On The Run

Left Behind

Chapter 10: Left behind

Tony would have remembered the night in perfect clarity even without BARF (one of these days, he was going to get around to changing that acronym). He would have remembered the rush of activity, the way suitcases had been piled in the hallway waiting to be transported to the jet. It would be making two stops before the week was through: once in London and once in Vienna. At least, that was its planned itinerary. No one had accounted for the extra stop in Berlin.

There was Steve, sitting on the window seat and reading a book with practiced concentration. Quieter than usual, the way he had been ever since the text had come saying Peggy had died in her sleep. Sam and Rhodey were seated on the couch, watching football and arguing good naturedly over who was going to win. This wasn't uncommon; they almost always placed bets on who would come out on top-but Tony could sense a deeper underlying tension that told him things still stung from the discussion they'd had about the Sokovia Accords earlier that morning. Natasha stood in the entryway, staring out the front window at the rapidly darkening night impassively.

"You know," she said, just the way Tony knew she would, "we should get going if we ever want to get off the ground tonight."

The front door opened and Tony braced himself for the familiar rush of confusion that came when he saw his double for the first time, wearing his new three piece suit he'd been so proud of. "The jet's on the ground; we're good to go whenever you're ready."

Steve stood up slowly, as though he had a heavy weight on his shoulder that was constantly pushing him down, "Let's not keep them waiting. It's going to take time to get adjusted to the time change as it is," He slung his backpack over one arm, grabbed the handle of his suitcase with the other, and was halfway out the door before Tony could call him back.

"Steve?"

"What is it," the super soldier asked, looking back curiously. Even now, even when he'd had time to process what had happened in Siberia, Tony couldn't help wondering just how many secrets those blue eyes were holding. How much had Steve known, back then, about the night the Starks had been murdered? How many other things had he been hiding-not just from Tony, but from the rest of the team as well.

"Listen, I'm really sorry. About Peggy and...about the Accords. I'm sorry we don't see eye to eye. I'm sorry neither of us can compromise. And I'm sorry about everything that's going to happen next."

Steve nodded,"Me too." With that, he tipped his hat once to Tony and stepped outside into the night. The scene froze around him as Tony pressed another button, shifting the scene to the den downstairs. There were Vision and Wanda; having said their goodbyes earlier Wanda was on the couch reading a magazine while Vision examined the DVD player curiously. He could have started the memory at any moment; it took him a minute to realize why he hadn't done it already. Then he realized that he was analyzing the scene carefully-especially Vision-trying to find a speck of evidence that proved his theory.

The android wasn't doing anything unusual; he'd always been more than fascinated with human devices and the way they worked. Cautiously, Tony started the memory again-pausing it as soon as Vision turned around, probably to tell Wanda he'd figured out what was wrong with the device. He scrutinized everything-especially the way he was looking at the girl on the couch. It was a look Tony had seen before-though he typically saw it on the faces of shy teenagers. Not an android, especially one he'd helped design. I thought you couldn't feel emotions. At least, not strong ones.

He pressed the button again and the scene started in earnest.

"It seems to me," Vision began in his usual overtly formal tone, "that some of the cording has come loose-"