The Nine Tailed Foxx
Chapter 21
((A/N: No, I haven't forgotten about my other stories. Just waiting on one muse to step back and let others have some time.
A wonderful thanks to my friend Lady Moonhawke, who is also my co-writer, co-conspirator, Idea tester, plot hole finder, monkey wrench thrower, and ghost editor.))
Consequences
Middle of March, Same day…..
Johnny found himself staring up at the ceiling blinking as white spots dancing before his eyes and his muscles twitched sporadically. He groaned when he tried to sit up, muscles refusing to cooperate. Instead he ended up rolled onto his side, curled up and with his eyes closed.
Nat stood over Johnny looking down at him. "How many was that?" she asked Tony as she knelt down next to him. A small spark of static arced between them when she poked him in the shoulder.
"5 in the limbs and another 3 in the torso. 2 in the abdomen/lower back and 1 in the chest/upper back," Tony replied, looking at the data. "Analyse the data FRIDAY," he ordered.
"3 of the 5 hits to the limbs would have shattered bones, rendering the limb useless. The two hits to the abdomen area would have hit his spleen and perforated his lower intestines. And the chest hit would have hit his lung and ricocheted off his spine due to the angle of the hit."
Nat smirked. "Congratulations, you were killed 4 out of 5 times," she told Johnny. "Now, pain level, what is it?"
Johnny groaned, opening one eye. "6 of 10," he groaned. "I can still move.. I think." He tried to extend one arm, but it refused to do more than twitch.
Nat grabbed Johnny's arm to straighten it out, eliciting a hiss of pain from him as she did. She arched an eyebrow, but ran her hand up his arm, checking how tight his muscles were. When she passed over the exact spot where the shock sensor was located, she received a mild (for her) shock as he let out another hiss. "Quit being a baby, it doesn't hurt that much. Barely half of what my taser disks can do," she told him.
"But… were you hit with multiple…. one after another?" Johnny asked, still a bit breathless.
"Well, no," Nat conceded.
"Uh-huh," Johnny muttered as muscles finally start to relax enough to uncurl. "Fuck…." he breathes out. "Can you put limiters in place?" he asked as he managed to sit up. "Building up a tolerance for getting tasered is all well and good but damn… not like this." He reached up to the neckline to peel the spandex like material down to look at his chest where he got 'hit'. "Is it suppose to happen?" he asked as he pointed to the spot.
Nat, still kneeling next to Johnny took a look. The spot in question was an angry red color with lines radiating outwards from it. "Tony? Clint?" she called over her shoulder. She ran a finger over the spot, noting the heat that radiated from it as well as the slight elevation of the skin.
Clint joined Nat and Johnny before Tony arrived. He took a look then nodded. "Yes. It's a reminder to do better next time and not get hit," he said. "No worse than getting hit with a paintball without protection." He returned to the workbench where he was modifying and accessorizing the 'TACT-R' (rifle) he'd chosen. (TACT was a Tony-ism for 'Transmitters Are Cool Toys!') He picked it up, testing the weight again before bringing it up and checking the accuracy on the target sheet Tony had made for this very purpose. He then tested the firing cycle, which was designed to mimic the standard NATO 30-round mag of the M16A1. When the 'magazine' was empty, he had to hit the reset switch and wait 20 seconds for the reload to occur. Satisfied it was working properly, he set it aside and did the same for the TACT-P (pistol). The only difference was the amount of 'ammo' and the reload time. The TACT-P only 'held' 13 rounds and took 10 seconds to reload vs the 30 rounds and 20 seconds to reload for the TACT-R. "Now that you've designed and built these things, what are you going to do with em?" he asked Tony.
"Don't know yet," Tony replied as he examined the data gathered from the last round of testing. He had to agree with Johnny about the limiters to the suite. Too many hits to the same area were going to cause issues, not to mention possible injuries. "How about this, maximum of 3 hits to the torso: 2 lower, 1 upper, and 3 max per limb before a system reset is required."
"2 per limb," Johnny countered as he pulled the top off with a wince. He was either getting better from all the training or else he was getting accustomed to the level of pain. He let out a yelp as Nat slapped an ice pack between his shoulderblades. As he twisted away, he managed to snag the ice pack before it dropped. "Thanks," he muttered sarcastically as he flipped the other two off when they started laughing.
"You're welcome," Nat replied with a smirk as she walked over to the workbench Clint was at to work on her own set of TACT-Ps.
"3 per limb with a maximum of 7 in total for all 4 limbs," Clint declared.
Tony motioned Johnny over to his desk where he was standing as he brought up another holo. "Give me some input here. I found a solution to the problem from earlier. Nomex thread and kevlar fiber. It's a blend that is resistant to small arms fire and will give you advanced flexibility for your line of work. Tell me what you like and dislike in the design."
Coming up behind Tony, Johnny dropped the ice pack on the surface before he put his hands on the desk on either side of Tony then propped his chin on his shoulder. He stared at the design, blinking tiredly as he waited for a reaction. He knew he was pushing it but sometimes he just didn't care.
Tony froze, eyes going wide at the sudden physical contact. "What are you doing?" he asked, looking straight forward.
"Hmm… looking at the design... expecting to get slapped, elbowed or punched...or shot in the ass by one of those two over there since I'm still wearing the bottom of the suit... seeing how much I can get away with… contemplating sneaking out tonight to either look for the bastard's old office location or go get laid while I can take advantage of someone watching Alexei… want to just curl up with someone for the night, to hell with the sex... take your pick," Johnny said. He shifted so that it was his forehead now, instead of his chin, that rested against Tony's shoulder "Fuck, I think I've hit the whine level of tired," he murmured.
Tony glanced over to where Nat and Clint was watching with identical amused expressions. He mouthed the word 'help' at the pair then pointed at Johnny who was still using his shoulder as a pillow.
Clint turned away, hand pressed to his mouth, hard pressed to keep his laughter silent. He shifted to face the workbench again as he picked up another TACT-P to test its accuracy and make any adjustments needed. "I can always see if you can be shot while hiding behind someone," Clint offered.
Nat just shook her head as she worked on her own set of TACT-Ps. "He's all yours for the moment," she told Tony. She glanced to the side at Clint, angling herself just so. "Keep pushing?" she asked softly.
Clint nodded. "Backing off now won't do him any favors in the long run." He chanced a glance to the pair at Tony's desk before he returned his gaze to Nat. "He's tougher than he looks."
Nodding in agreement, Nat focused her attention on finishing her customizations. "So, who will get what?" she asked nodding to the various pistols and rifles still awaiting final testing and customizations.
"Steve's pretty proficient with both rifle and pistols," Clint said, separating out said TACTs. "Sam is the only other person to use dual pistols with any skill. Thor and Vision will catch on quick, so they and James will all get a rifle and a pistol each." He glances once more over to Tony and Johnny and makes a decision. "Wanda and Tony will get a single pistol. Bruce.."
"Bruce will play medic. There's too great a risk for him to be out there with the others while training," Nat decided. "We don't need an unexpected code green."
Clint nodded, "Alright."
Seeing that he would get no help from Clint or Nat, he rolled his eyes and went back to work, ignoring Johnny for the moment. "You know if Pepper catches us, you'll be in a hot mess of trouble," he said.
"No.. WE will be in a hot mess of trouble," Johnny mumbled into Tony's shoulder blade.
"How is this suddenly a 'we' thing?" Tony asked as he manipulated the design in front of him. He was use to people hanging off of him, mostly women, the only men were Rhodey and Happy and… not going to go there. But yes, he was use to the physical contact, so it didn't bother him much.
"You haven't pushed me away yet," Johnny pointed out, voice still muffled. It was very tempting to wrap his arms about Tony's waist, to pull him closer and see how sensitive his neck was. To nibble on an earlobe and see if he was just as chatty during… "No, no… too temptingly good in a bad way thoughts," he mumbled with a snigger.
"What are yo- Oh My God you did not just do that!" Tony yelled, jerking away at the same time as he shoved Johnny back. He reached up and started wiping frantically at his neck. "That is so childishly disgusting! Eww!" He plucked the ice pack off the desk and threw it at the younger man.
Johnny accepted the shove, moving backwards with it, turning it into a tumble to avoid the thrown ice pack. His sniggers turned to tired sounding laughter. He transitioned into a handstand then dropped lightly back to his feet before scrubbing his hands over his face then through his hair. "Sorry.. sorry.. couldn't resist…" Looking up, he took a deep breath and blew it out. "I'll be good… promise."
"Don't make promises you can't keep," Tony replied in a half-serious tone of voice. "Just for that I should make your gear bright neon hot pink. Now get your ass over here, behave, and give me some input."
Johnny started laughing again as he rubbed the heels of his hands against his eyes. "Oh gods, bad choice of words there Mr. Roboto, especially with my current frame of mind."
Tony just scowls, but there's laughter in his eyes none the less. "Need to improve your creativity with the names."
Johnny propped an elbow in his cupped palm then used his free hand to tap fingers against his lips. "Hmm…. Maximilian, MCP, Max, Ahh.. DARYL… Tin Man, but that's used a lot I bet. You're too upbeat to be Marvin...Astro Boy, Mega Man, Bender!... Clank…." He bent his head down and started tapping his forehead in thought. "7-Zark-7….Oohhh BATs there you go….Gipsy Danger, Cherno Alpha, Striker Eureka, Crimson Typhoon.. not sure if those count though since they are dual piloted jaegers… though I guess with FRIDAY your suit could be considered 'dual piloted'... " He turned to look at Tony. "What? I've watched stuff, played video games…"
"Those… are not creative names. They are names taken from anime, cartoons, films, TV shows and video games," Tony pointed out. "Now stop stalling."
Once Johnny settled down and got serious, he and Tony got to work on designing his new gear. The suit was designed in 3 parts: pants, top and vest. Each one had plenty of pockets of various sizes to stash items in that didn't detract from the sleek profile. The entire outfit was designed to protect without heavy or bulky armor getting in the way of his flexibility or his skills. Gloves and boots were added, each with an extremely fine yet flexible mesh of gold-titanium alloy sandwiched between the layers.
"I know I've asked it before but seriously, what is in this for you?" Johnny asked motioning towards the displays. "I know it's not cheap to get good gear that fits properly, I paid out plenty for what I have and it's second rate at best." He was on his second wind finally but knew it wouldn't last long plus it was getting late and he had another early morning tomorrow.
"I like you kid. I'm having fun with what I'm doing. Leave it at that," Tony said.
Johnny threw his hands into the air. "I will repay you. Whether you like it or not," he said as he stalked over to the workbench where Nat and Clint was finishing up. "He will not take no for an answer will he?" he asked.
"Nope," Nat replied. "Never has and there's only one exception to the 'never will'."
"Pepper?" Johnny asked as he leaned against the bench, arms crossed over his chest.
"You got it."
Johnny watched the pair as they worked on the last of the TACTs. "Is there a chance we can relocate to somewhere more… open yet enclosed at the same time? Away from the crowds?"
"Cold feet?" Clint asked.
Johnny shook his head. "I just don't look forward to falling several stories from a fire escape and getting killed or seriously injured because of someone's attitude towards me." He shrugged a shoulder. "Plus I have a feeling I'm going to get shot in the ass, literally, a dozen times or more. By the same person."
"Oh come on, would we do something like that?" Nat asked innocently.
"Yes," Johnny returned.
"You're no fun," Nat added with a grin.
"Yeah, by the way, anyone explain to the good captain, the game plan?" Johnny asked, glancing over at Tony then back to Nat and Clint. When he didn't get an answer, he sighed. "That's what I figured. Anyone need me for the rest of the night?" Again when he got no answer he just nodded this time. He headed to where his clothes were and changed before he headed to the doors of the lab. "I'm calling it a night. See you in the morning," he said with a wave over his shoulder.
Clint, Nat and Johnny joined Thor and Wanda for lunch the next day and ended up walking into what appeared to be an ongoing argument between Steve and Tony over something.
"It's a transmitter," Tony said for the umptenth time in the last hour. "Does nobody listen to what I've been explaining to them for for the last god knows how long?" he asked in exasperation.
"It still looks like a gun," Steve replied quite stubbornly.
Throwing his hands up, Tony stalked over to the bar and poured himself a drink. "Well I sure as hell couldn't make them look like wands, now could I? The press would have a field day with that. 'Avengers turn to witchcraft and sorcery in their quest to apprehend rogue kitsune.'" he said as he spread his hands as if displaying a banner.
"I am not going to be running all over the city chasing after him," Steve pointed in Johnny's direction after spotting him, "waving around something that looks like a god damned gun Tony!" Steve shot back, just as heated. "Just think of the field day the press will have at that."
"How long has this been going on?" Johnny asked as he leaned closer to Wanda and kept his voice low. He didn't want to bring too much attention to himself since he seemed to be part of what the argument was all about.
"The better part of an hour," Wanda replied as she poked at her salad. "Tony calls it fun, Steve calls it a war game," she added with a shake of her head. "I call it a headache listening to those two argue over it."
"Hmm," Johnny nodded. "What about you?" he asked Thor, turning to look at the Asgardian. "Do your people have anything like what those two are arguing about?"
"Do you mean war games or running around like mad men chasing after one another with weapons?" Thor asked back.
"Either? Both?" Johnny returned with a shrug. A vibrating chirp emanating from his pocket took his attention away from the demi-god. After he he fished his phone out, as he glanced at the text his expression subtly shifted. "I apologize, something has come up that requires my attention," he said as he stood up, taking his half-eaten plate of lunch with him. "I'm not sure how long this will take, so I'll meet you back in the gym when I'm done," he informed Clint & Nat before walking into the kitchen to put it away.
Tony's phone went off, alerting him to an important text just received. He held up a hand, signaling Steve to stop talking for a moment as he read it. "We are not finished," he told the super soldier as he closed out the message, downed his drink then headed to the elevator.
Steve frowned. It wasn't like Tony to just walk off in the middle of an argument, unless he felt he had won it that is. He turned to the group sitting at the table, noticing Johnny was missing. "What's going on?" he asked once he sat down.
"I know not," Thor said.
Wanda shrugged. "All I care about is that you two have stopped arguing over a game designed to teach."
Clint also shrugged, but kept silent as he ate his lunch. He'd leave it up to Nat and her discretion on what to say.
"Personal business between Pepper, Tony and Johnny," Nat finally said after much thought. She refused to elaborate any further when Steve asked.
When Johnny entered the gym over an hour and a half later, it was evident to Nat that something had shifted. His defense was sloppy as if distracted by something and his offense was more aggressive than usual indicating anger and or frustration. Separate, either problem would be easy to work out, but with them combined it made things a lot harder. After the fifth time she put him to the mat in under minute and the second time she drew blood, she'd had enough.
"Out!" Nat hissed at Johnny as she crossed her arms over her chest. She didn't yell or gesticulate, in fact she lowered her voice and didn't move a muscle as she spoke. "Right now you are a danger to yourself and to your trainers. So until you get your head back on straight, don't bother to come to training." She turned her back on him and walked away.
Sitting up, he wiped the blood away from his upper lip as he looked in Clint's direction. The older man had his back to him and was talking to Nat. With a snarl, he slapped the mat as he got to his feet then stalked out after gathering his things. He avoided the elevator on the way back to his room, taking the stairs instead. Once in his room, he striped, leaving a trail of clothes to the bathroom door. He stepped into the shower, the water neither hot nor cold, and cleaned up. When he was finished, he leaned against the tiled wall and slid down to the floor before throwing the tantrum (yes, he would admit to it being a childish tantrum if asked), complete with screaming and hitting the floor with his fists. It helped take the edge off the pressure he was feeling, but it didn't solve the problem at the center of it all. After sorting himself out, he left the shower then dressed so he could go retrieve Alexei from the common floor. As he picked Alexei up, he looked out the window in time to see the quinjet streak away from the tower. "FRIDAY? Which Avengers are currently still in the tower? I just want to know so I can more easily avoid them for the moment."
"No Avengers are currently within the Tower."
A bit of luck was on his side now, or so he thought. "Thank you. I'd like to send Ms. Potts a floral arrangement. Are there any that I should avoid so not to make the situation worse?"
"Ms. Potts has no allergic reactions to flowers."
Johnny nodded as he stepped into the elevator with Alexei. After he reached his room, he put Alexei in his playpen then spent the next hour looking up the meanings of flowers. He selected the ones that best represented what he wanted to say, left the arrangement to the florists and requested a next day delivery. The floral arrangement consisted of bluebells, gladiolus, purple hyacinth, iris, a single yellow rose, snapdragons and red carnations. What he didn't know, and would not find out till much later, was that Tony had taken Pepper on a 4-day weekend getaway. Dinner was a quiet affair with just himself and Alexei. Not long after that, he put the baby down for the night. A couple hours later, he left the Tower, returning early the next morning.
Friday morning, the Tower was quiet with the Avengers still gone. Johnny avoided the gym as well as the common floor, focusing instead on resuming some of his online studies that he had been neglecting in favor of physical training. It didn't take him long before he cleared up his outstanding tuition balance, signed up and paid for several classes and had the online books rented. Between taking care of his schooling and starting his classes, he focused all his attention on Alexei, playing with him, talking to him and napping when he napped. He thought about skipping dinner but decided against it since he would be going out again that night.
Sunday rolls around, and Johnny debates booking a room at a hotel close to the UN. The lack of any available rooms within a block makes it an issue (He suspects FRIDAY has something to do with it but can't prove it). Instead he plans on an early morning departure from the Tower with as little pomp as possible.
Mid-morning Monday, during the trip back from Malibu, Pepper receives a call from the SI Lawyers stating that the hearing has been canceled due to a security breach at the UN. She in turn calls Johnny but it goes straight to voicemail. For her next call, she goes straight to the top, not bothering with the go betweens and secondaries.
Either he expected the call or else he's learned to just take her calls and be done with it. "Fury," he answers, not bothering with pleasantries.
"Did you retrieve him already?" She asks.
"Him who?" Fury asks in return.
"Foxx… Johnny. The UN hearing was cancelled and he's not answering his phone. FRIDAY's already confirmed that he left the Tower this morning before 8am."
"No," Fury replied. "I do not have him." He tapped the screen in front of him, bringing up various data. He wasn't about to mention there was a minor delay in getting him placed with the other team. "If had him you would have known."
"Where is the team? They are suppose to be guarding him and Alexei when they are required at the UN for the hearing," Pepper inquires as she paces the aisle.
Tony is working on his phone, FRIDAY already running a search algorithm, incorporating traffic and security cams along all possible routes to the UN from the Tower. The only route that doesn't require doubling back or circling is E 42nd street to 1st Avenue. He taps the phone, zooming in, wishing he was already back at the Tower where he has access to better displays.
"Sir, according to the traffic reports, there was a rather large accident at intersection of 42nd and a side street between The Westin New York Grand Central and the Museum of Tolerance which caused severe delay for the area. There are no traffic cams in that area and the security cams are all facing the wrong direction to be of use. I am attempting to access other cameras in the area."
"Keep me updated," Tony ordered as he closed the phone, looking up in time to see Pepper snap her own phone closed before she tossed it down on the seat. Standing up, he moved behind her, wrapping his arms about her waist and pulling her close. "Tell you what.. we can always adopt him then you can ground him for the rest of his natural life. Sounds like a deal? You'd get to spoil Alexei rotten then make Johnny deal with him."
"Tony…" Pepper started, a hint of warning in her voice. Tony's joke falling a bit short of the intended target.
"Pepper… Pep… Johnny's a big boy and can take care of himself," Tony pointed out.
"I'm not worried about him," Pepper replied. "I'm worried about Alexei and what could happen to him." It was mostly the truth, she didn't want to admit she was a tiny bit worried about Johnny as well.
Tony wisely did not call Pepper on it, instead he continued to hold her until a discreet cough from the flight attendant caught his attention. "Yes?"
"I apologize for the interruption, Mr. Stark. We'll be making our final approach to Teterboro in less than 10 minutes," the man said. "Mr. Hogan is already there and waiting."
Tony nodded, turning his attention back to Pepper. "Time to take our seats," he said, kissing the side of her neck before letting her go. Once she was settled, he took his own seat. He opened the phone once more taking another look. The Mark 46 would be waiting on him once they landed. "If the team hasn't assembled by the time I arrive, I will see to it that they are."
Pepper gives him a smile before she turns to look out the window.
Once the jet has landed and taxied to the proper area, the door is opened and the stairs barely extended before Tony is down on the tarmac. The Mark 46 armor wraps around him in seconds, FRIDAY has a flight path already plotted. With a nod to Pepper, he ignites the repulsors and is airborne, streaking towards the Tower.
Tony landed at the Tower, the armor being disassembled automatically as he strode along the walkway to the common floor. He stopped to look over the early lunch time gathering of the team. "Class, can anyone tell me what is wrong with this picture?" he asked in a clipped tone, hands on the railing as he leaned forward. "Anyone? Come on now, it's not that hard."
Steve glanced around at the rest of the Avengers, then up at Tony. "What are you on about Tony?" he asked as he looked back, mentally counting heads.
"What was important about today?" Tony clarified as he pushed away from the railing and descended the stairs.
"The UN hearing, which was canceled, by the way. We received the call from the lawyers as well as a text from Johnny saying he'd received the same call around 9:30. Well before we needed to leave," Steve replied, then frowned in thought. It was the only time he had received any messages from him since he arrived at the Tower. "What did he say to you Natasha?" he asked.
"Said he was going to stay in his room for the day," Nat said. "Clint and I were planning on speaking to him after lunch. Why?" she asked, getting the feeling that she should have confronted Johnny earlier.
"FRIDAY?" Tony asked, holding up a hand. "Please inform the rest of the class as to what is going on."
"A pleasure sir," the AI responded. Even though it was just a computer program, a highly advanced one at that, it still 'liked' Johnny. "At 7:34am Foxx left the Tower with Alexei to attend the UN hearing as required. He never arrived at UN Headquarters. Even with morning traffic he should have arrived by 8am at the latest. The security breach occurred at around 8:17am. After a thorough investigation, it was determined that the breach was a false alarm. I hypothesize that the false alarm was used as a decoy to draw attention away from the fact Foxx never arrived. I have already analysed the text sent to your phone was indeed made from Foxx's, but he was not the one to compose it. The cell phone tower it originated from is located 138 miles north in Albany, New York."
Tony checked his watch. "It is now 11:08. We are 3 hours behind whomever took him. You have 5 minutes to gear up and get your ass in the quinjet or you get left behind. And I'd advise against that. Pepper's not too happy at the moment." With that he turned and headed back up the stairs to the walkway and his armor. Once he was in his armor, he contacted Pepper. "What's your status Pep? Everyone's scrambling."
"So help me Tony, if you leave before I get there I will make everyone's life a living hell," Pepper shot back. "You are not leaving me out of this one."
"But-"
"Not a word Tony."
"Yes dear."
Wisely no one argued the delay in departure when Pepper stalked aboard the quinjet wearing battle togs. All it took was a look sent Steve's way to stop him from saying anything about her being there. She handed the bag she was carrying off to Tony then sat down and secured herself in a seat.