Chapter 23
“You.” Tony growled, as he turned to face his own doppelganger. Anger raging inside him. “You fucking bastard!”
“Well, hello to you too.” Dark Tony grinned wickedly at him, eyeing him up and down. “Can’t believe you are actually still alive. Maybe we are alike. We are both survivors.”
“We are nothing alike!” Tony shouted, like the mere concept was offending to him. “You despicable, piece of shit. How do you even sleep at night, after everything you did to the people who are supposed to be your family?!”
“I have no family.” Dark Tony scoffed as he started to march towards Tony, who stood stubbornly, hiding Charles’ body completely behind him. “Family just brings you down. You can’t tell me that you are at your full potential when you are with your family.” He snorted with a cruel smile. Saying the last word with sneer. “Where is your family anyway? Leaving you defenseless like this. They only care about going home to their lovebirds. They don’t care if you were with them or not.”
“Shut up! Don’t you dare to talk about my family!” Tony growled, gripping Charles’ arm tightly to keep him from making any move. God, he really wished for his suit right now.
“No one will save you. You will die right here and no one will care.” Dark Tony growled as he raised his palm towards Tony, ready to shoot him.
Before he could shoot, AU Steve stepped between him and Tony, holding up his shield in front of him, as he faced Dark Tony head on. Despite how pale he was, he had a determined look on his face.
“So, it’s true.” Dark Tony muttered as he eyed the soldier with furrowed brows, then trailed his eyes towards Charles. “You snapped my toy out from the mind control, didn’t you? And also found your own doppelganger and trying to disturb him? I was going to keep you alive to make another battery, but you need to die for this now.”
“You will not lay a hand on them.” AU Steve said in a hard voice, with a slight tremor in it.
Tony couldn’t blame him. The guy had every right to fear that crazy, unpredictable asshole.
“How cute. I hate to admit it, but I really did miss your voice when you aren’t screaming hoarse.” The Dark genius let out a cruel laugh as he turned back to the soldier. “You will stop me? Really? How do you think you will do that?”
“I will not let you hurt my friends.” AU Steve snapped sharply, taking a step to hide Tony and Charles completely behind him.
“Friends? I don’t remember allowing you to have friends.” Dark Tony growled, with a displeased frown. “Doll face, you are mine. You are not allowed to speak to anyone. You are not allowed to have anything in your life, if it is not me. So, cut the shit and go wait for me in my room, like the good sex doll you are.”
“No.” The soldier said in a strong voice, pulling himself to his full height.
“No?” the dark genius raised an eyebrow at him, as he looked at him in rising anger.
“No. You will not touch me again. You have no control over my life anymore.” AU Steve’s voice got stronger by each word he said, that Tony would have confused him with his own Steve at any other situation. “I am not your sex toy. I am not even your soldier anymore. If you are planning to kill them, then I will die protecting them.”
God, he really misses his Steve. Why did he always have to be separated from him like this?
“He managed to make him mad.” Charles whispered nervously into Tony’s ear, as they both watched the face off, not knowing what to do.
“Can you invade his mind?” Tony whispered nervously; eyes trained on his enraged doppelganger.
“I am getting nothing from him. It’s like he is surrounding himself with something that is blocking my powers. Maybe a force field, I don’t know.” Charles muttered in frustration.
“What did you just say?” Dark Tony thundered in anger, moving to grip the shield in AU Steve’s hands tightly with one hand. “Did you forget yourself? I am the one who pulled you out of the ice. I am the first face you saw when you woke up. I am the one who broke you! I can break you again and again! You are nothing without me! You hear me? You are nothing!”
His hand flew to wrap tightly around the soldier’s throat, before he could react.
“Steve!” Tony exclaimed in panic and was about to rush in to help, but Charles held him back tightly with a pained look on his face.
Fuck, Tony was without his suit. He can’t do shit, since the other was fully armored and can kill him in less than two seconds if he wanted to. He needs to figure another way to help, before he makes a move.
“Come on, Doll Face. You know you can’t survive without me.” Dark Tony continued, in a sickly-sweet voice, bringing the soldier’s paling face closer to his. “You have nothing in this world. You only have me. Why don’t you just accept it?”
He tightened his grip around the others throat, ignoring the choked sounds he was letting out, as he tried desperately to release himself.
Dark Tony let out a loud yell, when Tony snuck up behind him, thrusting a screwdriver in a vulnerable place in his shoulder, forcing him to release the soldier, who dropped to the floor to pant heavily.
Dark Tony turned in pure rage towards Tony, who had no time before he was slapped hard, to land on the floor with a thud and a pained groan.
“Tony!” Charles shouted in panic and rushed to land on the floor next to Tony.
“You fucking son of a bitch!” Dark Tony screamed in anger, removing the screwdriver from his shoulder and turned sharply to Tony and Charles on the floor. “You two will die right now! And no one will care! Not your family! Not even your fuck buddies! It’s over!”
He raised his hand to fired up his repulsor at full power, ready to turn Tony and Charles to dust.
“Charles! Move!” Tony pushed desperately at the telepath, who ignored him as he proceeded to push Tony’s body behind his own.
A loud gunshot sounded in the room, Dark Tony moved on reflex, making the bullet graze his exposed neck, instead of hitting his head.
He turned sharply, only to see Dean standing a few feet away, raising his gun towards him with a stern face.
“Step away from them. Now.” He growled, as he pointed the gun to Dark Tony’s forehead.
***
Natasha kept running and ducking between the craters, avoiding the bullets raining down on her, while shooting back at the soldiers.
“Where is Dean?” Bucky yelled over at her, when they crossed paths behind one of the craters.
“He went to Tony and Charles. Crazy Dark Tony apparently went directly to them.” She muttered with a frown. Worry eating her up inside, but Dean told her to stay and try to open the gateway until he is back.
“Fuck. We need to help them!” he exclaimed, while shooting at a soldier that got alarmingly close to them.
“No, he got this! We need to reach the lever and open that damned breach, so we can go home.” Natasha insisted, spotting AU Raven in a far corner, starting to gain her consciousness.
“Seeing that the facility didn’t explode yet, that means AU Logan managed to reach AU Magnets?” Clint announced his presence with that question, landing down next to them gracefully, while bringing down two soldiers, who tried to sneak up on them.
Natasha frowned at Clint’s good question. She almost forgot about the missile that was supposed to blow them apart more than a minute ago.
“Huh, I guess he did.” Bucky murmured with raised eyebrows. “Wow, even that Erik changes his mind when a version of Charles is included. I guess now we know who calls the shots in their house.”
“No time for this.” Natasha said impatiently, watching AU Raven changing her form again into a soldier of the enemy. “We need to work together now to open the breach. Then we will discuss this.”
“What’s the plan?” Clint asked seriously, as he and Bucky looked at her in attention.
AU Raven started to make her way purposefully towards the lever again.
“Cover Raven like your lives depended on it! Which it literally is!” Natasha ordered firmly, before getting out of their hiding spot, raining bullets at the black soldiers.
***
“So, all your versions are a pain in the ass.”
Dark Tony acknowledged Dean’s presence with that sentence, turning to face him with a scowl.
“Dean! What the hell are you doing here?” Tony exclaimed in panic, when he saw his doppelganger turn his angry stare towards his friend.
“Shopping for shoes.” Dean rolled his eyes at Tony, gun still pointed firmly at the dark version. “To save your ass obviously.”
“How precious.” Dark Tony spat in disdain, taking a step towards Dean. “Your version here would let me rot and die. To be fair, I would do the same to him.”
“Well, I guess you suit each other then.” Dean retorted with a snarl, as he walked closer to the scene. “You both are a piece of shits.”
Charles used that chance to pull Tony to his feet. When the genius tried to go help Dean, Charles pulled him back firmly.
“We will just slow him down.” Charles whispered firmly to him, pulling his attention back to his face. “We need to go free the other Charles, so we could leave.”
“Dean won’t be able to take that piece of shit on his own! That guy is fucking nuts!” Tony hissed at him in panic, eyeing Dean and Dark Tony as they sized each other up. “We need to help him!”
“He won’t be on his own.” AU Steve pulled himself up to his feet, a firm look on his face. “He will get help.”
With that, AU Steve and Dean charged at the same time towards the Dark Iron Man, who seemed to be waiting for their attack.
“Fuck, fuck! Why do I always lose my suit in the worst situations ever?!” Tony growled in frustration, as he watched Dean and AU Steve fight viciously, avoiding Dark Tony’s repulsors expertly, both working together in tandem, landing hit after hit to the vicious genius, who responded in kind, not holding back.
“You can help, Tony!” Charles insisted as he pulled him towards the pod. “By getting that man out, you will help our world and this world!”
“Yeah, yeah. Right.” Tony shook himself out of his intense stare of the fight and turned to work again on the pod.
“No! you will not get him out!” Dark Tony shouted manically, noticing what Tony was doing.
He raised his palm toward Tony, but AU Steve gripped him from behind tightly, while Dean rushed to push his arm towards the ceiling instead.
The repulsor beam hit the ceiling with a loud explosion, bringing debris falling down on the floor.
Dark Tony hit Dean hard across his face, then slammed AU Steve’s back against the wall, pushing the air out of him, before slamming his head against the hard wall.
“You all idiots!” he laughed hysterically as they both hit the floor, groaning in pain. “I can’t be defeated! You are all weak, worthless trash! You don’t even deserve to be alive.” He reached down to grip Dean’s hair tightly, forcing him to meet his eyes. “I can’t kill your far better version here, no matter how much I want to, but killing you will be equally satisfying.”
“No, let him go!” Tony and Charles exclaimed in panic, stopping what they were doing. AU Steve looked up with a pained groan, feeling helpless as he struggled to move.
“Step away from that pod and I might let him go.” Dark Tony growled, titling Dean’s head more harshly, ignoring the hunter’s pained groan. “Replace every wire you removed to its place. Now!”
“Guys, don’t!” Dean shouted desperately, ignoring the pain shooting through his head and neck.
Tony and Charles took a step away from the pod, eyeing Dark Tony carefully.
Then, Charles tensed and two seconds later a smile spread across his face, confusing everyone around him.
“No, we will not.” Charles said calmly, an almost relieved smile on his face.
“Are you deaf? Do it, or I will kill him right in front of you!” Dark Tony screamed in pure rage, hating the smile on Charles’ face.
“Charles, What are you doing?” Tony hissed at him nervously, watching the pained look on Dean’s face from the awkward angle his neck was forced to.
“Don’t worry, Tony. Everything will be fine.” Charles smiled warmly at Tony.
Dean, Tony and AU Steve looked at Charles strangely, while Dark Tony almost lost his mind in anger.
“What the fuck are you smiling about, you freak of nature?” he shouted, getting nervous and frustrated.
“I am smiling because of this.” He answered sweetly, pointing at the door.
In the next second, the door exploded violently, revealing a small army of fully armed mutants and humans, who rushed into the room like they own it, startling everyone inside.
At the head of the small army, a hooded figure armed with a bow and arrow, looking more like pure anger walking on legs.
AU Erik’s eyes landed on them, they could see the rage and hatred in them the moment they landed on Dark Tony, whose face was as pale as a sheet.
“You.” AU Erik growled in pure anger, starting towards them. “You will die, Tony Stark! You will not get out of here alive!”