13 - The Golden Gladiator

A/N: Hey guys. So, I forgot these two in the last couple chapters, so I'll add them in now instead.

Logan / Wolverine: Hugh Jackman

Richard "Rich" Rider: Chris Pine

Monday, October 11, 2010, New York 11:09 AM

It was a beautiful Columbus day morning. Gwen and Peter were somewhere below him, watching the parade. He was leaning against the rails of the observation deck of the Empire State Building, gazing out at the city skyline. Since Carol's departure and his return to school for his second year of Middle school, things had been quiet. He'd mostly had to stop bank robberies and return missing pets. He'd kept an eye on Dae and her family, but despite his threat, Pandemonium had not returned. Carol had vowed to keep an ear to the ground. If Pandemonium tried anything, he'd know.

Music wafted up from below. He grinned. The parade was passing below the tower. "Show time, sir?" VIOLET sounded off. He stood to his full height, lifting slightly off the ground.

"Oh yeah. Show time, Vi". He let out a whoop as he soared down from the tower, streaking across the city skyline. He swooped through the parade, high fiving and shaking hands as he went. The crowd cheered, and the band played a bold, hopeful tune. He beamed as the parade marched on, hovering in the air. "Sentinel!" Came a shout from further down the boulevard. He snapped to attention.

Flying towards him was a familiar Red and Gold suit of armour. He'd never met Tony Stark - or his metallic counterpart - but he'd heard about the events in Malibu, just like everyone else. Stark came to a halt, hovering a few feet across from him. The billionaire slid open the faceplate of his helmet. "Mind if we talk?" He asked. Nate shrugged.

"Sure".

–AoS–

They were standing in the R lab in Stark's mansion. The billionaire was rushing back and forth whilst Nate was inspecting the scientific instruments. Stark peered at him as he moved from bench to bench. "You like this sort of stuff?" He asked. Nate nodded. He'd been thinking about pursuing a career in physics for a while when the suit crash landed in the backyard. Now, he wasn't sure what he wanted to do. Whatever it was, it would need to be something to justify Sentinel turning up in dangerous places, he knew. Maybe he should just take a page from Stark's book. Then again, he didn't want his family dealing with the added publicity.

Stark finished whatever he was doing. He waved Nate over, who moved to stand beside him. On screen was a strange compound. Nate peered at it. Stark grinned at him, looking smug. "What do you make of this?" The billionaire asked. Nate stared at the screen for a few moments.

"It's the most advanced metal compound I've ever seen. The molecules are shifting in ways I didn't think were possible". He glanced at Stark, who was nodding happily. "Nanites?" Nate asked. Stark grinned. He clapped softly. Nate rolled his eyes.

"Yeah. I think so". The billionaire replied. "Thing is, I'm pretty sure this thing's like you". Nate raised an eyebrow.

"Like me?"

"An alien". The inventor stated simply. Nate snorted. Stark frowned. "Wait! Are you…not…an alien?" Nate shook his head. Stark groaned. "Oh you are so much less cool now!" Gee, thanks Stark Nate thought. You're cool too. "Sorry," Stark added, though he sure as hell didn't sound it, "that came out worse than I intended. So what, you like me? Build your own tech? You seem to understand this stuff". Nate shook his head.

"I'm a physics nerd, mostly. The suit is alien though to be fair. It crash landed on my property. I found it, or maybe it found me. That's what a friend of mine thinks anyway. She says I got the suit for a reason. That whoever sent it wanted someone to use it to help othe people". Stark nodded thoughtfully.

"Okay. That's neat. You're flying around, catching planes, preventing volcanic eruptions, and fighting the jolly green giant. And the only reason you're doing it is because you can? Cause no one else can? Look out for the little guy, make the world a better place. Do the right thing". Nate nodded. Stark seemed to be ignoring him. "Neato". The billionaire began to hum 'working class man' under his breath. "You know, my old man was a huge Captain America fan. Bet they both would have loved you". Nate frowned.

"Do we have a problem here, Stark?"

"No. Not at all. I just don't trust a man who doesn't have a dark side. That's all".

Nate grunted. "Have fun with your metal, mister Stark". He flew out through the window.

–AoS– Tuesday, October 12

"It sounds like it could have been handled better" Gwen stated as they walked through the halls between classes. Nate nodded. "I mean it's not like he said anything that wasn't true. You could have at least heard him out." She finished. Nate gaped at her.

"You're saying I could have handled it better?!" She nodded.

"Well yeah, I guess. I mean what's offensive about someone comparing you to Captain America? I mean I did. You didn't snap at me like that. Would you stop talking to me? Fly away because I was annoying you?"

"Well, no", he began, grimacing slightly "but you weren't a colossal prick about it. He was". Gwen sighed. She linked their arms together as they walked. Peter was off with the journalism team, leaving the two friends to their own devices. "People are gonna drive you mad, you know?" She continued. "They're gonna make you wanna punch them. Make you wonder why you do what you do. It's up to us how we react. No one can change Stark except Stark". Nate nodded, letting out a sigh as he did.

"I know. He just drove me up the wall, that's all. It made me realise something. Something I hadn't realised until then. Not fully at least." Gwen glanced at him curiously as they stepped out into the sunshine, headed for Gym class. "I can't afford to advocate for myself. Not really. Everyone else is so fragile. If I ever lost control, even for a second". He shuddered, letting the thought hang in the air. Gwen gripped his hand.

"I trust you" his best friend whispered.

"Thanks". A silver streak barrelled across the courtyard, slamming him into a nearby wall. He swore silently. Gwen screamed, shouting his name. Nate staggered to his feet. A silvery Iron Man armour stood in the centre of the courtyard, one hand wrapped around Gwen's wrist. Students - and even a few teachers - had stopped walking. The crowds were quickly snapping pictures. The armour fired a repulsor blast at the crowd, forcing them to scatter. It gripped Gwen tightly, flying off towards the outskirts of the city, it's unwilling passenger screaming for help the entire way.

Nate's eyes blazed scarlet.

–AoS–

Virginia "Pepper" Potts made her way downstairs, calling her boyfriend's name. They were supposed to be going to a fundraiser. Tony had forgotten again, wrapped up in his machines. The sight that met her eyes when she entered the lab was horrific. Tables had been overturned. The container for Tony's new MKVII armour had been busted open. A glass cannister lay shattered across a work bench. Worst of all, in the midst of the chaos, was Tony.

He was lying on his side. The top of his head and nose had both been cut open, a thin sheen of crimson blanketing his face. She rushed over, kicking off her heels as she went. Sliding down beside him, she called his name as she carefully helped him into a seated position. "Tony," she murmured softly, "Tony honey are you alright?" He moaned as his eyes drifted open.

"The - the metal. It got out. Took my suit. I need to go after it." She shook her head desperately. How could he not see why that was so stupid? He'd already been knocked out! For all either of them knew, he had been concussed. He needed to go to the hospital, not start chasing an evil suit of armour across the island of Manhattan. She told him as such, and he stubbornly shook his head.

A sound like rumbling thunder erupted outside, nearly shattering her ear drums. Tony shouted something to her, but she couldn't understand his words. The entire manor shook violently, and the wall to the lab shattered into thousands of pieces. "Stark!" A voice bellowed from the gap in the wall. A tall figure clad in black stalked into the lab. His eyes were as red as shield on his chest and the cape hanging off his shoulders. Sentinel was on top of them in an instant. The next, he was on the far side of the room, Tony pushed up against the wall. Pepper shouted for him to stop, though her pleas went unheeded. "Where is she?" He demanded.

Tony's foot slammed down on the floor, the false pannel sliding into place. He shoved Sentinel back, as an Iron Man suit covered him from the neck down. Firing repulsors from both hands, he glared at the other hero, who was thrown back by the blast. The visor on his helmet locked into place. "I don't know what you're talking about, but I do know one thing. It pays to do your homework." He fired another blast from his repulsors. Sentinel screamed. Tony moved between pepper and the intruder protectively. "I caught footage from Japan. Or rather, JARVIS pulled it for me." Tony continued, voice smug. "Adamantium heated to beyond melting point and worked into the repulsors. Get out of my house. Or I'll kill your alien suit wearing ass".

Sentinel leaped at her boyfriend, who braced himself. The two collided, flying through the roof and out of sight.

–AoS–

"I told you I didn't trust people without a dark side," Tony called to the fallen 'hero' lying on the road. He strode towards him, mechanical muscles twitching. "You come barging into my house, damage my property, and try to kill me? Man, were you a lot dumber than you looked". He laughed, firing another repulsor blast. Sentinel staggered onto his hands and knees, pushing himself to his feet. The other man delivered a left hook to the mask, sending Tony sprawling. He staggered over, smashing the repulsor in the left wrist. Tony swore, delivering a kick to his knee before blasting him in the face.

Sentinel groaned as Tony delivered a sharp kick to his ribs. The metahuman floated up into the air, spearing Tony in the chest. He lurched through the air, slamming into a street lamp. "Stark", sentinel shouted. "I just want to know where she is! Tell me where you put her, and I'll go. I'll fix the house. I just want to know". He sounded more desperate than anyone Tony had ever heard. For a moment, it gave him pause. Screw it, Tony thought, he's trying to distract me. Let's kick his ass.

A repulsor blast to the eye sent the metahuman into the dust. Tony made his way over to the fallen man. He gripped the other hero by the hair with his damaged gauntlet, lifting him into the air. He fired another repulsor blast into his face, sending the younger man sprawling. Picking up a fallen street sign, he teed it up. Delivering a swing, he cracked it across Sentinel's face, sending him soaring through the air down the block.

–AoS–

"Okay," Nate muttered,."talking to you isn't going to work". He leaped forward, flying straight at the Iron hero. Stark fired a repulsor blast. He flew to one side, avoiding the attack. Another blast missed as well. He collided fist first with Stark's chest. The other man was thrown back by the force of the blow. He heard the sound of the Armor crumpling underneath his fists. Stark slammed into the ground a few hundred feet away. Nate flew towards him once more, landing a few feet away and crushing the repulsor in his other gauntlet. He ripped off Stark's faceplate, before helping him to his feet.

"I don't even care why you took her," Nate told him. "I just want her back safe. That's all". Stark raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know what you're talking about".

"Captain Stacy's daughter. Your new suit took her from her school. Her friends asked for my help". Stark swore. The other man ran a guantleted hand through his hair as he looked away.

"Shit. We both screwed up here, boy scout. That metal I showed you. Before you broke in and started screaming at me, it escaped. Took over one of my armours and knocked my ass out. It must have taken the girl. Come with me. I'll help you find her". Nate narrowed his eyes. Stark's heartbeat was normal. Maybe he was telling the truth. Logically, it made more sense.

"I'm sorry Stark. You're right. I screwed up. Majorly".

–AoS–

He sat at the table, fingers twitching neverously. Stark was tapping away at a high tech tablet. Miss Potts placed a coffee cup in front of him, smiling awkwardly as she hastily sat down on Tony's side of the table. Nate smiled greatfully. He sipped the coffee, trying not to wince at the taste.

"It's not only your fault," the red head stated awkwardly. From her tone of voice, it sounded like she believed it about as much as he did. Not at all. Stark smiled at them both.

"Pep's right", he was saying. "Only person we can blame here is that freak that stole my suit". Potts narrowed her eyes.

"I'd say the only one blameless here is the little girl whose been kidnapped. Where did you even find that metal anyway Tony?"

"That's what I can't figure out either" Nate spoke up. Stark glanced between them.

"It was attached to a meteorite that crashed down in Wyoming. I purchased most of the samples, although some of it was picked up by a third party as well". He linked eyes with Potts. "I was planning on using it for a couple of projects".

"More suits?"

"Not only, no. But I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought of using it for nano Armour".

Miss Potts groaned, dropping her head into her hands. Clearly, this was a long standing argument between the pair. Feeling awkward, Nate stood up from the table and made his way out onto the front porch. Whatever was going on between those two had nothing to do with him. Best to stay out of it. He leaned against the wall, eyes shut right. As he stood there, taking several deep breaths a faint sound hit his ears. He stiffened slightly. It was her. He could hear her screaming. He glanced back at Stark and Potts, arguing in the kitchen. This was his fault; he would fix it.

–AoS–

He landed in an abandoned trainyard. Railway lines ran in both directions, scattered pieces of coal strewn along the ground. He made his way slowly in the direction of Gwen's screams. Eventually, he made his way into a lone carriage. Gwen gasped when she saw him, shaking her head wildly. The silver suit lunged at him, morphing out of the wall of the carriage itself. The machine lunged for his throat, catching his cape as he dodged it's grasp. He slung a fist at the head of the Armour, knocking it back into the side of the carriage. The train rocked back and forth, the chair Gwen had been forced into sliding towards them. He grabbed it, flying her safely out into the yard and snapping the chair.

"Get out of here", he told her, find somewhere safe". She nodded, breaking into a run. The hacked armour tossed the carriage in his direction. Stretching his arms out in front of him, he caught it and leaping into the air to drop it down onto the thing's head. Silver tendrils leaked out from underneath the carriage, reaching for his boots. Leaping into the air, he watched in fascinated horror as the metal oozed out from under the train in a puddle of molten silver.

The puddle coalesced into a bubble, which spread out into a humanoid shape. A silver metallic man stood in the yard, growing taller by the second.

"I have travelled across a sea of stars to reach your planet. I shall assimilate the technologies of Anthony Stark and you, Nathaniel Thomas. Ultimo shall achieve perfection." The robot stood a full twenty five feet high, towering over the landscape. Nate took a step back, staring up at the massive being. He soared up, floating above its head. It lunged out, swinging wildly. He ducked and weaved around, dodging each lunge. A single wrong move was all it took. Thick hands wrapped around him, and he was surrounded by darkness.

He shoved his shoulder against the machine's fingers. The fingers buckled, but refused to break. Taking a deep breath, he shoved his full weight against a single finger. Just as he could see daylight, the fingers snapped closed once again. He closed his eyes, trying to think of a solution. The creature started to shake its hands, Nate bouncing around like a kernal in a pop corn maker. Suddenly, it came to him. Fara Dein had told him his power worked by absorbing energy. If he could absorb energy, didn't that mean he should also be able to expell it as well. He kept his eyes closed, focusing as closely as he could on the energy the suit had filled his body with. He tried to picture it in his mind, as though he could grip in his hands like a tangible thing.

He felt warmth welling up within him. It felt like stepping into the sun after sitting under an air conditioner. The energy was more intense than he'd ever felt it before. It was as though it had pooled together into a single spot. Like water building up behind a dam wall, there was only one way for it to go. His eyes snapped open.

–AoS–

Gwen Stacy ran. She ran faster than she had ever before in her life. She needed to find help. She had seen what that thing was capable of. As powerful as he was, there was no way Nate could defeat it on his own. She would not let her best friend be hurt or killed for her sake. There were plenty of heroes in New York. Once she was back in the city, it would be easy to find one or more of them. Don't worry Nate, she promised, you won't have to do this alone.

A flash of blue lit the train yard. Coming to a halt, she spun around once more, desperately screaming Nate's name. Tears sprung into her eyes. She ran back in the direction of the light, only to feel her feet suddenly leave the ground. She let out a squeal, only for her captor to laugh. She looked up. Amused blue eyes met hers. She glared at the softly laughing Nate, slapping him on the shoulder.

"What about that thing?"

He held up a small toolbox in his other hand.

"How did you…?"

He grinned.

–AoS–

His eyes snapped open. Beams of light blue energy burst out of his irises. It was all he could do to keep from screaming in horror and point it in the right direction. The digits of the hand melted, dripping away slowly. Eventually, the entire hand was gone. He flew above the metallic being, blue energy still streaming out. Within instants, the machine had been reduced to an inert puddle of liquid metal. Quickly searching, he found a deep bottomed toolbox, and carefully scooped the metal up, sealing the box shut.

–AoS–

Tony made his way over to the window, glancing at the visitor on the other side. He opened the window and stepped back, gesturing for him to enter. "You came back". Sentinel nodded. In one hand he held a toolbox.

Tony laughed. "Wait, you were serious about fixing my house? You really are a goodie two shoes aren't you?" Sentinel smiled back.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't need this for that. I'll have the work done in a second. This is something else". He dropped it on a nearby table. "I didn't trust you before. I'm going to now". Tony's eyes widened.

"Is that?"

"Yeah. I'm trusting you to hang onto it".

Tony nodded. "I think this needs to stay on ice. At least until I come up with a safe way of using it". Sentinel nodded.

"Yeah. I think I may have an idea for that. If you're interested".