(pssst, did you miss me?)
'Inner dialogue/thoughts'
"Normal dialogue"
[System]
[Diary entries]
(Word Count: 1,540)
~ With Luke ~
'Well, what the f*ck just happened?'
Luke had been patiently waiting for something, anything to happen since the disappearance of a different Wanda.
'I'd like to ask my system what the hell is going on, but for some reason I get the feeling that that would be a conversation no different than the one we had after the battle awhile back. That means that something else is at play here.'
Just as the containment was about to end, Luke closed his eyes to calm down as he breathed a sigh of relief. At the very least, he had lived to see another day. He knew that against someone who could bend reality, the only protection that he could rely on were the protection provided by the system.
'Maybe I should visit Kamar Taj to learn the mystic arts. That way I can protect myself better against dimensional entities. But then how would I convince that other bald-headed demon. . .'
As the containment was lifted, Luke opened his eyes, only to quickly shut it back once again. He did not dare open his eyes. He did not dare to make a sound. In fact, he did not dare to move a single muscle.
For the brief moment that he had opened his eyes, he had found himself in the vast and endless realm of Space.
"Welcome Luke Sullivan."
~ With ??? ~
At the exact moment when the containment was lifted, a short, Asian man with a shaved head in traditional clothes, tensed his entire body. He had been in the proximity of where Luke had just been standing, sent by the Order to investigate a possible dimensional breach. However, when he arrived, he could not find anything out of the ordinary, let alone anything mystical in nature.
That was, until he felt the space around him shift suddenly.
"This. . . is a bit much." The man said, clearly believing that something, strange, was going on.
'Oh boy, just go back and report this. Afterwards, it's the Sorcerer Supreme's problem, not mine. I don't get paid enough to deal with this.'
Taking a look around and confirming that there was no presence nearby or anything watching him from afar, he raised his hand and performed a circular motion. Orange sparks filled the air as a circular-whip like construct began forming, expanding in size over a couple of seconds.
Once the construct was big enough, the man simply walked forward and stepped through, disappearing from the location without a trace.
~ At the same time, with Tony ~
As Stane's Iron Monger suit plummeted from the freezing atmosphere, he crashed through the cliffs near Tony's mansion, landing heavily on the terrace overlooking the ocean. The impact shattered the glass and sent debris flying.
Tony, barely managing to stabilize his own descent, landing roughly nearby. His suit sparked and grinded audibly with strain while his HUD flickered erratically, displaying warning after warning.
"Jarvis, I need some good news." Tony asked.
Unbeknownst to Luke or Wanda, Tony was currently on his last breathes against his old mentor and friend, Obadiah Stane.
"Sir, suit power is at 9%, and critical systems are failing." Jarvis replied.
"Not about my suit Jarvis, I'm talking about Obie."
"The enhanced suit that Mr Stane is currently using should in theory be able to protect him from most of the damage that such a fall would entail. I advise you to remain cautious."
"Of course it is. Why wouldn't the bad guy not go down that easily? Keeps things dramatic." He quipped.
Instead, while there was a lull in the battle, Tony began running a diagnostic check on his suit while coming up with a plan for when Stane re-appears. He had already used up all his built-in weaponry, leaving only attacks he could perform using his repulsors. But even that too was limited due to low remaining power he had.
A few minutes later, Tony heard movement coming from the pile of rubbles that Stane's fall had created.
The hulking form of Stane's armour rose from the rubble, his suit's glowing arc reactor lighting up the surrounding dust. Without hesitation, he unexpectedly charged forward, his heavy footsteps shaking the ground beneath him.
"TONY!" Stane bellowed, his voice amplified by his suit's speakers.
Tony reacted in time, activating his thrusters and shooting upwards, narrowly dodging the charging chunk of metal that crashed through the wall. As Tony landed, he kept his gaze locked at the hole that Stane made. Out of vision, he heard a loud boom as the ground he stood on trembled.
"Jarvis, I need eyes." Tony requested.
"Already on it sir. It appears Mr Stane is standing directly below you."
Tony's eyes widened, and this time, he could not react in time when two large hands smashed through the ground and grabbed his leg. In a blink of an eye, Tony found himself hanging upside down, before being thrown hard onto the ground, sending him deeper down into his mansion.
"Ugghhh. . ." He groaned. "It would've been nice if that warning came a little sooner."
"I apologize sir, maybe-"
"Not now Jarvis."
With difficulty, Tony attempted to stand, only to drop down on one knee after a short suit malfunction.
'Great, of all the times. . .'
"Jarvis, I need the suit working here."
*BOOM*
He raised his head, making eye contact with the suit of armour that followed him down. As he heard the loud mechanical steps coming towards him, the voice of his mentor filled the confined area they were in.
"Oh Tony. You think you can just build a legacy and leave me in the shadows? I made you!" Stane started.
"Correction," Tony shot back as he back stepped, narrowly dodging a wild swing. "You stole my tech, beefed it up, and skipped all the finesse."
Stane's fist smashed into a pillar, sending shards of stone flying. "Still playing the joker?" He mocked. "Let's see if you're still laughing when I rip you out of that suit."
Tony did not have the time to respond as he rolled to the side as Stane barrelled through the pillar to get to him.
"You've always had the arrogance, Tony." Stane growled, grabbing a piece of debris to block a plasma attack from Tony. "Yet I was the one who always had to clean up your messes. And I'm tired of it!"
"I can tell." Tony replied, ducking as a dining table flew over his head. "You're really venting tonight, did you try yoga? Maybe aromatherapy?"
Stane roared in frustration, his suit too bulky to navigate the mansion's tighter spaces efficiently. "You can keep running, Tony! But it won't save you from me."
Tony, who's suit was agile and mobile, kept moving between columns. "Running? No, this is called cardio. Keeps me spry."
Just then, a lucky piece of debris found its' target and Tony was sent flying back, smashing into a wall. "That hurts. Jarvis, I can't keep stalling him forever here."
"Suit's functional power remaining at 6%. Might I suggest evading the attacks to avoid further power consumption. It is to my understanding that help is on the way."
"Help? Who can help me now?"
"Ms Potts had been approached by a man named Phil Coulson and had been informed that they would be sending reinforcements. I have relayed our locations to Ms Potts since the start of the battle, sir."
"Whatever support they're sending, I could use them right about now-"
Tony was stopped mid-sentence as Stane lunged towards him, his hand running through a decorative wall and missing Tony by inches. "You've always been too small to see the bigger picture." Stane snarled. "Stark Industries was mine to mold! Not yours."
Tony fired a weak repulsor blast to create some distance. "Yeah, well, in case you haven't realized. The name of the business is STARK Industries, not STANE Industries."
To Stane's credit, he had predicted that Tony would create distance. Instead of dodging the blast, he took it full on in order to close the distance, finally catching Tony by the arm. "And by the time I'm done with you," He tightened his grip, slowly crushing the armour, "There won't be any living Stark left."
Tony grimaced but managed to activate his unibeam. The concentrated blast forced Stane to release him, but the power drain left Tony stumbling. This time, Tony dropped down on both knees as he struggled to keep his suit functioning.
As he stared at the ground, a shadow loomed over him. Looking up, all he saw was a metallic mask and glowing blue eyes looking down at him.
Stane stood tall, raising both his hands into a giant fist. "Goodbye, Tony."
Before the final blow could land, a metallic clang echoed through the air. An object struck Stane's arms, deflecting the attack and causing him to stumble back. The object ricocheted off the wall before flying straight towards Tony.
However, before it could make contact, a figure had dropped into view, landing lightly in front of Tony and catching the object.
Stane took a step back, momentarily stunned. The new arrival stood against him, wielding a Shield emblazoned with a star.
"That's enough."
- End of Chapter 93 -
[A/N]