Radioactive | Bucky Barnes

IRON MAN 3: CHAPTER NINETEEN

The rusted catwalk groaned beneath their boots, the old oil tanker shuddering with every step as Rhiley and Rhodes jogged across its skeletal frame. Cold wind whipped through gaps in the railing, the metallic tang of oil thick in the air.

"You can't fly?" Rhodes asked, glancing sideways.

Rhiley shot him a flat look, sweat glinting on her brow under the emergency floodlights. "No. Just because I have powers doesn't mean I have all the powers, Rhodes."

"Thought I'd ask." He threw up his hands in mock surrender, managing a grin despite the tension coiling around them.

Ahead, the shadows parted as Tony jogged toward them, the arc reactor in his chest casting a soft blue glow across his soot-streaked face. His breathing was labored, but steady.

"Give me some good news, man," Rhodes called out.

Tony nodded. "I think they all made it."

Rhodes exhaled hard. "Oh, thank God."

Tony paused, brushing grime from his shoulder with a quick swipe of his gauntlet. "Yeah. But I missed the president."

Rhodes' relief turned to stone. "You missed the president? We couldn't save him with the suit, and now we're down to duct tape and sarcasm. How the hell are we gonna save Pepper with nothing?"

Tony tilted his head. "Uh... say, JARVIS—is it that time?"

"The House Party Protocol, sir?" came the AI's calm reply in his ear.

Rhiley arched a brow, stepping closer. "That sounds like something I'd like." 

"Which means I would hate it." Rhodey interrupted. 

Tony turned to him, grinning. "Correct."

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Later, the cold bite of sea spray hit Rhiley's face as she dropped onto the small boat, the steel hull rocking under her landing. Rhodey reached out to steady her, but she waved him off, brushing past with a grunt.

"Come on," he said, eyeing her closely. "You're not gonna freak out on me, right?"

She let out a shaky breath. "I hope not."

Tony was already seated, crouched over a stripped-down weapon. He looked up as Rhodey muttered under his breath, eyes wide as he spotted movement on the horizon.

"Oh my God," he said. "They've got him strung up. They're gonna light him up, man."

"Viking funeral," Tony said grimly. "Public execution."

"Yeah. Death by oil."

Rhodes turned to Rhiley. "Any chance with your powers?"

She scanned the rig, her eyes glowing faintly as she read the swirls of heat in the distance. "If it blows, I might be able to contain the fire telekinetically... might." She met Tony's gaze. "But it's not a guarantee."

Rhodes turned toward Tony. "Is your gun up?"

"Locked and loaded." He lifted the weapon with a shrug. "What do I do?"

"Stay on my six, cover high. And don't shoot me in the dark."

Rhodes turned to Rhiley. "Need a gun?"

She smirked faintly. "Nope. And I can see in the dark just fine."

Both men stared at her.

"I thought you didn't have extra powers?" Tony asked suspiciously.