Chapter 28: After the Storm

In which it's time to pick up the pieces.

There were only a few drops of energy left in the arc reactor. Enough to fulfill its primary purpose – keeping the shrapnel from tearing his heart to shreds – but until Tony could replace the palladium core, his armor was nothing but dead weight.

Well, right now, his own strength should be enough.

Tony clasped his hands together and smashed his armored gauntlets into the teleporter. The thin metal of its frame bent as he hit it again and again, until it broke open and he crushed the delicate circuitry inside.

No one would be able to use this device ever again.

"Feeling better?" Rhodey asked mildly.

No, he didn't. He was mad at Mordo, at Dormammu… at himself most of all for once again letting something he created to fall into the wrong hands.

The teleporter was meant to only dip into the closest dimensional layer that had no gods or demons living in it, but he really should've expected that someone would twist this technology for their own purposes. This was human nature, he supposed: no matter how safe or dangerous an invention was, no matter how malicious or benevolent, someone somewhere would always manage to use it for evil.

And now he would have to scrap all the research on the teleporter and bury the data, just like he did with the arc reactor, because it was too dangerous to release it.

Rhodey clapped his back, metal hitting metal with a loud clang. "Come on, it's not the end of the world."

Tony only huffed in response. "It almost was." He raised his voice slightly. "Is everyone alright?"

Carnage silently raised their hand and waved at him from where they were lying half-submerged in quicksand.

"We've been better," Venom said. They were holding their head in both hands like they were either dealing with the mother of all headaches or wanted to fall asleep right then and there.

"Everything sucks," Lee rasped. She was sitting with her back against the cave wall, looking exhausted, but if she was responding, then at least she still had her hearing. "And where the hell is my gun?"

Spider-Man picked at the edges of bloodied cuts the ice shards had torn through his costume. "I'm just glad I can sew. This is gonna be really annoying to fix."

Carnage laughed, the distortion fading from their voice until it sounded almost human-normal. "I just realized, my shirt is probably in ruins. That's the third one in three days."

Venom sharply turned towards them. "From the sound? How much did it damage you?"

Carnage groaned in exasperation, "It's fine, we're already healing…"

"Show us!" Venom insisted, tugging on their arm.

Carnage grumbled something unintelligible and clearly annoyed. Then the mottled red mass of the alien symbiote started to peel back from their fingertips, retreating further until it bared their arm to the shoulder. The fabric of their sleeve was torn and bloodied, and there were small cuts visible on their skin that were filled in with alien biomass.

"What did you do to yourself this time, you dumbass?" Lee called out. She climbed to her feet, holding onto the wall for stability, swayed slightly, and sat back down, apparently deciding that standing up required too much effort.

"You held onto each other too tightly, didn't you?" Venom asked, their deep distorted voice softening slightly.

"Well, guess now we know what not to do when someone is trying to rip us apart. We'll heal, we just need some rest…" Carnage perked up suddenly. "And chocolate!"

"I can get you chocolate," Tony interrupted. He gestured at Rhodey, then at himself. "Just give us a lift to SI first, because we're both out of energy and I'm not walking all the way back."

Sure, he could've called Happy instead, but with his armor dead, Tony couldn't actually contact him at the moment. Plus, they would need help climbing out of the lair in the first place.

"Also, I'd like to give you a medical scan, Lee," Rhodey said. She was, after all, the only person here with no powers and no defenses. "We don't know what effect Shriek's voice might've had on you and SI has better equipment than a regular hospital would."

"We won't try to find out your identity," Tony added. "Pinky promise."

Lee made a face but nodded, "Ugh, fine."

Tony clapped his hands. "Alright then! Let's get moving!"

"Wait, really?" Spider-Man asked. "We're just going to leave all of… this?"

He waved his hand around, gesturing vaguely at the twisted stalactites and quicksand ground and glowing ice shards scattered everywhere.

Tony shrugged. "Eh… We'll block the elevator upstairs when we leave, and I doubt anyone would have much reason to break in. I'll leave Strange a message, so he can deal with this mess when he gets back to Earth. He's the Sorcerer Supreme, it's in his job description. Now come on! I'm sick of this place!"

Both Eddie and V were beyond exhausted: having to fight people capable of hitting their main weaknesses hadn't done them any favors. All they wanted right now was to get back home and sleep for a day or two.

…Home?

Eddie was startled to realize that he was beginning to consider Cameron's apartment as his home. He cringed inwardly. He didn't want to keep mooching off the kid, but it wasn't like he had any other place to live.

And now that immediate danger had passed, he had no idea what he was going to do next. He was still a wanted criminal with no job, no money, and no home. How was he supposed to keep on going like this?

"One day at a time," V whispered. "We are alive, the children are alive, our enemies are gone, and we have even made new allies. We have found each other only two days ago, and things have already changed more than we could've ever hoped for."

Had it really been only two days? So much had happened, compared to the monotony of life in prison, it felt like a lifetime.

But yes, their first fight with Inferno had happened only yesterday, and the kids had broken him out of prison the night before. It was less than two days, actually, considering it was still morning.

Eddie was still trying to wrap his head around how much his life had changed in so little time, when they had finally reached Stark Industries headquarters.

They landed on the rooftop and War Machine immediately started to usher everyone inside the building. Leslie and Carnage dragged their feet in, leaning on each other to stay upright. Spider-Man followed, scratching at his slowly healing cuts.

Eddie started to follow after them, when he felt Iron Man's hand on his shoulder. "Actually, do you mind staying here for a few minutes? I wanted to talk to you."

War Machine gave him an unimpressed look that Eddie could clearly see even with his blank faceplate. "Your reactor needs a new core."

Iron Man drummed his fingers over his chest. "At the current rate, it will be a few hours before it shuts down completely, so stop mother-henning."

"…Ten minutes – and I'm coming back to drag your ass inside," War Machine threatened and finally left.

And then it was just them standing on the rooftop.

"What did you want to talk about?" Eddie asked warily.

While fighting together worked great for building trust, he really didn't know much about Iron Man. (He had heard some rumors though, and now he was wondering what was true and what wasn't.)

"I've done some research on you– Well, on the Eddie Brock part of you, there wasn't anything about the symbiote. And I've been wondering: what made you change?"

Eddie slowly exhaled and let the black biomass peel away from his face. "Many things. I've had a lot of time to think in prison–"

"–And I've had a lot of time to think in space," V added through him.

"–And we have both realized that… we didn't like the people we became. So once we reunited, we swore to be better."

Iron Man nodded slowly, his fingers tapping the edge of the arc reactor. "I suppose I can understand that. And now that you're free… What do you want to do with your life?"

Eddie dragged one hand down his face and leaned heavily on the railing at the edge of the roof. "Good question… Especially since I'm a prison escapee and everyone knows who I am."

"Well, as far as superpowered criminals go, you didn't do that much damage. And it's not like Spider-Man pressed any charges… You were sent to that asylum mostly because you were… Well…"

"Completely off my rocker?" Eddie finished. "Getting separated so violently did a number on me and I really wasn't thinking straight at the time."

Eddie could privately admit that he had probably needed to be put behind the bars back then or he might've done something he would've regretted later.

"I got better, not that anyone believed me…" Eddie continued. "Telling my therapist about aliens was enough to get me labeled insane."

"Seriously? In New York?" Iron Man asked incredulously.

Eddie only shrugged. He still had no idea what Kafka's problem was, and while he was willing to forgive her, he also didn't want to see her ever again.

"Some people just love burying their head in the sand, huh? Wait… That's the woman from yesterday, right?"

Eddie nodded. "She has actually admitted that she was wrong about me."

"Which should make things even easier!" Iron Man declared. "Getting the charges against you dropped shouldn't be that hard, especially if she vouches for you."

"You– you want to clear my name?" Eddie asked, barely able to believe what he was hearing.

"Yup! I have enough clout to make it happen."

"Why? Why would you do that for me?"

Iron Man rested his elbows on the railing and gestured at the city below. "How many criminals do you think are out there?"

"Too many to count?" Eddie guessed.

"And how many of them reform?"

"Almost none?"

"People can only change if they want to change… And only if the circumstances allow it. It's far easier to ruin your life than to rebuild it afterwards, especially if you don't have any support. So if you really want to turn a new leaf, I will help you get back on your feet."

"Again, why?" Eddie questioned. "You have no reason to help me. You barely even know me!"

"From a purely pragmatic standpoint, helping you now means one less enemy for me to deal with in the future and one more ally to rely on. That alone makes it worth the effort, and it's not like I can't afford it. But from a more personal one…"

Iron Man fell silent. The constant tap-tap-tap of his armored fingers right next to the arc reactor was the only thing that broke the quiet.

"From a more personal standpoint," he continued, "I don't like the person I used to be either. But when I had been brought to my lowest point… Someone had been there to help me. He had no reason to. Hell, he had every reason to just let me die there… But he didn't. He helped me, even at the cost of his own life. He made me open my eyes, made me realize that I was wasting my life because I had more to offer this world than just–" He fell silent again. "I can't repay him for it, but… I can at least take what he had taught me and try to help others."

It was strange, Eddie reflected, how you could hold all the puzzle pieces in your hands and still be unable to see the bigger picture until they clicked just the right way.

"You're Tony Stark."

Iron Man chuckled and lifted his faceplate, not even bothering to deny it. "What gave it away?"

He had always looked so put-together on TV, perfectly composed with not a hair out of place. Here and now, he was pale, with dark circles under his eyes and sweat-drenched hair plastered to his forehead. He was grinning wildly and his eyes were almost glowing with manic energy.

"I remember your press-conference, when you first announced the shutdown of weapons development in SI. You said something similar back then," Eddie explained. "There are other things too. Iron Man was first sighted almost immediately after your return, close to the place where you've been found, attacking the people who had kidnapped you, using weapons and technology you refuse to share with anyone else… But this is what made me put things together."

"Heh… Once a reporter, always a reporter, right?"

Eddie shrugged awkwardly. "Sorry. If it helps, we promise not to tell anyone."

Stark waved his hand. "Honestly, I don't really care. One of these days I'll probably just go public myself, because this whole secret identity thing is more trouble than it's worth."

Eddie frowned slightly. "For you maybe."

He could understand why someone as high-profile as Stark wouldn't care about secret identities, since he was already constantly in the public eye as a civilian. But Eddie didn't want the publicity. He just wanted a quiet life to return to in-between all the death-defying stunts of superhero work.

"Even if you do manage to clear my name," Eddie continued, "I won't be able to get a moment of peace. I think I'd rather make a new life for myself than try to salvage the old one."

"If you want to create a new identity, I can help with that too," Stark offered. "That's even easier to pull off. But if you're planning to stay in New York City, I can't guarantee that your face won't get recognized."

Eddie smiled slightly, "That won't be a problem. We can change our appearance."

"What, like plastic surgery?"

"In a way."

The temporary disguise they had used yesterday was just that: a disguise, created by V molding their biomass into something akin to a mask over his face. It was a finicky ability, hard to pull off and annoying to use for long periods of time.

But V could make more permanent changes as well. They had control over his body on a cellular level, so it shouldn't be that hard for them to mold his facial features into a slightly different shape, just enough to keep him from being recognized.

"Huh, alright. In that case, hit me up when you're done, and I'll add your face to your new documents."

'I didn't actually agree to this!' Eddie wanted to say, but V gave him a mental equivalent of a kick in the shin.

"Eddie, we have no idea how to even begin to falsify all the documents we would need to set up a new identity," they said pointedly. "Stark looks like he actually knows what he's doing. And… I think we can trust him with this."

"I–" Eddie sighed in defeat. "…Alright, we will. Thank you."

Tony had returned soon enough, so at least Rhodey didn't have to drag his friend in by the scruff of his neck. He still stood next to him with arms crossed and radiating disapproval, until Tony finally replaced the palladium core of his reactor.

Rhodey sighed in silent relief and started to replace the reactor in his own armor. Once it activated, the difference was startling. While the armor wasn't as heavy as it looked, lugging it around unpowered was still highly uncomfortable. When powered-up, the armor more-or-less carried itself.

"Oh, by the way," Tony said lightly. "Brock knows my identity."

For a few seconds, Rhodey didn't even know how he was supposed to react to this information. Eventually, he settled on an exasperated, "Tony, what the actual fuck."

As if they didn't have enough problems to deal with already…

"Hey, I didn't tell him anything!" Tony protested. "The guy has figured it out himself. And you already know my opinion on this secret identity bullshit."

"…You know what? I'm too damn tired to deal with this. Go get that promised chocolate, you're bad for my blood pressure."

Tony only cackled maniacally in response.

Rhodey shook his head and trudged back to the small personal medbay Tony had set up when he had first started superheroing. Their guests were waiting there: Carnage and Venom looked dead on their feet, Spider-Man was busy disinfecting the various cuts and scrapes littering his skin, and it seemed like Jarvis had already started scanning Lee.

"There is some damage to surface blood vessels and you may notice minor pain and bruising, but nothing that should require medical attention," the AI reported eventually. "Some rest and quiet should be sufficient. However, if your hearing does not fully recover, I urge you to visit an actual doctor."

Lee rubbed her temples. "My ears are still ringing, but I'm just glad I didn't go deaf. Felt like my head was going to explode…"

"We're glad you're okay, Lee," Venom said. "When we saw that Shriek had you–"

"How did this even happen?" Carnage asked.

"Shriek broke into my apartment. Hell if I know how she had even found me… Probably Dormammu's fault… But enough about that demon asshole!" Lee looked around with exaggerated, let's-change-the-topic-now interest. "You've got a nice setup here. I can't recognize even half of this stuff."

"Stark Industries has a medical equipment branch," Rhodey explained. "These are mostly prototypes we're testing for R&D. Most of it hasn't hit the market yet. So you wouldn't recognize it unless you have some medical knowledge."

"Which none of us do," Carnage commented.

"That's something you'll need to correct," Rhodey said. "Take it from someone who's been dealing with superhero crap for years: medical skills are a must."

They tilted their head curiously. "You got any pointers? Since we've only got our powers like two days ago and all."

"Sign up for some first aid courses," Rhodey said immediately. "And I don't mean just the basics, I mean proper EMT-level stuff. Because on this job, you're not just punching the bad guys, you need to know how to help the victims too. You need to learn which injuries are actually life-threatening and require immediate treatment and which could be left alone. You need to learn how to treat them. At the very least, you need to learn how to not make it worse, because sometimes just moving someone can seriously hurt them."

Carnage was cringing more and more with every word, and Rhodey raised his hands with a heavy sigh.

"Listen, kid, I'm not trying to scare you. And… hell, it's not like anyone is forcing you into this job. Just because you have superpowers doesn't mean you can't just forget about all of this and simply live your life. But if you genuinely want to continue on this path, you have to understand that sooner or later, someone's life will depend on this knowledge. It's always better to be prepared."

"Okay… We'll– we'll look into this. Thanks for the advice."

That was when Tony barged into the medbay with his arms full of colorful boxes. "What's with the long faces? I brought chocolate!"

That was fast. Rhodey wasn't sure whether he had paid for a quick delivery or if he had actually flown out to grab that chocolate from some shop himself. Tony always got a kick out of doing mundane tasks in full armor.

"Awesome!" Carnage grinned, immediately in a better mood. They took one of the boxes, cut it open with their claws, and tossed a piece of chocolate into their mouth. "Wow, this is really good stuff!"

Tony dropped the remaining boxes on the nearby table. "Come on, there should be enough for everyone."

Eating something while transformed was… different. Not good different or bad different, just… different.

Cameron dragged the tip of his too-long tongue over his jagged teeth. They were too thin and too sharp to properly chew anything: a carnivore's fangs meant more for ripping and tearing apart prey.

He knew from Carrie's inherited memories that Klyntar were a carnivorous species. It was a good thing that phenethylamine could be found in more things than just animal brains. Chocolate tasted way better anyway.

Carrie quietly purred in agreement. A warm feeling of contentment spread through their combined form.

After the terrible battle, it felt good to simply rest and enjoy the treats.

Venom was busy chewing through another box of chocolate, just as starved for phenethylamine as they were. Leslie had grabbed one for herself too, deciding that she deserved a treat after everything that happened. Even Spider-Man had pulled up the lower edge of his mask and grabbed a few pieces for himself.

"You know, we should make this a new tradition," Iron Man said suddenly, elbowing War Machine in the side. "Getting a nice snack after a fight."

"Since when do you like chocolate?" War Machine asked.

"No one said we can't grab something else!" Iron Man retorted. "How about shawarma? What do you think, guys?"

Leslie made a face. "I think I should probably get going. Shriek had destroyed the front door of my apartment and I don't want to get my stuff stolen."

"Yeah, sorry. Maybe next time," Cameron added. "Right now we mostly just want to get back home."

Chocolate gave them a much-needed energy boost, but they were still exhausted. And while Carrie was in a better state than yesterday – the sound had hurt them, but at least it didn't destroy half of their biomass like the fire did – they still needed some rest to properly heal their body.

Even if it meant skipping another day of classes.

Cameron winced inwardly. Yesterday, he had been so freaked-out at the thought of fighting Inferno and the possibility of his friend getting caught in the crossfire, he had completely forgotten about his classes.

Oh, well… Cameron had enough goodwill with his professors to afford to skip a day or two. He would need to learn how to balance things better in the future, but right now he was too tired to care.

"Speak for yourselves," Spider-Man grumbled. "I just know my boss is going to call me in."

"You need a better job," Venom said flatly.

Spider-Man laughed. "Yeah, I'm not even gonna argue with that. But hey, at least it's convenient."

"Alright, fair enough," Iron Man conceded. He gestured at the remaining chocolate boxes. "You can take the rest with you if you want."

"Thank you. For everything."

"All part of the job," Iron Man replied with a jaunty salute. "See you around!"

Yeah, they probably would.

Despite everything that happened, it felt good to know they had more allies to rely on.