A/N: Sorry, it took so long for me to get this up. Both my friend, Kristyn (who's been reading over the story for me,) and myself have been super busy with school and it's barely started.
A/N 2: This picks up right where the last chapter left off.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers!
Chapter 10
"Shit," Tony breathes out. The genius shifts into a sitting position. He can't even bring himself to smile when Steve unconsciously presses his face against Tony's hipbone and nuzzles his bare skin.
"'Shit', is right, Stark. Now, like I said, assemble your team and get the hell to base," Fury replies before hanging up.
"Should I inform the rest of the Avengers, sir?"
"Please. Tell them to meet us in the common room in ten minutes."
JARVIS doesn't respond and Tony welcomes the silence, staring into the darkness. His mind is whirling with endless possibilities of what the Skull could be planning. While the engineer is thrilled that Shield finally knows what that bastard is planning after two months, he can't help the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.
The worst part, in the genius's perspective, is that he has to tell Steve. Tony's worried that once his boyfriend finds out the Skull's location, he's going to be fixated on revenge and ignore anything else, including his own health. The brunet glances down at Steve, who is still fast asleep, oblivious to everything around him. Tony hates having to be the one to ruin his peaceful slumber. Then again, Tony does ruin all things wonderful. He gulps before planting his hand on Steve's shoulder and shaking the man gently. "Hey. . . Hey, come on, wake up."
Steve groans, opening his eyes and rolling onto his back. He yawns and blinks up at Tony lazily before noting the worried expression on the other man's face. The blond forces himself awake, moving into a sitting position and placing a warm comforting hand on Tony's back, concern hovering over his features. "Honey, what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"
Tony shakes his head. "No, I uh . . . haven't had a nightmare since we . . . got together, yeah." He takes a deep calming breath, and moves closer to Steve, who wraps both arms around Tony's waist. "I just got off the phone with Fury . . . he wants us to go to base."
The soldier rubs a hand across Tony's side and the brunet barely suppresses a shiver. "Why? What's going on?" he prompts gently.
Tony gulps, wishing he didn't have to do this. "They figured it out—they know what that fucker Skull is planning."
Steve's expression goes from one of concern to one that is reserved. He's starting to retreat into his shell—back to how he was when they first met on the Helicarrier and Tony hates it when the blond gets like this, but thankfully, it doesn't happen often. He only sequesters himself when he's thinking of the past—his family and friends, the war, Bucky . . .
"We should probably go," the soldier says in a neutral tone. He uncurls his arms from around the billionaire and stands from the bed.
Tony leaps across the bed and wraps his arms around his lover's torso, halting the man in his steps, though the brunet knows that Steve can easily break his grip.
"What are you doing?" Steve sighs, sounding exhausted.
"I'm trying to keep you from shutting me out."
"Tony—" Steve begins, sounding desperate.
"No!" Tony shifts his position and rests his chin on Steve's shoulder. "I won't let you do this alone. We're a team, okay? Where you go, I go."
Steve bites his bottom lip before sighing again and Tony knows he won. "Alright . . . Let's go ahead and get ready. After all, Fury is an impatient man."
"That he is," Tony agrees as Steve slides out of his arms. "Hey."
The blond turns to him, a curious look on his face.
"I love you."
Steve's eyes light up with joy and he gives the brunet a small smile. "I love you too." He takes Tony's hand and gives it a gentle tug. "Come on."
The couple rushes downstairs, meeting up with the rest of the team. The Avengers are in various states of dress: Thor is wearing his armor and a pair of black pants; Bruce is wearing the same clothes from yesterday and looking haphazard as if he just threw them on in a rush. Natasha is wearing her pajamas which consist of one of Thor's maroon t-shirts (which she "borrowed") and a pair of black shorts. Her hair is tied in a messy bun and she looks half-asleep.
"Where's Clint," Tony asks urgently as soon as he and Steve arrive in the common room. The engineer, like Natasha, is clad in his pajamas, which consist of Steve's red t-shirt and a pair of boxers, while Steve, who's shirtless, managed to throw on a pair of gray sweatpants before Tony rushed him out of their room.
"I told him to go ahead and ready the Quinjet," Natasha informs, taking long strides and leading the men to the elevator. She jams the down button and the device arrives quickly. The group pile inside and head for Garage Level Two, which houses the Quinjet Hangar.
The elevator doors open and the group quickly exit, entering a large open room around the size of a private airport hangar. The underground area houses two Quinjets that Tony built when he was having insomnia after the battle of New York. Clint is standing in front of the jet closest to the elevator doors, clad in his uniform with his quiver and bow situated on his back. The team approach and board the jet, with the archer leading the way.
Everyone takes a seat and straps in as Clint prepares for flight. He presses a button over his head, which causes the wall in front of the jet to open up. Clint steers the plane through this opening, which eventually spits the team out near Ellis Island. The archer steadies the Quinjet once they reach the proper altitude and speeds towards headquarters.
While onboard, the team takes turns changing into their spare uniforms, which are housed in the overhead cabinets. The genius is one of the last to get dressed, sliding into his under suit and stuffing his clothes into a laundry bag. On his way back to his seat, he grabs a brief case with his spare armor, which is located in the same cabinet as his uniform.
"I have a visual on the Helicarrier. ETA is two minutes," Clint announces in a pensive tone.
Tony slips back into his seat and buckles himself in, placing his briefcase between his feet and taking a deep breath. He turns to his right and meets Steve's steady gaze. The brunet holds out his right hand and watches Steve lace their hands together without hesitation. Tony gives his lover a comforting squeeze and watches Steve's front fall, showing his distress and overwhelming grief. While Clint begins to land the Quinjet on the Helicarrier's runway, the soldier's mask slips back into place.
As soon as Clint parks the jet, the team joins up with Coulson, who leads them through the bowels of Shield Headquarters and down an unknown hallway. The Agent throws open a wooden door, revealing a spacious room with no windows. The only furniture in the room is a large round table surrounded by nine gray office chairs. Coulson seats himself first, followed by Natasha to his right, Bruce, Tony, Steve, Thor, and three empty seats between the God and Coulson.
The conference room door opens and Agent Hill walks in, clad in her dark blue Shield uniform and her brunet haired pulled back into a tight bun. She slides into the seat on Couslon's left, posture straight and hands clasped together on the surface of the table.
Moments later, the door opens again and Fury struts in with Loki trailing behind him. The patched man is wearing his signature black outfit consisting of a long leather trench coat, a zip up vest, slacks, boots, and his trusty gun strapped on his right thigh. Loki on the other hand is wearing casual attire consisting of a dark green sweatshirt, black pants, and black boots. He follows Fury to the head of the table, sitting in the open seat next to Thor and exchanging a small smile with his brother.
Fury stands tall behind the only empty chair, exuding authority and power. He clears his throat and everyone turns their gazes to the man. "Now, you all know why I've called you here correct?" The Avengers nod. "Good. That saves some explaining," he turns to Loki. "Tell them what you told me."
Loki clears his throat and glances around the table at each Avenger, gaze lingering on his brother. "My memory is still spotty, but here's what I remember . . ." The pale man takes a breath. "I don't know how, but it appears that this Red Skull has come in contact with ancient and powerful Asgardian magic and, if not stopped, he will destroy the nine realms. In addition, I recall him mentioning having a long list of enemies to eliminate. First and foremost is the "Star Spangled Man," himself."
"So, you're saying that Red Skull wants to destroy all worlds and get revenge on Cap?" Tony inquires as his right hand unconsciously links with Steve's left under the table.
"Correct," Loki confirms.
"Wait," Natasha begins. "How was Skull able to control you in the first place?"
"There's a rare ice crystal that has the ability to control Joutens," Loki explains. "I have no idea how Skull came across this item because it only exists on Joutenheim."
"It could have happened after the tesseract launched Skull into space," Bruce theorizes. "He could have easily been placed on Joutenheim and then found his way back to Earth. What do you think, Cap?
Steve, who's clearly distracted with his thoughts, doesn't respond. He's silent for a few more moments before his eyes flash with recognition. "Uh, I think I might have destroyed that crystal. . ."
Loki gives a small quirk of his lips. "Good for you, Captain."
"Wait. How are we supposed to trust you?" Clint asks suspiciously while throwing a glare in Loki's direction.
The raven-haired man gives the archer a mischievous smirk. "Well, that's the thing . . . you don't."
"Do you know how to stop him?" Tony asks before Clint can speak up again.
"Fortunately," Loki answers. "In order to stop Skull, you have to complete four trials."
"Trials?" Bruce asks curiously with both eyebrows raised.
Loki shrugs. "This is ancient magic and trials were popular then." He reaches into his sweatshirt pocket and pulls out a worn piece of parchment. "I have found writings of the trials in this scroll I . . . uncovered on my previous travels, but they will take time to translate. I was, however, able to complete the reading of the first trial."
"What does it say?" Coulson asks, finally speaking up.
Loki opens the scroll and says, "To summarize: you are to rescue a troubled soul and return the being to the side they once were. There are a series of numbers following the text—"
"Let me see," Natasha interrupts, holding out her hand. Loki wordlessly hands over the scroll and she quickly scans the contents before giving the item back. "They're coordinates. I know where this is. Follow me," she says while standing from her seat.
"Before you go," Fury says. "I'm bringing in help."
The conference room door opens and in walks Rhodey, clad in his military uniform, with a shit-eating grin on his face.
"You lied to me," Tony greets, pretending to be offended.
"Hey, it's not lying if I didn't tell you shit," Rhodey answers, still smiling.
"I've asked Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes to aid you on this mission," Fury announces. "I figured his skill sets would be valuable to the cause."
"And I graciously accepted the offer," Rhodey says, grin still plastered on his face. Tony rolls his eyes at his friend's amusement.
"Alright, enough chatter," Fury says, in a dismissive tone. "Now, hurry up and get this trial done."
After being ushered out of the conference room, the Avengers and Rhodey, return to the Quinjet. This time, Natasha is piloting the plane. She sets a course for the scroll's coordinates, which she's being tight lipped about. Tony uses this time to berate Rhodey for not telling him about taking a job with Shield. Rhodey claims it's revenge for not telling him about Steve, in which Clint calls "ooh burn!" from the bathroom.
Hours later, Nat lands the Quinjet, silently announcing their arrival. Rhodey and Tony climb into their armor and spend a moment teasing each other about their equipment before exiting the Quinjet and coming face to face with a snow-covered landscape.
The brunet glances around at the untouched snow, knowing that if he weren't on a mission right now, he would push Rhodey over and use him as a sled. He tears his eyes away from the landscape and looks upward at the gray sky, noting the light flurries falling down. The genius is hoping there won't be a blizzard later. "Where are we?" Tony asks, directing the question to Widow.
"The Sakha Republic, just outside of a small town called Zima. I came here for training when I was still a spy for Russia," the redhead responds, as she slips a light brown coat over her uniform before glaring at Clint and Bruce until they do the same.
"We should head into town," Cap expresses, sliding his shield onto his right arm. "Try and gather some information."
"Good call," Rhodey answers as Natasha leads the way into town, which is only about a five-minute walk from where the Quinjet is settled in the snow.
Zima is a small village nestled in the heart of the Verkhoyansk Range. The village consists entirely of well-constructed log cabins, spaced evenly apart like the houses you would find in a typical American suburban neighborhood. The roofs of each building, in addition to the roadways, are covered in snow. The Avengers end up having to do an awkward zombie walk to reach the town.
As the Avengers make their way through Zima, they notice something strange. The town completely silent, with no signs of life or evidence that anyone has lived here for a long time—well, anything human. The only sounds in the area are the crunching of the Avengers footprints and the creaking of Tony and Rhodey's armor.
"Was the whole town just . . . abandoned," Bruce expresses as he steps up to the nearest house and inspects the front door, wondering if he should go inside.
"It appears to be that way, my friend," Thor answers in a neutral tone. He joins the scientist on the porch and peers around curiously.
"JARVIS, scan for other life forms."
"Certainly."
"Let's split up and search for Intel . . . and survivors," Rhodey says in a serious tone. Everyone murmurs their agreement and spread themselves throughout the town.
"I'm hungry," Clint announces, suddenly. He lifts the lid off a barrel in front of a cabin and pokes his head inside. "Is there food in here?"
Natasha rolls her eyes and walks away from the archer, kicking open the door of a nearby house and walking inside.
The genius sighs heavily as he waits for JARVIS's results, an unsettled feeling creeping against his skin. Out of the corner of his eye, Tony sees Cap wander out of one of the many abandoned cabins and walk towards him. The blond stands next to the brunet and surveys the scene, eyes alert and muscles tense.
"I got a bad feeling about this," Cap says slowly.
"Glad I'm not the only one," the brunet responds.
Everything is silent for a moment until a loud shot rings through the distance causing Tony and Cap's heads to whip to the right, watching Natasha dive out of an open door before flames enter the doorway she just was.
"We got hostiles coming in hot!" Rhodey calls out as he fires a repulsor ray at several enemies entering the town.
"JARVIS!"
"Sir, multiple enemies are approaching from all sides."
"Shit!"
"Fucking—Spetsnaz!" Natasha yells as she grabs Clint by the back of his shirt and pulls him behind cover.
A roar sounds out and Hulk runs past Tony and Cap, barreling into several enemy soldiers. The genius fires a repulsor ray of his own and takes out the enemies surrounding his immediate area.
"Guys, be careful. These fuckers play dirty," Natasha warns, and Tony hears the sound of her dual pistols shooting off in the distance.
"Roger that," Clint responds before chuckling. "Get it . . . OW!"
"Time and place, Hawkeye," Natasha growls out over the comms.
"Thor! Hit 'em with lighting!"
The blond God raises his hammer to the sky, calling in storm clouds and taking out every enemy within a two-mile radius, giving the team a chance to collect themselves. Natasha and Clint emerge from cover and join the others. Hulk hovers near the edge of the town, keeping an eye out for any stragglers.
"Cap, plan?" Natasha asks.
"Iron Man, you and War Machine, take the aerial route and make sure these fuckers don't get the jump on us. Widow, Hawkeye, and I will cover the ground. Thor, you and Hulk take out anyone who tries to escape. Clear?"
"Sounds like a plan to me," Clint answers scanning the area for higher ground.
"To the sky?" Tony asks, directing his question to Rhodey.
"You know it," Rhodey answers. The genius imagines his friend is grinning behind his faceplate.
The two armored men start up their jet boots and launch into the sky, immediately surveying the scene. They can see a flood of foot soldiers rushing towards the town, but having difficulty due to the snow. Tony notices a large silhouette following the soldiers at a slower pace. Iron Man furrows his brow, confused. "Cap, I think they've got armor coming in from the North."
"What kind?" the Captain inquires.
"Looks like a tank to me," Rhodey answers hovering in the air next to Tony. "I can only see the one for now—no idea if they have more."
"Take it out, but be careful," Cap responds, a sliver of worry slipping into his tone.
"I'm always careful," Tony proudly announces.
Rhodey snorts, easily seeing through his friend's bullshit. "Don't worry, Cap, I'll keep an eye on him."
"Rho—"
"Thank you."
"Oh my God, you guys are teaming up on me."
"Can you just—"
"Let's go," Rhodey says before flying towards the unknown weapon. Tony huffs and follows his friend, hearing the white noise of Cap talking to the rest of the team over the comms.
War Machine and Iron Man rapidly fly towards the armor, which turns out to be a tank. Dozens of Spetsnaz surround the device; a few of them are even sitting on the tank itself. Tony scans the scene from behind the faceplate. "How do you want to do this?"
"You distract and I'll take out the tank," Rhodes declares.
"Or, you distract and I'll take out the tank," Tony retorts.
"That's not how this works."
"Oh really?"
"Yes."
"Oh, I know what this is about—you wanna show off for Cap and prove that you can play with the big boys."
"Oh please. Your ass wants to do the exact same thing."
Tony raises an eyebrow even though Rhodey can't see the action. "Excuse me?"
"You can't sit there and tell me that you don't want to take out the bad guys and then go back to Cap and say, "Look what I did all by myself! Aren't you proud?""
"First of all, this isn't the eighteen hundreds and I don't need Cap's approval for shit. And, second, I don't sound like that." Tony can feel Rhodey's incredulous gaze on him. He's about to insult the other man, when a laser beam shoots from the ground and blasts Rhodey out of Tony's line of slight. The genius turns to the right and sees the soldiers shouting at each other in Russian and pointing their weapons at him. Tony fires off several repulsor shots taking out a plethora of Spetsnaz as War Machine flies back to Tony's side, firing several rounds from the Gatling gun on his back.
The pair fights in synchronization for an unknown amount of time, taking out the small army before them. It seems as though whenever one soldier dies, two more take his or her place. Tony shivers as that thought makes him think of Hydra and the whole reason that they're in this mess. The genius is torn from his disgust with the organization when Rhodey calls out, "I'm gonna hit him with the ex-wife!"
"But, that didn't work the last time!" Tony calls, briefly recalling the incident a few years ago in Queens with Whiplash and the Hammer Drones.
Rhodey snorts. "I got an upgrade!" The small missile launches from Rhodey's shoulder and plows into the tank, blowing the armor to the sky along with the last few Spetsnaz soldiers huddling around the vehicle protectively.
"Hammer Tech that actually works," Tony says with disbelief.
"Hammer Tech that the U.S. Army modified and then made work," Rhodey says with a hint of pride in his tone.
"If you guys are done smelling the roses, we could use a little help here," Clint announces over the comms before grunting in frustration.
Tony rolls his eyes and he and Rhodey fly back to Zima where the rest of the Avengers are still fighting. The pair arrives on scene, viewing around fifteen or twenty soldiers surrounding the team. The armored men swoop in and help take out the last of the stragglers. Tony flies over and lands next to Cap as the man nudges the defeated soldier in front of him with a booted foot to make sure he's down.
The two Avengers are silent for a beat before Tony says in a concerned tone, "Did that seem easy to you, Cap," He gives the man a curious look even though the soldier can't see it.
"Way too easy," Cap agrees.
"Guys," Natasha calls, worry slipping into her voice.
In the distance, the silhouette of a figure approaches through the snowfall, posture strong and broad. As the humanesque outline approaches, Tony notices they're dressed in black clothing, face shrouded by thick black goggles and a matching black mask. The person's dark brown hair falls to their shoulders.
"JARVIS," Tony warns.
"Scanning."
The mysterious figure pauses about ten feet from the Avengers and Rhodey. The atmosphere is tense and suffocating. Tony glances around to each of his teammates noting various expressions of shock, anger, and confusion. Who is this man? What does he want? In the back of his head, Tony briefly wonders if this man is their first trial . . .
"Scan complete."
The results appear in Tony's line of sight and he skims the text, his eyes widening and mouth falling open. "Holy shit," he breathes out quietly before saying louder over the comms. "Guys, that's James Barnes."
The team remains silent and Tony immediately turns his head to Steve and watches the man's face fall, bravado failing and being replaced with distraught, and apprehension. He gulps before saying in a broken voice,
"Bucky?"
A/N: Kristyn's mad because I didn't warn her about Bucky, whom she loves to pieces. I regret nothing. Lol.
Oh and Zima is Russian for winter according to google.
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy and I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I'm able!