The Corrupt and the Pure; Chapter 30: The Hit
[INFO]Title: The Corrupt and the Pure
Author: Del Rion (delrion.mail (at) gmail.com)
Fandom: The Avengers & Captain America (MCU)
Timeline: post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Genre: Drama, action, hurt/comfort
Rating: MA / FRAO
Characters: Steve Rogers (Captain America), Tony Stark (Iron Man). Also: Bruce Banner (Hulk), James “Bucky” Barnes (Winter Soldier), Clint Barton (Hawkeye), J.A.R.V.I.S., James “Rhodey” Rhodes (War Machine), Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow), Thor, Sam Wilson (Falcon)
Pairing: Steve/Tony
Summary: When the Steve Rogers from an alternate universe appears in the middle of the Avengers Tower, two worlds are about to collide: one where Captain America became the tool of HYDRA and fell into a relationship with the hero Iron Man - and one where Tony and Steve are tentatively getting along. The latter are forced to reconsider their relationship when the Commander kidnaps Tony to replace his dead lover.
Complete.
Written for: A story commissioned by Susanne (ChickenHax @ AO3 / starkred @ Tumblr).
Warnings: Rape/non-con, major character death (alternate universe), graphic canonical violence, M/M sexual content, language.
~ ~ ~
Chapter 30: The Hit
Tony was dozing in his lab when an electronic ping signaled the completion of the latest process and a need for his immediate attention.
He had been leaning back in a chair, legs propped up on the edge of the table, and the sudden alarm made him start and almost fall off his seat as he scrambled to react to whatever the ping was dedicated to; in the momentary haze, he wasn’t sure what kind of experiment he had been in the middle of, but he couldn’t smell anything strange as he sat up and looked around.
“J.A.R.V.I.S.?” he called out in question.
“I believe I have located James Barnes, also known as the Winter Soldier,” the AI replied.
Tony felt his mind becoming fully alert. “Show me,” he said quickly, rolling towards a nearby screen. It came to life upon his approach, displaying a map and a blinking dot, then another image that seemed to be from a security camera in a back alley - perhaps installed there by an owner who had grown tired of vandalism on his property. The image was grainy, but walking through the alley was indeed the man he had been looking for; with a baseball cap on his head and the hood of his jacket pulled up, his features were mostly hidden, but the camera caught his face at a good enough angle for J.A.R.V.I.S. to process the image.
“Any sign of our other missing person?” Tony asked as he watched Barnes keep on walking, unaware that he had been spotted.
“None yet, sir.”
“Keep looking,” Tony ordered. “Prioritize on Barnes’ vicinity, just in case he’s managed to track him down.” He checked the map, noting the man’s current location. “What’s he doing in Philly?” he mused.
“I cannot say, sir,” J.A.R.V.I.S. replied evenly, perhaps knowing the question was largely rhetorical.
“Doesn’t matter,” Tony decided. “Keep an eye on him - and tell the team to assemble,” he added with a slight smile and spun his chair around, jumping off it the moment he was facing the door.
As he exited the lab, he heard the last of J.A.R.V.I.S.’ calm call to ‘assemble’. It created a flurry of activity, people dashing this way and that to get their gear.
“Move the armor to the Quinjet,” Tony mused, voice low.
“Yes, sir,” J.A.R.V.I.S. responded through the nearest speakers in the hallway.
Steve jogged up to him before Tony could make it down to the hangar. He was pulling on his uniform, shield slung over his shoulder. For a man who had been on the edge of his proverbial seat, it looked almost like he had dared to relax for a moment and was now rushing to gear up with the rest of them. “You found him?” the blond asked, wrestling his arm into the sleeve of his suit.
“Yeah,” Tony nodded. “He’s in Philadelphia; we caught a live feed off a private camera. J.A.R.V.I.S. is keeping an eye on him as we speak.”
Steve nodded, his face tense with the effort of keeping unwanted emotions from his face. He had to be excited, to be so close to getting his best friend back. “Any sign of the Commander?”
“Not yet, and there’s a possibility there won’t be, either,” Tony mused.
“We need to be prepared for it, though,” Steve insisted as they took off towards the stairs that would lead them to the Quinjet.
“We are,” Tony told him. Even when no one actively brought it up, he was certain everyone was mentally acknowledging the fact that they would cross paths with the Commander, sooner or later.
The team and their additional members had already begun to gather at the Quinjet. Bruce was the last to arrive, looking apprehensive.
“You don’t have to join us for this one,” Tony told him before he could actively start hesitating. “We’re not going there to look for a fight, and we’ve got enough muscle as it is.”
Bruce’s eyes took in the team, then returned to Tony. “You mean, you don’t want to risk the other guy getting out of control.”
“I don’t think anyone wants that if it isn’t strictly necessary,” Tony reassured him. “If you want to come, that’s fine, but I can tell you would rather not.”
“If the Commander shows up…” Bruce began.
“He won’t, in all likelihood, and even if he does, we’ve got it covered,” Tony motioned towards Steve, Thor and Rhodey - not to mention his own suit. “The Hulk would be overkill.”
Bruce cringed at his choice of words. “I’ll stay here and monitor,” he decided.
“We’ll be in constant contact. J.A.R.V.I.S. will keep you informed of any developments.”
Bruce nodded. “If the Commander does show up, play it safe,” he ordered.
“You don’t need to tell me that,” Tony responded, voice dropping. It wasn’t him Bruce should be concerned about: Tony knew just how capable the Commander was. As it happened, Captain America in his current mindset was much more of a wild card than Tony could ever be, and wasn’t that a strange turn of events.
Bruce stepped back, signaling that he was indeed staying at the Tower, and Tony turned to join the others in the Quinjet. Clint was already seated in the pilot’s chair, and Tony contented himself by finding another spot to sit down for take-off.
“All aboard?” Clint called out, already moving through the pre-flight routine.
“Yeah,” Tony confirmed. “Let’s get going before our target slips out from under our noses.”
Across the aisle, Steve shifted, and Tony gave him a reassuring look.
“Figure of speech, Cap,” he told him. “J.A.R.V.I.S. won’t let him slip away now that he’s been found. You may as well start coming up with good conversation openers.”
From the look on his face, it seemed like Steve had been doing his fair share of that. Tony didn’t envy his position, trying to reconnect with his best friend whom he had thought long dead before Steve ever went into the ice himself - a friend whose recollection of his own life was challenged at best.
At least Tony couldn’t come up with any reason why Barnes might try to kill him, the Commander’s paranoia aside. One less thing to worry about…
to be continued…
Story info
Author: Del Rion (delrion.mail (at) gmail.com)
Fandom: The Avengers & Captain America (MCU)
Timeline: post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Genre: Drama, action, hurt/comfort
Rating: MA / FRAO
Characters: Steve Rogers (Captain America), Tony Stark (Iron Man). Also: Bruce Banner (Hulk), James “Bucky” Barnes (Winter Soldier), Clint Barton (Hawkeye), J.A.R.V.I.S., James “Rhodey” Rhodes (War Machine), Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow), Thor, Sam Wilson (Falcon)
Pairing: Steve/Tony
Summary: When the Steve Rogers from an alternate universe appears in the middle of the Avengers Tower, two worlds are about to collide: one where Captain America became the tool of HYDRA and fell into a relationship with the hero Iron Man - and one where Tony and Steve are tentatively getting along. The latter are forced to reconsider their relationship when the Commander kidnaps Tony to replace his dead lover.
Complete.
Written for: A story commissioned by Susanne (ChickenHax @ AO3 / starkred @ Tumblr).
Warnings: Rape/non-con, major character death (alternate universe), graphic canonical violence, M/M sexual content, language.
~ ~ ~
Chapter 30: The Hit
Tony was dozing in his lab when an electronic ping signaled the completion of the latest process and a need for his immediate attention.
He had been leaning back in a chair, legs propped up on the edge of the table, and the sudden alarm made him start and almost fall off his seat as he scrambled to react to whatever the ping was dedicated to; in the momentary haze, he wasn’t sure what kind of experiment he had been in the middle of, but he couldn’t smell anything strange as he sat up and looked around.
“J.A.R.V.I.S.?” he called out in question.
“I believe I have located James Barnes, also known as the Winter Soldier,” the AI replied.
Tony felt his mind becoming fully alert. “Show me,” he said quickly, rolling towards a nearby screen. It came to life upon his approach, displaying a map and a blinking dot, then another image that seemed to be from a security camera in a back alley - perhaps installed there by an owner who had grown tired of vandalism on his property. The image was grainy, but walking through the alley was indeed the man he had been looking for; with a baseball cap on his head and the hood of his jacket pulled up, his features were mostly hidden, but the camera caught his face at a good enough angle for J.A.R.V.I.S. to process the image.
“Any sign of our other missing person?” Tony asked as he watched Barnes keep on walking, unaware that he had been spotted.
“None yet, sir.”
“Keep looking,” Tony ordered. “Prioritize on Barnes’ vicinity, just in case he’s managed to track him down.” He checked the map, noting the man’s current location. “What’s he doing in Philly?” he mused.
“I cannot say, sir,” J.A.R.V.I.S. replied evenly, perhaps knowing the question was largely rhetorical.
“Doesn’t matter,” Tony decided. “Keep an eye on him - and tell the team to assemble,” he added with a slight smile and spun his chair around, jumping off it the moment he was facing the door.
As he exited the lab, he heard the last of J.A.R.V.I.S.’ calm call to ‘assemble’. It created a flurry of activity, people dashing this way and that to get their gear.
“Move the armor to the Quinjet,” Tony mused, voice low.
“Yes, sir,” J.A.R.V.I.S. responded through the nearest speakers in the hallway.
Steve jogged up to him before Tony could make it down to the hangar. He was pulling on his uniform, shield slung over his shoulder. For a man who had been on the edge of his proverbial seat, it looked almost like he had dared to relax for a moment and was now rushing to gear up with the rest of them. “You found him?” the blond asked, wrestling his arm into the sleeve of his suit.
“Yeah,” Tony nodded. “He’s in Philadelphia; we caught a live feed off a private camera. J.A.R.V.I.S. is keeping an eye on him as we speak.”
Steve nodded, his face tense with the effort of keeping unwanted emotions from his face. He had to be excited, to be so close to getting his best friend back. “Any sign of the Commander?”
“Not yet, and there’s a possibility there won’t be, either,” Tony mused.
“We need to be prepared for it, though,” Steve insisted as they took off towards the stairs that would lead them to the Quinjet.
“We are,” Tony told him. Even when no one actively brought it up, he was certain everyone was mentally acknowledging the fact that they would cross paths with the Commander, sooner or later.
The team and their additional members had already begun to gather at the Quinjet. Bruce was the last to arrive, looking apprehensive.
“You don’t have to join us for this one,” Tony told him before he could actively start hesitating. “We’re not going there to look for a fight, and we’ve got enough muscle as it is.”
Bruce’s eyes took in the team, then returned to Tony. “You mean, you don’t want to risk the other guy getting out of control.”
“I don’t think anyone wants that if it isn’t strictly necessary,” Tony reassured him. “If you want to come, that’s fine, but I can tell you would rather not.”
“If the Commander shows up…” Bruce began.
“He won’t, in all likelihood, and even if he does, we’ve got it covered,” Tony motioned towards Steve, Thor and Rhodey - not to mention his own suit. “The Hulk would be overkill.”
Bruce cringed at his choice of words. “I’ll stay here and monitor,” he decided.
“We’ll be in constant contact. J.A.R.V.I.S. will keep you informed of any developments.”
Bruce nodded. “If the Commander does show up, play it safe,” he ordered.
“You don’t need to tell me that,” Tony responded, voice dropping. It wasn’t him Bruce should be concerned about: Tony knew just how capable the Commander was. As it happened, Captain America in his current mindset was much more of a wild card than Tony could ever be, and wasn’t that a strange turn of events.
Bruce stepped back, signaling that he was indeed staying at the Tower, and Tony turned to join the others in the Quinjet. Clint was already seated in the pilot’s chair, and Tony contented himself by finding another spot to sit down for take-off.
“All aboard?” Clint called out, already moving through the pre-flight routine.
“Yeah,” Tony confirmed. “Let’s get going before our target slips out from under our noses.”
Across the aisle, Steve shifted, and Tony gave him a reassuring look.
“Figure of speech, Cap,” he told him. “J.A.R.V.I.S. won’t let him slip away now that he’s been found. You may as well start coming up with good conversation openers.”
From the look on his face, it seemed like Steve had been doing his fair share of that. Tony didn’t envy his position, trying to reconnect with his best friend whom he had thought long dead before Steve ever went into the ice himself - a friend whose recollection of his own life was challenged at best.
At least Tony couldn’t come up with any reason why Barnes might try to kill him, the Commander’s paranoia aside. One less thing to worry about…
to be continued…
Story info