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cap_ironman2012-07-09 04:23 am
tresmaxwell.livejournal.com) wrote in cap_ironman2012-07-09 04:23 am
Entry tags:
Fic: Worshiping at the Modern Altar Chapter 12, R
Universe: Movie
Rating: R
Warnings: Violence, and violence, and language, and some violence.
Beta: None
Summary: Evacuate into the waiting maw of monsters, and what have you gained? (Shut up, it's 4:30 AM and I can't think of a better summary T-T)
Pairings/Characters: Steve/Tony, plus loads of other characters... like everyone.
Word Count: About 6,400
Chapter Eleven - LINK
Chapter Twelve - Lambs to Slaughter
"Steve, get out here. We've got movement," Clint said in the soldier's ear.
Steve put down the crate he was helping Bruce load with as many of the vials as they could. The evacuation had started, but Clint hadn't reported anyone going in or out so far. The stream of updates from Tony said they were trying to get the levels cleared, but the people in the building weren't overly enthusiastic about a 'fire drill' when it was so cold outside. The younger man's aggravation was more apparent every time he checked in.
"Going to go see what's happening, you keep working," Steve said and jumped out of the trailer.
Behind him, Bruce made an affirmative noise and continued combining the contents of the crates. The fewer boxes they had to carry off for disposal, the better. Steve just hoped he didn't get the idea to inject himself with anything. He'd never get used to how recklessly curious their scientists were. There was far too much self-experimentation going on when it came to Bruce and Tony. When they couldn't get any volunteers, they became their own guinea pigs, and that frustrated Steve endlessly.
As Steve hurried down the alley, he asked Clint, "What's going on? Are the civilians coming out?"
"No, not yet, but I've got a few guys collecting on the nearby roofs and the traffic around the front of the building just got heavier. I think they're moving in."
"Shoot," Steve spit and picked up his pace. "Tony, did you hear that? Take the civilians out a back route. Do you copy?"
"I copy... hang on, something's going on in here."
The line was silent for a moment and Steve came out of the alley, scanning the area with an analytical eye. There were more people in the courtyard, most of them men. All of the buildings surrounding the manicured entry to the tower were only a few stories tall and the ones in the most strategic places had one or two people on top of them now. Steve could see exactly what was going on. It was a snare. As civilians came out of the building, there would be nowhere for them to go. They'd get butchered.
Tony came back on the line, his tone concerned, "They're saying that a few of the emergency exits are blocked by the construction. Steve, she's rigged the damn building so they have to come out the front."
Thor ran around the side of the building, slowing as he took in the milling 'crowds' that were steadily growing on the pathways through the lawn. The demi-god got close enough to Steve that he could keep his voice low, "The gates at every side of the structure are melted shut. Our foe is funneling her victims like prey animals."
"Tony and Nat, keep them inside at all costs. Clint, take out the roof rats. Bruce, finish disposing of that serum, we don't want her coming back for it. Thor," he met the other man's determined gaze, knowing they'd have to hold the hoard back on their own. "Time to call your hammer."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Tony chased Konstantin through the offices as the man continued to order an evacuation, "No, you don't get it. She's set a trap out there, we have to keep them inside or everyone will be killed. It's too late for this."
The plain-clothes agents, armed agents, and guards were all directing traffic to the stairwells. The only advantage Tony had was that the employees didn't want to evacuate. They all seemed to think it was some kind of drill and kept stopping to talk to other workers or wander back to their desks. They were on one of the higher floors, so the employees were better paid and a bit stubborn.
Konstantin waved a thick arm at Tony to dismiss him, "My agents will handle Miss Golovin and her freaks."
Tony got around in front of him, warning, "Your agents can't handle her. You need to keep your people inside!"
The bear of a man scoffed and pushed by him, his shoulder checking Tony hard enough to make him stumble back a step. There wasn't any arguing with him. Tony looked across the trickle of evacuating employees at Natasha, silently asking her what they should do next. The redhead turned her palms to the ceiling. Without any suggestions, the best Tony could come up with was to get downstairs and block off the main door. There wasn't a PA system he could hack into to tell them the fire drill was over, but there were other ways to get the message across.
Tony cut through the crowd to get to Natasha, "What if we get into the security communications? If we tell the guards it was a false alarm, we might be able to keep everyone from-"
A scream trampled the din of the evacuation, "Where is she, Konstantin?"
Scattered conversations sputtered and died as Scorn stepped off the elevator with four men. She'd changed out of the summer dress and into form-fitting black pants, boots, and a winter coat lined with fox fur. Her hair was wild, spilling unchecked down her back. The men were unarmed, but Tony remembered what they were capable of.
Tony brushed his thumb over the metal bands at his wrists, activating the MARK VII, "Scorn is here, she's inside the building. We need an out for these civilians, does anyone copy?"
The comm crackled with unsettling silence. Tony's stomach clenched. The only option would be to keep the fighting focused on them with the hopes they could draw the battle away from the building.
The crowd parted for Konstantin, letting him through with an undercurrent of curiosity. Muttering filled the room like wind moving through dry grass. Konstantin studied the men on either side of her before he offered, "Come back to work and stop this nonsense, and I'll arrange a visit for the two of you."
Raisa's eyes narrowed, "You will produce her, or you will die. I can assure you it will not be merciful."
Tony's mind cranked over and started humming. There had to be more to this than he was assuming. The more the thought about it, the less he believed this was about revenge. This woman didn't come across the ocean to steal secrets from the world's only superhero task force just so she could kill a few people, or even a tower full of people.
"Raisa," Natasha called as she broke out of the crowd, Tony fighting through the stagnant workers to keep up. She came up on Konstantin's left, "If you want a fight, fine, but leave these people out of it."
A brittle, wretched laugh exploded out of Scorn, "You still think this is about you? You're just the rabid dog that killed my husband. I'll have you put down when the time comes." Tony didn't think he showed any surprise, but Raisa flashed him a feral smile that was almost a grimace, "Oh, didn't you know? You sister-in-arms broke into my home-"
"Stop it," Natasha said.
Raisa approached the redhead, her voice rising, "tied my husband and I to chairs facing one another-"
"Stop."
"And proceeded to take him apart piece by piece," the smaller woman was almost vibrating with rage, her eyes shimmering in the fluorescent lights.
Natasha was unmoved, but Tony had to put his hand against the wall to stabilize himself. He couldn't imagine watching Steve get brutally murdered and dissected. Even considering it made his mind skitter away like a frightened animal. In defense, equations to boost the connection between the wristbands and his suit burst forward with soothing control. He solved the problem in a few seconds, even considering the potential of the shadowing effect created by structures and dense objects between the two receivers, and was able to refocus on the arguing women.
Tony knew Natasha had a sorted history, that she'd killed more people than Tony had probably met in his life, but torture was something else. He'd lived through torture. Though it had been years, he still woke up screaming some nights, coming down out of the haze to find Steve crooning comforting words to him as he stroked his hair. He couldn't quite bring himself to look at the spy.
Eyes still glistening with unshed tears, Scorn said, "Kill them all."
The room erupted in a flurry of movement. Scorn's men ripped into their bigger forms, the sound of tearing fabric muddled by the panicked screams of the office employees. At the first roar from the tallest abomination, the workers were climbing over each other to get to the stairs. As the panic spread through the tower, Tony knew they would all be running for the blocked entrances. They would die exactly how Scorn wanted them to, by taking the only exit they had and walking into the hands of a dozen more creatures just like the ones they ran from.
Quicker than a snake, Natasha lunged for Raisa. Her knife caught the gentle curve of the woman's cheek as Scorn jerked to the side to avoid it. A line of blood bloomed on her flesh, dripping to her jaw. Natasha brought the knife out of the thrust, spinning it in her hand to bring it in the other way. Before it could connect with Raisa's temple, the closest abomination caught the nape of Natasha's neck with a hand so large it wrapped around the lower half of her face. He threw her into a wall and she collapsed on the floor.
The agents and guards opened fire on Scorn's creatures, the bullets bouncing off their skin, barely more than beestings. Frantically wondering why his suit hadn't arrived yet, Tony dove out of the way. He dropped behind a desk and army-crawled across the high-weave carpet as bullets whizzed overhead.
"And whose fucking idea was it that I come up here?" Tony grumbled.
He came around the edge of the furniture and searched for Natasha. She wasn't where she fell. Konstantin and Scorn were also missing, leaving Tony with a room full of chaos. One by one, the firing guns were silenced. The crowd of civilians jammed up against the emergency exit, some of them still exposed to attack. Tony couldn't wait for his suit. Without the agents to fight, Scorn's men turned their attention to the employees.
Tony scrambled for a weapon, grabbing a desk chair by the headrest. He ran at the tall, pale creature whose skull was nearly scraping the nine-foot ceiling and slung the chair into his side. The leather split open as the seat came apart, yellowed stuffing scattering across the floor. With a snarl, the abomination whipped around. His growl caught the interest of the others, but he was the only one that stalked toward Tony.
Fear fluttering in his chest, Tony backed away. He didn't exactly have a plan beyond getting the thing's attention. Now that he had it, all he could do was stare at the creature's wide, flaring nostrils and the drool sliding down from the large canines that overlapped his upper lip. The floor rattled under Tony's feet with each step the thing took
Moving towards the bay windows, Tony spoke into the comm, "If anyone spots the MARK VII wandering around, tell him he's fired, and then put in the override codes so I don't die up here."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
There were too many. They were everywhere, all towering masses of muscle harder to kill than a cockroach infestation, and Steve was fighting with his bare hands. Thor wasn't fairing any better. Every time he reached out to call his hammer, one of the creatures slammed into him. They'd strapped Steve's shield to the hammer in the hopes that they would both show up when Thor called Mjölnir. The metal disk had to be slowing the hammer down, hindering its flight, because it didn't normally take so long.
Steve tried to keep himself positioned between the beasts and the entrance to the building. Beside him, Thor returned their loud roars, his fists held out to his sides in a challenge. Not for the first time, Steve thought he was crazy. They'd already been slammed around like toys, and he didn't think Scorn's troops needed any provoking. Steve's right eye had blood crusted in the corner from a head wound and his shoulder ached fiercely because one of the things had grabbed his arm and used it to sling him into a light post.
They came at them in groups, which was probably Steve's only saving grace. When three or four of them were reaching for him at once, it was easy to avoid them. Killing them was a whole different matter.
"Clint!" Steve shouted as he did a somersault over a diving creature. His foot touched down on the thing's scaly back and he pushed off just before another tackled the place where he'd been standing. The two beasts collided with a crunch. "Tell me you've got the roofs clear! We need a place for the jet to land! Tony's suit-"
"Yeah, I'm working on it. Keep your pants on."
He could see the Hawk high above them, loosing arrow after arrow at men with rifles. The assassin was taking a lot of fire. He needed an assist. They all did. There were only six or seven men left for Clint to handle and Steve trusted he would get it done.
The jet came screaming in, but stayed high like Steve instructed. He'd seen too many aircraft get taken down by these creatures. They could jump a lot higher than any pilot ever considered. A large Gatling gun clanked out of the underbelly, spewing a line of fire into the abominations. Several creatures blocked their faces with their hands, aware of their only real vulnerably, others dropped as high caliber bullets passed through their heads.
"Banner, did you find an out for the civilians?"
Steve charged a sulfur-colored creature that walked on its knuckles like an ape. When the thing put all of his weight on his fists and kicked both feet forward, Steve dropped to his knees and slid under him. On the other side, he snatched a long piece of broken lamppost, holding it braced against the concrete at an angle. The abomination launched at him and Steve brought the end up into his abdomen. It pierced the thick skin, the creature's momentum driving him down onto the wrought iron.
Bruce's voice stuttered slightly, "I- I can't. These doors are welded shut, with- without changing, I can't."
"Those things are coming downstairs," Natasha growled, "And the people in the lobby are about to be rabid with fear, I can't keep them in here any longer."
Steve saw Thor get clear and raise his hand to the sky. The jet dipped, the engines whining loudly with strain, and the hammer and shield rolled awkwardly out of the open hatch. Before they could fly to the demi-god's palm, he got hit from behind and the weapons fell from the sky. They disappeared at the south end of the courtyard. Steve heard the bang like a cannon going off when the hammer hit concrete.
"Bruce, we could use your help," Steve said as he dodged around two approaching behemoths and ran for the weapons.
"I can't control him. What if he attacks the civilians that come out of the building? Steve- I... I can't."
"I've got an idea. Trust me on this, Banner," Natasha told him.
The red and white stripes shone in the sun as a beacon. Steve sprinted for them. At the top of the tower, something crashed through a window and Steve's stomach turned over. Just a few feet from his shield, he looked up into the sun to see a body careening towards earth. The glare made it impossible to discern who it was. Heart crashing against his ribcage, Steve tensed to race back to the base of the building.
He hadn't taken a step when Tony's voice came on, cynical and level, "Seriously, has anyone seen my suit? Is it still on the damn plane? I'm only going to fool one of these things into jumping out a window."
Steve didn't have time to be relieved. He snatched the shield, yanking Mjölnir's handle out of the straps so he could slip his arm through the thick pieces of leather. Without thinking twice, Steve took the demi-god's hammer in his other hand and launched back into the fight. The weapon was lighter than it looked.
Twisting his body to throw all of his mass behind the hammer, Steve slammed one of the creatures in the chest. The long-limbed beast soared over the fight as if he'd grown wings. Steve stared at the enchanted weapon in his hand, realizing for the first time that he'd been able to lift it where no one but Thor could. He knew the story of Mjölnir, the hammer than could only be wielded by those worthy.
The reason would have to wait. Thor needed his weapon. Using shield and hammer in tandem, Steve bashed his way through Scorn's sloppy ranks. Natasha bolted around the corner of the building and the red of her dress grabbed Steve's attention for a half second before the Hulk came tearing after her. Whatever Natasha had done to get his attention had worked. Banner was gaining on her, but the moment he saw the hoard in the courtyard, something like glee entered his eyes. The spy completely forgotten, the Hulk leapt at the nearest abomination and shoved its head into the concrete.
Steve found a clear line of sight to Thor and yelled, "Thor! Catch!" as he threw Mjölnir to its wielder.
The demi-god's surprise was limited to the seconds before the hammer hit his hand. As soon as he had the weapon, he lifted it above his head to catch a lightning strike that came from a clear, blue sky. His armor collected over him, appearing as if the surge of electricity brought it down out of the upper hemisphere. Which was possible for all Steve knew.
"Alright, the roofs are clear," Clint stated into the comm.
Steve hadn't even given the order, but the jet lowered onto the building farthest from the fighting. With Thor at full strength and Banner involved, Steve felt secure enough in their position to temporarily break away. He had to get Tony his suit. He wasn't fond of the idea of Tony going in without it in the first place, but when Tony said it would respond to his call, Steve had let it go. Now, he wished he hadn't.
Slinging his shield on his back, Steve ran down the narrow road between the buildings, his eyes set on a fire escape. He jumped nimbly to grab the second story railing and hauled himself over. Not bothering with the ladder, Steve bounded from one floor to the next, balancing on the rails as easily as if they were solid ground.
His higher vantage point let him see the streets beyond the courtyard. SHIELD was on the roads in force, holding back civilians and reporters and even Moscow police. Steve wasn't sure if they'd been keeping their distance until Scorn showed herself, or if they were just late. It didn't matter as long as they kept anyone else from crossing into the line of fire.
Clearing the low brick wall that bordered the edge of the building, Steve ran for the open jet. Hawkeye continued to let arrows fly from his position on the corner of the roof. The master archer looked over his shoulder at Steve, undoubtedly still hitting every target, "The pilot says the suit's not responding. Damn thing probably got damaged in the last fight. Stark didn't exactly get a chance to fix it."
Steve was aware Tony hadn't had the time to work on it. If they hadn't been screwing around, he would've seen to it the minute he got out of bed. It couldn't be changed and Steve tried not to dwell on the past. He'd drive himself crazy with the regrettable choices he'd made and the present needed his attention too much to lament what he could've done differently.
Vaulting up the access ramp, Steve went to Tony's armor and knelt to examine it. The light on the front of the capsule was dark. Steve scanned over the red, metal surface. There wasn't a keyboard or pin pad or a button of any kind he could use to enter the codes. Frantically, Steve wondered why he was the one doing this.
"Tony, I'm at your suit. Tell me what to do."
When Tony answered, he was out of breath, "The launch code is your birthday, and before you get all choked up about that, I did it so I could remember what day it was."
Steve knew him too well to be offended by Tony's flippancy. The billionaire would forget his own birthday if Jarvis didn't remind him every year. "How do I put in the code?" Steve questioned as he slid his hands over the smooth surface, still searching for a latch.
After a pause, Tony spoke with a touch of forced humor, "Is there anyone else up there I could explain this to?"
"Clint's busy. Start talking," Steve ordered.
"Alright, fine. You need to find the manual release under the... Raisa, no! Stop!"
The muscle on Steve's jaw jumped at the sudden silence on the other end. "Tony?" he tried, and again, "Tony?"
There was no answer.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Blood and brain matter dripped down the white wall, almost a splash of paint if no one looked too closely. The round that caused it was high caliber and imbedded in the drywall, leaving a crater the red filled then spilled out of like a fresh wound. Slumped on the floor, Konstantin's large frame counted for very little. He was hunched and broken. The dark gore at the back of his head provided bleak contrast to his bleach-blonde hair, the smaller entry wound in front not nearly as graphic. A narrow trail of blood ran down the curvature of Konstantin's face, along his nose and through the nearly non-existent crease beside his mouth.
His lips thinning into a grimace, Tony closed his eyes against the red. When he opened them again, they stuck on the smoking pistol in Raisa's slender hand. The smell of gunpowder hung heavy with the scents of death, the result of machine and man clashing.
Tony had followed them through a network of rooms and halls to what he assumed was a maintenance corridor, led by a trail of dead and wounded guards. This part of the building was nearly barren beyond a computer terminal embedded in the wall, and a gray, metal door. He'd come into the hall as Konstantin's brain turned into projectile paint.
Raisa put the gun in a holster on her hip, dropping her coat over it. Her monstrosities were thankfully absent, but Tony was aware they were wreaking havoc in the building. Grabbing the dead man under the arms, the tiny woman dragged him in jerks across the floor, headed for the computer. Smears of blood followed Konstantin's feet like a morbid version of breadcrumbs. Tony spotted the thumb scanner hooked into the terminal and realized what she was doing.
"He wouldn't open the door for you, would he?"
"Stay out of this, Mr. Stark. I think I've proven what I'll do if you don't," she grunted as she struggled with Konstantin's mass.
With her arms full, Tony decided to risk it. He charged her. Faster than Tony anticipated, Raisa dropped the body and whipped the gun out of its holster. The barrel pressed against his forehead as he careened to a stop. He looked down the length of her arm to her serene face. There was nothing but determination in the dark, stagnant pools of her eyes.
"You're a lot like him," she whispered, one finger uncurling to point at the floor and Konstantin. "Stubborn. Willful. Men like you would rather die than give in, and I happen to be willing to oblige you. So, here is the question, Mr. Stark, will you open that door, or will you make me destroy a beautifully brilliant mind?"
"Depends," Tony said.
"On what?"
"On whether or not you're going to shoot me on the other side of the door. Because I could develop a touch of Stockholm syndrome if you leave me alive, and that would possibly be more embarrassing than dying with the Russian bear at your feet," Tony stalled. The trigger spring clicked rapidly as it tightened and Tony added, "But I wouldn't be lying if I said I had sympathy for your cause."
Scorn titled her head, her hair sliding over her shoulder.
Playing his hunch, Tony kept talking, "But, how can you be sure she's here? If he moved her to some other facility, you'll never know about it now that he's dead. How are you going to find her?"
"And am I to believe you're going to help me? I'm no fool, I know you'll say anything you can to survive. I don't need your help. This is my responsibility."
"For it being your fight, you sure brought in a lot of..." Tony drew in air through his teeth as if he was trying to find the right word, "society's refuse to back you up."
There was a crash somewhere far behind them, then another crash closer. The corner of Tony's mouth twitched. Steve had come through after all. He'd kiss the man the first moment he got. Knowing his suit was only seconds away, Tony grabbed Raisa's gun when her attention was diverted by the noise of the approaching MARK.
A deafening bang went off right against Tony's ear. He jerked away from it with a shout, his hearing on that side reduced to a high-pitched tone. It gave Raisa a chance to wrest the pistol from him. She brought it up between them and Tony hit the inside of her arm with his palm. The pistol went off again, the bullet ricocheting off the floor. Darting out of the path of his right hook, Raisa aimed at his head. Tony caught her wrist and twisted it. The gun fell from Raisa's hand as a pained shout exploded from her lips.
Bits of plaster and wood showered the room behind them and the MARK VII blasted down the hallway. Tony stepped back into it, holding his arms out so the machine could close around him. The device separated and latched onto the bracelets, bands of metal snapping shut in perfect symmetry up his wrists and biceps. He could hear the heavier chest pieces clanking into position as Raisa picked up her gun. The suit sealed up over his stomach. She took aim, her green and gold eyes intent. A sinking feeling gripped Tony's guts as the calculations burst through his mind. It would be a difference of microseconds.
The muzzle flashed and Tony heard the glass shatter as the bullet hit its target. His chest spasmed with the impact. Tony spun to the side, coming down on his knees as the suit closed over the broken reactor. Fractures spider-webbed across the floor when the weight of the suit dropped on it. Tony fell forward onto his hands and made the cracks in the faux marble worse. Vaguely, he was aware of Raisa walking by him. He reached for her, but missed.
Gasping, Tony cried, "Jarvis, damage readout."
The HUD flashed and sputtered, but eventually steadied. Schematics of the reactor jumped in front of his eyes, glaring red. The suit was only getting twenty percent power from the arc, and that number was fluctuating rapidly. Suddenly, the reactor gave out. The projection vanished, leaving him staring through the tiny slits in his mask.
Agony burned through his chest. Tony curled his hands into fists, his body shaking inside the suit. A long, ragged scream forced its way past his teeth. Contained in the helmet, it made the ringing in Tony's ears increase until he couldn't hear anything else. In his nightmares, he could feel the shrapnel moving like living things through his tissue. The reality of it wasn't that different. Except the pain was consuming.
Tony's fingers scrambled uselessly on the front of his suit, metal scratching against metal. Sweat rolled off his forehead and into his eyes. The sting made him blink rapidly. He had to get out of his armor. He had to do repairs. The vibranium was still intact; it was the rest of the reactor that had taken the damage. Even as his heart's rhythm broke down into frantic fluttering, he was trying to figure out what he could use for tools.
His head started spinning as he sat up on his knees. Through the narrow eyeholes and his own dim vision, Tony saw someone approaching. The figure was a blur, just a shape at the end of the hall.
"Steve?" he croaked, hopeful.
As the figured got bigger, and bigger, Tony knew better. A gigantic fist slammed into his chest, sending him skimming across the floor like a stone. Tony slid on his side into the door. Scorn's monster approached with thudding footsteps that rattled Tony where he lay. With his helmet against the ground, he watched the fissures in the floor spread as heavily veined, purplish feet slapped towards him.
The HUD sparked, and then flared with the damage report for the reactor. Tony shook his head when his vision filled with light. For a moment, he thought he'd been very, very wrong about what happened to people when they died, but then the wireframes of the reactor swam into view. Several interior parts were blinking, their status critical. He'd be lucky if it stayed operational for any length of time. If he could get back to the others, he could get Bruce to work on it. Banner was the only one knowledgeable enough to even try.
"Sir," Jane's voice had never sounded so good, "The reactor has come back online. We are functioning at twenty-five percent power and holding, but the damage is extensive."
The electromagnet in his chest went back to work and Tony could breathe again. He struggled to his hands and knees, but the creature was already above him. He swung both hands high above his head and brought them down into Tony's back. The suit clanged against the floor. Before Tony could move, the thing smacked a foot in the middle of his spine, grinding him against the broken marble.
When he lifted his foot to repeat the process, Tony blindly held up his hand and blasted him with the repulsor. The thing stumbled back with a cry. As it reached the middle of the hall, the ground gave out beneath them. The freefall was short. Tony clattered against the floor on the level below, groaning softly as he stood. Debris continued to rain down around them, dust settling on the shoulders of Tony's armor as he surveyed the area. There weren't many differences from the floor above. Sterile white walls, a computer terminal, and a security door.
The deep, bruise colored abomination bristled, his teeth bared at Tony. Spit flecked from his mouth with his snarl, the bunched muscles in his upper body rippling as the thing barreled down the narrow hall. Tony fired off his flares and leapt over the abomination, his rockets giving him just enough boost to get over. When his feet hit the floor, he went right through.
"Son of a bitch," Tony yelled as he crashed through the next two levels.
He landed on one knee, putting out his hands to steady himself. High above him, the abomination roared and ripped through the hole he'd made. Every pound of his heart made his chest ache, the raging monster headed his way sending it into overdrive. Tony swallowed and exhaled to slow it down. He couldn't fight if he wasn't focused.
Casting around the room he'd fallen into, Tony decided it was a lab of some kind. It was completely open, with cabinets along the walls and overburdened desks set up in rows through the middle. He'd taken one out when he fell and now there were shards of beaker all over the floor. None of the liquid was smoking, so Tony figured he wasn't in any immediate danger from the chemicals. He was a little more concerned with the hulking beast that dropped into the room after him.
"Alright, big guy, let's dance," Tony challenged without expecting an answer beyond an animalistic howl.
The extra space made it easier to move, letting Tony dart out of reach without going through another part of the building. He was liable to knock the whole structure down if he kept getting thrown through support beams. It would take a lot more than that to bring down a tower so big, but he did want to be careful. If just a few more floors collapsed, there could be a catastrophic failure to the surrounding levels that created a domino effect. He'd done enough damage now that he was concerned about using any explosives. There could still be survivors hiding in the building.
Tony ducked under a swipe and shot the last of his flares. While the creature pushed his hands into his eyes and yowled, Tony used small bursts of power to fly to the other side of the room. He tried to get enough distance between them so he could think, landing gently behind a lab table covered in paperwork. The gusts from his rockets sent the top layer of documents flapping into the air like pale moths. Tony crouched behind the cheap, pressboard cabinet and wracked his mind for ideas.
His repulsor blasts were only making the creature angry. The blue-white energy singed the thing's hair down to black nubs, but didn't seem to burn his skin. Without explosives, or his flight stabilizers, Tony was left with his cutting lasers. They were almost as threatening to the integrity of the building as the explosives, unless he used them very, very carefully.
Tony came out from his hiding place with a plan, or at least an idea, which was more than he typically approached a fight with. The beast spun around at the sound of his boots crushing the beaker fragments into dust. Fingers as thick as broom-handles flexed and curled as Tony approached, as if the dumb brute was trying to figure out what he was doing. Pug-like eyes flicked over Tony's suit. Whatever the thing decided, it snorted and came at him like a charging rhinoceros. The floor shook beneath Tony's feet.
Tony dodged to the left, close enough that the dark skin of the abomination's arm scraped against his chest plate. As it passed him, Tony leapt onto the creature's back. His aim was off and he ended up holding onto one shoulder and the thing's trapezius.
"Come on!" Tony shouted, trying to get his grip up around the thick neck.
With the thing twisting wildly and reaching for him, it was all Tony could do not to get thrown off. Digging the toes of his armor into the nearly indestructible skin, Tony slung the hand from his shoulder to the nape of his neck. His boots slid. Before he could lose anymore ground, Tony pressed his fist against the back of the thing's head and activated the laser. A bright glare of red filled his visor. The moment the straining, purple limbs dropped limply to the creature's sides, Tony shut off the cutting tool.
He dropped off the abomination with a sigh of relief, "Jarvis, connect me to the group comm."
"Of course, sir."
He caught the tail end of an argument between Clint and Natasha before the creature's body fell forward. The floor ruptured under the immense weight and Tony tumbled through, cussing. Bits of old rebar and plaster continued to fall on Tony long after he'd landed. He rolled onto his back and stared up through the series of holes he'd made, absently brushing away a chunk of ceiling tile that fell on his helmet.
"I can say with confidence that the people who commissioned this building were cheated out of good money. This thing would never survive in California, first quake would make it rubble," Tony commented with a weak chuckle.
Questions came rapid-fire from Steve, "Tony? Are you okay? What happened? Did the suit find you?"
"Did you figure it out all by your lonesome, or did Clint come rescue you from the technology?" Tony coughed when he meant to laugh. He sat up and bits of insulation slid off him. "I'm alright... actually, when you don't need Banner anymore, if you could convince him to take some Prozac, I'm going to need his help with my reactor."
"What's wrong with the reactor?" the concern in Steve's voice was thick, but Tony didn't hear him. "Are you sure you're okay?"
In the corner of the room, a pair of gold-green eyes stared at him from beneath a bed. Tony lowered himself slowly so he the light from his helmet illuminated the tight space. The girl, barely five, curled up as far against the wall as she could get, her black hair hanging in tendrils across her face. She studied him the way a rabbit would watch an approaching wolf.
Tony let out an exhale and said, "Steve, I'm going to have to call you back."
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TBC...
Before anyone asks, yes, Steve can pick up Thor's hammer. It's in the comics, so I ran with it. Don't know if they'll ever get around to that little fact in the movie-verse, but now you know. In the comics, Steve does get an insane rush of power from handling the hammer that I didn't go into.
Hopefully the last couple of pages make sense. It's four in the morning where I live... if they don't, I'll make edits like always.
Thanks for reading and reviewing, I love each and every comment you send me.
Final Chapter - LINK
Rating: R
Warnings: Violence, and violence, and language, and some violence.
Beta: None
Summary: Evacuate into the waiting maw of monsters, and what have you gained? (Shut up, it's 4:30 AM and I can't think of a better summary T-T)
Pairings/Characters: Steve/Tony, plus loads of other characters... like everyone.
Word Count: About 6,400
Chapter Eleven - LINK
Chapter Twelve - Lambs to Slaughter
"Steve, get out here. We've got movement," Clint said in the soldier's ear.
Steve put down the crate he was helping Bruce load with as many of the vials as they could. The evacuation had started, but Clint hadn't reported anyone going in or out so far. The stream of updates from Tony said they were trying to get the levels cleared, but the people in the building weren't overly enthusiastic about a 'fire drill' when it was so cold outside. The younger man's aggravation was more apparent every time he checked in.
"Going to go see what's happening, you keep working," Steve said and jumped out of the trailer.
Behind him, Bruce made an affirmative noise and continued combining the contents of the crates. The fewer boxes they had to carry off for disposal, the better. Steve just hoped he didn't get the idea to inject himself with anything. He'd never get used to how recklessly curious their scientists were. There was far too much self-experimentation going on when it came to Bruce and Tony. When they couldn't get any volunteers, they became their own guinea pigs, and that frustrated Steve endlessly.
As Steve hurried down the alley, he asked Clint, "What's going on? Are the civilians coming out?"
"No, not yet, but I've got a few guys collecting on the nearby roofs and the traffic around the front of the building just got heavier. I think they're moving in."
"Shoot," Steve spit and picked up his pace. "Tony, did you hear that? Take the civilians out a back route. Do you copy?"
"I copy... hang on, something's going on in here."
The line was silent for a moment and Steve came out of the alley, scanning the area with an analytical eye. There were more people in the courtyard, most of them men. All of the buildings surrounding the manicured entry to the tower were only a few stories tall and the ones in the most strategic places had one or two people on top of them now. Steve could see exactly what was going on. It was a snare. As civilians came out of the building, there would be nowhere for them to go. They'd get butchered.
Tony came back on the line, his tone concerned, "They're saying that a few of the emergency exits are blocked by the construction. Steve, she's rigged the damn building so they have to come out the front."
Thor ran around the side of the building, slowing as he took in the milling 'crowds' that were steadily growing on the pathways through the lawn. The demi-god got close enough to Steve that he could keep his voice low, "The gates at every side of the structure are melted shut. Our foe is funneling her victims like prey animals."
"Tony and Nat, keep them inside at all costs. Clint, take out the roof rats. Bruce, finish disposing of that serum, we don't want her coming back for it. Thor," he met the other man's determined gaze, knowing they'd have to hold the hoard back on their own. "Time to call your hammer."
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Tony chased Konstantin through the offices as the man continued to order an evacuation, "No, you don't get it. She's set a trap out there, we have to keep them inside or everyone will be killed. It's too late for this."
The plain-clothes agents, armed agents, and guards were all directing traffic to the stairwells. The only advantage Tony had was that the employees didn't want to evacuate. They all seemed to think it was some kind of drill and kept stopping to talk to other workers or wander back to their desks. They were on one of the higher floors, so the employees were better paid and a bit stubborn.
Konstantin waved a thick arm at Tony to dismiss him, "My agents will handle Miss Golovin and her freaks."
Tony got around in front of him, warning, "Your agents can't handle her. You need to keep your people inside!"
The bear of a man scoffed and pushed by him, his shoulder checking Tony hard enough to make him stumble back a step. There wasn't any arguing with him. Tony looked across the trickle of evacuating employees at Natasha, silently asking her what they should do next. The redhead turned her palms to the ceiling. Without any suggestions, the best Tony could come up with was to get downstairs and block off the main door. There wasn't a PA system he could hack into to tell them the fire drill was over, but there were other ways to get the message across.
Tony cut through the crowd to get to Natasha, "What if we get into the security communications? If we tell the guards it was a false alarm, we might be able to keep everyone from-"
A scream trampled the din of the evacuation, "Where is she, Konstantin?"
Scattered conversations sputtered and died as Scorn stepped off the elevator with four men. She'd changed out of the summer dress and into form-fitting black pants, boots, and a winter coat lined with fox fur. Her hair was wild, spilling unchecked down her back. The men were unarmed, but Tony remembered what they were capable of.
Tony brushed his thumb over the metal bands at his wrists, activating the MARK VII, "Scorn is here, she's inside the building. We need an out for these civilians, does anyone copy?"
The comm crackled with unsettling silence. Tony's stomach clenched. The only option would be to keep the fighting focused on them with the hopes they could draw the battle away from the building.
The crowd parted for Konstantin, letting him through with an undercurrent of curiosity. Muttering filled the room like wind moving through dry grass. Konstantin studied the men on either side of her before he offered, "Come back to work and stop this nonsense, and I'll arrange a visit for the two of you."
Raisa's eyes narrowed, "You will produce her, or you will die. I can assure you it will not be merciful."
Tony's mind cranked over and started humming. There had to be more to this than he was assuming. The more the thought about it, the less he believed this was about revenge. This woman didn't come across the ocean to steal secrets from the world's only superhero task force just so she could kill a few people, or even a tower full of people.
"Raisa," Natasha called as she broke out of the crowd, Tony fighting through the stagnant workers to keep up. She came up on Konstantin's left, "If you want a fight, fine, but leave these people out of it."
A brittle, wretched laugh exploded out of Scorn, "You still think this is about you? You're just the rabid dog that killed my husband. I'll have you put down when the time comes." Tony didn't think he showed any surprise, but Raisa flashed him a feral smile that was almost a grimace, "Oh, didn't you know? You sister-in-arms broke into my home-"
"Stop it," Natasha said.
Raisa approached the redhead, her voice rising, "tied my husband and I to chairs facing one another-"
"Stop."
"And proceeded to take him apart piece by piece," the smaller woman was almost vibrating with rage, her eyes shimmering in the fluorescent lights.
Natasha was unmoved, but Tony had to put his hand against the wall to stabilize himself. He couldn't imagine watching Steve get brutally murdered and dissected. Even considering it made his mind skitter away like a frightened animal. In defense, equations to boost the connection between the wristbands and his suit burst forward with soothing control. He solved the problem in a few seconds, even considering the potential of the shadowing effect created by structures and dense objects between the two receivers, and was able to refocus on the arguing women.
Tony knew Natasha had a sorted history, that she'd killed more people than Tony had probably met in his life, but torture was something else. He'd lived through torture. Though it had been years, he still woke up screaming some nights, coming down out of the haze to find Steve crooning comforting words to him as he stroked his hair. He couldn't quite bring himself to look at the spy.
Eyes still glistening with unshed tears, Scorn said, "Kill them all."
The room erupted in a flurry of movement. Scorn's men ripped into their bigger forms, the sound of tearing fabric muddled by the panicked screams of the office employees. At the first roar from the tallest abomination, the workers were climbing over each other to get to the stairs. As the panic spread through the tower, Tony knew they would all be running for the blocked entrances. They would die exactly how Scorn wanted them to, by taking the only exit they had and walking into the hands of a dozen more creatures just like the ones they ran from.
Quicker than a snake, Natasha lunged for Raisa. Her knife caught the gentle curve of the woman's cheek as Scorn jerked to the side to avoid it. A line of blood bloomed on her flesh, dripping to her jaw. Natasha brought the knife out of the thrust, spinning it in her hand to bring it in the other way. Before it could connect with Raisa's temple, the closest abomination caught the nape of Natasha's neck with a hand so large it wrapped around the lower half of her face. He threw her into a wall and she collapsed on the floor.
The agents and guards opened fire on Scorn's creatures, the bullets bouncing off their skin, barely more than beestings. Frantically wondering why his suit hadn't arrived yet, Tony dove out of the way. He dropped behind a desk and army-crawled across the high-weave carpet as bullets whizzed overhead.
"And whose fucking idea was it that I come up here?" Tony grumbled.
He came around the edge of the furniture and searched for Natasha. She wasn't where she fell. Konstantin and Scorn were also missing, leaving Tony with a room full of chaos. One by one, the firing guns were silenced. The crowd of civilians jammed up against the emergency exit, some of them still exposed to attack. Tony couldn't wait for his suit. Without the agents to fight, Scorn's men turned their attention to the employees.
Tony scrambled for a weapon, grabbing a desk chair by the headrest. He ran at the tall, pale creature whose skull was nearly scraping the nine-foot ceiling and slung the chair into his side. The leather split open as the seat came apart, yellowed stuffing scattering across the floor. With a snarl, the abomination whipped around. His growl caught the interest of the others, but he was the only one that stalked toward Tony.
Fear fluttering in his chest, Tony backed away. He didn't exactly have a plan beyond getting the thing's attention. Now that he had it, all he could do was stare at the creature's wide, flaring nostrils and the drool sliding down from the large canines that overlapped his upper lip. The floor rattled under Tony's feet with each step the thing took
Moving towards the bay windows, Tony spoke into the comm, "If anyone spots the MARK VII wandering around, tell him he's fired, and then put in the override codes so I don't die up here."
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There were too many. They were everywhere, all towering masses of muscle harder to kill than a cockroach infestation, and Steve was fighting with his bare hands. Thor wasn't fairing any better. Every time he reached out to call his hammer, one of the creatures slammed into him. They'd strapped Steve's shield to the hammer in the hopes that they would both show up when Thor called Mjölnir. The metal disk had to be slowing the hammer down, hindering its flight, because it didn't normally take so long.
Steve tried to keep himself positioned between the beasts and the entrance to the building. Beside him, Thor returned their loud roars, his fists held out to his sides in a challenge. Not for the first time, Steve thought he was crazy. They'd already been slammed around like toys, and he didn't think Scorn's troops needed any provoking. Steve's right eye had blood crusted in the corner from a head wound and his shoulder ached fiercely because one of the things had grabbed his arm and used it to sling him into a light post.
They came at them in groups, which was probably Steve's only saving grace. When three or four of them were reaching for him at once, it was easy to avoid them. Killing them was a whole different matter.
"Clint!" Steve shouted as he did a somersault over a diving creature. His foot touched down on the thing's scaly back and he pushed off just before another tackled the place where he'd been standing. The two beasts collided with a crunch. "Tell me you've got the roofs clear! We need a place for the jet to land! Tony's suit-"
"Yeah, I'm working on it. Keep your pants on."
He could see the Hawk high above them, loosing arrow after arrow at men with rifles. The assassin was taking a lot of fire. He needed an assist. They all did. There were only six or seven men left for Clint to handle and Steve trusted he would get it done.
The jet came screaming in, but stayed high like Steve instructed. He'd seen too many aircraft get taken down by these creatures. They could jump a lot higher than any pilot ever considered. A large Gatling gun clanked out of the underbelly, spewing a line of fire into the abominations. Several creatures blocked their faces with their hands, aware of their only real vulnerably, others dropped as high caliber bullets passed through their heads.
"Banner, did you find an out for the civilians?"
Steve charged a sulfur-colored creature that walked on its knuckles like an ape. When the thing put all of his weight on his fists and kicked both feet forward, Steve dropped to his knees and slid under him. On the other side, he snatched a long piece of broken lamppost, holding it braced against the concrete at an angle. The abomination launched at him and Steve brought the end up into his abdomen. It pierced the thick skin, the creature's momentum driving him down onto the wrought iron.
Bruce's voice stuttered slightly, "I- I can't. These doors are welded shut, with- without changing, I can't."
"Those things are coming downstairs," Natasha growled, "And the people in the lobby are about to be rabid with fear, I can't keep them in here any longer."
Steve saw Thor get clear and raise his hand to the sky. The jet dipped, the engines whining loudly with strain, and the hammer and shield rolled awkwardly out of the open hatch. Before they could fly to the demi-god's palm, he got hit from behind and the weapons fell from the sky. They disappeared at the south end of the courtyard. Steve heard the bang like a cannon going off when the hammer hit concrete.
"Bruce, we could use your help," Steve said as he dodged around two approaching behemoths and ran for the weapons.
"I can't control him. What if he attacks the civilians that come out of the building? Steve- I... I can't."
"I've got an idea. Trust me on this, Banner," Natasha told him.
The red and white stripes shone in the sun as a beacon. Steve sprinted for them. At the top of the tower, something crashed through a window and Steve's stomach turned over. Just a few feet from his shield, he looked up into the sun to see a body careening towards earth. The glare made it impossible to discern who it was. Heart crashing against his ribcage, Steve tensed to race back to the base of the building.
He hadn't taken a step when Tony's voice came on, cynical and level, "Seriously, has anyone seen my suit? Is it still on the damn plane? I'm only going to fool one of these things into jumping out a window."
Steve didn't have time to be relieved. He snatched the shield, yanking Mjölnir's handle out of the straps so he could slip his arm through the thick pieces of leather. Without thinking twice, Steve took the demi-god's hammer in his other hand and launched back into the fight. The weapon was lighter than it looked.
Twisting his body to throw all of his mass behind the hammer, Steve slammed one of the creatures in the chest. The long-limbed beast soared over the fight as if he'd grown wings. Steve stared at the enchanted weapon in his hand, realizing for the first time that he'd been able to lift it where no one but Thor could. He knew the story of Mjölnir, the hammer than could only be wielded by those worthy.
The reason would have to wait. Thor needed his weapon. Using shield and hammer in tandem, Steve bashed his way through Scorn's sloppy ranks. Natasha bolted around the corner of the building and the red of her dress grabbed Steve's attention for a half second before the Hulk came tearing after her. Whatever Natasha had done to get his attention had worked. Banner was gaining on her, but the moment he saw the hoard in the courtyard, something like glee entered his eyes. The spy completely forgotten, the Hulk leapt at the nearest abomination and shoved its head into the concrete.
Steve found a clear line of sight to Thor and yelled, "Thor! Catch!" as he threw Mjölnir to its wielder.
The demi-god's surprise was limited to the seconds before the hammer hit his hand. As soon as he had the weapon, he lifted it above his head to catch a lightning strike that came from a clear, blue sky. His armor collected over him, appearing as if the surge of electricity brought it down out of the upper hemisphere. Which was possible for all Steve knew.
"Alright, the roofs are clear," Clint stated into the comm.
Steve hadn't even given the order, but the jet lowered onto the building farthest from the fighting. With Thor at full strength and Banner involved, Steve felt secure enough in their position to temporarily break away. He had to get Tony his suit. He wasn't fond of the idea of Tony going in without it in the first place, but when Tony said it would respond to his call, Steve had let it go. Now, he wished he hadn't.
Slinging his shield on his back, Steve ran down the narrow road between the buildings, his eyes set on a fire escape. He jumped nimbly to grab the second story railing and hauled himself over. Not bothering with the ladder, Steve bounded from one floor to the next, balancing on the rails as easily as if they were solid ground.
His higher vantage point let him see the streets beyond the courtyard. SHIELD was on the roads in force, holding back civilians and reporters and even Moscow police. Steve wasn't sure if they'd been keeping their distance until Scorn showed herself, or if they were just late. It didn't matter as long as they kept anyone else from crossing into the line of fire.
Clearing the low brick wall that bordered the edge of the building, Steve ran for the open jet. Hawkeye continued to let arrows fly from his position on the corner of the roof. The master archer looked over his shoulder at Steve, undoubtedly still hitting every target, "The pilot says the suit's not responding. Damn thing probably got damaged in the last fight. Stark didn't exactly get a chance to fix it."
Steve was aware Tony hadn't had the time to work on it. If they hadn't been screwing around, he would've seen to it the minute he got out of bed. It couldn't be changed and Steve tried not to dwell on the past. He'd drive himself crazy with the regrettable choices he'd made and the present needed his attention too much to lament what he could've done differently.
Vaulting up the access ramp, Steve went to Tony's armor and knelt to examine it. The light on the front of the capsule was dark. Steve scanned over the red, metal surface. There wasn't a keyboard or pin pad or a button of any kind he could use to enter the codes. Frantically, Steve wondered why he was the one doing this.
"Tony, I'm at your suit. Tell me what to do."
When Tony answered, he was out of breath, "The launch code is your birthday, and before you get all choked up about that, I did it so I could remember what day it was."
Steve knew him too well to be offended by Tony's flippancy. The billionaire would forget his own birthday if Jarvis didn't remind him every year. "How do I put in the code?" Steve questioned as he slid his hands over the smooth surface, still searching for a latch.
After a pause, Tony spoke with a touch of forced humor, "Is there anyone else up there I could explain this to?"
"Clint's busy. Start talking," Steve ordered.
"Alright, fine. You need to find the manual release under the... Raisa, no! Stop!"
The muscle on Steve's jaw jumped at the sudden silence on the other end. "Tony?" he tried, and again, "Tony?"
There was no answer.
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Blood and brain matter dripped down the white wall, almost a splash of paint if no one looked too closely. The round that caused it was high caliber and imbedded in the drywall, leaving a crater the red filled then spilled out of like a fresh wound. Slumped on the floor, Konstantin's large frame counted for very little. He was hunched and broken. The dark gore at the back of his head provided bleak contrast to his bleach-blonde hair, the smaller entry wound in front not nearly as graphic. A narrow trail of blood ran down the curvature of Konstantin's face, along his nose and through the nearly non-existent crease beside his mouth.
His lips thinning into a grimace, Tony closed his eyes against the red. When he opened them again, they stuck on the smoking pistol in Raisa's slender hand. The smell of gunpowder hung heavy with the scents of death, the result of machine and man clashing.
Tony had followed them through a network of rooms and halls to what he assumed was a maintenance corridor, led by a trail of dead and wounded guards. This part of the building was nearly barren beyond a computer terminal embedded in the wall, and a gray, metal door. He'd come into the hall as Konstantin's brain turned into projectile paint.
Raisa put the gun in a holster on her hip, dropping her coat over it. Her monstrosities were thankfully absent, but Tony was aware they were wreaking havoc in the building. Grabbing the dead man under the arms, the tiny woman dragged him in jerks across the floor, headed for the computer. Smears of blood followed Konstantin's feet like a morbid version of breadcrumbs. Tony spotted the thumb scanner hooked into the terminal and realized what she was doing.
"He wouldn't open the door for you, would he?"
"Stay out of this, Mr. Stark. I think I've proven what I'll do if you don't," she grunted as she struggled with Konstantin's mass.
With her arms full, Tony decided to risk it. He charged her. Faster than Tony anticipated, Raisa dropped the body and whipped the gun out of its holster. The barrel pressed against his forehead as he careened to a stop. He looked down the length of her arm to her serene face. There was nothing but determination in the dark, stagnant pools of her eyes.
"You're a lot like him," she whispered, one finger uncurling to point at the floor and Konstantin. "Stubborn. Willful. Men like you would rather die than give in, and I happen to be willing to oblige you. So, here is the question, Mr. Stark, will you open that door, or will you make me destroy a beautifully brilliant mind?"
"Depends," Tony said.
"On what?"
"On whether or not you're going to shoot me on the other side of the door. Because I could develop a touch of Stockholm syndrome if you leave me alive, and that would possibly be more embarrassing than dying with the Russian bear at your feet," Tony stalled. The trigger spring clicked rapidly as it tightened and Tony added, "But I wouldn't be lying if I said I had sympathy for your cause."
Scorn titled her head, her hair sliding over her shoulder.
Playing his hunch, Tony kept talking, "But, how can you be sure she's here? If he moved her to some other facility, you'll never know about it now that he's dead. How are you going to find her?"
"And am I to believe you're going to help me? I'm no fool, I know you'll say anything you can to survive. I don't need your help. This is my responsibility."
"For it being your fight, you sure brought in a lot of..." Tony drew in air through his teeth as if he was trying to find the right word, "society's refuse to back you up."
There was a crash somewhere far behind them, then another crash closer. The corner of Tony's mouth twitched. Steve had come through after all. He'd kiss the man the first moment he got. Knowing his suit was only seconds away, Tony grabbed Raisa's gun when her attention was diverted by the noise of the approaching MARK.
A deafening bang went off right against Tony's ear. He jerked away from it with a shout, his hearing on that side reduced to a high-pitched tone. It gave Raisa a chance to wrest the pistol from him. She brought it up between them and Tony hit the inside of her arm with his palm. The pistol went off again, the bullet ricocheting off the floor. Darting out of the path of his right hook, Raisa aimed at his head. Tony caught her wrist and twisted it. The gun fell from Raisa's hand as a pained shout exploded from her lips.
Bits of plaster and wood showered the room behind them and the MARK VII blasted down the hallway. Tony stepped back into it, holding his arms out so the machine could close around him. The device separated and latched onto the bracelets, bands of metal snapping shut in perfect symmetry up his wrists and biceps. He could hear the heavier chest pieces clanking into position as Raisa picked up her gun. The suit sealed up over his stomach. She took aim, her green and gold eyes intent. A sinking feeling gripped Tony's guts as the calculations burst through his mind. It would be a difference of microseconds.
The muzzle flashed and Tony heard the glass shatter as the bullet hit its target. His chest spasmed with the impact. Tony spun to the side, coming down on his knees as the suit closed over the broken reactor. Fractures spider-webbed across the floor when the weight of the suit dropped on it. Tony fell forward onto his hands and made the cracks in the faux marble worse. Vaguely, he was aware of Raisa walking by him. He reached for her, but missed.
Gasping, Tony cried, "Jarvis, damage readout."
The HUD flashed and sputtered, but eventually steadied. Schematics of the reactor jumped in front of his eyes, glaring red. The suit was only getting twenty percent power from the arc, and that number was fluctuating rapidly. Suddenly, the reactor gave out. The projection vanished, leaving him staring through the tiny slits in his mask.
Agony burned through his chest. Tony curled his hands into fists, his body shaking inside the suit. A long, ragged scream forced its way past his teeth. Contained in the helmet, it made the ringing in Tony's ears increase until he couldn't hear anything else. In his nightmares, he could feel the shrapnel moving like living things through his tissue. The reality of it wasn't that different. Except the pain was consuming.
Tony's fingers scrambled uselessly on the front of his suit, metal scratching against metal. Sweat rolled off his forehead and into his eyes. The sting made him blink rapidly. He had to get out of his armor. He had to do repairs. The vibranium was still intact; it was the rest of the reactor that had taken the damage. Even as his heart's rhythm broke down into frantic fluttering, he was trying to figure out what he could use for tools.
His head started spinning as he sat up on his knees. Through the narrow eyeholes and his own dim vision, Tony saw someone approaching. The figure was a blur, just a shape at the end of the hall.
"Steve?" he croaked, hopeful.
As the figured got bigger, and bigger, Tony knew better. A gigantic fist slammed into his chest, sending him skimming across the floor like a stone. Tony slid on his side into the door. Scorn's monster approached with thudding footsteps that rattled Tony where he lay. With his helmet against the ground, he watched the fissures in the floor spread as heavily veined, purplish feet slapped towards him.
The HUD sparked, and then flared with the damage report for the reactor. Tony shook his head when his vision filled with light. For a moment, he thought he'd been very, very wrong about what happened to people when they died, but then the wireframes of the reactor swam into view. Several interior parts were blinking, their status critical. He'd be lucky if it stayed operational for any length of time. If he could get back to the others, he could get Bruce to work on it. Banner was the only one knowledgeable enough to even try.
"Sir," Jane's voice had never sounded so good, "The reactor has come back online. We are functioning at twenty-five percent power and holding, but the damage is extensive."
The electromagnet in his chest went back to work and Tony could breathe again. He struggled to his hands and knees, but the creature was already above him. He swung both hands high above his head and brought them down into Tony's back. The suit clanged against the floor. Before Tony could move, the thing smacked a foot in the middle of his spine, grinding him against the broken marble.
When he lifted his foot to repeat the process, Tony blindly held up his hand and blasted him with the repulsor. The thing stumbled back with a cry. As it reached the middle of the hall, the ground gave out beneath them. The freefall was short. Tony clattered against the floor on the level below, groaning softly as he stood. Debris continued to rain down around them, dust settling on the shoulders of Tony's armor as he surveyed the area. There weren't many differences from the floor above. Sterile white walls, a computer terminal, and a security door.
The deep, bruise colored abomination bristled, his teeth bared at Tony. Spit flecked from his mouth with his snarl, the bunched muscles in his upper body rippling as the thing barreled down the narrow hall. Tony fired off his flares and leapt over the abomination, his rockets giving him just enough boost to get over. When his feet hit the floor, he went right through.
"Son of a bitch," Tony yelled as he crashed through the next two levels.
He landed on one knee, putting out his hands to steady himself. High above him, the abomination roared and ripped through the hole he'd made. Every pound of his heart made his chest ache, the raging monster headed his way sending it into overdrive. Tony swallowed and exhaled to slow it down. He couldn't fight if he wasn't focused.
Casting around the room he'd fallen into, Tony decided it was a lab of some kind. It was completely open, with cabinets along the walls and overburdened desks set up in rows through the middle. He'd taken one out when he fell and now there were shards of beaker all over the floor. None of the liquid was smoking, so Tony figured he wasn't in any immediate danger from the chemicals. He was a little more concerned with the hulking beast that dropped into the room after him.
"Alright, big guy, let's dance," Tony challenged without expecting an answer beyond an animalistic howl.
The extra space made it easier to move, letting Tony dart out of reach without going through another part of the building. He was liable to knock the whole structure down if he kept getting thrown through support beams. It would take a lot more than that to bring down a tower so big, but he did want to be careful. If just a few more floors collapsed, there could be a catastrophic failure to the surrounding levels that created a domino effect. He'd done enough damage now that he was concerned about using any explosives. There could still be survivors hiding in the building.
Tony ducked under a swipe and shot the last of his flares. While the creature pushed his hands into his eyes and yowled, Tony used small bursts of power to fly to the other side of the room. He tried to get enough distance between them so he could think, landing gently behind a lab table covered in paperwork. The gusts from his rockets sent the top layer of documents flapping into the air like pale moths. Tony crouched behind the cheap, pressboard cabinet and wracked his mind for ideas.
His repulsor blasts were only making the creature angry. The blue-white energy singed the thing's hair down to black nubs, but didn't seem to burn his skin. Without explosives, or his flight stabilizers, Tony was left with his cutting lasers. They were almost as threatening to the integrity of the building as the explosives, unless he used them very, very carefully.
Tony came out from his hiding place with a plan, or at least an idea, which was more than he typically approached a fight with. The beast spun around at the sound of his boots crushing the beaker fragments into dust. Fingers as thick as broom-handles flexed and curled as Tony approached, as if the dumb brute was trying to figure out what he was doing. Pug-like eyes flicked over Tony's suit. Whatever the thing decided, it snorted and came at him like a charging rhinoceros. The floor shook beneath Tony's feet.
Tony dodged to the left, close enough that the dark skin of the abomination's arm scraped against his chest plate. As it passed him, Tony leapt onto the creature's back. His aim was off and he ended up holding onto one shoulder and the thing's trapezius.
"Come on!" Tony shouted, trying to get his grip up around the thick neck.
With the thing twisting wildly and reaching for him, it was all Tony could do not to get thrown off. Digging the toes of his armor into the nearly indestructible skin, Tony slung the hand from his shoulder to the nape of his neck. His boots slid. Before he could lose anymore ground, Tony pressed his fist against the back of the thing's head and activated the laser. A bright glare of red filled his visor. The moment the straining, purple limbs dropped limply to the creature's sides, Tony shut off the cutting tool.
He dropped off the abomination with a sigh of relief, "Jarvis, connect me to the group comm."
"Of course, sir."
He caught the tail end of an argument between Clint and Natasha before the creature's body fell forward. The floor ruptured under the immense weight and Tony tumbled through, cussing. Bits of old rebar and plaster continued to fall on Tony long after he'd landed. He rolled onto his back and stared up through the series of holes he'd made, absently brushing away a chunk of ceiling tile that fell on his helmet.
"I can say with confidence that the people who commissioned this building were cheated out of good money. This thing would never survive in California, first quake would make it rubble," Tony commented with a weak chuckle.
Questions came rapid-fire from Steve, "Tony? Are you okay? What happened? Did the suit find you?"
"Did you figure it out all by your lonesome, or did Clint come rescue you from the technology?" Tony coughed when he meant to laugh. He sat up and bits of insulation slid off him. "I'm alright... actually, when you don't need Banner anymore, if you could convince him to take some Prozac, I'm going to need his help with my reactor."
"What's wrong with the reactor?" the concern in Steve's voice was thick, but Tony didn't hear him. "Are you sure you're okay?"
In the corner of the room, a pair of gold-green eyes stared at him from beneath a bed. Tony lowered himself slowly so he the light from his helmet illuminated the tight space. The girl, barely five, curled up as far against the wall as she could get, her black hair hanging in tendrils across her face. She studied him the way a rabbit would watch an approaching wolf.
Tony let out an exhale and said, "Steve, I'm going to have to call you back."
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TBC...
Before anyone asks, yes, Steve can pick up Thor's hammer. It's in the comics, so I ran with it. Don't know if they'll ever get around to that little fact in the movie-verse, but now you know. In the comics, Steve does get an insane rush of power from handling the hammer that I didn't go into.
Hopefully the last couple of pages make sense. It's four in the morning where I live... if they don't, I'll make edits like always.
Thanks for reading and reviewing, I love each and every comment you send me.
Final Chapter - LINK
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omgtony.
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Thanks for reading :)
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