Sign of the Times

11

"Son of a bitch. Get this to Ross."

"Yes, Boss."

---

Tony flew the chopper low over the broiling sea. He operated the chopper with a touch screen computer in a wall panel.

A guard said over the radio, "This is the Raft Prison Control. You're clear for landing, Mr. Stark."

The sea swelled and surged as Raft Prison rose up from beneath. A huge, fortified, circular structure with small lights around the sides. Two semi-circular doors opened up in the flat circular top. The chopper landed on a helipad and the doors closed above it. Tony, who's left arm was in a sling, walked up to Secretary Ross.

"So? You got the files?" Tony asked. "Let's reroute the satellites, start facial scanning for this Zemo guy."

"You seriously think I'm gonna listen to you after that fiasco in Leipzig?" Secretary Ross shot back. "You're lucky you're not in one of these cells."

Secretary Ross looked at Tony sternly and led on through a thick, steel security door. Soldiers stood guard in an operations room. Tony looked at a surveillance screen. It showed Wanda, sitting hunched and bedraggled in a cramped prison cell.

Another security door opened. Tony walked into a chamber surrounded by large, bared windows. Beyond the windows were a number of prison cells. Tony took in his surroundings.

Clint clapped and said, "The Futurist, gentlemen! The Futurist is here! He sees all! He knows what's best for you, whether your like it or not."

"Give me a break, Barton," Tony retorted. "I had no idea they'd put you here. Come on."

Clint spit. "Yeah, well, you knew they'd put us somewhere, Tony."

"Yeah, but not some super-max floating ocean pokey. You know, this place is for maniacs. This is a place for..."

"Criminals?" He stood. "Criminals, Tony. Think that's the word you're looking for." He eyed Tony through the bars. "Right? That didn't used to mean me. Or Sam, or Wanda. But here we are."

"Because you broke the law."

"Yeah."

"I didn't make you."

"La, la, la, la, la..."

"You read it, you broke it."

"La, la, la, la la..."

"All right, you're all grown up, you got a wife and kids. I don't understand, why didn't you think about them before you chose the wrong side?" He walked away.

"You gotta watch your back with this guy. There's a chance he's gonna break it."

"Hank Pym always said, you never can trust a Stark," Scott said.

"Who are you?" Tony asked.

"Come on, man."

"How's Rhodes?" Sam questioned.

"They're flying him to Columbia Medical tomorrow. So... fingers crossed." Sam shook his head. "What do you need? They feed you yet?"

Sam turned and raised his eyebrows. "You're the good cop now?"

"I'm just the guy who needs to know where Steve went."

"Well, you better go get a bad cop, because you're gonna have to go Mark Fuhrman on my ass to get information out of me."

Tony held up a device he'd pressed. "Oh, I just knocked the 'A' out of their 'AV'. We got about 30 seconds before they realize it's not their equipment."