Remnant's Mightiest Heroes!
Chapter 24: Everything's Wonderful
[~][~]
November 14 17:00
Avengers Mansion, New York
"We won't be gone for long! Don't forget that it's your turn to make dinner! Crud! Thor still has the copy of the Grimm program!"
Team RWBY walked away from the mansion as the doors closed behind them. Weiss is berating Ruby for her blunder but calmed down when her partner said that she made an extra copy. Yang is trying to calm Blake down regarding Chewie eating her stuff as they made their way to the iron-wrought gates.
Unbeknownst to them, they are being watched. On the roof of a nearby building stood the God of Mischief Loki. The Jotunn hybrid stared down at the four girls as they exited the gate and walked down the street. He had been watching the mansion ever since Thor came to visit. Especially when Heimdall opened the Bifrost to take Thor and Sif back to Asgard.
Just as he expected to act after Amora destroyed the Seal of Bor's Sons.
"Naive and annoying brats," Loki muttered in disdain. "And I thought my brother's arrogance was stifling. Perhaps that's why he's quite taken with them. Luckily, they will serve my plans well if their encounter with my Destroyer is anything to go by. Now while my brother is busy fighting Surtur's minions, I'll be planning to drag him back to Midgard. First things first…"
Loki turned around and lifted his scepter. The gem in the blade gave off a glow as purple mist appeared out of thin air. The mist condensed until it began to take form in front of him. Starting from the bottom, a set of glowing purple legs took shape. Continuing upward, they are joined together by a groin followed by a similar colored muscular torso. As the arms formed, so did the head. Wisps of purple smoke emanated from the body as glowing red eyes opened to stare at Loki.
"Ah good, you're up," Loki said condescendingly. "I trust that you had a good nap. While I would love to use the Destroyer, I have something else planned. While I help Asgardsreia finest hunters with Asgardriea, I want you to attack that building and the occupants behind me."
Loki stepped aside to allow the being to get a look at Avengers Mansion. Its eyes widened as if it knew the place. But it didn't speak aloud.
"You recognize it? Well, you should. You and Amora's masters once humbled the Avengers in their home. Nope, scratch that. Make that their former home. One that they recently loaned to more younger heroes. Feel free to rough them up but try to avoid killing them while I go on a hunt."
"Also, they are close friends of someone you knew. Someone who took everything from you. What was his name?" Loki asked, feigning ignorance. "I believe it was Tony Stark or something?"
That got a reaction out of the energy being. Its face became twisted in rage while the eyes glowed brightly in intensity. Purple energy began to build at its hands as it spoke one name in a masculine voice with such venom.
"Stark…"
"Alright, settle down," Loki said with a raised hand. But he is smiling at how that name got a rise out of the man that was once mortal. After hearing about what happened from Amora, who wouldn't be furious? Glad to see that the spell she cast on him left his anger alone. Such rage can be a motivator if the correct strings are pulled. But he needs him on a leash for a few minutes.
"I need to go in there and make sure nobody calls for help too soon. Especially the voice of the mansion. Just be a good attack dog and wait for my signal to attack. You can understand that, right?"
The energy didn't say anything but continued to stand there. Taking that as an answer, Loki vanished in a puff of green smoke. The man continued to stare at the mansion with intense hatred. He will wait for and stew in his anger for now. He will get his chance for revenge on the one who wronged him all those years ago.
"Stark…"
"Alright! It's Team JNPR's turn to cook dinner! What will we be making?"
Nora asked energetically as team JNPR gathered in the kitchen. Jaune is sitting on a chair while his teammates are standing around him. They gathered in the kitchen to discuss dinner options. Ever since they started living in Avengers Mansion, they took turns making meals. It started with Team RWBY on day one with Team JNPR taking over the next day.
"We'll need something that can help with Jaune's recovery," Pyrrha said, glancing at Jaune.
"Don't worry about me guys, just eat what you want" Jaune insisted. He lifted his arm to show it, but it dropped after about ten seconds. "I'm feeling better already."
"The last time you said that you were being bullied," Pyrrha flatly said. Adopting a stern look that booked no room for argument, she added, "Now, we'll need foods like fruits, vegetables, and meat."
"There's only one food that would fit all of the above…" Nora trails off in a dramatic tone. After a five seconds beat, she exclaimed, "SANDWICHES! You can add everything inside and still eat it! You can make a meatball sandwich! A burger and fries sandwich! A fruit salad sandwich!"
"I think we should just stick to a normal sandwich recipe," Ren placed a hand on Nora to placate her excitement. "How about a pastrami on rye? We got some rye bread in the pantry and pastrami in the meat locker. If you want to add anything else, there's nobody that can stop you."
"Pastrami on rye…that sounds grand," Pyrrha said with a smile. "That will count as our grain and protein. Now we need some fruits and vegetables. If you want, we could put them in our sandwiches…and no, you cannot put anything sweet in yours, Nora."
"Darn," Nora cursed. The orange-haired teen had been reaching for a jar of jellybeans to put in her sandwich. Her aqua eyes widened as she realized something and turned to Ren. It didn't take him a second to catch onto what she had in mind and bluntly declined.
"No Nora, you cannot ask anyone to put sweets in theirs and ask for a bite."
"Darn," Nora cursed as her plot is foiled.
"Alright, that's enough. Let's get the ingredients out guys," Pyrrha ordered. As Nora and Ren walked to the fridge, she turns to Jaune and says, "You can sit down and recover. If you want, I can help you to your bedroom."
"That's alright. It's not like I have anything better to do," Jaune scoffed as he crosses his arms and slunk further into his seat. He knew that his friends are concerned about his health, but they didn't have to treat him like he was still a baby. They're acting just like his sisters back on Remnant.
Briefly, his thoughts shifted back to Remnant. He wondered how they are doing under Kangs occupation. If his word is anything to go by, he'll likely be interested in eradicating the Grimm and the people responsible for Remnant's destruction. During the Vytal festival, Saphron Cotta-Arc, one of his older sisters, called him to announce that she and her wife Terra have a son whom they named Adrian. The little guy just learned to walk before he left for Beacon Academy. He loved Atlesian ships and living in Argus, a major trading center between Anima and Solitas, certainly made his day. The last time he spoke to them was after winning the doubles round of the Vytal Festival. After that…
He clenched his hands when he remembers the invasion of Remnant. Especially the face of Kang the Conqueror. If he did anything to them, he swore to the gods he would personally drive his blade into whatever the hell he calls a heart. As Nora and Ren began slicing up the pastrami, Pyrrha who took over vegetable duty, looked over to see the dark look of her leader.
"Jaune…are you alright?" Pyrrha asked in concern.
"Just thinking about some things…nothing to worry about," Jaune shrugged off as he recomposed himself. He could tell that Pyrrha didn't believe him, so to change the subject, he said, "Say…does anyone know who we're going to be facing in the next mock battle?"
"I think it's going to be Scott and Hope," Ren said as he puts strips of pastrami onto a plate. "Unless of course, it's disinformation that they are feeding us. The last time we thought we were going up against somebody, it was… somebody else."
"Yeah, like when we thought we would be facing Tony, we got Pietro and he gave us wedgies and made us hit each other!" Nora pointed as she squeezed a bottle of mayonnaise. "I'm still coughing up tonsil after he made Ren punch me in the face. He even made me punch my Ren in the face!"
"Well, the outcome of any battle is determined through the preparation phase," Jaune pointed out. "The credibility of any information source is no exception. Although we don't know for sure, we can't dismiss the possibility that we will be fighting against Ant-Man and the Wasp. Pyrrha, you've fought them back at Bootcamp. What can we expect?"
"Just that you won't be able to see them coming until it's too late," Pyrrha said as she recalls her fight. "The technology in their suits is amazing! They can become small and still punch someone so hard it'll feel like a bullet. Hope can cover more ground with those wings of hers hence her…how do you say it? Her nome de Guerre. Especially given that her stingers are as excruciating."
"As for Scott, he's the same but without the wings. But more than anything, we need to watch out for the ants," Pyrrha warned with all seriousness. "When I and Yang were fighting them, Scott brought hundreds of ants into the Helicarrier H.A.R.M. room. Actual ants, not holographic ones. You won't believe how many species of ants there are unless you see them in one place. There are these carpenter ants, fire ants, crazy ants, and bullet ants. By the way, you need to watch out for the bullet ants."
"Why? Can they shoot bullets?" Nora asked with childlike curiosity.
"No, but if they sting you, you'll feel like you've been shot," Pyrrha replied with a wince. "And that is why it's high on the Schmidt sting pain index. Luckily, our Aura blocked most of the pain if not all of it. When it broke, it was like a wound opened and the pain kept coming. Without treatment, it would've lasted for the next twenty-four hours."
"Should he have brought bullet ants to a mock battle?" Ren asked with a frown.
"That's the point of mock battles. It's to prepare for the unexpected" Jaune pointed out. "Even if Scott didn't bring those ants, we would've had a similar encounter in the future. More reason to be prepared."
"Alright! Bring out the insecticide!" Nora cried out as she immediately ran to the under cabinet and took out two raid cans. With a shake of his head, Ren walks over to her and takes the cans out of her hands.
"Nora, we have to think of something else," Ren said as he puts them back.
"But it's the go-to when you are dealing with an insect problem!"
"What you have in mind will be considered a chemical weapon which is illegal for good reason," Ren said as he closes the cabinet with a firm snap. "We treat these simulations like they are real battles. What if there was a civilian who got caught up and inhaled it?
That stopped any further argument from Nora cold. Realizing the implications of her idea, she sagged her shoulders. Ren's face became soft and put a hand on her shoulder. Everybody knew that wasn't what she had in mind. Although they are glad that they were able to stop a mistake before it could happen.
When they were still living on the Helicarrier, they compared Remnantian biology to that of the people of Earth, whom they coined Terran to avoid confusion. They had higher metabolisms, studier bones, advanced neuron reception, and a tightly packed muscular structure. Meaning they are faster, stronger, and more durable than the average human. Not to the degree of powerhouses like Captain Marvel and Hulk, but that they are strong enough to kill any Terran if they aren't careful.
This is why the Avengers were insistent on training them to hold back. After the Superhuman Civil war, they made it a priority to limit if not prevent as much collateral damage as possible. That includes putting others' lives above all else, something the huntsman-and-huntresses in training agreed with no question. Even if it means letting a supervillain get away so be it. Jaune recalled a few training scenarios where the fight escalated to the point where the surrounding area had become a demolition zone because of fighting. He's determined to improve his team to end the fight before it reached that point.
"Why don't we do some research on ants after we finish making dinner?" Pyrrha suggested. "Maybe there are some facts about them we can use. Something to use to our advantage."
"Oh yeah! The pastrami on rye!" Nora squealed, completely losing interest in the discussion as the topic of dinner came up. The orange-haired girl ran over to where the sandwiches are and found hers, which is stuffed with everything she could find in the fridge. The rest of Team JNPR are unsurprised as Nora began shoving it into her mouth.
"It's amazing how quickly food can make one forget," Jaune commented.
"Well, that's Nora being…Nora," Ren said as he and Pyrrha moved back to making their sandwiches. At that moment, Jaune's scroll began buzzing. Pulling it out, he saw that the caller ID is 'Tony Stark'. Accepting the call, he put it up to his ear.
"Who is it?" Pyrrha asked, looking over her shoulder.
"It's Tony," Jaune answered. He accepted the call and puts his scroll to his ear. "Hello?"
"Hey, Jauney!" Tony spoke on the phone. "How's your recovery going? You know from the pleasant experience of being a battery for a life-draining automaton?"
"Could be better, but I'm getting better," Jaune said with a roll of his eyes at Tony's usual witticism. "I should be fit for duty by tomorrow."
"Glad to hear you're speaking Cap's military lingo, that means I should be worried. Before you go and ask 'you didn't call me just to check on me did you allow me to answer? Yes, I didn't call just to check on you. I got word that we are expecting a copy of the Grimm program that Ruby had finished. After she let us know, I asked our friendly neighborhood Asgardian if he could get it. But nobody has seen hide or manly hair of him ever since."
"Hewintbcktazgerd," Nora yelled out with her mouth full.
"I'm sorry? I didn't catch that."
"Thor went back to Asgard for an emergency," Jaune explained. "A friend of his said that the Seal of Bor's sons is broken. According to her, it was cast by his father and uncles to prevent fire demons from leaving Muspelheim to attack the nine realms."
"But now that the 'magic seal' is broken, they are free to unleash death from above," Tony surmised sardonically. "I guess that's a good excuse as any. I'll need to bring it up with Cap when I get the chance. In the meantime, do you think you can send me a copy of the Grimm Program?"
"You seem calm about this."
"Would running around screaming 'WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE A HORRIBLE DEATH' help?" Tony joked which earned a laugh out from the boy. "Don't get me wrong. This is a serious matter. But I would rather focus my fear energy on something more productive like proper preparation and planning. Not ruin my beautiful larynx."
"You're not wrong. I guess fighting supervillains, aliens, and monsters can be a lot more productive," Jaune said. "What should we do?"
"For starters, we can trust Thor to bring his hammer down as many fire demons as possible," Tony says. "Now about the Grimm Program…"
"Ruby should've left a copy on the H.A.R.M. room servers," Jaune said. "I can make a copy and give it to you."
"No just upload it into another drive and I'll swing by to pick it up," Tony said. "Although it will also go a lot faster if you just send it to me. So, can you explain to me why you kicked out J.A.R.V.I.S.? My favorite A.I. butler has become homesick, but he won't admit it."
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Jaune asked in confusion.
"The J.A.R.V.I.S. node in the mansion has been turned off," Tony repeated with clarity. "Before Thor, he's the guy I went to. But when he tried to forward my request, he couldn't reach the mansion due to being denied remote access. Unless of course, the mansion blew up and you are talking to me right now to tell me that's the case."
"No, the mansion is still intact. Hold on," Jaune placed a hand on his scroll while he asked his teammates, "Hey guys, Tony just told me that J.A.R.V.I.S. is offline. Did any of you turn him off?"
"No. Why would we turn him off?" Pyrrha shook her head.
"We just talked with him before Thor left with Lady Sif," Ren added. "When the others left, we went straight to the kitchen. I don't think any of us knows how to turn him off."
"J.A.R.V.I.S.? Are you there? Hello!" Nora cried out to the ceiling, waving her hands. Usually, the A.I. is quick to respond to the inhabitants. This time, they are met with silence.
"Huh? That's weird. How did that happen?"
"I don't know. I honestly don't know," Jaune said before he talks back into his scroll. "Tony, nobody on my team turned him off. I can confirm without a doubt that it wasn't any of us. Also, I believe I should chip in the fact that none of us knows how to turn him off."
"Of course, you don't. I didn't tell you so that you WON'T turn him off," Tony dryly states. "And before you ask, I didn't order a remote shutdown. While I make my way over to my old house, I'll walk you through reactivating J.A.R.V.I.S. It should be short and easy to remember. Think you can't handle it."
"Of course, we can," Jaune replied with a snort. "How difficult can it—"
Jaune suddenly stopped talking as the hairs on the back of his neck perked up. His teammates became ramrod as a sense of danger washed over them. None of them knew what was going on. The leader of Team JNPR couldn't register Tony's voice on his scroll as suddenly they heard a loud noise followed by a shockwave that shook the foundation. Hanging pots and pans clang into each other like wind chimes as the tremor passed the teens, nearly knocking them off their feet. The sandwiches weren't so lucky. The wave knocked them off the table and scattered their components on the floor.
"What was that?" Pyrrha cried out loud.
"Our sandwiches!" Nora cried out in horror.
"That came from the foyer!" Ren exclaimed. Immediately, team JNPR rushed out of the kitchen. Having not yet recovered fully, Jaune lagged. The blonde didn't listen to his body as he rushed after his friends.
The front doors were gone as well as the wall that faced the front yard. What remains are splinters that littered the once pristine floor. A glowing purple figure stepped through the hole in the wall, casting the foyer in purple lighting. Stepping through the hole in menacing strides is a glowing purple being with wisps of purple smoke coming off. Red eyes glared at them with unbridled rage as they bellowed three words.
"Where…is…Stark?"
Avengers Tower
"Hey! Talk to me! What's going on?"
The CEO of Stark Industries is in his lab at Avengers Tower when he made the call. Colluding with his faithful A.I., he had begun making designs for what would become his Grimmbuster armor. Hovering at the center of his lab is a hologram of the armor schematic. Although it's small, the actual scale size is as big as his Hulkbuster suit given that the whole project is using it as a template. Given that he's going to be dealing with monsters whose sole purpose of existence is to destroy everybody, he's going to add all the firepower he can. Heavy armor plating, Magno-missiles, hyper coils, the whole she-bang.
Building the armor is one thing. The only way to know for sure is if he had some Grimm to test it out on. That is where the Grimm program comes in. As much as he wanted to do it, the kids knew firsthand knowledge about them. More than he could know. Which made him glad that Cap asked for a copy of the Grimm program. They can train and try out new tactics to combat them when they arrive on Remnant.
He wasn't a fool to think that they won't be fighting Grimm. While Kang may possess a technologically advanced time empire, he's just one man. The asshole made a promise to eradicate the Grimm, but he can't just snap his fingers and make them go away. No, that kind of thing takes time to accomplish. If he did uphold his promise and wipe them off the face of the galaxy, that's a lot less work for them and he owes him a beer.
But right now, he's not thinking about the Grimmbuster project. He was talking to Jaune regarding the program when he heard the noise. He tested a lot of munitions to recognize the sound of an explosion.
"Jaune! Are you there?" Tony repeated into a Bluetooth headset as he felt the Mark 55 Armor materialize around his body. This armor operates on a form of advanced nanotechnology, the same one he used to make the new weapons for the kids. It's more efficient and more powerful than any of his previous armor models combined. One such perk is that it can be sheathed until he can call upon it at any time.
"I am!" Jaune managed to get out over another explosion. "We are fighting this purple guy that broke down our door! He's tearing up the mansion like a Goliath on a rampage! He's looking for you!"
"Purple? Are you talking about the Purple Man?" Tony asked with a frown. By that time, his armor already encased him while leaving his head exposed. Zebediah Killgrave is one of the escapees from the Raft still unaccounted for. A vile piece of a shit hedonist and serial rapist with mind-controlling pheromones. The armored avenger was one of his victims. But this wasn't his usual modus operandi. So, what was going on?
"WHERE IS STARK?"
Those thoughts went away when he heard that other voice. That wasn't Killgrave. That belonged to someone else. He should've realized this guy's identity as soon as he heard that the guy is looking for him. A look of regret crossed his face as he clenches his hands.
"Jaune, listen to me carefully," Tony began as he slowly approaches his workbench. "You're not going to be able to hurt him. In case this happened, I installed a barrier on the mansion grounds. It's an Anionic barrier that should only keep him inside while allowing you to evacuate. Since J.A.R.V.I.S. can't help now, you're going to have to do it manually in your command center. I'm sending you the instructions for your scroll. Once you activate it, get away from the mansion and I'll take over from there. Don't worry about the property damage."
"Okay, but what's this guy's deal?" Jaune asked. "He seems to have a lot of beef with you. Do you know him?"
"Yes…his name is Simon Williams. I think I told you all about him a while back," Tony said with deep regret. "Jaune…I need to handle this myself. I have something that can fix this, and it's been a long time coming."
While he waited for an answer, he pulled open a drawer and took out a box labeled 'Birthday Present', and opened it. Inside is a triangular device that has the same color scheme as his armor. With a subconscious command, his armor assimilated the device into the palm area, ready to be deployed when the time is right. That time is only several minutes away if he makes it.
"Alright…we'll hold out until you get here."
"Remember that the name of the game is survival," Tony said as he ran out of his lab. "See you in time for shawarma."
"Alright…we'll hold out until you get here."
"Remember that the name of the game is survival. See you in time for shawarma."
The line cut and Jaune lowered his scroll with a soft look on his face. Tony was requesting a lot out of him, but the regret in his voice reminded me of the time in Beacon when he hurt his team. That didn't sound like the fun-loving adrenaline junkie who would gloriously flip off a government or stare down a god while serving a drink. Who carried an aura of invincibility or optimism that inspired the teenage heroes. He felt like he was talking to a man who wanted to make up for his mistakes.
Setting his face with a look of seriousness, he turned his attention to the battle taking place. As soon as the man identified himself as a threat, everyone drew out their weapons. There was no time to put on their superhero suits. Only he stayed out at his teammate's insistence. Gods he hated feeling like the damsel in distress. Ironically, this allowed him to answer Tony who identified the man before him.
"Let me show you to the door!" Nora yells out as she swings Magnhild directly into the chest of the being now known as Simon Williams. He didn't move as he took the blow, only skidding back by a few feet. But he didn't appear to be affected by the attack. Growling, Simon flew towards her and tried to pummel her with glowing fists. Nora took a few hits before the last one sent her flying backward.
Ren just rushed past her and jumped into the air. Tucking in his legs into a roll in mid-air, he straightened himself just to plant his feet into Simon's backside and used him as a springboard to launch himself back into the air. Still, in flight, the force sent Simon back down to Earth. Giving a slight groan, he was in the process of pushing himself up before Ren knocked him back down with a flying kick.
"Nora!" Ren called out as he ran to his partner who is propping herself with Magnihld. "Are you alright?"
"I'm alright. I just feel like I've been rushed by the Hulk," Nora groaned before her eyes widened. "Ren, behind you!"
Ren didn't need her warning to know when to dodge. He is aware of the oncoming danger from behind. Without hesitation, he launched himself at Nora to push her out of the way as Simon who had gotten up brought both hands down. The impact was enough to put a crack in the floor and a minor tremor rumbled throughout the mansion. Ren's face is buried in Nora's chest, who blushed but didn't seem to mind. But those thoughts were pushed aside when she saw Simon looking down on them, red eyes glowing in more intensity.
Then, a Dipylon-style shield came flying and struck his head. The force is enough to divert his gaze as two beams of energy shoot out from his eyes. They burned twin lines into the nearby walls. Snarling, Simon turned around just in time to see Pyrrha running towards him. Receiving Akouo in her left arm, she sprung off the floor and bashed his shield against his face. His back arched but he didn't go down. Not until Pyrrha pushed herself off with her field and gripped Milo at both ends. Positioning it beneath his chin and using his momentum, the Invincible Girl proceeded to hurl him out of the mansion through the hole he made.
Simon bounced off the ground a few times before stopping on his back. Pyrrha took this moment to catch her breath. From what she could gather from this fight, he isn't much of a combatant. There were too many openings in his attacks and he's letting his anger impair his fighting ability. But he more than makes up for it with his powers. He's probably as strong as the Hulk, faster than them, and takes any sort of punishment they dish out at them.
Case in point, Simon just pushed himself back up, angrier than before.
"Enough of this!" Simon snarled as he began to glow. The teen's eyes widened as they watch him grow bigger. His entire body expanded until he is bigger than the mansion. Gigantic red eyes stared at them as if they were insects that he can crush beneath his heel.
"How many powers does this guy have?" Nora cried out in exasperation.
The gigantic Simon slowly began to advance upon them. Nora switched Magnhild to its grenade launcher configuration and began firing. The fragmentation rounds exploded upon impact upon Simon's chest and face. Pyrrha and Ren joined in with their weapons converted to gun mode. But their attacks did little to stop his advance. When he got close enough, he raised his hands and brought them down on them.
"Get behind me!" Jaune cried out as rushed to get in front of his teammates. Ignoring the lingering pain, he held out his shield and activated the barrier field. Just as it finished spreading out, Simon's gigantic fist landed. Gritting his teeth, Jaune braced himself from the force of the impact, reinforcing his shield with his aura. Luckily, the barrier withstood the blow.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha cried out and stayed close to him. Jaune looked behind him and gave his partner a reassuring look.
"I'm alright. I have a lot of aura so I'll be able to take everything he dishes out," Jaune tells her. But when he felt another blow against his shield. "But probably not for the rest of my life. We need to take care of this guy."
"If J.A.R.V.I.S. were still on, he would've activated the mansion's defenses," Ren pointed out. "Just why is he offline?"
"I doubt they would do any good," Nora cried out. "What is this guy made of? Nothing seems to faze him!"
"What he's made of is Ionic energy," Jaune states as he continues to protect his team from another blow from Simon, who gave him their full attention. "I just got off the phone with Tony and he identified him. His name is Simon Williams. Tony told us about him, remember?"
Behind him, his teammate's eyes widened in surprise. They don't need to access the Datacrux to know all about him. He is the former CEO of the now-defunct Williams Innovations, a company that creates alternate energy sources and innovative inventions. Ever since Stark Industries created the Arc Reactor, it began losing business. Blaming Tony for its downfall, Simon volunteered for an experiment where he is transformed into a being completely composed of Ionic Energy to take revenge. Frankly, they didn't believe that to be possible, but who are they to complain about this planet? The last sighting of him was before the Battle for the Nine Realms. Now he's here looking to settle the score with Tony.
"So that's why he's rage obsessed with Tony!" Nora realized. "Now what do we do?"
"We have to keep him here," Jaune declares while flinching from another blow, but holding with all his might. "He's trashed like a quarter of the mansion and when he figures out that Tony isn't here, he'll likely trash the city just to get to him. We need to keep him occupied until Tony comes…he said that he wants to handle this himself. He wants to fix this."
Everyone's battle-hardened faces became soft at the mention of Tony's request. He unintentionally pushed Simon on the path to villainy by buying Williams Innovations. But unlike Weiss' father, he didn't do it out of malicious intent. He did it because he wanted to work with Simon for a better tomorrow. Of course, it was a poor case of communication that led to Simon's path of being an unstable villain.
"Alright…" Pyrrha finally said. "We'll hold him off until he comes. What's the plan?"
"Tony says that he's got something that can help us, and we have to hold out until we get here," Jaune struggled to get out from between the heavy blows Simon is laying onto his shield. "In the meantime, he mentioned an Anionic barrier that he installed in case this happened. From what the name implies, I'm guessing it's something designed to contain someone like Simon. We just to get to the mainframe below to activate it. Then we get out of here."
"Easier said than done," Ren said. "If we move away, he'll tear apart the mansion."
"Then we distract him…Gods! Doesn't this guy get tired? I swear he's like a Grimm!" Jaune said as he withstood another blow, this one heavier than the previous ones. He felt his aura within the yellow when at that moment, something clicked in his mind. "Wait a minute…like a Grimm…yeah, that can work. Ren and Nora, take my scroll and head down to the command center."
"What are you going to do?" Nora asked as with one hand, he took out his scroll and tossed it to them.
"I'm going to distract him," Jaune revealed, much to their shock. "Pyrrha, you stay with me and help."
"No!" Pyrrha protested. "You are still recovering from—"
"Do you honestly believe this guy will leave me alone while I'm recovering?" Jaune snapped with a harsh glare. "Right now, there is a guy that is tearing up our home, we aren't making a dent and he's going to beat us through attrition! I'm not going to watch my friends fight without me. Ren and Nora, get going. Pyrrha, help me out with this guy. I am your leader, and my team is my responsibility. That is an order!"
One look on his face told them that there is no room for further argument. Seeing how their leader isn't going to back down, they nodded. Ren and Nora took off for the floor entrance while Pyrrha readied her weapons. Jaune saw Simon rear back his fist for another strike.
"On three," Jaune tells Pyrrha who nods in acknowledgment. "One…two…three!"
Jaune deactivated his barrier field and the two heroes rolled out of the way. Simon's fist smashed into the floor, sending more cracks from the point of impact, and forming a crater. The impact shook the earth, the tremor far greater than before. The teens stumbled and grabbed onto the nearest support. When the small quake subsided, they stood up and glared up at the gigantic Simon.
"Watch it!" Jaune called out. "You're not going to be able to find Tony if you keep wrecking the place!"
"I know he isn't here! I can hear you from up here!" Simon bellowed from his height like a megaphone. "Either you tell me where Stark is or else, I'll bring the entire place down!"
"What other powers does this guy have? Super-hearing?" Jaune wondered before he shouted up to Simon, "Yeah, we know where he is. If you want to know, you're going to have to beat it out of us. Frankly, it's a lot more difficult given that you bigger and slower!"
"That's fine with me!" Simon declared as he brought up on the leg. Seeing what was coming, Jaune and Pyrrha braced themselves. Then Simon's foot smashed against the ground, it rumbled again. Timing it right, Jaune and Pyrrha jumped as the seismic wave traveled below them. They rolled onto the floor before getting back on their feet and split up to run around the iconic giant.
"We know you blame Tony for buying your company!" Pyrrha calls out as she throws Akouo at Simon in hopes of getting his attention. "If I was in your position, I would hate a hostile takeover as much as you! But Tony didn't do it out of a desire to hurt you! He did it so that he could save your business! All he wanted to do was help you!"
"LIES!" Simon roared as he fires an energy blast from his hand at Pyrrha, who manipulated Akouo with her semblance to take the blow. "He only pretends to care about people! My father built that company from nothing! I built that company from what he laid out! It was all I had, and he took it from me!"
"You know, with that poor judgment of yours, I'm shocked that you even ran a company!" Jaune argues with a harsh glare. "I feel like I'm talking to a child throwing a temper tantrum! Tony wanted to work with you so that your ideas won't be dead! Of course, you would've known that if you heard him out! You had a helping hand offered and you slapped it away! Hell, you didn't even let anyone speak! As far as anyone's concerned, your company's downfall is all on you!"
He is speaking from personal experience. When he got to Beacon Academy untrained, Pyrrha offered to help him, and he refused. He regretted his actions when he got under Cardin Winchesters' thumb. After getting out of that mess, he took her up on that offer.
That last remark seemed to have struck a nerve with Simon. Face warping with rage, he fired twin beams of energy from his eyes at him. Jaune activated his barrier field again and blocked the attack. Gods, his Aura had to be near the red right about now.
"Glad that I got his attention," Jaune gasped out. "Nora…Ren…you might want to hurry up."
Ren and Nora ran down the steel halls of the sub-levels. They felt everything around them shake, knowing it is coming from the battle above. Luckily, the structure held, and they continued without impediment. When they arrived at the command center, they ran straight to the mainframe.
"Alright," Nora said as she pulls out Jaune's scroll and reads the instructions. "According to this, we need to open the mansion security protocols. Then we need to look for a tab labeled 'Anionic Barrier' and manually activate it. Huh. Now that I've read it out loud, it sounds easy."
"Found it," Ren says as he operates the keyboard. This would've been easier if J.A.R.V.I.S. had been online. When all this is over, they're going to find out how he got turned off and why.
"Hey Ren," Nora slowly said. "How do you feel about this?"
"About what?"
"You know, Simon and Tony," Nora clarified. "I get that he's mad that Tony bought his company, but that's no excuse to go supervillain and try to destroy him. If he just listened to his side of the story, he wouldn't have become a crazy ionic psycho maniac."
"Honestly, if Tony had asked him about merging and informed him about his company's end, then everything could've back then could've been avoided," Ren answered with a frown. "But we are who we choose to be. Simon refused to listen to him and look at what he become. Gods, with how he's acting I don't think he would've allowed anyone to explain or let alone help. As far as I know, Simon is as much to blame for losing his company."
They fell into silence as Ren finally found the Anionic Barrier Tab. Clicking on it, the screen asked to activate the Anionic Barrier. There are two tabs labeled 'Yes' and 'No'. Selecting yes, the window disappeared and shows a diagram of the mansion. Zooming in on the top, a section of the roof opened, and an apparatus rose. The screen fizzed when another tremor rocked the area, reminding them that there is a battle going on above.
"It's up," Ren said. "Let's meet up with the others and get out of here."
Without another word, Ren and Nora ran away from the mainframe. As they approach the entrance, the sounds of battle became clearer. Getting outside, they saw their friends fighting the giant Simon. They watched as Simon smashes the ground to pound their teammates into the ground. Occasionally, he fired an energy blast at them which they evaded.
"Jaune! The Anionic Barrier is activating!" Ren called out. "We can clear out!"
"Good! Let's get out of here and—" Jaune is cut off as an energy blast struck the ground near him and blew it up. The shockwave knocked Jaune off his feet and shattered his aura. Before he could do anything else, a bed came out of nowhere and hit him in the back of his head. This is followed by an assortment of objects. The teens looked for where it was coming from and couldn't believe their eyes.
"Chewie!" Nora cried out as she rushes over to scoop up the Flerken. In all the chaos, they completely forgot about her. "Wait a minute! You could've spat out Blake's stuff the entire time?"
"We can worry about that later!" Pyrrha said as she helps Jaune up. "We need to go!"
Team JNPR ran like a Grimm horde stampeding at their heels. More like a Goliath given how Simon would be similar. As they ran, a beam of lavender-blue light shot up from the apparatus that was displayed on the screen. It traveled upwards until it stopped at the zenith. Then, a dome-like shield formed around Avengers Mansion.
Simon however wasn't so lucky. The moment the barrier touched his Ionic form, he howled in pain. Instinctively, he shrunk back to his regular size. The opening in the barrier closed just as JNPR exited through the gates. The ionic energy being walked up to the barrier and placed a hand against the barrier, only to hiss in pain and pull it away.
"What is this?" Simon hissed out loud.
"It's an anionic barrier," Ren answered as he helped Pyrrha steady Jaune, remembering what he read on his scroll. "It's charged with the opposite signature of your energy form. Even if we can't hurt you, this can if you try to break out."
"What he means is that you're stuck here until you cool off," Nora said while sticking out her tongue. This seemed to have aggravated Simon further.
"You better pray that I don't get out!" Simon roared. "Once I do, you're going to give me Tony Stark…OR ELSE!"
"You want me so bad? You got me, Simon!"
From the sky flew a red and gold blur that slammed into Simon followed by the clang of metal. The ionic being is sent flying from the impact towards the mansion. From where he once stood is the very man he wanted to find. The one who is the focus of all his rage.
"Did I forget to mention that you also get the deluxe package," Tony proclaimed in his full armored glory as he stood up and stares down the prone Simon.
"Pyrrha!" Nora greeted. "Wait…how did you…"
"Get inside? This barrier is designed to only keep people like Simon in…or out," Tony answered looking over his shoulder. "Anyway…thanks for keeping him contained and making it out okay. I'll take it over from here."
"Stark…" Tony returned his attention to Simon who got up. "At last…you are going to pay…for EVERYTHING!"
"Nice to see you too Simon," Tony asked nonchalantly. "We never got the chance to settle this, haven't we? After all these years, I figured you'd given up on attacking the greedy pig that stole your company. What changed your mind?"
His answer came in the form of a roar from the ionic being. Energy gathered in his hands and furiously fired blasts of them at the armored avenger. Anticipating this, Tony ordered J.A.R.V.I.S. to divert all power to the shields. They flared up the moment that the blasts exploded into them. The Iron Man just stood there doing nothing as his shields are dropping with the increasing intensity of the blasts. Not even to fire off a repulsor blast. Team JNPR watched this in concern.
"What are you doing?" Ren called out in worry. "Are you going to let him destroy you?"
"Not before he destroys himself," Tony calls out. True, he can think of different ways to settle this. But there is only one that he wanted and he's sticking to it. Just as the leader of JNPR was about to ask about his course of action, something happened. Simon stopped attacking and began clutching at his chest. Groaning in pain, he fell to his knees as waves of energy emitted from him. His body constantly warped.
"Warning. Energy flux detected."
"Tony, what's going on?" Pyrrha asked. "What's happening to him?"
"He's going critical," Tony answered gravely as his armors HUD highlighted Simons's body and displayed his energy state along with a countdown. "The experiment that turned him into what he is today made his ionic field unstable. Long story short…he's going to die."
That hit team JNPR likes a cold wave. They heard about this from the story of how Simon became a superhuman. But to see it firsthand is another thing. None of them could imagine the pain that he was going through. Even though Simon did terrible things, he was just lashing out and never wanted to hurt anyone. He didn't deserve to die.
"Don't worry…I'm going to fix this," Tony tells them as he slowly walks toward the unstable energy being. "Simon…I don't blame you for hating me. Your reasons are understandable. And your right about me taking the one thing that mattered to you. There's no taking back the damage that I've done. I'll carry those regrets with me for the rest of my life. I can't erase them, but I won't let them define me. Nor will I let that define you."
He ended up right in front of Simon. The ionic being gave him a pained glare as Tony calmly placed his hand on his chest. From his palm, the device deployed, latching onto him. The light blue core glowed bright as it gave off a high-pitched whine signaling its activation.
"I'm sorry Simon…" Tony apologized. "…and happy birthday."
A blinding flash of light followed by a scream came from Simon. Team JNPR shielded their eyes on reflex, but it wasn't enough to blind them. The light reflected off the metal of Tony's armor as the avenger stared at the light. Slowly, Simons's screams faded as well as the light.
"It's safe to come over now," Tony called out to heroes-in-training. JNPR stood where they are at for a few seconds before they warily approached him. Jaune shook himself off Pyrrha's shoulder and steadied himself. They stopped just a few feet away from Tony, who didn't turn around. He just stood there in silence before he finally broke it.
"I just want to say thanks for giving me this chance," the armored avenger said. "This is one of many mistakes I've wanted to make up. You have no idea how much this meant to me."
"We understand, Tony," Pyrrha said gently. "We all must take responsibility for our mistakes sometime. Just what was that device you used?"
"An Ionic lock," Tony explained. "Something I got Hank to help me cook up. It helped stabilize his ionic field. Not only will he live, but nobody will be able to force him under threat of death. He's free to live his life as he sees fit."
Team JNPR felt relieved to hear that. But then they remembered something they picked up on from the exchange.
"Why did you call it a birthday present? Is it his birthday?" Nora asked.
"Oh yeah. You probably never used this euphemism back on Remnant," Tony rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, which is unlike him. "Well, let's just say that if it worked as intended…then he will be wearing the same outfit he wore on his first birthday. So, you might want to avert your eyes."
The teens didn't understand what that meant at first. But then, as they slowly looked around Tony to see the state of the guy who attacked them, it became clear. They are stunned for several long silent seconds in shock. Then, they recoiled and averted their gazes.
"Oh, gods!" Pyrrha gasped out in disgust. "We did NOT need to see this!"
"My eyes are on fire! MY EYES ARE ON FIRE!" Nora cries as she covers her eyes with both hands and runs away.
"Couldn't you have warned us this was going to happen?" Jaune asked with a half-lidded stare at Tony.
"Hey, I did say to avert your eyes, right?" Tony retorts. "Besides, it was only theoretical until now."
"He's not wrong," Ren pointed out while averting his gaze. "We need something to cover him up. I don't think we have a blanket on us…"
At that moment, followed by retching, something soft hit the green-clad boy back. Turning around, he found the object's a full sheet of white linen crumpled on the mansion ground. A few feet away is Chewie, who looked at him expectantly with unblinking eyes.
"Thanks, chewie," Jaune said as he picked up the blanket. "Ren, you grab the other corner. Now spread it out and walk backward. Slowly so that we don't step on him."
With the blanket spread out, the boys walk backward. Tony moved aside to allow them an open path. They draped it over Simon's body and breathed sighs of relief. That faded as they looked back at the state of the mansion. Even Tony let out a low whistle.
"You know…this is why we never get nice stuff," Tony said with a shake of his head. "Before you ask, don't worry about it. It will take a while, but I can cover the damage. One of the perks of being rich."
"Thanks," Jaune sighed in relief.
"You might want to get inside," Tony warns as his armor systems are picking up chatter from around the vicinity. His armor zoomed in on a few nearby buildings with people looking out. "All of the ruckus we cause is attracting a lot of attention. So, unless you want to be the paparazzi's next victims…"
They didn't need to be told twice. Hurriedly, they ran inside the mansion while Tony forwarded a request to Damage Control. There was going to be a lot of paperwork that's for sure. No doubt Fury has already gotten word about this. He was thinking about pawning it off to Pepper, he received a call.
"Incoming call from Pietro Maximoff."
"Are they back already?" Tony asked as he accepted the call. "Hey, Pietro! How are you spending your day off? I would go to Saint George. They make the best corndogs."
"We're still in New York Tony," that wasn't Pietro but Wanda Maximoff. He could feel her roll her eyes as she said, "I'm calling to report that team RWBY has encountered Loki in Central Park."
"Whoa! Did you say reindeer games is here?!" Tony asked in surprise. "We haven't got past Thanksgiving yet!"
"Yes! Loki showed up and turned my teammates into pigs!" Weiss said over the phone. "And before you make any little pig jokes, please note that we were chased around Central Park and almost killed!"
"Yeesh Snow White, relax," Tony said. "You're not the only one who got an unexpected visitor."
"What do you mean?" that was Ruby, whose voice sounded worried.
"Avengers Mansion got attacked while you were playing keep away. It was an old friend of ours…Simon Williams," Tony said, briefly glancing down at the blanket-covered man. Team RWBY started to speak in cohesion, so he said, "Don't worry, they're alright. But let's save this discussion for tomorrow. Wanda, take RWBY back to Avengers Tower. I'll be there with JNPR eventually. I think we've all had a rough night."
Tony ended the call and stared up at the night sky. It reminded him of the time when he guided that nuclear warhead through the portal during the battle of New York. A portal was opened by Loki, allowing the Chitauri army invade Earth. The next time they faced him was when he took over the Nine Realms. The Avengers fought and won against Loki with his adoptive father Odin imprisoning him somehwere. Now that he thinks about it, this couldn't be a coincidence. A magic seal breaking. Thor returning home. Loki's appearance in Central Park.
If Loki's connected to these events, then it means that he's planning something new. And they need to stop him.
[~][~]
Greetings and Bienvenu readers.
Now that the battle is over, this is the beginning of the end of Tony's feud between himself and Simon. For those who know, every ending is a new beginning, especially for Simon. How will this play out? Wait for the next chapter to find out more. I'm sorry that it took me so long to update this, and I pray that none of you thought I was dead.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If any of you have a TV Tropes account, please feel free to update the page. I'd appreciate it.
Until next time.