Sorry for the delay in updating, had a bit of a week from hell. On the plus side, this one's a bumper chapter - on the negative side, there's a lot of exposition in this one that might make it drag a bit but should all pay off in the next couple of chapters which hopefully won't be quite such a struggle to write.

Thanks once more for the reviews and follows, all appreciated. I'm sorry I don't get around to replying to them but if I did it would be even longer between updates.

Chapter Six

Tony listened intently as Steve filled him in on the events of the last 36 hours from his perspective. His reactions raced through disbelieving, on to horrified and then took the shortcut directly to outrage, anger and a strong desire to blow something up.

"This is utter bullshit! It's completely insane! How the hell can they think there was anything deliberate about you getting frozen for 67 years? After all, isn't time-travel supposed to be instant? I mean, there were people testing cryogenics over 30 years ago, what if that had worked? Would these bureaucrats be hunting down previously frozen plastic surgeons? Eradicating them from time? Hollywood would be full of people with wonky noses and no chin! Or, bankers? OK, so we wouldn't care if they never existed….but even so…"

"Tony…."

"…and who complained? How on Earth DO you complain? I mean is there a Time Crime Hotline or something?"

"Tony…."

"…It's just ludicrous. Worse than that, it's malicious. It's a trumped up…"

"TONY!"

"Er…yes?"

"It's pretty irrelevant what either of us think of the charge, the fact is it's been made. Yustis, my defence council, is looking into the source of the complaint. He seems on the level. All I can do at the moment is to try and prove there was no intention or expectation that this could happen when I was given the serum. Hopefully, they'll see reason."

"…and if they don't?"

"Then perhaps they can be encouraged to be lenient and not punish the Earth for my ignorance: First offence and all." Steve smiled ruefully.

Tony gave him an odd look at that remark, hoping he wasn't considering anything rash. Rather than entertain that notion, given they knew little about the workings of the Time Council, he decided not to pursue the matter at the moment and focus on what they could do instead.

"Well…OK…from what I remember when I went through all the files on the Project Rebirth, they were really only considering the physical enhancements from the point of view of fighting the War."

"You've read the files?"

"Trust me, my Dad had absolutely everything about that Project, including stuff SSR and SHIELD knew nothing about – I know, I hacked what they've got on file and it's nothing compared to what's in the Stark Archive. I read through when I had it all scanned and documented a few years ago before everything went into storage."

"If there's that much, won't it take a while to sift through it?"

Tony grinned. "Jarvis, access all files in the Captain America Archive. I want a summary detailing and cross-referencing any and all notes mentioning the actual, anticipated or possible effects of the serum. Pay specific attention to anything concerning life-expectancy, mortality and resilience."

"Sorry. Still haven't got used to that." Steve smiled back apologetically.

"No problem Cap. You've got a few things on your mind." Tony's manner was unusually kind and reassuring.

"Just a few," Steve replied softly.

"The report will take a little time to compile Sir. Some of the files are in an older format which will require indexing."

Tony used the excuse of Jarvis' interruption to change the pace of the conversation before they could both start to dwell too much on the possible ramifications of the situation. He stood up and expanded the wireframe of the tower showing the area of the alien energy signatures. Looking at what had been titled the Type 2 signatures, located in specific areas only, he spotted something he hadn't noticed before – one small additional area in the basement garage…Tony was curious and more than a little concerned: Now his memory had returned, he knew exactly what the other two were hiding…but this one?

"While we wait for the report, let's go have a look at how these guys play hide and go seek. The matrix they must be using to do this is amazing, as soon as we get you back safe I'm going to spend some time seeing if I can create anything close to it."

Steve was taken aback by that, did Tony Stark just put him ahead of a technology-related project? He obviously wasn't quick enough to compose his features because the metal-suited billionaire just shook his head and said with a rare degree of sincerity:

"Right now, I only have one priority – you!" Then, aware of the temporary loss of his carefully constructed façade, he grinned and added: "Damned if I'm gonna drink that muck Barton calls coffee."

"Can't face the end of the World without coffee." Steve smiled, anxious not to make this new, improved version of Stark Junior feel in any way embarrassed by his slip into humanity: But Tony noted the lack of irritation in the Captain's tone and a clear indication in his eyes that he appreciated the support. He found himself surprised by how content he felt at the approbation.

"No coffee IS the end of the world Cap." Tony smiled back.

Steve couldn't resist the slight grin at the exchange creeping across his face as he followed the man out of the lab: After all, they said it was an ill wind that blew no good.

"Their stealth technology is quite something. Just think of the applications." Tony stated as he entered the gym.

"Everything's gone."

"Seriously? You can't see it? Obviously the phasing of this signature completely obscures anything inanimate. For me, the field generated by my phase modulator disrupts it for about a metre in all directions." Tony moved around the gym, able to see all the usual equipment and décor in his proximity before it disappeared completely as the field dissipated.

Looking around him, he bumped into one of Steve's super-reinforced punching bags, hanging on a chain that eerily stopped some way short of the ceiling, and nearly fell over. "…and looks like everything's solid here too," he added, slightly embarrassed.

"It's weird," he continued, "I can see you when you're outside the field….but not this stuff. So whilst it's the same energy signature they can configure the output and density of the particles to perform completely different purposes: Impressive."

Steve's expression glazed a bit at the actual words, but he gleaned enough of the gist to gather Tony thought there was some really clever techie stuff going on here so he said: "Well, I guess if I'm going to be wiped from existence it might as well be impressively so."

"Didn't mean…"

"No, you're good. Sorry, I should steer clear of self-pity."

"Don't really see why Cap", Tony's sincerity re-emerged from under the veneer of his scientific appreciation, "if I'd had to put up with half of what you've had thrown at you the last few months, I think I'd have probably blown up New York myself by now: And as for this? Well, I don't know how you're staying so calm."

Steve found himself wondering where a patient, understanding Tony had suddenly come from: "I guess there just comes a point when you get so far beyond bewildered you just go with it and hope it all works out OK" was the best he could come up with under the circumstances.

"…or you're just insane?" OK, so he was pushing a bit….

"Well I never said that wasn't a possibility." Steve managed to quip straight back with a half-grin.

"Then you're in good company." Tony couldn't help but think this was one hell of a time to find out he could actually start to like this guy.

He stepped closer to Steve until the other man stood within the circumference of the field being generated by the phase modulator, but to his disappointment (although no real surprise), the Captain remained stubbornly translucent and non-corporeal: Tony was starting to get a horrible feeling about exactly what the small masking field in the garage area might be; Steve just felt uncomfortable because other than when they were arguing, or by accident, this was the closest the two men had ever got to each other and he wasn't sure what to make of Tony's behaviour.

"Sorry Cap, just testing a theory. I need to go…er…to the lower floors. There's something I need to check out." Tony said, realising belatedly how awkward what he was doing was making the other man feel.

"I can't go below the residential floors – there's something stopping me."

"Mind if I see how that works?"

"I guess not," Steve figured there was no harm in assuaging Tony's scientific curiosity – after all, the more he learned about this thing, the more he might be able to disrupt it permanently.

They moved away from the gym and over towards the elevator. Tony was enthusiastically asking exactly what had happened when Steve tried to move out of the designated area and completely oblivious to the curious look Natasha, on her way to the gym for her morning workout, threw in his direction on seeing a fully-suited Iron Man apparently talking to himself as he passed through the automatic doors.

"Jarvis, reduce speed to 5% of normal on approach to Level 47" he instructed as they began their descent. The AI complied and Tony was treated to the extraordinary sight of watching Captain America being raised smoothly through the ceiling as the elevator passed beyond the boundary and down to the office floors of the tower.

"Stay there, I'll catch you on my way back," he shouted.

Steve stood, on nothing, in the middle of the shaft, watching the elevator disappear. He briefly considered walking through the closed doors in front of him but, in fairness, he didn't have anything else particularly pressing to do so he opted to wait for Tony to come back: It occurred to him that when a situation as absurd as this starts to make sense you know you're in bad shape.

Just a few minutes had passed before he saw the elevator approaching from the depths again: Despite his being fully aware of it posing no threat to him, it took all his will-power to stand there and allow it to scoop him up on its way past the level.

"That's gotta feel weird."

"Believe me, it does. Well…?"

"It's you….in the car….downstairs…"

"What do you mean?"

"Downstairs, in the car, in the garage….it's your body….it's still there…" Tony sounded slightly distraught. He'd tracked the source of the phased particles to the car they'd used on the way to the airstrip and, through the disruption field generated by his suit, he'd discovered Steve's body, solid, real and cold – only the barest hint of a pulse indicated he was actually still alive – still sitting in the same seat he'd been occupying when he'd vanished almost two days earlier.

Steve, unsurprisingly, had absolutely no idea how to feel about this information. In a bizarre way, it explained why he had no physical presence – he supposed it was easier to transport him to the court in this form - but he wondered why he felt so ambivalent and wondered if he wasn't suffering from a kind of shock which left him numb and rendered such facts almost meaningless: Tony's level of agitation however seemed amiss.

"Well I guess that explains a couple of things….but are you OK, Tony?"

Tony gazed at him, a look of mild horror haunted his features, "er…I don't know. It's just…..I think I sat on that side of the car on the way back."

The simple statement didn't just break the last straw, as far as Steve was concerned, it pounded it to a mush and then stamped on it several times. He started to laugh, really laugh, the way he hadn't done in the longest time.

Tony regarded him quizzically, then realised how trivial what he'd said actually sounded. On the other hand, seeing Steve Rogers laugh was one of the most refreshing things he'd seen in a long time and he wondered why it had taken him so long to realise it was probably the one thing the guy really needed to do and to be seen to do. Suddenly he wasn't dealing with a man of legend but a young guy who'd been dealt a series of the worst cards life could manage and was still managing to retain a sense of humour and purpose…and Tony felt bad that he'd ever seen him as anything else.

"So, I'm a bit freaked – I sat on Captain America's lap. I mean…" he floundered, starting to laugh himself at both the situation and the sight of a national icon giving into a 'if I don't laugh I'll cry' moment.

"Guess we'll just keep that bit of information to ourselves when we tell this story." Steve chuckled: They looked at each other and realised they both hoped the optimism within that statement wasn't misplaced.

Abruptly, Steve sobered up from his giggling fit (a little too abruptly for Tony's liking) he was apparently distracted by something.

"Sorry Tony, Yustis is here." And with that simple statement he disappeared from the elevator.

"Steve? Oh hell….Jarvis, current location of the Type 3 signature?"

"Concentration of the signature is currently located in the unallocated room, residential corridor." Jarvis supplied effortlessly.

"Get me there now." The elevator started to move to the correct floor and Tony, barely waiting for the doors to open fully, sped out almost upending Clint (sauntering along in the other direction) in the process.

"Hey! Look where you're going…." the startled archer began wondering why a clearly sleep-deprived and haggard looking Iron Man was charging around the corridors before noon. Tony barely acknowledged him as he raced along the corridor and all but took the door to a room Clint couldn't recall ever really noticing before off its hinges in his haste.

Hawkeye shook his head and shrugged, this was hardly one of the weirder things likely to happen at any time in the tower he reasoned, before he carried on to the elevator that had arrived so conveniently at this level.

Tony burst into the room to be greeted by the sight of Steve in conversation with a tall, silvery and clearly alien creature.

"Just stand back, he's not going anywhere." Tony wasn't sure what he could do against this being but a bit of posturing never hurt.

The alien regarded him with curiosity as he approached.

"It's OK Tony, Yustis has just come to advise me that my trial has been set for tomorrow, I'm not going anywhere at the moment." Steve clearly sensed that Tony was on the defensive and wanted to pre-emptively calm things down.

"Indeed," Tony was surprised by Yustis' unexpectedly soft and conciliatory tone. "I am most impressed you have attained such a level of technology that you have been able to penetrate the suppression field. Clearly humans are not as primitive as we believed. I must ensure our records are updated to reflect this."

Tony visibly bristled at the use of the word 'primitive' but, wisely, decided against antagonising the alien. In return, Yustis looked at him with a degree of intrigue and seemed…bemused?

"Steve," the alien clearly made the effort to address the man the way he had requested, "are you able to give me any more information regarding the serum that was administered to you?"

"I can…" Tony stated ("I hope" he thought), "Jarvis, do you have the summary ready?"

"It is complete."

"Display on nearest monitor."

A series of bullet points with associated corroborating scans was detailed on the holographic console with which all rooms in the tower were equipped. Yustis held up his hand over the screen and seemingly absorbed all the forthcoming information. He bowed his head a moment, apparently to assimilate the data.

"This is a thorough analysis. I personally have no problems accepting that the incident was entirely unanticipated and unplanned. The court, however, is another matter."

He sighed and regarded them both with a mix of understanding and regret.

"My initial opinion was that this is no more than a misunderstanding: That has not changed. Please understand that I regard this matter as trivial and in no way deserving of the Council's attention – I do not consider that any laws have been broken. Unfortunately, my opinion carries little weight."

Tony and Steve both regarded him with a mixture of relief (at least the Defence Council believed Steve was innocent of the charges) and trepidation (Yustis' own doubt that his belief would have any impact on proceedings).

"My standing amongst the members of my race is not great, I am a relatively junior member and considered somewhat radical in my beliefs. I received notice of your trial so late because no-one senior to me would accept the case." He looked directly at Steve. "There is a predisposition among the members of the Council to give significantly greater credence to existing members of the treaty. The complaint against you came from such a source. Many of my colleagues felt your case to be indefensible on that basis alone."

"Who was it? Who complained?" Tony demanded.

"Unfortunately I am unable to divulge that information. The Earth is not a signatory of the Treaty…." Yustis did at least look apologetic, "I am truly sorry, I do not necessarily agree with all our rules but I am bound by them. I have, however, been given permission by the Council to seek out the source of the accusation and make my own inquiries as to the veracity and reasoning behind it. I will be going there directly once we have concluded here."

"So some big shot with an axe to grind against Earth and friends in high places gets preferential treatment?" Tony was near apoplectic with the process but seemed to accept that Yustis was trying to do his best for Steve.

"What happens if I plead 'guilty' and claim extenuating circumstances? Would the Council accept erasing my existence from now and not changing the timeline as appropriate punishment?" Steve spoke slowly and deliberately, he'd clearly been considering this.

"No way Cap. You're not lying down on the wire because some intergalactic bully's throwing his weight around…"

Yustis raised his hands indicating he wished for silence, with some effort Tony complied.

"I accept and admire your reasoning Steve. With the information you have given me concerning the 'serum' I believe we would have a strong argument for pursuing that course should the Council find against you. However, I am yet hopeful that I will be able to discredit or expose a weakness in the original complaint and, for the moment, I must continue my enquiries in the hope of doing that."

Yustis looked compassionately at the Captain. "I will see you tomorrow when I hope I will have more encouraging news." And, with that, he was gone.

Steve looked at Tony with an expression of steely resolve on his features to be met with an answering look of abject horror.

"That's not happening Cap…"

"It may have to Tony."