The Dead

[starkingenuity]

It might seem counterintuitive for the most connected person on the planet to be the last to know something is happening, but when Tony Stark is working, Hell could swallow the world up and he would make an off handed, disinterested remark that he would have to check the AC. Up in his hi-tech Tower, where he had meant to spend the week finishing up boxing the more precious pieces of unfinished projects, Tony had gotten himself caught procrastinating the only way a man like him is capable of procrastinating: by rebuilding hardware to help him finish a gadget rather than packing that gadget away.

FRIDAY had already been installed in the compound Upstate, though she never left his back pocket really. Tony didn’t hear her alerting him, therefore, when people started dying. How could he with the sound of heavy metal playing and the grinder in his hands?

Tony had stayed in his mostly disassembled, partly reassembled lab for thirty-two hours before deciding he was hungry enough to stop making do with granola bars and dried fruit and call in some pizza.

The alerts on his phone are terrifying when he finally sees them. The number of missed calls leave his mouth dry.

Despite everything, Tony’s first thought is to call Steve Rogers of all people, even before he puts the armor back on. He has no idea that Captain America fell with the rest of the country he loved hours ago.

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[starkingenuity]

Tony snorts and doesn’t answer the question. He also doesn’t mention that, he really might take over the middle unit on the top floor until they can figure out their next moves. He’ll pay the actual owner for it. If that owner is still alive.

“What floors are the people on?” Tony asks. They could just skip right there, especially if there is any hope of saving anyone.

He knocks absently on the door they’re in front of, only to hear a snarl in return. His face turns grim.

[endof_theline]

He hopes they'll find enough survivors to fill the apartment building, but then they have to figure out what to do after. How can they stay here? Is there any place that's safer?

He thinks about all of this as they look through each apartment.

"Third floor has two couples and there's a single man and woman right above them on the fourth," he says, right before Tony knocks.

The growl has Bucky on full alert, his gaze darting to Tony's face. "Close your suit." Bucky pulls a knife out, ready to engage if they have to. "We can keep in, or take them out... Or maybe it's just a dog."

God let it just be a dog.

[starkingenuity]

The noise had caused Tony to flinch and back up, partially into Bucky. He’d not been around the zombies long enough to know what they sound like and the videos he’d watched hadn’t been that helpful. His eyes dart towards the other man, and he does what he’s told, double tapping his chest for the armor to form around him.

He steps back, one hand raised and ready to blast whatever is inside.

“Will it stay in there?” Unfortunately, he can’t really whisper inside of the suit and the metallic vocalization causes whatever is inside the apartment to throw itself against the door.

[endof_theline]

Tony makes a lot of noise. He's noticed that since Tony came flying toward him with his megaphone thing or whatever the hell that was. It's too much, and Bucky shakes his head, pressing a finger to his lips.

Too late.

"I don't know if it will, but we can't afford to find out," he says quietly, lifting his knife. His gun might be more effective, but Tony's got his blaster and he'd rather not have the first thing Tony sees being him blowing someone's head off.

"I'll knock the door down, you blast its head off- yeah?" They have to work together on this. It's the only way.

[starkingenuity]

Tony doesn’t play well with others. Surely Barnes knows this. There is no way for the engineer to give the other man an eye roll through the faceplate of his helmet though, but he hopes that eye roll is implied by how the armor sags a little at the shoulders while its hip juts out.

He makes a little rolling gesture with his wrist to indicate that he his prepared before tensing back up again.

“FRIDAY,” he says, voice encapsulated by the helmet. “Any heat signatures?”

“Sorry boss. Getting nothing through the wall.”

[endof_theline]

Bucky doesn't really know a damn thing about Tony, other than what he had seen when all of them were beating the shit out of each other. He's not really all that familiar with social cues or emotions either. The best bet with Bucky is face value. Being clear.

Right now, all he needs is for Tony to be clear about what's about to go down.

Bucky's got both metal arms up and ready to block. He looks at Tony and gives a nod, then kicks the door in. The zombie is momentarily stunned, taking a few haggard steps back, but Bucky is already moving forward to corner him in the apartment, knife at the ready in case Tony misses.

Tony won't miss, he knows it.

[starkingenuity]

No.

Everyone knows everything about Tony Stark. He’s the center of the universe. There are college courses about him. He’s on everyone’s coffee table. He refuses to believe that ten minutes in his presence isn’t enough for someone to just get him. At least, the mask of him that he puts forward.

At least Barnes does know that he isn’t apt to miss his shots. FRIDAY assists with that, though it does take her several moments to calibrate for the enemy she could not see through the wall. One well aimed shot in the chest is enough to down the zombie.

Just not for long.

In a tattered t-shirt and oversized orange shorts, one slide still on its foot, the once human groans. It doesn’t get to its feet. It leaps. “Woah! Stay down buddy!”

No one ever listens to him.

[endof_theline]

Bucky barely understands himself, let alone the people around him- and it seems like his journey of self discovery is going to have to be put on hold now. Extenuating circumstances and all.

Tony aims, fires a blast and Bucky hopes it's enough to take the zombie down. He's almost hopeful, except then it's airborne and headed straight for Tony. Bucky lunges in front of it, smashing it across the face with the Iron Man gauntlet, then with the knife in his actual metal arm he slices it across the neck.

"Blast the head!" He's pretty sure they only go down when their heads are detached from their bodies.

[starkingenuity]

Close combat fighting in a full suit of armor is not ideal. Tony is a better shot at a distance, but in this regard, he can do nothing but stride into the fray. Bucky holds the zombie at bay and Tony is able to wedge himself into the mix, gauntlet closing around the once living man’s head.

When the repulsor goes off, it’s explosive. A smattering of blood and brains speckles his arm and chest. Thank goodness it’s easily cleaned up.

“All right, Barnes?”

[endof_theline]

Bucky has seen Tony in close combat fighting and he thinks he's just fine. Fine enough to almost blast his arm off. He's pretty damn sure he can manage a zombie head.

The blast is mighty and then there are pieces everywhere. The smell is like rotting flesh on fire. He'd gag if he wasn't used to remaining completely non-reactive in a situation.

"Yeah- alright." As much as they can be. "Let's hope this is the only one." Now Tony has really seen one up close, though. He sees the threat they're facing. These things don't go down easily, but they worked together and finished it.

"Let's get to the known survivors. Set them up together. Then we need to head back out." Maybe this time he'll try the suit without panicking- now that he knows what he's in for.

[starkingenuity]

“Done clearing already?” Tony asks, eyebrows arching behind the stoic mask. “Probably for the best so we aren’t ruining everyone’s carpets.”

He opts to let Bucky go first. He knows who to talk to, what apartments to visit. He isn’t sure how infectious the blood on his armor is either so best act as backup.

The Asian couple seem all right, unmoved by what’s been going on. The televisions might be down but there’s the internet and their kitchen window to look out from.

[endof_theline]

"We'll clear on the way." Same as what they've been doing. He's anxious to get to the survivors though, especially because he checked this apartment earlier and no one was inside as far as he could tell.

It's unnerving.

They do check the apartments along the way- luckily there's no more growling. No more heads to blow off. He thinks about what Tony was saying earlier. What if they're not completely dead? What if there's a cure? Who would even be left to cure them?

The Asian couple doesn't want to leave their apartment. Of course they don't. The other couple doesn't want to either. The single tenants don't want to stay alone, so they collect those two at least. Bucky lets Tony do the talking, though. He doesn't know what to say to people. Doesn't know how to comfort them. Neither does Tony, but at least he keeps the mood light.

[starkingenuity]

Tony is mostly insulting but somehow, how face and eyes and smile are enough to lighten the mood. They end up doing a little remodeling of the top floor, not for Tony’s Brooklyn penthouse, but to give the building’s survivors more room and safety. There is escape to the roof, escape from the floor itself to street level, and still room for other survivors.

Back in Bucky’s little den of sadness, Tony’s armor left in sentry mode in the hall, the engineer washes his hands raw in the kitchen sink while thinking out loud.

“We have a lot of firepower. And I have the Legion. We could set up a perimeter around the whole block.” He does not say that FRIDAY has spent the last several hours trying every phone number in her databases and posted online.

No one has answered minus a few very fearful people in Asia.

How could this mess be global already?

[endof_theline]

Bucky helps silently as much as he can. No one looks at him strangely or with fear in their eyes for once. There's a much bigger threat out there now than the Winter Soldier. Maybe it helps that he's with Iron Man too. It was the same with Steve.

He's not going to let himself think about Steve.

Once everyone is settled, Bucky sticks close to Tony back at the apartment. He's got his backpack on his back again, strapped across his chest. He can't even imagine how dire it must be out there now. They really need to go.

"Alright." He gives a single nod, gaze shifting down to Tony washing his hands. "Be careful. If you scrub your hands raw there's more of a chance of infection."

He's not trying to terrify Tony. He's just being matter of fact.

[starkingenuity]

The older man pauses immediately, hands hovering over the sink. He stares at the backsplash for a moment before he turns off the faucet and composes himself. “I’m probably going to die of starvation anyway,” he jokes. “I’m guessing pizza is forever more out of the question?” Damn. That does make him sad. He used to know all of the best pizza places.

Hip against the counter, Tony half turns and crosses his arms over his chest.

“So now what? There have got to be other people out there. Maybe even people that know how to make a decent slice. And someone has to go grocery shopping.”

[endof_theline]

Pizza. Bucky just had it again for the first time in decades a couple weeks ago. It instantly became his favorite. Steve took him to one of the places they used to go to when they were younger and Bucky could actually remember being there.

His face falls a little at the thought of never having it again as well. To think, this is something they could connect with. "Yeah, I- I don't know. I guess it'll be a lot of canned foods."

Probably back to eating like he did when he was a prisoner. He doesn't want to think about that right now either.

"We need to go back out there. We need to find more survivors." They've already spent too long inside, even though they needed to secure this place first, and situation everyone. "There's got to be more. We'll find a van." Like he had mentioned before.

And then what? All they can do is try and figure out how to keep surviving. "Were you able to get in touch with anyone else?"

[starkingenuity]

“You keep saying get a van but the road are half impassable,” Tony says, leaning back fully on the counter now. Rolled up sleeves show off a bit of the grime and oil further up his arms than he had cleaned. “I’ve never driven over a person before but I don’t think it would be very good for the undercarriage.”

It’s still a thought. Sitting still isn’t really his thing. He could go back to the Tower, stick his head in some tech and wait…. But for what? The world is rightly fucked.

The question, one he had already been thinking about, makes him flinch. “FRIDAY connected with some people in Asia. Couldn’t get in touch with any of my contacts. World leaders. CEOs. So she just dailed every number online.”

[endof_theline]

"I'll go down the roads that are clearer. I'll get out and search for survivors and lead them back to the van." He's not looking to drive over people either- the thought of it makes him feel sick.

But the thought of them not helping gives him the same kind of feeling, so it's terrible either way.

"We can just.... do nothing." It's not in his nature, no matter how many people he's killed. No matter how much blood is on his hands. Helping people is what he wants to do and hasn't been allowed to do for so long.

The rest of what Tony says is grim. No one. Bucky frowns, looking down. It feels devastating. It feels like... what do they have to lose if they go back out there? No one's going to save them. They have to be the ones to do what they can."We can't be all that's left. We can't be."

[starkingenuity]

Tony doesn’t know how to comfort the man that killed his parents but they are both at s loss here. They both are feeling the same sort of despair. Tony is just very good at swallowing that up.

“Woah, hey, we aren’t the only people. Look, there are a few thousand apartment buildings in this city alone, right? There’s got to be a few people in each. If you really want a van…. That’s just going to take some modifications, right?”

When it comes to armor, Tony knows armor.

“But have a think about this one. Why not get a quinjet? Drop in from the roof, bring people Jo. It’s so much safer, right?” His eyebrows arch. “FRIDAY can get us one. Or I can go and pick one up.”

whoops that was supposed to be "we can't just do nothing" xD

[endof_theline]

Tony's right- they really do have to think smart about this one. If there are survivors, they have to find the best way out. Bucky's first thought doesn't go to a flying spacecraft, so he's glad when Tony brings it up. Might be better than a van.

He nods, already fully convinced. "If we can get a quinjet that would be safer. It might attract more attention, but.... there's stealth mode, right?" He's thinking out loud for once. "If you have to go pick one up, I'm going with you. We should stay together."

It should feel a lot more strange than this, but there's no time for that.

[starkingenuity]

“They’re pretty quiet when you want them to be,” Tony agrees, fishing his phone out of his pocket. “Any luck, FRIDAY?”

“Sorry boss, the AI responds. “Looks like most have already left the compound. Many have crashed or have gone offline but I’ve found one in nominal working condition quite close.”

Tony sighs. “Good think I know a good repair guy. How close?”

“Sending coordinates to the Iron Man armor!”

[endof_theline]

Alright. He'll go with Tony on this one. He's pretty sure that means he's going to have to try getting back in the other armor again. He's not looking forward to it, but he also knows they cant waste any more time and he has to get over his fears and hangups as much as he can.

If only it were that easy.

Still. He'll do what he needs to do. He does wonder about the quinjets that left the compound, though. He wonders if those people really did get away.

"Back to the roof? I'll give it another try," he says solemnly.

[starkingenuity]

If Tony knew about Bucky’s optimism, he might actually feel something other than dread. In his mind, the reason the quinjets are all out is because the Avengers scrambled and were taken down.

He doesn’t know what they’ll find in the damaged vehicle but he’s too surprised to begin voicing his thoughts on it in preparation. “You want— That’s smart, but not if you’re going to freak out again,” he points out. “You’re going to have to trust me a little.”

The thought makes him smirk, even as he goes back out into the hallway to step inside his own armor. He’s not used to using it this way anymore but until he cleans off the blood, he doesn’t really want to risk having it dissolve back into the reactor on his chest.

[endof_theline]

Bucky doesn't work in teams. He doesn't remember what it's like. Every man for himself, he figures. Except that's not what the Avengers are about. Bucky just doesn't think that far ahead when it comes to teamwork- he also doesn't know how many quinjets there were in the first place, or how many people were at that compound. He remembers Steve mentioning it once, but that's about it. It's less about optimism, and more about him not having a clue.

Bucky presses his lips together. The fact that Tony is asking him to trust him- well, maybe that's enough for Bucky to trust him. Before this he would have been wary of it. He would have said no way- but this is a dire situation.

They have to trust each other

"I'm not gonna freak out again," he mutters. But he also means I'll trust you, even if he doesn't say it out loud.

Once they reach the rooftop, Bucky is on high alert again. Everything smells of smoke and fire. The color of the city is changing as well. "I think... it would help if you gave me a little more information." Just a quick rundown of the suit and how it functions, maybe. Something he can focus on while he gets inside.

[starkingenuity]

Tony’s lips curl. It might be the smell. It might be the ludicrous possibility that they will survive another day. It might just be that Bucky wants him to describe the armor in a way he’d understand. As if he could. In fact, Tony’s first instinct is to be insulting.

Everyone would roll their eyes and slap an ‘eccentric’ label on him before he got a pass. There just isn’t an everyone anymore. Standing up on the roof is driving that point home.

So, against his better judgement, and without too many nicknames, Tony goes through the mechanisms and the commands that Bucky will need to learn to control the armor. “Talk to FRIDAY like she’s a person.” Because she is. “She will keep you safe. And make sure you don’t turtle out.”