Thank you so very much to the reviewers, Naemir and Kae Richa! You're both amazing!
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Chapter 10: Grendel
"The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time."
― Mark Twain
Steve and Tony's first fight came not even a month after Iron Patriot's launch. Most of the bugs that Tony had spotted were corrected by then, thankfully, since they were generally in the code. JARVIS was still learning everything that could be done and adjusted in the jaeger, as were the pilots. There were bound to be some errors.
The call to arms came at two in the morning, in the form of JARVIS urging them awake with flashing lights and a call of, "Sir, Captain, there is movement in the Breech. Your superiors have sent orders for you to enter your jaeger now."
Those were the magic words; Steve was out of bed within seconds. He brushed his teeth and used the bathroom quickly, nerves crowding his stomach as he realized that this was their first official mission.
Through the door, he could hear Tony calling for coffee and more information.
"From the size of the opening, the kaiju is a Category Four, codenamed Grendel as of a few seconds ago," JARVIS said over the drip of the coffee maker, "According to the mission parameters I have gained access to, the command structure has decided on a three team drop consisting of yourselves, Gipsy Danger of Anchorage, and Lucky Seven of Sydney. The most probable location of the drop is Manila."
"We're going to have to walk to fucking Manila?" Tony complained as he pulled on pants.
"There appear to be helicopters attaching lines to Iron Patriot," JARVIS answered condescendingly.
There was a knock on the door of their room. "Time to get moving Stark, Rogers," a guy called through the door.
"Yeah, yeah," Tony grumbled as he dressed the rest of the way.
Steve steered his boyfriend out of the way of the dressers. It had been a relief to poke around their new room on the first day in Los Angeles and find the closest thing to his Captain America suit Tony could come up with in this universe. For that, Tony was given some very enthusiastic time in bed.
Even as he pulled on the familiar suit, Steve grinned dopily. At first he hadn't been sure about having sex, between them still figuring out their relationship and the constant change around them. But what they had now was well worth the risk.
"Get your fine ass in gear, Cap," Tony called from the bathroom door.
In response Steve buckled on the last of his chest armor and raised an eyebrow. It doesn't take him that long to suit up.
"What, we're in a hurry," Tony said with a shrug.
Both grabbed the briefcases that turned into their drivesuits and walked out the door.
The halls of the LA Shatterdome were just like every other that they had seen so far: plain concrete all around, in a twisting labyrinth of offices, labs, and other designated spaces. That made it comforting in its familiarity as workers scurried around the pilots trying to do their jobs.
With no need to screw the complex armor on, the room adjacent to Iron Patriot's conn pod was empty. There Steve allowed his drive suit to unfold around him. After days of practice and training, he stood calmly as the metal climbed up his body.
A quick glance in the mirror when he was completely encased showed nothing out of place. The paint job echoed his Captain America suit as much as possible in the design, right down to the corset-like effect around the torso and capital A on the forehead. The star that normally was on his chest was replaced by the arc reactor powering the suit.
It was odd making the motions of walking but not being the one to actually move himself. The armor was too heavy to be moved from the inside, by normal people at least, using muscle strength only. Really, it was walking him to the conn pod.
Beside him, Tony had no compunctions about it. After so many years of being Iron Man he was used to it. "Ready for our big debut?" he asked cheerfully as they entered the cockpit.
Steve carefully lined his feet up with the treads on the floor and stood still as the harness attached itself. "I think so," he answered. Saving the world, that was his thing. What came after, not so much.
"Good morning sir, Captain," JARVIS said placidly, "Marshal Vilaro is calling." The icon on the screen of a ringing phone was strangely funny, considering the situation.
"Put her through," Steve said.
"Your assignment is the Category Four kaiju code named Grendel, en route to Manila," the familiar, heavy accent told them sternly, "Lucky Seven will most likely arrive first. You are to give them any support needed until Gipsy Danger can get to the scene and assist in finishing it off. Do not take risks, do not put yourselves in more danger than necessary. Are we clear?" If nothing else, she was incredibly concise.
"Yes ma'am," Steve acknowledged.
"Sure thing," Tony said. They both knew that he would come up with any and every way to circumvent that in order to get this done and over with faster.
"Engage pilot to pilot protocol," Marshal Vilaro announced.
Steve turned his head to look at his copilot. It would be a while before they really acknowledged themselves as separate beings again. One of the downsides to having such a strong neural connection, he supposed.
"Engaging pilot to pilot protocol," JARVIS echoed, "In 5, 4, 3…" The countdown was more nerve wracking than the actual thing. Only JARVIS's familiar voice made a difference.
"Ready, Tony?" Steve couldn't help asking.
"Getting cold feet, Capsicle?" Tony teased in return.
The snort left Steve right before JARVIS announced, "System initiated."
Familiar blue enveloped Steve's mind. He welcomed the rush of memories, both his and Tony's. Slowly they were being desensitized to the more painful memories each of them had, from Sarah Rogers's death to the Battle of SHIELD. It was a welcome change of pace.
As always their minds caressed and comforted through those memories, holding tightly to each other. If the portal had closed half a second earlier, if Howard had been quicker to shut down the reactor… Fear snaked through them at how many times they had come so close to losing each other. Sometimes before Tony was even born. On top of it love flowed, deep and strong and addicting.
Finally they surfaced from the rush of memories, confidence and determination surging through them both. "Neural link is stable and stronger than ever, sirs," JARVIS reported.
"Left hemisphere calibrating," Tony reported, flexing his fingers and wrists as he raised his right arm.
"Right hemisphere calibrating," Steve echoed. He too raised his right arm and together they made a crisp salute. Amusement radiated from Tony that he was saluting anyone without sarcasm.
A mental prod teased Tony.
"The kaiju is still en route to Manila. Lucky Seven and Gipsy Danger are on their way. Don't do anything stupid," the Marshal instructed.
"No problemo," Tony replied casually.
"Yes ma'am," Steve agreed more respectfully.
They both knew that if the opportunity came to finish it on their own, they would take it. But they silently agreed to not say so. That would get them pulled back faster than Clint could shoot them.
The helicopter harnesses jerked them upward and suddenly they were being airlifted. It would take a few hours to get over the Pacific. They had some time to cool their heels and get used to being connected again.
Concepts went from one man to the other as fast as they could be thought. Steve showed Tony thoughts translated into Gaelic, Yiddish, German, and French. Unwillingly impressed, Tony replied in schematics and numbers, ASL and Italian. In the little bit of downtime they had while testing and refining the drift and equipment, they were teaching and learning.
Time passed quickly, caught up in their own combined mind. It felt like minutes before JARVIS caught their attention. "Sirs, you may wish to turn your attention outward now," the AI warned them.
It was a scarce few seconds between then and hearing the roars of a kaiju. The thing was already landed and wrecking everything it could see. A mental image crossed from Steve to Tony about how much this thing looked like the cave troll from the first Lord of the Rings movie that made them both giggle.
Let's hope it doesn't do us like Frodo. The sentiment was fiercely agreed upon. With the way the drive suits and circuitry within were designed, that might hurt.
"Transport disengaging," JARVIS reported.
"Good luck, Iron Patriot," said someone from the helicopter crew.
"Where we're going, we won't need luck," Tony replied. His smirk could be felt.
"Thanks," Steve said, mentally scolding Tony for his arrogance.
A hint of annoyance came back, with an apology for annoying Steve. The apology was accepted. It all happened in less than a second.
The Jaeger hit the ground with an audible rumble. Instinctively its pilots crouched to absorb the shock.
It got the kaiju's attention. The thing let out a roar, much like that same cave troll, and bounded toward them.
The mecha copied Steve and Tony's movements as they stood up to their full height. Instead of bracing for impact they sidestepped, smashing the back of its head into the ground as it barreled past. The delay between the pilots' movements and the machine's were beautifully minimal.
Even as they stomped on the kaiju's head, they felt immense pride in Tony's engineering. With a thought they activated the left boot thrusters. "How's that for a curb stomp!" Tony taunted as it roared under them.
The kaiju went to get its body under it and throw them off, but they danced away. While it was still on the ground Steve activated the repulsors and fired several seconds' worth of energy into the kaiju's thick skin. Relief flowed through both men when the repulsors had an effect, deep burns. Half a minute would probably leave it charbroiled and crispy.
"We late to the party?" Bryan's voice was a welcome surprise in the conn pod.
"Bryan? Concepcion? You're the pilots of Lucky Seven?" Steve asked, laughing at the incredible coincidence.
Concepcion answered, "Yes, we are. Good thing we are here in time." Her accent was getting less heavy.
"Looking good, Lucky," Tony said cheerfully as they dodged a mule kick.
"Stop flirting and get fighting, weirdos," said a voice that Steve recognized, if barely. He hadn't gotten much of a chance to speak to Yancy Becket during the christening ceremony.
Between the three jaegers, Grendel didn't stand a chance. Gipsy Danger and Lucky Seven took up supporting roles for Iron Patriot, firing plasma cannons and missiles alike at the kaiju whenever they got the chance and sometimes sneaking in a punch. Tony and Steve were like a gremlin in a toystore, darting this way and that, running the monster in circles when they weren't outright whaling on it with stun spikes.
The kaiju was barely upright, swaying where it stood, when they all decided to just get this done with. As one they raised their hands. Gipsy Danger fired its plasma cannon, Lucky Seven several missiles, and Iron Patriot aimed its repulsors at Grendel until it fell with a weak roar. They stood at the ready as the smoke cleared, wary of it not being dead.
The ribcage had been blown apart by the three different weapons. Nothing could have survived that.
"Damn that's nasty," Bryan commented as Lucky Seven lost its ready stance.
"You get used to it," Raleigh replied, "Good work. Welcome to the ranks, noobs." It was only because Steve and Tony were hooked together that the super soldier knew noobs was slang for newbies.
"You say that like we're all new at this," Tony complained playfully.
"Get through your first post-fight interview, then talk to us," Yancy answered dryly.
The very thought made Steve want to hide in a cave somewhere.
A thought was sent over that equated to Tony knowing some very remote caves in Afghanistan that they could use. It was only half taunting.
Steve sent back a surge of gratitude and a spike of determination. No, he would face this. It couldn't be worse than the USO tours, could it?
The pity that Tony felt for them made Steve wilt a little.
When they were able to find another channel with the Avengers, Bruce wanted to groan. The layout was that of a late night talk show. This would be either very good or very bad.
"At least it's not Fox News," Sam pointed out helpfully. It was a small comfort.
On screen, the host announced, "Thank you, thank you, I'm your host Roger Delanoy! We have two very special guests tonight, Rangers Steve Rogers and Tony Stark of Iron Patriot!" The audience erupted into applause as he gestured to the side of the screen.
The camera cut to Steve and Tony entering the studio. They were especially handsome today in dress greens and neatly combed hair, probably the result of the studio execs going nuts. Tony flashed a peace sign at the audience before he shook the host's hand. More subdued, Steve settled for a smile that sent several women to screaming.
"Punk's got a fan following," Bucky commented with a grin.
"That's not new," Sharon pointed out, "The entire internet voted him as having the best butt on the planet." She colored slightly as she realized exactly what she said, but offered no further explanation. It was appreciated.
The Avengers squashed themselves onto a loveseat positioned at an angle to Delanoy's chair, Steve throwing an arm over Tony's shoulder for somewhere to put it. When asked if they wanted to switch to two chairs, however, they denied it. "Let's get this interview done and over with," the captain answered with a tight smile.
"Fair enough," Delanoy conceded, "Let's start at the beginning, then. Congratulations on your first official mission. Any thoughts?" He looked a little bored, like he was waiting to get to the good stuff.
There were several minutes of exactly what Bruce expected, the kind of stuff talk shows are made of. There was some talking about their first official mission in Manila, working with with what must have been two other jaegers- Gipsy Danger and Lucky Seven. It sounded rough.
According to Tony, he had designed the jaeger to bridge the gap between their fighting styles. It was a difficult thing, from the green tinted memories that Bruce had access to, with how radically different Iron Man and Captain America's strengths and weaknesses were. Where Steve stayed and took the damage, Tony dodged; where Tony fought at a distance, Steve was a melee specialist. The weapons that the Iron Patriot was equipped with encompassed a variety of ranges and tactics for maximum effect.
The drift that they talked about was fascinating, a neural connection allowing them to share the load that piloting put on their brains. It got Bruce's own head to buzzing excitedly. While they weren't in need of such technology, it would be a fascinating exercise.
For once Thor looked more in the loop than the rest of them. Was such technology available to him? "Only recently have we on Asgard made such progress into the minds of others," he commented, impressed, "I am more amazed by your mortal capabilities every day that I spend on Midgard."
The excitement drained out of the room when three people's hospitalizations were mentioned. It was only a mention, indeed, the host rudely cut off by Tony: "One went crazy, the other two hemorrhaged in their brains until their memory centers were fried, and one of those had his senses damaged and is now blind in one eye. Those were horrible accidents and we wouldn't have wished them on anyone. Is that what you wanted to know?"
It gave Bruce a better sense of what kind of damage could be done with the 'drift' as well as the benefits of it.
"They tried hooking someone into Steve's brain and he overloaded," Bucky stated, frowning at where their friend sat on screen, "And Natalia- Natasha- must have driven the one crazy." He paused before adding, "I remember training with her. It would drive a normal woman mad."
The silence that followed was both grave and worried. Admittedly, Bruce was less concerned than most if Natasha and Clint were paired up. If anyone could take her memories, it would be the archer.
"I think Tony also caused brain damage. If it was anyone else it would be him," Rhodey put in, arms crossed over his chest. He was probably the only other person who knew Tony well enough to judge.
"I hate to admit it, but you're probably right," Fury agreed with a sigh that sounded more exasperated than usual, "Now shut up and watch." He scowled at them all until their attention was back where he thought it belonged.
Now, I heard that your class at jaeger academy was especially playful?" Delanoy's lips quirked up in a weak smile.
As they listened to all the ways that their friends had gotten in trouble, each of the Avengers in their home universe agreed that it was just like them. Replacing the practice staffs with pool noodles? Water gun fights in the hallways? Dye in the shampoo?
"And here I thought Steve was the responsible one," Sharon commented fondly when they heard about him helping nail a Major's entire office to the ceiling. Surprisingly that one was Nat's idea.
Bucky gave her a pitying look. "I go to science conventions for fun," he pointed out, "He's the one that picks fights with everything that moves."
In agreement, Sam snorted. "First time I met him he trolled me. On your left... I swear that man is the devil," he said.
Not for the first time, Bruce was thankful that he had been very far away from the teleported area. If he was there, he probably would have hulked out at least once by the time they all graduated.
There was some talk about friends back home, and Bruce sat in shock as he was told that he had died. More like it was broadcast live that an alternate version of him had died rather than become the Hulk, but it felt the same. According to what Steve and Tony had found out, everyone was dead in this alternate universe. Except…
"Thankfully Nat lived through that mission in Odessa, and Clint managed to get out of the way of that elephant. Otherwise it's just us and maybe an old friend of mine," Steve said with a smile that looked like it would break if he was touched, "When I looked he was declared MIA in 1945 and no more information ever added. But that's a long hope if I've ever heard one." He let out a false little laugh.
"I just can't get away from the Winter Soldier, can I?" Bucky muttered, glowering down at his hands. It must have been harder to know that his other self had gone through the same thing, except more of it; the given date was November 21, 2019.
Unexpectedly, Sharon piped up. "Think of it this way: other-you won't be the Winter Soldier much longer if they have anything to say about it," she told him. Her smile was ferocious.
If anyone could find and rescue the Winter Soldier (again) it would be Steve, Tony, Natasha, and Clint. The thought was slightly comforting.
"Wait, where am I in this mess?" Sam demanded. He looked unsure whether he should celebrate his anonymity or panic.
"If they didn't mention you, you're probably alive," Sharon provided.
"It would make sense. They're all dead before we met you in this universe, so chances are they didn't know you in that one. It would send up big red flags if you called in saying you didn't know them," Bruce put in thoughtfully.
Sam snorted. "Me, turn down the opportunity to get to know them? You kidding me?" he asked.
"You certainly didn't a few years ago," Sharon said dryly.
"That brings me to the question that the entire world is wondering," Delanoy said. He gave a dramatic pause.
Neither Avenger played along. All he got were polite smiles.
"Are you two dating?" Delanoy asked.
Seriously, Steve looked over at Tony.
The genius nodded and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know," he muttered.
Delanoy looked expectantly at them, leaning forward in his seat.
"I thought it was obvious," Steve said, smiling bemusedly.
"Do we need to start making out right here and now? Will it be obvious enough then?" Tony demanded.
In their home universe, half the room choked. Thor had to beat on Bucky's back to dislodge a chunk of apple that he had unwisely bit into at that moment, and Sharon's mouth had dropped open.
With a groan, Rhodey pulled out his wallet. "The one time I needed him to keep being a coward," he muttered, counting out several bills.
Sam cackled as he received his money. He looked a little less happy as he slid one of those bills to Bruce, who pocketed it. The rest was shoved into his own wallet.
Joining that betting ring was one of the better ideas he'd had recently, the scientist thought. Several people at both SI and SHIELD owed him money now.
With a sigh, Fury dug in his own pocket. Literally the entire room stared as he handed at least a hundred dollars to a very smug Hill. Who knew that Fury was in the betting pool? "What're you looking at?" he snarled at them.
Attention snapped back to the tv, where the audience was shouting for Steve and Tony to kiss.
Steve smiled sheepishly even as his shoulders drew up around his ears. Public displays of affection weren't his thing. Probably a remnant of his forties sensibilities.
On the other hand, Tony had no compunctions about doing as he was demanded. He practically climbed onto the super soldier's lap in his eagerness. It was several seconds before he released Steve with a loud smack of their lips. "Satisfied?" he asked happily, "Because I'm totally willing to do that again." He grinned up at his boyfriend, a predatory expression that threatened to eat the man up.
"I-I think we're fine, gentlemen," Delanoy stuttered, "Congratulations." Apparently that was the last thing he expected.
"Thanks. It's been a long road to get here, but I wouldn't have it any other way," Steve replied with a gentle smile down at his man. It was exactly like the ones that he had been shooting whenever Tony was looking the other way, for years.
"Seventy years frozen and then another three dancing around each other? Yeah, way to waste a good portion of my life," Tony snarked. He didn't mean it, his eyes danced too much for that.
"Just saying, you two are sickeningly adorable. What are your plans from here on out?" Delanoy asked, interrupting the impending playful argument.
The Avengers looked to each other. Again, there was that silent communication that had gotten so much more common since they were teleported to the other universe. "Just like the Cap ad libbed, and we really have to thank Clint for replacing his speech with Lord of the Rings quotes, we're fighting," Tony said like it should have been obvious, "Until the Rangers release us or the apocalypse take us."
In their home universe, the conference room was plunged into tension. "Does that mean that even if we do find a way to bring them back, they might not come?" Sam asked, arms folded over his chest.
Bucky shook his head. "When he says something like that, he means it," he answered. He of all people would know.
"To summarize, you're all dead except for Sam, their alternate selves were probably dead also, they use a Gundam suit to punch Godzilla in the face whenever he comes up for air, and Stark somehow got Captain Rogers to date him," Hill said, looking smug at the last point.
When Bruce sneaked a look at Fury, the man looked grumpier than usual.
"I think our friends finally beginning their courtship is the least believable part of this," Thor said, echoing the rest of their thoughts.
"Steve was going to get to it soon enough, if Tony didn't get up the guts first," Sam immediately disagreed, "Nah, Gundam suits. Never expected that."
Bruce couldn't help rolling his eyes.
Rhodey leaned back in his chair and chuckled. "How else are you going to get rid of giant lizards when they try invading?" he asked mockingly. Of course he would find that the more realistic part; he flew in a similarly advanced suit of armor every time they had to go into battle.
"They're fighting monsters by making monsters of their own," Sharon put in, unwillingly impressed.
"The real question here is what to do next," Fury interrupted, pacing back and forth beside the screen. Was he trying to get his coat to billow that way, or was it just made for that?
To try to make himself focus again, Bruce shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose under his glasses. He needed to get some rest soon. "I think we should keep an eye on the timeline. We'll need to test anything we come up with, of course, and give them the choice, but I doubt they'll be willing to come back until things are done over there, one way or another," he suggested. It was the best he could come up with.
Fury nodded. "Anything on your end, Thor?" he questioned sharply.
The Asgardian took a moment before he spoke. "I am still trying to convince my people that this is a cause worth their time," he answered unhappily, "They still think of our friends as mere mortals, specks of dust in the wind that I should not bother myself with."
If Bruce were less knowledgeable about who was being dealt with, this would make him angrier than usual. As it was, he drummed his fingers on the table. "Not much luck here," he reported grimly, "Tony is the expert with this kind of thing." And of course, it was the expert that they were trying to rescue.
With a huff, Fury closed his good eye for a moment. Perhaps the other one as well. It looked like he was praying for patience. "Keep trying. The rest of us will keep an eye on them," he said, indicating the tv.
Not for the first time, Bruce was glad he had an excuse to escape the meeting room. He was never one for gossip shows anyways. Even if they did star his best friends.
He just wished Natasha was on screen more often.