Chapter 29: The Iron Hunt
The relentless heat of the Afghan desert was stifling, yet Batman remained focused. He had never enjoyed these covert rescue missions, especially when time was ticking against him. Tony Stark's life hung in the balance, and each passing minute made Bruce's patience run thinner.
It had taken ten long, grueling days to finally pinpoint the exact location of the Ten Rings' hidden base, where Tony had been held captive. With the help of SHIELD, they now had the coordinates. He sat in the passenger seat of a modified SHIELD jeep as Natasha Romanoff—Black Widow—drove them through the unforgiving desert terrain. His Batwing, cloaked in invisibility, silently followed them from above, an extra precaution to keep his secrets hidden from SHIELD.
As the jeep bounced along the dusty trail, Natasha tried to break the silence.
"I heard from Hawkeye that you're not much of a talker. Seems like he was right," she quipped, casting a sidelong glance at Bruce.
He ignored her, keeping his eyes fixed on the horizon.
"You know, you should smile more," she teased, a small smirk tugging at her lips. "Frown too much and people might think you're some kind of emo."
His expression hardened, the frown deepening. Finally, he spoke in his signature, low growl.
"You know that won't work, right?"
Natasha looked at him, confused. "What won't work?"
"You trying to get me to talk. To spill personal information," Bruce said, narrowing his eyes as he turned to her. "Do you really think I don't know how this game works?"
Natasha chuckled, her eyes returning to the road ahead. "Can't blame a girl for trying."
Bruce didn't respond, staring into the distance once again, his mind consumed by the mission.
"I like mysterious men. You act tough, but I bet you're soft on the inside," Natasha purred, her voice laced with seductive undertones.
Bruce remained unfazed, his voice cold. "Focus on the mission. Stop wasting time."
She huffed and rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay. No need to lecture me like your my mom."
Just as the tension between them was about to spike, an explosion echoed in the distance. Instantly alert, they exchanged a glance before leaping out of the jeep. Natasha grabbed her guns, falling into step behind Bruce as they sprinted toward the source of the blast.
A massive metal figure flew overhead, a robot—the unmistakable figure of an iron armour. Bruce acted swiftly, firing a small tracker onto the suit before turning his attention back to the explosion site. The ground was littered with bodies—members of the Ten Rings, slaughtered in the chaos. One man, barely clinging to life, caught Bruce's attention.
He knelt beside the man, gripping his collar tightly. "Where is Tony Stark?"
The injured man, barely able to comprehend Bruce's words, weakly pointed in the direction the robot had flown. Bruce's gaze shifted to Natasha, who had just emerged from inspecting the cave nearby. She nodded, confirming that there was nothing left inside. Together, they dashed back to the jeep.
"I put a tracker on him," Bruce muttered, pulling out a tablet displaying Tony's location. Natasha glanced at the screen and sped off in pursuit.
When they reached the designated coordinates, they found Tony—lying unconscious in the sand, battered but alive. Natasha knelt beside him, checking his pulse.
"He's alive, but he needs medical attention immediately," she said, her voice laced with concern.
Without a word, Bruce pulled out a small syringe filled with a nanotech serum he had developed himself. He injected it into Tony's arm, watching as the serum took effect almost instantly, healing his injuries and replenishing his strength.
"What is that stuff?" Natasha asked, intrigued.
Bruce ignored her, standing up and scanning the area.
"Can I get one of those?" she added with a smirk.
Still, he didn't respond. Instead, he began walking in the opposite direction.
"Where are you going?" Natasha called out, bewildered.
"I've completed my part of the mission. You've likely already contacted the military for extraction. My job here is done," Bruce said coldly, his back still turned.
Natasha watched him leave, her eyes narrowing slightly. "One tough nut to crack," she muttered, before contacting Fury.
"He didn't say a word. Finished the mission and walked off," she reported.
Fury's voice crackled through her earpiece. "I expected that. Your losing your touch, agent Romanoff?"
She smirked. "Oh no, sir..... It'll be fun breaking him down."
"Get Stark to safety. I'll send an extraction team," Fury ordered before cutting the comms.
Meanwhile, Bruce reached his hidden Batwing. Its sleek, camouflaged form shimmered into view as he approached. Climbing inside, he was greeted by Oracle's calm, emotionless voice.
"Welcome back, Master Bruce. I trust the mission was successful?"
"Yes," he responded, settling into the cockpit. "It was a valuable learning experience."
He activated the Batwing's systems, the craft lifting off silently, still invisible to the naked eye. Its destination: New York.
"Oracle," Bruce commanded, "start a new file. Name it 'Project: God's Eye.' We're going to need it."
As the Batwing soared into the sky, Bruce Stark's mind was already working on his next move. The Ten Rings had been exposed, but they were far from finished. And now, with Tony safe, the real war was just beginning.
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(A/N): I know I said that Fury knew who batman was, his true identity. That was a dumb move from my part. Not because shield can't find out his identity. I mean shield
Is an international spy organisation that has information about everyone. But I changed it so that the mystery of who batman is becomes more interesting. So, shield doesn't know who batman is but Bruce knows alot about shield. But not snake shield....yet.
To be continued....