200 Park Avenue, Manhattan, New York.
Commonly known as Avengers Tower.
Also commonly known as the most secure place on planet Earth. Only complete idiots dared to try to break in.
That is to say, complete idiots and one blind, super-powered, depressed, anxiety-ridden lawyer dressed like the devil.
To be fair, however, it wasn't completely suicide, because Matt had broken into the building once before.
Around a year ago, an associate of his, Danny Rand — also known as the Iron Fist — had accidently lost some sort of ancient, powerful artifact to a super villian, and then it got confiscated by S.H.I.E.L.D.. Matt wasn't entirely sure what it had been — he was so confused through the entire ordeal, and then there were was some stuff concerning the Punisher going on at the same time, so it's safe to say Matt had been a little distracted — but Danny had been freaking out about it being super dangerous and sacred and having to get it back, so the Defenders ended up breaking in and stealing it.
Luke and Jessica had wanted to break in with the help of some very noticeable, very dangerous distractions; not to mention Jessica actively wanted to get into a fist fight with one, if not all, the Avengers.
Luckily, due to a successful coin toss, they ended up going with Matt's plan that involved stealth and secrecy.
And, hey, it worked! There were a couple sticky accidents, sure, like when Danny almost got his leg sliced off (don't ask), or when Matt and Jessica got stuck in that elevator shaft (don't ask), or when Luke got hit by that car (do not ask), but they were never noticed.
They got in and they got out.
No alarms were tripped.
No Avengers were fought.
And that was exactly what was going to happen this time.
Incorporated into the intimidating skyscraper was the world's most advanced security system ever created, courtesy of none other than Tony Stark himself.
It took Matt twenty minutes to get past it.
Five minutes to override the security, another five to try to figure out what button on the elevator was the right one without being able to read them, and another ten for him to take the stairs.
Eighty seven sets of stairs, to be exact.
The Avengers keep all their dangerous tech and weapons locked up under some of the tightest security imaginable. Lasers, touch sensitive wires, cameras, doors that would electrocute you if you touched them without security clearance… He had especially unpleasant memories of that last one from the previous time he broke in.
It was excessive, in Matt's opinion.
But then again, super villains do destroy his home and office on a regular basis. Maybe he should take notes.
Luckily for Matt, the security hasn't changed much. The one thing Stark forgot to add security to was the air vents.
He was able to get into the vaults, grab the small nano mask, and get out in under seven minutes. For once everything was actually going really well. Everything was happening according to plan, there were no problems, no hiccups.
And then his phone rang.
Matt scowled and skidded to a stop, whipping his phone out of his back pocket and flipping it open (no matter how uncool or dorky Foggy thought it was, flip phones were easier than smartphones, due to his echolocation being useless against smooth surfaces).
As soon as he pressed the correct button Foggy's panicked voice crackled through the old phone speakers. "Matt? Matt! Hey! Thank God, you're not dead."
"Foggy, I'm busy," Matt hissed, keeping the phone close to his mouth. He used his echolocation to "look" around; thankfully no one was on this level.
"I know, man, I know," Foggy said urgently. His voice was low and quiet, like he was whisper-yelling. "But I think you need to get back here. Like, right now!"
"Can't you just stall a little longer?" Matt ran down a nearby hallway. There was an open sitting area nearby, with a small bar, a balcony, and large floor to ceiling windows built in, and on the other side of that was another hallway that lead to the elevator and the stairs. Matt made sure to keep to the shadows to avoid any security cameras.
"It's not that! I was able to get us a recess. I think the judge is really annoyed." Foggy paused and held his breath, and Matt heard someone on the other side of the phone walk past. As soon as they were out of earshot Foggy breathed a relieved breath and quickly continued. "Anyway, like I was saying, I think you must have tripped an alarm or something! You need to get out of there!"
Matt froze. He pressed his back against the wall and sunk farther out of sight of any cameras. As far as he could tell he hasn't tripped any alarms. "How do you know?"
"I overheard the Avengers talking! Captain America said something about Avengers Tower, and then Iron Man said something about some guy named Jarvis detecting an anomaly or whatever? And then they left? I don't know what that means, but you musta been spotted or something!" Foggy sounded out of breath and panicked. "Dude, you need too-"
Foggy's voice suddenly got drowned out by a near silent whirring nearby, made loud by Matts sensitive hearing.
The Iron Man suit.
Matt's heart skipped a beat.
Things can never be easy, can it?
"Foggy, I've got to go," Matt said, trying to keep his voice quiet. "Bye."
"No, don't hang up!" Foggy said, loudly this time. "Matt, don't you dare hang up! I swear if you hang up-"
Click.
Matt hung up.
He slid the phone into his pocket and attempted to disappear further into the shadows, trying to hide behind a tall, bushy plant. Not even a second later Iron Man came flying through an open balcony. Matt crouched down warily.
The mechanical suit hovered loudly a few feet above the ground, his metal mask turning slightly to look around the large, open room. Matt stayed perfectly still.
"I'm investigating the breach," Iron Man said, his voice sounding distorted and mechanical through the suit. "Nothing seems broken or out of order."
Matt held his breath. He didn't know the full extent of the Iron Man suits power. Did it have an x-ray scanner? Could it pick up on his heartbeat? Could Iron Man see him?
"I can see you," Iron Man said suddenly.
Oh.
Well that answers that question.
Or maybe Iron Man couldn't see him, but was actually trying to trick him into showing himself.
The loud sounds produced by the suit on top of the quiet humming of Stark's arc reactor completely smothered the sound of the billionaire's heartbeat, so Matt had no idea whether or not he was lying.
Matt shifted slightly, but stayed hidden.
"You lost?" Iron Man quipped. His head was angled down towards Matts hiding place, but that could just be a coincidence. "Reception is about eighty floors down. The elevators down the hall to your left."
Matt stiffened. He slowly slid the nano mask into his pocket, out of sight.
"Not much of a talker, I see," Iron Man said. The suit clanged as he landed on the ground, and he raised a hand and aimed the repulsor towards Matt's chest. "I like the horns."
Okay. It wasn't a trick. Iron Man could, in fact, see him.
Matt frowned and stayed silent. He tried to formulate a plan, but his brain apparently decided now was a good time to stop working.
And then his echolocation picked up on movement farther away.
Matt stiffened, reaching out with his senses.
He was surrounded.
Captain America was hidden behind Iron Man, Black Widow was to his left slightly hidden in the hall that led to the stairs, and Hawkeye was crouched up above an air vent.
Iron Man was most likely the only one that should be visible to him right now; the rest were hidden.
They probably assumed he didn't know they were there.
"Wow, quiet, mysterious type, are you?" Iron Man said, sounding arrogant as ever "Don't worry. I'll make it easy for you. Hand over whatever you stole, and we'll let you go."
Matt snorted. He didn't even need to listen to the billionaires heartbeat. Let him go. Yeah. Sure. Likely story.
"Okay, Horns, you want to do this the hard way? Be my guest." There was a whirring as Iron Man's repulsor charged up. "This is going to hurt. A lot. Sorry, buddy."
Matt could sense the repulsor blast coming from a mile away. He dogged it effortlessly, somersaulting across the floor and skidding to a stop.
Good news: he was alive and not burnt to a crisp, unlike the wall he was previously standing in front of.
Bad news: he was currently in the middle of the room, on one knee and completely visible and open to any attacks.
Almost instantly Captain America's shield came flying straight towards his head. Matt flipped through the air and soared over it. No sooner had he landed when the shield bounced off the wall and hurled back towards him. He ducked, only narrowly missing it.
"He knows his stuff," Black Widow commented offhandedly. Her arm was in the air pointed towards him. Matt's suit wouldn't protect him from the electric widow's bite produced from the tech on her wrist.
Note to self, Matt thought, Don't get hit with that. Also don't die. That would be nice, too.
"You're trespassing on private property," Captain America said sternly, the shield once again in his custody.
Before Matt could think of a clever comeback, Black Widow fired her Widow's Bite. No sooner had her thumb pressed the button on her wrist had Matt already moved, effectively evading the taser before it was even discharged.
Another repulsor shot past Matts head, the shield hurled towards his knees and an arrow almost made its home in his back. All of which he dodged by flipping off a table.
"I missed!" Hawkeye cried from the air vent. He jumped down, landing somewhat gracefully. "I never miss!"
"Okay, now you're getting on my nerves," Iron Man growled.
Matt jerked out of the way of the shield again. Captain America tried to use Matt's turned back to his advantage, throwing a right hook towards his head while he wasn't looking.
Thank you echolocation.
Matt ducked and swept the Captain's legs out from under him while simultaneously dodging a kick from Black Widow. He drew his escrima sticks and used one to block a blow from Hawkeye and the other to attempt to hit Black Widow in the head.
She ducked under it, grabbed the end and pulled it forward. Matt lurched forward with it. Her fist painfully connected with his cheek.
He ripped the escrima stick out her grasp and kicked the Captain back down. He sent one stick into Hawkeye's gut, knocking him back into Iron Man, and sent the other one towards Black Widows ribcage.
She blocked it easily and grabbed his arm with her free arm, twisting it painfully. Matt used the downed Captain as a launching pad to flip over her. Then he freed his arm, twisted quickly and slammed his elbow into her nose while still in the air. Her head jerked back with a crunch and her hand flew up to her nose.
Broken.
Matt landed a few feet away, gathering his bearings just in time to flip away from Hawkeye's sudden rapid fire arrows. They were increasingly difficult to dodge.
An arrow dug into the ground next to his foot and exploded, knocking Matt down. He rolled across the floor and got to his feet, throwing one of his escrima sticks at the shelf above Hawkeye's head. One of the ends of the shelf broke, dumping all of its contents on the unsuspecting archer.
Iron Man fired another repulsor. Matt was too slow to dodge it completely. It painfully nicked Matts thigh; not enough to do serious damage, but enough to disorientate him for a few seconds.
A few very important seconds.
Captain America took the opportunity to leap forward and put him into a headlock. His arm dug into Matts throat painfully, blocking all air from reaching his lungs. Matt made a choked noise.
"Tony!" Captain America yelled.
"On it!" Iron Man pulled his arm back. "Don't say I didn't warn you, Horns."
Matt jerked his head back, smashing the back of his cowl into the Captain's mouth, producing a stream of blood. Captain America grunted and his grip loosened slightly.
Matt dropped to the ground. And just in time, too. Iron Man's punch met Captain America's face instead of Matts.
Matt somersaulted across the floor.
Now was time to make his escape while Iron Man was distracted by apologizing profusely to a probably concussed Captain America and Black Widow pulling a dazed Hawkeye to his feet. He leapt to his feet and darted towards the stairs as fast as possible.
"He's getting away!" Black Widow yelled.
"No, he's not!" Iron Man yelled back.
The sound of a repulsor being charged up once again rang through his ears.
Matt dove to the left just as one of the large windows next to him shattered, showering the room with tiny shards of glass.
Matt quickly rose to his feet, keeping his fists balled in front of him protectively. The four Avengers surrounded him, backing Matt against the broken window and blocking him from his escape plan.
"You're under arrest," Captain America said coldly, stepping forward. Matt could smell the blood on his face. The captain adjusted his shield against his arm. The others were pointing their weapons at his chest and head. "Resisting is just going to get you into more trouble than you already are."
"He means give it up, little red riding hood!" Iron Man said. "It's over. You're cornered."
Matt backed up slowly, freezing when his heel dangled over the edge. That… that was a long drop… yikes….
Matt sucked in a breath, weighing his options. If he got arrested, his secret identity would be announced to everyone, Foggy and Karen would most likely get arrested as accomplices, Banner's case would get thrown out, and everything and everyone is doomed.
If he jumps, he dies and basically gets the same outcome.
If he fights, he most likely dies as well. Matt did not like how those weapons were pointed at him, and he was in a very vulnerable spot right now.
A fleeting concept that one could barely call an idea, let alone a plan, crossed his mind.
But it was better than nothing, he supposed.
Matt silently tossed his escrima stick. It clattered on the ground, earning him a few suspicious looks from the Avengers. He tried to look docile — well, as docile as one can when dressed like the devil — and raised his hands slightly.
"Arrest me then," he said, speaking gruffly.
Captain America huffed and lowered his shield, reaching for the pair of handcuffs on his belt.
"Oh, I see how it is. It's just me, Is it? You can talk to capsicle just fine, but not to me," Iron Man snorted, lowering his repulser by an inch. "Favouritism, Horns. I'm calling favouritism."
Hawkeye snorted, Black Widow rolled her eyes, and Captain America shot him a small glare.
Their attention was diverted for a split second.
Luckily a split second was all Matt needed.
Matt jumped, grabbing the Captain's shield with one hand and simultaneously planting a foot on Iron Man's armored chest, pushing off of it and sending himself flying through the air and out the window.
And then he was falling.
Falling.
Falling.
Falling.
Hurtling towards the ground at hundreds of feet per second.
He was consumed with a sense of weightlessness as gravity overtook him.
The Avengers shouts of alarm and confusion were replaced with the roaring wind screaming through his ears. The freezing air hurtling towards his face made it near impossible to breathe.
Matt turned in the air, attaching the stolen shield to his left arm in less than a second. In one fluid, practiced movement his baton was out of his holster and the grappling hook attached was flying.
A satisfying clang reached his ears once the grappling hook met its mark. It jerked his arm painfully as he began swinging sideways.
Matt held onto the end of the baton and hid his entire body behind the shield, bracing himself for impact.
The shield, along with Matt, smashed through a window of the neighboring building. Matt released the grappling hook from the baton and completely tucked himself behind the shield.
Screaming and shocked employees scampered out of his way as he and the shield hurled through the chaotic office.
Within seconds the shield crashed through another window, sending Matt flying again.
Luckily this time it was two floors instead of the ninety three floors of Avengers towers.
He was able to tuck the shield under him just before it hit the ground, shattering the cement as if it were glass. Actual glass from the broken window rained on him.
Matt groaned and rolled over onto his back. He hissed as a sharp pain shot through his shoulder.
Dislocated.
Could be worse.
He could have broken his neck and died.
Matt leaned his head against the sidewalk, the edge of the shield cutting into his back painfully. He didn't care. He breathed a deep breath.
As much as Matt felt like laying here forever, he probably should be getting back to the courtroom.
A crowd was starting to form, and Matt really didn't feel like being here when the Avengers caught up with him.