Hi all!
We are at the second-to-last chapter! How has it been nearly 9 weeks already since I started posting?
The good news is that I finally finished the first chapter of AOU (10,000 words!). My co-writer for the transcript is still writing it... They're around an hour into the movie now. I probably won't be able to give a definite answer next week as to when I plan to post AOU as I'd like the AOU transcript finished before I start posting. But I'll probably delay posting until at least September time. I'm also currently working on character reactions to AOU and the Civil War transcript.
My co-author for Spider-Man: Homecoming has also made contact and they are still on board. I hope to see their progress soon.
In other news... I'm due back to work on Thursday where I will be returning to doing late shifts and weekends so some weeks I will be working 6 days a week. This may impact my writing time but with my late shifts I can stay up late the evening before to write and I usually have time when I'm doing my lates/weekends at work to get some writing in too as I have a small laptop I take with me. It is very possible I may get more writing done. But we will see.
I hope you all enjoy this next chapter!
Understanding the Real Hero: Iron Man 3
Nine
Tony and Rhodey have arrived at the Oil Rig where the Oil Tanker is docked. Rhodey asks Tony if he is going to freak out on him or not. Tony hopes he doesn't. They make their way closer to the Oil Tanker. Rhodey looks up and sees the President strung up over the Oil Tanker.
"Oh, my God. He's strung up over the Oil Tanker. They're gonna light him up, man."
"Viking funeral. Public execution," said Tony.
"Yeah, death by oil," agreed Rhodey.
They run across and up some stairs to get closer to the President.
"And they intended to broadcast this?" Sam looked livid. "How could they do that? Hack their airwaves and force the American citizens to watch as they brutally execute the President?"
"Killian believed he would be able to get away with it," explained Rhodey. "Remember, he intended for his fake Mandarin to take responsibility. No doubt he would have sold Trevor out. Made himself a hero by taking down the man 'responsible' for murdering the President. It would have promoted Extremis too, thereby allowing the President's replacement to authorise its use. Killian would be in the millions."
Steve glowered at the screen. "And no one would have suspected anything amiss?"
"SHIELD would have," said Natasha. "But…" She chewed her lower lip. "HYDRA would have obscured the truth from us. We would have found out the extent of it when we exposed SHIELD a year later."
"But would you have been able to still expose HYDRA?" queried Bruce. "If Killian's plot had worked and Extremis had been authorised for use…" He trailed off, leaving the thought open for someone else to finish.
It was Wanda who did. "A lot could have changed."
"HYDRA could have easily murdered the Avengers with ease if they had access to unstable Extremis…" Rhodey shuddered at the thought at how badly things could have gone if he and Tony had not been able to expose Killian and put a stop to Extremis research. "It's not an entertaining thought…"
Over a PA system it is announced broadcast will commence shortly and for people to take final positions. Killian is asking the technicians to give him cameras through A and E and they will do a full tech rehearsal.
Sam shook his head. "Beggar's belief none of these technicians had any ounce of guilt over this. Did they think it wasn't real?"
"They were just measly technicians who were paid a low salary," explained Tony. "Trust me, they were just grateful for a job. They didn't really know the extent of Killian's plot. Nor did some of them realise it was the actual President they were about to oversee his execution. It's complicated… Killian kept them away from the media, paid for them to stay in luxurious houses so they didn't realise the extent of how far Killian was willing to go. Some of them were completely loyal to Killian though. Those that were proven to be complicit in his plot were given prison sentences. Those that were simply manipulated and deceived into working for him were given community sentences."
Bucky sighed. "Must have been hard for the authorities to work out who was close to Killian and who wasn't."
Rhodey shrugged. "Not really. Killian was helpful in that he had a lot of it already stored on his personal files, of which the Government – and Tony – hacked into his system during the clear out. They still had to be punished, just not as severely as those who really knew what was going on."
They are now on the oil rig, slowly working their way forward. "Is your gun up?" asks Rhodey.
Tony raises his gun. "Yep. What do I do?"
"Liar," muttered Rhodey, rolling his eyes.
Tony grinned.
"Stay on my six, cover high and don't shoot me in the back."
Tony acknowledges.
Suddenly someone shoots them from above with a machine gun, bullets ricocheting around them. Tony and Rhodey fire back as they try to seek cover. They get behind metal containers, staying as low as possible. Tony said he had nailed it. However, Rhodey said he hadn't killed the glass.
"You think I was aiming for the bulb? You can't hit a bulb at this distance."
Both Sam and Bucky snorted. Rhodey grinned at their reaction.
"I killed people who were a pinprick away from me in the distance," said Bucky. "As the Winter Soldier, it was very possible to do that."
"But you were enhanced," pointed out Tony. "It was expected of you."
Rhodey chuckled, folding his arms across his chest. "And, yet, I still managed to take out the bulb without any enhancements."
Rhodey breaks cover, fires a bullet and hits the bulb, shutting off the light above them.
"Show-off," muttered Tony.
Another announcement goes out that they have hostiles on east unit twelve. Tony asks for more magazines however Rhodey points out they are not universal. Tony says he knows what he is doing as he makes this stuff and needs another one. Rhodey doesn't have one that fits the gun Tony is using. Tony points out that Rhodey has five of them. Tony jumps up to briefly look out and Rhodey asks him what he saw.
"Too fast. Nothing. Here we go." Tony peeks up again, slower this time, and moves back down. "Three guys, one girl, all armed."
The Extremis soldiers are all leaping down towards their location and they both stand from behind their cover. Rhodey has his gun raised as more men surround them from all positions.
"God, I would kill for some armour right now," said Rhodey.
"Good thing Tony initiated the House Party Protocol then," grinned Sam.
"I did wonder how the President was saved," mused Natasha. "The reports were always very unclear. Two of you against an army of Extremis soldiers doesn't look good when you have only standard weapons… but with all of those suits at your back, you have an army."
"Exactly," smiled Tony. "I may have built more suits than I really needed but they all came in use at the end. I may have had so many to help me protect Pepper, but, ultimately, it enabled me to bring them to a fight I knew we would struggle to win without significant back-up. I knew I wasn't a match for Killian without my armour. I needed it if I was going to face him."
Tony agrees. "You're right. We need backup."
"Yeah, a bunch."
"You know what?" Tony nodded at something in the distance, whooshing towards them.
"Is that…?" Rhodey started.
"Yep."
"Are those…?" Rhodey trails off again.
"Yeah."
Rhodey shook his head, a small grin crossing his face. "Honestly, I felt Christmas had come early with that view. Seeing them all there it gave me hope we had a chance to save the President and stop Killian without dying ourselves."
"It obviously worked because you are both still here," noted Steve.
Tony hesitated then. "The win wasn't without its emotional scars though." His mind flashed back to Pepper falling into the fire below, where he had nearly lost her… He blinked the images away. He didn't need to be reminded of it, not when he knew he would see it all again very soon.
Dozens of Iron Man suits fly off piloted by JARVIS. They surround the Oil Rig. Tony knocks Rhodey's shoulder. "Merry Christmas, buddy." He talks into an ear piece. "JARVIS, target Extremis heat signatures. Disable with extreme prejudice."
Tony leaned into Rhodey. "I really should have told JARVIS not to attack Pepper's Extremis signature. In that moment, I didn't think of it."
Rhodey twisted in his seat. "Everything happened so fast, Tones, we can't dwell on what we did wrong. Besides, it all worked out for the best."
"It nearly didn't though," muttered Tony. Rhodey was right, however.
JARVIS's voice echoes out from the armours. "Yes, sir!"
Tony steps forward, rising his arms. "What are you waiting for? It's Christmas. Take them to church."
Steve raised his eyebrow. "Interesting way to put it."
The suits attack. One suit finds four Extremis soldiers up high, dismantles the suit and flies at the soldiers, knocking them off their high positions. Some suits are being torn to pieces by the Extremis soldiers but JARVIS redirects one suit to fly over and explode on impact, taking out the soldier at the same time.
The explosion damages the foundations of the Oil Rig and Tony orders JARVIS to get Igor to steady it. A large Iron Man suit runs into position, engaging clamps on the top of its back to hold the metal in place.
"Igor?" Clint turned to Tony. "Why that name?"
"Igor means Warrior," answered Tony. "It's a clumpy suit with one purpose designed for it. It was mainly used for construction purposes but I chose Igor because in war, he'd probably come in very useful due to the design of the suit and how it can use brute strength to take down a legion of armed soldiers easily with little damage to itself."
Clint wasn't convinced by the name but chose not to pursue Tony's reasoning further.
Rhodey is impressed. "This is how you've been managing your down time, huh?"
"Everybody needs a hobby," said Tony. He sees one of the suits needing help. "Heartbreaker, help Red Snapper out, will you?" The suit acts on command however Heartbreaker is only able to get rid of two of the soldiers attacking Red Snapper. Red Snapper's faceplate is torn off and the suit flies into a container, exploding on impact, taking out the Extremis soldier that had still been on the suit.
The resulting explosion knocks the command centre Killian and Pepper are in and she goes flying into rubble.
Tony winced. He hadn't known it had been one of the suits which had caused Pepper to become trapped under rubble in the command centre. His fault, again.
A suit engulfs Tony, giving him control of a suit at last. Rhodey asks for a suit and Tony informs him they are only coded to him. Rhodey asks what does that mean and Tony tells him that he has Rhodey covered. Tony flies off just as another suit lands piloted by JARVIS who asks him if he can give the Colonel a lift.
Sam smirked.
"Not funny," grated Rhodey. He shot a glance at Tony. "I'm going to have to find a way where you are not coded to the War Machine suit."
Tony grinned. "Not gonna happen. Not whilst I'm in charge of maintenance and upgrades. Only way you will get your hands on my Iron Man suits is if I'm dead."
Rhodey shuddered. "Please don't joke about that. I'd rather you were around for a long time to come. As much as others here may not believe the world need you, it does."
Tony grimaced. He didn't believe the world did need him. But that was when the voice chose to spoke up for the first time in hours.
The world does need you, Tony Stark. You will soon see how important you really are.
Tony's pessimism didn't allow him to believe it, but he could see the thoughtful expressions on the other's faces.
Rhodey rolls his eyes. "Very funny." He grips the suit as JARVIS flies him upwards.
Someone tries to leap onto the suit as Rhodey flies upwards. JARVIS twists the suit in mid-air and Rhodey leaps off onto a higher walkway. Two Extremis soldiers run towards him but another Iron Man suit lands in front of Rhodey and slams its fists down onto the plating, launching the soldiers into the air, who are then blasted by another Iron Man suit flying past.
"JARIVS always had your back, Colonel," intoned Vision.
JARVIS informs Tony that he has located Ms. Potts. Tony flies to her location inside the command centre and finds Pepper trapped underneath rubble. She is still alive. Tony tries to lift it but it startles Pepper and she sees a sharp object close to her. She tells Tony to stop and to put it down. He does so and gets on his knees to see her. He lifts the face-plate up so they can see each other properly.
"See what happens when you hang out with my ex-girlfriends?" He holds a hand out to her.
"Why did you have to say that?" Sam groaned, shaking his head. "Not something you should say when the woman you love is in a precarious position."
"You're such a jerk," winces Pepper.
"She's right about that," muttered Clint. For once, Steve agreed with him and didn't reprimand him for his slight on Tony.
"Yep," he agrees. "We'll talk about it over dinner." The metal creaks above Pepper and she reaches out to him. Tony keeps on encouraging her. "Come on. A little more, baby." Pepper is straining and her fingers are just close enough to touch Tony's gauntlet fingers but not enough to get a grip and pull her free.
Suddenly a hand pushes through the metal below Tony and grasps the arc Reactor in the suit, destroying it. Tony pulls away and lays on his back. Killian pulls himself through the gap. He asks if Tony is bothering Pepper. "Don't get up," he tells Tony. He leans over the suit, his finger beginning to burn the chest piece. "Ooh. Is it hot in there? Stuck? Do you feel a little stuck? Like a little turtle, cooking in his little turtle suit."
Tony is starting to feel the pressure of the burning metal on his chest. Pepper calls out his name desperately. Tony grunts.
"You really need to get out of the suit…" cautioned Steve.
"I had a plan, don't worry."
"She's watching. I think you should close your eyes. Close your eyes." Killian's voice gets harsher as Tony refuses to comply. "Close your eyes!"
Tony tries to warn Killian through his eyes.
"You don't want to see this," warns Killian as his skin turns orange and he prepares to kill Tony. But Tony acts and a sharp knife erupts from the suit of the arm cutting off Killian's arm. It begins to burn through the floor.
Tony grinned. "See, told you I had a plan. All my suits have different things I could have used in that situation. Even without the Arc Reactor, there were still a few functions which worked, especially those with a manual release. I ensured I had back-up weapons if I did lose power to the suit. I wasn't going to keep myself defenceless."
Steve paused. "But in Siberia…" He stopped when he saw Tony's look. The other Avengers still didn't know what had gone down there. He recalled destroying the Arc Reactor in the suit, killing all power. If Tony still had other weapons, he could have used, why didn't he try to continue the fight? He'd have to ask him about it when they reached that fight as it seemed that may be the only time Tony would be willing to talk about it.
"Yeah, you take a minute."
The arm burns through the metal floor and it frees Pepper from the wreckage and she falls down onto a moving crane. Tony ejects himself from his suit and he tries to follow the crane Pepper is on outside, whilst the suits fend off Extremis soldiers as they come after him.
The crane is heading towards a broken part of the rail. Tony begins to run along the walkway. "JARVIS, give me a suit right now!" He's about to leap into a suit but it is blasted out of his way and Tony has to continue his running trajectory towards Pepper.
Bucky cringed. "Unlucky. If you're gonna reach her, you need a suit."
Rhodey looks down from some railing above at the President. He tells him to hold on and that he is coming. Two Extremis soldiers follow him as he zip-wires onto a container. He shoots both the soldiers but Extremis heals them. They run towards him. Rhodey ducks and they burn through the wiring holding the container in place up high. Rhodey grabs onto the side as the two soldiers look down on him from above.
He blasts the last rope holding the end part of it up and the soldiers go flying off as Rhodey swings with the container towards the President. He latches onto the suit as the container falls to the ground and explodes on impact on top of the oil tanker. As the explosion rockets up towards them, Rhodey tells the President to brace himself and uses the repulsor to blast through one of the chains holding the President in place.
The land on the other side of the Oil Rig and Rhodey blasts the last restraints free and the President, in the Iron Patriot suit, falls safely back to the ground. "You look damn good, Mr President, but I'm gonna need that suit back."
"That was lucky," breathed out Steve. "Too close."
"I know," answered Rhodey. "One wrong action and we would both have perished. I didn't have a choice with the container though."
Tony is still running after Pepper. He takes a running jump and leaps onto the crane where Pepper is.
"I was running on adrenaline there," commented Tony, feeling a bit terrified of what was to come next. He didn't want to relieve Pepper's fall in to the fire. She's fine and safe, Tony. She's gonna be your wife one day!
"The President is secure, Tony. I'm clearing the area," Rhodey informs him over the earpieces, now back in the Iron Patriot armour.
"Nice work," said Tony."
Rhodey puts his arm around the President. "Ready, sir?"
President Ellis puts his arm around Rhodey's neck. "What do you mean 'ready'?"
Rhodey blasts off and the President screams taking him to safety.
"The President really didn't like his experience as a passenger of War Machine," grinned Rhodey. "He said as much to me when we landed."
"Where did you take him?" asked Steve.
"Nearest Air Force base," supplied Rhodey. "From there we co-ordinated the arrest of the Vice-President after Tony and Pepper had joined us. It was the safest place to be when we needed to be sure who we did need to arrest in connection with Killian."
Steve nodded his head. "Understandable."
Tony climbs up to Pepper's position. He reaches for her as the crane continues to move forward. "Pep, I got you. Relax, I got you. Just look at me! Honey, I can't reach any further and you can't stay there. All right? You've got to let go. You've got to let go! I'll catch you; I promise!"
Pepper believes him.
But then the piece Pepper is on is knocked hard and shifts Pepper's position and Tony misses catching her by inches as their fingers barely brush against each other. "NO!"
Pepper falls towards the flames below and a fiery grave as Tony watches on.
Tony closed his eyes. That moment had been one of the worst moments of his life. He never wanted to be in the position where he thought Pepper was dead again.
Steve reached out. "Tony? I – we – didn't know…"
"Not many people do. Only Rhodey. Watching her fall like that… I thought I'd lost her. I had nothing left to live for if she was gone…"
"But she lived," pointed out Sam quietly.
Tony nodded. "She did." He rubbed his eyes, straightening his posture as he tried to ignore the image burning in his mind: of Pepper's expression as she fell, and her body being consumed by fire. He took in a deep breath. "We're nearly at the end. Let's… Let's finish this."
To be continued...
Please let me know what you think!
Fun fact: Igor does mean Warrior in Russian.
The final chapter of this story will be posted next Sunday 18th July.
Until then,
the-writer1988