Unexpected

Real Allies and Fake Foes

In an admittedly awkward tiptoeing run I scampered through the halls. Pepper. Where the heck did they hide you? She must be somewhere. She must be safe, or at least alive unlike... I swallowed, cutting myself off mentally as I climbed a flight of stairs into the ground level of the dilapidated mansion. She's not downstairs. There was no way she could be down there. I'd wasted too much time searching down there. Where is she? Peeking around the edge of a glass-less window I scanned the grounds for guards. Empty. Crossing the line of windows my attention was suddenly sucked back outside, more specifically at the sky as a great whipping sound of helicopter rudders filled the air. It was a great roaring sound, enough to make me want to clasp my hands to my ears as I watched the great metallic thing raise up over the mansion and into the sky ahead. Someone was leaving. I watched as it swooped away before a much smaller, yet far more familiar pin prick shot through the sky, painted red, white, and blue. It was a suit! One of Stark's suits! The... oh, what was it called? The Iron Patriot!

Without giving it a second thought I leapt from the window, dropping a few yards onto the lawn, chasing after the suit, waving my hands. It flew on though. Either it hadn't seen me or it didn't care. Should I shout? No, it had flown so far, so high already. There's no way it'd hear me, and I'd only end up attracting unwanted attention to myself from more possible guards on the ground level with me. Gosh dang it! I looked around, ducking again and started making my way around the grounds, trying to find a way back in...

Bang bang! Bang bang bang!

I froze behind a shrubbery. Gunshots? Oh Lord, I needed to get back inside now! What was going on? Scrambling I kicked myself back into gear around the lawn, not even pausing as I came upon an armed guard, a thuggish-looking man, before I lunged at him, knocking him to the ground before straddling him and knocking him unconscious with two swift punches. Relieving him of his pistol I started charging up a flight of stairs when I saw a black man in a bright green polo shirt leaping over the stone balcony above, tossing a supposed henchman with him before knocking him out and scrabbling for the man's gun. He took him down with one punch! Who was this guy? I edged closer, just out of his line of sight, lifting my gun at the man where he crouched, but he didn't see me as he lifted his phone to his ear. Was he calling in reinforcements? For which side? He'd attacked a henchman, so could he be an ally? I couldn't risk it if he wasn't.

"No." I heard him saying into his cell, "You got yours?"

"Freeze!" I commanded, circling around into his line of sight, "Identify yourself!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Phone still to his ear, gun partially reloaded, the man turned to face me, clicking his gun back together and pointing it directly at my face in a swift movement, "Who are you?"

"That's what I just asked you!" I retaliated, taking another step towards the man though my heart was racing as the barrel of his own gun didn't move, "Identify yourself!"

"Captain James Rhodes."

The name sounded familiar, but I was too focused on my other priorities to give it a second thought, "Where's that helicopter heading off to? Where's Pepper Potts?"

He blinked, his eyes widening, "You know Pepper?" He looked seriously confused and astounded that I knew who Potts was.

"Yes. Now where is she?"

"She's with Killian."

"He took her?" My eyes flashed up to the ever shrinking helicopter, putting two and two together. I lowered my voice, making it as menacing and forceful as I could. I myself wasn't very frightening to look at, and I ffeared that my gun hand might be shaking as my mind raced, "Where are they going?"