Chapter 19 – Phil
A/n: I'm glad you many of y'all loved the last chapter because I think it's probably the best yet. I actually planned on delaying the Piper/Toni break-up a little longer but I changed my mind.
Ashtree1165: Yeah, I loved that scene in the movie so :D
twilightjazz: Glad you enjoyed
paisley15: Yeah well you guys should like Mondays too you get longer updates ;D But of course but not until Iron Man; he still needs time to fully heal. While I think that would be highly likely I also think it might not have happened because they needed the missile before they killed her right so they wouldn't want her to get so down that she'd kill herself before they got it. No, I don't think Loki was really flirting with Tony but it is amazing how little editing you have to do to make it flirting. Loki clearly admires something about Tony from the looks he throws him. And yeah, he really isn't, he threatens Natasha with a painful death, Clint with the horror of having killed Natasha then death, he constantly calls the Hulk a monster, he clearly doesn't like Steve and his brother issues are more than obvious. Yet, he's reasonably civil to Tony until he pisses him off. Bruce mainly but I'll throw in some Clint to set up the parallel sequel
XxXSilverShadowXxX: Aww… that sucks but we all get busy. I'm glad you stuck with it too because all my readers are the best. Yeah, I'm looking forward to doing them the most.
3 Avengers: So glad the last chapter fulfilled your wishes. There will be development in this story but only subtly. It'll become more evident when we reach the sequels
Booklover2526: I had to make him alive in the end. I just love him too much to kill him off. Loki X Toni scene was the most fun to write for the last chapter
XxxBellaBellaxxX: Yep, had to make him alive. I was typing it and I was like hang on that comment is funnier now that they've been kind of flirting /lol/
LaNaturalBreezeOf-Books: What about Phil? /lol/ Yes, I did and she did. I just like Toni who can kick some ass okay /shrugs/ You and your action :)
Dragones: He most certainly is
ladynarutochan: I love Phil so I needed him in this story. I do like Pepperony and despite how it may seem I actually love Pepper but the Science Boyfriends shipper in me is like they must be split up.
Harm Marie: I'm glad
"JARVIS, I want absolute proof. Does the description match Agent Coulson and does the exact nature of the wound match up? Lots of people were injured that day," Toni ordered snapping immediately into action.
"The descriptions of both person and wound match up," JARVIS confirmed, "accessing video feed for his hospital room."
A holographic screen flickered into life in front of the watching group and upon Steve's instruction to zoom in so they could get a look it became obvious that the figure lying in the bed was indeed Agent Phil Coulson. The swearing that erupted at this sight was more than a little obscene well except from Steve who still didn't swear very often. Fury's name was cursed in most languages on the planet by the room before eventually Toni calmed down enough to talk again, "you know I get that Fury's plan appears to have been to motivate us and yes it worked but why not tell us afterwards. My facilities here with the advancements I could have made upon actually seeing the wound would have healed him a lot quicker."
"Fury still doesn't trust you probably," Natasha guessed, "You don't work primarily for SHIELD as you have four separate jobs in a way. You undermine SHIELD policy and are constantly hacking into our systems. So, he didn't want to give you any information?"
"Well I have it now," Toni said with a smirk, "so JARVIS arrange for Phil's transfer to a medical facility that will actually be able to speed up his recovery a.k.a the medical bay in the Tower. I can get Fury's approval."
"Of course Miss Stark," JARVIS responded before closing down the video feed.
"There's just one problem with this plan Toni," Bruce said hating to be the voice of reason in this situation, "there is no way that you can get Fury's approval for this."
"Not from the man himself no," Toni agreed, "but I copied his electronic signature and deciphered all the codes he uses to confirm it's him so that the use of it doesn't put up any red flags."
At the looks of disbelief from the other members of the Avengers Toni exclaimed, "what?! I'm paranoid, okay. Too many people have tried to kidnap/kill me over the years for me to relax. Besides I've never trusted a SHIELD as an organisation even if specific members have earned my trust," here she gave Clint and Natasha a smile.
"I still want to know how you hacked into Fury's personal files and got that information," Clint asked, "I get you being able to decipher the code because your brain works like that but Fury's personal files."
"The firewall was a piece of crap," Toni said nonchalantly, "it took me less than an hour to break in. SHIELD security just sucks in general if you're me."
"Miss Stark might I advise that you give me the code," JARVIS interrupted.
"Right, sorry J, here," she typed it onto a nearby StarkPad with a flourish and JARVIS spoke again, "processing request with the medical centre. Restarting recording."
Toni put extra power into the foot repulsors and sped straight towards the invading army which continued to stream from the portal. One attempted to fire a laser beam at Toni but she spun out of the way and fired one of her own back which blew up its target. She dodged a few more before one of their crafts collided with her leg making her wince.
"Wait you can feel it when something collides with your suit," Steve said concerned. She had taken some pretty heavy hits during some of their battles.
"Sometimes yeah, the technology within it has to respond to my intentions and body movement is a huge part of that so the whole thing is covered in sensors. Sometimes if something affects the suit it messes with one of them and it shocks me a little. It's a necessary evil. Especially since I need to keep the suit as light as possible because it still has weight and I do need to be able to move in it effectively," Toni explained.
In response to this Toni opened up a compartment on her shoulder which contained several miniature missiles which spun out to destroy practically every alien vessel that was flying through the portal.
"I take it they have targeting systems imbedded," Clint said.
"Yes," Toni confirmed, "unfortunately they are devilishly difficult to manufacture so I have to do it myself and I don't often have the time to make more. I manage to stock up enough to have some in that compartment but don't have the time to work out how to store more. I might be able to modify them for you guys to use though. It's something else to think about."
Down on the streets people were scrambling out of cars and taxis alike to get a better look at what Toni was doing. Eventually of course some of the Chitauri got past Toni's net and sped down to the street below and began to fire on the population but mostly just managed to hit a few empty taxis.
"Rubbish aim," Clint muttered bitterly.
People began to gather into groups which just made them larger targets and attempted to run through the carnage to get away. Back on Stark Tower Loki had recovered from Toni's repulsor blast tribute to Coulson and he summoned his armour.
"Reindeer," Toni joked. Honestly that helmet was repulsive. Why would anyone want to wear that as a sign of being battle ready?
He stood watching the streets of Manhattan explode upon impact with laser blasts until with a thump Thor landed on the observation deck with his hammer raised ready to fight. "Loki!" he shouted and Loki immediately spun around shocked. Clearly he had been expecting the shrapnel from the destroyed cell to kill his brother. "Turn off the Tesseract, or I'll destroy it," Thor threatened.
"You can't," Loki snapped, "there is no stopping it. There is only the war."
"So be it," Thor said formally clearly disappointed in his brother.
"I will admit to still harbouring hope at this stage in the battle but it was soon destroyed," Thor interjected.
"Hope is good," Toni pointed out, "keeps a hell of a lot of people alive."
The others weren't sure they wanted to know the reasons that Toni had brought that up. But knowing the films that Amora had put together it was likely they would anyway.
Loki leapt towards Thor swinging the sceptre which Thor ducked before swinging Mjolnir at his brother although it only ended up colliding with the sceptre itself. The blast of energy that Loki sent at Thor was quickly absorbed by Mjolnir and the next strike of hammer sent the 'R' in Stark tumbling down to hit the roof of a building below.
"That's one person I have to thank for mostly destroying that stupid sign," Toni said with a smile.
The NYPD drove up in their police cars as civilians ran through the streets screaming as if they didn't know how to do anything else. The cops exited their cars but simply stared at the sky in shock as Toni flew overhead drawing some of the Chitauri after her.
Finally the quinjet carrying the others arrived and Natasha made radio contact with Toni, "Stark, we're on your three, headed northeast."
"What? Did you stop for drive-through?" Toni quipped a gash was visible on her cheek and the bruise around it was purpling.
"I'm sorry it took so long," Natasha apologised, "how did…?"
"The injured cheek happen?" Toni finished, "The helmet took a few hard knocks from lasers and a bit of metal became detached and scratched my face. I managed to flush the loose bits out before any more damage happened."
"Swing up Park. I'm going to lay them out for you," Toni instructed before flying past the fight that was still raging between Thor and Loki who were both throwing heavy hits. Toni made a smooth arc in the air as she looped around several buildings with the Chitauri still hot on her tail. One didn't quite manage to make the turn and collided with another building creating a blazing explosion. The quinjet's gun descended from the fuselage and powered up.
"It was worth a try," Natasha sighed. It had been a long shot that someone wouldn't manage to take down the jet pretty quickly. The odds had been astronomically stacked against the possibility.
The rail gun managed to take up a few before they had to pull up to avoid a collision. "Ma'am, we have more incoming," JARVIS informed Toni.
"Fine. Let's keep them occupied," Toni said flatly.
Back on the observation deck Loki briefly gained the upper hand and slammed Thor up against some glass. "Nat?" Clint asked his co-pilot.
"I see him," she confirmed.
"We just had to be careful not to hit Thor so going in full throttle wasn't an option," Clint stated even though the people in the room knew this already.
The quinjet turned slowly and spotting it Loki threw Thor down to the ground to focus his attention on the attacking plane. It began to fire on him but he managed a direct hit on them with his sceptre which caused a fire to start on one of the wings. Thor took advantage of Loki's distraction to barrel into him and catch him off guard.
"Good tactic," Clint complimented, "always capitalise on distractions."
The engine in the wing of the quinjet quickly became engulfed in flames and it began to fall with Steve in the back having to cling on to the roof for dear life. By this point Loki and Thor had resorted to having an actual fist fight.
"At least he isn't using his weapon on you," Natasha said, "I was surprised when I saw he'd let go of it."
Clint attempted to control the descent of the quinjet as much as was possible. He was successful from keeping it from crashing directly into any of Manhattan's buildings although he did clip some of them. Eventually he guided it to a crash landing on concrete slabs which it promptly tore up using the force created by the impact.
"That was some piloting," Toni said with a whistle, "I'm impressed."
Natasha and Clint quickly got out of the gear that was used to pilot the quinjet and exited through the back with Steve. He looked up at the carnage happening at the top of Stark Tower and pointed out, "we need to get back up there."
"Well at that point you did I guess," Bruce said with a shrug, "helping on the ground works as a strategy too though."
As they ran towards the terminal for the station they watched in half-horror and half-fascination as a leviathan followed the other members of the Chitauri through the portal.
"Those things were repulsive," Natasha said with an expression that radiated disgust on her face.
It swooped down to ground level and completely smashed the statue on top of the terminal in doing so but that was the least of their worries. From its sides ropes of some kind flew out each carrying a member of the Chitauri. They landed on the buildings opposite each other crashing through windows and attacking members of the public.
"In some ways I prefer the ones that are completely focused on destroying us instead of mass destruction of everything in their path," Toni sighed, "less clean up, less innocent people die and the press is a hell of a lot easier to handle."
"Although the fanaticism is hard to cope with," Natasha said completing Toni's train of thought. The male members of the Avengers shivered. Natasha and Toni thinking alike was a terrifying concept.
"Stark, are you seeing this?" Steve asked.
"I wonder how I would have possibly missed it," Toni laughed.
"Seeing," Toni said flying in closer, "still working on believing."
"Same!" came the chorus from the Avengers in general.
"Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet?" she asked confusing the others.
"You really were convinced I'd show weren't you?" Bruce said astonished and yet oddly flattered at her faith in him.
"I knew you wouldn't stand for innocent people getting hurt," Toni explained, "Plus I knew I had gotten through to you in some small way."
"Banner?" Steve questioned.
"Just keep me posted," Toni said quickly before asking JARVIS for details, "JARVIS find me a soft spot."
"Look at this!" Thor shouted when his fight with Loki hit an impasse in their fight, "Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule?"
"You make a fair point," Toni acknowledged, "unfortunately that's not going to work on Loki."
"It's too late," Loki said seemingly regretful, "it's too late to stop it."
"Wow," Natasha said impressed, "I can see why they named him the God of Lies. He's good."
"No. We can, together," Thor attempted but Loki had clearly been faking. He slipped a knife into Thor's side causing him to drop Mjolnir and snatched his sceptre back from Thor's grasp. He sighed, "Sentiment," exasperatedly and a smile spread across his face.
"It's better to try and fail," Steve said making Toni flinch. She hadn't really tried with Obie but he had been trying to kill her and Piper. It just didn't work out for either party.
Thor launched himself at Loki and the fight resumed with Thor's foot going through the window at one point. Then he lifted Loki and slammed him down into the ground. Loki took this opportunity to roll off of the rooftop and land on one of the Chitauri vehicles but he left his sceptre up there.
"Leaving a weapon behind is not a good idea," Natasha said smugly. She was still quite proud of herself for closing the portal even if the reason the Chitauri had stopped had most likely been because of Toni. The other woman had never told them exactly what happened when she went through the portal.
Thor withdrew the dagger from his side and tossed it away sighing at yet another failed attempt to bring back the brother he used to know. Back on the ground Clint, Natasha and Steve were crouched behind a taxi as Clint told the group, "we've still got civilians trapped up there," indicating some of the buildings.
"Loki," Steve said gravely as the god's transport zoomed down and began blowing up the street as civilians fled. The whole street was set aflame as car after car caught fire and the gasoline within the tanks exploded.
"A street full of cars is not a good place for an explosion," Toni said wincing, "too easy for a chain reaction to kick off."
"They're fish in a barrel down there," Steve said watching the explosion from a distance.
Natasha didn't reply but instead started firing her guns at the Chitauri as Clint ran forward to the cover of another overturned taxi. "We got this, it's good, go," Natasha told Steve.
"I knew that your first concern right then was saving the people down there," Natasha informed the group, "it was better to let you do so than to have you keep fighting with us and being distracted."
"Do you think you can hold them off?" Steve asked Clint still not sure.
"Captain," Clint said using the controls on his bow to load an arrowhead, "it would be my genuine pleasure."
"Definitely back to normal," Natasha and Toni chorused.
"I get how you would know Nat but Toni," Clint asked puzzled, "we don't really talk that much."
"Please, Tasha was here for a year. A year. She talked about you all the time," Toni scoffed.
Clint pulled the arrow from his quiver and shot it directly into one of the Chitauri as Natasha resumed firing on them. Steve finally seemed convinced as he launched himself over the railing and headed down to the civilians avoiding blasts aimed at the bus and cars he was using to get down. As Natasha continued shooting Clint was handed people through a window of a bus and helped them rush to safety.
"I had the time and Natasha had it covered," Clint said at Steve's puzzled look, "the civilians in there were my priority."
Eventually he tugged the door open allowing to escape under their own steam and resumed firing arrows at the Chitauri. "Just like Budapest all over again," Natasha shouted to him.
"You and I remember Budapest very differently," Clint replied.
This earned a chuckle from the room at large. Nobody really knew the full story of what had gone down in Budapest between the pair but they knew snippets. Toni probably knew the most just because combining time spent with the pair she was the one who spent the most time around them.
Steve continued leaping over cars that were in his path as he blindly ran towards his goal. The NYPD were attempting to fire on the Chitauri but it didn't seem to be having any effect. "It's going to be an hour before they can scramble the National Guard," a young police officer told his superior.
"Bunch of incompetents," Toni muttered.
"National Guard?" his superior questioned, "Does the army know what's happening here?"
"Do we?" the other pointed out.
Steve landed on top of the police car and the policeman instantly pointed his gun at him. "You need men in these buildings," he instructed, "There are people inside and they're going to be running right into the line of fire. You take them to the basements or through the subway. You keep them off the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th."
"Why the hell should I take orders from you?" the policeman asked indignantly.
"And that's what I keep asking," Toni laughed.
"I kind of forgot that some people wouldn't know who I was since I hadn't been out of the company of at least someone who knew since I woke up unless I was completely alone," Steve said bashfully, "it was strange."
Suddenly an explosion went off behind Steve as the Chitauri came crashing around the corner. Steve slammed one off to the side with his shield before using it neatly to deflect an attack that he ended with a swift punch to the face. He dealt with three more this way actually slicing the arm off of the last one with his shield.
The policeman turned and began repeating Steve's orders to various people, "I need men in those buildings. Lead the people down and away from the streets. We're going to set up a perimeter all the way down to 39th street."
"Guess everyone listens to you eventually Steve," Toni laughed.
Toni flew up to the leviathan and fired several flares in its direction which managed to get its attention. It turned around to follow her cutting into several buildings in the process. "Well, we got its attention," Toni sighed, "now I need to finalise Step 2." She quickly sped away with the leviathan following.
"Step 2 really relied on you turning up so thanks Bruce," Toni said with a smile.
"You're welcome," Bruce said uncertainly.
Clint swept the feet out from beneath one of the Chitauri before stabbing it in the chest with an arrow. Natasha was using the Widow's Bites on the neck of another as the next one tackled Clint to the ground. Natasha managed to get her hands on one of the Chitauri's weapons and combining it with acrobatics took two of them down with it.
The Chitauri just kept on coming with Clint sliding across the ground at one point to get a good shot. Steve jumped back across to the pair having organised his rescue attempt and took down four more before Thor's lightning took down those who were approaching. He clearly had to steady himself as he landed due to the stab wound.
"Asgardian daggers are not pleasant to have buried in one's side," Thor said.
"Neither are Midgardian ones," Natasha replied honestly.
"What's the story upstairs?" Steve asked.
"The power surrounding the Cube is impenetrable," Thor relayed.
"Thor's right. We got to deal with these guys," Toni said as she flew overhead.
"How do we do this?" Natasha asked.
"That was a fair question," Bruce said having been the only one who hadn't heard it the first time.
"As a team," Steve said.
"I have unfinished business with Loki," Thor insisted.
"Yeah? Well, get in line," Clint quipped.
"Why do we not talk more?" Toni joked with a smile.
"Save it," Steve said sharply, "Loki's going to keep this fight focused on us, and that's what we need. Without him, these things could run wild. We got Stark up top. She's going to need us to…"
Steve trailed off at the sound of a motorbike engine and turned to see Bruce arriving at the scene. The others walked over to meet him. "So, this all seems horrible," Bruce said matter-of-factly.
"I've seen worse," Natasha quipped.
"Ouch Tasha," Toni said.
"Sorry," Bruce said earnestly.
"No, we could use a little worse," Natasha said accepting his apology even if she didn't explicitly say so.
"Stark, we got him," Steve radioed to Toni.
"I was so shocked to hear that," Bruce admitted, "I thought my arrival would be a surprise to you all."
"As if you can get one up on me," Toni scoffed, "you might want to organise a department to deal with the day that happens."
"I'm pretty sure we won't need it," Clint said.
"Banner?" Toni asked.
"Just like you said," Steve said his faith in Toni clearly restored by Bruce's appearance.
"Then tell him to suit up," Toni said, "I'm bringing the party to you." She rounded the corner at that moment followed by the leviathan.
"I don't see how that's a party," Natasha said puzzled.
"Yeah, we really need to talk about your definition of a party Toni," Natasha told her friend.
"Which one?" Toni quipped with a grin.
A/n: This was a chapter, they're all breaking 4K now! Whoo!