Almost at the end! Just a few more chapters to go. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to review and favorite this story. It really does mean a lot, and it is an excellent kick in the pants to remind me to keep updating. Enjoy!
Damnit, Bruce, hold on!
Tony willed his suit to go faster, aware that every wasted second could cost Bruce his life. The adrenaline coursed through his veins like a drug, clearing his alcohol-hazed mind in an instant. This was no longer the Tony Stark that laughed as Thor tried (and failed) to out-drink Steve. This was no longer the Tony Stark who had proudly grinned when he managed to get Natasha and Clint to finally admit their painfully obvious attraction to each other and start a relationship. This was no longer the Tony Stark who sat on the roof at night with Bruce and stared at the stars for hours, feeling safe and loved for the first time in his life be none other than a reclusive fugitive mutant. No, this was a new man; a man with one objective: save Bruce Banner at any cost. This Tony Stark was cold, determined, and on a mission. This Tony Stark… was scared to his core.
As he rounded the street corner, the small ranch house came into view. With a porch freshly painted white, a welcome mat at the door, and scattered lawn gnomes, it didn't exactly look like a criminal mastermind's headquarters. But Tony knew better. He knew with every fiber in his being that this was it; he could practically feel Bruce's presence just yards away. His jaw tight and his eyes stony, he dropped to the ground in front of the home. He stepped determinedly toward the house, fists clenched.
"Sir, you have an incoming call from Ms. Potts." The AI's voice chirped.
Emotionless, he continued toward the house. "Not now, Jarvis."
"Sir, it would appear to be important. She insists on speaking to you."
"Not now." He accentuated each word carefully, his voice growing impatient.
"Sir, I really think you should-" His voice was abruptly cut off as Tony switched the AI to mute. Pepper could wait; this couldn't.
Finally, he had reached the door. Body tense, he looked down at the mat below. Home Is Where the Heart Is, it proudly proclaimed in an elegant font. With a small chuckle, he raised his arm and punched it straight through, demolishing the weak wooden frame.
As he stepped through what little of the doorframe was left, he heard a faint cry from below. In a flash, his manner became frantic as he searched for a door. Quickly deciding that finding an entrance would be too slow, he clenched his jaw and ripped through the floor as fast as he could. The metal torn apart, he jumped through the hole and was horrified by what he saw.
Surrounding him was a white lab room, rather similar to the labs he and Bruce spent so much time in at Stark Towers. Metal tables lined the walls, covered in all manner of what looked to be dangerous tools and concoctions. There were knives, drills, syringes, live electric wires, cranial saws, and more. The test tubes and flasks were filled with a number of differently colored liquids, none of which Tony suspected were good. But the thing that most disturbed him was the cold metal table lying in the center. It appeared worn from use, and the leather straps hanging off the side were obviously restraints to keep the test subject – Bruce, Tony realized – under Phoenix's control. All of the torture Bruce must have endured ran through Tony's mind, all of the pain Phoenix must have inflicted on him. His resolve to slowly and painfully execute Phoenix intensified, if such a thing were possible.
All of this happened in about the space of a second, at which point Tony registered the continued screams down the hallway. He turned and sprinted to the end of what felt like the world's longest tunnel when Phoenix and Bruce came into sight. Bruce lay convulsing in a windowed chamber, his screams penetrating through the glass. His skin was rippling as muscles grew and shrunk, his color alternating between green and its usual white pallor. As Tony approached, Phoenix turned from the wall to face the man of iron for the first time. He appeared gaunt and drained, as though he was about to faint. Just as Tony took a step forward, Phoenix took aim with his gun.
"Do you really think that's going to stop me?" Tony shouted in fury.
A sad smile crossed Phoenix's face. "No, I really don't. But it did give my machine the time to finish processing the formula."
Tony's eyes widened. "The formula?"
"If Bruce does survive this, tell him thank you. Tell him his brother says thank you."
Tony lunged forward with a yell, ready to rip his throat out, when Phoenix grabbed a syringe Tony hadn't noticed and plunged it into his arm. Instantly, he began shaking and he dropped to the ground. While he started to groan and shout, Tony pushed past him and ripped the control panel off the wall, effectively stopping Bruce's transformation. With a deep moan, he was reduced to his normal size and color. Tony ripped the door straight off its hinges and ran in, cradling the doctor in his arms.
"It's going to be okay," he found himself whispering. "I'm here, you're safe."
Slowly, the doctor opened his eyes. Warm chocolate irises greeted Tony for the first time in what felt like forever. "T-tony?"
"It's me." Tony suddenly became glad his helmet remained on, because he didn't know if he could handle Bruce seeing him tear up. "I told you, you're not getting away from me that easily."
Bruce blinked as though he was making sure he was truly awake and that this all wasn't the dream of a dying man. With a soft smile, he looked up at Tony with the gentleness and faith that Tony had come to rely on in his life. With a small crack in his voice, he whispered by Tony's ear.
"I knew you'd come."
Tony removed his helmet to look at Bruce properly, but just as it retracted, a profound scream was heard through the doorway.
Phoenix's back faced them as he lay curled up on the floor. Slowly, his body began to morph and change, his muscles growing and tearing through his simple black suit. Convulsions wracked his body as he shrieked and his skin turned a deep shade of red.
"Oh, God…" Tony mumbled.
A grim look perched on his face, Bruce replied "I don't think God has anything to do with this."
Phoenix gave a final shout as he reached his full size, easily ten feet tall and over a thousand pounds in all. He turned around slowly to face the two scientists. His breathing was heavy, and his thick black brows were knitted tightly in confusion. For a moment, it seemed he was estimating their threat level. However, upon deeming them insignificant, he gave a great roar to the skies above and jumped straight through the hole Tony had torn earlier.
Both men let out a sigh of relief, releasing the breath neither had realized they'd been holding. Tony looked down at Bruce, trying to assess the damage done, but the doctor pushed him away.
"I'm fine, Tony." he said in annoyance.
However, it took more than that to deter Tony. "Is this what you call fine? You're cut and bleeding in just about a million places, you have bruises covering your whole body, and I'm pretty damn sure you've got a concussion. If this is fine, I don't even want to know what you categorize as 'hurt.'"
"Tony, I'm serious," Bruce said, squirming out of Tony's grip. "We've got bigger problems right now." Tony opened his mouth to argue, but was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Steve, Thor, and a thoroughly pissed Pepper.
"Doctor!" Thor shouted. He ran toward Bruce in hopes of a hug, but Tony raised his hand to stop him. Thor's disappointed look almost made him allow it, but he was confident that the doctor's body wasn't ready for an Asgardian hug.
"Tony, what the hell was that thing?" Steve asked, concern apparent in his tone.
"It was Phoenix," Bruce croaked. "He's going to destroy the city."
Everyone's attention went straight to Bruce, awaiting further information.
"Did he tell you this?" Steve asked. Pepper's eyes were wide with fear, and Tony's body grew stiff against Bruce. Tension seemed to choke the air around them.
With a sigh, the doctor continued. "No, but he didn't need to. He's angry, dangerously angry. Toss that in with the fact that this is his first transformation, he's in pain, and he is certainly confused, and there's no doubt. This city won't last long."
"What can we do?" Pepper said, her voice shaky and high.
"Well, he can't just be killed. He's in a form nearly identical to mine, and I'm sure just as impervious to physical attack. I don't know if there's anything we can do, other than just evacuate the city and…" His voice trailed off. His brow, which had been furrowed as it always was when he had to solve a puzzle, slowly relaxed and an unrecognizable look came upon his face. "Get him to Stark Tower." Bruce said, his jaw set.
Steve stepped forward. "But what will that-"
"Do it." Bruce ordered in a low, commanding voice none of the others had ever heard. With a nod, Steve, Thor, and Pepper all climbed up the stairs on their way to their vehicles. Tony looked down at Bruce and tried to figure out what he was thinking. His face showed hints of fear, anxiety, sadness, confidence and, above all, resolution. This frightened Tony even more than his physical wounds.
"Fly me to the Tower." Bruce's voice brought Tony back to reality.
"Bruce, what are you thinking?" Tony asked hesitantly.
"Trust me." He refused to make eye contact.
"But-"
"Tony, how many times have I trusted you? How many times have I put my fears aside and done exactly what you said without question?" His voice was pained and desperate. "For once, just this once, will you please do the same for me?"
Every bone in his body ached to rush Bruce to the nearest hospital, to take him anywhere but the damn Tower, to take him as far from Phoenix as possible. But one look at those eyes and he knew he couldn't say no. With a deep breath, he slowly nodded yes. Grabbing Bruce under his arms, he activated to jets on the suit and began their ascent into the sky.
As Tony put the helmet back on and focused on the road in front of them, Bruce swallowed nervously. He knew there was only one solution to stop Phoenix, one weapon that would be too much for even the Hulk form to bear. He just wished there was another way. As they flew toward the Tower, Bruce wiped a stray tear from his face, knowing exactly how this had to end.