A/N: OMG THIS FIC HAS REACHED 1K FOLLOWERS I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!
*coughs* Anyway. Let's just get on with it, right?
ARC 3: CHAPTER 15
Kydoimos
-0-
Harley and explosions had a complicated relationship.
On one hand, it was destructive and indiscriminate. It could kill and damage so much more than what one intended. It was quick and easy and messy.
On the other-
(It wasn't quiet. It wasn't a silent light and vacant eyes. It drowns out the screams and everything else. Because it's destruction and-)
So when the Cradle explodes with a muted sound and blasted glass, Harley flinched and took a step back, blinking away images of death and carnage at his own hands.
Then- then the red humanoid figure wakes up from its slumber and rises from its cocoon, from where it had been created, as if it didn't know gravity should affect it. The figure lands gracefully on crouched feet, silent and unique and beautiful.
(Oh, it's not just J.A.R.V.I.S. and the Mind Stone or Ultron anymore. It's something else- the more that J.A.R.V.I.S. had the potential to be.)
The others stood a wary distance away, watching as the figure observed the surroundings and stood on its feet.
Harley wonders how it must have felt, so similar to a newborn, taking in the world with eyes that weren't J.A.R.V.I.S.'s cameras and sensors nor the Mind Stone's peculiar way of interaction with the physical world.
Thor Odinson slowly scrambles up from where he'd been thrown by the explosion, eyeing the figure—the being— with visible apprehension. There was a moment where the Asgardian and the figure stared at each other's eyes, before the figure flings itself to the god. Ready for an assault as Thor Odinson was, the figure was thrown over the Aesir's shoulder and out of the laboratory window.
The being flies over the communal floor before managing to stop itself midair.
With that, the others snapped out of their shock. Harley seems to have been forgotten as everyone makes their own way outside and down into the common room floor, where the figure hovered before the glass window overlooking the city.
It was a nice view of Manhattan, one that Harley had admired beforehand. He spares a thought to wonder what exactly is going on in the new being's mind.
(Of seeing the world so differently, of realizing how you are unique. Of discovering the well of loneliness such a thought would summon.)
Captain America looked tense, shield in hand and ready for a fight, while the others held back and observed with caution, means of attack down but still in easy access.
Thor Odinson stops any attacks the Avengers (and twins) might have in mind with a raised hand.
Still much too curious with this unique being, but unwilling to surrender the temporary anonymity, Harley silently observes from the ledge where the broken glass window of the lab used to stand. Brushing away stray glass shards, he plops himself down and watched, the bond between him and the Mind Stone a quiet, pleasant hum now.
Harley doesn't prod it yet, lets it simmer longer with what the conception of the being had done to it.
The being quietly levitates over to the group, now clad in a green scale-like suit that covered the red and silver of its body. It observes the Aesir, saying something too quiet for anyone else to hear, and creates a cape of its own with a roll of its shoulders.
The distance between Harley and the group was much too far for him to hear them properly, with only Thor Odinson's booming voice making it to his ears.
"I've had a vision. A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life and at its center is that." The god of thunder points to the Stone nestled on the being's forehead.
Dr. Banner says something, steps forward to make himself known, to which he was answered with, "It's the Mind Stone. It's one of the six Infinity Stones, the greatest power in the universe, unparalleled in its destructive capabilities."
Harley tilted his head, considered what he managed to hear before the tension inevitably made their words much too terse and quiet for it to make it back to him. He had never considered the possibility that the god of thunder was oblivious to the happenings of the galaxies.
Yet here the prince of Asgard is, only now introducing the concept of the Infinity Stones to the Avengers.
(The vindictive glee over the knowledge that Loki of Asgard failed in that regard was not entirely uncalled for.)
He contemplated using his Magic to amplify his hearing, but, warily eyeing the brunette twin and the being that carried the Mind Stone, Harley chose not to.
Tony is speaking now, pacing in a way that showed his agitation as the being moves, walking a bit closer to where Harley is. Closer, where Harley can catch the words the being utters.
"You think I'm a child of Ultron?" The being asks, tone flat and questioning, but loud in the resounding silence.
(He sounds exactly like J.A.R.V.I.S.)
Harley strains his hearing, understands the "You're not?" that came from the Captain's mouth.
"I'm not Ultron." The being intones thoughtfully, voice faint enough that Harley nearly misses it. "I'm not Jarvis. I'm… I am."
With narrowed eyes, Harley decided it was time he intervened. This interrogation had lasted long enough. Carefully prodding at the bond he shared with the Stone, Harley made his presence known to the being, pulling its attention from what the brunette twin had been saying.
Thor Odinson interjected, "Their powers, the horrors in our heads, Ultron himself, they all came from the Mind Stone, and they're nothing compared to what it can unleash. But with it on our side…"
(Side? What side?)
Come here. Harley says to the bond, hopes the Stone would relay it.
It does. The being observes Harley with curiosity, head tilted to the side before abandoning the group in favor of hovering before Harley.
This had the disadvantage of pulling the Avengers's attention on him, too.
It (they? he?) stays floating in the air, head level with Harley's, studying him in the same way someone would something they don't understand.
"You are…"The being leans in close enough for Harley to feel the way they don't breathe quite more than their chest rose and fell to mimic respiration. "Har...ley Keener." The pause in the first syllable makes him smile, as does the utterly confused expression on the being's face. "The Stone knows you."
(It pulls up memories, shores up a tiny bit of Harley Keener to reveal how deeply rooted Harrhan and Harry Potter are entwined within him, broken lines and mismatched pieces fixed together.)
"Yes." Harley answered, curiously reaching out to touch the being's face.
The skin is soft and too smooth. It's cold yet warms at his touch. It's a shade of red that closely resembles blood, broken by bold, long blocks of silver that are placed along where hair should be and continues down the entire body. Their eyes are similar to a human's. The irises, though, are layers and ridges that twist like camera lenses; dark and green and blue.
Harley cocks his head to the side. "You are?"
The being considers his question, mirroring the motion of his head, "I am the Vision."
Harley pulls his hand away to present it for a handshake, beaming at the Vision. "Nice to meet you."
Vision eyes it curiously, unsure, before reaching up a hand and shaking it. Their wrist is too stiff and grip much too gentle. "It is my pleasure as well, Mr. Keener."
The Vision's gaze settled somewhere over Harley's shoulder. This is the moment Harley notices they weren't alone anymore.
Tony, Captain America, and Hawkeye-Barton made their way into the lab while the others stayed below, not hostile, but cautious and wary.
Harley first examined the bigger group with a passing glance. Most looked ready to snap to action, but Thor Odinson was observing with intense scrutiny on his face.
The Asgardian prince was clearly not the most intellectual of beings, but living for more than a millenia counts for a lot of things. However, Harley had the advantage of being something largely unknown, so as long as he was careful, the god shouldn't come to conclusions he shouldn't have.
Slightly magnanimous, Harley turns his head to face the three superheroes behind him. Tony was sending him glares that either said Harley was in trouble or his mechanic was worried but didn't want to show it. Knowing him, it was probably a bit of both and something else.
"Don't you have a bad guy to take down?" Harley asked as he twists so he can see both groups at the edge of his sight, arms crossed and eyebrows raised.
"Not until this guy proves that he's on our side," Captain America answers, gaze locked on the Vision who had hovered higher so that their body is seen fully through the lab window. "So, are you?"
"I don't think it's that simple." The Vision responds calmly. At the impatient looks, they elaborate. "I am on the side of life. Ultron isn't, he will end it all."
(Life.)
"So they're on your side!" Harley insists just to end whatever oncoming argument might come after. It was getting tiring to watch them fight with each other. While the philosophy was very, very clear to him, all that mattered now was that they agree on something and get on the same page. "You want to stop Ultron, Vision's against Ultron. So now you go get to be the Avengers and start avenging wherever Ultron is."
A few moments of hard scrutiny from Captain America was had, his flinty blue eyes jumping from each person within sight, before the Captain addresses everyone with a stern voice, "Three minutes. Get what you need."
Hawkeye-Barton slinks out quietly, darting a look in Harley's direction, while the Captain stops to mutter something at his mechanic before exiting the room. The pursed lips and narrow-eyed look Tony sent to Captain America's back told Harley how not-well-received it had been.
The rest of the gathered heroes follow suit with whispered words between them. Dr. Banner briefly stopped as if he wanted to say something, eyes on the Vision, but apparently decided against it with a shake of his head before following the others.
With only the three of them left, the Vision hovers into the lab and landed on their feet. Harley twists to sit properly facing the inside of the lab, unconcerned now to turn his back on anyone.
"We are going to have a... conversation after this." Tony broke the silence, arms still crossed and still a tight coil of tension. "So you actually stay put this time, stay in the tower like the good kid I know you aren't. I'm letting you have a lot of liberties here."
"I'll be fine." Harley rolls his eyes. But then he reconsiders, seeing the tight jaw and darting, unsure glances towards the Vision. "You'll succeed. You're Iron Man! The bad guys don't stand a chance." So maybe Harley was still pretty bad at this encouraging and comforting thing, so he adds, a bit more softly, "Jarvis helped you create the Vision. He put everything in that little plan to give you a chance to stop Ultron. He never failed, did he?"
(Tony never believed in himself. He believed in J.A.R.V.I.S.)
Tony's face was still unreadable, but there's a bit more light in his eyes, a little less tightness around his shoulders, before he breaks out into a relaxed posture that was as genuine as his press smiles. "You brat. When did you learn to say things like that?"
"One of us has to learn, mechanic," Harley easily shot back, letting the man pull up masks like he usually did. It barely worked on Harley anymore and they both knew it. "And obviously, you're not it."
"Yeah, yeah." Tony shakes his head with a smile, patting Harley's head before turning to leave. "Don't get in trouble or else Pepper will kill me. Well, once she finds out anyway."
Figures. Happy didn't even know who Harley was and why Tony asked him to get moved in to the tower. Harley had the time of his life confusing Stark Industries' Head of Security while munching on greasy burgers and soggy fries. (That kind of food was a mistake to all humankind.)
"You aren't coming?" Vision asked once they are alone.
"No." Harley answered, eyes still trained on where his mechanic exited the room. "It's not yet the time."
Vision frowned, scrutinizing Harley. "I… hesitate to agree."
It was obvious that the Vision was privy to some of the things the Mind Stone holds, though most of their processes should be Ultron's or J.A.R.V.I.S.'s. However, it might not be enough for the Vision to comprehend the constant stream of information the Mind Stone emits.
Harley laughs, "You sound just like Jarvis."
Then Harley lets his Magic out, lets it surround the Vision, stifling and sharp and threatening. It had been a while, but Harley does it like breathing.
(Does it like he didn't spend a decade playing the role of some no name kid in backwater, Tennessee. Does it like Harrhan had never had the trouble to do. Does it like Harry Potter had wanted in the deepest part of his mind that selfishly screamed protect.)
"And if you ever hurt Tony like that again or in any way at all, I will not hesitate to let you know how displeased I can get. Words cut just as deep, child."
"Of-" The Vision shifts in discomfort, eyes wide and visibly apprehensive. "Of course. I apologize."
Harley hummed, smiling at the Vision.
-0-
It doesn't take much to track each Avenger (and quasi-Avenger Helpers) down.
Harley weaves protection over each one of them, hiding from the vigilant eyes of the god of thunder with ease. It would protect from one fatal blow and no more, but if only one fell, Harley would be alerted.
None of them will die tonight, not when it would rest too heavily on his mechanic's battered conscience.
(Not when Harley can finally do something.
Harley has a plan, after all, and his plan has a goal.)
-0-
They leave not long after.
"I'll see you when you come back." Harley says, practically demands, to his mechanic, poking the man's side in emphasis. "You better stay in one piece. You don't even have your arc reactor to conveniently remove in a crisis anymore. Nothing in you is detachable, and nothing is allowed to be detached."
Tony cuffs his head, the casual affection new yet familiar, "Brat. That's hardly encouraging. And you're still hung up on that? Where's the 'don't leave me behind' or 'you're too precious to die' hysterics that I deserve?"
"Am I still hung up on that." Harley scoffed (he is), "I'm not about to shed tears for you, old man."
(Maybe he would. Maybe he can't.)
"Why can't I get a normal kid?" Tony laments to himself without real conviction behind it.
The man was shoring up his defenses, Harley was amenable enough to let it be. "You'd be bored without me, Mechanic. I'm one of a kind!" Honestly, he was more than one of a kind, but no one else needed to know that.
The rest of the team are already in the quinjet, patiently waiting on Tony.
None of them really comments on Harley's presence anymore, minds focused on the threat that they were going to take down. The brunette twin, Wanda Maximoff, kept on looking at him with a frown. Harley ignores her, easily bats away her poor attempts at using her power, red mist laughably unsubtle and juvenile and uncontrolled in its approach.
He would have to keep a close watch on that one.
-0-
A few hours later, Harley is in his room, attention on the constant hum of the Mind Stone that he interprets like an old, familiar language he hadn't spoken in a while, but rests comfortably on his tongue.
With the Vision redirecting the flaw, filling in the tiny gaps that never mended on its own, the Stone has become gentler in its tenacity with the bond. It's still pulling and pulling and pulling, but they're much softer now, more demanding than vicious tugging.
As it does, it pushes back just as insistently.
("Do you see? The beauty of it, the inevitability. You rise, only to fall. You, Avengers, you are my meteor, my swift and terrible sword and the earth will crack with the weight of your failure. Purge me from your computers, turn my own flesh against me. It means nothing. When the dust settles, the only thing living in this world will be metal.")
The news played in the background, a murmur of alarm in the otherwise silent room. It shows the events happening in Sokovia with live streaming footage of the rising landmass that used to be their capital city. People were screaming and panicking, incredulous of the events.
The field reporter spoke with a thick accent, shakily but determinedly narrating how thousands of people stay stranded within even as the Avengers fought, all human and weak and hopeless, against an army of humanoid robots that terrorized the people.
Harley twitched, eyes taking in the video at the same time as his mind trailed after the bond.
Come, it projects too widely in his head, help.
In the television screen, the video zooms into Captain America barely managing to save a person falling from the edge of the broken bridge. Thor flies up, dropping a falling car back on the bridge.
The focus changed, the scene following Iron Man as he flew in the air, circling around the landmass in a motion that said he was scouting. Buildings were collapsing as their foundations were left to grapple with nothing but air.
(Harley has a plan.)
A moment later, Harley Keener disappears from the tower.
Kydoimos (Κυδοιμός) the personification of the din of battle, confusion, uproar and hubbub.
So, the next update would be at least (which means it would definitely exceed) two weeks from now. I'm so sorry. Exam week is like a week from now and I can't really put my mind into writing when I'm worrying about school work. Still haven't finished ch17 yet ugh.
Se y'all next time! 3 3