What If Tony Stark Was The Villain

Part 18 - Civil War

"No signs of anyone being here, sir" JARVIS speaks through Tony's armor speakers.

"I know, but we still need to check closely" Tony replies, being in an offensive position and ready for battle any moment now.

It's the second place they're checking. It's just as empty and dark as the first one, and just like the first one, there's no indication anyone was here lately. Tony opens a door and raises his repulsors in case he comes across Steve but the outcome is seeing another empty space.

"He's not here either" Tony confirms.

"Are you taking a break or going to the third location?" JARVIS asks.

"Just show me the way to the third location" Tony replies, definitely unamused.

"It should be on your screen in seconds, sir" JARVIS obliges.

"Thanks, buddy" he says nicely and looks at the directions on his screen.

He starts flying carefully with the suit and completely quietly he lands on the third location he wants to investigate. He scans the place for entrances and traps and gets in. His focus and awareness are higher than ever. He knows that without the first two locations, it's highly possible to find Rogers now.

"There was definitely someone in here recently" Tony murmurs.

He sees some cups, used packages of meals and some beds, all indicating that someone was or is living here for a while. He explores the place further, looking and scanning around, until he feels a presence in the back.

"I was wondering when you'd show up" Steve speaks from the shadows.

"I'll give it to you, it wasn't easy to find you" Tony turns around slowly and faces him.

"It's because I didn't want to be found" he replies.

"Well, I wanted to find you and here we are" Tony shrugs.

"Where is Natasha?" Steve asks aggressively.

"So happy that you asked this. JARVIS, you know what to do" Tony replies and Steve looks around with curiosity.

"It's gonna take a while, let's have a talk in the meantime" he continues.

"Is it true? Did you do those things?" Steve asks, hoping for the answer to be no.

"You need to be more specific, I've done plenty of things" Tony answers casually.

"Bucky" Steve takes a step towards Tony.

"Sam" he takes another.

"Clint" with his third step, he's finally out of the shadows and Tony can clearly see him in his suit.

"I hope not Natasha, too" he adds.

"Please tell me it's not true, tell me Natasha was wrong and you didn't kill all of them" he finishes his words.

"It's not my style to lie like that in other people's faces" Tony says through his teeth.

"D*mn it, Tony" Steve curses.

"What did you expect after all that happened? Because of you my life's been a living nightmare" Tony defends himself.

"You could've dealt with that anger the same way we all do. Not with killing innocent people" Steve's anger is rising.

"None of them was innocent. Maybe Natasha, but she tried to play me. Trust me, I took no pleasure in doing that" his words have Steve clenching his jaw.

"You need to be stopped" Steve says bluntly.

"And who's going to do that exactly? You? Your friend is not here anymore to back you up" Tony mocks him.

"I don't need any backup. I will stop you all by myself" Steve brings his hand to his back and pulls his shield.

Tony chuckles, watching him prepare for battle. They're both extremely driven by their rage already and they haven't even approached each other.

"Was it worth it, Cap? Dragging Natasha in this and making her steal that shield from my lab?" Tony asks seriously.

"I never made her do anything" Steve hisses.

"Her blood is on your hands as much as it is on mine" Tony disagrees.

"It'll be worth it when I see you in a cell, like you deserve" he looks at Tony angrily.

"There's no cell that can hold me back, Cap. You're going to have to kill me" he says.

"I don't want to kill you, Tony. I only want to stop you from hurting more innocent people" Steve slowly takes another step closer to Tony.

"What a shame, I'm here to kill you" Tony gets more offensive, too.

"I guess only one of us will get what they want" Steve makes a fist with his hand.

"Just be careful not to end up like her" Tony looks up and so does Steve.

There's another Iron Man suit, but there's something different about it. It's carrying Natasha's body. As soon as Steve realizes what he's looking at, his heart skips a few beats and his knees get weak. His eyes tear up when her body rests in front of him, all cold and colorless.

"Nat" he gasps and falls on his knees.

"I was never planning on doing that. This hurts me as much as it hurts you"

"I doubt that" Steve breathes heavily.

"It's hard to believe but it's true" Tony insists.

"You're paying for this and everything else you've done. I'm sorry, but there's no excuse for you anymore" Steve hits his shield on the floor and slowly stands up.

"Show me what you've got, Rogers" Tony gestures him to start with his fingers.

"Aaaggghhhh" Steve groans and runs straight at Tony.

Tony stays still as Steve punches him over his suit again and again. He uses his fists, the shield, or even both sometimes. Tony can feel the pain but he's not fighting back yet. He wants Steve to lose himself in his rage first.

After a few moments of staying like that, a bleeding nose and some other wounds around his body, he decides it's time to fight back. During Steve's powerful attacks, Tony manages to grab his shield right before it hits him again and stop Steve in the middle of his move.

"My turn" he says deeply and the suit's eyes light up.