Chapter 11
"Let's get rid of this foul beast, shall we?"
There was a righteous anger burning inside of Thor. He had let the draugr in, had let it get close to his friends, and now this happens. He should have known. He never should have let it get to close. Maybe the human side was fake, a simple scheme that he should have seen. He should have killed it when he had-
"Thor, don't kill him!" Clint yelled at him. "He's hypnotized or something!"
"When I asked you 'what happened' that would have sufficed," Iron Man said as he swung. His fist went right through Danny, and the cold feeling that overcame his hands was weird and uncomfortable. Before he could recover, Danny kicked him hard in the side, and sent him flying into the wall.
"Uh, do we know how strong he is?" Steve asked. "Did we ever bother to ask?"
"Wait, you guys," Clint said, knocking an arrow. "I've got a dumb idea."
"Spit it out before he kills us!" Natasha said, dodging a couple of ectoblasts.
"The guy said if he sees us then to destroy us," Clint said. "If we disappear he might leave!"
"Are you being serious right now, Barton?" Iron Man asked, groaning as he did. After all, a good kick to the side sent him into a wall while he was in his armor. Clint's pretty sure that it didn't feel too nice.
"I've come up with worse plans." Clint pulled the arrow back.
"SCATTER!"
He let the arrow go flying. It landed right at Danny's feet, and immediately started letting out giant plumes of black smoke. As he pulled himself up into the air vents, he was really praying that this would work.
It took a few minutes, but the smoke did clear, and not a single Avenger was anywhere to be found. Danny looked around for a moment, and once he was satisfied that there were no more Avengers, he flew through the window, and out into the open air.
One beat. Two beats. Three beats passed before Clint and Natasha climbed out of the air vents. Iron Man, who had been to get up and go somewhere else, released his camouflage. Thor came in from the hall, and Steve climbed out of the couch.
"I can't believe that actually worked," Steve said, looking at Clint with a mix of bewilderment and dumbfoundedness.
"How did you know that was going to work?" Iron Man asked.
"I didn't," Clint shrugged. "But...I think Danny's still in there somewhere. Before he became a zombie he was trying to fight it. His eyes were going back and forth between normal and red. We gotta help him."
"Do we even know where he went?" Natasha asked.
"Freak on TV said Circus Gothica," he answered. "I don't remember the city, though."
"Mister Stark, I believe I need to show you something," Jarvis said.
"Sure, buddy, what is it?" Tony asked. He took off his helmet and set it down on the bar.
Without saying anything else, the TV, which miraculously didn't have a single scratch on it, changed channels.
"Allison O'Connor here with the Daily Bugle," a news reporter said. "We're here with a couple of eye witnesses who saw what just went down at Avengers Tower."
The camera panned over to a couple of teenagers. "We were-we were in that building right over there visiting my dad when we saw all the green lights and stuff. And then a bunch of smoke fogged up the windows and that ghost guy flew out," one of them explained, out of breath.
"Shit's wild, dude," the other one said. As he said that, the camera panned from him over to their window, where they could see themselves watching TV. Iron Man walked over to the window and held up his middle fingers. He could hear Clint laughing from the couch.
"It just fucking happened," Steve sighed. "How in the world did they get here so fast?"
"It looks like Iron Man has no comment. We're gonna turn it over to the head honcho, J. Jonah Jameson, for his professional opinion."
"Listen, folks," Jameson said, his face beat red. "I've been saying it since day one. That Phantom guy is a menace! Everybody knows you don't mess with ghosts! They're evil! They'll possess you and destroy your life. If you're lucky enough to see a ghost, don't go near it. Stay inside, look up anti-ghost whatever online. And let's get rid of this mena-"
There was a loud crash as Tony's helmet made impact with the TV, cracking it beyond repair.
"I'm gonna go talk to reporters. You guys work on coming up with a plan. And for the love of God, Thor, he's our friend. Our job right now it to help him. So get with the program. I thought you were over this draugr shit."
Without another word, Tony picked his helmet up and left through the elevator.
On his way down, Tony didn't know what to think, what to feel. He knows that there's a lot of confusion, but also a lot of righteous anger, and he didn't know which one was right. Maybe both of them.
He didn't not believe Clint, but hypnosis also seemed like a bit of a stretch. Plus, why didn't Clint get hypnotized too? Was it targeted specifically at Danny? Or is it a special kind that affects ghosts in general? And if either of those were it, why in the world would they want to hypnotize Danny? Who even knew about him?
All of these questions whirled through Tony's mind, bumping around non stop. His head hurt, and he didn't know if it was from this or when Danny had kicked him into a wall.
That was another thing that bothered him. Yeah, Danny had to be powerful to be king and whatnot, and he had said right out that he had a lot of powers, but how powerful were they? How powerful was he? He roundhoused Tony almost through the wall, which had just been built a few months prior. Danny...He didn't put any kind of effort into that kick.
Tony sighed and rubbed his face as the elevator opened. There were immediately whispers of what had happened, about how one guy that worked in the coffee shop on the seventh floor heard everything, which Tony knew was bullshit, but he wasn't about to dispute it. If Danny had super strength then maybe this guy had super hearing. He really, really doubted it, but he guessed it was possible.
At the entrance to the lobby, Happy was doing his job perfectly, and keeping the reporters in the lobby and not upstairs, where they could see the carnage of the living room themselves.
No comment, my ass, he thought bitterly as he walked towards them. I thought my middle fingers were comment enough.
Every step he takes makes a large clanging sound as metal hits pristine tile, and he makes a mental note to tip the floor guys a little extra since they're gonna have to buff the scratches out themselves. Everybody is now silent, still staring at him as he walks towards the reporters. He doesn't have to go around anybody because they all jump out of his way long before he reaches them.
When he gets there, Happy is still telling the reporters they're not allowed past the lobby. Tony puts a hand on his shoulder, and they both look at each other. They know each other so well that Tony doesn't have to say anything. Happy just nods and walks away, giving him a "Have fun, boss," on his way out. Tony doesn't watch Happy leave. Instead, he makes direct eye contact with the head reporter, O'Connor.
"Mr. Stark," she says, a little out of breath. If they were here by the time it took him to ride the elevator down then she must have run. Her face was flushed, and her hair was just a little out of place, but otherwise looked TV ready. "How could you let a ghost into the city right under your noses?"
"First off," he says, and his words have a bit of a bite to them but he doesn't care. He's pissed off and in pain, and he will gladly take out his frustration on this frustrating news anchor who is trying to slander the name of one of his friends. "He's not the villain here," Tony said. "You should be focusing on the broadcast that happened. About why it's affected Phantom like this. But no. You're too busy trying to drag his good name through the mud because Jameson says ghosts are evil.
"Ghosts are people, O'Connor. There are good ones and there are bad ones. They're not that much different from you and me. And Phantom? He is by far one of the best ones I've met. He is a member of the Avengers, and he will continue to stay a member of the Avengers. He is a hero, and you will treat him as such, or so help me god I will buy your news station and fire Jameson and you myself."
"If he's such a good guy then can you explain what happened?" O'Connor asked. She was pale, probably from the threat of losing her job, but Tony had to give her credit for continuing on.
"We don't know for sure what's happened yet, and when we find out, we'll let you know when the situation is resolved."
"And you're sure he's good? You're sure you can save him?"
Tony looks O'Connor in the eyes. They're a vibrant green, but not nearly as green as Danny's.
"We'll save him if it's the last thing we do. There's a reason we're called the Avengers."
Without turning around, Tony waves his hand, and a minute later Happy is next to him, ushering the reporters out of the building. O'Connor is halfheartedly trying to fight it as she halfheartedly tries to ask more questions, but Tony interrupts her.
"How's that for no comment?"
And then she's out the door. Happy comes back to him, just like he always does, and Tony is grateful for the help.
"You good, boss?" He asks, and Tony knows he's not referring to the reporters. Tony sighs, and starts walking back towards the elevator.
"I will be when we get Danny back."
When the elevator doors close, Happy is giving him a thumbs up. Tony appreciates it more than either of them will ever know.
