"...Ross was, is, the secretary of defense." Politics were a bitch sometimes. Tony took a moment to breathe, reaching up to squeeze Bruce's shoulder. "The UN had him come in to deliver the accords and ultimatum since the Compound is on American Soil. And he'd always wanted to get a look inside the clubhouse because I spent a lot of money making that impossible while you were still with us."

Ross could have Bruce over Tony's cold, dead body. It wasn't happening. It didn't breed a lot of love and made the entire situation even more heated, even more complicated. Ross was a man Tony couldn't and moreover wouldn't charm.

"But you're not wrong in thinking someone's behind it. Apparently Hydra...plugged trigger words into Barnes' brain. Rattle them off and you've got The Winter Soldier as your puppet. The guy behind this particular part of the mess? Barnes' being caught, being brought in? Infiltrated the cell where Barnes was being held under the guise of being a psychologist. I was still arguing, trying to get the right to bring him back to the states, get him released to the Avengers, let us deal with him. Leave him Rogers' problem. The guy? Triggered Barnes. Ordered him to attempt to escape which- well he managed. Rogers went with him, Wilson followed. I'm stuck trying to clean up the mess and figure out what the fuck happened because I-" He kicked himself for this, every hour of every day. "I was retired. I didn't have a suit. Had a handheld repulsor that collapsed into my watch but- no armor. Not there when Barnes tried to escape. We had injured, I had a deadline."