A/N hey guys. Sorry if this chapters a little short, like I said I've been super busy. i hope you enjoy this next chapter of cold as ice. Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter Four: Iron Man
My wrists ache as I try to escape from my chains that have my suspended above the ground by my arms. I've been in the same position for around an hour and it's starting to kill my shoulders. The room that I'm currently in is completely empty aside from myself and the silence is almost deafening. I've always hated the silence, it's too, well, quiet. I have to have some sort of noise to keep me sane. Whether is be J.A.R.V.I.S constantly jabbering in my ear or the familiar tunes of AC/DC blaring through the speakers in my lab, there is always noise. Silence means your alone and being alone means you're left to your thoughts. Thoughts can bring you to a very dark place, one that I'd really rather not visit right now. Unfortunately it's inevitable that my mind will eventually wander so I decide to reflect on the events that occurred just minutes before.
Twenty-five minutes earlier.
Steve and I cautiously make our way down the hallway in search of the Red Skull, Justin Hammer, and anyone else we happen to encounter along the way. The area is deathly silent and I'm trying my best not to make a sound, which is quite a feat when you're covered head to toe in a heavy metal suit. Suddenly Cap stops in his tracks. His abrupt halt nearly makes me trip over the super soldier, luckily I was able to catch myself before I sent us both crashing to the ground. He gives me an annoyed look before motioning to a door just ahead of us where a light illuminates the room. Slowly we make our way to the room and Captain America make a move to peek inside. Just before he can take a look the door jolts open, sending light spilling into the previously dark corridor. Instinctively I press myself up against the wall in an attempt to remain unseen. An A.I.M. agent exits the room before turning and heading in the opposite direction, away from us. The door closes and I carefully move away from my hiding spot to look through the clear window that shows the inside of the room. My eyes roam over the area and I soon spot a monitor. The screen is split into three sections but they're too far away for me to make out exactly what's on them. I glance at the Captain.
"Steve there's a computer in there but I can't see what's on it, give me a sec." My companion nods and I return my attention to the task at hand. "J.A.R.V.I.S, show me what's on that screen."
"Will do, sir." I wait a few moments as the A.I makes quick work of the compounds firewalls and other security measures. Within thirty seconds the display is being pulled up on the screen inside my helmet. The scene catches me off guard.
"Oh shit." I breath. Cap's concerned voice fills my ears.
"What is it, Tony?" When I don't respond he repeats himself. "Tony, what's going on?" I turn to him.
"It's us." On the screen is the rest of our team, along with the two of us. There's a section showing Clint and Natasha fights some opposition on the south side of the building. Thor and Bruce are taking on another squadron to the east with Banner looking a little green. Finally it shows Steve and I standing in our current positions outside the room. I quietly relay the information to the man next to me and he frowns. I flip up my face plate and mouth the words "we're being watched" to him before putting it back on to study the screen again. To my surprise Clint, Natasha, Bruce, and Thor have all disappeared. I turn to tell Steve but an alarm cuts me off. It blares loudly in contrast to the silence that originally filled the hallway and I'm about to make a remark when the floor disappears from beneath us. I barely have time to shout before I'm falling down a tube and suddenly I'm on the ground. Without warning an electric shock courses through me and my body seizes up in pain. This continues until I fall into unconsciousness.
Back to the present.
So that's how I ended up hanging from the ceiling in the middle of an enemy compound with no knowledge of the whereabouts of the rest of my team mates. My suit lies in shattered pieces around me, completely destroyed. A frustrated sigh escapes me as I stare at the mangled remains of my tech, I just built that one. My thoughts are interrupted when the door swings open and Hammer comes sauntering in. He shoots me a smile and comes to a stop a few feet from me.
"Anthony, so nice to see you! Sorry if I'm late, I'd hate to leave you hanging around!" He grins stupidly gesturing at the chains suspending me from the ceiling. I roll my eyes at his lousy attempt at humor.
"I'm glad to see you still haven't found your sense of humor, Justin, but if all you wanted to do was tell a few jokes you could've just called. I'd hate to have to make you come all the way to the headquarters of my multi billion dollar company just to make fun of me because you're jealous." He scowls at me and I smile.
"Believe me, Stark, I'm not jealous. I mean come on without you're famous Iron Man suit, what are you?" I grin widely before answering.
"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist." I just couldn't help myself, the look on his face is priceless. A hard slap lands on my cheek and I frown at the man in front of me. "Now, Hammer, is that any way to treat your guest? Geez where are your manners?" This time it's a punch that connects with my face, but I just smile. He doesn't hit that hard anyway. "Oh and by the way, you owe me about three million dollars to repair the suit that you so hastily tore to shreds. I accept cash or check." I think I might've hit a nerve with that last one because Hammer looks like he's about to explode, oh what an amazing day that would be, and for the first time since he entered the room he's speechless. This is no small victory in my book, the man literally never shuts up. This coming from probably the most talkative Avenger that will ever live but at least I'm interesting when I speak, he kinda just drones on and on about a bunch of random crap. Half the time he literally makes less sense than Thor when he's trying to explain what a Bilgesnipe is to Captain America. After realizing he's not going to get the reaction he wants, Hammer angrily stalks out of the room and slams the door behind him. The smile drops from my face as soon as he leaves the room. My hands have lost pretty much all feeling from the lack of blood flowing to them and my shoulders are starting to cramp from remaining in the same position for so long. My toes are just barely touching the floor so most of my weight is being supported by my arms. A sigh escapes me and I close my eyes, intent on letting exhaustion overtake me. Just before I doze off an anguished scream fills my ears. It takes me a minute to realize that the sound came from the comm. link that is still inside my ear. Another shout pierces the silence and I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to block out the pained cries of my team mates.
A/N well that's the end of chapter four I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are welcome, I'd really appreciate it if you'd leave one.