It felt better than Clint had expected to once more be standing inside the training room at the Compound. Strange, but good. The last time he'd been here had been when the team needed an extra hand to go after a Hydra group and they'd called Clint in for some assistance. Laura had sent him out with the warning to not come back for a week, and the mission had been done in just a weekend, so it'd left Clint some time to hang out with his friends. They'd had a lot of fun, laughing and training and just hanging out together. They'd stood in this training room and sparred together, placing bets on who would win each fight, or how long each one of them would stand up against Nat.
Clint forced himself to shake off those memories. That wasn't how things were anymore. Most of their team was gone, hiding out in Wakanda, and what was left… his eyes drifted over to Tony, who stood with Spencer, Peter, and Jim. The genius was smiling in a way that Clint hadn't seen since, well, since they lived at Stark Tower. Towards the end of their time there, when everyone was comfortable, when they were all pretty happy. Tony had smiled like that at them. He'd smiled and he'd meant it, lighting up even his eyes. How had they not noticed when it stopped?
But, he was doing it now as he looked down at the two teens with open fondness. There were no masks; just an honest affection that reminded Clint so much of how he looked at his own children. It was there, bright and strong, as Tony laughed at something Peter said and clapped him on the shoulder. And it was there to a smaller degree, new and still growing, when he turned that smile Spencer's direction.
This Civil War had taken away most of Tony's family. Yet somehow, he managed to find himself a new one. A better one. One that Clint realized he was lucky enough to be invited in to.
He didn't think about the soft look that might be on his face from watching them. Not until Tony finally made his way over to join Clint on the sidelines while the two teens followed Jim's directions to square off. When Tony got close, he cast a curious look Clint's way. Then his nose wrinkled up. "Gross. No being sentimental in the training room."
Clint's soft smile stretched wider. "Afraid of getting a little feelings on your macho here, Stark?"
"Remind me again why I let you in here?"
"I'm just that adorable," Clint said easily. "And because you want me to train your kids."
It took everything Clint had not to laugh at the way his words made Tony splutter. The genius turned to him, hands waving and his expressions hilarious as he tried to deny it. "Would you quit calling them my kids – they're not mine. I think I'd know if I had kids, Birdbrain. No, no, no, no, no, you're the only Dad on this team. I'd make a terrible parent!"
The worst part was, he honestly believed that. Clint snorted and shook his head. "Just keep telling yourself that."
As Tony continued to protest, Clint turned his focus to the fight that had just started. Already he was looking them over and analyzing the way that they moved. He'd taught a few classes for SHIELD now and again. Being an instructor wasn't anything new to him. Hell, he'd even made sure to teach his kids a thing or two. So this wasn't new to him. He watched with a practiced eye as the kids sparred together.
"They're not bad," he told Tony, cutting off whatever he'd been saying. Tilting his head, Clint watched as Peter dropped down and spun a leg out. He was fast enough that he got Spencer and sent him tumbling. However, Spencer didn't stay on the ground for long. He went with the momentum of the fall and rolled away from Peter until he could shove back up to his feet. Nice. "Neither one of them are. With a little refinement, they'd be a hell of a threat."
"Peter's been doing this a while. Best as I've been able to tell, he's mostly self-taught."
Yeah, he could see that. The kid was all instinct and reflexes. It looked like he knew a few moves, but they were still new to him, still something he had to think about.
On the opposite end, Spencer was quite different. A lot of the moves looked like something he knew, he just… Clint watched his face carefully. He didn't seem comfortable doing them. Or confident. Like he didn't quite trust that his body was going to be able to do it. There was something else there, though. Something that he wasn't quite sure of. The archer watched Spencer's face closely as he and Peter came together again. As Spencer swung at Peter… there! Clint took in the look on his face and it all clicked into place. Shit.
He snuck a look over at Tony. This probably wasn't going to go over well. "Spencer… you said he's an empath, right?"
Tony nodded his head. "Yeah. Why?"
Yeah, that's what he thought. Damn. Clint looked back out at the two. Now that he was watching for it, it was so much easier to see. "How good is his shielding?"
"Better on some days than others. Why?" Tony's attention was fully on Clint now. He obviously realized that the archer had noticed something.
Clint tilted his head and watched as Spencer delivered another blow. Yet again, he caught the little wince as he did, the miniscule break in Spencer's stride. "Look – watch him when he connects a hit." It didn't take long for Spencer to do it again. When he did, Clint pointed. "There, in his face. You see?"
There was a brief pause before Tony let out a long, low stream of curses that Clint found kind of impressive. "How did we not notice this?"
"I doubt he wanted you to know."
Now that they knew, though, there was no way of unseeing it. They watched as Spencer landed a blow to Peter's thigh, and it looked like Spencer winced more than Peter did.
"More likely he didn't think it was worth mentioning." Tony grumbled. "Idiot. Finding out there's something wrong with him is like pulling teeth. He's worse than Peter is!"
Now if that wasn't the pot calling the kettle black. Clint looked over at Tony and arched an eyebrow at the man. "Guess he'll fit right in around here then, won't he?"
It was kind of rewarding to watch the hint of color that touched at Tony's cheeks before he managed to chase it away. "Shut up." Before Clint could say anything, Tony rushed on. "How the hell do we stop it? If he's feeling the pain he causes people while fighting, it's no wonder he's not usually happy to spar. There's got to be some way we can help him learn how to block it out."
"Didn't you say Strange was coming by today to help him work on his shields?"
"Yeah. He was gonna come work with the kid for a few hours and then spend some time with the rest of us to teach us how to shield, so if he ever gets overloaded we'll know how to keep from hurting him."
Clint nodded his head. That sounded like a smart plan. It was definitely something he was going to sit in on. Especially if he was going to train these boys. Because he wasn't going to keep them fighting each other, not right now. No, they were going to spar against him for a while. Knowing how to keep Spencer from feeling what he felt would be helpful. "It sounds like you're already doing your best to help, then. That's all any of us can do."
The both of them turned to watch once more as the teens came together again. They'd both hit the mats more than a few times so far, but it looked like Peter was finally starting to get the advantage. Or, at least, it looked that way. One second he was reaching out for Spencer, and the next, the smaller teen caught hold of Peter's wrist and twisted it, spinning his arm at the same time that he managed to catch his legs. Clint was impressed as he watched the two hit the mats. Peter ended up on his stomach, both wrists drawn high up his back and one knee between his shoulders.
Then, in a move that practically screamed cop, Spencer actually reached one hand backwards as if to grab a pair of handcuffs.
Clint had to laugh at that. Especially when Spencer let Peter up and Peter immediately spun to him and exclaimed "Dude! You've got to show me how you did that!"
Amusement had Clint looking to Tony, who was grinning at the teens. "Are they always like this?"
"You've got no idea," Tony answered, chuckling a little. He had that happy look on his face again. Whatever else came from this whole situation, there was no denying that these boys were good for the engineer. "Wait until you see their final fight."
It took a little while before their final fight. First, the boys had a few more simple rounds of sparring, with Jim correcting them here and there when they made mistakes, or showing them how to improve on something. Clint and Tony ended up leaning against the wall to watch the two as they went through what Tony said was a typical morning for them. Occasionally, Jim had them freeze so he could step in and show them what they were doing wrong. He'd move Peter's body, adjusting an arm or a leg into the right position, though it didn't escape Clint's notice that he didn't touch Spencer at all, not even hovering his hands over him.
Eventually, their sparring was done, and Clint felt it as Tony started to pay more attention beside him. It had Clint paying a bit more attention, too.
"All right, wait until I clear the floor, and then you two know the rules here," Jim told them.
The two squared off in the middle of the room and waited until Jim reached the spot where Clint and Tony were. Once he was settled, the man yelled out "Go!"
What came next had Clint's full attention. Peter and Spencer started to spar again – only this time, they both used their powers.
Clint had to admit he was impressed. It never got old, seeing all these powers that people had. Especially when he knew those powers were on his side and not against him. Over the past couple nights he'd gotten a chance to see the two fight in various scenarios; nothing like this, though. Here, they weren't holding back. This was actual exercise for the both of them. And it was kind of awesome.
Peter was great on his webs. They gave him an extra sense of grace that easily translated over into his moves. He was quicker, more on-point, and seemed to be dodging Spencer's moves in an instinctive way that shouldn't have been possible, yet was. He had no issues with going up into the air to escape a move – and neither did Spencer.
The energy board that Spencer used on patrol didn't show up like Clint expected it to when Peter took to the ceiling. Instead, he watched as Spencer flung a hand up and sent a ball of energy flying Peter's way. He must've been using low powered ones or something because they hit the ceiling and didn't explode. They did, however, make Peter jump backwards, slowly moving out of the way. It took a minute for Clint to realize that Spencer wasn't just throwing randomly – he was herding Peter somewhere.
Peter seemed to realize it too.
One minute he was dodging backwards, avoiding Spencer's blasts, and the next second he stunned the room completely by webbing off to the side and darting around a blast.
He made it around the first.
He didn't make it around the second.
Clint watched as the energy blast hit Peter right on his hip. He'd expected it to do nothing, the same as it seemed to do when it hit the ceiling. Only, when it hit Peter and the teen reacted, Clint realized that those blasts hadn't been doing 'nothing' to the ceiling. They'd been electrifying it. Safely dispersing the energy without harming Peter.
Spencer's cry echoed out just seconds before the blast connected with Peter. Everyone watched as the jolt hit Peter and the boy's whole body jerked like he was being electrocuted. Tony was swearing and shooting forward, and Clint found himself moving as well, as if they could do something, only Spencer was moving even faster. He was on his board in a flash so fast they barely even saw it. Clint blinked and Spencer was racing up through the air to catch Peter even as he started to fall. The two bodies collided and Spencer spun them in a low arc once he had him, absorbing the momentum of their fall before bringing Peter down towards the ground.
The adults had just reached the two when Spencer let his platform drop away. His hands were already quickly running over Peter's body.
"I'm all right, Spencer, I'm fine," Peter was saying. He looked up as Tony dropped down beside them, his own hands joining in Spencer's. "Mr. Stark! Really, guys, I'm okay!"
Jim came to a stop at Clint's side and the two looked down, not quite sure what to do here. Not that they should've worried. Spencer and Tony had that well in hand. Even as Tony was pulling off Peter's mask and reaching up to check his eyes, Spencer was sitting back on his haunches and actually glaring at the other teen. "What were you thinking, Peter?"
"That's what I'd like to know," Tony said sharply. He let go of Peter's face and sat back enough that he could fold his arms over his chest and add in his own glare.
It said a lot about Peter that he didn't quail under those twin looks of anger. In fact, Clint was kind of impressed. The kid actually rolled his eyes at them while he pushed himself to sit upright. "Would you two chill out? I knew you were herding me back for something and I thought I could make it forward to dart around it. I miscalculated, that's all. I mean, isn't this what training is for? To try stuff out and figure out what works and what doesn't while we're here, instead of out there?"
"Kid," A pained look crossed Tony's face. He couldn't argue Peter's words. They were the truth. The whole point of training them was for them to try things out, to learn how to think of their feet and how to make their moves count. Calculated risks were a part of that. Peter had tried something he'd thought would work and he'd miscalculated. Next time he'd know better, or at least be able to calculate better.
Spencer had gone completely still at Peter's words. His eyes were closed and he took a deep, visible breath. When he spoke again, his voice was the kind of controlled calm that took a lot of practice to perfect. "You're absolutely right, Peter. I apologize for my temper." Without giving anyone a chance to say anything, Spencer planted his hands on his knees and pushed up to his feet. He had opened his eyes again but he didn't look at any of them as he said, "I hate to cut this short, but there are a few things I need to accomplish before Stephen arrives for our lessons. If you'll excuse me."
Even without running, Spencer managed to make it out of there before anyone could even think to stop him. Clint watched the doors close behind him and winced a little in sympathy.
When he looked back down, he found that Peter was wincing, too. "Oh, crap. He only gets that cold science-guy voice when he's really upset." Peter flopped back on the floor dramatically. "I hate when he gets upset with me."
"I'm sure he's not upset with you, Pete," Jim tried to reassure him.
Peter groaned and shook his head. "No, he is. He totally is. He just doesn't… he doesn't like to show it. Like he's, I don't know, not allowed to or something? Like it's a big deal if he yells or whatever. When he gets upset with people, he just sorta goes quiet and his words get bigger and his tone gets this weird, cold, detached kinda sound, y'know what I mean? It's what he does if I get hurt, or if I do something in patrols he thinks is stupid or whatever, and it's the worst thing ever."
That actually… Clint wanted to wince again. He caught Tony's eye and the two shared a brief look. Both of them caught more to Peter's words than the teen probably realized. To Peter, what Spencer did was just something frustrating. To them, it meant more. They understood the motivations that could be behind reactions like that, and none of them were really that good. 'Like he's, I don't know, not allowed to or something?' Those words painted a picture that wasn't pretty.
Tony turned his head back to Peter and pasted on a smile that very few people knew how to see through. He reached out and pat Peter's chest in commiseration. "There, there, kid. I'm sure you'll survive his super-politeness for a little while till he calms down. He's not exactly the type to hold a grudge. Just, maybe next time try not to get smacked by taser balls, hm?"
It took no time at all for the three adults to get Peter relaxed again and distracted from worry about his friend. Once they were sure he wasn't really hurt, that the ball of energy had just shocked him, it wasn't hard to distract him with a bit more training. Though, thoughts of their missing teen weren't far from the minds of any of the adults. For the moment, however, they'd give him privacy and let him work through things on his own. There'd be time enough to talk about it later.
None of them had any idea how wrong they were. There wasn't time to talk about it later, or about much of anything. They'd barely wrapped up Peter's lessons and were just getting ready to head for lunch when the alarm sounded through the whole Compound. FRIDAY's voice came next, easily heard over the alarms. "Boss, the Avengers are being officially called in to assist in some trouble downtown."
Forgetting momentarily about the teen at his side, Tony focused his full attention on what was going on. "Cancel the alarm, FRI, and lay it out for me. What's going on?"
When Tony lifted his arm, a hologram began to play above his watch, clean for everyone to see. The video showed a section of downtown Manhattan that was currently under attack by robots. "Are they thinking Doom?" Tony asked, watching as the video showed more of the robots sailing past. They didn't seem to be organized in anything. They looked like, well, like they were attacking simply to cause chaos and mass destruction. Doom usually had some sort of plan, even if it wasn't always understood. You could at least tell there was a plan.
"I don't think so," Clint leaned in and took a closer look. He lifted a finger and pointed at one of the robots that went flying past. "That's not like anything I've seen. Doom's usually pretty recognizable. These look different."
"Whatever they are, we need to get out there before people end up hurt," Jim said firmly.
It was true. Any of the long-distance scans that FRIDAY might run could be done while they were on their way. The rest, Tony was going to have to be there to do. There was no point in standing here and talking while those were out there attacking. Tony lowered his wrist and the hologram vanished as he straightened up and took charge in a way that had become normal, yet no less awkward, ever since their numbers had dwindled so low. "All right, Hawkeye, why don't you run ahead and get the jet together? FRIDAY, let Brucie know we might need him, but we're not sure. Better he comes along just in case."
"I'll get my suit, grab Vision, and meet you at the jet," Jim said.
Tony nodded, already turning himself to head towards his workshop to get his own suit. He didn't think anything about the teen that had been in the room with him. Not until he was halfway down the hall and he realized that Peter was following him. As the two got into the elevator, Tony turned to look at him and firmly told him "No." No way. There was absolutely no way he was letting Peter come with them!
"I can help!" Peter insisted immediately.
Tony was already shaking his head. "Not today. I don't have time to explain why. I just need you to stay here, Peter. Go find Spencer, make sure he knows that he's supposed to stay here, too." Later, he could take the time to explain to them why he had to sideline them and hopefully they'd understand. Having Peter randomly be on scene was one thing; having him show up with the Avengers to an Avengers sanctioned mission would only bring the kind of attention to the teen that Tony had been trying to avoid. Right now, Peter was at least slightly protected under some of the local vigilante laws and restrictions. If he joined in with a fight with the Avengers, arrived on scene with them, he might be considered an Avenger and therefore fall under jurisdiction of the Accords. That was the last thing they needed to have happen.
Before Tony could get too lost in thought or Peter could start to protest, FRIDAY spoke up. "Boss…"
Tony looked up sharply, alerted by something hesitant in FRIDAY's voice. She very rarely displayed such human emotion in her voice. It was something that she'd been doing more and more lately, something he was proud and thrilled by. But hearing the hesitance now was enough to have him freezing in his tracks. "What is it, FRI?"
There was a short pause before she answered him. When she did, Tony swore he felt his stomach drop. "Dr. Reid is already on the scene."
"Son of a bitch!" Tony ignored Peter completely now and, once the elevator doors opened, started to stride quickly towards his workshop. He needed to be in the armor, now! "What the hell is he doing there, FRI?"
"After this morning's training session he got a message from May and the two went to meet up for coffee. When the attack started. He got May to safety and then hurried to start getting civilians to safety."
"Aunt May's there?" Peter demanded, sounding a whole lot more frantic than before.
Tony resisted the urge to reach out and comfort the teen. From the sounds of it, May was fine. It was their missing member they needed to worry about at the moment. A member who was going to get one hell of a talking to later for leaving without letting someone know! "Is he using his powers?"
That was the last thing they needed. The kid out there openly using his powers where anyone could see his face. It'd bring the kind of attention that they definitely did not need right now.
Luckily, it looked like someone was at least smiling down on them. "He is, Boss, but he's got his suit. He brought it with him when he went out, just in case."
Thank God for small favors. At least Spencer's identity would be protected. So long as they could manage that, they might make it out of this okay. The kid was already on scene before the Avengers got called in; he wouldn't be considered 'with' them. It'd look like they were joining up with him to keep things safe, not like he was a part of the team. That should keep him from getting too much attention. Or, it could all blow up in their faces. There was no way to tell right now.
Tony hurried into his suit. His need to get to the scene was even stronger. Worrying about his identity aside, Spencer wasn't used to these kinds of fights. The most he'd done was fight with Peter on patrol at night and that wasn't anything like this. Not on this scale. He wouldn't know what he was getting into. The kid would likely get himself hurt trying to help people. It was just the kind of person he was.
Once the suit was on and online, Tony looked over to Peter, who was almost vibrating with his need to suit up and go right along with them. Tony knew how hard it was to be stuck behind. He and Peter had argued plenty of times about the types of fights that the teen could be in; if it were up to Tony, he wouldn't be in any at all. But they both knew that wasn't going to happen. So, for the most part, they'd worked out an understanding. One that Tony hoped would still hold up now, even with the worry for Spencer and May that Peter was feeling. "Stay here," Tony told him, his voice sure and strong. It didn't betray any of his own fears. "If things get rough and we need backup, be ready to be called in."
That was part of their agreement. If Tony ever sidelined him, it had to be with the understanding that he'd call for backup if necessary. If things got tough, he could call for Peter to come in and lend a hand, and with Peter arriving after them it usually covered them enough that it looked like Spiderman just trying to join in, not that Spiderman was an Avenger.
Peter looked like he'd swallowed something sour. Still, he nodded his head jerkily, the only agreement he could manage at the moment, and Tony made a mental note to spend some time with him later, just the two of them, and see if he could cool him off.
For now, Tony took his suit to the nearest exit and then set off into the air. They had a city to protect and a teenager to save.
When the Avengers arrived on scene there were plenty of robots flying around as well as quite a bit of destruction that they'd caused. At the same time, Tony took note that there were very few civilians left at all in the area. He'd seen the police perimeter that had been set up and he hoped it'd be enough to keep them back, at least somewhat.
They'd already laid out their best plan on the flight out here. It was a strange thing, planning for these battles. Where once it would've been Steve calling out orders and looking for the best plan, now it was more of a collaboration. The team as a whole gave their input and decided where their skills were best needed, with input from the others, until they had a plan together. It was strange, and different, and yet sometimes Tony couldn't help but like it. Other times, if he found himself missing a steady voice in his ear, the presence of someone he knew could come up with a plan on the fly and who would help keep them all protected, well, no one but him had to know. They could function without Steve Rogers. They could! It wasn't easy, but Tony would keep the team safe. They didn't need Steve for that.
Speaking of keeping the team safe – as Tony hit the scene, Jim and Vision not far behind him, and Clint being carried in by Jim while Bruce stayed back at the jet just in case, the engineer scanned the area around him for what had become a rather familiar electrical signature. It didn't take him long to find it.
What he found made his stomach clench. Spencer was on the ground, a shield up to block the blasts of the robots in front of him, while a family cowered behind him.
"I got eyes on our missing brat." Tony told the others. He altered his course, leaving them to fan out as they'd planned. When he got close to Spencer he sent a repulsor blast right at the robots in front of the kid, blasting them backwards. Two more shots took them out entirely.
When he landed next to the ground, Spencer had already turned to the family and told them "Run, right over that way just like I told you. Go!"
Tony waited until the family had moved a little away before he told Spencer, "You're in so much trouble, small fry." Even as he spoke he let his eyes run over the lean lines of Spencer's body in a quick medical check. FRIDAY was trying to scan him, but it was no surprise it wasn't working. Spencer was holding on to his powers at the moment and that tended to scramble any scans they tried to run.
Though Tony wouldn't admit it out loud, the kid looked kind of impressive at the moment. He was mostly black with just those dark lines of blue to break it up. But his power – oh, his power showed clearly. It glowed over his hands in arcs of blue electrical energy that looked almost alive. It wrapped round his hands, twisting and twirling and sparking, even going so far as to twine up his arms almost to his elbows.
"We can discuss your anger later," Spencer said, not the least bit fazed by Tony's tone, it would seem. "Right now, I've counted fifty-seven of these robots that are still active. I've already taken out thirteen. Let Hawkeye know they've got a vulnerable spot in their left shoulder joint that should be easy for him to reach."
"Got it," Clint answered.
It would've been amusing at any other time to see the way that Spencer startled. He obviously hadn't realized that Tony had activated his comm as soon as he'd landed by him. The kid was wired in with them now. They'd be able to keep track of him a whole lot better this way.
Still, Spencer adapted surprisingly quickly, barely even missing a beat at the archer's surprise voice in his ear. He straightened himself up – though Tony noted he was holding himself a bit crooked, his posture not quite right, and shit, shit, he knew the signs of someone trying to cover up that they were injured! – and then he was the one to surprise them all as he said "I'm not a warrior and I don't know how to fight like this. I've never been trained for this. What I can do is sweep for any last civilians and try and get them out. Unless you ask for me, I'll stay out of the way."
"Well," That hadn't been what Tony was expecting. He'd expected… something more like Peter. The insistence that he could do this, that he was going to help. It was what Tony was used to. Spencer, however, was throwing that all on its head, and calmly insisting that he'd stay out of the way while sticking to the things he knew he could do. "Sounds good to me. Stay low and try to keep out of the way, and don't be afraid to shout for help if you need it."
"I've got eyes on some people over here, Volt." Clint said. "Two blocks to the left, top floor of the grey building full of windows. Looks like a law firm or something. There's at least twelve bodies I'm seeing."
Spencer didn't waste any time. He was on his platform in the next breath and moving in the direction that Clint had sent him. It went against the grain for Tony to just let him go. He wanted nothing more than to call him back here, or follow after him. Protect him. That wasn't his job, though. His job was to stop the robots and protect the city. He reminded himself again and again that Spencer was actually an adult and fully capable of taking care of himself. Hell, with his electrical powers, he was probably better suited to protection or fighting here than the rest of them.
Turning his focus back to the fight, and trying to ignore the worry that still sat so heavy inside him, Tony once more took to the air. He tried to force his voice as close to his normal teasing as possible as he asked, "Volt? Did you just call him Volt? What kind of nickname is that, Legalos!"
"I didn't hear you coming up with anything better," Clint shot back.
"I don't know," Jim chimed in. "I kinda like it. Suits him, don't you think?"
A few blasts took out the robots that Tony went flying past. He made sure to aim for the area that Spencer had suggested, and he was pleased to see it blasted the things apart nicely. Awesome. "I'm sure we could've come up with something at least a bit more creative."
There was a snort of amusement in his ear that he knew came from Clint. Sure enough, "Yeah, cause we know how creative you are, Iron Man."
"Hey! I resent your implications, bird boy. I'm very creative when I wanna be!"
This time it wasn't a snort he heard, it was a sigh, and it didn't come from Clint. "Do you all usually talk this much during your missions?" Spencer asked them. There was a strange sound from his end and then they could all hear as his voice shifted into something a whole lot softer and gentler, and much more professional. Something that made it absolutely clear this wasn't the first time he'd talked down panicked civilians. "Hey there, it's okay. I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help get you out. But to do that, I need you to stay quiet and listen to me. Can you do that?" There was a short pause and then Spencer was back. "Good. Keep your heads down, stay away from the windows, and follow me."
"You're good at that, Volt." Jim complimented him.
Tony took out a few more of the robots that were higher up in the air and then set off towards where Clint was. There was one creeping up behind him that Tony blasted away, earning him a grin and a thumbs-up from his teammate.
"Yeah, well, I'm trying to project as much calm as possible. It seems to be helping," Spencer's voice was a low murmur, obviously pitched for them alone.
His meaning wasn't lost on them, either. Tony mentally swore at himself for not thinking about it before this. "How you holding up there, kid? And no bullshit. You're no good to anyone if you crash and we don't know enough in advance to be able to help."
"Oh that's rich, coming from you," Jim said as he snorted. Tony just ignored it and focused on the voice that mattered at the moment.
"I haven't thrown up yet," Spencer said dryly. "You'll be the first to know if that happens to change."
After that there wasn't really much time for them to talk. They were all doing their best to take out robot after robot. If it weren't for the destruction and danger to those around them, Tony would've said that it felt almost good to be back out here, to be doing something good. Having his team in his ear, working with them to take down their latest 'big bad'. Tony hadn't realized how much he'd missed this.
At some point Spencer must've found all the random civilians because a flash of light blasted past Tony's face and he turned his head in just enough time to see Spencer go sailing past on his energy board, in just enough time to take out a couple robots that had been trying to creep up on Vision.
"Damn you all and your ability to fly." Clint grumbled at them.
"Need a lift, Hawkeye?"
Spencer's question had Clint letting out a quick "Hell yeah!" that made Tony want to laugh. Not even a minute later he watched as Spencer went sailing past with Clint sitting on the back of his board, firing off arrow after arrow. The sight was more amusing than it probably should've been. The whole fight seemed to be going pretty damn well.
That should've been his first clue.
Tony was making another sweep through the air to try and get some of the last remaining stragglers, and maybe grab one of them so he could take it back and take a look at it, figure out who made these things, when Spencer's panicked voice came over the comms. He was swearing, something that Tony hadn't ever heard him do. "Shit, shit, shit! Iron Man, War Machine, you need to get the hell out of here, now!"
"What's going on?" Jim demanded.
For thirteen seconds, Spencer's comms were sickeningly quiet. No breathing, no anything, and Tony swore his stomach dropped. He absolutely refused to think the worst. Still, there was no denying the flash of relief when Spencer came back suddenly, all noise returning with him. "I found one of the robots near me, and it's set to self-destruct. When it goes, if I'm reading this right, it's going to release an EMP burst. I have no idea what size it'll be. You need to get your suits and yourselves out of here, as well as anyone else close enough, and do your best to try and prepare. Get on the ground so you don't fall. I'm going to see if I can disable this, but there's no guarantees."
"Disable… kid, get the hell outta there!" Tony snapped. He was already following Spencer's orders, already making his way to the ground, because the last thing he wanted was to fall from the sky in this damn suit, but he wasn't leaving. "FRIDAY, track his location. Tell me where the hell he's at."
"FRIDAY, don't," Spencer said immediately. "There's not enough time. Don't let him close."
FRIDAY's voice was apologetic as she said "Sorry, Boss, but he's scrambling his signal. I can't find him."
There was a soft sound of movement above Tony and he looked up just as Vision started to land beside him, bringing Clint with him. Tony paid them no mind. His eyes were scanning around him, trying to find something, anything, that might lead him to the kid. "Dammit, kid! Where the hell are you? You need to get out of there!"
"This isn't the first bomb I've had to disable. Though it'd go a lot easier if you weren't shouting in my ear as I tried to do it," Spencer told him in a voice that was too calm, too even. Not even seconds after that, there was another low "shit" and then silence again.
"Did he just mute us?" Clint asked. He, too, was scanning the area, and there was enough open concern on his face to make it clear how much he'd come to care about the teens he'd watched over the past couple days.
It took too damn long for Spencer's voice to come back. When it did, it was tight and just a bit tense. "I think I've managed to cut off the EMP, but the bomb itself is still set to go. Make sure no one crosses the police perimeter. I might be able to contain this here and minimize the potential damage to the surrounding area, but it's still best to keep to a safe distance."
"Don't do anything stupid, Spencer. If you can't take it out, then get the hell out of there!" Tony snapped. His whole body seemed to be frozen, his stomach clenching with the kind of fear that he could've lived his life without ever feeling again. The same kind of fear that had gripped him time and time again when he'd watched videos of Peter's fights, or when he'd heard the details of what went down with Toomes. The need to go out there, to find the kid that he felt responsible for and protect them, keep them safe, it was so strong Tony was almost vibrating with it. "Get out, Spencer. Get out!"
There was another quiet pause before Spencer spoke again. "I'm sorry, Tony. I can't. I can't risk the damage this could do if I don't at least try."
"Spencer!"
His cry was drowned out by a great rumble that seemed to echo through the sky. The ground shook under them, and they all watched in horror as a building just three blocks away blasted outward, sending debris flying, before the rest of it began to crumble. Tony watched it and swore he felt his heart actually stop for one brief moment. All he could do was stare as his mind repeated, over and over, Spencer was in there.
It wasn't until Vision darted forward to catch a large piece of building that was flying at them that Tony finally snapped out of it. His heart felt like it started again and the world rushed back in a cacophony of noise. People were screaming, debris was still falling, the ground shook, and it sounded like Jim was shouting over the comms at them. None of it mattered. Tony fired up his repulsors and wasted no time in getting into the air. There was no way in hell he was waiting around for first responders to get through. Spencer was in there, and dammit, Tony was going to find him. He was going to find him, alive, and bring him back, and then he was going to spend at least an hour yelling at him for pulling such a damn stupid stunt. Then he was going to ground him to his room. Adult or not, he was in a kid's body, and it was Tony's building. He was going to put that kid on lockdown!
First, though, he had to get in there and find him. Dammit, kid, you better be okay. Please, please be okay.