In Another Life | Sergeant James 'Bucky' Barnes / The Winter Soldier + Ikaris

Chapter 35

There was a brief shot of a military plane taking off, and then of Rhodey giving a demonstration to a line of new cadets inside a military hangar. "The future of air combat," he was saying. "Is it manned or unmanned? I tell you, in my experience, no unmanned aerial vehicle will ever trump a pilot's instinct, his insight - that ability to look beyond the obvious and discern its outcome - or a pilot's judgment."

"Colonel," Tony called out, and there he was, walking up to Rhodey from some other entrance. "Why not a pilot without the plane?"

Rhodey grinned and gestured. "Look who fell out of the sky, Mr. Tony Stark!"

"Speaking of manned or unmanned," Tony added as he shook the hand of one of the cadets. "You've got to get him to tell you about the time he guessed wrong at spring break. Just remember that - spring break, 1987, that lovely lady you woke up next to, what was his name?"

The cadets laughed.

"Don't do that," Rhodey said.

"Was it Ivan?" Tony went on.

"Don't do that, they'll believe that," Rhodes reminded him. "Don't do that."

"Okay, okay," Tony said. "Pleasure meeting you," he added to all the still-smiling cadets.

"Give us a couple of minutes, you guys," Rhodey said.

As the cadets walked off and Tony turned to him. "I'm surprised. I swear I didn't expect to see you walking around so soon." Rhodey added.

"Well, I'm doing a little better than walking," Tony replied, smiling a bit.

Rhodey folded his arms. "Really?"

"Yeah," Tony told him, and his eyes gleamed with the quiet excitement of an artist who has just embarked on what he knows to be his life's work. "Rhodey, I'm working on something big. I came to talk to you - I want you to be part of it."

Rhodey smiled with relief. "You're about to make a whole lot of people around here really happy,"he said. "Cause that little stunt at the press conference - that was a doozy."

Tony hesitated. "This is not the military," he said. "I'm not - it's different."

Rhodey frowned skeptically. "What, you a humanitarian now or something?"

"I need you to listen to me," Tony began.

"No, what you need is time to get your mind right," Rhodes scolded, worry evident in both his face and his voice.

Tony pulled a grimace that was probably supposed to be a smile.

"I'm serious," Rhodey said.

Tony nodded. "Okay," he said softly.

Still looking anxiously at him, Rhodey began to walk away. "Nice seeing you, Tony," he said, and he went to join the cadets.

"Thanks," Tony replied, his face full of disappointment.

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Whilst Tony was with Colonel Rhodes, Scarlet was at her home in Los Angeles.

For the past few years, she couldn't stop thinking about her fellow Eternal. She knew it was wrong. He was a married man after all. She shouldn't have feelings for him, but yet she did.

Ikaris.

She heard floorboards squeaking under foot. She spun around, whipping out her gun. "Who's there?" She demanded. "Show yourself!" She clicked the safety off and put her finger on the trigger but immediately froze when she saw a glimpse of a white t-shirt. "James?" She called out.