Protector (EN)

Chapter 34

Loki's view

The suit, in which Juli was, flew further and further into the air. It didn't slow down one bit. Unfortunately, I couldn't jump that high and bring it back down. The only thing I could do was look up into the sky.

Julis view

Slowly I was able to find consciousness again. I still couldn't move freely in the suit. Once I bumped my head against the helmet. My head was buzzing. What was happening here. Slowly I opened my eyes and could see through the slit eyes of the helmet as I flew up into the air. I panicked because I was afraid of heights. Automatically, I also started to breathe short, as if I couldn't get any air. I thought at first that it was because I was afraid of heights, until I realized how thin the air felt here. I could breathe harder and harder until I started begging for air. I started to cry, because I started to suffocate. Was there no one here who could help me. What could I do in this metal suit when I could hardly move myself?

Tony's vision

I just saw something flying up from the barn without stopping. It was one of my suits. Was Juli in it? Was Juli controlling the suit and doing this? Or was he Viper who just wanted to hurt Juli like that. Down here I would never find out, so I ordered my suit to follow the other metal suit into the air. Out of my metal hands came the energy of flying and I flew on and on. At some point I noticed that the energy of the suit was diminishing, with the energy of Juli's suit remaining. How could this be possible. I was still able to get closer to Juli, so I didn't let up, no matter how hard I bounced without energy at the bottom. Just before Juli, above, a black hole opened up.

Juli's view

"Have a good flight" laughed the AI and I disappeared into the black hole in the sky.

Tony's view

I was this close to reaching Juli's hand and stopping her from flying, but before my eyes she disappeared into the black hole and the hole quickly closed. I stopped in midair because I no longer had a target to chase. My suit became heavier and I fell down into the depths of the earth. I started to panic. Again and again I tried to use up the reserve energy, but it seemed as if it already had. Did something break my suit? Shortly before the impact, my suit got minimal energy and I was able to hit the earth a little more gently. Of course, it was not such a gentle impact, but I certainly survived it.

Quite loudly the voice of the viper sounded again.

"NAAAA, WHAT'S IT LIKE? SO WITHOUT NOTHING MORE? YOU HAVE LOST AND I HAVE WON! I WILL CRUSH ALL OF YOU. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU. IT WILL BE SUCH A PIECE OF CAKE!"

Around me, my friends were fighting. We were all getting weaker. After all, we were fighting machines, not living beings. They never get tired. They just don't get weaker. And our equipment and our own strength are never enough.

I dropped to my knees. Nothing made sense anymore. I just couldn't do it anymore. I just lost my daughter, God knows where. Tears were streaming down my face. Without sobbing and without making a sound, I cried. Everything inside me was shaking. I was sad, destroyed inside. On the other hand, I was so angry that I decided to stand up and kill that viper with my own power. I can do it without Iron Man. I am not Iron Man. Iron Man is Tony Stark. Iron Man is not always present, but Tony is. I am always present. I'm getting weaker. I am losing strength. I can lose. But I can also win. I went back to the hall where we could find Juli. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked in the direction and recognized Loki.

"I'll help you!" he said confidently, as if I said no, he still wouldn't let me. The two of us walked into the hall.

"You miserable son of a bitch. Grow some balls and come here in person. Fight me you son of a bitch" I yelled into the hall when we finally reached it. The hall was empty.

When I looked at Loki, I noticed that he had taken quite a beating. He had a laceration on his forehead, because the blood was running all down his face.

Finally, someone answered me from the other side of the hall.

"Tony Stark. Your mouth is always bigger than it was afterwards" laughed that son of a bitch.

"Oh my mouth is bigger? Am I the one running around with a megaphone threatening everyone but not showing my face at all? I'm here and it's going to be me who kills you with my own hands. You bet your ass I am."

He took a few steps closer so that his face could be seen.

"Oh, Tony," he laughed. He had a bloody dagger in his hand, which he wiped clean with a cloth. "If only everything were so simple. I mean, do you really think you can beat me? Do you think I went against the Avengers unprepared? Do you really think I'm the only one who can take you guys on? You don't stand a chance, face it! Can't you see you're getting weaker? Your power is slipping away. Even your own invention is of no use there. These metal fighters had only one purpose." Of the latter, he grew louder and louder and then began to shout more and more. "They were supposed to finish you off, and they failed at that. All they had to do was bring me the arc reactor, but I don't think they can take down a simple man." Then he calmed down again. "So I'll have to handle this myself." He then pointed to the clean dagger in his hand. "Do you actually know whose blood that was? Juli doesn't have much time left, you do realize that, right? For one thing she's losing blood all the time and for another she can't breathe.

"Where did you take her?" asked Loki angrily, but still kept calm.

"Where is not the question? When! When will she be back? And will she still be alive is you must not forget on the sidelines too." grinned the psychopath.

"What are you going to do?" I asked grudgingly.

"One very important condition. You want July. And I ... I want the arc reactor. Fair trade. Give me the arc reactor and I'll give you Juli back."

"You're acting like she's an object," Loki snorted.

"How else am I supposed to know she's alive?" I asked bitterly.

"Don't you even want to see her? Doesn't she deserve a proper burial? Do you want to bury an empty grave?" laughed Jonas, amused.

He was right. July meant everything to me. Pepper would never forgive me for that. For not being able to protect her. And Tary ... Tary would even kill me. Juli meant everything to her, too.

"Remember, it's either this or I kill you all, and Juli will be lost forever. You don't have much time left either" the son of a bitch waited.

"Tony, what are we going to do now?" asked Loki desperately.

I knew what to do. I knew what I had to do. I have to kill that son of a bitch for what he did to Juli. He will regret this bitterly.