Chapter 48: Helicarrier Assault

Chapter 48: Helicarrier Assault

A/N: The attack on the Helicarrier begins. Some things different, some things stay the same.

-x-X-x-

For a moment, Tony is a little worried because... well, he might have made his side too strong. It’s one thing to let Pierce in on his plans, but if he’d had to tell Rumlow and the rest of the Iron Legion to sandbag so Loki could escape, then they might have questions... as well as demands later on. Fortunately, Clint Barton is an exceptional strategist, even while brainwashed.

In the original timeline, knowing about Tony’s Iron Man Armor, the Archer had attacked one of the Helicarrier’s four turbines on their way in so that Tony would be forced to focus solely on making sure that the flying aircraft carrier didn’t plummet out of the sky. This time around, Barton takes the Iron Legion into account and attacks TWO of the Helicarrier’s four turbines on the way in, immediately causing the ship to begin careening sideways.

Tony doesn’t hesitate to tap into the Iron Legion’s comms, putting a finger to his empty ear more for Bruce’s benefit than anything else.

“Rumlow! Legion! Get suited up and get out there. Keep the Helicarrier in the sky at all costs!”

He gets an affirmative response to that and even as Tony pretends to stagger his way across the laboratory to where Bruce has caught himself, he can feel the STRIKE Team hopping into their Iron Legion Suits and racing out to the broken turbines. Slowly, the Helicarrier is righted as a majority of the Iron Legion is forced to anchor themselves and use their Repulsor Boots to mimic the wrecked turbines, while the rest begin working on repairs.

Those repairs don’t last long before mind controlled agents begin firing on them and disrupting their efforts at both turbines however, starting quite the little fire fight. A prelude of things to come between HYDRA and SHIELD, Tony finds himself morbidly noting internally.

Outwardly, he reaches Bruce and grabs him by the shoulders.

“Dr. Banner? Are you alright?”

Shaken but in seemingly no danger of turning green, Bruce looks around wildly. It’s obvious his heartrate is way up... but it’s equally obvious that the medicine he managed to develop is working. Unless he takes enough physical damage to endanger his life, he’s not going to transform like he did last time.

“... Y-Yeah... yeah, I’m okay! What... what’s happening?!”

As the floor stops sloping thanks to the Iron Legion’s efforts, Tony sighs and pulls Bruce all the way to his feet and out of the corner where he’d caught himself.

“The Helicarrier is under attack. Loki’s people have come to break her out, I assume. Can’t have their world conquest plan without their Queen, after all.”

At Tony’s dry tone, Bruce bites his lower lip.

“Should we... I mean, we should stop her right?”

Shaking his head, Tony points a finger at Bruce.

“You don’t need to do anything, Dr. Banner. You’re not a soldier, you’re a civilian scientist. This isn’t your fight.”

Grimacing, Bruce looks to the side.

“I mean... we developed that counteragent for a reason, didn’t we? I have some on me in an injector... just in case. I could take it if you think you need the Hulk.”

Tony grins a little at that. On the one hand, he was glad that Bruce was even entertaining the idea. Before the other man had ever even known it was Tony, they’d exchanged numerous long emails about the Hulk and Bruce’s relationship with the big green killing machine in his head. Tony had done his best to try and help Bruce view the Hulk as a potential help instead of a hindrance, but in the end he’d also made sure to facilitate the creation of the drugs that allowed Bruce to suppress his alter-ego. Because at the end of the day, while Tony liked the Hulk... Bruce was his friend.

That said, he shakes his head at Bruce’s suggestion.

“Think about it for a second, Bruce. The Hulk is a bomb and Loki’s goons already set two of those off on their way in. The Helicarrier is already struggling... we don’t need to add Big Green to the mix. I appreciate the offer, really I do... but I think it’d be better if you suited up and got to safety.”

Bruce blinks at that last bit, only to startle when Tony snaps his fingers and Sneaky appears just a few feet away from them. He doesn’t need to snap his fingers of course... but it is cool. As the armored suit opens up, Tony steps aside and gives Bruce a little push towards it.

“You... you’re trusting me with one of your suits, Tony?”

Letting out a laugh at that, Tony just shakes his head.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Bruce. I’m not trusting you with one of my suits, I’m trusting JARVIS with your safety. You’re far more valuable than any one of my armors. Hell, I’d say you were the most valuable person on this Helicarrier... but eh, I’m here.”

That gets a rueful grin from Bruce, even as JARVIS pipes up from Sneaky’s frame.

“Please mind your step, Dr. Banner. I will be your flying assistant today.”

Bruce carefully steps forward, turning around and backing up into the suit, which envelopes around him. Before the helmet can engage however, he gives Tony a concerned look.

“Wait, what about you Tony? You’re not exactly a soldier either. Where’s your suit to fly you to safety?”

It's more than enough to reverse Coulson’s injuries though, taking him from death’s door to hale and heart in the span of those thirty seconds. Just as Fury arrives at the doorway, Tony is grabbing Coulson by the hand and pulling the healed Agent to his feet.

“Stark... what did you just inject my Agent with?”

Tony grins, his eyes twinkling as he tosses the spent injector to Fury.

“Newest product from Stark Industries, coming soon to an ambulance near you. Rapid healing in a single press of the button. What do you think Coulson? Like it?”

Looking down at the hole in his shirt where Loki had stabbed him all the way through, Coulson touches the now blemish free skin visible there before sighing and giving the blandest response imaginable.

“I certainly like not being dead, I suppose.”

“Stark...”

Fury’s angry growl would be more impressive if... Tony didn’t completely have the SHIELD Director’s number. As it is, Tony just raises an eyebrow at the one-eyed man.

“We have more important things to worry about right now then having another dick measuring contest, Fury. Especially when you’ll just lose this one like all the others. Let’s table this discussion for the time being and focus on stopping Loki, yeah?”

Rather than capitulating, Fury grinds his teeth.

“We’d need to find her first and someone just sent the man who could locate the Tesseract on a joyride.”

Tony scoffs at that.

“I removed a ticking time bomb from your already failing Helicarrier Fury. You’re welcome. Besides, I know where Loki is going. Remember what Bruce said? With the tools she has now, she can make her portal at any reactor on the planet.”

Fury scowls furiously but still nods.

“I don’t see how that narrows it down, Stark.”

Smirking, Tony raises a hand.

“Ah! But she’s not going to use just any reactor on the planet, Fury. She wants a spectacle. She wants to put on the performance of a lifetime, to say that she’s faced Earth’s best and brought us low so that her conquest of our planet is indisputable.”

Fury’s one visible eye widens.

“Your Tower. She’s going to use your tower.”

Tony nods, pointing at Fury triumphantly.

“Knew you’d get there Nicky. Yeah, she’s going to use my tower. And we’re going to stop her.”

For a long moment, Nick Fury’s incredible dislike for Tony wars against his need to do his duty. Finally, he manages to wrestle the former under control and focus on the latter.

“Coulson?”

“Fit as a fiddle, sir.”

“Alright then. Let’s go stop a megalomaniac alien who thinks she’s a goddess.”

As the two men stomp off, Tony can’t help grinning. However, his grin grows even bigger when JARVIS whispers in his mind through their ever-present connection.

Sir... I experienced a breakthrough during that last encounter with Loki. I can now see through her illusions. Her magic is no longer impermeable to me.

Trust his baby boy to figure out the impossible. Heh, this was going to be fun.

-x-X-x-

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A/N: Deus Ex JARVIS strikes again! Poor Loki is about to get goosed.

Next up, a much more manufactured Battle of New York. Tony's been preparing for this, after all.