Especially as he gets older, Tony's mind moves faster than his body. Maybe this is what people mean when they say that everything starts to move in slow motion; He sees it coming-- the Solider springing up, advancing on him. But no amount of his brain screaming at him makes up for the input delay, or the fact that the Soldier pins Tony to the chair with his corded thighs.
His gasp is quite literally strangled out of him. Tony can instantly feel that tightness in his chest, the feeling of his heart jackrabbiting. Instinct makes him wrap his fingers around the Soldier's metal wrist, despite him knowing it's futile. This isn't his first time in a near death situation without the suit-- hell, he'd been kidnapped who knows how many times long before Iron Man even existed, but it's still a fear like no other. It's easy to forget he's not invincible when he wears the suit, but even in it, he is still human, and very much not.
Air feels thin; A lot flits through Tony's mind. He thinks of Rhodey, Pepper. His beloved creations, even the ones that can't be trusted not to put motor oil in his coffee. The people counting on him, superhero or no. The weight of the Iron Man mantle.
And of course, he thinks of his parents.
Though maybe Tony's experiencing some insane, rapid onset hysteria, because what lances through everything-- even the sinking gut feeling that he's going to see his mom again real soon, that he's going to have lived like Howard, and have died like him-- is the thought, huh. Who knew that Bucky Barnes would be so beautiful?
The Solider looks more animated than Tony's ever seen him. He's like a cornered animal right now: Wild hair, wild eyes, desperation and fear and anger so potent you could choke (hah) on it. Objectively, that part isn't beautiful, but the fact that the person lurking beneath has finally surfaced? That is. The Solider's fear and anger is hot and strong like a blaze-- how could anyone ever take that from this man? Take any of it, all of it? Maybe Tony's about to die, but there's comfort in knowing that it isn't the programming that's responsible.
(If anyone deserves to die as the first act of the Soldier's new autonomy, it's probably Tony Stark. The blood on Tony's hands is all his own-- not knowing has never made him feel less guilty nor less responsible. And no amount of Iron Man or charities and fundraisers or any good deed on the planet can make up for what he's done.)
Through the blood rushing in his ears, Tony catches the Solider asking to see his assistant. His... assistant? What? He hasn't had one since Natasha used the position to infiltrate SI.
The confusion must show on his face, because the metal hand around his throat tightens.
There's that spark of fear that the Solider somehow means Pepper, but it's snubbed out when Tony finally connects the dots. He never got another assistant because JARVIS handled everything just fine, and it was safer. After him, FRIDAY.
Tony's mouth opens and closes, gaping like a fish out of water, but he can't get any words out. Thankfully, he doesn't have to.
"Sergeant Barnes, if I'm the assistant that you're referring to, I'm afraid that speaking to you like this is the best I can do. I'm not a person, I'm an artificial intelligence that Sir built." She doesn't mince her words (and if he's not mistaken, FRIDAY purposely tries to sound more 'robotic' than usual to get the point across. Smart girl. Tony's heart swells in fondness, but it's mostly overshadowed by the fuckfuckfuck of his brain telling his body that it's fucking dying.)
He's definitely regretting not building FRIDAY some kind of body right about now, though, and her piloting one of his suits and walking it in here definitely wouldn't go over well. The Soldier's essentially holding him hostage, and he's scared and jumpy and distrusting. It's probably only going to get worse-- Tony knows what happens when hostage demands aren't met.
"What is it that you require from me? From Sir? We'll do what we can to accommodate you, Sergeant."
My AI is using her learning model to train herself in hostage negotiations, Tony thinks, and dark spots are dancing in his vision. Will FRIDAY stand by and let the Solider kill him? She's surely monitoring his vitals right now, and Tony doubts she'd just stand by, but--
There is no but. As much as Tony feels he deserves it, the Solider killing him will just make everything a hundred times worse. He doesn't think people would be so understanding and kind, all of a sudden. Tony blinks away the image of the Soldier, swarmed by military, shot or beaten broken and bloody. Half unfocused, unseeing eyes slip down to the book, clutched in a shaking flesh hand. Tony hopes FRIDAY catches it on one of the cameras, because that's the crux of this whole thing, right? Loose ends. The Solider can't be free until anyone who knows the contents of that book is left alive.
"Sir did not reveal with me any information or specifics of your condition. Nor did he document it anywhere." (If Tony makes it out of this alive, he's going to be such a proud papa later.) "I've been reviewing surveillance footage, Sergeant, and Sir was the last person to open the book. Baron Zemo has admitted in SHEILD interrogation that he is the one who... "activated" you, although he is refusing to reveal to anyone on how he did so. Other than that it's possible with the book you're holding, Sergeant, the Baron has said nothing."
no subject
His gasp is quite literally strangled out of him. Tony can instantly feel that tightness in his chest, the feeling of his heart jackrabbiting. Instinct makes him wrap his fingers around the Soldier's metal wrist, despite him knowing it's futile. This isn't his first time in a near death situation without the suit-- hell, he'd been kidnapped who knows how many times long before Iron Man even existed, but it's still a fear like no other. It's easy to forget he's not invincible when he wears the suit, but even in it, he is still human, and very much not.
Air feels thin; A lot flits through Tony's mind. He thinks of Rhodey, Pepper. His beloved creations, even the ones that can't be trusted not to put motor oil in his coffee. The people counting on him, superhero or no. The weight of the Iron Man mantle.
And of course, he thinks of his parents.
Though maybe Tony's experiencing some insane, rapid onset hysteria, because what lances through everything-- even the sinking gut feeling that he's going to see his mom again real soon, that he's going to have lived like Howard, and have died like him-- is the thought, huh. Who knew that Bucky Barnes would be so beautiful?
The Solider looks more animated than Tony's ever seen him. He's like a cornered animal right now: Wild hair, wild eyes, desperation and fear and anger so potent you could choke (hah) on it. Objectively, that part isn't beautiful, but the fact that the person lurking beneath has finally surfaced? That is. The Solider's fear and anger is hot and strong like a blaze-- how could anyone ever take that from this man? Take any of it, all of it? Maybe Tony's about to die, but there's comfort in knowing that it isn't the programming that's responsible.
(If anyone deserves to die as the first act of the Soldier's new autonomy, it's probably Tony Stark. The blood on Tony's hands is all his own-- not knowing has never made him feel less guilty nor less responsible. And no amount of Iron Man or charities and fundraisers or any good deed on the planet can make up for what he's done.)
Through the blood rushing in his ears, Tony catches the Solider asking to see his assistant. His... assistant? What? He hasn't had one since Natasha used the position to infiltrate SI.
The confusion must show on his face, because the metal hand around his throat tightens.
There's that spark of fear that the Solider somehow means Pepper, but it's snubbed out when Tony finally connects the dots. He never got another assistant because JARVIS handled everything just fine, and it was safer. After him, FRIDAY.
Tony's mouth opens and closes, gaping like a fish out of water, but he can't get any words out. Thankfully, he doesn't have to.
"Sergeant Barnes, if I'm the assistant that you're referring to, I'm afraid that speaking to you like this is the best I can do. I'm not a person, I'm an artificial intelligence that Sir built." She doesn't mince her words (and if he's not mistaken, FRIDAY purposely tries to sound more 'robotic' than usual to get the point across. Smart girl. Tony's heart swells in fondness, but it's mostly overshadowed by the fuckfuckfuck of his brain telling his body that it's fucking dying.)
He's definitely regretting not building FRIDAY some kind of body right about now, though, and her piloting one of his suits and walking it in here definitely wouldn't go over well. The Soldier's essentially holding him hostage, and he's scared and jumpy and distrusting. It's probably only going to get worse-- Tony knows what happens when hostage demands aren't met.
"What is it that you require from me? From Sir? We'll do what we can to accommodate you, Sergeant."
My AI is using her learning model to train herself in hostage negotiations, Tony thinks, and dark spots are dancing in his vision. Will FRIDAY stand by and let the Solider kill him? She's surely monitoring his vitals right now, and Tony doubts she'd just stand by, but--
There is no but. As much as Tony feels he deserves it, the Solider killing him will just make everything a hundred times worse. He doesn't think people would be so understanding and kind, all of a sudden. Tony blinks away the image of the Soldier, swarmed by military, shot or beaten broken and bloody. Half unfocused, unseeing eyes slip down to the book, clutched in a shaking flesh hand. Tony hopes FRIDAY catches it on one of the cameras, because that's the crux of this whole thing, right? Loose ends. The Solider can't be free until anyone who knows the contents of that book is left alive.
"Sir did not reveal with me any information or specifics of your condition. Nor did he document it anywhere." (If Tony makes it out of this alive, he's going to be such a proud papa later.) "I've been reviewing surveillance footage, Sergeant, and Sir was the last person to open the book. Baron Zemo has admitted in SHEILD interrogation that he is the one who... "activated" you, although he is refusing to reveal to anyone on how he did so. Other than that it's possible with the book you're holding, Sergeant, the Baron has said nothing."