A/N: Feel free to correct me if anything in this is wrong; as far as I know, President Ellis doesn't have a backstory. I've also had to approximate or just make up a bit of missing information.
Chapter 9: Fire: A Recurring Theme
"I need a weapon," Killian said frustratedly into his phone. "I'm running an operation; there must be something around that can down a plane."
"Watch it, boss," Savin said. "Phone-tapping."
Killian rolled his eyes and kept listening to his agent that was telling him that an prototype for a shoulder-launched guided missile was all they had, and it was suspect.
Killian had contracts with the government for Extremis. He'd used that - and his links with the VP - to obtain a few experimental weapons, in hope of tidying them up and selling them. The world would change, once Killian got what he wanted, but it would always need weapons; it seemed like a good way to cement his grip on his future control, being well-armed.
"You're saying it could blow up in my face," Killian sighed. "As my uncle taught me, when firing something's dangerous, get someone else to do it. Savin, you're up; point and shoot."
"At what, boss?" Savin said, putting another piece of gum in his mouth.
Killian hated that gum-chewing asshole.
"Air Force One, you ass," Killian said through gritted teeth, his voice deceptively calm. "You know, the plane I've been talking about for the last half hour? Or did that...slip your mind?"
"A little, yeah," Savin said, the picture of insubordination.
Killian took a breath in and out. Staying calm was imperative. "Savin. I need you to pick up the missile from the rig. Then I need you to point the missile and pull the trigger. My guy back at the rig will do everything else."
Savin nodded. "Where's the plane gonna be?"
"According to the flight plan my mole gave me, landing in Miami in -" Killian checked his watch. "Two hours. Get moving. I want it to hit the ground hard."
-O.O-
Air Force One was well-defended. America did not want its President dead, and they spent the money necessary.
Flight plans were secret. Code names were used. The plane was beyond state-of-the-art.
And yet, for some odd reason, it was not designed to take an explosive to its wing joint.
The standards these days.
-O.O-
"My genesis, Colonel Rhodes has arrived," SADIE said, waking Tony up.
"Nnnn," Tony groaned into his pillow. "Loki, put your pants on."
"My genesis, Loki is not present," SADIE said.
More awake, Tony said "That can only mean today's gonna be shit."
"I agree, sir," SADIE said.
"Hey, look, you're getting a personality," Tony said, climbing out of bed unwillingly. An hour's sleep was not enough.
After very quickly cleaning himself up - though nothing could be done for how scruffy his beard looked, because Loki didn't shave, so Tony was just going to have to look unkempt - Tony headed downstairs. Rhodey was standing on the balcony, looking annoyed.
"SADIE, let him in!" Tony said.
The door unlocked itself.
Rhodey walked in, saying "That thing said I wasn't allowed in because I'd scratch the floors."
"She's right, you know. This house is becoming a tip," Tony said. "The window's broken in the nearest downstairs bathroom."
"Who's she?" Rhodey asked, pointing at Maya, who was just wandering in wearing only a t-shirt and her underwear, then awkwardly tried to stretch the shirt down. Evidently sleeping in jeans hadn't appealed to her. And rightly so.
"Miss Hansen. Loki's pet elf," Tony answered. "Look, Rhodey, Pepper's in trouble. Loki's also in trouble. I'm in trouble. You're in trouble. Maya's in trouble. Everyone's in trouble. You and me need to suit up and do something; I just don't know what, so we're sitting around and waiting for an emergency."
"...Okay," Rhodey said, getting out of the suit. "I've been given orders to stand down and wait for more orders, so I can do that here."
"Time for breakfast, then, I think. Can either of you cook?" Tony asked. "I don't even know if there's any food here."
"There is. Loki made me something yesterday," Maya said.
Tony headed towards the kitchen, determined to eat something. It had been a long time since lunch with Harley.
-O.O-
President Ellis was having a fairly peaceful flight, heading home to Miami to visit his brothers and their associated family. His wife and kids were already there, but he'd had official business, so he was coming late. Arriving very, very early on Christmas morning was about as late as he could be. At least he'd get to see everyone open their presents.
He was just talking cheerfully to one of his guards, a cheery man with a liking for Iron Patriot, when the plane was impacted by something and went vertical.
Everyone standing up fell over. Ellis jolted forward where he was buckled into his seat for landing. The pilot swore violently as he righted the plane.
"We've been hit!" The co-pilot shouted.
"No shit, Sherlock!" The pilot shouted back. "The wing's half-off!"
None of this was reassuring to anyone else on board.
"We can land it in the ocean!" The pilot said.
The co-pilot grabbed the intercom and said "Everyone in the cabin, take a seat, put your seatbelts and lifejackets on, and hope that Iron Patriot picks up his phone in time!"
Then, after the intercom was turned off, "We'd better hope we don't have to land it in the ocean. That never works."
-O.O-
Rhodey had just raised his first forkload of Tony's decidedly suspect omelette to his mouth when his phone rang. He slammed the food down again and answered it.
Half a minute later, he was telling Tony to get ready while he suited up.
They were in the air a minute and a half after the co-pilot called for help.
-O.O-
Air Force One limped forward in the sky towards the ocean like a wounded beast. It had been heading downwards, preparing to land, so it didn't have far to fall.
Tony and Rhodey soared up towards it, trying to stop it crashing down onto houses and crushing President Ellis.
"Alpha Foxtrot One, this is Colonel Rhodes as Iron Patriot in approach with Iron Man. With our current facilities, we cannot prevent the plane from crashing. However, we can greatly decelerate it and set it down with relative gentleness in the river. Confirm," Rhodey said.
"We don't need a fucking confirmation," Tony said irritably, swooping upwards to put the belly of the plane on his back, much like the missile in Manhattan. Except he wouldn't be flying this into an Eldritch wormhole unless something went terribly wrong.
"It's for the paperwork later," Rhodey answered, joining Tony.
Simultaneously, they blasted their repulsors, feeling the plane shove them downwards as they fought it.
With a lurch, the plane stopped falling as quickly. Tony and Rhodey found a nice speed to keep equilibrium at. At this rate, they'd land the plane in the river smoothly enough for everyone onboard to survive.
"This plan of Killain's sucks," Tony grunted, sweat beginning to bead on his face.
"What happened to Loki and Pepper?" Rhodey asked.
"Loki...is injured. He'll be okay. I goddamn hope. Killian has Pepper and I don't know where," Tony said shortly. "Both have Extremis. I'm hoping neither of them explode."
Tony had filled Rhodey in on Killian and Extremis while he'd been doing what could possibly be considered cooking (though not by Loki's standards, which was why Loki always cooked) but he hadn't quite gotten up to why everyone was in trouble.
"Hate it when people explode," Rhodey panted wryly. "Been causing a lot of problems recently."
"Yeah," Tony said. He'd yet to hear anything about another explosion, which was good, because apparently Pepper had been at the point when she'd either explode or she wouldn't. Evidently Pepper was safe in that respect. Loki? Tony just didn't know, and he was very, very worried.
The water was rushing up towards them, the wide river glittering in the moonlight. They were going slow enough to not die.
"JARVIS, increase thrust for War Machine and I," Tony said. "I want to land this thing without a ripple."
"I don't believe that is possible, sir," JARVIS replied, but he increased the thrust anyway.
"Right, Tony, get out on the count of three," Rhodey said as they got dangerously close to the water. They didn't want to be crushed.
"One," Rhodey said as they both slammed on even more thrust for the final moment.
"Two," Tony continued, letting go of the plane.
"Three!" They both said, moving at just under MACH 1 to get out from under the plane as it landed in the river with a splash.
It was still in one piece, a great victory.
"Fuck yeah!" Tony shouted, zooming forward, making the peace sign. "Suck it, Killian!"
He was right about to turn around and help people off the plane when an 18-wheeler passed over the bridge he was flying over and smashed into him.
It felt like...well, like he'd been hit by a truck. He hit the footpath on the other side of the bridge hard, and he didn't feel like he'd bee getting up again anytime soon.
"Tony!" Rhodey said into the radio.
"'M fine," Tony rasped, moving to see how fucked up he was. "Still in one peace. Just got me in the ches- oh god that's a cracked rib. JARVIS, body scan."
A moment, then JARVIS told him "You have eight cracked ribs, severe bruising of your left hip, mild concussion, and possible whiplash in your neck, sir. I would recommend medical treatment."
"How urgent? Am I gonna drop dead?" Tony said, trying to get to his feet. Oh, he was feeling that hip.
"No, sir. You will survive untreated, though you will likely experience a great deal of pain," JARVIS said.
"That works," Tony groaned. The truck driver had climbed out of his cab and was looking extremely worried.
When he tried to take off, his repulsors sputtered before they eventually lifted him off. He swooped awkwardly down to the plane where Rhodey was picking people up off the remaining wing and depositing them on land.
"Mr President," Tony said, landing on the wing. "Rhodey, my suit's all-" he was about to swear, but decided that was probably bad form in front of the ol' POTUS, "-uh, jammed up. I don't want to hurt anyone by picking them up. I'm gonna head back to Loki's house, pick up my other suit."
"Gotcha," Rhodey said.
Tony soared off into the night sky, his repulsors occasionally spewing glowing sparks. It had been a rough day.
As Rhodey picked up the President and set him down on the riverbank, he noted movement in the shadows.
"Mr President, stay behind me," Rhodey said, readying a few weapons. "Come out with your hands up!"
Savin came walking out of the shadows, chewing gum and looking for all the world like a person of questionable origin hanging out in an alleyway.
"Sir, lie down on your face on the ground, hands on your back," Rhodey said.
Savin just kept walking closer. Not realising what he was, Rhodey was unwilling to shoot a civilian. "Sir, I insist you stand down!"
Savin's skin suddenly started to glow, and Rhodey knew what he was looking at. He fired a repulsor, hitting Saving in the chest, but all that happened was Savin opened his mouth.
And breathed a goddamn jet of fire.
That had the many people behind Rhodey on the run.
"I just got a slight change of plans from my boss," Savin said with a grin. He went to breathe fire again, enduring the shots Rhodey fired, and Rhodey was just about to break out the big guns when he heard a screech of tyres. His head whipped to the side to see President Ellis being yanked into a bland sedan.
Rhodey moved over there quickly and tried to grab the car, but was slowed down when Savin started to terrorise the remaining people. He had a choice, so he blasted Savin back, grabbed him by the shirt, and threw him in the river.
"Tony!" He said into the radio. "They've got the President, but I've got a handful of this firey guy right now. I need you to get back here!"
"There in a minute!" Tony replied. "Fuck, shit, ah-"
"I've put an infrared tracker on it for JARVIS," Rhodey replied. "Get moving!'
A/N: Reviews?
