Earth-717: Iron Maiden Vol 2

Chapter 3: Pity Party

"Reckless."

"Idiotic."

"Dumb."

"Brash."

"Somewhat impertinent."

Tasha downed another shot of brandy as she listened to the criticisms being hurled at her. Sitting back in her lounge chair, she massaged the armrests with her palms while her friends continued to speak at her. Rhodes, Pepper and Stane were sitting in the other chairs that made up the circle, while Happy was standing at her side with his arms folded.

"Tasha," said Pepper. "Are you listening?"

"Yeah, sure, yeah. All ears, Pep. Can't wait to hear how terrible and shitty I am from whoever's next in line."

Pepper raised an eyebrow. Rhodes sighed.

"Come on, hit me with whatever you got," slurred Tasha. "What's next? I made AIDS? I was behind Rwanda? What now?"

"You're missing the point," said Rhodes.

Tasha took another shot, and gestured for Happy to get more. Frowning, Happy turned to grab more brandy from the bar at the side of the room. Rhodes stood up.

"Hogan, stop. I think she's had more than enough."

"Fuck right I have!" shouted Tasha. "Enough of this shit!"

Tasha burst up and kicked over the table at the centre of the circle of chairs. Pepper shrieked and jumped up as the glass smashed across the floor. Stane frowned but otherwise didn't move. Wiping her mouth and nose, Tasha then stomped past Happy and approached the bar herself. There was a brandy bottle in front of her, and her helmet was on the far end. Seizing the brandy bottle with her right hand, she tried to pour it over her glass far too quickly, and the liquid sloshed all over the table and on the floor.

"Shit!"

Tasha's surprise at spilling so much caused her to drop the bottle on the floor. Shards of glass and streams of alcohol spilled onto her feet.

"Fuck! Stupid, bitch, cunt, fuck, cocksucker, motherfucker . . . ."

Pepper shook her head before grabbing her purse off of the armrest of her chair.

"I'm done. You lot can reason with her. Come on, Obadiah."

"But I . . . ."

"Now."

Stane let out a relenting sigh and followed Pepper out of the room. Tasha placed both of her hands on the bar, closing them into fists. Her back was facing both Happy and Rhodes. Every breath from all three people seemed to elevate the level of tension.

"Hogan."

"Yeah."

"Get out of here. I need to speak to her. Alone."

Happy was silent for a moment, considering whether or not to protest. He then turned and walked out of the room. Tasha did not respond to his departure. For several minutes, Tasha continued to breathe, angrily glaring at the wall in front of her, refusing to turn around and face Rhodes.

"Come on, Rhodey. Say it. Whatever you got. Gimme your worst. Let's hear it."

Sniffling, Tasha waited for a response. Not receiving one, she finally turned around to face Rhodes. His face was stern and his arms were crossed.

"Pfff. Same old Rhodey. Fuckin' buzzkill."

"Some things never change, do they?"

"Yeah, like you and your straight edge bullshit."

"We both know this isn't about me. If you stopped acting like a whiny child for half a minute, you'd realize that your friends and I were trying to help you."

Tasha sulked in response, clearly annoyed by the fact that she didn't have an intelligent retort to his assertion.

"But you could never admit that. No, not the infallible Tasha Stark."

Tasha gave Rhodes a death glare.

"Sometimes I wonder why we, your friends, the people who have stood by you through all of this . . . . I wonder why they stick around. I don't think you even see how much this hurts them."

Tasha swallowed what was in her throat as the anger slowly left her. She then wiped the sweat and spit off her mouth and started to gesture towards a bottle of bourbon that was behind the bar.

"No you don't."

Rhodes marched forward and grasped Tasha's forearm, holding it in the air.

"Let go of me."

"No."

"Let me drink in peace, fucker."

"I don't care if you drink. You do it all the time as part of your lifestyle. I've never had a problem with that."

Tasha turned her head to look into Rhodes' eyes.

"What I have a problem with is when you get like this. When you get lost in it. Remember the last time it got this bad?"

Tasha wriggled her arm away from Rhodes, but put it back down on the bar rather than make another attempt for the bourbon bottle.

"I told you to never bring that up."

"You want to go this route? Want to back yourself into this gutter again?"

Tasha clenched her jaw as she turned her face away from him.

"I've seen you at your absolute worst. Not there yet, but you're getting damn close."

Tasha shook her head and wiped off some of the moisture gathering around her eyes.

"So I'm gonna ask again. You want to go this route?"

Tasha turned to look at Rhodes again. He saw that all of the anger in her eyes had melted away, and she looked like little more than a scared and saddened woman.

"No."

"What happened, Tasha?"

Tasha swallowed her own saliva a couple of times, trying to somewhat soothe her sandy throat.

"I . . . . I got . . . . thrashed, Rhodey. J-just . . . . the people, you know? They all look at me . . . . kids . . . . fans . . . . they, they call me the, the Invincible Iron Maiden. Imagine that. Me. S-some sorta . . . . hero, I guess."

Rhodes tilted his head to the side slightly as he listened to Tasha speak.

"And how stupid was I? I believed them. Thought I could . . . . keep it going. Live the dream. I don't know. Don't know why I bought it . . . . why I wanted it. I just don't know. But like an idiot, I just charged in . . . . look what happened."

Tasha sighed and closed her eyes, placing both of her elbows on the bar as she leaned forward.

"Was on top of the world. For a time."

Her mouth closed, Tasha licked her teeth.

"Then this shit happens . . . . Doom made my tech look like a bargain bin toaster. Didn't even bother to take it after he beat me. Said he didn't need it. Like I was so insignificant."

Tasha rested her forehead against her right fist. Rhodes unfolded his arms.

"So much for invincible."

"I know you're used to being the most intelligent person in the room, but you have to accept that you might not be the most intelligent person in the world."

Tasha scoffed.

"So that's it?" asked Rhodes. "All this cause you got your ass handed to you?"

"Not just that. I screwed up."

"I know why."

Tasha blinked.

"You've been running yourself into the ground. Rushing from one thing to next. Partying, tech projects, AIM hunt, superhero stuff . . . . you never stop, and you always do it alone. You don't have to take the whole damn world on your shoulders, Tasha."

"Telling me I should take a vacation? Do what? Book a fantasy cruise?"

"I'm saying . . . . you don't have to do it all by yourself. Look to your friends. The people who want to stand at your side and help you."

Tasha chuckled.

"What? Want a suit? Got a couple extra Mark Threes. Might not fit your body type."

"Not what I meant," replied Rhodes, clearly unimpressed with her attempt at comedy.

"Colonel Rhodes' suggestion is one I advise you take very seriously, ma'am," interrupted Janice. "I have been politely observing this entire altercation, but I feel that my intervention is now required. I also care most for your well-being, ma'am, and I believe that it would be most appropriate to show him our latest security feature."

"What would that be?" asked Rhodes.

Tasha's arms seized up. Groaning, she then turned around and tapped a point on the back of neck, along the spine.

"Sensor link to Janice's mainframe," explained Tasha. "Implanted in the bone. Completely removed from the armour systems. Allows Janice and I to interface, and for her to monitor my vitals, geographic position, all that shit. Now I can't get away from her."

"I proposed this sensor link not as a means of surveillance, but for safety concerns, ma'am," retorted Janice. "Considering your recent bout of unbecoming behaviour, I am most certain that Colonel Rhodes would agree that this is a most prudent precaution."

Tasha rubbed the back of her neck as she turned back around to face Rhodes.

"Yeah. Didn't give me much say in that."

"One of my priority directives is to keep you safe, ma'am. Even from yourself. I will do everything within my power to satisfy that directive, even if you don't necessarily agree with all of my methods."

"Technology. Has a mind of its own these days."

Rhodes put up his hands.

"Just, stop. You're arguing with your own AI for doing what it's supposed to. There's no getting through to you right now."

Rhodes turned around and marched towards the door. Tasha lazily flipped him off while his back was turned. He got to the door, and one hand on the knob, he glanced back.

"You have your presentation tomorrow at the San Francisco Tech Expo," said Rhodes. "Just making sure you don't forget."

Closing his eyes, Rhodes then stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Tasha immediately waltzed back to the bar and grabbed the bourbon bottle.

"Ma'am . . . ."

"Don't want to hear it. Not tonight. Just make sure I'm awake on time tomorrow."

"As you say, ma'am."

Turning on her music and holding the bottle in her hands, Tasha trudged over to one of the chairs and sat down, staring out of her windowed wall. Linkin Park's "Numb" started playing from the speakers. She let large swigs of bourbon fill her stomach at the same time the music filled her ears.

Finishing her bottle and placing it at her feet, she then looked at the helmet sitting at the end of the bar. Standing up, she grabbed it with her left hand and threw it as hard as she could against the wall, shouting as she did so.

Tasha slumped back in to her lounge chair, revelling in her stupor as a small, automatic cleaning bot swept up the many shards of glass.


Killian scowled as Brandt was dragged into his office with her hands behind her back. Two Risk Control troopers were standing at either side of her. Sunset and Yelena were also in the room, with the Russian agent wearing her white tactical suit. One of the Risk Control troopers spoke, his voice slightly distorted by a technological filter.

"We've recovered Miss Brandt, sir," said the trooper. "She was the one who arranged for the selling of the arc reactor to Doctor Doom. Her accomplices are still unknown."

"Thank you," replied Killian.

The troopers then walked to the side of the room opposite Sunset and Yelena.

"So," said Killian. "This is legitimately disappointing."

Brandt stared at Killian with resentment in her eyes. Killian leaned forward, placing his hands on the table. Yelena glanced at his gesture.

"When I had heard about the possibility of some traitors in AIM's midst, I sincerely hoped that you were not involved. I have no idea why you would do something like this to me, Ellen. I've done nothing but try to give you the world. I loved you."

Brandt returned Killian's glare.

"Loved me? You picked me out like a fucking pet. Decided I was yours from the moment you saw me. Never had any say. Never payed attention to what I wanted. It was all you! You! You and your need to satisfy every want you could ever have."

Killian frowned, shaking his head.

"I hated you," said Brandt. "Hated every moment I had to spend with you, but I did it because I was afraid. Afraid of what would happen if I spoke up, if I fought back. But not anymore."

Brandt then let her hands fall to her sides, revealing that she wasn't handcuffed. Killian saw this and was startled.

"Wait, what?"

Unsheathing her military grade combat knife, Yelena immediately slammed it down on Killian's right palm.

"AGH!"

His hand now fixed to the table, Yelena then seized Killian around the throat, holding his entire body in place. He looked pleadingly at the troopers, but they were utterly still. Smirking to herself, Brandt then stepped aside and allowed Sunset to take centre stage in front of Killian's desk.

"Sunset."

"For a man who believed that he had anticipated all of the angles, you must admit, this is a brilliant move."

"You . . . ."

"You really had no idea of Miss Brandt's contempt for you, did you?" asked Sunset. "No idea at all. Since I believe in full disclosure, I will tell you that she's been seeing Doctor Sallis from the biology wing for some time now. Apparently they have a very healthy relationship, yes?"

"We do," said Brandt, nodding.

Killian grunted as he vainly struggled against Yelena's superior physique.

"You bitch. I took you in. Helped you. All of you!"

"Awh," replied Sunset, her soft voice suddenly carrying a menacing weight. "Would you like a medal for that? I have one . . . . right here."

Sunset pulled a small injection device out of her pocket. It had two prongs at either end, and a Protocol chip held in the middle. Stepping to Killian's side, she then jammed the device against the left side of his head. The device placed the Protocol chip against his skin, and it then started digging a hole through his skull.

Yelena let go of Killian, knowing that it was over for him. His head wobbled as the Protocol chip started rewiring his brain from within. Sunset crouched next to him and began whispering into his ear.

"Can you feel that, Mister Killian? That's the feeling of the Protocol chip . . . . my Protocol chip . . . . burrowing its way into your mind . . . . replacing the organic neural network with my own. I suspect that you can sense your own consciousness slowly but irreparably slipping away . . . ."

The veins in and around Killian's eyes started to take on a more pronounced blue hue as his pupils began fading.

"Once it starts, there's no way out," continued Sunset, licking her lower lip. "Once it starts, you're mine . . . . forever."

Sunset then stood back up and walked back around Killian's desk as the process completed. Brandt looked at Sunset with a confused face.

"Why didn't you just kill him?"

"I hate to waste any resource, Miss Brandt . . . . regardless of how insignificant it might be."

Sunset then looked back at Yelena, who tapped her earpiece.

"I have word from Vanko and the others," said Yelena. "The transition has been made. Vanko is now preparing for her Expo appearance."

"Excellent. Agent Belova, make sure to get Mister Killian to processing. Ensure he gets his weapons and combat gear. I'd hate for our esteemed leader to miss his big debut."