Chapter Eleven
Review Responses:
Nobody- Here you go!
MarburyBlur- There will be plenty of awesome Tony. He is pretty awesome. It's just difficult to find positions where the other adults around him will actually let him do something.
SaraSnow- I know and I feel very guilty about that. Hopefully, people will be able to keep up with everything from now on.
Spitfire303- Thanks!
Chaoshift- I was just trying to figure out what Hawkeye might do in the situation. Naturally, I didn't go toward the most responsible thing to chose.
Fangirl01music- Thanks! Here you go.
It only takes Tony a couple hours later to completely and utterly regret every decision he's made up to this point.
He asked if he could use the computers. Idiot. He was a complete idiot.
"Every single time." He mutters to himself, looking at the ceiling above him. "You did this every single time."
From all the early experiences Tony had, there was a similar pattern that had taken a long time to first realize even existed. Places always seen better at first than later on. People always seemed better at first than later on.
He gets just a bit comfortable.
He starts to give just a little bit every time they ask him to.
Things go downhill and he's left hanging in the air with nothing to stand on until he finally meets the ground again. Okay, hits the ground again.
This is a kid's move and he had thought he had figured that a long time ago. Why did he even bother getting himself out of the system, if he was just going to find a way to screw himself over all on his own.
This isn't even a normal situation. He's thousands and thousands and thousands of feet above the ground and yet he's doing the same thing to himself.
Just great.
He considers just refusing to talk to anyone ever again. He could just stop all contact with all people ever. Find some way off of this boat/plane thing and move to a cave somewhere in some desert.
Caves can be fun, right?
Yeah, he's kidding himself. A cave would stink big time. Caves have always creeped himself out.
Tony sighs and crosses his arms under his pillow. He fluffs up the already softer than he had ever been used to in forever pillow, moving his gaze around the room and warding off the thoughts of situations that would do him no good.
Those computers were pretty awesome. All the fancy bells and whistles without any of the PTSD from a stupid laptop.
Tony allows himself a small, little glimmer of a chuckle from that little memory.
In all of these thoughts, Tony doesn't notice for a moment when a patch of light in the center of his rooms glimmers just a bit differently than before. He does notice a moment later, though when the light warps and blinds him for a split second.
The teen curses at the new figure in front of him.
A man appears from the sudden burst of light, looking around and immediately springing into action.
Unfortunately, since the room is only so big and plain to a fault, the Asian appearing man focuses almost completely on Tony in a second.
Tony just has the ability to sit up in the bed, banging his head against the top posts.
"And who are you?" The man tilts his head, surprising Tony by stopping himself and not moving any closer to the boy.
"Um," Tony blinks, extremely unsure of the proper response to this situation. It wasn't like the man in front of him was exactly largely built or anything, but his means of getting into Tony's room was highly suspicious. "Nonayour."
"What?"
"Well,"
The man holds up his hand and smiles.
"Wait a second," He points to Tony, looking him up and down. "I do know who you are. There have been rumors about you since one of the others escaped. Excuse me, attempted to escape."
"Yeah, well, apparently they need to bump up security down there."
"Looks can be deceiving. And it seems that plans can change" The man laughs and quickly waves his hand as if wiping away the topic. "It's time for us to go now."
"Um, no." Tony shakes his head.
"No?"
Tony stands up slowly from the bed and backs toward the other corner of the white room.
"I would very much prefer not to go anywhere with you." The teen says, not sure whether to nod his head up or down.
"That would probably be a good choice. Unfortunately, I don't often let teenagers dictate my life actions, Anthony."
"How do you know who am I?" Tony backs up to the wall as the other in the room approaches him. He flashes back to what the man had said before "Why are there rumors about me down there?"
"You have gotten on the radar of many dangerous people. Once the attempted escape saw you, those of us who are locked up for one thing or another tended to hear about it." He says as he finally reaches Tony and places one hand onto the young genius' arm.
The world warps around Tony is a flash of colors and sounds that he had never thought of to have completely existed before.
He's choking on air by the time Tony finds himself back in the solid world again.
"What…" Choking. "Was…" Continued sputtering. "That?"
"Oh, don't worry so much." The man is already up effortlessly and holds out his hands. "I have steady hands."
"That," Tony finishes coughing. "That doesn't answer my question." The teen finally gets to looking around to his new location. It's much darker than before and in a hallway with pipelines surrounding every inch of wall.
Tony hears the steam moving through the pipes.
"What just...How did we get here?"
"I was captured a while back by a very bad organization." He moves toward the other end of the hallway as if he knew exactly where he was going.
"They did something to you?"
He looks back to Tony expectantly.
"Maybe."
Tony hesitates and looks back to the opposite end of the hallway. It seems to him like the only difference between the two happens to be the occupants.
"Is that a maybe like you don't know or a maybe like you aren't going to tell me?"
The man nods.
"That's great." Tony winces at the many un-answers he was getting.
He had heard of supernatural powers for years and years. Seeing someone and actually feeling their powers, though, was completely different.
The man suddenly springs forward before Tony could react.
He hooks his arm around Tony's and pulls the teenager forward. Tony is pretty surprised by this guy's grip and although he's pretty sure he might be able to shake it, he doesn't. Tony blames it on the shock of the situation when the little logical piece of his brain begins to scream at him.
"Let's keep moving if we want this conversation to last."
Tony has to drag along his legs to keep up with the pace the Asian man was setting.
"Why are you not just teleporting, now?" Tony grits out.
"It's more difficult with many people."
"Really? How? I mean…" How did they mess up your DNA enough to be able to do this super freaky, super awesome thing, but then have all these weird side limits? Yeah, Tony. That would be a good question to ask.
"I am still figuring that out completely myself. I believe it was an accident, so it has been increasingly difficult to understand."
Tony scrunches his eyebrows.
"But what did they do?" He tries to pull more information out of the man. "Chemicals, technology. I hear alien technology-"
"It was alien. I'm not so sure technology is the right word for it, though."
"What's the right word, then?"
"I don't know. If you're so interested, maybe, you will come up with it one day."
"Wow," Tony murmurs. "These are great answers."
"And yet you haven't run from me."
Tony glances down. "It's not like there's much of a point in running from someone who can just teleport anywhere you run to."
"True," He pauses. "Do you know why I brought you down here, Anthony, when I realized who you were?"
"No." Tony takes a second to answer. He hadn't even considered his lack of consideration toward the man's motives. There were kind of pressing issues in science.
"I'm an apparent criminal. Is is so much of a stretch to come up with a situation in your mind."
Tony trips slightly on his own feet, but rights himself with the help of the man.
"You don't seem like a criminal. Other than the kidnapping."
"Why would I be locked up if I weren't?"
A moment of contemplation hangs between them.
"Fine, I'll bite." Tony'll just chose what to bite on. "Why did you take me here? What do you want with me." Tony stops moving forward and shakes his head. He smooths down the many wrinkles gathering in his shirt.
The man doesn't answer immediately, but he does make a small noise in the back of his throat. He stops and turns to Tony.
"Interesting choice of question. Not the one I was expecting."
"Hey, I'm locked up in this place too. Where am I to judge?" Tony says dully and steels his legs. The Asian man has to jerk to a stop as Tony halts and refuses to be pulled forward any longer. Tony glances up to the lights slightly flicking above him and blinks.
The teen really did have other worries than the guy's crimes. It's not like he really wanted to know if he was some crazy serial killer at this point.
The man's eyes narrow slightly.
"I believe we have reached a stopping point." He says. "What do you think, Anthony. What decisions have you come to?"
Tony blanks, trying to remember any part of the conversation where he was making decisions.
"About what?"
The man shrugs.
"That's up to you isn't it. I just take people from one place to another."
"All you did was take me to a different part of the heli-thing I'm stuck in. I wouldn't consider that some big accomplishment, although it is pretty darn creepy down here, I'll give you that."
The man grins again.
Tony finally realizes that this was just the man's way of changing the subject. Questions for a question can sure tear things off track.
"Why did you bring me here?" Tony demands again.
The man hesitates just a moment.
"To tell you the truth, I was considering trading you to an outlet that goes through Hydra quite often. You're not exactly a Jericho Missile, but what's in your head sounds very important at the least. "
Tony has to force himself not to show the shock on his face. He's not quite sure how well he does, but at least he tries.
"But you're not considering it now, right?"
"Eh,"
"Eh?" Tony copies him in a much higher pitch.
"I probably won't."
"That's...comforting." Was it worth it to run from someone who could teleport?
"Don't worry. I don't feel much of a desire to do so anymore." The man suddenly looks almost shallow now in his eyes. And sad. Extremely sad. "I only want to be with my family again."
"Oh." Tony swallows, feeling the press of emotions on his chest that hadn't been there for a long time.
"So, what are you planning to do with me?"
"I'm not sure. I'm considering leaving the decision to you. That is why I asked you."
"Considering?"
"I'm leaning away from it."
A banging suddenly resounds from above them.
"That was fast. Yes, I think I'll take you with me for now at least. I'm not fond of these people either."
Tony's eyes widen a he realizes the man in front of him's intention and he ducks to the left just in time to avoid a sudden eruption above him as a life-sized hulk crashes from above. The hallway fills with steam from the pipes that have broken and poke out from every inch of the walls.
The interruption doesn't go in his favor, though, as it actually distracts him from avoiding the grasp of the Asian man and he feels himself starting to drift again out of solarity.
Out of the corner of his eye, he catches a green finger brush against the man's leg and the drowning feeling is quickly squelched out as he finds himself deposited just a hundred or so feet down the hall with his would-be kidnapper left beside him, holding on to his left leg and looking very much like he would want to curse right then.
The Asian man regrettable shakes his head and glances one last time over to Tony.
A voice echoes down the hallway from the other side over giant, thundering footsteps.
"Ho Yinsen, stand down and step away from the boy."
Yinsen looks away from Tony and seems to make a decision.
Next time on Not So Stark, Tony, the ratifications of actions play out inside of the helicarrier.
