5 – Gulmira Home Invasion
A few days after the first flight test on the armour, Harry had received a call from Stane. The older man had rung him to ask if he could please come into the Stark Charity Gala being hosted in the city. The two needed to be seen in public together, he said, all smiles and waves. It would help come down the board and allow Stane to better run damage control if they presented a united front. After his conversation with Edwin, and a follow up round table debate with Hermione, Neville, and Luna, he felt distinctly uncomfortable around his chief financial officer.
Despite his personal misgivings, Harry knew the older man was right. If they were going to sort this out, and ensure the company didn't tank even further, he had to make an appearance. And as much as he sometimes wished he could let it all go; he couldn't just close up shop on someone else's company. It didn't sit right with him. So here he was, getting dressed in a suit he really didn't feel comfortable in, to go snoozy up to stuffy old men at a gala he really didn't want to go to. Besides, he reasoned, as he tied his tie and straightened the sleeves of his jacket, if Stane really was the mole, as he now suspected, was it not better to keep as close an eye on the other man as possible?
He stepped out of his bedroom, and made his way down to the garage. Clicking the button on his keys, he climbed into the Maserati and closed the door behind him. Flicking his wand to open the garage door and once more once he was out on the drive way to lock it, he sped off into the night. Within ten minutes he had stopped once more, slipping an earpiece in so that Edwin could notify him if anything important came up.
"You there?"
"Yes, sir".
As he climbed out of the car and tossed his keys to the stunned valet parking attendant, the crowds went nuts. He waved to the stunned journalists and winked, stopping to let them snap a few pictures. He grinned at Obi, standing at the top of the stairs waiting for him as he made his way over towards the crowd, shaking hands and even giving a few autographs. Eventually, feeling as though he'd tortured his operations officer enough, Harry bounded up the stairs, stopping next to the other man. Stane fed his arm around his shoulders, pulling him close. The sour sense of Obi's favoured cologne washed over him, and it was all the young wizard could do to keep from visibly wincing.
The journalists went mad, taking photos excitedly. Harry had to hand it to Stane; the man knew how to work a crowd.
"Good to see you here finally," the older man snarled in his ear. Harry raised an eyebrow. Whether he noticed or not, Obidiah didn't show it. He continued, gripping his shoulder firmly as he waved at the onlookers.
"Pepper's been here for over an hour now. I gave you a simple request; come here and run damage control with me, and try to be on time. You couldn't even manage that".
Harry lifted Stane's arm off of his shoulders, making a show of lifting the other man's hand into the air. He leaned over discreetly.
"It serves you right for giving me the wrong time for the apogee award ceremony" he returned icily. With that, he turned around, walking briskly into the room behind them, ignoring the disappointed jeers of the press outside.
He glanced around the room, taking a glass off of a passing tray as he glanced around, looking for Hermione in the crowd. Casting his eye towards the bar, he spotted something that made him snort and shake his head. Leaning against the bar, wearing a black strapless dress with her red hair combed back behind her ears, was Natasha Romanoff. Her gaze swept across the room, stopping on him as he stood there silently. The only sign of recognition was a small smirk, which anyone else would easily misinterpret as simple flirtations. She discreetly nodded her head, signifying for him to make his way over to her. He rolled his eyes, but walked over regardless. He stopped at the bar, sitting next to her.
"What are you doing here?"
"How are you feeling? Dean sends his regards."
"Fine. I'll get back to him. What are you doing here?"
"My Job actually," she replied lowly, a slight earthen husky tone to her voice. He raised an eyebrow imperceptivity. She continued. "My employers want to debrief you. They'd like to know how you escaped from Afghanistan. There have been…conflicting...reports."
He nodded slowly. In all honesty, he had been waiting for shield to show up and start asking questions. It was a little surprising they hadn't already sent Dean around. After all it was a well-known fact that the two were close friends. Any altercation over his survival would come better from the other wizard. Maybe they weren't quite so intelligent as they thought.
"Why did they send you over instead of dean?" he asked, curiously. She smirked once more.
"Two reasons. One, he's out of the country. Something strange in Africa. And two, they thought I might have an easier time of it with you." He snorted softly.
"Ah," he replied lightly, "seduction." She nodded blinking softly with her eyelashes fluttering. He laughed quietly.
"Well," he began happily, "why don't we dance?" she raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised he had agreed so readily. After a moment, she nodded, placing her own drink on the bar. As she turned around to do so, he tapped his earpiece, speaking softly as he moved away from her. "Find out what you can about Natasha Romanoff," he breathed softly.
"Of course, sir" Edwin's soft voice replied in his ear. Harry nodded, turning back towards her. Normally, he wouldn't risk it with such a beautiful woman after she'd admitted to spying on him, but he knew he could trust himself with her. The red hair reminded him too much of Ginny for anything to go too far. At least for the time being, that was. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to learn what shield knew. She turned around. He took her hand, leading her out onto the dance floor.
As they danced slowly, making small talk, neither giving away anything more than they wanted to, he cast a silent Legilimens and gently forced his way into her mind. He needed to be careful here. Not just to ensure she didn't have any training to prevent such a response, but to make sure he didn't learn anything she didn't want him knowing. A person's private life should remain just that, private. Even if they were spying on him. Harry couldn't very well hold a grudge against snape for abusing their lessons if he himself was going to take apart another person's personal life with abandon.
Shield knew bits and pieces, and suspected the rest. They had received some information from Dean and Romanoff's reports, and the rest was gleaned by sending agents in to capture some of the terrorists for questioning. So, he thought warily as he pulled back from her mind and they continued to dance, if shield already knew how he had escaped, what did they really want? And who did they want to talk to, Tony Stark? Or Harry Potter?
He and the others had been as careful as possible, doing anything humanly possible to ensure they weren't discovered. Not even MACUSA were aware of their presence. And as far as Harry was concerned, things were going to stay that way. The idea that shield might know who he really was concerned him massively. Although, if they did, nothing in Romanoff's mind gave it away. Then again, how much would the higher ups really share with her? They stopped, and as they parted, there was a slight tap on his shoulder.
Standing there in front of him with a soft grin on her face was Janet Van Dyne, a TV show host and fashion designer. He had met her and her husband, Hank Pym, at a scientific convention a few years back. At the time, still only half way through his work with Ed, he hadn't really understood too much of it. Whilst Hank had excitedly went on at length about his latest work, and Harry had pretended to understand it, Jan had rolled her eyes. The pair had hit it off almost instantly. She'd reminded him an awful lot of Ron in some ways. Later, as a favour, he'd appeared on her show as a guest. Since then, they'd developed a strong friendship between the three of them. He'd been meaning to catch up with them when he'd left for the middle-east.
Janet embraced him, and he hugged her back. She tilted her head up to look at him with a grin. "Hey Tones," she began, "glad you're alright." She pushed back his shirt, looking for any of the alleged tell-tale scars the media had claimed dotted his chest. Finding none, she shrugged before punching him lightly on the shoulder. "Worked pretty fast getting the plastic surgery to get rid of those scars, huh pal?" she said with a laugh. He chuckled and nodded, swinging an arm around her shoulder.
She glanced inquisitively at Romanoff, looking her up and down. "A new one already, huh Stark?" she asked teasingly. "I thought you weren't a fan of redheads." Romanoff cocked an eyebrow, glancing at him and he winced slightly. Way to go, Jan he cursed silently as he chuckled light-heartedly nonetheless.
"Well, I decided to see what all the fuss was about. And besides, you know me, any port in a storm." He grinned lecherously, wincing at his own words internally. Janet frowned winkling her nose in disgust, even as Natasha smirked. His friend whacked his Chest softly.
"Cad" she accused, smiling good-naturedly. She turned her gaze towards Romanoff.
"Sorry for the man child, I'm Janet Van Dyne. Who the hell are you?" Romanoff chuckled, shaking the proffered right hand.
"Natalie. Natalie Rushman."
"Nice to meet you Natalie, how did you meet our Tony?"
"My boss wants to do business with him". Harry nodded.
"Yes, tell them I'd be happy to speak with them about our mutual issue whenever they're ready", he replied with a nod. She nodded politely and left them on the dance floor. He and Janet watched silently as the spy left through the front door, taking her coat as she left. His friend turned to him. Her eyes sparkled mischievously.
"You always dance with the employees of respective business partners?" she asked, clearly amused. He glanced around quickly before leaning down. Janet and Hank had always struck him as good people. Neville had always liked the couple, so that in itself had been enough to secure brownie points in Harry's eyes. He was fairly certain he could trust the socialite to keep a secret.
"She works for shield," he whispered softly. She stared at him in shock.
"Shield!" she gasped out loud. He nodded, quickly pulling her away from the crowd, they stepped out onto the balcony, and he pulled the doors shut behind them. Maybe he had been mistaken in his trust, if she were just going to blurt it out without so much as a by-your-leave.
"Yes," he replied, nodding once more. Janet still seemed stunned.
"They want to know what happened in Afghanistan, and how I escaped," he told her. She blinked twice, before turning to watch Romanoff drive away from the car park. He moved to stand next to her, leaning down over the balcony slightly. She let out a low sigh.
"Be careful around shield, Tony," she implored taking in a deep lungful of the night air. He tilted his head down to look at her curiously. After a few moments, she continued. "Remember how I told you about when my father died." It wasn't a question. Harry nodded, wrapping an arm comfortingly around her shoulders.
"A few days after his death, shield turned up. They confiscated all his research, said it was a matter of 'national security'. Some guy with one eye. Said his name was fury." He rubbed her arm softly, soothing the trembling in her shoulder.
"Don't worry," he assured her. "I don't trust shield anymore then you do." She nodded, smiling sadly. "So," he began, eager to change the subject to something less gloomy, "where's Hank?" She snorted softly.
"He's over in Africa. He finally got a permit to get into Wakanda, so he's rushed in to conduct his 'vital research' there." Harry let out a low whistle. Wakanda. Sounded like some serious stuff. There wasn't much there that Hank could realistically be interested though. The only thing he could think of was Vibranium. Harry frowned slightly. Whatever the other scientist could want the elusive metal for, he had no idea. 'Might make for a decent suit one day' he thought off-handily. It would be a nightmare getting the locals to give up that much, but between he and Ed, with Harry's magic they could probably recreate it, or at least something close to it.
Suddenly, Janet's phone beeped, and she pulled it out. She stared at the screen for several moments. Harry could hear tidbits of what sounded like a battle, and saw flashes of light on the screen. She turned to him.
"Sorry, bud", she told him, looking flustered, "but I'm going to have to run." He nodded.
"Of course. Everything alright?" she stopped on the way back into the building, almost tripping as she did so.
"Ah yeah, of course" she replied, chuckling nervously, "just, something's come up. At work." He nodded, not quite believing her.
"Well alright then, you better get going", he told her. She nodded, rushing out the door before he could say anything else.
"I guess we'll just catch up later", he murmured to the empty night sky. "Night, then." Suddenly, Edwin's voice piped up in the ear piece.
"Sir," the old man began, sounding deeply disturbed, "you might want to get home. Something's come up. You'll want to see this". Harry nodded, despite knowing his friend could not see him.
"I'll be home soon, then".
-HPIM—
Edwin and Harry stood in the lab, watching the monitor on the wall. The pair watched as terrorists of the ten rings butchered civilians before their eyes. Stark weapons containers were piled up on trucks around the village as the mongrels fired into screaming crowds. Harry glared at the screen. "Where is this?" he demanded, glaring at the news as he curled his hand into a fist. Edwin shrugged.
"I'm not sure yet, sir," he replied, glancing at him warily, "they haven't said. Jarvis?"
"Sir?"
"Bring up satellite images for Mr. Stark and I, would you? See if you can triangulate a location."
"At once, sir", the AI replied. Images flashed on screen. One after another, all dismissed. Eventually, Jarvis found one which matched layouts that had been provided to the media. he responded carefully.
"Only a few hundred kilometres from your abduction site sir. In a town called Gulmira".
Harry let out a snarl, grinding his teeth as he turned slammed his fist into the table. Edwin jumped back as his magic flared to life, throwing computers, paperwork, and other equipment across the room. His old mentor placed a gentle hand on his elbow, encouraging him softly to take a breath. Harry nodded, teeth grit.
Stane, he thought, in a whirlwind of rage. Everything came back to him. The half smiles throughout the year, the uncomfortable hugs and carefully concealed greed in his eyes. He'd suspected Obie in the past, but always wrote it off as paranoia. This time though, it couldn't be. Stane was one of the few people who knew where he was being held, and one of the only ones who knew about Yinsen and Gulmira. He had to be the one dealing under the table. He snatched his phone out of his pocket, putting Hermione on speed dial. She picked up on the third ring.
"Are you alright," she asked as soon as she answered, "you left the gala in a hurry. I thought maybe something went wrong. Is it your chest? I can schedule an appointment if –"
"I think I know who our mole is," he told her. Beside him, Edwin gasped, though he ignored it, "But I need proof to get him. I need you to go to Stark Enterprises. Get into Stane's office, and pull up his records. It's him. He's the mole," he told her. She gasped.
"Are you – Are you sure?" she asked. He nodded.
"Pretty sure," he told her.
"well what are you going to do while I go to the company?" she demanded.
"I'm going to Gulmira" he replied darkly. Hanging up the phone, he snapped up at Jarvis. "load any old weapons we've got lying around the place into the suit. Let me know when it's done, then upload into the suit."
"Yes, sir". Edwin frowned.
"Are we sure this is wise, sir?" the old man asked. Harry shook his head.
"No, we're not. But I'm doing it regardless."
-HPIM—
He walked through the dessert towards a cave. With a wince at the heat, the heavy-set businessman dabbed a cloth along his sun-drenched brow, and nodded to his men to wait outside as he moved towards the entrance. Stepping in alone, he glanced around the cave interior. He'd come for two reasons; one, they had told him they had something he would want to see, and two, to settle the issues they were causing back home. The attack on Gulmira was stupid. If Stark decided to look into that, it wouldn't take long to trace back to Stane himself. No matter, he thought smugly, Stark would be dead soon regardless.
He moved silently through the cave, taking care not to let the stench hit him as he ducked his head below an overhanging rock. He found himself standing in a dark hot room lit only by flickering lamps as he made his way towards Raza. The other man glanced up at his approach, still facing away from him, towards the back wall of the cave.
"You came," the other man spoke softly. "I was not certain you would". He shrugged.
"You said you had something for me to see", he replied casually. Raza nodded.
"I did indeed. But I assumed you would send someone else in your stead. It seemed Stark would be watching you more carefully." Again, he shrugged, as he stopped next to the younger man.
"If what you've really got is even half as good as you claim, Stark won't be a problem much longer." Raza nodded, turning towards him. He blinked slightly at the other man, and for a second, felt bile rise in his throat. The other man's face was covered in burn scars and scabs. He rolled his shoulders back, steadying himself and schooling his features into a neutral mask.
"Well, let's see this masterful weapon then," he told the terrorist.
"Indeed".
The other man pulled a tarp off the table they were standing next too. Laying on the surface was some sort of metal suit. Obi picked up the helmet. It was dented in multiple places, and lined with scratches. The rivets holding the two halves in place were cracked and almost melted right through in places. The rectangular eye slits seemed for a maddening second to be staring back at him. He gazed at the rest. There was a small hole in the chest cavity, just large enough to fit one of the miniaturised arc reactors Tony had shown him after his return from Afghanistan. He picked up one of the pictures lying beside the armour. Sure enough, there in the chest hummed a small reactor.
Stane nodded. "So this is how he did it, then", he breathed. Raza grinned, showing stained yellow teeth.
"I will give you this prototype, you will use it to kill Stark. And then, once you control his company, in return, you will give me a legion of Iron Warriors".
He nodded, placing a hand on Raza's shoulder as he placed the mask back on the table.
"Yeah," he agreed, slipping a hand into his pocket, "yeah. There's just one problem with that; you tried to charge me double to kill Stark. I don't deal with extortionists."
Raza tried to run or call out for aid, but it was too late. Machine gun fire could be heard outside. He tightened his hold on the other man's shoulder. He shot once in the chest and twice in the throat. Tossing the gun aside, he walked out of the cave. Killing a man with his own hands for the first time was exhilarating; adrenaline rushed through his veins as he made his way back once more to the mercenaries outside.
Stepping once more into the sunlight, he found his men standing ready to respond. He turned to the leader.
"The package is secured, have it sent back to my warehouse stateside."
The young man nodded.
"Yes sir," the fool responded. Dealing with Hydra was distasteful, but they were willing to do anything. And they were discreet. Stepping over bodies and once more dabbing at his forehead, Obadiah Stane climbed into his chopper and left the middle-east.
-HPIM-
The flight from Malibu to Gulmira was a long one. And not all together the most pleasant experience all told either. Sleeping in the suit wasn't the most comfortable sensation so he would have to sit there and try his best to stay awake and alert when they arrived. He would need to find a way in the future to make it more comfortable. As they soared towards the village ahead, a tank shell flew towards them. Years of practice as a seeker payed off as he dodged the shot, and launched a bombarda from the runes inscribed around his wrist. The tank flipped through the air, landing on several of the terrorists. Shots rang out, as he manoeuvred around most of them. He allowed a few to ping harmlessly against the armour to test the durability of the new material. So far, so good. The Nitinol was holding up; he came to a landing in the middle of a group of gunmen, kicking up dust. They hastily fired, retreating backwards as they did so.
He caught one around the neck, slamming him into the ground. There was a sickening crush as the man's neck snapped back. A second and third fell to repulsor blasts. Another was taken out by a well-aimed stupefy from the runes. The fifth and sixth continued to fire, ducking behind cover. Jeeps sped into town, firing at running civilians. Without a second's hesitation, he intercepted the shots, the bullets ricocheting against the chest plate.
For a few terrifying moments, he was stuck under the hail of bullets. Then, suddenly, the shooting stopped, he heard several blasts and screaming, and everything fell silent. He glanced up, there, sitting on the roof of the jeep with her legs crossed over the windscreen was a woman in a yellow and black suit. She wore a simple pair of goggles over her eyes. Her brown hair was windswept. She beamed, waving at him with a wink.
He stared at her in stunned silence. She flew off the jeep with the aid of the wings protruding from the back of her suit, landing in front of him. "Hey there," she greeted, in a familiar voice, "I'm the wasp. Looks like you could use some help stinging these guys." He blinked, "J" he asked, "is that who I think it is?"
"I believe so, sir", the AI responded.
"Janet?" he asked, tilting his head. She blanched, leaping back as if she had just been stung herself. "You know me?" she asked. He nodded, removing his face plate. She let out a sharp gasp. He smiled sheepishly.
"Tony?" she whispered, shell-shocked, "you're the metal guy?" he nodded, placing his face plate back on. He turned towards the other end of the street.
"We can discuss later," he told her, leaping into D.A leader mode, "for now, we've got incoming." Sure enough, dozens of men and three tanks were rolling down the road towards them. He tilted his head down to walk at her as she stepped up next to him.
"you've got the riffraff, I'll deal with the heavies," he told her. She nodded with a grin hovering off the ground so that she was at eye level with him. She shot him a thumbs up, before shooting off towards the incoming fight.
"Sure thing, shellhead!" she shouted over her shoulder. He rolled his eyes turning towards the civillians.
"Get to cover" he instructed. They nodded, running towards a building off to the side of the street.
"Come on, Shelly!" came the excited voice behind him. He groaned, turning around to respond only to blink as she shrunk to the size of a few inches before his eyes.
Blinking and taking his own advice, he fired a repulsor at the lead tank before shooting into the air. The blast struck the tank on the side, derailing its track and forcing it to stop moving, as the others veered around it, they fired off a salvo. He dodged one blast, and threw up a protego rune to absorb the second. The third struck him in the chest, sending him careening towards the ground. He slowly stood, shaking off the shock of the blow as he did. With a groan, he fired a repulsor towards the stationary tank. This time, it struck the turret with an explosion which rocked the gun, tearing it in two. A Bombarda struck another tank, tearing a whole in the armour and destroying its tracks as well. A small missile to the first tore it to pieces, shielding Janet from the machine gun fire of the tanks through the haze of smoke.
He flew above the smokescreen, firing several blasts down onto the tanks. The second exploded sending debris and shrapnel everywhere. He soared down into a dive towards the third, landing on top of it. Tearing off the hatch, he hauled the crew out one by one tossing them aside and shooting each as they came loose. He kept a tight grip on the last one, knocking him out with a headbutt.
Leaping down into the smoke, he let his sensors guide him. One of the terrorists fired on him a few times, only to be taken out by a punch. He fought his way to Janet's side, and the two stood back to back in the centre of the street. Blasters felled gunmen on both sides. Any that got too close for comfort were taken out by a punch or stunning spell from harry on his side, and a well-timed kick from Janet on her side. She tilted her head around to glance at him.
"we can't keep this up much longer," she shouted. He nodded. The suit was starting to run low on power, and pushing his spells through the runes was exhausting. Not to mention he ran the risk of shorting out his own tech due to the increased magic usage. Flicking his hand to disarm a gunman aiming at Janet with an Expelliarmus, he hit upon an idea.
"Duck," he told her. Grimmly, she nodded, dropping to her knees and shrinking once more. He stretched his arms out to either side, launching incendio runes. Spurts of flame shot from his hands, spreading to engulf the now screaming terrorists. He turned a few times in a circle, holding the spell for as long as he could. As he felt his energy give out, and fell to one knee panting, he killed the spell.
Surrounded by the fallen bodies, he slumped back, falling into a sitting position. Janet sat beside him, returning to her normal height.
"Not- Not bad, Shellie" she panted. He nodded slowly, tilting his head up to regard her.
"Not bad yourself, bug" she giggled slightly. As they sat there silently in the middle of the street, each catching their breath, doors slowly creaked open. families carefully inched out of previously barricaded houses. It began as a small tickle of curious bystanders, stepping out to make sure it was safe. Within a few moments, they were spilling out in a massive wave. The two glanced at each other, and Janet stood, slowly pulling Harry to his feet.
A great cheer went up amongst the villagers around them. Children ran towards them, gazing up in awe. Janet, smiled kneeling down once more so that they were at eye level with them. The children laughed and cheered, speaking quickly to one another in Arabic. He allowed them to tap their fists against his metallic arms and legs. They giggled at the sounds, placing their ears up against the metal and tapping it with their fingers. Parents streamed forward as well, and again and again, Harry felt his hand being gripped and shaken. He smiled, assuring them they didn't need to thank him; it had been a pleasure.
As Janet handled the crowd, he carefully made his way over to the unconscious man he had tossed aside after tearing him from the tank. With a silent Legilimens, he forced his way into the other man's mind. Unlike Romanoff, he was not gentle, instead tearing the necessary information from his brain. He saw them preparing to abduct him, saw them telling Stane the price had just doubled, and saw Raza order this man and his group to attack Gulmira and collect the 'Stane enterprises' weapons caches their business partner had left for them.
Moreover, images flashed across his mind of the horrors they had committed against the townsfolk. Assaults on young women, both ordered and perpetrated by the thing in his grip, as well as brutal murders were widespread.
"Mr. Stark, Sir," Jarvis' voice sounded in his ear, "I have received a video message from Miss Potts". He loosened his vice grip on the now conscious, blubbering man as he responded, still refusing to let him go.
"Play it, Jay" he ordered. The video popped up on the screen, playing in the background of his HUD. Hermione was sitting in Stane's office, looking panicked.
"Tony," she hissed, "you were right. Stane's the mole. I found a video proving it. He tried to kill you, in Afghanistan!" Harry nodded, trying to soothe her by assuring her he was safe.
"I know," he continued, "I forced it out of one of the terrorists. You've got to get out of there, ok? Pepper – Pepper…" he trailed off as the screen changed and Hermione's head slumped against the desk.
"Don't worry," Stane told him, his face appearing on screen, "She's not dead. Not yet. I just knocked her out. Serves her right for spying though, wouldn't you agree Tony?"
Harry glared at him. "You're not getting away with this Stane," he assured coldly. The other man sighed softly, before raising a finger to his lips.
"Shush now, Stark. You wouldn't want anything to happen to Pepper, would you? Her, or that little old butler of yours. You know, if you hadn't involved them, I would have let them be, left them well enough alone. Then, you had to go and get them involved. You didn't think there weren't security measures on my office, did you? Oh, Tony, Tony, Tony. You forget, I learned the business from Howard Stark".
"Now, you hurry back from Gulmira, and we can finish this. Oh, and Tony? Don't forget your suit, now". With that, the video cut off, and he dragged the kicking and screaming terrorist towards the crowd. The villagers parted as they approached, allowing him an easy path to Janet.
"We have to go. Now!" He told her. She nodded, springing to her feet and flying off into the air to the disappointment of her adoring crowd of child fans. Harry pushed the scumbag towards the group of townspeople.
"This one's all yours," he told them, pushing his thrusters to propel him off the ground after Janet. He caught up to her mid-flight easily enough.
"What's going on?" she called over the wind. He hesitated a few moments before answering. If they were going to work together, he would have to trust her.
"Obie was the one who tried to have me killed in Afghanistan. He's kidnapped Pepper now, and he'll be going after Happy or Edwin next!" She nodded, looking grim.
"We better get back then!"
-HPIM—
They Flew in through the roof of the house about eight hours later. 'And not a moment too soon', he thought grimly. The suit was running on emergency backup power, practically dead. Harry stepped out of the armour, leaving it in the lounge room half assembled. Janet crept ahead of him to provide cover so he could slip down into the lab and get another reactor. Heavy footsteps followed by gunfire caught their attention, and they rushed off towards the foyer. Throwing themselves behind the bannister of the stairs, Harry carefully raised his head to look.
Edwin was standing at the foot of the stairs, out of breath and with shrivelled hair. The doors had been forced open by a group of heavily armed assailants; no doubt sent by Stane. One of the men rushed past the broken doors, only for Edwin to blast him with a shot to the knee from Howard's old hunting rifle. Janet sprang into action, grabbing Edwin and zipping back upstairs.
"Sir, Miss Van Dyne?" the old man asked, stunned, yet recognising Janet at once. Harry nodded, placing a hand on Edwin's shoulder.
"Are you alright?" he asked. The old man nodded as Janet fired blasters to keep the other attackers from coming up the stairs.
"I am unharmed, sir" he responded, "although Jarvis has been taken offline, and the lab ransacked. Harry frowned slightly, fearing what might have been stolen. Almost afraid to ask, he spoke softly.
"So, what did they take?" Edwin looked shaken at the memories.
"It was Stane, sir. He immobilised me, took the spare arc reactors from the lab. He had a suit as well. The original prototype. He altered it somehow though". Harry nodded.
"Hermione?" he asked urgently, "was Hermione with him?"
"No," came Neville's voice from behind them. The other man came running towards them, carrying several weapons. Edwin pushed a small object into Harry's hand. He glanced down at it; an arc reactor. The original.
"Happy and I will take out the trash, sir. you and Miss Van Dyne need to take care of Stane." Harry nodded, placing a hand on Janet's shoulder. Together, they left the two men to fight off the invaders.
They approached the armour. Harry carefully started slipping it back on. He glanced at Janet. "I'm going to need someone to help me lock all this into place, and my bots are offline at the moment." Biting her lip as she glanced at the unfamiliar technology, she shook her head worriedly. Harry sighed. He gripped her hands.
"Don't worry, I'll walk you through it. But I need the suit up and running, Jan."
Between the pair of them, they had managed to get the suit working once again and were on their way to Stark Enterprises after about ten to fifteen minutes. The entire time, gunfire could be clearly heard throughout the house.
-HPIM—
Still they kept coming. He and Edwin fired like mad on the advancing horde, but nothing slowed down the stem of invaders. He glanced at Edwin, then behind them. Janet and Harry were gone. It was just the two of them. Thinking fast, he turned to the old man beside him.
"Edwin".
"yes, Mr. Longbottom?"
"Go down to the lab, get the computer back on. Harry's probably going to need as much help as he can get". The wizened old muggle looked at him worriedly, shaking his head.
"No," he stubbornly replied. "If I go, you won't hold the front doors." Neville smirked.
"Oh, yes I will," he assured, lifting up his shirt to reveal the wand holster attached to his hip. Edwin nodded, catching on.
The old man stood, fired the rifle once more. One of their enemies dropped to his knees, the shot slamming into his neck. The attacker fell forwards onto his chest. The old man stood and shuffled as quickly as he could towards the stairwell leading to the labs. Neville dropped his gun, and stood up, wand at the ready.
A disarming charm struck one as he was coming through the door, followed by a Sectumsempra. A fine mist of blood sprayed forth from his neck, and he fell to the ground, dead. The fellow beside him shouted out a warning to the others, screaming a single word; "enhanced".
A blasting curse struck him centre mass, shattering his chest and ribs and he joined his companions on the floor of the house. Four more rushed forwards at once, firing as they went. The bullets bounced harmlessly off his shield charm. He returned fire, whips of flame spewing forth from his wand. The group were engulfed in the heat, screaming as they burnt to death.
Without warning, the house was rocked by a force like a thunder bolt, and everything shook. A massive chunk of the roof caved inwards, falling towards him. With a split second's thought, he apparated out of the way. Without warning, a searing pain shot through his entire body. He had splinched himself.
As he fell onto his back, his left leg ending in a stump at his knee, a helicopter roared overhead, and soldiers were ziplining in through the massive hole in the ceiling. Neville Longbottom grit his teeth, and shut his eyes. With luck, he mused, hiding his wand behind his back, they would think he was unconscious.