A New Solution, an Even Bigger Problem
Previously in Chapter Six: Burn, Baby Burn
“Simmons. They brought me back from the dead after eight days. How many times did Skye code before we got her the serum? I give you my word, Agent Simmons, this will be our last attempt to bring Anthony Edward Stark back from the dead.”
“And if it doesn’t work, Sir?”
“Then we watch the world burn, Simmons.”
Once Coulson made up his mind to combine the three most powerful metahuman serums in the existence in effort to bring back on Anthony Edward Stark, it was decided it was time to bring back Pepper Potts out of the Dendrotoxin sedation. He wanted to inform her of their actions and Agent Simmons believed that the effort would stand a better chance without the high powered sedative out of her Extremis blood. Coulson has promised her a miracle – and somewhere in her heart of hearts, she still believed that Coulson would bring her Tony back to her. However, the first thing he did after she was once again coherent was to inform her that, so far, all attempts had failed.
She’s flashing her vibrant fiery orange fury as her explains that S.H.I.E.L.D.’s lead biochemist had (what they thought successfully) recreated the GH-325 serum that had resurrected him back from the dead eightdays after the Battle of Manhattan – and saved the life of the girl, Skye – but it is having no effect on Tony. That they’ve tried and tried multiple doses over multiple days (wait, how long has it been?) and there had been no positive progress to report. For some unknown cosmic reason, Coulson’s Miracle simply isn’t working for Tony Stark.
“This… This can’t be happening,” she stammers out. “You said you’d give him back to me! Tell me you have another plan!” she screamed at the beleaguered Director. The chair she is sitting in is starting to scorch.
“I do. But I’m afraid you’re not going to like it, Miss Potts.”
“Tony is DEAD. I don’t have to FUCKING LIKE IT! Just give him back to me, dammit!” she screamed.
He motioned Simmons into the room, “My biochemist, Jemma Simmons, needs a sample of your blood.” At her startled ‘what the fuck’ look, her hastily continued, “We also need a sample from Captain Rogers. We feel that the three of the serums together may be just what we need to jumpstart the process. She said nothing as she held her arm out to the pretty S.H.I.E.L.D. blond.
~*~
Captain Rogers flat out refused to give his blood without explanation. He’d had enough of playing lab rat in the 1940’s before downing the Valkyrie and again in 2012 when they’d recovered him from the ice. Bruce Banner supports his caution – after all, they of all people know what can happen when the wrong people get their hands on any version of the Super Solider Serum. A team meeting is called in the communal living room to deal with S.H.I.E.L.D.’s sudden interest in his blood – can they really trust them, and just what the hell have they been doing to Stark’s body after four damn days?
Once the Avengers are assembled with Sam, Bucky, Tony’s family (Pepper, Happy, Rhodey) and the “new” S.H.I.E.L.D. team brought to the tower by Former Agent/Now Director Coulson, Captain Rogers demands answers. Of all the things he expects to hear? Resurrection was science fiction – not even remotely possible! Surely they don’t think him stupid enough or so far behind the times enough to believe this? Dead is dead. Tony Stark is not coming back. Everyone else in the room that did not come with Coulson – with the possible exception of Thor – look equally pissed off for the deception and confused as to just what the hell these people are getting at.
“Thor.” Coulson directed his words carefully to the visiting dignitary that could make or break their case. He’d seen the wound, he’d know that Coulson had well and truly died and that it wasn’t just some trick of Fury’s. He was also probably one of the only people in the room capable of getting past the Winter Solider to take the blood sample by force if necessary. “Please, regale,” a bitter smirk flirted across the Director’s lips, “the room with what you witnessed on the Helicarrier before Loki dropped the cage?”
Thor had known that Coulson had been brought back to life – though not how or why. His niece was the queen of the dead and was quite unhappy to lose from Valhalla. She’d made her displeasure known – and when Sif had returned with Lorelei, it had been confirmed that the Son of Coul had somehow found his way back to Midgard. “But of course, Son of Coul. I watched you threaten my brother Loki with the “destroyer gun” in hopes of saving me from the fall – only for him to teleport behind you and spear you through the chest with his scepter.”
“You have many years experience in battle, Thor, was that a killing blow?”
“Aye, and Hela was much displeased to lose you after such a short stay in Valhalla.”
That brought Coulson up short. He didn’t remember that part of being dead… he cleared his throat. “My point is that I was dead. Dead for eight days. Skye,” he points to the brunette hacker in question, “was shot twice in the stomach and was saved with same serum. I don’t know why it isn’t working for Stark, only that it isn’t and we owe it to the man to do everything in our power to BRING HIM BACK.”
“Look y’all this is obviously a powder keg waiting for a fuse – no offense Ma’am,” Sam Wilson of all people interrupted, nodded to a fiery flashing Potts. “The room is clearly divided on whether or not it is morally right to bring a man back from the dead. I propose a vote on that first and then you can go back to badgering Cap for his blood, yeah?”
Coulson nodded his assent and went around the room starting with the Avengers but giving everyone in the room a vote. Some of the answers surprised the hell out of him.
Pepper Potts: “Yes. You know I will do whatever it takes to bring him back!”
Steve Rogers: “NO.”
Sergeant James Barnes: “No, I’m with Stevie on this one.
Sam Wilson: “No, I gotta say man, he may come back, but I don’t think he’d come back right.”
Bruce Banner: “No. What if we get another Hulk or Abomination?”
Thor: “Yes, mayhaps this time we can be there for him in his time of need!”
Natasha Romanoff: “Yes. He saved all of our asses. We owe him.”
Clint Barton: *"No. *Because sometimes livings worse than dying*."
Colonel James Rhodes: “No, he’s suffered enough. We’re being selfish bringing him back.”
Harold “Happy” Hogan: “Yes. Boss always had my back, I’ll always have his.”
Skye: “No, he asked to let go. I wasn’t given a choice. We should respect his.
S.H.I.E.L.D.Agent Jemma Simmons: “Yes, we can do this! Who wouldn’t want more time with their family?”
S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent May: “Yes.”
Maria Hill: “Yes, also, Nick says No.”
Himself: “Yes.”
Steve Rogers breaks the silence that falls on the room after the lightening round of voting. “We’re 8-8 tied. Since it’s my blood in question, I call tie-breaker. The answer is NO.” Chaos erupted in the room with Bucky and Sam moving closer to flank the Captain in case of attack. There was more than one person in the room capable of forcibly removing a blood sample…
“Captain Rogers, I urge you to reconsider your stance.” Miss Pepper Potts skin was as pale as before she was ever injected with extremis, her eyes were hollow, her back was ramrod straight, and her voice was as dead as her lover still lying in the tower’s medical wing. Not one person in the room suppressed the shiver that ran down their spine at her words to the Captain. They were very much a threat…
“I am very, truly sorry for your loss Miss Potts. Howard Stark was a good man – his son surpassed his legacy and became a supernova that generations from now will still be looking up to. I cannot condone this, my stance is firm.”
“Then I am afraid you leave me no choice. I do hope you remember – should you survive of course – that this all could have been avoided had you only realized that a stance is only as strong as the foundation it’s built on.” The Avengers and Agents were well aware that the excrement was about to hit the ventilator but not how to stop it… Barnes, Barton, May and Romanoff dropped into protective stances. Her voice was hollow and breaking when she continued, “Your foundation is a fractured team. Mine is J.A.R.V.I.S.”
“J.A.R.V.I.S. lock down the Tower. No one in or out. Lethal force authorized.” Everyone in the room froze in shock.
“Of course Miss Potts will that be all?”
“How many suits are currently in residence in the tower, J.A.R.V.I.S.?”
“Enough to cater to whatever your needs may be Miss. I began mass production the moment it was clear Sir was dying.”
“Good, convince Rogers to give up the blood willingly using whatever methods you deem necessary. You have 24 hours and then take it by force.”
“My God, Pepper, You can’t do this!” Rhodey shouted at her, “Tony wouldn’t want this!”
“Tony is dead, he doesn’t currently want anything,” she responds and Rhode’s heart is breaking because he knew, knew that if they lost Tony, they’d lose her too… just not like this… never like this.
“ATTENTION AVENGERS COMMUNAL LIVING ROOM: Please direct your attention to the TV view screen.”
Pepper snaps to attention. “J.A.R.V.I.S., what are we looking at?”
“You are looking at what is left of Zermatt, Switzerland. A nuclear strike just decimated the populace there and is very tragic.”
“J.A.R.V.I.S., you have to let us out of here! We have to stop H.Y.D.R.A. before they strike again!” Captain Rogers yelled.
“Captain Rogers, H.Y.D.R.A. did not send the nuclear strike. I did.” Gasps filled the room. Anthony Edward Stark’s computer had just nuked a fucking city! “Miss Potts said to use whatever methods I deem necessary – I exist solely to serve Sir’s needs.”
Before anyone could respond or try to make sense of anything Pepper spoke up. “That order stands. Oh, and J.A.R.V.I.S.? For every hour the Captain” and that was said like it was the worst word in the world “refused to ‘reconsider his stance’ find another city, double the population of the last, and repeat.” She turned on her heel to stride out of the room when Coulson finally found his voice:
“Pepper, wait, please! Don’t do this! Tony wouldn’t want innocent people dying for him! You know this, Pepper!”
“Welcome to the Fire, Phil,” and the door slid shut behind her.
To Be Continued In: Chapter Eight: The Easiest Way to Bluff; Don't