Gabie

III

Insane adrenaline and severe determination allow me to reach the Roxxon Oil rig just as Tony and Rhodes stealthily approach with the speedboat.

I land lightly on lightly on the deck and angle my arms upwards, guiding the water into an angle. The boat follows the water and brings us close to the top.

Tony and Rhodes step off and onto the platform, Tony offers his hand and I take it so he can pull me up. The boat falls back into the lower water with not so much as a splash.

"Come on," Tony whispers and we all crouch behind a crate.

"You're not gonna freak out on me, right?" the colonel inquires and I roll my eyes. Panic attacks can come at any moment.

"I hope not," Tony replies.

Rhodes peers out behind the crate and his eyes widen, curious I look up too and promptly gasp silently.

The President is hung up inside the Iron Patriot suit above an lit up oil tank. The whole thing is lit up like a Christmas tree for theatrical effect.

"Oh, my God. He's strung up over the oil tank, they're gonna light him up, man," Rhodes gasps in horror

"Viking funeral. Public execution," Tony huffs.

"Yeah, death by oil."

"Come on we have a clear path," I hiss and we sneak further in.

"Broadcast will commence shortly. Take final positions." It'd Killian's voice over some kind of PA system.

Aldrich has camera's everywhere mostly aimed at the President, intending to broadcast his execution live on television.

"This is just barbaric, a picture of his bloody head would do just fine, all this fire is unnecessary," I remark and Rhodes raises his eyebrows at me. "What? I'm just saying." He shakes his head and we move a few more steps before ducking behind a shilling crate.

"Is your gun up?" Rhodes asks Tony.

"Yep. What do I do?" Tony returns, proudly holding up his gun.

"Stay on my six, cover high, and don't shoot me in the back," Rhodes instructs then looks to me. "How about you just don't let us die alright?"

"Yeah that's as easy as knowing CPR," I snap back.

"Six, high, back. Alright," Tony confirms, making my comment go unargued.

A zinging bullet makes me jump and on instinct hold up my hand in a sweeping motion, but there's no earth to shield us.

Tony whips around and begins shooting back, trying to hit the lamp beside the guard. He keeps missing so I grab him yanking him down behind a crate. Rhodes has already ducked down himself, a military instinct.

"You see that? Nailed it," Tony brags and Rhodey rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, you really killed the glass," Rhodes deadpans.

"I was aiming for the bulb! You can't hit a bulb at this distance," Tony counters defensively. Rhodes smirks and rises for a split second, shooting the bulb dead center.

"That should buy us thirty seconds maybe," I scoff.

"I'm out. Give me...give me...you got an extra magazine?" Tony asks, an unsteadiness in his voice.

"They're not universal, Tony," Rhodes responds.

"I know what I'm doing, I make this stuff," Tony retorts.

"Okay," Rhodes relents and passes him an extra magazine.

"I don't even have a gun," I chime in.

"That's cause you are the gun, now give me another one," Tony orders.

"I don't have another that fits that gun," Rhodes says and I roll my eyes. This is wasting time.

"You've got like five of 'em-"

"Guys! Imminent situation remember?" I cut in.

"Alright, here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna spot. Ready?" Tony quickly rises then sits back down, way too quickly to see anything.

"What'd you see?"

"Too fast, nothing." I groan and bang my head against the crate, idiots.

I can see the nearby thoughts of the guards, but I'm still trying to hide my telepathy.

"Here we go." He rises again and this time takes a good look before getting back down. "Three guys, one girl, all armed."

"God, I'd kill for some armor right now," Rhodes breathes out. "The only one who stands a chance fighting Extremis soldiers head on is Quiver over here."

"You're right, we need backup," Tony agrees.

"Yeah, a bunch."

"You know what?" Tony nods ahead and we look up to see tons of suits flying towards us. I gape at the shear amount of them.

"Is...is that?" Rhodes gasps.

"Yep."

"Are those?"

"Yeah," Tony confirms as all the suits arrive, lining up side by side. There has to be at least fifty of them.

"So this is what you do when Allie's away," I breathe out and he beams.

"Merry Christmas, buddies," he wishes with a smirk.

The suits begin surrounding the ship while the guards all scramble to figure out what's happening.

"Jarvis, target Extremis heat signatures. Disable with extreme prejudice," Tony orders.

"Yes, sir," all the suits chime but they hesitate.

"What are you waiting for? It's Christmas. Take 'em to church."

It doesn't take another second for each and every suit to begin attacking the Extremis soldiers, sending the ship into a spiral of chaos.

With all the shooting and white hot Extremis nodes flying around it isn't a surprise the platform we're standing on is soon unsteadied. Rhodes grabs the tail and my arm but Tony remains calm.

"Jarvis, get Igor to steady this thing," he directs and I watch in awe as a huge clunking suit sprints on the ground below us right up to the supports of our platform. Igor ducks under the remnants of the piles and hunkers down, his wide frame steadying us.

"This is how you've been managing your downtime, huh?" Rhodes teases and Tony shrugs.

My mind is too focused on finding any information about Allie to really react to anything happening around me.

"Everybody needs a hobby," Tony muses and they continue to watch the suits take out Extremis soldiers. "Heartbreaker? Help Red Snapper out, will ya?"

The minds of the guards are practically useless, all they can think about it the Iron Man suits attacking them.

"Stupid machine!"

"The boss won't be pleased about this."

"How many of these things are there?"

"Boss should get our new sister out here to help."

I pause and narrow my eyes, new sister? Killian is still making soldiers?

"I wanna see what Siren could do to these things with her new Extremis upgrade. Wait are we really calling her Queen Ember now?"

Siren! That's Allie! I have to go deeper see if this guard knows more.

"Goddammit it snuck up o-"

The connection breaks suddenly making me snap back and bringing me back to my surroundings.

The ground is burning and explosions are going off left and right. The platform is exploding around us.

One suit flies up and opens for Tony who steps in immediately.

"Nice timing," he praises.

"Oh yeah, that's awesome," Rhodes gushes and holds out his arms. "Give me a suit, okay?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. They're...they're only coded to me," Tony answers sheepishly with a little smugness.

"What's that mean?" Rhodes queries thought his deflating excitement makes it clear he already knows.

"I got you covered," Tony assures then turns to me. "Gabie, you gotta fly off this thing." I nod, finally back to reality, and call rushing wind to me.

Using the air I propel myself upwards and off the unsteady ground.

Before I can worry about the Colonel a suit lands beside Rhodes and holds out his arms.

"Good evening, Colonel. Can I give you a lift?" Jarvis greets politely and I giggle. Rhodes, with the utmost resigned look on his face, reluctantly steps into the suits embrace and allow it to take him up.

"Very funny," he grumbles.

"Yes it is!"