"Tony?"
Steve cried out in surprise. Ever since S.H.I.E.L.D. had fallen into chaos, he had not seen Stark. Tony had buried himself in developing Ultron and upgrading the Iron Legion, paying no attention to the outside world and handing most of the company's operations over to Pepper.
After the Superheroes Registration Act had been proposed, Captain America had arranged meetings with the other Avengers, but the results had been poor. Hawkeye Barton had grown disheartened and planned to retire in peace; Natasha felt the same, unwilling to get involved in this mess. Excluding Thor, who was in Asgard, and Dr. Banner, who only wanted a quiet life, Iron Man was the only one he could contact.
But Tony had made it clear that he did not want to interfere in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s internal disputes. As for the Superheroes Registration Act, he had temporarily expressed his opposition.
Given Iron Man's temperament, there was no way he would accept government control. Steve was not surprised by that in the least. Even the S.H.I.E.L.D. led by Fury had been unable to rein Stark in, let alone anyone else.
"Listen, Captain Rogers, this has nothing to do with you. I'm here to settle things with this guy."
The Iron Armor landed smoothly, Tony's voice emerging from its speakers. Anyone could hear the fury in Iron Man's voice, as though he could not wait to find someone to fight.
The Winter Soldier, who had taken a Repulsor Ray, sprang to his feet. His body flashed forward, crashing into the Iron Armor like a leaping cheetah. His metal arm powered up and slammed into Tony's head!
Tony reeled as though struck by an iron hammer. The retinal display inside his armor flared red. Even with its excellent shock absorption, he still felt slightly dizzy.
"Now there's nothing