9 Chapter 9 (1/2)
A while after we'd made our plans, Steve had gone up to the top of the dam. When Steve had been up there for a while, Sam went up to join him, leaving the rest of us behind.
Tony and I were supposed to make stuff for the team to use. We went to room that was clearly set up to be a makeshift engineering facility of some sort, with technological parts everywhere. We sat in swivel chairs with a list, but before that, Tony had some questions.
”So this is alien tech?” Tony held my wrist, looking at the Omnitrix.
”Made by the Galvan scientist, Azmuth,” I confirmed.
”Huh,” Tony let go of my wrist. ”Kid, can you just take that off so I can look at it already?”
”You gonna let me try out an suit?” I quipped.
”Sure, I got some Armani's I'm probably gonna give to Goodwill soon,” Tony said.
”I meant-”
”I know what you meant,” Tony snarked. ”And no. Just show me how it works.”
I opened up the dial. The hologram of Swampfire showed up, and I pressed down on it. In a second, I was the tall and broad plant creature.
”Swampfire!”
”What, you have to call out the name every time you change?” Tony asked. Then he blinked. ”Also, what the hell is that smell?”
”First, it's tradition,” I said in my nasally voice. ”Second, it's me. I'm a Methanosian, we smell like that.”
”What, so you can smell like literal crap?” Tony sounded nasally too, though it was because he was holding his nose.
I frowned, somehow insulted. ”No. So I can do this,” I held up a hand and let a flame loose. ”I may be plant based,” I raised my other hand and sprouted a flower from the palm, making it red and gold just for Tony. ”But I also produce methane I can ignite.”
”Huh,” Tony put his hand down, leaning closer to look at the Omnitrix now resting on my chest. ”And you can switch to another form?”
”Yeah,” I put out the flame, and handed the flower to Tony.
He blinked, staring at it. ”Uh, I'm flattered Fanboy, but-”
”It's for Pepper, you ass,” I rolled my eyes, tapping the Omnitrix.
”So much for being your favorite Avenger,” Tony quipped. He looked up from the flower to me. Then a little further up. ”Huh. That is impressive.”
I was Blitzwolfer again. I stretched upwards and smiled as savagely as I could. Which was pretty damn savagely. ”Thanks. So yeah, I can change.”
”I really wish I had time to study how you do that,” Tony said with a grimace. ”Okay, let's get to business,” he turned away to pick up a tablet Maria had handed him. ”Time to waste my skills making a bunch of things you can find in a grocery store.”
”Or...”
Tony looked over at me. ”Or?”
”I mean, we have to make stuff. Why not go all out?” I growled.
He spun in his swivel chair. ”...I'm listening.”
Nothing does a vicious grin the way a wolf does. I reached for the Omnitrix and changed once more.
”Let's get to work!” I said, laughing maniacally. ”Time to disassemble!”
Tony stared at me for a moment. ”Huh. Nice shirt.”
January 12, 2014
We'd had 20 hours when we'd been picked up by HYDRA. We had four left now. Tony and Rhodey were getting their suits while the rest of us packed up our own gear. Bored, I'd gravitated towards Steve when he returned from a mission of his own, leading to the two of us in the costume room. I was leaning against a rack of clown costumes while Steve put on his suit.
On any other day, wondering what the hell kind of assassin/spy needs a clown costume would have been my question. But I had other issues.
”Steve, I'm not sure it's exactly kosher to do that,” I said as I stared at when Steve was putting on.
”Well, I did own it,” he gave me a grin. ”Besides, I'll put it back when I'm done. I'm basically adding history to it.”
”That is not how it works,” I said. ”I mean, what if someone gets fired?”
Steve stopped for a moment. Then he shook his head. ”I'll cover it. Besides, my other suit is torn up from when I had to escape the Triskelion.”
He was putting on his World War 2 suit, stolen from fucking Smithsonian.
”That's not the real reason.”
We looked over to see Natasha walking in wearing all navy blue. A skirt, jacket, and shirt. And some pearl and and gold necklaces that glimer slightly as she walked catlike into the room. She was holding a wig in one hand, short and blonde. She stepped closer, looking closely at Steve.
After a moment, he answered. ”Bucky... he might need a reminder. The closer I look to how I was back then, maybe...” He turned to look at his helmet. ”...Maybe it'll be easier for him to remember me.”
Natasha and I didn't say anything. He seemed to take it as acceptance, which it was. He picked up the helmet. With a feeling of ceremony, he put it on.
Captain America, in full costume. The stars and stripes, right down to the star on his chest. Awesome.
”Stop grinning like that,” Natasha said, punching me lightly in the shoulder. ”It's creepy.”
”Sorry,” I replied.
She smiled, then nodded towards my right pectoral. ”I see you found that spray paint you wanted.”
I looked down and smiled. It was a bit rough. But now the symbol of the Omnitrix rested on my chest in green and black. It had dripped a bit as it dried, but it looked good.
”Yeah. Can't be the only one of us without a cool costume after all. I'll leave that to you,” I said. Then I looked at Black Widow, looking her up and down dramatically. ”Kinda funny, you having to play elderly politician. Although I was sorta looking forward to the leather.”
”Well, play your cards right...” Natasha's red lips lifted just slightly.
I blinked, not knowing how to respond. That just made her eyes glimmer. She turned to walk away.
”Uh...” I looked at Steve, who was smirking at me. ”I don't understand what just happened.”
”She has that effect,” Steve noted. He stepped forward and put his hand on my shoulder, walking me out. ”Come on. If all ninety-six years hasn't taught me anything about woman, a couple minutes talking won't help either.”
”Weren't you trapped under ice for seventy of those years?” I groused.
”Details.”
Out on the floor, Tony and Rhodey came toward us with another man. Happy Hogan. I recognized him from hacking into Stark Industries... Man, that felt like a lifetime ago, just patrolling in New York City and watching for any changes. Hopefully I'd be able to do that again one day.
Happy was about my height, with a heavy build, a black suit, and slightly balding hair. I tried to figure out if he looked like an actor I knew, but none came to mind, which was almost a relief.
”Steve, you've met Happy,” Tony said, walking by us quickly.
”Hey Howard,” Steve said as Happy strode into the room. ”Uh, Tony?” Tony stopped to look at Steve, as did Rhodey and Happy. ”I thought we were keeping it confidential? That was our agreement.”
”It's okay,” Tony waved a hand dismissively. ”Happy's my guy, so he gets to know about this.”
”And you don't even discuss it with us?” Steve asked, affronted.
”Dude,” I added, giving Tony the same look. Happy and Rhodey shared a look, both apparently understanding where we were coming from.
”Oh, I'm sorry, 'dude', is the guy who hacked my company and Happy's email for weeks extending an opinion?” Tony asked pointedly.
”Wait, what's happening now?” Happy looked at me, stepping closer.
”Hey, I was spying on him in case some guy tried to kidnap the president again,” I said briskly. ”If people had been listening to Happy from the start, things might have ended better.”
”Thank you!” Happy raised his hands dramatically, looking at Tony. ”You see if people had listened to me-”
”You see what you did?” Tony told me.
”If people had just listened-”
”I did listen, that's how I found out how Killian was doing the bombs!”
”Yeah, and then I was in a coma!”
”You want to do this now, in front of Fanboy and Cap?”
”Hell, bring Natasha in too.”
”For the love of... Happy!”
The two walked away, bickering, leaving Rhodey silently shaking his shoulders in laughter. He waited until they'd left to turn to Steve, who seemed stuck between exasperated and amused.
”So, yeah,” Rhodey said. ”Happy brought our suits over. We'll be ready to go.”
”Yeah about that,” I said. ”Didn't Tony blow up his suits? I mean, I remember reading about it in the news.”
”He did,” Rhodey looked over at his friend. ”But he just can't stop making more. Pepper complains about it.”
I thought about Pepper Potts. Then I thought about Rescue, the superhero identity Pepper would eventually take on. Hell, she did really good work as Rescue.
Something for the future.
”Okay, come on,” Cap patted me on the back. ”Time to get started.”
”Actually, can I talk to him?” Rhodey said.