imafuturist | Arlington National Cemetery, Wednesday Morning

Tony Stark	Tony never really liked coming to Arlington. Never felt particularly comfortable with the almost oppressive silence came along with it. Even with mass of mourners who'd shown up for Captain America, it remained quieter than he would have expected. Or liked. Who wanted to be able to hear themselves think about now? The grounds were packed with people, making it easier to blend in. Even so, Tony was nowhere near close to the main podium where Osborn was running his little spectacle. The only figure clear on the stage from this distance was the man in question, wearing the red, white, and blue armor Tony had been working on before things went so amazingly to hell. There were video screens with a glaring OsCorp logo on the side scattered around for those who couldn't get close enough to see the eulogy being delivered. Of course there were. Because Osborn wanted galvanize the image of himself in that armor with Steve's legacy to give him some sort of legitimacy in the eyes of the public. Or maybe Tony was wrong and the man was just an unrepentant egotistical psychopath. Who knew? He did his best not to look at Osborn on the nearest screen, instead looking behind him where he could see Carol in her dress blues, arm linked with a bleary eyed and red faced Jan who looked like she might not make it through Osborn's speech without murdering him. Vision was on the other side of her with his usual lack of expression in the face of human emotion, politely restraining the other arm. There was a veritable sea of uniforms behind them, old and young from nearly all branches of the service, too many to make out if Rhodey was among them. He'd bet than any of the others, official Avengers or not, were hidden in the crowd like him.
Norman Osborn	"Steve Rogers," Norman said with as much sorrow as he could fake. "Captain America. Since the day he refused to let his frail body hold him back from fighting the Nazis to his final days, fighting a law intended to keep all of us safe, he never let anything stop him from doing what he thought was right. But while his legend shone brightly for so long, he was still, tragically, just a man. Fallible. We've all made mistakes. Some of mine have been public, just like Steve's. But I've learned from my own mistakes. And now... I hope we can all learn from his as well."
James Barnes	"You shouldn't be here." Did Barnes have to sneak up on him like that? No. Was it going to happen regardless? Yes. Always.
Tony Stark	Tony started, that whole fight or flight instinct hitting before he registered the voice as someone he was vaguely familiar with. "Neither should you."
James Barnes	Barnes shrugged, watching the nearest video screen with barely concealed disgust. "He wouldn't have wanted his funeral to be like this."
Tony Stark	"A circus run by a homicidal maniac?" Tony asked dryly
James Barnes	Oh, that earned him such a look. Barnes shifted his weight from one foot to the other, adjusting the strap of the bag on his shoulder. "Wasn't that statue on Ellis Island enough? Did they have to make another?"
Tony Stark	Tony cleared his throat, trying not to make eye contact.
James Barnes	"Seriously."
Tony Stark	"I had them designed for everyone on the team," Tony muttered. "Really made Hank's awkward when he ended up being alive."
Norman Osborn	Norman continued, "For years now, 'Avenger' was a proud word. A word that meant people who were the best of us. A word that Steve wore on his sleeve and in his heart. Between Captain America's fugitive status and his cowardly murder, apparently at the hands of his so-called 'friend,' Tony Stark, it's a word that has been tainted. Tainted, just like these two men who wore the A so well in the past. But that era is over. And so a new era must begin. I may not be the best of us. I'm in no way better than the men and women around me right now, or watching on the news across this nation. But I'm going to give it my all."
James Barnes	"That man really likes to hear himself talk, doesn't he," Barnes said for lack of something that didn't involve a completely overt death threat while surrounded by too many witnesses. He had plenty of practice at keeping his emotions under wraps when dealing with psychopaths. Of course, there was less brainwashing to help out this time around. That was sort of making it harder to keep calm, to be honest.
Tony Stark	Tony tried not to grit his teeth at what Norman was going on about. That kneejerk reaction of defending his friends from slander was still in full effect. "Yep."
James Barnes	Barnes pulled the bag on his shoulder off, shoving it at Tony to take. "Here."
Tony Stark	Once Tony curled his fingers around the fabric of the bag, he could feel the familiar curve of the shield within. "No," he began, shaking his head. "I'm not. I can't keep that." For so many reasons, he couldn't hold onto that last piece of Captain America that wasn't going into the ground today.
James Barnes	"I'm not keeping it," Barnes ground out, struggling for a moment to make sure Stark didn't drop the bag entirely.
Tony Stark	"He wants a new era," Tony replied, letting the idea taking shape in his head. "Show him a new Captain America."
James Barnes	"I'm an assassin," Barnes hissed, quiet enough to keep anyone around them from hearing. "What makes you think I'm ready to be a hero?" Well, he had been an assassin. Now he was still trying to figure out what he was without the orders and anger fueling him.
Norman Osborn	"I will NOT let the name 'Avenger' mean 'traitor' or 'coward' any longer. I will fight to have Captain America's record be expunged, to honor the man he once was and all the good he did over the past century. We owe it to him for punching Adolf right in the face. We owe it to him for the way he bravely fought the Skrull invasion, even as their alien plot insinuated horrible things about him. We owe it to him for all the good he did... and all the good he had left to do." Norman paused for a moment, turned toward the coffin, and offered up a salute. "I salute you, Steve Rogers. I salute YOU, Captain America. And with God as my witness, I'll make you proud once again. I will make the Avengers great again."
James Barnes	Wow, just when he honestly thought he couldn't hate Osborn more than he already did, there they were at a new plateau of hatred. The world was just amazing like that. Barnes snatched the bag back, hooking the strap over his shoulder once again.
Tony Stark	"If anyone had to carry on the title, I think he would have wanted it to be you," Tony said, shoving his hands into his pockets
James Barnes	"Don't make me give it back."
Tony Stark	Tony smiled at that, but it faded quickly enough. "Can you find Fury?"
James Barnes	Barnes rolled his eyes but nodded. He could find the paranoid, old cyclops if he put some effort into it. Not that he honestly wanted to put effort into it. The only reason he and Fury hadn't actually tried to kill each other the last time they met was because of Steve. You make a guy lose one little eye and he holds a grudge forever...
Tony Stark	"We'll need his help," Tony replied, watching Jan and Carol in the background again rather than Osborn. Barely restrained fury at what the man was saying. Even Vision managed to look upset about it.
James Barnes	"We?"
Tony Stark	"Before," Tony started and then stopped to squint at the screen for reasons having nothing to do with emotions. "Before the court house, we planned on facing this as a team. I'm sticking with that plan." For better or worse.
Norman Osborn	"And now if you'll indulge me just a moment longer, I need to say a word to the man who allegedly murdered Captain America, his truest friend. Tony? I'm coming for you. For murdering this great man, ripping him from the bosom of the nation that loves him so, I will stop at nothing to find you and bring you to justice. Alive. A courtesy you refused to offer to Steve. You cannot hide. You cannot fight this. I'll see you in prison along with anyone who might try to help you, from Ant-Man to Spider-Man! A new day has dawned, Tony. And the harsh light of day will find you soon." Norman put his faceplate down. "Thank you. And thank YOU, Cap."
Tony Stark	Tony clenched his jaw, really wishing he'd punched Norman when he'd had the chance. He glared at the screen closest to them, causing some static to blur the image there and on any screen the cameras were feeding into. Yes, he was being petty. Sue him.
James Barnes	"Stop drawing attention," Barnes snapped, jabbing the idiot right in the kidney. "Are you trying to get caught?"
Tony Stark	Maybe a little, yes. Tony winced, concentration shot as the images returned to normal. "I'm going to rip that armor off him."
James Barnes	"Sure you are." Stark was adorable in his attempts at being threatening. Really. He pulled the bag back around, carefully reaching in to retrieve a manila envelop to shove at him.
Tony Stark	Which of course Tony took without question. "What's this?"
James Barnes	"Your SHIELD file," Barnes replied as he readjusted the bag so no one could catch a glimpse of the shield within. "Might want to do some reading."
Tony Stark	"They have actual paper files still?"
James Barnes	"Yeah, it's almost like they remembered the whole technopath thing." Shocking. Really. This was his shocked face. "Don't get caught again. I'm not bailing you out the next time."
Tony Stark	"Wouldn't dream of asking," Tony assured him, glancing over to see how Jan was holding up. "Keep in touch--" But, of course, by the time he turned back, Barnes was gone. "I hate when people do that."

[[And that's it! Another thanks to

craftyladyparts for helping out with this one. OOC is, as always, love]