Sorry for the slow update, but here we go, trying to get rid of the handcuffs with the assistance of a very frustrated psychologist :) Hope you'll enjoy it!

File ID HC034812 - Handcuff-project

Date: July 02, 2012

Participants: Tony Stark/Iron Man, Steve Rogers/Captain America

Supervisor: Stella Moon - ID T453

Task #01 - Robots

"And again," Steve repeats while Tony stands back up. It is the fifth tentative with the practice robots today. Tony has a bruise on his jaw but Steve appears as spotless as he was when he stepped into the ring.

I sit on a bench near them jotting down notes on their performance. It is less than ideal. They don't cooperate at all. They are cuffed together and they make this a competition too.

Tony has his suit on except for the gauntlet on his right hand while Steve is in his uniform without the glove on his left hand and with his shield. Two of Earth's mightiest heroes with their high-tech gear unable to defeat ten robots attacking them in pairs.

"I don't mean to interrupt," I say making them look at me. Tony rolls his eyes. "But you are aware that the robots are set in the easiest mode, right?"

"Is that your pep talk?" Tony asks raising his eyebrow. "Thank you. So inspiring."

"No. I don't think you need a pep talk. You do however need to at least try to work together."

"What do you think we're doing?" Steve asks.

"Honestly? Making a competition out of this," I respond. They glare at me which would have been a pretty scary thing a month ago. Now I stay unfazed. "Do you remember the whole Loki debacle? When you first caught him in Germany?" Tony huffs and Steve nods. "You did it because you worked together."

"I would have taken care of him just fine," Steve remarks making Tony chuckle sourly.

"Right. I suppose it is just a coincidence that he surrendered to me in the moment I appeared."

"Oh really? And where were you before that? Not in the Avengers team. Textbook narcissism, huh?" Steve mocks. I read the assessment Natasha wrote on Tony Stark. Steve however didn't seem the kind that liked reports.

"I still had to join because Mr Supersoldier with the shining shield was not enough."

"Okay, this is what I am talking about, see?" I ask as I stand and walk to the ring. "You are supposed to beat at least six robots in pro mode. Preferably before Pepper returns. Is that correct?" Tony grumbles something that I take as a yes. "Okay. Now try again."

The robots get activated again. Here we go. Tentative number six. I step back from the ring and watch as the two robots fly over it. Before they could land Tony shoots one off. The other heads towards Steve who quickly strikes at it with the shield. Both robots are taken out and it only took seven seconds.

"This is multimillion-dollar tech," Tony remarks. The robot program was funded by SHIELD, not Stark Industries, which is probably fortunate because if it was Tony's tech that they were required to destroy in order to get out of the handcuffs we would not hear the end of it.

"See? See what happens if you stop being children for seven seconds?" I ask. "Now you have to do the same with the pro bots. Six times. And we're there."

But we are obviously not there. The pro bots are calibrated to force the participants to work together. Even if Steve and Tony can take them down separately, they fail miserably when they are supposed to cooperate.

"You know what? That's it," I say as I stand up from the bench and collect my bag.

"I thought you are supposed to monitor our progress," Steve remarks.

"Yeah, based on the premise that you make any kind of progress. Which you clearly don't. So I am not going to waste more time on trying to explain to the soldier and the man with god knows how many PhDs that working together against bad guys is beneficial," I huff. "And may I remind you that it is not even the only task you are expected to accomplish. Will you be able to make scrambled eggs without setting the kitchen on fire?" I ask without waiting for an answer.

I leave the gym and make my way to the kitchen. I need a coffee and a new job.

From: Phillip Coulson

To: Stella Moon

Date: July 03, 2012

Subject: Re: Robots - lack of cooperation

Dear Miss Moon,

I understand your issues and if there was anyone else who I deemed the right person to supervise the Handcuff-project and who weren't out doing field-work or otherwise busy, I would put them in charge. But unfortunately you are the only one I can trust with this.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Best regards,

Phil

P.S.: Yes, I know, you are not impressed with our company. Can I interest you in a dinner invitation to a fancy restaurant to reimburse you? It's on the company.

File ID HC034815 - Handcuff-project

Date: July 04, 2012

Participants: Tony Stark/Iron Man, Steve Rogers/Captain America

Supervisor: Stella Moon - ID T453

Task #02 - Negotiation

"Are you still pissed off?" Tony asks as I sit down in the meeting room. The conference call is about to begin.

"I'm not sure," I respond. I still don't know if agent Coulson wants to take me on a date disguised as an attempt to warm me up to SHIELD or he really just wanted to make a gesture. "How did you do with the robots?"

Steve turns to look at me. "We got one. Turned out it was just one with a dying battery."

I can't help my snoring laughter. "I bet if they were Stark bots, there would be no batteries in them."

Tony looks unamused. "It goes without saying. Batteries belong to the previous century."

"Like me, is that so?" Steve asks. I frown and make a mental note to look into his tendencies to take Tony's remarks a little too personal.

Tony rolls his eyes and leaves the comment unanswered. Interesting. Did he realise he had to work together with Steve Rogers? Because if so, he came to that conclusion sooner than Steve. "Can we concentrate on this please? I want to get done at least one task."

Before we could answer there is a beep and another conference room appears on the screen. The men in the room, the mayor of Arkala and the village's leaders with him, can only see and hear Tony and Steve.

"Mr Stark, Mr Rogers." Vimal Kamur, the mayor starts. "We are honoured to talk to you but we can only repeat what we already said to Mr Fury and the others of your company. We do not have any of your weapons."

Tony seems to want to roll his eyes again but he manages not to. "Sir, with all due respect, we have read the reports."

"Then you must have read that your men came to see the ruins of the warehouse and found nothing."

"We've also read that there is a suspicion you're hiding the weapons and equipment somewhere."

"We are not."

And it goes on and on. They repeat the same things over and over again. After fifteen minutes of we-don't-have-it-yes-you-do Steve decides to help the businessman out.

"Sir, I am not sure if you are aware that SHIELD's policy is not negotiation."

"I can see that," the mayor responds. Tony tugs on the cuffs to prevent Steve from talking. The Captain doesn't notice it.

"What I am trying to say is that we have our suspicions and so far you failed to provide enough evidence for us to ignore them, even less to forget about them definitely. Which puts you on SHIELD's radar."

Sure, Tony perhaps is not the man for this job, but Steve is a soldier, not a negotiator. That becomes painfully obvious seeing the Indian men's faces. Tony tries to save face as the man on the mayor's right responds.

"Are you threatening us, Mr Rogers? Is that the way America treats its allies nowadays?"

"No, sir, this is certainly not a threat," Tony replies. "We do not wish to engage in any activity that might harm—"

"That's very kind of SHIELD after our whole village suffered for the deal they offered us," the man answers. Steve looks at his lap. Did he forget the part about the huge sum of money SHIELD paid for these people to let them store their stuff near their home?

The meeting soon wraps up and in the moment the screen goes black, Tony bites at Steve's neck.

"Who taught you how to behave in delicate diplomatic situations?" He asks frustratedly. "Could it be nobody? Because you don't know shit about it."

"Do you?" Steve retorts. "All you did was repeat the same thing."

"Because that's how it works!" Tony says raising his voice.

"It worked out just fine I see," Steve replies. Now would be a good time for either of them to storm off, but the handcuffs make that impossible, so all that remains is the icy silence. Task number two, tentative number one: complete and utter failure.