Even though it felt like it never would- morning did eventually come. They got ready, got in position and the first day of tailing Nikolai went off without a hitch. Neither man mentioned anything about last night. Despite it being June, the weather had been unseasonably cold since they arrived. "Maybe Malibu's always sunny and warm but you're a long way from home, Tin Soldier." was how Barnes so lovingly put it.

By dusk they were finding it difficult to stay hidden as they were on a stretching two lane road in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere. Dense clouds hung so low they made the sky feel like it was closing in on them. Looking out the window there were empty fields as far as he could see- not the best set up. It was Barnes' shift to drive and he was staring blankly out the passenger side window when the car slowed down to almost a stop. Barnes' eyebrows were creasing together making Tony look to the road in front of them, and there he saw Nikolai's junky old truck, the truck they'd been trailing since before the sun came up, slowing down and pulling off onto the shoulder. Shit, shit, shit, shit he must have figured out that the brown '81 Lada that just so happened to be somewhere in seeing distance ever since he left Moscow, might actually be following him. For someone with such valuable information Nikolai was nowhere near paranoid enough.

"Get the map out of the glove box, quick." Barnes' muttered with minimal lip movement.

Tony plucked the map out of the glove and unfolded it completely, letting it take up as much awkward space as possible. He heard the door of the truck in front of them slam closed followed by footsteps ambling towards them. Nikolai Vanko was a tall man and lean with very pale skin, he had hair that was so blonde it was white and gray eyes underlined by dark circles in sunken sockets. In one word, Nikolai looked ill.

"Are you boys lost?" Nikolai asked in a heavily accented but sincere voice.

"Yes actually, we're tourists." Bucky smiled back.

"You're pretty far from anywhere civilized. That's a long a way to go before pulling out a map don't you think?"

Shit.

"I figured we'd run into something eventually, I hate admitting defeat." Bucky's laugh came easy.

"How long did you think you could go before I noticed you were following me?"

Double Shit.

"I think we got pretty far."

God, Barnes do you have a death wish?

"Far enough for no one to find you a bullet between your pretty eyes."

"You really think they're pretty? Do they sparkle when I talk?"

Tony knew that James Barnes would be the death of him when he heard the shots before he saw the gun. Barnes' pulled the gun he'd had beneath his thigh out just as fast. Tony grabbed the suitcase armor from the floor by his feet and backed out of the car, ducking down and sliding under the car safely out of the crossfire. He laid flat on his back as the armor assembled around him, the faceplate snapped shut and the HUD appeared blaring red.

"Give me the goods, JARVIS." Tony said hoisting onto his elbows slightly.

"The drive containing the desired information in currently on Vanko's person."

"Any idea where?"

"On a chain around his neck, sir."

As soon as he saw Barnes' boots hit the pavement he flung the car off of him and bared his repulsors at Nikolai. Taking Nikolai's brief distraction to his advantage Barnes' wrapped his hand around their enemy's throat and lifted him off the ground.

"We know you have the schematics, Vanko." Tony declared strutting to the pair.

Nikolai squirmed and swung his legs around wildly in a vain effort to kick Bucky off him.

"Give them up and come quietly." The genius finished.

Nikolai bit down on Bucky's wrist, when nothing happened Bucky smirked and pulled his sleeve up revealing his technologically advanced prosthetic. Tony's stomach dropped when he saw Nikolai smirk back, in less than a second a flat round device was produced from under Vanko's sleeve and into his palm. Nikolai emitted an electric current down Bucky's arm and into his body, leaving him convulsing. If it had been his other arm Nikolai would've be suffocated as a person is unable relax their muscles when electrocuted. The cybernetic arm however was temporarily short-circuited and Nikolai freed himself. His next target being Tony of course sent him careening in the Armored Avengers direction.

Nikolai slammed his hand down onto the faceplate releasing another electric charge and Tony experienced a wave of Deja Vu as Nikolai's shirt was burned away by the metal exoskeleton that clung to his body, supplying at least 50,000 volts around his torso. Leaving sparks and crackling bits of burning light flying off his body. No whips this time though, nothing long range, just power outlets in the palms of his hands for maximum control. So at least he was a little bit smarter than big brother...but still not as smart as Tony Stark.

Nikolai tried a second time to fry Tony's head inside his helmet but to no avail.

"Did you really think I wouldn't be prepared for this after meeting Ivan?"

Tony couldn't help laughing a little but hey it's what the world has come to expect from him.

"Do not sully my dear brother's name on your filthy tongue!"

Tony flipped Nikolai over his shoulder and pressed his boot into his chest pinning him to the black asphalt.

"Vy budete osen'yu etogo mira Toni Stark! Ty d'yavol, kotoryy ubil moyego brata nevinnykh! "

"Then why don't you go join him." Tony murmured darkly before impaling him with the boot that held him down.

A strained gurgling and a few jerks of his limbs and that was all, Nikolai Vanko was no more. He bent over and snapped the chain off of his neck, sure enough dangling there on the end was the peculiar looking drive they'd come for. He held out in front of him as he walked back to where Bucky stood waiting with his arms crossed.

"I'm usually the one doing the dirty work. I should do ops with you more often, Stark."

Bucky's voice was light and playful, Tony knew he wouldn't judge his unusual display of violent aggression. Barnes didn't exactly have a leg to stand on in that department anyways. And it didn't take a Tony Stark to figure out where that outburst had come from, a man can only be beaten so many nights before the urge to return the favor manifested. Even if the person on the receiving end wasn't the one he'd be returning home to. Snapping out his fog Tony saw Barnes' shift just over his right shoulder. Barnes reacted before Tony could even register the action.

"Tony get down!" Were the next words flying at him.

Barnes sprinted and grabbed the billionaire's arms, flinging Tony to the ground behind him. Time stopped as he watched Nikolai finish pulling a 500 S&W Magnum out of the waist of his jeans and fire eight shots into Barnes' abdomen before shooting himself in the head.