Chapter 76: Colonel Rhodes

Chapter 76: Colonel Rhodes

A/N: A Rhodey POV! Been a while...

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Rhodey wakes up slowly, to the sound of raised voices.

“I’ve already told you, Agent Carter. I’m not a damn robot! That was simply what Tony let Fury and you all believe because the truth was far more ridiculous!”

“And you expect me to just believe you when you have us all restrained like this?!”

“You are restrained for your own safety as well as the safety of those around you. Once I’m sure you’ll be reasonable, I will release you.”

It takes the Colonel a second to figure out what the last thing he remembers is. But when he does, his eyes shoot open and he tries to jump out of the chair he’s in, only to find that his wrists and ankles are locked in place by large metal bands. Which isn’t good, because the last thing James Rhodes remembers is being on a mission for the Army as War Machine... and his suit going dark on him. Only moments later, everything had gone dark for him.

Had someone figured out a way to hack into Tony’s technology? Had he been captured by terrorists? Honestly, Rhodey was more afraid of terrorists like the Ten Rings getting access to the War Machine suit than he was worried about himself. That sort of technology didn’t belong in the hands of anyone who would abuse it.

... Only, when he finally gets over his initial burst of panic and looks around himself, he finds the situation to be really, really strange. Rather than the foreign lands of the country he’d been operating in when he’d been conscious last... Rhodey finds himself sitting in what looks like an old American Farmhouse.

On top of that, standing in front of him are three people who look like your quintessential Americans... albeit insanely buff quintessential Americans. The two men, between the beards, flannels, and blue jeans, have the look of farmers to them. Meanwhile, the woman is... hang on a second.

“Err... Penny? Penny Carter? Tony’s assistant?”

He had only talked to Tony’s latest PA once or twice. Not nearly enough to develop a rapport with her. Now he was wondering if maybe she was some sort of traitor. Did they not even want War Machine? Did they just want him to get to Tony?

“Colonel Rhodes, you’ve regained consciousness. Excellent, how are you feeling?”

Looking down at his restraints, Rhodey raises an eyebrow and responds with as much dryness in his voice as he can.

“A little tied up at the moment.”

To his immense surprise Penny Carter smiles.

“Let me take care of that for you.”

A moment later and the large metal bands leave his wrists and ankles, freeing him. Rhodey immediately hops out of the chair before she can change her mind of course, rubbing at his wrists. At the same time however, his release prompts a protest from one of the other three ‘prisoners’, the one who was talking before when he first woke up.

“Oh, so Stark’s best friend immediately gets released but we’re supposed to trust you, is that it?”

Looking over the others, and then at Penny, Rhodey has to admit... it’s a solid point. But Penny just smiles.

“First, introductions. Colonel Rhodes, these are Agents Sharon Carter and Clint Barton, as well as Commander Maria Hill. All of them are with SHIELD. You all know Colonel James Rhodes, of course. Second, while Colonel Rhodes is a soldier and a capable combatant when he’s in the War Machine Suit, he does not currently have access to said suit. He’s also not likely to go off of the reservation and do something stupid like you are, Agent Carter.”

Rhodey blinks. Was he just insulted and complimented in the same breath? Finally turning to him, Penny gives him a stoic nod.

“I should properly introduce myself now, Colonel. I’m Captain Peggy Carter. I was born in 1921, in another dimension. In 1943, when things went wrong for my Steve Rogers, I wound up being injected with the Super Soldier Serum in his place. In 1945, when my Red Skull foolishly summoned an eldritch horror from beyond our reality, I was forced to sacrifice myself to push it back through the portal. At which point, I found myself expelled back into a different version of my world... this world. Also in 1945, I landed on the Valkyrie while Captain Steve Rogers here was fighting your version of Red Skull. Together, we defeated him and then sunk the bomber so the explosives on board couldn’t be used to hurt anyone else. Then, in 2011, your friend Tony Stark fished Steve and I out of the ice and resuscitated us, which is how we stand before you today.”

... Jesus fucking Christ, did the woman not need to breathe or something? No, from the look of things she just had the most impressive lung capacity that Rhodey had ever seen. As she sucks in a deep breath after spewing all of that exposition at him, Rhodey takes a moment to process her words and try to figure out how to respond. In the end... he’s at a loss.

“I... I see? I think?”

Smiling sympathetically, the now correctly identified alternate version of Peggy Carter then gestures to the dark-haired man next to the man who she’d just labeled as the original Captain America.

“To finish up the introductions, this here is Bucky Barnes. Yes, that Bucky Barnes. He unfortunately didn’t get to spend the entirety of the last seventy years on ice like Steve and I. Instead, he was kept in a state of cryostasis most of the time with the Super Soldier Serum keeping him young until those who had him needed to take him out of storage to... complete missions for them.”

There was clearly a lot more to it than that. A LOT more if the look that Bucky Barnes was giving him was any indication. Maybe more than Rhodey wanted to know. Rather than pry, the Colonel just swallows and gives Bucky a nod.

“Sergeant Barnes.”

Looking relieved, Barnes responds quietly.

“Colonel.”

“Ridiculous... we’re supposed to believe all of that shit when it’s obvious you’re just incredibly life-like androids that Stark created in his off time?”

Agent Carter’s scowl seems to be permanently affixed to her face, Rhodey notes, even as Peggy looks to the blonde with a sigh.

“The whole ‘robot’ scheme was Tony’s idea of refuge in audacity. The entire point behind it was that it was far more believable than the truth. Besides, if we really were androids, we would have no reason to lie to Colonel Rhodes about our nature. He is, as you already mentioned, Tony’s best friend.”

While it was nice to hear, Rhodey was really starting to doubt it. Maybe it was just because he was feeling left out... but Jesus Christ Tony, what was with these secrets? Designing a new weapon and not wanting to show it to Rhodey was one thing. But American War Heroes from World War Two and apparently different dimensions?!

Agent Carter scowls at Peggy’s words, seemingly not able to find a way to refute them. However, the final nail in the coffin comes when Peggy places a hand on her abdomen.

“Yeah, well... it’s obvious my wife’s ability to properly gauge a situation is impaired in a number of ways if she didn’t catch on to the two of you.”

Bucky smirks at that, crossing his arms over his chest.

“In all fairness, she did. We’re no danger to you or your family, Barton. This is supposed to be our retirement. Stark owes us for making us put you all up here until he’s finished cleaning house.”

Steve immediately turns to Bucky, already shaking his head.

“Come on now Bucky! This feels like the least we can do after everything Tony has done for us.”

Bucky just rolls his eyes at Steve’s protesting. Watching the two of them for a moment, Rhodey then looks at the rest of the people in the room. Strangely enough, the whole last few minutes seems to have relaxed everyone a whole lot more... something that Peggy apparently agrees with because out of nowhere, she releases the three SHIELD Agents from their restraints. As they all cautiously get up, Peggy nods to Clint first.

“Feel free to go see your family. Just don’t go anywhere else or contact anyone else. It won’t work anyways; JARVIS will be watching. With Fury gone, SHIELD can’t be trusted. Not everyone is HYDRA, but enough people are that it’s not worth the risk.”

Grimacing, Clint tilts his head to the side as he considers that for a moment.

“Stark have a plan?”

“Yes.”

“And if he fails, we’re the B-Team. Is that it?”

Peggy narrows her eyes at that.

“Pray he does not fail. Consider for a moment what he must be up against and what he’s prepared to fight it, if the three Super Soldiers who owe him everything, that he could call on at the drop of a hat, are currently baby-sitting you and your family in the middle of Iowa.”

That... was a good point. Not for the first time, Rhodey finds himself wondering when he and Tony stopped being so close. They used to be thick as thieves, and he’d thought they still were what with the War Machine Armor and all that. But now... now he’s realizing just how much Tony has pushed him away. Oh sure, he still cared enough to save him from a secret conspiracy to take over the world, but... damn it all, Rhodey and Tony needed to have a serious talk after this.

In the meantime, Rhodey watches as Clint leaves... though not before Steve suddenly breaks away with an offer to drive the SHIELD Agent over to the neighboring farm in his pickup truck. He then watches as Agent Carter approached Peggy, staring at her abdomen.

“You’re... pregnant.”

A small smile appears on Peggy’s face as she nods.

“I am.”

“... Who’s the father?”

The smile drops.

“You don’t want to know that.”

Sharon narrows her eyes and crosses her arms over her chest.

“So THAT part wasn’t a lie then, was it? Maybe he didn’t build you, but he certainly got into your pants, huh?”

Huffing, Peggy shakes her head at the other Carter woman.

“Frankly, most of the seduction was done by Pepper. Tony just supplied the final ingredient.”

Alright, he’s officially learned more about the bedroom antics of his best friend and his best friend’s wife than he ever wanted to know. Deciding to ignore the two Carter women for the time being, Rhodey heads over to Maria Hill instead and sticks out his hand.

“Colonel James Rhodes. Sorry about your boss.”

Looking at him curiously, Maria blinks.

“I know who you are, Colonel Rhodes.”

“Yeah, well... that’s no reason not to be polite, right?”

Finally, she smiles slightly and takes his hand in her own.

“Commander Maria Hill. Though I don’t know how much longer that rank will mean anything... or if it ever meant anything to begin with...”

It looks like she’s taking the news about HYDRA pretty hard. Which is more than fair. Rhodey was just their target, and that was hard enough. Hill was not only one of their targets, but she was also working with these people just yesterday... and they’d killed her direct superior, a man she clearly held great loyalty for.

Well, Rhodey was smart enough to know when he’d been benched, even if he wasn’t happy about it. There was no doubt in his mind that as much as they were all playing nice, nobody was actually allowed to interfere in whatever Tony’s plans were for HYDRA. And that... that was fine. Well no, it wasn’t fine. But Rhodey at least trusted his friend enough to stand down this time.

In the meantime, he could at least offer a shoulder to cry on. Or rather, looking at Maria Hill’s stoic face and the distinct lack of even a watery shine in her eyes, Rhodey corrects himself. Not a shoulder to cry on... but an ear to listen wouldn’t be so bad, now would it?

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A/N: Steve and Bucky's farm is suddenly a lot more lively. Bucky is not impressed :v