A/N: I'm going out of town again tomorrow and I wanted to make sure I posted this before I left. :P This chapter is so long that I had to split it into two :/
Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers!
Chapter 6
"What?" Tony exclaims. He scrambles out of bed and rushes to change. He strips off his pants and grabs a new pair off the floor. He sniffs the pants and cringes. They smell musty, but they'll have to do. "I thought Loki was locked up in Asgard, you know, permanently."
"We'd thought so too. Apparently the definition of permanently has changed," Coulson responds in a bitter tone. Tony can hear mechanical noises in the background and assumes that the Agent is preparing his jet for flight.
"Any idea on how he may have broken out?" The engineer asks as he struggles to put on his pants one handed.
"No clue, but the faster we detain him for questioning the better. Shield has pinpointed his location to Harlem. Now, hurry up and get your asses to West 125th Street. I'll meet up with you as soon as I can," Coulson says before hanging up.
The engineer is about to discard his phone when it rings again. "Hello," he answers hastily.
"One more thing," Coulson says. "Make sure you keep an eye on Doctor Banner. I don't want a repeat of 2008." The Agent hangs up again.
Tony gives his phone a confused look before throwing it on his bed and fastening his pants. He quickly sheds his shirt, and pulls on an old black AC/DC t-shirt and sprints to the elevator. "Jarvis, have a suit ready on the iron man landing pad pronto."
"Of course sir," JARVIS responds. The elevator doors opens and Tony rushes inside. The device automatically takes Tony down to the common area. When the team had first moved in, one of the few things they agreed on is that if there is ever an emergency, they are to meet in the common room, form some sort of plan, and then leave.
The genius arrives moments later and rushes over to meet the team, who are all clad in their respective uniforms minus Bruce who is still Bruce sized. Tony joins the others, meeting Cap's eye and giving him a nod of acknowledgement.
"Alright, looks like everyone's here," Cap announces, adjusting his shield, which he has secured over his left arm.
Clint snorts. "Did you get lost or something Stark?" he asks, toying with the bow in his hands.
"Not now, bird brain," Tony responds before turning his attention to Steve. "What's the plan, Cap?"
"Tony and Thor, you two will fly ahead and hold Loki back for as long as you can until the rest of us arrive. Remember Loki is to be detained alive," Steve explains, glancing over everyone.
"Or . . ." Clint trails off, tone sounding both hopeful and bitter. Tony's surprised that the Hawk still holds some resentment over Loki, then again the billionaire would be pissed too if someone took over his conscious and used him like a puppet. The archer still probably thinks that everything that transpired over a year ago is somehow his fault. He idly wonders if Clint realizes that the only person blaming him is himself. And if that doesn't sound hypocritical, than Tony doesn't know what does.
"Alive," Thor repeats voice low and dangerous.
"Right," Clint responds sounding small. "Alive . . ."
"Alright team. Keep your comms on and stay safe. Don't put yourselves in any more danger than you have to," Cap says, meeting Tony's eyes as he recites that last sentence. Tony gulps and nods his head once. The billionaire won't make any promises, but he'll try—for Steve. "Avengers move out."
The team spilt up. Bruce, Natasha, Steve, and Clint head for the elevator, which will take them to the tower's underground garage. Tony runs to the floor to ceiling glass windows. He reaches the glass door that will lead him to his iron man landing pad (where one of his suits is already assembled in a standing position and waiting on the edge) and throws the door open, darting outside with Thor hot on his heels. The engineer aims for his suit while Thor swings his hammer and takes off into the night sky, heading for Loki's position.
As Tony approaches the suit, the back of the armor opens, and the genius steps inside. The metal closes around Tony's body and the suit comes online, various screens showing Loki's coordinates, the locations and health status of the other Avengers, weather, the armor's status, Coulson's position (his ETA is roughly forty minutes), etc. appear in front of the engineer's eyes.
"Sir, the suit is prepped and prepared for any magic that Loki may be unveiling in the battle," JARVIS says over his and Tony's private comm.
"Excellent. Let's get this show on the road," Tony declares. He diverts some power to his thrusters and takes off into the sky heading for Harlem. Through the faceplate, he can see Loki's destruction from a distance: large fires that burn brighter than the sun and thick, black smoke rising into the sky. He can hear explosions that clap louder than thunder and the suit is picking up the screams from the civilians, who are caught in the middle of Loki's fit.
Tony continues his scan of the area. After a few moments, he turns to his right and scowls. Switching to the team comm, he says, "And if you look to your right, you'll see Costco aka Tony Stark will never shop there again."
"Hi Costco," Clint chirps.
Natasha sighs. "Clint, you're an idiot."
"Iron Man, what's your ETA?" Cap asks.
"Three minutes give or take," Tony says, flying out of the way to avoid a stray lightning strike. "Looks like Thor's already stirring up some trouble. And to think he started without us."
Not long after those words are spoken everyone arrives on scene to see Thor and Loki locked in battle, shouting war cries and adding to the destruction. Tony flies down to join up the rest of the team. When it comes to Loki, many times it's best to let Thor handle the situation. The genius lands next to Cap's motorcycle as Natasha parks next to him in her black Mercedes-Benz. Tony pauses. Widow is the only person he knows who would willingly drive an expensive ass car into battle. He recalls the woman once saying, "Arrive in style, or don't arrive at all."
Bruce climbs off the back of Steve's bike, taking his helmet off and placing it on the seat. He walks forwards a few steps and glances around the area. "Hey, does this place look familiar to any of you?"
A loud explosion resonates throughout the area, knocking Bruce off his feet. Tony catches the man by his elbow and helps him keep his balance. "Uh, Bruce, I think we could use the Hulk right about now," he says, steadying the man.
"Brother!" Thor shouts over the explosions Loki is causing. "Cease this madness at once!"
"You think this is madness, dear Thor?" Loki sneers, his eyes blazing. "Then, you haven't seen anything yet." Light forms around Loki's fists and he launches it towards Thor, hitting the man square in the chest and sending him flying backwards.
"Stark, give me a lift," Hawkeye says. "There's a perfect spot on the building that Thor was hovering next to."
Tony waddles over to where the archer is standing and grabs the man by the back of the shirt. "Going up," he warns before taking off into the sky. He drops the Hawk on the roof of the tan building he requested. He glances briefly at the ground and sees Bruce transforming. Good. Based on the amount of damage Loki has already caused, this fight needs to stop as soon as possible. "Any civilians in the immediate area?"
"As far as we know, they're all evacuated. Widow and I are on the lookout for any stragglers," Cap responds. "Can you see a way to get past Loki's defenses?"
"Working on it," Tony responds. "JARVIS?"
"Beginning scan of Loki Laufeyson," JARVIS responds.
A lightning bolt strikes from a distance and hits Loki directly. The mage brushes off the attack like nothing happened. Thor flies over and hovers next to Tony, muscles tense and pulsing, face calm and eyes filled with rage.
"Thor," Tony begins. "Do you have any idea to get past Loki's defenses? Or what he may be up to exactly?"
"Nay, Man of Iron," Thor responds, gravely, his electric blue eyes fixed on his brother. "Loki is a powerful sorcerer and a formidable opponent. I was never as skilled in the art of magic as my brother is so I do not know how to subdue him. As for his plans, I do not know the answer. Loki does whatever he pleases, forgoing all consequences."
"Guys," Natasha calls, a hint of worry slipping into her voice. "I think we've got an even bigger problem."
Everyone turns and sees an orange glow surrounding Loki, his lips moving in a wordless chant. Hundreds of energy balls appear around the neighborhood and slowly transform. These creatures are wolf like, fur as blue as ice and eyes blazing crimson red. The creatures snarl and sneer at the team, baring their teeth like they're preparing for a meal.
"What are those things?" Clint exclaims.
"Ice Wolves from the mountains of Jotunheim," Thor explains. "While these beings are easy foes, they travel in packs of hundreds and are pesky to deal with."
"Great," Tony says blandly.
Loki grins wickedly. "Creatures of the night—attack!" The wolves let out various grunts and howls before lunging at the Avengers.
Hulk lets out a loud roar and barrels down an indeterminate number of wolves. Clint fires off several arrows at the creatures, shattering the beings and keeping them away from his perch. On the ground, Cap and Widow are subduing as many creatures as possible. From the skies, Thor strikes some beings down with lightning and Tony is firing repulsor beams. Loki, being his usually unhelpful self, is attacking the Avengers while they're distracted, sending beams of energy upon the team.
"Thor, we'll take care of these guys. You handle Loki," Cap orders.
"Aye, Captain," Thor answers. He quickly flies over to his brother and bodily tackles the man, grabbing him around the waist and shooting upwards into the atmosphere, taking their fight towards the stars.
"Widow, watch your six," Clint warns.
Tony flies low to the ground and takes out two ice wolves that were creeping towards Natasha from her blind point. He flies over her head and grins at the grateful look she shoots him before returning to the fight. Iron Man uses his gauntlets and physically knocks down a few wolves. He stands next to Cap and fires a repulsor beam at the man, the blast ricocheting off his shield and taking out the ice wolves in the immediate area. Tony exchanges a quick glance with Cap before taking off to the sky, flying towards Clint and taking out roughly ten wolves that were scaling the side of the building where he is perched.
The battle continues for some time. The Avengers work tirelessly to subdue the wolves so they can aid Thor in his battle with Loki, the sky lighting up with every clash. Luckily, the Hulk is taking out a majority of the wolves. Tony flies around the area, alternating between helping his teammates and keeping the ice wolves contained to the neighborhood. The situation would quickly become ten times worse if one of the wolves managed to escape.
At one point, Hawkeye manages to run out of arrows and relays this information to the rest of the group. He quickly explains that he had more arrows stashed in the trunk of Natasha's car. Tony flies down, firing repulsor's at the ice wolves surrounding the vehicles. The genius quickly opens the trunk and grabs Hawkeye's spare quiver filled with arrows. In addition, he also grabs a few spare arrows that were randomly lying in the trunk, so the archer wouldn't run out so quickly. He closes the trunk and flies to Clint's position, dropping off the quiver and the extra arrows, accepting the man's exclamation of gratitude.
Iron Man continues circling the area and is taking out a cluster of seven or eight wolves when Jarvis' voice sounds through the helmet. "Sir, the scan of Loki Laufeyson is completed," JARVIS notifies. Several screens pop into the genius's line of sight and he scans the charts and graphs, brow furrowing with each word he reads. His brow furrows deeper when he glances over the images JARVIS brings up.
"Guys, there's something up with Loki's eyes," Tony advises the team.
"Yes, they're very lovely," Hawkeye deadpans, firing an arrow at one of the ice wolves. "But, can we focus on the real problem here."
"I—Can you be serious for two seconds! His eyes are bright blue and his energy signal is different," Tony snaps, eyes rapidly scanning over the windows JARVIS brought up of Loki's condition. "Not only is it stronger, but it appears . . . . warped."
"Man of Iron, are you implicating that my brother is being controlled?" Thor inquires over the comms.
"Like with the Tesseract?" Clint asks, wariness creeping into his voice.
"I don't know for sure, but from the readings I'm getting, that appears to be the case," Iron Man responds. He dodges one of the wolves that lunges at him and fires a repulsor beam at it, watching the creature shatter.
"Well, there's only one way to find out for sure," Cap adds before letting out a grunt of frustration as one of the wolves latch onto his shield.
A loud explosion sounds from above and a figure crashes down to Earth. On impact, smoke arises from the ground, spreading outwards and sending debris flying everywhere. Knowing that Clint, Hulk, Thor, and Steve are going to be fine, Tony flies low to the ground seeking out Widow. He spots the woman as opponents are surrounding her.
"Widow, hold up your hand," Tony says, watching a gloved hand stick out from a sea of ice blue fur. The engineer quickly wraps a gauntlet-covered hand around Widow's and pulls her out of harm. He quickly flies over to a ditch that the Hulk formed in the middle of the road earlier when he punched the ground, sending out shockwaves to destroy a number of wolves. He lowers the woman into the ditch and covers her body with his armor as waves of debris, dust and smoke wash over them.
After what appears to be a few minutes, the dust settles and debris stops falling. Tony slowly stands as ash and small rubbish fall from his armor. He climbs out of ditch and glances around the immediate area, scanning for threats. He's met with nothing but complete and utter silence. No wolves, no battle cries, no explosions. Nothing. The whole scene reminds Tony of the movie "28 Days Later" and he wouldn't be surprised if hordes of infected appeared and starting attacking.
Hearing movement to his right, Tony turns and sees Natasha climbing out of the ditch. She brushes off her uniform, walking over to Tony and stopping in front of him. She gives him a small upward quirk of her lips. "Thank you," she says, quietly.
The amount of gratitude in her tone nearly floors Tony. The assassin doesn't usually show her emotions so readily, especially in the heat of battle. Maybe she's finally beginning to trust the team more. After all, she did allow Tony to pull her from harm.
"Everyone alright," Cap's voice filters over the comms. Tony can hear a sliver of worry peering into his tone.
"I'm with Iron Man," Widow responds immediately.
"Dude, did ya'll see that?" Clint comes over the microphone, sounding shocked. "That was some shit man."
"What about—" Tony begins, but is interrupted by Hulk roaring. "Never mind."
"Thor, do you copy?" Cap asks. His question is met with silence.
"Thor, buddy, you there?" Hawkeye asks. Nothing.
"Shit," Tony exclaims, immediately taking flight and heading for the direction the figure fell. He reaches the site in no time, seeing Hulk in his peripheral vision. The billionaire glances into the crater and nearly gasps at seeing Thor, strongest warrior in Asgard, lying unmoving in the middle of the pit. Tony lowers himself from the sky and lands next to Thor, immediately kneeling next to his fallen comrade.
"Fuck . . ." Clint says, quietly, having just arrived. He crouches next to Thor's right, opposite of Tony.
The engineer hears movement from behind. Steve and Natasha appear on either side of Iron Man and look down at their friend. Cap places two fingers against Thor's neck. "He's still alive, but he's barely breathing."
"Did you just quote The Script?" Clint asks, flabbergasted.
Steve furrows his eyebrows. "Who?"
Thor groans, pulling everyone away from the conversation. The warrior opens his eyes and glances at the team. "My friends . . ." he begins, trailing off.
"Hey, buddy. Take it easy," Tony says. "That was a pretty nasty fall."
"Speaking of nasty, where's Loki?" Clint asks, looking around. He loads an arrow into his bow, expression dangerous.
A low, evil chuckle resonates throughout the area. Loki descends from the heavens with two ice wolves the size of cutaway buses flanking him on either side. Triumph is written on his features. "Look at you," he speaks, calmly, a cocky air surrounding his presence. Clint aims an arrow at Loki's head, his entire body tense. "Broken, exhausted, still trying to fight . . ."
The villain chuckles, low and deep, like he's already won. "Your precious Thor has fallen. You mortals have no chance against my might." One of the ice wolves next to him snarls and bares its teeth.
"It's like I told you before, tin head," Iron Man says, voice filled with determination. He stands from his crouching position next to Thor, challenging the cocky God. "Even if we can't save the world, we'll avenge it."
"Oh?" Loki responds, a curious look befalling his features. "But, who's going to avenge you?" The sorcerer's features harden. "I am a God, you insolent fool! You have no hope of defeating me—"
A laser knocks into Loki's back, cutting of the sorcerer's speech and knocking him out of the sky. A light gray fighter jet, shaped like one's the air force would use, is hovering in the airspace that Loki was previously occupying. "You guys had one job," a new voice says over the comms.
Fucking Coulson. "Took you long enough," Tony answers.
"What did you stop to smell the roses on your way?" Hawkeye quips.
"Yes, and they were beautiful," Coulson deadpans.
"Enough small talk," Widow declares, bringing everyone back to the situation at hand. "Loki's going to be much harder to deal with now that's he's angry. Cap? Plan?"
Cap quickly scans the scene before saying, "There's still two wolves left. Hawkeye, you'll join Widow and myself and take them down. Hulk, Iron Man, you handle Loki. Coulson, you provide air support to anyone who needs it. Thor?" he says, addressing his comrade. The Asgardian is sitting on the ground in an upright position, looking between his teammates. "Can you fight?"
"Aye," Thor says with a nod of his head. He rises to his feet and gives Cap a determined look, Mjolnir clutched tight in his right fist.
"Then, you'll join the others in brining Loki in," Cap says.
"Alive?" Thor questions.
"Alive," Cap confirms with a nod.
The air crackles with energy and the Avengers turn and see Loki hovering above the ground with a murderous look on his features. "Rip them to shreds," he demands, voice low and dangerous. Both wolves howl and lunge into battle.
Coulson immediately fires consecutive laser beams at one of the wolves, while Cap tosses his shield at the other. Hulk launches himself at Loki, only to phase through the other man. The green man grabs ahold of the roof of a nearby building to prevent himself from falling.
"Clones," Thor says, standing up and placing himself next to Tony. Dozens of laughing Loki clones appear in the sky.
"How do we know which one is real?" Tony asks.
Thor wordlessly raises Mjolnir to the sky calling cumulonimbus incus clouds to the battle. Thunder rumbles for a few seconds before lightning strikes the clone, causing all to fade and exposing the real Loki.
The villain quickly recovers from the attack, face twisted in rage. "You'll pay for this brother." Loki launches himself at the two men on the ground. Thor swings his hammer and flies into the sky, Tony following quickly.
Thor, Tony, and Hulk (with the occasional air support from Coulson) have been locked in a stalemate with Loki for what seems like hours. In between blows, Tony sees Loki eyeing the three Avengers on the ground, who are busy taking down the final Ice Wolf. The engineer gets a sinking feeling in his stomach. Before he can say anything, Loki unleashes a shockwave that blasts Thor, Hulk and Iron Man backwards.
Tony crashes into a building and groans at the impact. A screen flashes in Tony's vision showing that the suit has taken thirty percent damage from this attack. He watches Loki cup his hands together, mouth moving in a chant. A large fireball appears between Loki's fingers and he grins evilly, glancing between the ball of fire and Tony's comrades.
The engineer realizes with horror what Loki is about to do, right as the villain launches the fireball at his unaware teammates. Tony struggles, getting the suit to move and launches himself from the wall. "JARVIS! Divert main power to the thrusters, now!" JARVIS wordlessly complies and Tony flies rapidly to his teammates. Knowing there's no time to warn the others, Tony places himself between the fireball and his teammates, taking the entire impact.
Tony screams as the suit quickly overheats. Even though the inside of the suit is fireproof, this is no ordinary fire. He can feel the burning metal pressing against every crevice of his body, burning his flesh and causing more screams to erupt from his lips. He faintly hears the thud of his armor hitting the ground, indistinguishable voices shouting his name and roaring, but he's not sure. Tony stops shouting, feeling numb—like his life is being drained from him. After everything he's been through, this is how he's going to die. Ironic, isn't it?
Suddenly, Tony's faceplate is being lifted and the worried faces of his teammates (minus Hulk) appear in his line of vision. Even Coulson was present—when did he not only land, but migrate from his jet to here? Tony turns his head to the right and looks at Steve. His mask is pushed back, exposing his worried blue eyes and ruffled blond hair glowing in the early morning sun, making it look as if the man has a halo.
Steve flushes a slight pink and Natasha scoffs. Did he say that aloud?
"He's fine," the female assassin declares, before muttering under her breath. The utter relief in her tone doesn't escape the billionaire and he mentally smiles.
He meets Steve's eyes again, noting the fondness and relief in the other man's orbs. He tries to raise his hand to press it against Steve's cheek, but his amour groans in protest. "Alright, JAR, how bad am I?"
"Sir, there are no physical injuries to report. The armor took the brunt of the damage. I am speaking to you now through the suits reserve power."
"What? How? It felt—I was—"
"If I may, Man of Iron," Thor interrupts voice gentle and soothing. "It appears that even in my brother's unusual state, he did not wish to bring harm to your being. After all, he did make a promise to me and he is trying wholeheartedly to recover."
"But, it's Loki," Clint says, still unbelieving.
"Even the most cold-hearted of foes can change their ways, if they are allowed the opportunity," Thor responds, continuing to use that gentle tone.
"So, it was just an illusion?" Tony questions. His brow furrows as he tries to understand the situation.
"Aye," Thor confirms.
Before Tony can respond, the Hulk approaches the rest of the team carrying Loki in one of his giant hands. He sets the God on the ground in front of the others. Thor immediately goes to his brother's side, kneeling next to the man and placing a comforting hand against his shoulder. Tony sees the blond haired warrior furrow is brow in confusion, as though Loki rarely, if ever, accepts any form of comforting.
"Puny God has something he wants to say," Hulk declares.
Steve helps Tony into a sitting position keeping one hand firmly clasped against the back of Tony's armor. One glance is all it takes to know that something has changed within Loki. Not only have is eyes returned to their normal shade, but his aura is different. Calming, yet powerful. Something definitely happened to the God, and the billionaire is hoping he'll give them some answers.
Loki glances at each of the Avengers. "I was compromised," he says simply.
"By who?" Coulson inquires immediately.
"I don't know," Loki admits. He sways to the right before catching himself. "My memory is a bit fuzzy."
"What do you remember, brother?" Thor asks gently.
"The last thing I remember was sitting in my cell and I was hit over the head and . . ." the raven-haired man furrows his brow. "When I came to just now, I saw the green man standing over me."
"Is there anything else you remember?"
Loki sways to the side again before jerking upright. "The person who used me is evil—pure evil. I have never seen an aura so dastardly before and I was involved with Thanos." A grave expression crosses Loki's features. "Something big is coming. And I hope you Avengers are ready for it." After those words were spoken, Loki's eyes roll into the back of his head and he falls forward.
Thor immediately catches his brother and cradles him against his chest. He places two fingers against Loki's neck and sighs with relief. "He's unconscious," Thor announces.
"I wonder what he could have meant," Steve wonders aloud. "Who's coming and what do they want?"
"I think that is a question that only Loki will be able to answer in time," Thor declares, not taking is eyes away from the man in his arms.
"Thor, let's bring Loki back to Shield so he can recuperate. Maybe one of our psychologists can help him figure out who was controlling him," Coulson offers.
Thor gives the man a wary look, not fully trusting Shield, but ultimately nods his agreement. He stands, cradling his brother against his chest.
The Agent turns to the rest of the Avengers. "In the meantime, the rest of you return to base and get some rest. I'll call if we find out anything." Coulson quickly glances at everyone before turning to walk towards his jet.
"Wait, Coulson," Steve pipes up right before the man walks off.
The Agent turns around immediately. "Yes, Captain?"
"Thanks for showing up," Steve says, voices filled with gratitude. "You were a real asset to our victory today."
Surprise flashes over Coulson's features before he collects himself. "It was . . ." he clears his throat. "My pleasure to be of service, Captain."
"Dude, I think you broke him," Clint whispers to Steve.
Coulson gives the team one last look before heading for his jet, with Thor in tow carrying the unconscious Loki.
"Hey, soldier, wanna help me up?" Tony asks, looking at the blond. His arm is still wrapped around the armor and Tony wishes he could feel the warmth that Steve radiates.
"Huh? Oh of course," Steve responds. He uncoils his arm from around Tony's back before standing. The blond holds out his hands and Tony grabs on, letting Steve help him into an upright position. The armor groans in protest, but stays firmly attached to Tony's body.
"You okay?" Tony asks Steve, regretfully letting go of the other's hands.
"I should be asking you that," is the response.
"I'm fine. The armor took all of the damage. It kinda sucks though—this was one of my favorite suits."
Steve snorts. "Please for the sake of my sanity, don't do something like that again. You had me worried, you big fool."
"But, I'm your big fool, right?"
A surprised look crosses Steve's features before fondness returns to his eyes. "Yeah, my big fool," the soldier responds, giving Tony a warm smile that the brunet can't help but return.
"YOOOOO Bru-cey! I didn't know you were packing!"
"Clint, shut the fuck up!"
Steve and Tony turn their heads and see that, not only has the rest of the group migrated away from them, but Hulk has transformed back into Bruce. The scientist is standing in the middle of the road, naked and embarrassed trying to cover himself up. Clint isn't helping. Natasha rolls her eyes and walks away from the men, heading for her car.
Tony picks his faceplate from the ground, while Steve grabs his shield. The brunet may or not have checked out the very fine ass presented to him. The pair make their way over to Clint and Bruce, Steve handing the latter his shield when they arrive. The scientist gives the blond a grateful look and uses the item to cover his front.
Clint frowns. "You guys are no fun."
"That's because you're embarrassing the poor man," Natasha says as soon as she's within the guys' earshot. She stands next to Bruce and holds out a pair of black slacks to him. "Here Doctor Banner, I figured you could use these after the fight."
Bruce accepts the pants with a warm smile. Steve takes his shield back from Bruce and holds it in front of the man while he changes.
"Good?" Steve asks after a minute.
"Good. Thanks Cap," the scientists responds with a smile. Steve nods in response, securing his shield over his arm.
"So, home?" Clint asks.
"Home," Tony confirms. "JARVIS, how am I looking on power?"
"Sir, there is enough reserve power for you to make one flight. My calculations confirm that you will make it back to Stark Tower with five percent of power to spare."
"Excellent," Tony responds. He looks at the team. "See you at home?"
"See you there," Steve agrees.
Tony smiles to himself and reattaches the faceplate to his helmet. The suit immediately comes online and Tony scans the screens in front of him. "JARVIS, take me home."
"Very well," JARVIS responds. The thrusters come online and immediately launch Tony into the sky.
The billionaire arrives at Stark Tower after a short flight. He lands on the Iron Man landing pad, walking towards the common area, mechanical arms stripping the suit from his body with every step. When he arrives inside the building, Tony immediately heads for the elevator, calling the device to his location and taking it to his floor.
The genius heads for his room and enters, immediately sheading his shirt, dropping it in the hamper, and wandering into the bathroom. He walks over to his Jacuzzi/bathtub and turns on the water watching it flow into the tub. He sticks his hand under the water and waits until it warms before plugging the drain. The billionaire wanders into his room and checks his pockets, making sure he didn't leave anything inside. He sheds his pants and underwear before discarding those items in the hamper. Tony grabs one of his many Stark Pads and walks back into the bathroom just as JARVIS begins speaking over the intercom.
"Sir, Miss Potts knows of the battle and is on her way."
Tony freezes. "Shit."
A/N: This is the first time I've written an action scene and I hope I did alright. Regardless, I'm really proud of this chapter and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please review and tell me what you think! :)