Chapter 33
Harry set down next to Steve on the field, trying to catch his breath and ease some of the ache in his muscles. His chest was something he’d definitely have to look at after this, if he even survived. The poison rate was a number he didn’t care to look at.
“How are we doing, Cap?” he asked after blasting another alien away.
“As well as we can.” Steve wiped a bit of dirt off his face. “And you?”
“Holding up well enough.” Harry looked around, trying to gauge the damage already caused. On the opposite side of the poison count was an estimated death count and it was ridiculously low for this kind of attack. “We need a way to get to the portal.”
“I just sent Natasha off to work on that.” Steve motioned toward a passing flyer. “She hopped on one of those.”
“She’s nearing the tower,” Clint said in their ears. “Loki’s behind her, but I got him.Thor and Hulk are doing damage where they are, but there’s a group caught down on the East side. They could use some help. Same with by Grand Central.”
Steve tightened his grip on the shield. “Mind dropping me off to catch a train?”
“Were you always cracking bad jokes during bad times?” Still, Harry took off, looping around to take Steve’s outstretched hand.
He was sure Steve said something about living nothing but bad times, but Harry didn’t listen too much to that. Flying made the trip short enough and he was soon dropping Cap through the glass of the station to deal with whatever was in there while he went to the East.
What he found there was the best thing he could have hoped for. Blaise appeared out of nowhere, about ten others around him with their wands out. His friend immediately tapped his ear, turning on the comm unit.
“Miss me?” he asked, the smile obvious in his voice even if Harry couldn’t fully see him. “Don’t lie now.”
Harry blew away a small gathering of aliens before landing, popping open the face plate. “How’d you convince them?”
Blaise shrugged. “When the savior of Britain’s Wizarding World asks for their help as he’s also trying to save theirs… it gets kind of easy.”
“Any word on Hermione?”
“Not yet.” Blaise stepped closer and tapped Harry’s chest. “You good?”
“I’ll live.” Oh yeah, Blaise definitely saw through that lie. “Ready for this?”
“I think I’ve been born ready.”
Harry laughed and took off again, glad to have more mages behind his back. However, as much as he tried, he couldn’t find Loki again. Clint or one of the others would mention him on the coms – even Blaise saw him once – but Harry had yet to find him again.
There was something wrong and he had no idea what.
At least Hulk, when Harry saw him jump past only to slam into a group of scared-looking aliens, seemed to be having fun. It was probably forever since Bruce let the big buy come out; Harry wished he could be around to help him do this more often.
“Sir,” Edwin said, voice soft. “Sir, the core—“
“I know.”
“At this rate, you will not survive through the night.”
Harry wasn’t expecting to last through the house. “Blaze of Glory, Edwin. They won’t have to know.”
Edwin grew quiet for a moment before sighing. “There is a rather large group looking to be planning for an ambush. Three blocks to your right.”
Harry swallowed, not sure he really wanted to do this after all. But… “Got it. I take it Jarvis came back online?”
“Just enough that I can watch the news. I’m taking an estimated guess.”
“I always trust those.” Harry turned sharply, heading to where Edwin pointed. “You’ll look after the Avengers once this is done, right?”
“Is that the dying wish of Tony Stark?”
Harry caught the attention of the ambush that was, of course, setting up and didn’t answer his friend. In hindsight, firing a missile into the middle of a gathered group of angry aliens wasn’t the best idea, but he felt he had no other choice.
They were on him within seconds, dragging the suit to the ground. Harry muted the coms so the others wouldn’t have to hear whatever would happen, and then he fought with all he had. At least if he went out like this, he was doing something right.
But then..
“Stark!”
Harry shut his eyes as he was hit again in the back. “Does he think I’m slacking or something?”
“We got a nuke coming in.” Shit.“ETA two minutes.”
Harry didn’t stop to think. He just swore and pushed himself to stand. “Jarvis, put—“ his suit flew up before he could finish the statement. “Tell Fury I heard, Edwin. Give me eyes on the nuke”
Harry’s chest was on fire, his vision shifting in front of him. At least going out with a nuke on his back was a hell of a lot better than just getting the shit kicked out of him. He let out a breath, then opened his side of the coms once more.
“Do we have a body on the tower?”
“I can close it,” came Natasha’s response. “I have the key. I can close it.”
“Do-”
“No,” Harry interrupted Steve, “wait. I’ve got a nuke and I know just where to stick this bastard…”
Silence answered him before a familiar snort came from Clint followed by, “You always had to be dramatic about this. Are you kidding me?”
“That’s a one-way trip,” Steve said. Harry was touched that he could hear the concern in his voice. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
Harry glanced down to the percentage. “Never been more sure of anything in my life. Loki’s position?” he asked, banking sharp to fly straight up.
“Hulk may have beat the crap out of him in the tower. Can we keep the hole he made? Fill it with fish.”
Harry let out a laugh. “Blaise, the tower’s yours. You can do whatever you want with it.”
Before anyone could answer, Harry disappeared into the portal above Stark Tower. The coms gave a small burst of static before falling dead, though that was fine. Harry didn’t want to hear it, whatever it was they were going to say.
With the last push of magic he could stand, Harry pushed the nuke forward and prayed to whomever decided to listen that it would hit its mark. Once he was mostly sure that it would, he closed his eyes and let himself fall back into darkness.
Pain flared in his body, he felt a sharp tug, and he thankfully passed out.