Chapter 12
The team prepares in the following days, everyone coming together at the Sanctum on the day that Stephen and Wong set for the attack to occur.
I stand near Peter as the team is quickly briefed by Stephen, and I look over the team before me as he talks, finding myself surprised to see Steve standing near Bucky and Sam.
Stephen comes to stand beside me as he finishes talking, pressing the button on the watch I gave him to pull the metal suit around him.
“Wong and I will open the portals.” He says, sliding his sling ring into place as he talks. “Once we step through, there’s no telling how soon the action will commence.”
Everyone nods solemnly as I get into my own suit.
Orange portals open before us, and people begin to step through.
Sam, Bucky, Steve, and Nat go through with Wong, their portal disappearing as Wong steps through behind them.
Peter shoots us a smile over his shoulder as he steps through Stephen’s portal, Clint and Bruce following behind him closely.
As Bruce fades into the portal, already turning green from the Other Guy, I turn to Stephen.
“Don’t do anything stupid.” I tell him, looking into his eyes.
He smiles at me before his iron mask clicks shut over his face.
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Stephen says with a chuckle.
I roll my eyes as I let my own mask cover my face, igniting my blasters as I fly through the portal.
Stephen comes behind me, and we find ourselves in a large field.
“Where are we?” I ask, looking around.
Stephen and I fly towards the sound of battle as I continue to look around.
“Tennessee.” He answers. “Not sure why they chose to come here, but they must be looking for something.”
We move over a hill, finding a fight already in progress at the bottom.
Creatures with horns and dark blue skin fight against my team with their weapons, a type of spear that shoots a plasma-like material.
Stephen and I slow just before we land, locking eyes through the tinted lenses of the suits.
“If we live,” I breathe through the communication speakers between us, “I’ll marry you.”
We move closer, and I hear him laugh lowly.
“If we live,” He answers as we meet the team, “I’ll let you.”
I laugh as my boots hit the field, my fist coming into contact with the face of one of the creatures as I land.
My eyes instantly search for Peter, my anxiety lessening slightly as I see him holding his own against a couple of the creatures as he fights between Nat and Clint.
I lift my hands, blasting another alien as my eyes search for Stephen again, exhaling with relief as I see him working his magic beside Wong.
The creatures fight hard, working to press past our line of defense, moving towards a barn in the distance, but they can’t seem to break through as we fight them back just as hard.
My eyes flash between Peter and Stephen as I fight, not willing to let either of them out of my sight for more than a minute as they fight their own battles.
Finally, the last creature falls to the ground, and an eerie calm falls across the field.
Everyone breathes heavily, looking to each other’s faces to see if any damage has been done.
“Nat, Clint, Steve, Wong, will you guys check that barn?” I ask, breathing heavily as I retract my helmet from my face. “They want something there. The rest of us will clean up here.”
They nod, everyone breathing just as heavily as I am as they move towards the small barn at the top of the hill.
“Alright, let’s search their packs for anything they might’ve brought with them.” I say to the remaining group members. “They might have—”
I hear something rustle behind me, and I trail off my sentence.
“Tony watch out!” I vaguely hear Stephen call, but a searing pain burns through my abdomen before I have the chance to move out of the way.
Not only does the pain burn through me, but a hotter, sharper pain follows soon after, and I feel an ache in my chest as I lose consciousness.
Stephen’s POV:
“Alright, let’s search their packs for anything they might’ve brought with them.” Tony says, clapping his hands together as he looks around at us. “They might have—”
Something moves behind him, and my heart drops.
“Tony watch out!” I call, taking a step towards him.
One of the creatures behind him has stabbed a spear through his body, and before anyone has a chance to move, it sends a spray of electricity through him, causing him to collapse onto his knees.
Bucky sends a shot, landing it directly in the skull of the creature as it falls backwards, away from Tony.
I run towards him, picking him up as Peter goes to the other side, pulling the still-sparking spear out of his body.
I press the button on his wrist, retracting his iron suit to reveal his sweaty, blood-soaked t-shirt and pants below.
“Tony.” I whisper, tapping my hand against his cheek. “Tony please wake up, please.”
He doesn’t move, his jaw slackening as I tap his face.
His Arc Reactor sparks erratically in his chest, and I don’t hesitate as I lift him up into my arms, opening a portal before me.
I hear questions and protests behind me as I step through, but I don’t stop to reply as I shut the circle behind me.
The familiar, frantic hum of a hospital waiting room surrounds me as I look around the emergency room at Metro General Hospital.
I retract the mask to my own suit as I push through the double doors, ignoring the receptionist as she yells at me to stop.
“Christine!” I call as I walk down the hall. “Christine Palmer!”
Doctors and nurses alike look at me with nervous confusion as I walk past the rooms, and finally Christine steps into view.
“Stephen?” She asks, her eyes wide as she looks at Tony in my arms and the metal suit surrounding most of my body. “Stephen what the hell is this?”
I walk past her, going to an empty operating room and laying Tony down on the table.
“You have to help him.” I tell her, grabbing a pair of scissors and cutting his shirt away from his body.
Her eyes widen as she looks at the metal circle in the center of his chest, still sparking wildly.
“What is that?” She asks. “What happened to him?”
I give her the briefest recap of what went through his body to cause the gash and I tell her all I know about the Reactor before turning to her, facing her head on.
“Please help him.” I beg. “Please.”
Her eyes scan my face for a moment before flashing back to him.
She sighs, quickly running to intercom system and pressing the button.
“I need a full operation staff to OR-6.” She says. “Stat.”
I exhale, wrapping Tony’s hand in both of mine as I lean down to press my lips almost against his ear.
“You’re okay.” I whisper to him, hot tears slipping down my cheeks, onto his. “You’ll make it, and I’ll let you marry me. I love you, Anthony. Come back to me.”
I press a kiss against his temple before standing back up, wiping my cheeks with the back of my hand as I turn back to Christine.
“I know I can’t help you in a traditional sense.” I tell her, clearing my throat, holding my trembling hands up for her to see. “But I can help in other ways.”
Her eyes widen as I move my fingers into a position for the magic to work, casting an orange glow through the room.
“Just let me know what you need.” I add softly.
She nods, her face returning to normal as the surgery team floods into the room.
I look back at Tony, taking a deep breath as we start the process of saving his life.