The Unknown Variable
Just because you want to kill me, doesn't mean you should tell people I own anything. I would really like NOT to get sued.
Tony's POV
I couldn't believe it, it was just…astounding. After all of these years, my father still had something to teach me.
It would save Penny!
I stared at the enormous hologram of the new mineral structure that had been hidden in plain sight for over twenty years. This was the answer; this was the solution that we had been looking for.
I had practically smacked myself, we're Starks. When we don't have a solution…we make one! I couldn't believe that my father had to remind me that from beyond the grave.
A feeling of belief washed over me, and for the first time in weeks…I felt hopeful for our survival.
"Dead for almost twenty years, okay, like fifteen, he's still taking me to school." I muttered, looking around at the subatomic structure. I had no clue had my father had discovered this, but he had just saved the Stark line.
I laughed with glee as I shrunk the hologram back down and held it up, this was our future, and this, was our savoir.
"The proposed element should serve as a viable replacement for Palladium in both your and Miss Penny's Arc Reactors." Jarvis intones as joy spread through my veins.
"Never thought I'd say this…" I muttered staring that the glowing hologram. "But thanks, Dad."
"Unfortunately, it is impossible to synthesize." Jarvis added.
"Hmm," I confirmed under my breath as Dummy looked at the hologram in my figures curiously.
I snapped my fingers as I came up with a plan and jumped to my feet.
"Jarvis, Tell Penny to get home quickly." I stated as I walked towards the door.
"Her Com. is unresponsive Sir," Jarvis replied.
Usually that would have worried me, but now…with so much hope and joy flooding my system, I just brushed it off.
"Well then, get ready for a major remodeling project boys. We're back in hardware mode."
It was time to break a few things.
Third Person
back with Thor and Jane
"NO!" Jane yelled as she and the others watched as Penny was thrown through the air again by the explosion.
She wasn't sure what was going on, no one was really, they all had learned far too much in the past few days for their brains to function fully. They were all too overwhelmed.
Penny crashed back into the earth, rolling a couple times before stopping, face down, in the dirt.
"PENNY!" Darcy and Jane yelled as the three of them, with the Asgarians following, ran over to check on the child genius.
Penny wasn't looking good. Her rad hair was matted with blood, sweat, and dirt, her face was pale except for the black metallic looking lines that covered the whole left side of her face, and had already claimed the other side underneath her eye.
Thor and his friends glanced around nervously, not liking how the thing was just lying in the dirt. If nothing else the strange mortal child had done had stopped it, why would that?
"Penny, come on Pen…answer me!" Jane yelled as she shook the small teenager. The girl's lips were bloody, and a dried trail of blood marked her resent bloody nose.
Jane shook with grief as Thor wrapped his arms around the scientist. Selvig reached down, and pressing two figures to her neck he glanced up at the huddled group.
"She has a pulse…but its' very weak. She needs imitate medical attention!" Selvig stated, to everyone's relief. She wasn't dead, yet.
(Hehehe…did you guys really think that I would end it like that?*evil grin*)
"That will do nothing." A cold but soft voice stated, the Asgardiuns instantly turned to see Mortem, or Lord Death, kneeling by her head.
"But, Lord Death, surly it isn't her time?" Lady Sif asked, the Midgardian child had proven herself to be a capable and powerful warrior, and she did not feel as if a soul such as that should move on yet.
"Who are you talking to?" Jane asked as she looked around in confusion.
"You cannot see him, as your mortal brains are not capable, but he is here." Hogun stated coldly and simply; even he did not want to see this child die.
Because of their long lives on Asgard, every child is special and sacred, to see one with such potential, dying before them, was extremely hard.
"Please, Lord Mortem," Thor stated, glancing around. He may not be able to see him because of his current mortal form, but he knew he was there. "There must be something you can do."
He had grown to know Lord Death, or Mortem, better than the others, thanks to his past with his mate. Though it had been many centuries since he had seen either, and he had a feeling he knew what was going on.
They spun around as, with a large creek and many groans of bent metal, the thing Loki had sent pulled itself back onto its feet.
"I need time to stabilize her before she can be moved." Mortem stated, brushing a strand of hair from Penny's deathly white face.
After Volstagg had passed on the message, Thor's face hardened, and he stood up, turning to face his brother's monster.
"Thor! No!" Jane yelled, as Sif glanced between her friend and the unbeatable thing.
"Jane. My brother's actions are because of me. I shall not risk any more innocent lives." Thor stated harshly before brushing her away. He turned towards his friends, who were looking at him wondering if they would see him again.
"You must return to Asgard and stop Loki." Thor stated as they looked at him in concern.
"What about you?" Fandral asked his old friend and brother in arms.
"Do not worry, I have a plan." Thor stated before he walked down the street.
The Warriors carefully lifted the unconscious teenager, before leading everyone inside of the makeshift lab; one of the only buildings still standing.
The thing did not fire as it saw who was approaching; it kicked a side a burning car as they closed in one each other. A heavy silence filled the smoking air and Thor's voice carried across the carnage as he spoke.
"Brother, whatever I have done to wrong you, whatever I have done to lead you to do this, I am truly sorry. But these people are innocent; they have done nothing to induce your wrath.
"A child, who was only trying to protect her home, could confront you where I could not now lay dying. Taking their lives will gain you nothing, taking her life, will gain you nothing."
Thor spoke sincerely, though his voice was low and tired. The two of them stopped only a few feet from each other, and the faceplate folded back and it started to glow, charging a blast that would be deadly to the mortal god.
"So take mine." Thor stated, willing to give up his own life for those of Midgard, "and end this. No one else needs to die in this fight, brother."
For a moment it seemed as if Thor had managed to get through to his brother. The thing powered down, the bright orange glow faded.
A relieved looked crossed over Jane's face as the thing started to turn away. A small, half smile flickered across Thor's face for the briefest of incidences, before the thing turned back around, and back handed him in the head.
Thor flew down the street, where Jane ran and met him.
His face was bloody, and his body motionless. Jane was near hysteria as Thor muttered, "It's over."
"No!" Jane protested placing her hand on either side of his face. "It's not over, not for you or for Penny, it just can't be!"
"But your safe; and that's what matters." Thor whispered as the light started to fade from his eyes. Mortem, his eyes now a darkening grey appeared next to the fallen Asgardian.
Though invisible to Jane, Thor was close enough to Mortem's realm to see the Entity.
"It's over." Thor told Jane before glancing at the entity. "Hello, old friend."
His eyes closed as Thor drew a deep shuttering breathe before laying still.
Mortem did not move, as everyone watched on in shock. The thing turned away and started to depart. Tears fell from Jane's eyes as everyone grew sad.
The Asgarians looked on in horror, not believing that he was dead.
Silence hung in the air, and everything seemed frozen and final.
Then, a powerful, deep but soft voice echoed through everyone's, even the mortals', minds.
"You are worthy."
A loud noise danced through the air, and Jane and the others turned to see something flying up into the air.
Selvig ran forward, yelling, "Jane!" as he remembered the myths from his childhood.
"No…no no!" Jane yelled as Selvig dragged her away from the body of the prince.
The Asgardians' eyes widened as they saw a deep gold color encompass their friend, and Death spoke again.
"Your time has not yet come."
Everyone heard it, and everyone froze.
Thor's hammer fell out of the sky, and with a sudden deep breath, Thor reached up and caught it.
Lightning fell from the sky, in one ginormous bolt, striking the risen thunder God. A swirling vortex of clouds appeared overhead as the thing froze and turned back around.
When the bolt passed, Thor stood there is all of his glory. His powers, his armor, and his honor, fully restored.
Mortem stepped back as the other Asgardians looked on with joy, all was not over yet.
"Oh, my God." Jane stated in shock at the display of power before them.
The thing tried to blast threw the display, but Mjolnir, Thor's Hammer, flew through the air, hitting the thing on the head, causing the blast to only hit the ground at its feet. It pulled its head back upright as Mjolnir to fly back around, hitting it again and knocking it to the ground, before souring into its owner's hand.
Lightning danced across Thor's armor, like it had done with Penny only a few minutes before. The thing tried to stand as the wind twisted around them, and Thor took to the sky.
The wind became stronger, and stronger, as a full blown cyclone, as large as half the town, touched down.
Lightning flashed and debris crashed into the thing as Thor released his true power. Thor spun Mjolnir faster, and the wind finally lifted the thing from the ground.
"My turn." Thor stated, copying Penny's statement from before.
The thing shot blast after blast at the Thunder God, but each one was redirected and knocked aside by the mighty hammer.
One continues blast, Thor flew straight into, Mjolnir parting the flames, before it rammed into the mouth of the mechanical beast.
It started to glow, but it was unable to stop its own attack, before like fireworks, it exploded in the sky.
The metal humanoid fell back to earth as slowly, the wind started to die. It landed with a huge crash and created a large dust cloud.
The storm vanished as Thor landed, walking out of the black cloud of dust dramatically.
"So, is this how you normally look?" Jane asked, eyeing the god.
Penny was now in Mortem's arms; Selvig, Jane, and Darcy were all trying to ignore the sight of their friend and college floating in midair.
"More or less." Thor replyed.
"It's a good look." Jane stated somewhat breathlessly.
"How fairs the young one?" Thor inquired, looking over at Death.
"She is fading quickly; she has been on borrowed time as it is." Mortem stated his eyes lightening as he glanced down at the dying girl. The mortals could still hear him, but the effects were fading quickly. They would not keep that ability for long.
"What do you mean? Barrowed time?" Thor inquired, and the mortals looked at each other, trying to figure out what was going on.
Mortem sighed before replying, "She has been dying for quite some time now Thor."
"Will you be able to save her?" Jane asked, looking at her dying friend, tears in her eyes. She said she had been sick, but she had never told them how sick.
Mortem shook his head, "There is only one man in this universe that could save her."
Shadows started pulling around him, and the Asgardians, recognizing this as his way of teleporting, grew somber. There was nothing they could do.
"Go swiftly my friend, and may fate and fortune be in your favor." Thor stated as Mortem nodded to the others.
He lifted his pained filled, silver eyes and said, "They have never been in our favor."
Before the shadows swallowed him up, leaving everyone with heavy hearts.
"Pen," Jane whispered as the three humans shared a look. "Please survive."
Other Realm
Fait snarled as she saw another one of her plans thwarted by the foolish mortals. She tapped her fingers together before reaching towards her current favorite play thing, Loki. One plan may be ruined, but oh, she had so many more.
As she watched her older brother fly through the shadows in the dimension below, dark chuckles echoed out into the night. Oh, the game was in play, and nothing could be done to stop it.
Hehehe…so Pen isn't dead yet…but she's extremely close to it. Do you all think that Tony's going to be able to save her in time? Who knows…
(I certainly do not)*wink, wink, evil grin*
Okay! I plead with you, the next few chapters might be a bit…confusing…but don't ditch me! Please! It shall be worth it! I promise!
Thanks to everyone, my betas Expecto Prongs, and Aqua Are
VOTE ON MY POLE
Cp