Deviation Actions
Literature Text
4. Save Me Now
When you were standing in the wake of devastation
When you were waiting on the edge of the unknown
And with the cataclysm raining down
Insides crying, "Save me now!"
You were there, impossibly alone
Do you feel cold and lost in desperation?
You build up hope, but failure's all you've known
Remember all the sadness and frustration
And let it go. Let it go
May 1st, 2015
Avengers Tower
Manhatten, New York City, New York
Pepper gasped and bolted up. She panted before she fell onto the bed, curling up as she did so. A sob escaped from her throat and she buried her face in the pillow as she began to cry quietly.
A hand rested softly on her head and ruffled her hair.
"You okay?"
Pepper looked up to find soft, bright blue optics peeking down her. She sniffled as she wiped her nose. "Yeah."
"Do you want to talk?" Tony coaxed quietly. "I heard it helps."
Pepper shook her head, worried that the tears would leak out even more.
"Good," Tony said, as her looked up to him confused. "I was hoping you'd say that."
"Why?" she asked, puzzled.
"Because I would feel bad and I don't really know how to comfort a person without getting whacked in the head. I only asked 'cause I thought it would be polite."
"Oh. Um, Tony, have you ever felt like that before?"
"Well, I don't know what my dad would do, but my mom was always trying to get me to tell her the dreams," Tony admitted. "I never wanted to remember the bad ones; it didn't seem to help me the way she said it would."
"I know how you feel," Pepper whispered. "My parents were like that. But my grandfather, he was more understanding. He would just hold me until I was fast asleep again." She pressed her forehead against him, causing him to tense. "Why do you keep doing that?"
"Don't you find it a little weird that you're still attracted to me, even though I'm not a human anymore?"
Pepper glared up at him. "Tony, you know that no matter what form you take, you're still you?"
"I know," he sighed. "But it still doesn't feel like it."
"You're not a freak either," she added. "You're not even that stupid or the man everyone once claimed you to be. And I know that you did change much over the years since you became Iron Man."
"I know, I know. Let's put that away for now. It doesn't matter anymore."
For a long time after that, neither one of them said another word. And yet, just knowing the other was nearby, it felt more comfortable than she felt in the past few hours; for Pepper could feel the warmth of the room, so warm that it made her feel drowsy. Even after what had happened earlier, the fear of her dream faded. A moment after, she nudged Tony's shoulder.
"Tony."
"What?" Tony asked, sitting straight.
"You should probably be getting back to recharge," Pepper suggested. "You've have been here for almost an hour."
"Really?"
Pepper nodded. "Yeah," she informed. "You nearly fell asleep."
Tony nodded as he got up. "Well, good night," he said. "I hope your dreams are much more pleasant this time."
"Thank you," Pepper answered. "I hope yours are too."
Tony smiled as he left the room and closed the door. Pepper turned onto her side and closed her eyes. It was only as she fell asleep that a new dream—a better one—appeared to her mind. At once, warmth filled her, right down to the tip of her toes. A smile formed on her face, and instantly she fell asleep. Possibly the best sleep she had ever had in such a long time.
"Ask her."
"No."
"Ask her."
"No."
"Ask—"
"Natasha!"
Flustered, Bruce covered his mouth. Natasha just started to laugh. "I'm sorry."
"Oh, forget about it," Bruce groaned, grabbing his hair and hitting his head against the table. "This bites."
"So, are you going to ask her or what?"
Bruce remained silent as he looked down at his lap. "I don't know. I haven't heard from her since the fiasco with Emil." He paused. "Am I the only one who's been having nightmares about what's happened lately?"
Natasha's smile faded. Slowly, she wagged her head.
"What kind?"
"I don't know, no one's really going to talk about them," Natasha said. "But over the phone yesterday, I heard Clint grumble about these images. He saw one of Tony being delirious and trying to killed something. I don't know what it was, but it's like as if someone's trying to warn us about something."
Bruce sighed. "Well, a lot research says it's not good to miss sleep. It can ruin a person's health."
"I was always been told told to conquer," Natasha exclaimed. "And everybody hardly ever does so since then."
Bruce tapped his fork against his plate, thinking to himself. "Hmm, maybe we should get a therapist. Tony could be a bit depressed. And maybe with a hit of suicide thoughts swimming around in his processor."
Natasha's eyes widened.
"I said he could be, I never said that he was," Bruce retorted.
"That's what Pepper's afraid of," Natasha whispered before telling him a little bit more loudly, "Though I think HYDRA might be up to something if they knew what can happen to him."
"Is that your first clue?"
"Maybe they know something more about this than what we know," Natasha theorized. "Maybe they knew we would do this and it would hurt Tony. Lately he's been keeping to himself."
"Why?"
"He's scared of what's happening. I can't honestly blame him."
"I think he'll be okay."
"Well, let's hope you're right then."
"Right about what?" They looked up as they saw Tony standing there, clutching a wrench in his a hand. "Nevermind. Bruce, can I see you for a second?"
"Yeah, we should get you a new hand while we add that," Bruce pointed out.
"Tried it, and it hurts like hell," Tony said.
"Alright, let's take a look," Bruce said, getting up and following him down the hall. "So, what is it?"
"Are we aware of a fail-safe program?" Tony asked him.
Bruce stopped. "What?"
Limping to a computer, Tony typed in a command and showed Bruce a screen full of data. "This thing right here."
"Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, Daredevil?" There were a few others, but Bruce wasn't sure if he could go on. "Boy, Fury's secrets do have secrets."
"I just want to know why he has a group of people all in one small list that he won't share with us," Tony said.
"I want to know how you managed to find this out," Bruce wondered.
"I was snooping around, you know me," Tony said. "Plus, I had nothing else to do."
"Yeah, we should get you out sometime."
"Not when it's raining," Tony snarled.
Natasha came in and noticed the notes on the screens. "What is that?"
The screen turned blank. Tony groaned and rested a hand on his metal forehead.
"S.H.I.E.L.D created the fail-safe program in case you guys ran into extreme trouble in the middle of a battle," Fury answered as he entered the room with the others.
"Guess you got word of Tony's condition," Bruce said.
"Yes, though this wasn't I would've had in mind," Fury said.
"Thanks for the point," Tony sighed, wishing he could roll his optics.
"HYDRA was the one who took a role that caused this," Steve told Fury.
"They were going to drag this out," Clint added. "The sucker never saw us coming, though."
"Guy sounded like a lunatic," Sam said.
"A crazy ass one, too," Rhodey said.
"Steve, he said a bad word," Maria said.
Steve glared at the crew. "Did you tell her this?"
"Are we missing something here?" Tony asked. "Besides those empowered duo that works for Hydra now?"
"Empowered?" Fury repeated.
"HYDRA has two new players on their team," Thor explained.
"Nuts, that's what I say," Rhodey said.
"Sounds like they really worked on you," Fury stated.
"You have no idea," Clint grumbled.
"So, what does the shooter have against Stark if that bullet was coated with a chemical?" Maria asked.
"They're probably working with each other," Steve suggested.
"Or with someone," Natasha said. "We might not be able to know unless we can get the guy to talk."
Tony let the rest of the conversation slip without asking why he had anything to do with it, unless it was for revenge. After the others were called onto another mission and Fury left, Tony immediately remembered the book he left on the counter. He picked it up and went to go set it back in Bruce's room, but stopped when he noticed a piece of paper. He picked it up and saw childish writing on it:
Do not forget.
Tony shook his head as he crumbled the paper up and tossed it over his shoulder. "Who does that guy actually think he is?" He plopped down onto the couch. "I don't need a colony full of weird people to be happy and safe. Now," he said as he picked up a remote and turned the TV on. "Let day one of being here alone begin." He sat back, enjoying himself.
Bzzz.
Tony looked down at the phone that was next to him. He picked it up and looked it over. Anonymous. Who the heck was that? He quickly opened it up.
[9:20 a.m. Anonymous] Get out of there!
Tony sank back into the sofa in fear. He looked around him.
[9:21 a.m. Anonymous] They're coming for you.
[9:21 a.m. Anonymous] You're not safe there.
[9:21 a.m. Anonymous] Get out.
[9:22 a.m. Anonymous] NOW!
Tony began to shake. He hissed as he shut the TV off and made his way back to the workroom.
"Sir, I insist you to calm down," Jarvis spoke as Tony threw the book to the wall. "You're system's levels are spiking to an extremely high rate."
"Can it, Jarvis!" Tony snapped, cursing to himself as he sat down on a stool. Having enough of the lameness in the legs, he grabbed every tool he could get his hand on and started to work in the areas of his legs that bothered him.
"Sir, what are you doing?" Jarvis inquired.
"Getting rid of these kinks in my legs," Tony growled. Jarvis shut himself up after that. Good, that was good. Tony need the quiet he could get. After every attempt he made, he would test his legs out to see how well he could walk.
"Shall I retrieve you something to occupy yourself?" Jarvis asked.
"No thank you," Tony answered.
After the eleventh time, he set the screwdriver down and leaned forward. He was exhausted from all of the work he'd been doing for the past half hour. He had hoped to see if he had made progressed with all of the tries he made. So far, it made his legs feel tingly and if he were human, he would probably have been really dizzy. Refuel, that's what he could be doing if he had the ability to do.
"Perhaps Mr. Fury can assist you on what course needs to be taken?" Jarvis suggested.
"See, what's he thinking now?" Tony demanded, anger slowly building up in him. "Had he really ever planned this before we were taken in? Replacing us for new heroes? That's just stupid. It feels wrong."
"You are angry," Jarvis said calmly. "If you could just relax and take a breath." He should have known better, but it was too late.
"How the hell can I do that when I'm not a damn human being anymore?" Tony yelled, his world turning red. His own optics turned slowly from bright blue to purple, to a bloody shade of red.
"You are in distress," Jarvis tried to reason.
"This is just too much," Tony snarled. "It makes no sense anymore. The whole world doesn't!"
"Sir, please," Jarvis pleaded.
"SHUT UP!"
Tony slammed his fist on the table that held a sceptor—Loki's sceptor. A beam blasted from the crystal and hit the mainframe. Tony panicked and covered his head to shield himself from the sparks. Once the sparks died down he quickly uncovered himself.
"Jarvis?"
There was no answer.
"Jarvis?"
There was nothing. Only silence followed and remained.
"Oh, god," Tony whispered. "What did I do?" He stared down at his hands, horrified at what he had done. He killed one of his friends.
If he still had a heart, it would be sinking in his chest. For a while, he didn't say anything and the loss of his friend weighed on him. Though he had been capable of the nickname "Merchant of Death," bringing death upon his people was something he did not want to do. There was always a possibility to recreate Jarivs, but knowing Loki's sceptor there was no possible way of doing so.
And if he had indeed always been able to bring harm to others, then what was the point? He had been afraid to cause such on the people closes to him at heart than to those he gradually knew.
The room remained quiet for the longest time as Tony debated on what course of action to take next. If he only brought harm than he did with good, he couldn't stay there then; except though, the team did need his assistance and help when required at an explicit time. But his life was also in danger, whether he stayed here or not.
He wondered what this was coming to, if he really was destined to bring chaos like his father's weaponry did. He had seen the destruction that was created when he was captured by the Ten Rings, it went even beyond Loki invading Earth, it went farther than hearing that HYDRA agents had been infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D. It was obvious now.
During those past five years he had change greatly, even before meeting his fate. Now he would change for the fate he was trapped in; he would now accept this and embrace this. The rest of the team didn't deserve his participation, he would never be worthy of Pepper's love, not for long.
Once long ago, he could care less what his weapons were used for so long as he sold them. His mind had been made up. He would have no choice but to admit that he would bring more danger than peace if he stayed there.
He never saw what happened to the mainframe as he stormed out of the room and exited the tower, Jarvis reactivating himself.
"This is ridiculous," Natasha exclaimed as they returned to the tower. "Clint, you gotta stop asking why they couldn't attack those places."
"Oh, come on," Clint said. "How was I suppose to know that the Attica Correctional Facility would be its target?"
"You're not suppose to," Natasha said.
"Colonel?" Jarvis spoke.
"Yes, Jarvis?" Rhodey responded.
"I believe Sir is—How do I put this?—not in the building," Jarvis informed the group.
"What?!" Clint squeaked.
"What do you mean he's not in the building?" Sam asked.
"I mean he has disappeared," Jarvis said.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Clint questioned in a squeaky voice.
"You just arrived," Jarvis said.
"Why did you let him out?" Bruce wanted to know.
"I'm afraid I had been shut down for a while," Jarvis admitted. He sounded bashful when he said that.
"That's not a good thing," Sam said.
"Indeed," Thor agreed. "That man would be in danger should anyone recognize him. Or believe him."
"You think he couldn't have gotten that far, could he?" Steve wondered as he put his jacket back on.
"Doesn't matter," Rhodey replied. "Tony's out there by himself. We can't let him get hurt."
"There's just one problem: Where did he go?" Clint stated.
"Or more importantly, why did he go?" Natasha reinstated as she held up the cell phone.
"How far do you think he could've gotten to?" Bruce asked aloud as they all reboarded the quinjet.
"Out there?" Natasha spoke. "Who knows."
"Well, we gotta find him and fast," Steve acknowledged. "That thing could still be out there, lurking in the country."
"How about we sabotage it and then find him?" Rhodey suggested.
"Rhodey, we'd need to find him first before anything else can come up," Steve said.
Rhodey glared at him. "I know that."
He had no idea where he was, he just didn't care. He was out of that place and that bizarre city. The only problem—figuring out where he would go. It didn't matter anymore if the others would worry about him, if Pepper was afraid for his life, he just wanted to go someplace where he didn't have to be bothered by people.
His foot caught hold of a rock and he stumbled down a small hill. The prism that he took with him bounced away. He quickly scrambled up his feet and scooped it up, looking back.
"You're not gonna get me," he said before running off again. "You're not gonna get me!"
As the quinjet flew over the forest, the Avengers were growing anxious.
"Any signs yet?" Steve asked.
"Not one," Natasha answered.
"We'll have to keep looking," Steve said. "Let's try on ground."
Thor looked stoic from where he was sitting, but Bruce could see the anxiety in his eyes. "What's wrong, buddy?" he asked.
"I do not like this," Thor whispered.
"That Tony ran away to begin with?" Bruce wondered. "I really cannot blame him right there, pal."
"No, I meant the reason behind this chaotic event," Thor said. "It feels like something bad will happen, more likely to Stark himself."
"Yeah," Bruce said, leaning against the wall. "It does feel like something is out to get him."
"You guys, what are we going to do once we find him?" Sam asked.
Bruce shrugged. "Hopefully it'll end well."
Thor leaned forward, his arms resting on his lap. "Then why do I get the feeling that the future will be dark?"
"Okay, brace yourselves," Natasha announced.
Bruce looked up. "What?"
The quinjet landed roughly and most of them hit the floor. Bruce groaned in pain. He then peeked an eye open. He sighed in relief that his heart rate didn't go up.
"Let's go," Rhodey said as he opened the hatch and they all piled out.
Thor turned around and found Natasha sitting there. "Are you not coming?" he asked her.
"Nah, Natasha never liked the forest since this one weird monster attacked us," Clint responded.
"Shut up, Clint," Natasha said as he laughed and exit out of the quinjet. Realizing she was alone, Natasha said, "Well, if everyone else is leaving..." She got up and went outside.
"Look," Thor announced. "Footprints."
Steve crouched down and studied them. "Good eye."
"They lead off south," Sam spoke, pointing out towards the woods.
As soon as he said that, they were hit by sprinkles of water. They gazed up at the sight of dark clouds covering the night sky.
"Great," Natasha grumbled. "Just what we need."
"We should make haste," Thor suggested, "before the rain wipes away the tracks."
"Good idea," Steve agreed, heading in the direction.
The trees towered over them, dripping from the rain as they continued down the path. A flash of lightening lit the darkness for only a brief second then and now.
"How on Earth could Tony have gotten this far?" Clint called out, grumpy at being soaked and not liking to be cold.
"How about we worry about how he'll survive the storm?" Bruce yelled.
"Knowing him, he'll probably find shelter somewhere," Rhodey said. "Right now he doesn't have much choices." He knew Tony was clever, but he was really intelligent. Of course he would find shelter. He just hoped he didn't do something crazy out here as well.
The rain had grown heavier, lightning flashing overhead. Thunder made the ground beneath them vibrate, sending tremors through them.
"Dr. Banner, be prepared in case trouble comes," Steve instructed.
Bruce nodded.
"How are we going to find him?" Rhodey wondered.
"Stark!" Thor cried out. "Stark!"
"He's not a dog, Thor," Sam spoke. "And I don't think he's willing at this point either."
"There must be a way to find him."
"We will find him," Steve said. Then he mumbled, "If he still functions."
Thor sighed and hung his head. Then he glanced back at them. "Anthoney is strong. I know he will remain that way through this." He looked up ahead and walked forward. Rhodey exhaled through his nose, knowing there was no way to convince him otherwise.
They followed the God of Thunder, Steve surprising himself that Thor had maintained a positive atmosphere around him. He had seen it in Bucky before, but he never thought of it to be strong. Thor had stopped abruptly and Steve had to look past him to see a hunched figure setting beneath an opening under a hill.
"Is it him?" Natasha asked. She stepped forward. "Tony?"
Two bright blue lights illuminated and glanced at them.
"Tony," Thor boomed happily, darting towards him. "We were looking for you. You had us worried."
"Thor?" Sam tried to warn him.
The optics studied Thor as he slowed down. "Thor?"
"Yes," Thor replied. "It's us, your friends. We're here to take you back home."
"I ain't going home," Tony snarled.
Thor looked confused. "You must. You have a home and life and friends there. And Virginia Potts! You still love her, right? You have proven your worth for her."
Tony felt his optics narrow down so slightly.
"Stark," Steve spoke.
"No, I'm not going back," Tony growled. "I hurt him. I'll end up hurting all of you as well, I know I will."
"Tony, you would never hurt us," Bruce reasoned.
"Yes, I would," Tony snapped. "I'm a Stark. My dad's company's weapons caused a lot of death. My arc reactor was the reason my dad's closest friend is dead along with Yinsen. I put Pepper in danger, and I killed Jarvis. You're calling me a hero when people are after me and I bring more harm than I do of good?"
The team looked perplexed. Steve felt dread cloud his mind. Those texts and the events of the last few days had gotten him scared. "Tony, I'm so sorry," he found himself saying. "Really, we all are, but what do you want us to do now?"
"Get out of my sights for starters," Tony snarled. "I'm not going back until kingdom come."
Natasha stepped forward. "Look, this isn't intensional. Believe me, but you can't stay out here by yourself. How are you going to survive?"
"Did you just meet him?" Clint barked. "He'd probably get mauled by a bear and he'll still be walking."
Something flew from the sky and clamped itself around Rhodey's arm. They turned around to see both gauntlets from the War Machine armor as Rhodey stepped forward.
"I'm sorry Tony," he whispered. "But we're going to have to bring you in, whether you want to or not. You've been my friend since we were kids, and I'm not going to let you hurt yourself even more."
Sam's phone started to ring. Frowning he fished it out of his pocket and answered it. "Hello?…What now? …Wait. What's going on? …Okay, stop now. Tell me-Who's coming for him? …Yes, we'll get going." He hung up. "They're coming."
"Who?" Natasha asked.
The sound of aircraft engines roared above them. They looked up to find a quinjet hovering above the forest, a beam of light flashing over the treetops.
"We have to go," Steve said. "Stark?"
"No, I can't actually move," Tony gasped. Thor picked him up and started to run. "Please don't start singing the wedding song."
"I don't even know how its goes."
Clint looked behind them and saw that they were being chased by two quinjets. He groaned and they all quickly picked up the pace to get back to their own jet. Their only problem: they didn't remember where they came from. But it did not matter. The top priority was to get out of the forest and back to the jet to suit up.
One of the quinjets touched down, each one filing out after the other one.
"Do not approach the targets alone!" the leader of the team cautioned. "If you see them, send up a flair! Remember, do not shoot at them. Icers only."
"Come on, move!" Steve shouted as they heard the first quinjet zoom over them.
"Wait!" Clint ran up. "There's a bunker that way that S.H.I.E.L.D built a couple years back in case HYDRA should ever shoot down the tower."
"How far?" Steve asked.
"Half a mile."
"Let's go!" They ran off into the direction Clint had provided out. By the time they had reached a cliff in the forest, Clint ran up and moved a tree branch that revealed a pad. He let it scan his hand before the door slid open in the side. He got them all in before he ran inside and the doors closed.
The lights flickered on in a row, revealing a vast room. The walls were gray and steeled, the floor smooth and had an effect that made footsteps echo. Banisters were on the top that lead to other parts of said compound they were all in. Work tables and large alcoves that made up as labs were on either side of them. There was a staircase along the wall on the left with a garage door on the other side of the room.
"Where's the server code?" Natasha asked Clint.
"Right there," he said, pointing into a direction.
"This is actually cool," Rhodey said.
"Whoa," Bruce said. "There's more stuff here than I thought all bunkers would have."
Thor set Tony on a table. "Here we go, friend." They others turned and saw the messed up features of one of Tony's legs.
"Tony, what happened?" Natasha asked.
"I managed to get myself caught in a trap," Tony said before chuckling nervously.
"Here," Bruce said as he came over and took a toolbox. "I'll fix that up for you."
The lights flickered before they dimmed down.
"Though it might take a while," he said slowly.
Sam barely got a thought on this before he heard a noise that didn't belong to the storm outside. He turned to the left.
"Steve, we're not the only ones in here."
Steve looked to where he was looking at. "What is it?"
"I don't know…but it's tall."
"Guys, what's going on?" Clint asked.
He hadn't taken a single step when something wrapped around his waist and lifted him into the air. Through a clarion boom of a thunderclap they heard him scream.
"Clint!" Natasha shouted.
"What is this?" Thor bellowed.
"What's happening? Are we under attack?" Bruce asked aloud.
"Nobody panic!" Steve ordered.
Clint fell from the ceiling and landed on top of Sam. They fell to the ground.
"Ow, nice to see you," Sam groaned.
"That was fun to watch," Tony admitted, arms crossed over his chest.
"What just grabbed me and lifted me off of the ground?" Clint uttered.
Steve heard the unmistakable click of a gun. He looked up to the rafters. He swore that he saw a large shape moving up ahead. "In the rafters up there!"
A figure jumped down from the ceiling and began to open fire. Rhodey and Natasha hid in the alcoves and fired at the sniper but to no avail. Clint shot two arrows at her, both armed with explosives in the arrowheads. With a click of the device on his wrist, the arrows exploded. The masked sniper moved quickly enough to avoid it. She had nearly been caught off guard as Thor aimed his hammer at the air before bringing it to the ground, sending her scattering. Sam pulled out a gun and started to shoot.
"Bruce, Thor, get him out of here!" Steve hollered.
Tony felt himself being picked up and gathered into someone's arms before both men went running off to a door and down a hall. They had come to a commons room when Tony looked up to see a large frame of a being and had the time to dive to the side, the impact of feet hitting the floor. Tony found himself out of Thor's clutches as he tumbled.
The group saw it land where they were before. A couple of flashes from the light bulbs and it shined on the newcomer. They were shocked at the sight before them.
The creature was large and tall being with reptilian characteristics. Two thick legs held the torso up. Five sharp ivory toes pointed from its feet. A thick tail whipped behind it, fanning the mist around it. A narrow torso sat before the tail and legs. The abdomen was a lightly shade of mucus yellow as the rest of its dark green form. Muscular arms hung from its body, reaching down to its hips. The hands hung open, the sharp claws sitting at the ends of its fingers. The yellow eyes burned like atomic blasts. Sharp white teeth were revealed inside the creatures mouth, showing a sneer of preparation.
And even they knew too well this one was going to take a lot of work taking down.
"What sort of monstrosity are you?" Thor demanded.
The reptilian stepped forward, only to be jumped by Bruce. A swipe to the face sent him yelling and backing off, wiping his face to see if any blood was forming. Thor charged forward and ducked between the legs. He jumped on its back, only to find himself lying on the ground with the air knocked out of him. He was grabbed and thrown against the wall. Tony scrambled for the nearest room, hoping to get to safety. He felt dizzy as he stumbled around towards the doorknob, trying to avoid the fight behind him.
Something slammed near his feet. He turned around to find the reptilian there.
"Nowhere to hide, Tony," it said, trying to grab him. Tony rolled to the side and managed to get away.
"Hold on, Stark," Thor called out as he threw his hammer at the lizard's head, giving Tony the time to run inside. He collapsed on the floor and his fingers curled.
Please, he begged, please just end me now.
No one knew how long they had been out there or what, but once they headed back for the hallway, they were exhausted after the soldier retreated. They would have to figure out how to get back to the tower and to plan a counterattack against the agents, but not long before Sam stopped and grabbed Steve before pointing ahead.
Thor and Hulk were battling against a lizardous man in the commons room, throwing the Norse God into the green behemoth. When it turned to the only door opened, Hulk would pick up an object and slammed it into its head.
"We've gotta help," Sam shouted over the noise before he ran forward. No one dared to argue. "Hey, ugly, over here!"
The lizard turned to them, its mouth curled in a snarl. Sam made his first move, leaping like a gymnast and slamming both feet into its chest, sending it stumbling backwards several yards. As soon as he landed he was off, letting the others take a hit while he went to go check on Thor and Hulk.
Steve threw his shield at its torso. It bounced off and next to a wall. With an annoyed hiss, it swiped at them. Natasha fired several times at it but to no avail. Clint shot two arrows into its shoulder, both armed with explosives in the arrowheads. With a click of the device on his wrist, the arrows exploded. Chunks of flesh and blood burst from its shoulder. Enraged, it looked at Clint and prepared to snap at him but was interrupted when Rhodey fired the repulsor of his gauntlets at it. The beast had been caught off guard before its ridges narrowed in annoyance. It snarled at Rhodey and swiped at him, missing when Thor threw his hammer at its head before retrieving it. Slowly, the beast turned to him, an angry snarl visible on its face.
"His hand!" Natasha's eyes were wide. "His hand!"
"Shit, shit, shit! Run, run, run!" Clint ran passed through.
Tony peeked out and saw a familiar lemon-shaped object bounce near the door. Crap. He quickly stood up and ran into the closet before it went off.
An explosion, followed by bursts of orange fire erupted, with the heat setting fire to some of furniture around it. Smoke billowed out over the room, obscuring any and all sight. The fire sprinklers went off. Clint and Natasha held their arms in front of their mouths. Rhodey rose to his feet, knocked clean to the ground from the explosion. He could see nothing through the smoke. He heard the rustling of bushes and saw Steve emerge from the smoke. He reached out for him and helped him up.
"Come on!" he said, covering his mouth.
"Target lost!" Sam shouted, looking all around for the monster.
"How do you lose a giant humanoid being in a room this small?" Sam asked.
"Where did it go?" Clint asked.
"Looking," Rhodey said, pulling up a holographic display of the area on his pad. Nine markers were on the holographic map. "To the left! Repeat, to the—"
Just then, a tenth marker appeared on the map. It was coming from down the hall towards them.
"Who's that?" Rhodey asked.
"Uh, Clint, Natasha?" Steve asked. "Do you have anyone coming?"
"You mean aside from Fury and any others?" Natasha asked.
"Yeah," Rhodey said.
"If we did, they picked a hell of a time to show up," Clint replied.
The monster ignored the shots from Natasha and approached the unconscious Thor. It lowered its head and peered down, eyes flared. Drool was hanging inside its mouth like cobwebs. Steve slammed his shield into its side as hard as he could. Angry, the reptilian turned to Steve and roared, charging towards him. Clint raised his bow and fired the arrow, resulting an explosion. The reptilian shrieked and swung a clawed hand towards Steve, ducking and dodging its every move.
Thor groaned as he slowly supported himself and brushed the dirt off of him. He looked up and saw the reptilian fighting the others. He scrambled to his feet and spun his hammer around before he held it threw it at the monster.
Tony hid behind the rocks and watched the battle. His optics flickered as his teammates tried to take down the reptilian. He clutched the wall as tightly as he could, shivering. It was happening, just like he warned them. They were out there getting hurt and it was all his fault.
"Help, Gordon!"
He heard electricity crackle nest to him. He turned around to find Gordon appearing.
"Ready to go home?"
Like that of a child, he rushed over and threw his arms around him. Electricity engulfed them and soon, they disappeared.
Clint cried out as he not only landed on the ground, but a foot crushed his shoulder. Natasha jumped onto his back and hung on as long as she could. Sam grabbed his tail.
"Don't. Make us. Have to. Hurt you!" Sam was being swung around as the reptilian tried to shake them off.
"Get clear!" Rhodey shouted, aiming his gauntlet at the reptilian.
"We're trying to," Natasha yelled back.
Hulk slammed his fists together. Mjolnir hung in Thor's hand. Steve held his shield before him, the star in the center shining brightly. Clint tried to aim an arrow, Rhodey on the defense…
A loud banging noise forced them to drop down. The reptilian staggered back, startled at the sudden sound, roaring as he clutched his arm.
A figure jumped onto his back, legs around the waist and two arms sweeping beneath the reptilian's and planting both hands behind the head. Taking the opportunity, Hulk ran forward and smashed his fist against the creature. The newcomer jumped off in time before the reptilian slammed into the wall.
"Well, that's done now," Clint stated, wiping his hands off.
Steve nodded before turning to the man who helped them. The man was wheezing, reaching up for his helmet before pulling it and the mask off. Strands of hair was plastered to his face by sweat. He trembled and dropped the guise before toppling over.
"Bucky!" Steve shouted as he ran over to his former comrade.
"Um, who is this?" Rhodey asked.
"Oi!" Thor come rushing out of the room Tony was in. "Where is Stark?"
"What do you mean?" Natasha asked.
"Stark is not in there like he was before," Thor pointed out.
"Tony is gone?" Clint spoke.
Sam bowed his head. "For good."
