The Corrupt and the Pure; Chapter 31: The Soldier
[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 31: The Soldier
Philadelphia, PA
The flight to Philadelphia wasn’t going to take long, but when on the trail of a man who seemed to get spooked even by his own shadow, it was hardly feasible to expect him to just stay put until they reached him.
Tony was in the process of suiting up and had just pushed a communication device into his ear when J.A.R.V.I.S. contacted him:
“Sir, the target has gone indoors. I have lost visual.”
Tony glanced at Steve, checking his expression; clearly he was not yet aware of the situation because there was no change in his light scowl of concentration. “No cameras inside the building?” he guessed, keeping his voice low.
“I am looking for one, but the building seems to be vacant. However, my brief search suggests the property might be a former HYDRA base.”
“We’ll have to assume that is not a coincidence,” Tony decided and stood up, stepping over to the coffin-sized metal container that housed the armor.
Around him, the others perked up at the movement, but aside from watching him proceed, no one moved to get up.
Tony laid his palm against the cool steel enclosing his suit. The scanner instantly read his bio-signature and the cover peeled back, revealing Mark 45 in all its freshly-buffed glory.
“Still no sign of James Barnes outside the building. What would you like me to do, sir?” J.A.R.V.I.S. questioned.
“Stand by,” Tony ordered, checking Steve’s face once again. By now he was certain he was the only one aware of the new development, with the possible exception of Bruce. On the one hand, they had their man indoors, more contained than he would have been out on the street. But, on the other hand, what was a good HYDRA base without a few underground exists in the case of emergencies?
There was no way Barnes could know he was being tracked, but the moment they began their approach, he might run for it. While finding him again might be easier now that they knew what continent he was on, Tony had no doubts Barnes could make it very hard for them to pinpoint his location again.
Plus there was the Commander to consider…
Tony rapped his fingertips against the armor’s chest, ever so lightly, but it registered the motion and moved forward as Tony stepped back, then opened up at the front.
“What’s up?” Rhodey asked, standing up. Clearly he thought suiting up at this point was premature and took Tony’s actions as a sign that something was going on. He wasn’t wrong, of course.
“Barnes is on the move, and seeing as the Quinjet can go only so fast, I was thinking of going on ahead and making sure he doesn’t slip away.”
That got a reaction from Steve, but it was hard to say how exactly he felt about it. “We’re not that far out.”
“I don’t want to risk losing him when we’re so close,” Tony responded as the suit closed around him.
“I should come with you,” Steve said, standing up.
“No offense, Cap, but you’ll slow me down,” Tony countered, popping open the faceplate. “I just want to ensure he’s still there when you arrive,” he reassured the man. “I’m not trying to -” He was cut off by Rhodey walking over to where War Machine was standing and getting in the armor. “What are you doing?” Tony asked.
“Coming with you,” Rhodey said simply. “I can keep up,” he added a bit sharply.
Steve nodded slowly, approving but not liking it. “We’ll be just a few minutes behind you.”
Tony responded with a tiny salute, snapped the faceplate shut and then turned towards the ramp at the back of the Quinjet, Rhodey following him. They made short work of leaving the aircraft, dropping out fast to let the ramp close behind them, then they switched on the thrusters and shot up and past the Quinjet, speeding southwards.
“Is there anything I should know?” Rhodey asked after a little bit. A tiny symbol on the HUD told Tony that their conversation was being kept between them, as if Rhodey thought Tony was hiding something from the rest of the team.
Again, he was not wrong…
“Barnes entered a building a while ago. J.A.R.V.I.S. can’t track him there, and the last thing we need is him taking a detour to the sewers and shaking us off,” Tony replied, knowing it would be pointless to keep Rhodey out of the loop.
“He doesn’t know we’re onto him, right?” Rhodey asked, a frown apparent in his voice.
“I don’t think so, but I’d rather not waste the time it would take to look for him again,” Tony replied. “We have other pressing matters to take care of.”
Rhodey made a sound of agreement and they both accelerated slightly. Tony could have flown faster, seeing as his armor was lighter and more powerful than War Machine’s latest model, but this close to their destination it was pointless; he would need to start decelerating almost immediately to enter the city’s airspace at a safe speed.
Once they neared their target, Tony took the lead and spiraled down between buildings, performing a perfect landing in the very same alley where they had first spotted Barnes. Rhodey copied him, a slight tremor traveling across the pavement upon his touchdown; Tony barely felt it through the suit, but the HUD registered it in front of his eyes as a micro-earthquake.
Together they set out towards the end of the alley and the building their runaway super-soldier had entered. It was impossible to tell whether he was still inside, and Tony scanned the building as best he could, trying to get a heads-up on whether anyone was around. When the results came back cold save for a few rodents by the outer wall, he told himself it meant nothing.
“Are we expecting trouble?” Rhodey asked through the comm.
“Don’t know,” Tony replied honestly.
“He’s gonna hear us coming a mile away,” Rhodey observed. “If we’re aiming for stealth, we should ditch the suits.” He didn’t sound like he was about to jump on that; there was no knowing how Barnes was going to react once they came face to face with him - not even where Steve was concerned. Last time the guy had tried - and almost succeeded - in killing Captain America, and just because it was possible he had pulled Rogers’ ass out of the Potomac didn’t mean he was going to come quietly.
Tony had already been beaten up by a man injected with a super-soldier serum this week, and he wasn’t about to voluntarily repeat the experience if he could avoid it.
So, the armor it was.
They walked to the building at the end of the alley, making more than enough noise to alert their runaway if he was even remotely paying attention. It couldn’t be helped, though.
“What is this place?” Rhodey mused once they got closer. “It’s like a bunker; reinforced walls, safety windows…”
“An old HYDRA base - or that’s what J.A.R.V.I.S. thinks,” Tony replied, as casually as he could. Still, he could see a slight shift in Rhodey’s stance, even with the suit.
“HYDRA?”
“Could be a number of things,” Tony reminded him. “Information, for one. Cap said he didn’t remember a whole lot, so old HYDRA hidey-holes are probably a good place for him to start piecing things together.”
“Or to look for something really dangerous to protect himself with,” Rhodey muttered.
“He’s a super-soldier. Doesn’t get much more dangerous than that.” That was perhaps a bit of an exaggeration, because Tony could think of a lot of things that were more dangerous than a guy with superhuman strength and agility.
“I’ve seen the footage, Tony; this one likes his guns.”
Tony turned to look at him pointedly, not saying anything, and saw Rhodey roll his eyes over the HUD. There were reasons why War Machine could never be as sleek as Tony’s Iron Man armors; he liked his weaponry way too much, as well as the additional girth of the suit. Tony had managed to shave it down a bit over the years, but Rhodey was always insistent on what he wanted - especially after the mess with AIM.
They found a door a little to their left. It was locked, but that was solved with a concentrated blast of a repulsor that punched the lock straight to oblivion. Normally Tony might have kicked down the door and not bothered, but just in case Barnes hadn’t yet become spooked by their approach, there was no reason to risk it even further.
On the inside, the building appeared empty. There was still an odd piece of furniture here and there, but mostly the place had been stripped. Nothing pointed towards the previous owners - no HYDRA symbols painted on the walls - but as Tony scanned the space from the inside, he could easily confirm Rhodey’s findings that the building had been shielded from unfriendly eyes.
“J, can you access the floor plan?” Tony asked.
“Negative, sir; they seem to be missing,” the AI responded almost immediately.
“Not surprising if the earlier tenants were indeed HYDRA,” Tony huffed and kept moving, stepping carefully. The floor seemed more than sturdy enough to hold the suit, nor did he see any traps, but they were still on a mission to find Barnes and it wouldn’t do to make any sudden moves.
Especially when the man suddenly appeared in front of them in a doorway, eyes flashing as he looked from one armor to the other.
Tony halted, as did Rhodey, and they all just looked at each other for a moment, the seconds dragging out. It was unlikely there was no other exit from the building, but Barnes’ body language was nervous, as if they were standing between him and his intended escape.
“We’re friends,” Tony spoke up before Barnes could make a run for it. “Well, friends of a friend.”
Clearly Barnes didn’t think he had any friends because he looked even more apprehensive if possible.
“We’re here to help,” Rhodey offered.
The Winter Soldier licked his lips, still moving his eyes between the two of them. Tony saw his left arm shift - the metal one - but otherwise he didn’t seem to be armed. Beneath the baseball cap, his hair was tangled and dirty, and he needed a set of clean clothes.
Imagining that the suits of armor weren’t exactly adding to his comfort, Tony made a rash decision he knew he might come to regret very soon: he opened up the armor and stepped outside, raising his hands as Barnes jumped back slightly. “I’m not here to hurt you - but someone else is on his way, and I’m intending to take you to safety before that happens.”
Barnes’ eyes narrowed. He wasn’t much of a talker, obviously, but at this point it would have helped to get at least a tiny peep out of him.
“Do you know who I am?” Tony asked. It wasn’t an ego thing, but if Barnes couldn’t tell whether he was a good guy or a HYDRA member trying to pin him down, then they were in for a whole lot of trouble.
Rhodey shifted but didn’t actually take a step, and Tony willed him to be patient while he looked at Barnes, maintaining eye-contact even though he knew it might just antagonize the other more. But, as long as Barnes wasn’t looking away, Tony saw no reason to go for an extra soft approach.
“Stark,” Barnes finally muttered, voice rough. It didn’t sound like he had talked a lot lately.
Tony nodded slowly. “I don’t know if you remember who you are - recently or in the past. Don’t know whether you remember Steve Rogers, either. All I need you to do is to trust me and my team for a little bit: we’re here to help.”
Rhodey made a tiny noise of agreement, which came out a little scrambled through the sound system of the suit.
Barnes seemed to be thinking something over, still looking ready to bolt if he had the chance. Frankly, he had the advantage here, because following someone like him, in a suit, in an urban area, was bound to be a challenge.
“Who’s coming for me?” Barnes asked finally. “HYDRA?” His voice was blank, like he was cautious not to show emotion when it came to the people who had mutilated and brainwashed him.
“Kind of,” Tony admitted. “It’s complicated and somewhat confusing.”
Barnes nodded slowly, as if there was nothing overly complicated about it. Perhaps there wasn’t, in his head - not until he came face to face with the Commander. Tony could see how that would be a bad idea, especially if Barnes still missed his connection to Steve and their past together. Talk about getting off on the wrong foot…
“The Avengers are not your enemy,” Tony assured him, in case that was necessary. “At least, as long as you behave,” he added, which perhaps was a mistake, come to think of it.
Barnes just snorted at his comment. Perhaps he had heard that one before - and got burned. Maybe he felt like he was outnumbered and he had no choice but to come with them.
Whatever the reason, Tony was mildly shocked when Barnes stepped forward slowly, checked out the suits again, then Tony, and finally adjusted the cap on his head. “Are we going or what?” he asked, and Tony imagined that was some of the cockiness of the Bucky Barnes Steve used to hang out with. It didn’t match the general demeanor of the man before them, but Tony wasn’t going to let their good fortune pass; he turned slightly, motioning for Rhodey and his suit to lead the way out, and then took off after them, fully aware of how Barnes was trailing him every step of the way.
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 31: The Soldier
Philadelphia, PA
The flight to Philadelphia wasn’t going to take long, but when on the trail of a man who seemed to get spooked even by his own shadow, it was hardly feasible to expect him to just stay put until they reached him.
Tony was in the process of suiting up and had just pushed a communication device into his ear when J.A.R.V.I.S. contacted him:
“Sir, the target has gone indoors. I have lost visual.”
Tony glanced at Steve, checking his expression; clearly he was not yet aware of the situation because there was no change in his light scowl of concentration. “No cameras inside the building?” he guessed, keeping his voice low.
“I am looking for one, but the building seems to be vacant. However, my brief search suggests the property might be a former HYDRA base.”
“We’ll have to assume that is not a coincidence,” Tony decided and stood up, stepping over to the coffin-sized metal container that housed the armor.
Around him, the others perked up at the movement, but aside from watching him proceed, no one moved to get up.
Tony laid his palm against the cool steel enclosing his suit. The scanner instantly read his bio-signature and the cover peeled back, revealing Mark 45 in all its freshly-buffed glory.
“Still no sign of James Barnes outside the building. What would you like me to do, sir?” J.A.R.V.I.S. questioned.
“Stand by,” Tony ordered, checking Steve’s face once again. By now he was certain he was the only one aware of the new development, with the possible exception of Bruce. On the one hand, they had their man indoors, more contained than he would have been out on the street. But, on the other hand, what was a good HYDRA base without a few underground exists in the case of emergencies?
There was no way Barnes could know he was being tracked, but the moment they began their approach, he might run for it. While finding him again might be easier now that they knew what continent he was on, Tony had no doubts Barnes could make it very hard for them to pinpoint his location again.
Plus there was the Commander to consider…
Tony rapped his fingertips against the armor’s chest, ever so lightly, but it registered the motion and moved forward as Tony stepped back, then opened up at the front.
“What’s up?” Rhodey asked, standing up. Clearly he thought suiting up at this point was premature and took Tony’s actions as a sign that something was going on. He wasn’t wrong, of course.
“Barnes is on the move, and seeing as the Quinjet can go only so fast, I was thinking of going on ahead and making sure he doesn’t slip away.”
That got a reaction from Steve, but it was hard to say how exactly he felt about it. “We’re not that far out.”
“I don’t want to risk losing him when we’re so close,” Tony responded as the suit closed around him.
“I should come with you,” Steve said, standing up.
“No offense, Cap, but you’ll slow me down,” Tony countered, popping open the faceplate. “I just want to ensure he’s still there when you arrive,” he reassured the man. “I’m not trying to -” He was cut off by Rhodey walking over to where War Machine was standing and getting in the armor. “What are you doing?” Tony asked.
“Coming with you,” Rhodey said simply. “I can keep up,” he added a bit sharply.
Steve nodded slowly, approving but not liking it. “We’ll be just a few minutes behind you.”
Tony responded with a tiny salute, snapped the faceplate shut and then turned towards the ramp at the back of the Quinjet, Rhodey following him. They made short work of leaving the aircraft, dropping out fast to let the ramp close behind them, then they switched on the thrusters and shot up and past the Quinjet, speeding southwards.
“Is there anything I should know?” Rhodey asked after a little bit. A tiny symbol on the HUD told Tony that their conversation was being kept between them, as if Rhodey thought Tony was hiding something from the rest of the team.
Again, he was not wrong…
“Barnes entered a building a while ago. J.A.R.V.I.S. can’t track him there, and the last thing we need is him taking a detour to the sewers and shaking us off,” Tony replied, knowing it would be pointless to keep Rhodey out of the loop.
“He doesn’t know we’re onto him, right?” Rhodey asked, a frown apparent in his voice.
“I don’t think so, but I’d rather not waste the time it would take to look for him again,” Tony replied. “We have other pressing matters to take care of.”
Rhodey made a sound of agreement and they both accelerated slightly. Tony could have flown faster, seeing as his armor was lighter and more powerful than War Machine’s latest model, but this close to their destination it was pointless; he would need to start decelerating almost immediately to enter the city’s airspace at a safe speed.
Once they neared their target, Tony took the lead and spiraled down between buildings, performing a perfect landing in the very same alley where they had first spotted Barnes. Rhodey copied him, a slight tremor traveling across the pavement upon his touchdown; Tony barely felt it through the suit, but the HUD registered it in front of his eyes as a micro-earthquake.
Together they set out towards the end of the alley and the building their runaway super-soldier had entered. It was impossible to tell whether he was still inside, and Tony scanned the building as best he could, trying to get a heads-up on whether anyone was around. When the results came back cold save for a few rodents by the outer wall, he told himself it meant nothing.
“Are we expecting trouble?” Rhodey asked through the comm.
“Don’t know,” Tony replied honestly.
“He’s gonna hear us coming a mile away,” Rhodey observed. “If we’re aiming for stealth, we should ditch the suits.” He didn’t sound like he was about to jump on that; there was no knowing how Barnes was going to react once they came face to face with him - not even where Steve was concerned. Last time the guy had tried - and almost succeeded - in killing Captain America, and just because it was possible he had pulled Rogers’ ass out of the Potomac didn’t mean he was going to come quietly.
Tony had already been beaten up by a man injected with a super-soldier serum this week, and he wasn’t about to voluntarily repeat the experience if he could avoid it.
So, the armor it was.
They walked to the building at the end of the alley, making more than enough noise to alert their runaway if he was even remotely paying attention. It couldn’t be helped, though.
“What is this place?” Rhodey mused once they got closer. “It’s like a bunker; reinforced walls, safety windows…”
“An old HYDRA base - or that’s what J.A.R.V.I.S. thinks,” Tony replied, as casually as he could. Still, he could see a slight shift in Rhodey’s stance, even with the suit.
“HYDRA?”
“Could be a number of things,” Tony reminded him. “Information, for one. Cap said he didn’t remember a whole lot, so old HYDRA hidey-holes are probably a good place for him to start piecing things together.”
“Or to look for something really dangerous to protect himself with,” Rhodey muttered.
“He’s a super-soldier. Doesn’t get much more dangerous than that.” That was perhaps a bit of an exaggeration, because Tony could think of a lot of things that were more dangerous than a guy with superhuman strength and agility.
“I’ve seen the footage, Tony; this one likes his guns.”
Tony turned to look at him pointedly, not saying anything, and saw Rhodey roll his eyes over the HUD. There were reasons why War Machine could never be as sleek as Tony’s Iron Man armors; he liked his weaponry way too much, as well as the additional girth of the suit. Tony had managed to shave it down a bit over the years, but Rhodey was always insistent on what he wanted - especially after the mess with AIM.
They found a door a little to their left. It was locked, but that was solved with a concentrated blast of a repulsor that punched the lock straight to oblivion. Normally Tony might have kicked down the door and not bothered, but just in case Barnes hadn’t yet become spooked by their approach, there was no reason to risk it even further.
On the inside, the building appeared empty. There was still an odd piece of furniture here and there, but mostly the place had been stripped. Nothing pointed towards the previous owners - no HYDRA symbols painted on the walls - but as Tony scanned the space from the inside, he could easily confirm Rhodey’s findings that the building had been shielded from unfriendly eyes.
“J, can you access the floor plan?” Tony asked.
“Negative, sir; they seem to be missing,” the AI responded almost immediately.
“Not surprising if the earlier tenants were indeed HYDRA,” Tony huffed and kept moving, stepping carefully. The floor seemed more than sturdy enough to hold the suit, nor did he see any traps, but they were still on a mission to find Barnes and it wouldn’t do to make any sudden moves.
Especially when the man suddenly appeared in front of them in a doorway, eyes flashing as he looked from one armor to the other.
Tony halted, as did Rhodey, and they all just looked at each other for a moment, the seconds dragging out. It was unlikely there was no other exit from the building, but Barnes’ body language was nervous, as if they were standing between him and his intended escape.
“We’re friends,” Tony spoke up before Barnes could make a run for it. “Well, friends of a friend.”
Clearly Barnes didn’t think he had any friends because he looked even more apprehensive if possible.
“We’re here to help,” Rhodey offered.
The Winter Soldier licked his lips, still moving his eyes between the two of them. Tony saw his left arm shift - the metal one - but otherwise he didn’t seem to be armed. Beneath the baseball cap, his hair was tangled and dirty, and he needed a set of clean clothes.
Imagining that the suits of armor weren’t exactly adding to his comfort, Tony made a rash decision he knew he might come to regret very soon: he opened up the armor and stepped outside, raising his hands as Barnes jumped back slightly. “I’m not here to hurt you - but someone else is on his way, and I’m intending to take you to safety before that happens.”
Barnes’ eyes narrowed. He wasn’t much of a talker, obviously, but at this point it would have helped to get at least a tiny peep out of him.
“Do you know who I am?” Tony asked. It wasn’t an ego thing, but if Barnes couldn’t tell whether he was a good guy or a HYDRA member trying to pin him down, then they were in for a whole lot of trouble.
Rhodey shifted but didn’t actually take a step, and Tony willed him to be patient while he looked at Barnes, maintaining eye-contact even though he knew it might just antagonize the other more. But, as long as Barnes wasn’t looking away, Tony saw no reason to go for an extra soft approach.
“Stark,” Barnes finally muttered, voice rough. It didn’t sound like he had talked a lot lately.
Tony nodded slowly. “I don’t know if you remember who you are - recently or in the past. Don’t know whether you remember Steve Rogers, either. All I need you to do is to trust me and my team for a little bit: we’re here to help.”
Rhodey made a tiny noise of agreement, which came out a little scrambled through the sound system of the suit.
Barnes seemed to be thinking something over, still looking ready to bolt if he had the chance. Frankly, he had the advantage here, because following someone like him, in a suit, in an urban area, was bound to be a challenge.
“Who’s coming for me?” Barnes asked finally. “HYDRA?” His voice was blank, like he was cautious not to show emotion when it came to the people who had mutilated and brainwashed him.
“Kind of,” Tony admitted. “It’s complicated and somewhat confusing.”
Barnes nodded slowly, as if there was nothing overly complicated about it. Perhaps there wasn’t, in his head - not until he came face to face with the Commander. Tony could see how that would be a bad idea, especially if Barnes still missed his connection to Steve and their past together. Talk about getting off on the wrong foot…
“The Avengers are not your enemy,” Tony assured him, in case that was necessary. “At least, as long as you behave,” he added, which perhaps was a mistake, come to think of it.
Barnes just snorted at his comment. Perhaps he had heard that one before - and got burned. Maybe he felt like he was outnumbered and he had no choice but to come with them.
Whatever the reason, Tony was mildly shocked when Barnes stepped forward slowly, checked out the suits again, then Tony, and finally adjusted the cap on his head. “Are we going or what?” he asked, and Tony imagined that was some of the cockiness of the Bucky Barnes Steve used to hang out with. It didn’t match the general demeanor of the man before them, but Tony wasn’t going to let their good fortune pass; he turned slightly, motioning for Rhodey and his suit to lead the way out, and then took off after them, fully aware of how Barnes was trailing him every step of the way.
to be continued…
Story info