Above Stark Industries, Thursday afternoon

[heroic_jawline]

Steve was still sifting through the file photos of the Chinese Theater explosion when his phone rang. "Rogers," he said, sounding distracted.

"Click the link I'm sending you right now," Natasha said in his ear.

"Should I be worried?"

"Just watch it."

And that was why Tony was probably hearing some distinctly un-PG words coming out of Captain America's mouth as he watched his Tony threaten the Mandarin live on international television.

Comments

[heroic_jawline]

"That part seems about right," Steve said, pulling up the Mandarin's latest televised lesson. "Did he look like this?"

[imafuturist]

"...I suppose? In very broad strokes," Tony replied slowly.

[heroic_jawline]

"What's his organization like in your world?" Steve asked. "Maybe it'll give us some leads in mine."

[imafuturist]

"They're fanatics mostly," Tony said, taking a seat on the arm of the couch. "But he's smart. Dangerously smart. Last I heard he just disappeared into China and not a peep has been heard from him since. Which can't be good for anyone."

[heroic_jawline]

"Probably not," Steve agreed. "He's all about teaching us lessons, apparently."

He clicked the Mandarin's message aside just to watch a missile aimed at Tony's house. "Holy shit."

[imafuturist]

Tony tilted his head, only a little tightening of his mouth in response to that as he worked through the payload of that missile vs the integrity of the house and cliff side.

Because of course he was.

"Does he have an armory there?"

[heroic_jawline]

"He must," Steve said, scanning the building anxiously for the familiar flash of red and gold.

[imafuturist]

And of course someone would be just filming this for everyone to see. Tony gritted his teeth, trying to piggyback onto that signal to latch onto any unsecured systems near the house.

"Give out your damn address," he muttered. "Idiot."

[heroic_jawline]

Steve had gone entirely tense on the sofa as he watched, hating the all-to-familiar feeling of absolute helplessness. "You called out a terrorist, Tony," he muttered. "You had a plan, right?"

[imafuturist]

Well, he probably had a plan? Maybe? Tony usually had plans that went to shit and needed to be reworked all the time.

Tony put his hand on Steve's shoulder. "There," he said, pointing to a flash of gold that wasn't part of the explosion.

[heroic_jawline]

Steve let out a relieved breath. "Thank God."

That relief wouldn't last long, though.

[imafuturist]

Awww, c'mon. Didn't Steve want to visit Everything Is Awful Land?

"Where is SHIELD during all this? It's being aired live for god's sake."

[heroic_jawline]

"I'm calling right now to ask," Steve said, picking up the phone just as most of Tony's house crumbled into the Pacific. "Fury, what the hell--" he began.

[imafuturist]

Tony had a moment to think that he must have assumed the surrounding stone was the wrong material because he'd honestly thought it would have taken at least ten more minutes for that to happen.

"Where is he?" Tony muttered under his breath, trying to will the smoke and debris to clear. With his magic powers.

[heroic_jawline]

"I don't know," Steve snapped. "Fury? You've got a tracker on him, right?"

The voice on the other end of the phone seemed far more concerned with Steve's tone than telling him anything.

[imafuturist]

Yeah, that sounded like Fury.

"Remarkably glad my team never joined SHIELD," Tony muttered. "It won't help if I say I've survived worse, will it?"

[heroic_jawline]

"Not right now, no," Steve said, scanning the water for any signs of the suit.

[imafuturist]

"It's waterproof." A beat. "Or should be."

[heroic_jawline]

"Okay," Steve said, remembering to breathe again and tuning out the breathless and inane prattle of the television commentators.

[imafuturist]

"We'll find him," Tony promised despite really not being able to keep that promise.

[heroic_jawline]

"I want to do something," Steve was all but snarling at Fury on the phone.

Fury's response was succinct and soon Steve was holding a dead phone when he crushed it just a little too hard.

"Whoops."

[imafuturist]

Tony sighed, trying to pry the unfortunate and poorly made phone from Steve's hand. He'd... have to figure out a replacement for that.

"What did he say?"

[heroic_jawline]

"He said that I couldn't teleport to Malibu," Steve said, "so I couldn't do much good right now."

[imafuturist]

"But you can look for the Mandarin in the meantime," Tony replied. "You know someone who caught him before, after all."

[heroic_jawline]

Steve nodded, scrubbing his hand through his hair. "Okay, we can do that. Should I call Rhodey? He's point at the Pentagon for this."