to Tony.

"No." Tony answered. "But that is story for another time. Right now, we have a world to save."

Steve gave him Tony a narrowing look before he directed his attention back to Sam. "I can't ask you to do this, Sam. You got out for a good reason."

"Dude, Captain America needs my help. There's no better reason to get back in," he stated, as if it was obviously thing in the world.

"Where can we get our hands on one of these things?" Steve asked.

"The last one is at Fort Meade, behind three guarded gates and a twelve-inch steel wall." Sam answered. "Unless this one can whip one up in the next hour." He nodded his head toward Tony.

Like it was some comedy show, three heads turned to him. "My lap had been trashed." He answered, though leaving out the part that it was him who trashed it. That was a story for never. "However, I am not that good. Maybe, later Bird Brain."

Sam let out a chuckle. "Bird Brain? But I am taking that as a promise for some wings." Tony snorted. From there, a plan formed, created with a specific target in mind. There was no doubt who would be in charge of that 'fun'. Steve was totally not the torture or throwing people off root type.

*O*O*

With the weight of Fury's death off her shoulder, Natasha was having too much of fun, though Tony was sure some of that was anger. Fury might be alive, but she was still pissed. Pissed about the torture and brainwashing of Barnes. Pissed they attacked Fury. Pissed she was injured. Granted, she was just pissed. So, she may have laughed when she kicked Sitwell off the building, but she was boiling. Tony wasn't a cold-blooded killer, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't a bit sad when Sam, AKA the Falcon, threw Sitwell back onto the roof. Tony wouldn't have cared if Sitwell pancaked, as he was Hydra after all, but they were the heroes in this story. They don't needlessly kill. Neither Ayo nor Rhodey would approve him going on a murder streak.

Pushing himself up onto his knees, Sitwell's scared eyes darted between them in a rapid motion. "I don't know where Stark's new bodyguard or Colonel Rhodey is being held. Pierce is keeping that close to the vest!" he spoke, trembling.

"Why don't I believe you?" Tony asked, his eyes drilling into Sitwell.

"I don't know where they," Sitwell answered earnestly. "I just know Piece wants what was taken from Hydra. He won't stop until he gets it back. He won't kill them until then."

Tony's hands balled at his side, forcing back the rage that was working his way up. "What do you know?" he hissed.

Sitwell looked up, a defiance blooming in his eyes. "You shouldn't have raided that base, Stark."

Natasha, reading Tony's murderous expression, stepped in front of Tony, as she nailed Sitwell with her own murderous expression. "If you can't help us with the safe return of Ayo and Rhodes, what good are you?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Zola's algorithm" Sitwell looked past Natasha, meeting Tony's glance for a second before turning to Steve. "I…. it…" He paused, taking a shaky breath. "It's a program for choosing Insight's targets!" he answered. His hand shook at his side.

Tony knew all of this. He needed to know about Rhodey and Ayo, and he was going to pull it from Sitwell, even if it killed him. He took a step forward, but Natasha turned him and held out her hand to stop him. She shook her head.

"What targets?" Steve asked, hovering over the man. His normally large figure seemed much larger as he stood over Sitwell.

"You! You!" he yelled, pointing to each of them. "Especially Stark. A TV anchor in Cairo, the Undersecretary of Defense, a high school valedictorian in Iowa city. Bruce Banner, Stephen Strange, anyone who's a threat to HYDRA! Now, or in the future." Sitwell replied with a shaky voice.

"The Future? How could it know?" Steve asked, his eyebrow rising in confusion.

Tony froze. It wasn't Bruce's name that threw Jim (though it was another reminder to track the big guy down), but hearing Strange's name snapped something in Tony. How did a Surgeon get onto Hydra's hit list? He doubted the Egoist Strange would stick his neck out for anyone. Tony marched over to Sitwell, his brain solely focusing on the Hydra Agent. He vagally recognized his name being called, but his eyes unswerving, their cries were unanswered. His right wrist, in a lighter and simpler brace, twitched painfully, as he reached down to Sitwell and yanked him up. "How the hell did Stephen Strange get on your list?" he hissed. Did Hydra know that Strange would be doing magic in some bathrobes in the near future?

"Stark!" Steve yelled, while Natasha called out "Tony." Both startled by the rage on his face.

Sitwell, still shaking, stumbled, breaking from Tony's grip and fell back. He yelped in both surprised and pain, his back slamming against the hard roof. "How is Strange on your list?!" Tony demanded, once more. "How is a mere doctor on your list?"

"Whoa," Sam uttered. His hands were up as he took a step forward.

Something must've worried Sam, Steve and Natasha as they all reached for him. They almost collided with each other, which drew Tony's attention. Suddenly, the temperature dropped, and his heart skipped. Even through his coat, their arms were ice cold and snapped him back to reality. "Get off," he hissed as he harshly shrugged them off.

Sitwell crawled back, putting the much-needed space between them. "It doesn't take much, Stark." He answered, slightly out of breath. For a man with more physical training then the genius, the man was genuinely scared of Tony.

"You knew his name personally. Used it alongside Banner's name. He must've rung a big red flag for you." Tony hissed

Natasha stepped forward, halfway putting herself between the two. "Tony, who is Stephen Strange?"

Tony's head turned to her, her confusion slapping him back to reality. A severe chill ran down his spine, and he had to get out of here. He pulled a phone and tossed it to Natasha, who caught it easily. "That is untraceable. Keep it on you. I will be in touch. I got to go." He turned to leave.

"Stark." Steve called, stepping toward him.

"Tony," Natasha spoke. There was an unspoken question in her voice, a question that would be asked at a later time. Tony's action spoke loudly.

"I just need to check something. I'll be back for the big boss fight," he stated, stepping away from them. It wasn't until he made it back to the door that Natasha trapped him. "What?" he hissed, his glance jumping to Steve and Sam, who attended to Sitwell. He watched them roughly pull the man to his feet.

"What's going on?" Natasha asked, anger and concern weirdly mixed in her voice. "It's time to let the rest of the class in. Who is Stephan Strange? What does he have to do with this?" She paused, waiting for an answer. "Tony. What's going on?"

Tony took a deep breath, forcing his beating heart to slow. Strange was fine in the last timeline, so there may not be any point to this freak out. Granted, so were Ayo and Rhodey. In his attempt to fix the future, he reset the timeline. Those five winter Soldiers, who were shot dead in their frozen state, were now on the board. "Keep in touch with that phone. I'll be back," he stated, channeling his inter Arnold Schwarzenegger. If Natasha said anything else, it fell on deaf's ears. He was gone the second he stepped into the Iron Man suit.

Author note:

I think my issue is that want to skip the Winter Soldier Movie, and it is battle to write this chapter. I would much rather write the future chapters. LOL.

Anyhow, i hope you all stay safe.

Until the next time!