thecapitol | I'm really not sure if I'm floating or drowning here.

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I'm really not sure if I'm floating or drowning here.

WHO| Tony Stark, and anyone who can see him!
WHAT| Tony is not really loving this whole kidnapping death match thing
WHEN| 11th of the May
WHERE| Several locations in the tower
WARNINGS| References to the end of Winter Soldier but it's only a spoiler if you haven't seen it or Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. But you can avoid it by not reading what Tony's doing/thinking on the roof

--

[District 12's floor]

After Tony had told the Gamemakers what they could do with their evaluations and had been left in his room with a communicator and a credit card, he stood in his room for a moment staring at both. Then after a moment he dispassionately drops the card on the bedside table and starts turning the communicator over in his hands.

Sure it wasn't the first time he was taken away from what he knew and threatened with death, really it's starting to become a major theme in his life, he's had better themes to be honest, just as destructive, but on the whole more fun. However this was the first time he was kidnapped, given an allowance and technology. He isn't sure if it's amature, or cocky but he's not going to pass it up. Frowning a little Tony pockets the communicator then starts looking through his room as he runs a hand through his hair now and then. Clothes, Shoes, a remote (Which he also pockets) but no much else. Frowning at what he's found he leaves the room and turns his attention to ferreting his way around the floor as a whole, for now he's staying out of the bedrooms but if he can't find so much as a screw driver, very narrow knife or a broad fork he's going to invade privacies.

But as it is, right now he needs what he knows, and that's playing with tech, and he's probably not being quiet in his looking as he loudly moves things about and mutters to himself.

[Central Commons - Cocktail Bar]

After his attacking of his floor for something to do, Tony started to feel a little claustrophobic and found his way to the bar, something else that was familiar enough to act as a calming agent. You know what Tony also finds calming? Scotch. When he orders, he doesn't even realise it's free, he's just assumed they've given him an automatic tab, which for him isn't unusual.
He contemplates the two neat amber fingers in the glass then toasts the air.

"Here's to kidnappers with a resort and open bar."

He takes a drink and takes in who's wandering around the bar, feeling the twinge of homesickness. It's weird being held hostage but not you know being threatened with pain if you don't build a weapon for them while being allowed to apparently roam free for the moment.

[Roof]

The homesickness got to him for a while so after just idely riding the elevator with no purpose, Tony takes it up to the roof. It's about as quite as a roof top in a large city can be and if he closes his eyes he can almost pretend he's standing on the landing pad back in New York, Pepper listing the names of S.H.I.E.L.D agents who have jumped that sneaky ship and are banging on his doors for work.

He runs a hand over his face and huffs, he really needs to quit being a hypocrite with all this sentimentality of his. He walks to the edge and looks down seeing what little he can of the busy streets.

Tony let's his mind tick back to when he was told that he had been selected for a battle to the death.

"If this is going to involve swords, and war horses then I am in a lot of trouble."

He could probably use another drink. Actually, what he could really use is Pepper.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Is that supposed to be some kind of reference to the apocalypse or whatever? 'Cause I'm not really into that kind of thinking."

And before Tony can respond, Bucky's moving on. "Stark, what the hell are you doing here too? You--"

Look different. A feeling in his gut tells him that something is off here, but he can't pin down just what it is.

Tony just raises an eyebrow at the other man.

"I... What?"

Tony tilts his head a little, licking his lips curiously as his hands slip into his pockets.

"Also, if I was talking about the apocalypse I'd have mentioned there was four horses."

Because after all, Tony can't just let something like that not be corrected.

"The apocalypse isn't the point." Bucky waves that off irritably. "Something's up here. I mean, besides us both being kidnapped to perform in a bunch of death games. Maybe it's a clue to how they got us here." He straightens up. "What's the last thing you remember before waking up in this place?"

"Not sure if you've noticed, Seacrest. But you and I aren't the only unwilling detainees here. So how that for your clue to how we got here?"

Tony can't help but be defensive, but it's not often he has people speak to them as if he knows him. In fact the last person to do it was Fury, and that was a bit double edged. So Tony has no plan to be helpful unless he's given a reason to be.

Another frustrated wave of one hand. "Yeah, yeah, they've got dimension-hopping technology or something. I never paid attention to that stuff, that's more you or Reed Richards. That doesn't mean we can't share what we know, since we..." He trails off.

When he picks up again, his casual tone has gone flat and almost calculating. "You don't know me. Do you."

"You know, I was wondering how long that would take you to pick up on that."

Tony gives him a contemplative look.

"Don't know a Richards either, and I tend to know people that would know things about dimension-hopping technology. When wormholes open up in New York I tend to start keeping an eye out on people with those kind of theories."

He runs a hand through his hair slowly and huffs. He gets enough people being annoyed with him for something he's done, but for not knowing them is knew.

His next question comes out like something instinctive. "Do you at least know Cap? Do you know Steve Rogers?"

His eyes are the most serious they've been the whole brief conversation so far.

Tony just kind of stares at him, as if he had asked the stupidest question in the world.

"Yeah, hard not to know him. You tend to remember the people who call you worse than useless."

Admittedly Tony had gotten over that moment in their lives, but it doesn't mean he can't use it to feel out people who bring up Steve. Especially after everything that happened within S.H.I.E.L.D recently.

"Please, Stark, don't mope at me. If you know Steve, you know he trusts you and believes in you." There's total faith in his voice, no doubt at all that what he's saying is true. Trusting and believing in the people around him is what Steve Rogers does, and this guy of all people knows it.

Tony looks like he doesn't expect some of that sentence. Which would be right seeing as while he knows Steve would trust him, you can't save a city/country/town together without at least a general idea of trust of the people you're fighting with.

But believing in him is something different entirely. And with how sure this guy sounds is also a touch unnerving.

"Interesting sentiment about a man who hasn't stopped by since we saved New York together. From a guy who hasn't even introduced himself."

He pauses at that. Some of the intensity fades from him. A small, slightly rueful half-grin curls up his mouth. "My name is Bucky Barnes." As if that explains--maybe not everything, but a whole lot.

"Bucky Barnes."

Tony can't help but sound a little incredulous about this. Because still as far as he knows, the person with that name is dead. While Tony doesn't know a play by play of what happened to the Howling Commandos, Bucky Barnes got up to in war-torn Europe, he does know some things from both his dad and history classes.

One of the big things was, Bucky was kind of leading an actively dead lifestyle.

"As in James Buchanan Barnes?"

Edited 2014-05-11 13:40 (UTC)

"Yeah. That guy." Bucky watches Tony in silence for a moment longer. "You really are behind in the timeline, aren't you? I've been--" The tiniest pause. How should he put it? "Active again for a few years now. It's not news, where I come from. When I come from."

He keeps the discomfort out of his voice and off his face, but it nags at him. This means he's going to have to explain just where--and what--he was for sixty years to Tony Stark. That's not something he ever looks forward to.

"Active? I'm not sure if that makes you sound more like a soldier or a robot. Well really probably the same thing when you think about it."

Tony eyes him for a moment.

"So, was the drop exaggerated? Or is this actually a twin pop thing and you're just the other half of a capsicle?" he has his own pause, those it's a little longer. "You know, I never used to have conversations like this. For the record."

Tony just sighs and scrubs a hand over his face.

"Also, you're looking pretty fresh for a very dead guy."

"Get over it," Bucky says. "We're superheroes. We didn't sign up for normalcy." His voice is a little sharper than before. That crack about a soldier or a robot might have stung.

"It wasn't a drop, though. It was an explosion. Get your history right." He schools his voice back into neutrality. "Is it really that important that you hear what happened to me, Stark?" The question is quiet, but not flippant; he seriously needs to know.

He doesn't want to tell Tony Stark about this. He doesn't ever like telling anybody, and if there was one good thing about the mess that was his trial back home, it was that everyone there already knew and he'd never have to explain it again. As appalling as that was.

But if Tony needs to know, he needs to know.

Tony just gives Bucky a bland look for telling him to get over it. Tony felt at least a little entitled to a slight whine after everything up to and including being dragged to Pannem.

Then his eyebrows knit together in confusion.

"I know you were there and all, so who am I to tell you how you didn't die. But history has you failing from a Hydra train. The only casualty besides Captain America from the Howling Commando unit. You allnhave your own exhibit in the Smithsonian. I've been there it's tasteful, you might like it."

Tony's look of confusion moves on to something more of cautious concern, not sure if he should doubt this supposed Bucky or his dad.

"From the what?" His serious look fades away into a puzzled frown. "What are you talking about? We were the Invaders. Me and Cap, and Toro and the Human Torch, and Namor the Sub-Mariner. There was no 'Howling Commando' unit..."

He reaches up to rub at his face. "All right. So we've got more than a little timeline mix-up here. You think me and Cap were part of something we weren't, you don't know who I am and probably don't remember giving me the uniform either. You don't know who Reed Richards is. And you look a little off too." And he sighs. "Alternate timelines? Maybe I really did die back in '45 in yours."

He doesn't sound too broken up about it.

"Why would I give you a uniform?" Then he shakes his head, because really that's not the important part of the conversation.

"If anything this is really starting to sound like a really solid platform for string theory, multiverses. Do you know how I became Iron Man?"

His sarcastic, suspicious tone and air has long since moved on to more of a scientific vibe as he actually gets appropriately curious. Tony's never really be interested in things like this, however he has done some idle reading on the subjects when he was particularly bored.

That first question almost gets a laugh from Bucky. He shakes his head, though, and waves it away to address the other question. "You built the suit in part to keep you alive after nearly dying of a heart injury, isn't that how it goes? Sorry, your history isn't one I'm as familiar with as mine and Steve's."

He stops for a moment. "Steve--he isn't here, is he? Any version of him. It doesn't matter. He shouldn't be here."

"Well that's at least the same at least. Probably a fixed point. Probably? One of the most defining moments of my life and I'm saying probably." He shakes his head as he get's caught up in his own thoughts that he almost missed the question about Steve.

"Uh, if he is he hasn't said anything to me about it. Well not that I'd really expect him to try and call me for any reason, but I haven't seen him around." He pulls the communicator out of his pocket and waggles it between his fingers. "Nothing on this either."

"I haven't seen a lot on that network yet anyway," he says, frowning a little at the device. "How useful can it be since it's monitored up and down? We need one that isn't. But that's probably a pipe dream. There's always a way to crack the security on those things."

Tony smirks then pockets the communicator.

"Unfortunately, this place doesn't seem big on letting me near the tools of my trade. So anything I can manage will take some time and jerry rigging."

Then he looks around to spy out any obvious cameras.

"Well, a kid on my floor did mention people who seem to know how to get around it."

"We're being watched everywhere, so don't count on a break from it," Bucky says without changing his casual tone. "I'm crippled here too. I should be able to generate an EMP with this thing--" He holds up his left arm. "But it's not working here. They've got us in the palm of their hand. What's this about a kid who knows a way around it? I could find some use for that."

Tony looks at the arm and automatically inches towards it because hey, it's tech, and that's Tony's thing. And right now he's tightroping between being not rude, and wanting to poke at the arm.

"An EMP." He frowns at the arm and it's apparent lock down, his hand automatically drifts up to his chest, tapping where his reactor used to be but now holds only scar tissue as he takes a moment to wonder what they would have don't about that, considering that his reactor was powering an electromagnet so he was constantly living in a small EM field until very recently.

"Haven't been to New York in a while, huh? CCTV on most street corners watching for traffic or ATM hold up. This might be a bigger brother, but not impossible to get around. And she knows nothing, leave the kid out of it."

It's not that he felt close to her or anything, but she was essentially an innocent, especially considering how uneasy she was about telling him what she had.

"I wasn't talking about hurting her, Stark." His voice has a gentle note to it for a second. "But even kids can help fight what's going on here. They've got to, or they'll be victims too."

He lifts his brows. "Unless you've got a better idea for beating the odds here?"

ROOF

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