Sergeant Barnes: The Last Mission (COMPLETE)

Chapter 61: Tony

Peter and I had ran out the front doors as soon as things started to turn south. Since no one else could really take advantage outside the building, it was our job to keep the newest party members from getting inside, and there was a crap-ton of them.

"Peter," I called to him, opening a private line between the two of us. "We can't let these things get inside. Web 'em up and take 'em down."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it!" He yelled, jumping to the roof and starting to wrap his webs around the cyborgs entering the building.

I started with the wave that was off in the distance. There were ten of them, and they seemed to be opting to fly in a bowling pin formation, which only made it easier for me.

I knocked them out pretty easily. I guess it takes a lot of focus for these guys to fly.

The melee fighters inside started to argue about if Agent should stay inside and help, or get to the vans and escape. Then Hill went dead, and her whole group fell silent.

"What happened to Hill?" I asked. We kind of needed them alive. "Where is their group?" 

"Steve and I just met up with the cyborgs at the stairwell. We can't get to them. Raven, go!"

"Already on the way."

Great, we're sending the rookie teenager to help the agents.

Peter had long since taken care of the cyborgs at the window, since, like Agent said, they weren't good team players. A new wave had come, though, and these guys seemed to have learned the lesson. They split off and tried surrounding us, but Peter jumped onto one of them and pulled him down, along with some of his buddies. I took care of the rest, with a little bit more difficulty. They had gotten better at dodging my shots.

"Mr. Stark, I think these guys have an adaptive analyzing script?" He paused as he yanked two cyborgs together. "You know, where the program learns the more it fights?"

"I see it, kid." I locked my targeting system on the next wave. "I'd save your best moves for later if I were you."

"Well how many of these waves are there?" He flipped up to the roof and stood up. "Is there like a limit, or do they just keep coming?"

"There's a lot, Pete." I shot off towards the incoming. "Just save your energy and save your moves."

The next wave came, but instead of 10, it was more like 40. All at once.

"Uh, Mr. Stark? I don't think I can hold the entrance on this one!"

"Do the best you can, and let the others inside deal with the ones you miss!"

It was true, more than half of the cyborgs passed the two of us initially, but we kept the rest of them busy.

The group line crackled to life again. "We can't shoot these things!" Barnes yelled, a bit too loud, but I decided to give him grace. I'm nice like that.

    "You have to hit the eyes," Raven said, a little winded. "Natasha said it was a weak point earlier. Hit the eyes, and you hit the inner workings, too. But you have to have a clear shot."

    I realized that I hadn't heard from the insiders for a while. "What's going on in there?" I asked. "Did we find what happened to the other agents?"

    "I'm getting closer, but I just ran across another wave of them. There has to be at least four waves of them already in the building."

    "These things just keep coming!" Peter protested. I could tell he was getting frustrated with the amount of robots getting into the building. I hope he realized that some of them were already in there when we got out here. "We can barely stop them from getting inside."

    "Can't you web up the door or something?"

He turned and went back down to the room the cyborgs were entering from, and I covered for him from the air.

    "There's no door! They're all coming through a window!"

    "Then get the window!"

    He started to use one of his stronger web combinations to block the way in, and I used a round of guided shoulder missiles to knock out a few more of these freaks.

    "Raven, we just found the agents," Barnes said, quietly. "They're by the elevator."

    "I'll get there as soon as I can," Agent replied. "In the meantime, could one of you outside please help me out by the windows?"

    I saw the window she was referring to, which happened to be right next to where she was taking on a pack of the cyborgs. I sent a quick blast her way. Not enough to take them all out, but it should give her a few seconds.

    "Thank you."

Awe. So polite.

Another group of 40 joined the party, and I decided to switch to the electric blaster. I fired a strong and wide pulse towards the party-poopers and dropped almost half of them. I started firing my standard repulsors at the rest.

This continued for a while, Peter and I working together to knock out as many cyborgs as we could before they got into the building. It actually went pretty well, and we managed to catch a break between waves.

Peter and I rested on the edge of the building, and he deactivated his mask to grab a quick breath. I opened the group line again before the next wave came.

"How's it looking in there?" I asked, praying for a positive answer.

Hill responded first. "I've stabilized Fury and Romanoff. They're out, but they'll be fine. We're hiding in some office."

"What happened?" Peter asked, his breath now under control, somewhat.

"Grenade. Knocked us out before we left the elevator."

Great. These things have hand grenades, too. What else? "How are the senior citizens holding up?"

"The cyborgs said something, some command," he paused and grunted. "He's out. I'm trying to deal with these things...but it's kind of hard... when it's 9 to 1...and these things are cyborgs!"

I almost laughed. Almost. It was rare to hear Captain America struggle. Or was it Captain Germany now? Then a though occurred to me.

"Did you take Barnes' earpiece?"

"Where are you?" Agent broke through the line.

"Somewhere...on the fifth...floor."

"On the way."

"Another wave is coming," Peter said, off the line, and pointed. "How many of these things are there?"

"Enough," I said, and helped him to his feet. "You ready?

"I was born ready."

Classic response.

"Hey Agent," I rejoined the group line. "Is this your first mission? 'Cause if it is, I would like to formally apologize for traumatizing you."

"Is that really what's important right now?"

"Oh, so it's not." I love messing with people. "Good to know."

"I think she's got a better grip...on herself than you do...Tony." Steve jeered.

"Ouchiiiee, that hurt." It was true, though. Probably.

"Don't worry, Mr. Stark, I can treat your burn too after this is all over." Apparently Agent had enough sarcasm to cover for Barton.

Steve and Hill laughed over the coms. "She's gonna...fit right in," Steve remarked, still grunting.

"Welcome to the Avengers, Agent," I said, fully aware that I had no affect on the matter.

"I'm honored," she said jokingly. "I've always wanted to be a sarcastic vigilante."

"You too?" Peter asked, right before jumping to intercept the newest cyborgs.