It was dead silence as the call was suddenly lost.
"I need to go find him!" Piper half shouted as she turned to get to the elevator.
Then she cringed and hit the floor, clutching her side.
"NO! Not now!"
"She is currently bleeding." Baymax announced.
"Piper!" Honey Lemon yelled as she rushed over to her.
"What the heck happened?" Wasabi yelped.
"Scanning...Scan complete, She has broken several stitches from overexerting her body. She will require bandages and antibacterial spray."
"...Ironic...I save people from a fire...and lifting boxes makes me open the wound...I can handle it...Con needs me."
"I would not recommend that." Baymax stated.
"I'm the only one with a semi functional EMP!" She snapped back at the robot.
Hiro raced towards the elevator.
"I'm borrowing your boyfriend's stuff!" He shouted.
"Don't! You'll fail the retina scan!"
"Then I'll think of something!"
"Oh he isn't-" Wasabi muttered.
"He's doing this again!" Gogo shouted.
Piper exhaled and got up from the floor.
"Get me to a computer. I can manually override it if I had the VI."
"..Wait so you can barely read, but you can use a computer just fine?"
"Turns out I'm really good at coding. The VI is my baby."
They all looked at each other.
"And how are you not attending SFIT?" Wasabi asked.
"Because I have no clue what most people say. Now get me to a computer. Connor has a laptop upstairs."
"I'll get it." Gogo volunteered before running to grab it.
"Thank you. Now let's hope he doesn't put on the helmet first. You've already seen what Pandora does."
"Yeah...Let's not put that into our suits kay? I'd like to live." Wasabi asked.
"But I wouldn't mind if you did it to Fred's."
"What! Why just me!"
Piper snorted as she went to the nearest chair.
"Going to probably need those bandages too."
"Right! First aid kit coming right up!" Honey Lemon declared.
"While Hi Hi is playing hero, we'll need to get all of this equipment set up, unless you guys want to chase after him?"
Wasabi crossed his arms.
"Hiro should have back up..."
"I'll get my suit!" Fred declared, racing for the elevator.
"Try not to let Socrates out!" She shouted after him.
"Do you have his number? I'll probably need all of yours and put it in the system. Standard tracking system that we borrowed from the Boss."
"Yeah. I'll get my suit on too, I don't like the idea of those two out alone."
Gogo rushed back in, laptop in hand.
"Got it!"
"Good, give me your number and I'll get you guys in the system. I'll be able to track down where the call came from." Piper answered, taking the computer and starting it up.
"Paradox Initiative, User 2." Piper stated.
At once the screen went dark and was replaced by a red shining eye.
"PASSWORD REQUIRED." The VI chimed.
"Password Artemis."
"VOICE RECONGINTION ACCEPTED. WELCOME USER, PIPER."
"...Can you do that for my laptop?" Gogo asked in awe.
"Going to have to ask Connor if we can find him. I just code. He's the one that makes the stuff."
She placed it on the table nearest her.
"Okay. I'll input the numbers in the system and I'll be able to contact you through this. But first so Hi Hi doesn't hurt himself. Paradox Initiative, deactivate User 1 scan."
"ACKNOWLEDGED." The VI chimed.
"There. Now suit up. I'll get Hon Hon out as soon as she comes back with bandages. Remember, we're dealing with Iron Man Armor with the ability to enhance psychic abilities, but it's main weakness is that it was built for someone without an arc reactor in their chest. It has a battery."
"Short out the battery, the armor is just metal." Gogo surmised.
"No, it won't be that simple. It just means that they'll be running on a limited power source. They can probably only stay out for so long. We need to play our cards close to our chest...I think that's the term...Can Connor be our first priority?"
"Don't worry, he is." Wasabi said.
Piper smiled.
"I'll cover you the best I can...If it hits midnight we stop the search. They'll probably be long gone."
"Let's just hope we find Connor before then." Gogo commented.
Connor groaned as he finally came to. His head was killing him and his ears were ringing horribly. It was one of those days, wasn't it? He had the short end of the stick the entire time he's been here and now he was sick too?
"Ugh... I think I now know how Stark feels after one of his hangovers..." He mumbled to himself as he tried to turn over in his bed, but his arm wouldn't move.
Wait...the robot, the one sided argument he had...the thief!
His eyes snapped open. He was strapped to some kind of bed, his wrists were pinned down with metal bands and another band was around his head. On his throat was an electrical collar.
Collars were always a bad sign.
"You're awake." The man in the armor replied as he stepped forward into his field of view as the telekinetic struggled.
"Where the hell am I!" Connor yelled at him.
"Is that anyway to talk to the man who raised you since you were born, Connor?"
The helmet flipped up to show the thief's face. The psychic stopped and stared. His left eye was missing and he looked like he hadn't shaved in two years...but it was his father.
"D... Dad?"
Damian Hawkings gave a weary smile.
"So you do remember me."
"But... I thought you-"
"I lost an eye and a lot more that day to Stark."
He came closer.
"I'm so glad you're okay. Now we can take the man who killed your mother together."
"Wait... What?"
His father came closer like one would approach a person in a hospital bed as he sat down.
"Stark killed your mother, son...and you've been living under his roof for ten years, feeding you lies about how he's changed."
"As much of a γάιδαρος he is, and that I hate to admit it... He has changed, dad. He's been trying to redeem himself." Connor said.
"And he's been repeating it in you ear until you believed it, son. You aren't in your right mind. Is this the sign of a peaceful man?"
He got up and gestured to the armor.
"He pretends that this suit is a way to keep peace, to save people's lives. He said the same thing when he was creating weapons."
Connor's heart jumped to his throat as his father placed his hand on his.
"The only difference is that he has a battery in his chest. He needs to learn how fragile mortality is by us."
What was his father saying? He had always been a pacifist. He never even carried a gun or had an armed escort. Now he wanted to kill Stark?
"You never acted like this before. What happened to you?"
"You're mother's death shook me to my core, son. As soon as I woke up in the hospital I wanted to find you. I wanted us to be whole again even though your mother wasn't there."
He turned away.
"She just had to make him your godfather of all people! I knew she still had feelings for him. The smartest man on the planet, the genius behind Stark Industries! I married her even though she was pregnant with his child and what do I get in return? The man getting legal custody of my son just because of genetics!"
"Wait, back up... What did you just say?"
His father turned to him.
"He...never told you?"
"Tell me what!"
He jerked his head up and received a shock from the collar. Damian was silent as Connor cried out in pain.
"Connor, you have a choice. Side with me, the man who raised you from birth or side with the man that helped give birth to you, Tony Stark."
"Stark... Stark's my father...?" Connor asked in disbelief.
"No...I am. The man couldn't care less how many women he slept with and threw your mother to the wayside like all of his flings! I raised you, son. Help me avenge your mother by finally ending the menace."
"Are you nuts? You want to kill him?"
"This is justice!"
"You'd be going up against Iron Man! And there's a pretty big chance that the rest of the Avengers would be involved!" Connor yelled.
"...But you forget one thing Connor...We have you and your new brother."
"...Brother?"
"I am not a fool, but I do not have the intellect of Stark. When I heard about a certain professor that had built a portal, well..."
The psychics blood ran cold at his father's smile.
"I simply told him that in exchange for his freedom...He'd help me...and help he did...turns out, during a fire a student ran into the blaze to save him and nearly died. So the student has been here the last six months in suspended animation."
He looked straight into his son's eyes.
"And your technology that you've been coveting in order to cure yourself of your abilities...used the right way it can also control."
"No...No, you aren't serious."
From out of sight, Damian brought out a band of pure metal.
"I'm going to ask you again son. Are you with me...or against me?"
"Σαν κόλαση!"
"Then...You are too far gone...its time to bring my son back."
Connor screamed and became instantly silent.
"Can you hear me, son?" Damian whispered.
The telekinetic eyes were wide and staring, empty of all emotion as the band began to glow with life.
"...Yes...father." He murmured in a flat tone.
"Don't worry son. It's only for a little while."
He gave him a small kiss on the forehead.
"We should also get you a hair cut...long hair has never been a good look."
"Of course...father."