Chapter 12
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(4m)abny
After Pepper had left, Tony tried to distract himself from their intense conversation by finishing the rest of his scotch and skimming through his neglected emails. He leaned back in his chair when he noticed the one Richards had sent him the other day. He quickly forwarded a copy to Bruce and Jane’s email before reading through it himself. His eyes slowly widened as he scanned the contents. As if there wasn’t enough to be going on with.
If Reed’s calculations were correct, and it certainly seemed like they were at first glance, then it looked as if their random encounter with a space squid might not have been as random as it had appeared. In fact, according to Richards, the wormhole that had opened at the exact same time as the ones in London hadn’t been a coincidence at all. The dimentional fabric surrounding their world has been compromised, weakened, by all the recent invasions into Earth’s space. And right now the dimentional bubble encasing us looked more like Swiss cheese than a protective bubble. And something was taking advantage of that weakness by trying to force its way into our world through the thinnest rips in our fabric of space.
One of those weak spots was above the Baxter Building, another was above Wakanda, and the last was right above where he was currently sitting. Tony Stark cringed as he looked at the ceiling above him, imagining the possibilities. He started JARVIS running simulations on how they might be able to fix the problem. What Reed was saying was more than worrying. But it was still far down on his list of concerns at the moment. Well not that far down, maybe like third or forth.
“Tony!” Bruce yelled exuberantly as he entered the workshop. Tony swung around in his chair, startled at both his entrance and excitement.
“Hey Brucie, that was quick.” Tony said. Bruce tilted his head at him.
“What was quick?” He asked.
“Didn’t you just read the email I sent you?” Tony asked. Bruce gave a short shake of his head, his hair back to its more shaggy length, flopped around his face.
“What? No. Um, actually I think I’ve just discovered a compound that will cure the Hulk once and for all, and I need you to work on plans for a Beta ray emitter, while I work on manufacturing the serum.” Tony noticed how happy Bruce seemed. The man was actually…bubbly, something Tony had never thought he’d call the physicist.
“Beta rays, that’s a good idea.” Tony said thoughtfully.
“I thought so, so will you work on it?” Bruce asked. Tony squirmed as he messed with the holograms in front of him.
“Oh, that’s…Yeah, I’ll get right on that.” Tony said. Bruce’s squinted at him through his glasses.
“You did say you would help.” Bruce accused. Tony looked up.
“And I meant it buddy, I’ve just got a lot on my plate at the moment.” Bruce looked around the workshop at the half completed and completed S.I. projects, including the mostly finished Arc Car.
“I can see that.” He said stiffly as he turned to head back to his own lab. Tony shot up out of his seat and ran for Bruce, catching his arm and stopping the man.
“Wait, wait, I’ll get started on the device, just check your email would ya, this thing with Richards’ it could be really important, well it probably is, I’d say it mostly is.” Tony said. Bruce looked at him hard.
“And me being cured isn’t?” He said softly. Tony sighed, letting go of Bruce, and running a hand through his hair.
“Not what I meant, OK, you know what, never mind, just ignore me, so how are you doing otherwise?” Tony asked with a tired smile. Bruce sighed.
“Good Tony.” Bruce said, trying to smile.
“Good.” Tony replied awkwardly. Bruce turned to face him fully.
“Oh, and I meant to ask, have you seen Hawkeye lately?” Bruce asked. Tony raised an eyebrow.
“Hawkeye?” He asked.
“The man with the bow and arrows who enjoys soda, and has an unhealthy obsession with the color purple, both the movie and the actual color?” Bruce asked. Annnd that’s Bruce making a joke, which is good, but weird, Tony thought.
“Oh him, no I haven’t, but according to JARVIS, he’s still in the building. Why do you ask?” Tony asked curiously.
“I haven’t see him during the past two weeks and I’m just a little…” Bruce trailed off.
“Worried about him?” Tony supplied.
“Concerned. What can I say, I’m just not crazy about having an angry SHIELD assassin hiding within the walls.” Bruce said.
“I told you he isn’t angry at you, he was just giving you the silent treatment, which you should actually be thankful for.” Tony said.
“Still I think you should find out what’s up with him.” Bruce said.
“I’ll add it to my list, hey, why don’t you go talk to him?” Tony asked. Bruce shrugged.
“It’s your Tower Tony, and I have work to get back too.” Bruce said before turning to leave.
“Of course you do.” Tony said under his breath.
“And don’t forget the Beta ray machine!” Bruce called behind him as he left.
“Bruce doing Science without me while I go deal with a deranged assassin, how is this my life?” Tony muttered to himself. Yeah Reed’s more than likely major disaster is definitely fourth on his list.
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Happy tried to kick out the glass of the limo’s window. However, Tony Stark himself had designed the glass to be bullet and short-range missile proof and therefore Happy proof. The windows were also completely tinted, so that no one could see inside. All their defenses were being used against them, ironically trapping them within their own armor. And to top it all off, neither of their phones were working, no doubt thanks to Maya. And all the while Maya Hansen spoke, her voice calm and conceited. “I’m sorry I had to do this Pepper, but it was necessary.” Pepper thought the woman looked pretty good for a zombie.
“I thought you were dead.” Pepper said. Maya smirked on the screen as the car made another turn down a deserted street.
“Tony and Killian were certainly supposed to think so.” She said smugly.
“How did you…? Oh my god, you were on Extremis!” Pepper exclaimed, slapping her forehead. Maya pointed a finger at her.
“Got it in one. Tony always did like the smart ones.” She said.
“But what do you want with me?” Pepper asked, Happy still desperately pounding on the widows and now trying to beep the car horn.
“I want to perfect the Extremis formula.” Maya said simply.
“Tony told me you had changed your mind about arming the Extremis virus.” Pepper said. Maya winced.
“And then Killian shot me, luckily I was secretly taking small amounts of Extremis myself at the time or I would be dead, it took hours for me to heal, and I experienced every excruciating moment of it as the virus slowly pushed the bullet out of me.” Maya said. Pepper glared.
“And so now…what? You’ve decided doing the right thing wasn’t worth it?” Pepper snapped. Maya shook her head.
“No, I just want to live and I need the formula perfected in order to do that.” She said a maniacal gleam in her eye. Pepper tried to speak sense to the woman.
“Tony isn’t going to give that to you even if it’s to save you, or me, we aren’t even together anymore.” She finished, her face emotionless. Maya grinned.
“Oh, I know that, he wouldn’t give up the formula when we were torturing you and that was when you two were an item, I can’t see him giving it up now, however he has already given it to me.” She said. Pepper frowned.
“What do you mean?” Pepper asked.
“You, Pepper. You are the formula. The perfected Extremis is in your blood, thanks to Tony. He fixed you, and now you’re going to fix me.” Maya said. The car finally rolled to a stop in inside the middle of an abandoned warehouse. Then the middle of the floor with the limo on it began to descend into an underground facility with people in yellow jumpsuits moving about. “Welcome to Aim.”
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Tony approached the hatch in the vent that was nearest Clint’s location with a stepladder in hand. He put the ladder down and climbed into the dark of the ventilation shaft. He reached into his breast pocket for his phone, checking that the bright blue dot that showed Clint’s current location hadn’t moved. JARVIS had pinpointed him by using the life sign sensors he had equipped throughout the Tower. Tony used the phone to light his way as he crawled awkwardly down the shaft. He pulled himself along with one hand and elbow and pushed forward with his sneakers. Feeling the metal and shadows enclosing around him from all sides, Tony couldn’t help but wonder why Barton enjoyed spending so much time in here. After about 10 minutes of crawling, the light from Tony’s phone shown off the reflective black metal of Hawkeye’s bow. “Hawkeye, do you mind getting the hell out of my walls before I call the exterminators.” Tony said flippantly to the assassin who was slowly being revealed by the bright glow of his Starkphone. Clint with days of scruff on his face crouched in an alcove curled around his bow, blinking owlishly at the light. A grate behind him overlooked a dimly lit elevator shaft.
“Get out of here Stark!” Barton snarled, trying to back away from the light and into the steel wall of the shaft beside him. Back to Stark again are we? Tony thought as he placed the phone on the floor between them and settled himself cross-legged on the floor.
“My Tower, my vents, my rules, now can we conversate in the real world like actual, dare I say, adults, or do we have to do this in here?” Tony asked with a mock shiver.
“Do what?” Clint asked stubbornly.
“Sir, there is a security bre -” JARVIS began in his earpiece.
“Not now J.” Tony cut him off. Clint looked confused in the harsh glow.
“What?” Barton asked.
“Not you, fine in here it is then.” Tony muttered, seeing that the marksman had no intention to move. He looked around at the bare steel surrounding them, empty soda cans and poptart boxes. A large pile of straightened paperclips sat by Clint’s knee. “Gotta say Hawkeye, I like what you’ve done with the place.” Hawkeye’s face twisted strangely.
“Don’t call me that!” Hawkeye snapped with a hint of an accent on his tongue. Tony looked taken aback.
“What? Hawkeye? Isn’t that your codename?” Tony asked, confused and worried.
“Just don’t call me that!” Hawkeye reiterated, a crazed gleam in his eyes.
“God, what is up with you dude?” Tony asked.
“There’s nothing up with me!” Clint yelled.
“Then why are you hiding up here like a dumped emo teen?” Tony retorted.
“I’m not hiding.” Clint insisted.
“Sure you aren’t Loxley, so what are you doing then?”
“It has nothing to do with you! Just go back to your machines and leave me alone Tony.” Clint said as he began collecting the sharp paperclips and fondling them nervously in his hands.
“Hey if you don’t get your ass out of these vents like yesterday I’m turning on the flame throwers I installed a couple of weeks ago.” Tony warned jokingly. He was starting to think he might be getting in way over his head.
“You don’t have flame throwers in here Stark, and if you value your hide, I suggest you do as Barton says and get back to the toys in your penthouse.” Natasha said as she squeezed past him silently.
“Natalie! Who invited you here, how did you even find us, and how did you manage to travel these vents without making a single sound in those heels?” Tony snarked. Clint dropped the straightened clips in his hands to the floor of the shaft where they made tinkling sounds as they hit.
“Na-Natasha?” He asked hesitantly, his slight accent gone as one of his hands clutched at his upper arm. Natasha’s face warmed imperceptivity as she stared at Barton.
“Its me Clint.” Natasha said gently, at least gently for her, like an icicle slowly melting. “Get out of here now Stark!” She shouted back towards Tony, her eyes glaring daggers into him. Tony startled back and picked up his phone, the light bobbed with him as he shifted to turn himself around, thudding loudly as he headed back out of the vents.
“Ok, Ok, this is me getting out, see?” He said. They could hear Stark’s muttering voice echoing back to them as he crawled away, “Bloody insane ninjas, don’t know why I bother sometimes. You and me Jarv, we’ve got to talk about updating our security protocols…” Stark took the bright light with him as he left, leaving Clint and Natasha in the near darkness. But they were both used to darkness, both born from it. Natasha and Clint locked eyes; she took in his unkempt appearance as she reached out a hand to him. Not touching, just reaching. Clint kept eye contact as he slowly reached for her warm hand with both of his cold ones and clasped her tightly.
“You came.” Barton said. Natasha eased his bow to the ground.
“You called for me, how could I not come?” She said, shrugging.
“You used your ability.” He said.
“I did.” She replied.
“Fury’s gone.” Clint said.
“He is. Natasha said simply.
“Sitwell’s a traitor.” He said.
“He is.” She agreed.
“SHIELD was a lie.” He hissed suddenly. Natasha gripped his hand more tightly.
“No.” She said firmly.
“Our life’s work was a lie.” Clint insisted.
“No.” Natasha said determinedly. Clint pulled his hand away.
“We’ve been working for Hydra all along, and I’m the one that brought you into this.” He said. Natasha’s eyes hardened.
“I make my own choices, and we were working for SHIELD.” She said.
“A lie.” Clint retorted. Black Widow pushed his shoulder back into the grate behind him, blocking what little light there was.
“Not a lie, we shielded the world from the hard choices, we protected people, that wasn’t a lie.” Romanoff said. Barton looked away from her.
“It might as well have been, but it’s all gone now.” He said.
“Not so long as we still uphold SHIELD’s ideals.” She said. Clint looked startled.
“I’m surprised to hear you say that.”
“You shouldn’t be, you’re the one who helped make me the woman I am today.” Natasha said, her mouth slightly curling into a half smile. All Clint could see was her coldness.
“Is that such a good thing Tash?” He asked sadly. Natasha shrugged, her mouth a thin line once more.
“I’m better than I was.” She said honestly.
“But am I?” Clint asked desperately. Natasha tried to look deeper within him, sensing his churning emotions.
“Clint?” She asked. Barton raised a hand to his forehead and tapped it.
“Ever since Loki played around with my head I’ve been having trouble remembering things, things I should be able to remember, like my brother’s face, how could I forget that? How I came to SHIELD, Coulson, and…” He trailed off worriedly.
“And?” Natasha asked forcefully. Clint shuddered helplessly.
“I don’t even recognize myself anymore. Who am I Tash?” He asked harshly. Natasha gripped his face in her hands, moving close enough to kiss.
“Your you, and I’m me, nothing else matters.” She whispered. Barton breathed deeply, calming himself.
“…I guess you’re right, that’s all that really matters.” He said. She tossed her head to the side.
“Lets get out of here.” She said. Barton nodded, picking up his bow and leading the way, leaving the paperclips forgotten behind them.
“Alright Nat, but are you going to stay?” He asked as they crawled along.
“Are you?” She replied.
“This is the only home I have left.” He said.
“Home? That sounds…nice.” Natasha said.
“Stark-Tony he’s not that bad really.” Clint said, regretting how he had treated the man only a few minutes ago.
“You like being an Avenger.” She said, not quite a question or an accusation.
“Yeah, I do. So what do you think, will you stay? Tony’s actually made a whole floor just for you, I’ve seen it, I’ll admit it’s pretty swanky.” They both dropped out of the vents smoothly and began moving along the hallway next to each other.
“My place is where it has always been, with you.” She said.
“Then welcome to Avenger Tower.” Hawkeye said walking backwards with arms opened dramatically. Natasha snorted.
“You need a shave.”
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Tony Stark lay on the couch in his workshop and tried to shut his eyes and his mind. But ideas and memories kept intruding. It didn’t help that the Black Widow herself was staying just a few floors below him. Not that she would hurt him, probably, but she could, she easily could. He sighed deeply as he turned on his side and tried once more to clear his mind. Then he thought of the Beta ray machine that Bruce had urgently wanted him to work on. Bruce would be more than disappointed in him if he didn’t at least start thinking about the project. So Tony began to work out plans for the device. After another sleepless hour he arose to start designing the machine, his attempts at sleep forgotten, except by JARVIS and DUM-E. The old bot followed him around with JARVIS' silent encouragement, a blanket clutched in his claw as the anxious bot trailed along behind the inventor until Tony finally succumbed to his body's needs a few hours later. A blanket was gently tossed over him as he slept fitfully with his head and arms resting upon his desk.
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(4.1m)abny
Stark carried a large coffee in his hand as he strolled to a bench in Central Park where a man was reading a newspaper. He sat obnoxiously next to the man, jostling his paper, while gulping his piping hot coffee. “Alright I’m here Fury, what do you want, and why are you dressed like a hobo?” Tony asked. Fury glared over his sunglasses.
“Keep it down Stark, I’m supposed to be dead remember?” Fury grumbled.
“I did send a bunch of lilies to your grave.” Tony said mock gravely. Fury ignored him.
“Have you solved your…problem yet?” Fury asked. Tony gestured towards himself.
“Does it look like I have?” He asked. Fury looked him over.
“There are worse ways to go.” He said contemplatively.
“Better not to go at all.” Tony said.
“Agreed.” Fury said. Tony took another steaming gulp of coffee.
“So Walking Dead, why are we meeting in the park like spies in a retro flick?” Tony asked, gesturing at the newspaper and the bustling park around them. Fury grunted.
“You are being watched.” He said. Tony’s face turned serious.
“By who?” He asked soberly. Fury threw a hand out to the world around them.
“Who do you think? Everybody! This is a new age, there’s no more SHIELD to guide the people who can’t be contained in this world. No one to lobby on their behalf. Nobody really knows what’s going to happen next, the governments, the heroes, the villains, everybody is just watching while everything is up in the air.” Fury said.
“So what, you want me to juggle? Are you telling me these people all think I’m the man with the plan? They are looking at the wrong guy Fury, that would be Cap if anybody.” Tony said dismissively. Fury nodded.
“Normally it would be, but he is more suited to battle, and this is war. You are the best option to lead, you need to pick up the pieces of my organization, take the reins and guide this new world. Besides you know the danger that’s looming over us all, you aren’t just the best option, you’re the only one. Learn to juggle.” Fury ordered sternly. Tony looked at him for a moment before laughing. He wiped fake tears from his eyes.
“Is that all you want of me? I might be dead and useless before long.” Stark said bitterly.
“Then futurist, heal thyself.” Fury intoned. Tony rolled his eyes.
“Easy for you to say.” He said, then his eyes suddenly widened. “Black Widow isn’t about to come out of nowhere and stab me with a cure is she?” Tony asked looking around half hopefully and worriedly. Fury shook his head once, solemnly. Tony’s shoulders slumped. “And what will you be doing while I take on your job?” He asked. Fury lowered his shades briefly, his good and bad eye looking right through him.
“I’ll be keeping an eye on things.” He said. Tony clapped.
“Oooh, very mysterious and punny, very punny.” He said. Fury snorted and straightened his glasses.
“Do I look like I’m joking Stark?” Fury asked.
“Is that a rhetorical question?” Tony retorted. Fury gave a put upon sigh.
“I’ve left a present for you in your lobby.” He said abruptly. Tony leaned forward.
“A present? I love those, is it a stripper? Cause that sooo did not work out the last time someone gave me one. I mean you would think it would, right? But she was like-”
“No she’s not a stripper Stark, will you try to pay some fucking attention?” Fury interrupted. Tony looked up and blinked at him.
“What? Were you saying something?” Fury snarled. Tony lifted up his hands and made calming motions. “Alright, alright, I’m messing with you, come on I’ve had a long week.” Tony said.
“You aren’t the only one.” Fury huffed out. Stark’s phone suddenly started playing “Hells Bells.” Tony reached for it in his hoodie and pulled it out, ignoring Fury completely.
“One sec. Hello?” Tony said into the phone. Then his gaze suddenly sharpened.
“Stark!” Nick Fury sputtered. Tony held up a hand to silence him.
“What do you mean she didn’t show up to the meeting? That was hours ago! Pepper never misses a meeting.” Tony said, his voice getting gradually louder and more concerned. “What about Happy?” Tony asked. “They didn’t make their flight yesterday?” He asked anxiously. “Why wasn’t I told?!” He yelled as he hung up on the person. “Fuck!” He shouted as passerby stared at him.
“What is it?” Fury asked calmly. Tony shot to his feet, dropping his coffee cup onto the pavement.
“Pepper’s missing!” Tony cried. Fury smiled grimly.
“Then it’s a good thing that present I left you specializes in finding people.” Fury said.