13And here we are, the diverging chapter. Where it becomes an real avengers crossover. Also where it becomes different from my other gohans redemption which was supposed to be a young justice crossover. For all of those still reading, your perseverance is admirable.
Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it.
Oh also, some serious angst warning, but it gets to the feel good, I promise. Also, pardon the ham ;)
Gohan woke up hurting. It wasn't anything new, but everything else was. He was breathing in new scents, he was hearing new things, and he could feel beneath him what felt suspiciously like a bed and sheets. He could smell chemicals and cleaning materials, he could hear the beeping, dripping, and whirring of machines, the faint underlying buzz of an engine. Struggling to open his eyes, he looked around only to see brightness. There was grey all around him, and he couldn't help but wonder if perhaps he had died. Struggling to sit up, he could feel himself coming back into himself. His movements were hindered and he realized he couldn't get up.
Instantly he was wide awake and anxious. Even with Frieza's twisted ways, the only times he had ever been immobilized, held down, and incapable of movement were in the healing chamber or while receiving 'training'. Seeing as he was not submerged in green tinted fluid, he wasn't in a healing chamber; and seeing as he was nothing more than achy, and he had only just woken up, he was not in active physical danger that he knew of. No, this situation was entirely new and unprecedented.
Gohan felt his heart-rate speed up as he wildly observed his surroundings. His eyes widened as he saw he was on a table esque narrow bed, in the middle of a small room. The walls, floor, and ceiling all seemed to be made out of the same metallic material. Pulling on his bindings once again, trying to sit up, he realized he had been strapped down. Trying to look and observe his body he could feel and see that there was thick metal circling both his wrists and ankles, and around his torso and legs he had more bindings- some much like the metal holding his wrists but straight across his chest, and others resembling leather also around his torso, thighs and calves. Then there was the ever present heaviness of the collar around his neck, but he disregarded that in its familiarity.
Pulling, tugging, squirming in his panic, Gohan tested the resistance of the material holding him down. Even in his weakened state, he heard the tell-tale groaning and popping of the metal and straps. That was he heard them all before the blaring alarm practically deafened him. The mutual toned fluorescent lighting in the room became a dark flashing red, as the alarms continued blaring.
Gohan knew in that moment that he was no longer with Frieza. The room was similar and yet nothing like the ship he has called home for the past however many years, the materials holding him down were much the same- similar and yet alien all at once. It was the alarms that let him know with certainty though. They were nothing like the alarms on the ship, nothing like what Frieza would allow- just the sound of these and Gohan knew. As many of his race, Frieza had heightened hearing; so anywhere and everywhere on the ship alarms took the form of announcements- urgent repetitive announcements, but announcements nonetheless. These kinds of blaring sirens were not only unallowed, but were akin to a death sentence- suicide to any who dared even consider it.
Gohan felt his heart in his throat. The beeping monitor to his left- probably measuring my heart beat, Gohan thought hazeley- went wild. He felt a burning in his eyes but he refused to let any tears show or fall. He wasn't with Frieza, no, but who knew where he was now. Frieza would never willingly give up his last living monkey pet. And anyone powerful enough to take him from Frieza was worthy of fear. Finding himself strapped down the way he was also did not bode well. Gohan felt his adrenalin spike, and he began fighting his bindings in earnest, he felt some buckles on his legs snap, and the metal around his wrists begin to warp. All through this the alarm continued to blare, goading him to move faster, they were coming, whoever they were; they had imprisoned him and they were coming, and there was no guarantee they would be as debatably merciful as Frieza.
Just as Gohan swore he was about to break free, the alarms cut off abruptly. A door smoothly snapped open to the left of his bed. Gohan froze. This was it. Looking over, Gohan saw a… human?
Gohan wracked his brain frantically, he knew he was a mutt- half human half saiyan- a blend of two of the most disgusting breeds as far as Frieza was concerned. He knew that there were species that were humanoid in appearance, could this man he saw before him be one of them? No, Gohan didn't see any distinguishing features, no antenna, no tail, no markings upon what skin he could see. But he couldn't be human.
Lost in his thoughts, staring blankly at the, the human- but it can't be, humans are on earth- Gohan didn't acknowledge when the man stopped right beside him. He had dark brown skin, an eye patch, and no hair adorning his head or face. His clothing was concealing much of his figure, and was all black- black coat, black shirt, black pants, black shoes, just… black. Commanding attention with both his body language and his presence, this, human.
Gohan inhaled deeply, scenting the air around him, and he almost gasped in shock. That smell- he hadn't smelled such in years. With his- barbaric, hissed a voice in his mind- enhanced senses, he had come to the realization early on in his captivity that all species had a distinct smell. Some were harder to discern from one another, but for each unique species, there was an equally distinguishing smell. This smell, it was, it was something he remembered, and he couldn't help but inhale again. It ticked his memory, called to a deeply receded part of himself firmly hidden away labeled home.
Gohan felt the burning in his eyes intensify, but still held back. He had long ago lost hope of ever returning home. For all he knew Earth was destroyed and no longer even existed in the universe. Some part of him was scared to think other wise, scared to think that Earth still existed, because that meant that no one had come to save him. No!- Gohan was quick to dash that thought, it just meant that no one succeeded. Still, there was an uncertainty about it that Gohan hated.
"Well, Well, Well. Just what in the hell are we going to do with you?" A deep, sarcastic voice resonated out of the nearly forgotten man standing right in front of Gohan's face. The speaking itself was a shock, seeing as Gohan was so lost in his thoughts, but more than that, the dialect was jarring. Gohan understood, as it was still the universal language, but it felt… different somehow. Kind of like when different aliens spoke to one another, the accent was something Gohan was unaccustomed to. It made his head hurt a little, adapting to the sound.
"Breaking through these bindings as if they weren't designed to restrain the might of an Asgardian." The man tsked. Gohan felt himself gulp when the force of that stare rested on him. Instantly Gohan focused his own gaze down, breaking eye contact to focus on the third big button down on the man's coat. Blanking his face, Gohan attempted to make himself look as boring and neutral as possible. A face he had learned through painstaking experience was the least likely to annoy, and therefore simultaneously least likely to get him in trouble and in the med bay. He could still see with his peripherals the man's one relevant eyebrow raise.
"Hmmmmm, I don't suppose you are willing to answer some of these very important questions of mine, are you? Starting with what you are exactly." There was curiosity in the tone, and while it was phrased as a question, it was more of a command. Gohan didn't know what to do. Choosing to remain silent, he waited. Gohan knew from experience that sometimes, giving answers hurt more than withholding them. In all honesty, it was his cheeky mouth that landed him in the worst conditions.
Continuing on as if he had answered, the man sighed, and said "We know you aren't human. Not only did you fall from a spaceship, but your bloodwork came back with all kinds of interesting results. Now, it is only out of the graciousness of my bleeding heart, that I haven't yet given the go ahead for my scientists to have a go on you." Gohan felt his heartbeat go up, and heard the accompanying beeping of the monitor go up along with it. He closed his eyes. He had not missed the man's vocabulary. He had said 'yet'. Gohan knew, just as assuredly that he knew he was still a prisoner, that no matter what he said, nothing was going to change this mans end goal. Gohan was going to be dissected. Whether he talked to this man or not, Gohan was going to be studied, because that was what this man was implying and Gohan knew this type. Just like when Frieza giggled and said it would only hurt a little, so long as you did as he bid, you can count on the same end result regardless. No, Gohan knew the drill. It was cooperate and postpone the inevitable, or don't cooperate and accept your fate immediately.
"Now, judging from your reaction, you can understand me. I want you to understand that appearances mean nothing to me. No matter how old you appear to be, I will not hesitate if you prove to be a threat. I highly recommend you answer my questions and cooperate with us. It will save you and me heaps of hardship." Gohan didn't flinch. The sheer irony of his situation was not lost on him. Years- he had spent years dreaming of returning home, dreaming that someone would save him, dreaming that Frieza would be defeated and Gohan would be freed. Holding humans and earth and home as a precious memory. The only thing keeping him from losing his mind entirely, the only thing keeping him from losing all faith in the world and drowning in the evil. The proof that he remembered that there was undeniable good in existence was on earth, and in humans, in his daddy. And yet- and yet- it was with a human, it was -probably- on earth that he was newly held captive. It would be with the familiar scent in his nose that he embraced his new prison.
When did it end? Would it only end in death? It sounded naive, that even after experiencing all he had, Gohan did not want to die. Life was so precious. Even when he was in so much pain he could not think, even when he was begging for mercy on deaf ears, Gohan never wished for death. He wished for it to end, but never death specifically. Many times Gohan had wondered if he was going to survive a situation. Was this one any different?
Slowly Gohan opened his eyes again, but he was not particularly looking at anything. Rather he was wondering what new sort of torment he would be subjected to. Context clues would lead him to assume dissection. Perhaps they would be merciful and he would not be conscious? He had experienced much pain whilst under Frieza's reign. He had no doubt he could once again handle the burning agony of slowly being ripped apart. The wet ripping sound of his own flesh being torn as he mutely screamed in shocked agony. He had survived once, had he not? Even if they decided to dissect him conscious, he had survived worse pain. He could do it again, right? He was still alive, right? But, even in the past, new pain always felt so new. Pain was pain, experiencing it once, did not change how much it hurt, it only changed the expectation.
"Well?" The human man prompted. Gohan looked over, and surveyed the mans face, memorizing every feature of his new jailor. Gohan knew, as he lay there studying this human, that he would never forget. Just as he would never forget his tormentors under the rule of Frieza. This was the man in charge of his pain, ordering what was happening to him. Gohan did not think himself capable of true hate, the closest thing he could say he had would be his feelings for Raditz, then Frieza. This man seemed to justify his actions in the name of protecting others, thinking Gohan a threat of some kind. Gohan briefly wondered if he told the man he meant no harm, if that would lessen the pain of the inevitable dissection he was going to be put through. Gohan tried to understand, but he was so tired.
Knowing it would mean nothing, no matter what he said, Gohan remained silent. Why postpone the inevitable. If he told the man he meant no harm, the man would still dissect him. It was obvious, looking over his face and into his one eye, Gohan could see it. This man was going to take Gohan apart to see what was on the inside; he was going to do it because this man felt that by doing it, he was doing the right thing. The helplessness of the situation was too much.
Gohan felt a tear fall from the corner of his eye. It was silent and lonesome, travelling down the short distance from his cheek to the metal cot he was laying on. His face being turned to the side, looking at the man, his tears traveled a brief distance. Nothing about his expression changed, but Gohan couldn't hold back the tears and what did it matter anyway. Tears or not the pain was still coming. He had thought the tears had all been beaten out of him, but he supposed this situation was just the one to make them come back. What he always wanted, an escape from Frieza and a return to Earth and humanity- how could something he always hoped and dreamed for be twisted in such a way?
Gohan continued to silently and expressionlessly cry and study the mans face. There was no hitch in his breathing, no rise in heart rate. No, Gohan had quite accepted his fate; only his tears gave him away. Looking at the man as closely as he was, Gohan saw him tense. From his face down to his shoulders to his hands to everything. It was subtle, but undeniable, right before the man muttered,
"I see." and turned around and walked out. The same door in the wall that he came in through opened back up again as he exited. As he made his way out, several people in white lab coats holding clipboards passed him and made their way inside. They were equally as human as the man with the eyepatch, and these people were obviously the aforementioned 'scientists', now being given a 'go' at Gohan.
Still in shock, Gohan didn't struggle when they injected something into the inside of his elbow. He remained motionless as he felt himself become dizzy and his vision dim around the edges. Slowly his eyes began falling shut. His last thoughts were those of gratefulness. Maybe, he thought, maybe they will be merciful and I won't be awake for this. Right before panic hit him, making him struggle weakly to keep his eyes open. What if this was the last time he was awake and aware? What if, what if they kept him under until they were done with him, then just killed him?
He tried, he tried so hard, but his eyelids were so heavy, his body was like lead, and he felt like he was sinking. He only manages to twitch his fingers, and yet even that felt momentous. Fighting all the way, Gohan drifted unwillingly into the inky darkness of unconsciousness. Hoping that he would someday wake up again.
Tony Stark was a simple man. An amazing man- why, as he had told the Patriot himself, Tony was a genius, millionaire, playboy, and a philanthropist!- but nonetheless, even Tony Stark caved to life's simple pleasures.
"Ahhhh." Groaning in pleasure, Tony took another sip of his venti espresso, the taste of apple pie and caffeine exploding over his taste buds. Yes, he thought, relaxing deeper into his -just the perfect place between soft and firm!- very expensive couch, this is the best way to celebrate a job well done. In his oldest and most loved pair of pajamas, wrapped in his fuzziest, most cuddle-worthy blanket, in a dimly lit room with his 200 inch flat screen tv in front of him, making his way one by one through all of the Star Wars movies. Sighing once more in pleasure, Tony almost forgot about the others in the room.
Perhaps they had different ideas of how to achieve zen, but even they could not deny the perfection of the moment. All of the avengers, in various states of attire- admittance dress code PJ's only, please!- were relaxing in Tony's living room. Yes, just sixteen hours previous they had finally defeated every last one of those freaky-deaky aliens, and finished cleaning up the most urgent of messes littering the troubled streets of New York. What a surprise it was to them, when the skies opened up and dropped yet another load of aliens upon the city. It was thankfully nothing like the full on invasion that went down only a year and a half prior. Even stranger was the fact that these new aliens were of all different shapes and sizes, and seemed almost as surprised to see the earthlings as the earthlings were to see them.
They were also seemingly exhausted and weakened. Didn't stop them from attacking anything and everything in sight that moved. Screaming with their weird accents as their ship made a beeline for the surface- and man, wasn't preventing that crash landing a feat, and still they had had difficulties with debris!
Of course, the Avengers were right on it, seeing as it was happening in their own backyard. It was perfect as even Thor was visiting, and the asgardian confirmed that he had no clue about these aliens as he had never encountered them in all of the nine realms. Basically, they were ok to attack, no misunderstandings. The situation was handled, the whole Avengers team assembled and kicking butt, and of course in the aftermath, Stark Industries and SHIELD would manage the clean up. Yes, Tony thought, a job well done.
He was even currently having JARVIS review all of SHIELD's findings. That Fury had a terrible tendency to pick things up and not share- a selfish, selfish man, that one. Yes, he would have to closely examine all the recent data from SHIELD. Just to be sure that they were on the up and up, and not hoarding vital information as they were wont to do.
Looking over at Thor, who was in the midst of a playful argument with Banner- flexing muscles were involved, rather one sidedly- then over to Natasha and Clint, whom were sitting rather close together. Tony eyeballed them for a moment, trying to decide if they were absorbed in the movie, or plotting world domination. Reluctantly moving on he finally came to rest his eyes on Sam and the Good Soldier. They were watching the movie avidly, and talking quietly but intently. Tony rolled his eyes and took another satisfying sip of his heavenly beverage. No doubt the Hawk was answering all of the many questions Mr. Rogers had about the movie. .
Closing his eyes and relaxing as Pepper settled herself down beside him with a bowl of popcorn, Tony honestly couldn't think of a better way to celebrate their most recent victory.
"Sir, I am sorry to disturb you, but I think you need to see this." Tony just about jumped out of his skin at the unexpected voice of JARVIS. Thankfully he was in the bathroom and had already completed his business, or something unspeakable could have potentially occurred. Ageing is horrible and he doesn't recommend it to anyone.
"Jesus JARVIS, don't you think you could have picked a better time?" Tony was taking a break after the big reveal of who Luke Skywalker's real daddy was. Stars and Stripes had been so surprised he nearly ripped the plastic popcorn bowl in half; as it was they had to pause the movie to clean up the wasted food, and Tony had slipped off to the restroom in the distraction.
"Sorry sir, but I was not sure you would want to share this with the others. It is a rather delicate situation, and a most pressing matter concerning the most recent alien invasion. I found it while sweeping SHIELD's files." At that Tony was instantly on high alert. Turning the sink off and drying his hands on his shirt as he sped to his lab, Tony instantly asked JARVIS for more specifics.
"It is something they recovered and took with them back to the Helicarrier. Fury himself is overseeing the … project. I feel I should show you rather than tell you more sir, perhaps you should be seated for the rest of the information as well." JARVIS's hesitation and the inflection of his voice, as well as his words sent Tony into a brisk jog. He could feel the anxiety building, like he could feel the lead in his chest. When he got to his lab, circumventing the living room so as not to alert the rest of the avengers to the new situation, Tony sat at his desk so fast his chair slid into his desk to his side. Before he could tell the rest of the avengers anything, he had to first inform himself.
"Bring it up on the computers JARVIS, I want everything." Tony had a bad feeling. There were few emergencies and situations he had programmed into JARVIS as needing Tony's immediate attention.
"Yes sir. It would appear as though while sweeping through the debris and cleaning up the aftermath, SHIELD recovered one of the living aliens. Immediately an image came up of a ruined intersection, a huge crater smack in the middle. Zooming in, an small figure could be identified in the center of the crater. Tony swore,
"Living?!" These things must be made of some stern stuff to survive a crash through the atmosphere. The fact that Fury had attempted to keep the alien to himself was infuriating enough, but what JARVIS revealed to him next made Tony's heart stop and his sight go red.
"Yes sir. It would appear as though this alien has the appearance of a regular child, with the rather peculiar addition of a tail resembling that of a monkeys attached where the average human has a tail bone. Upon further investigation, this alien seems to be of the male gender, and understands our language, much like the rest of those you fought the other day. There is blood work and other lab results documented recently, however I believe you should see this. I'm sorry sir but it may be… distressing." As JARVIS was talking, the screen to Tony's left filled with various lab reports and results, while the high tech holographic screen right before Tony showed a video. Just from the still, not yet playing, Tony knew he was not going to like what he sees.
Strapped to a bed was a child. A child who couldn't have been past puberty, making him what, no older than twelve or thirteen? And yet Tony could see that he was bound to a narrow table, metal restraints on his wrists and ankles, as well as all over his body. The worst thing had to be the strange looking collar strapped around his neck though. Clad only in a typical hospital gown, the boy looked so defenseless and small, hooked up to machines on either side of the poor excuse for a bed. More like a lab table.
Tony felt his teeth grind as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, preparing himself for what he was about to see. Opening his eyes, Tony reached out and hit the play button. He watched as the boy on screen slowly came into consciousness and tried to move. Immediately it seemed, the boy was awake as he realized he was restrained. Tony winced but didn't look away as he saw the shock and confusion in the boys wide eyes shift to panic. Immediately the boy began struggling against his bindings, and Tony was impressed as it seemed as though his struggles were not in vain. The snapping of the leather bindings and the bending of the metal before this small, seemingly defenceless boy was an awe inspiring feat of strength. Of course the alarm had begun to go off, almost as soon as the boy began his struggling, but the only resulted in a brief hesitation, before he began struggling again with renewed vigor.
Tony watched as the red lights disappeared and the alarm shut off to reveal Nick Fury, strolling into the room as he would any other. Tony felt his fists clench. As soon as the alarm stopped and Fury had walked into the room, the boy had ceased his struggling, and was now turned toward Fury. Immediately Tony noticed the blankness overtaking the young ones face. It looked, wrong, on a child. It seemed familiar to Tony, and he realized that was because the closest thing to that expression he had seen most recently was the Winter Soldier. James 'Bucky' Barnes, a brainwashed assassin.
The situation proceeded to get worse, and as fury spoke, Tony felt his anger rising. When Fury started questioning the boy, Tony admitted he wanted to know the answers as well. He had problem with how Fury was attempting to attain those answers was all. When they boy didn't respond, Tony grew nervous.
"Come on kid, just give him what he wants." Tony whispered. At the mention of letting his scientists 'have a go' at the boy, Tony's knuckles grew white with how hard he was clenching his fists. As he saw the one sided conversation go on, saw the boys heart rate increase with what couldn't be anything other than fear at Fury's words, and he watched the boys eyes close in seeming resignation, Tony felt his own anger and anxiety mounting. As Fury continued to talk, and Tony continued to grow angry, the end of the interaction neared. When the boy opened his eyes again, Tony almost hoped the boy would cooperate, maybe keep them distracted for a while before Tony could get in there and diffuse the situation, but it was not to be. Tony about lost it when the tears started falling. On such a blank face, on a child for God's sake, no matter if he is an alien or what the race- for God's sake Thor was an alien!
Then when Fury walked out and the scientists walked in, Tony didn't wait to see the rest, he was already out the door of the lab and pressing the button on his watch to call his suit to him. He needed to get to that damn helicarrier yesterday. As he dashed through the livingroom making a beeline to the balcony taking off as soon as he could, before the suit was even done completely assembling, tony ignored all the voices around him. JARVIS would know to show the rest of the avengers, and then the whole team would be following Tony, hot on his heels to kick down Fury's door and right his latest wrong. Tony had to wonder though, if he would be able to forgive and forget this one. As he broke the sound barrier and told JARVIS to bring up the lab files on the boy, reading what they had done and had yet to do to the kid, Tony honestly didn't know if he could forgive this one, or if he even really wanted to.
Gohan felt like he was sinking in sludge. He could hear muffled sounds, yelling and screaming, crashes and yet more raised voices. Slowly he could hear the snap of what sounded like a board nearby and he struggled to open his eyes.
He was so disoriented, opening his eyes was a struggle. They felt dry and peeling them open he felt as though he was breaking through a crust that had formed on the corners of both of his eyes. His mouth felt dry as well, and his lips chapped- his tongue felt like it was wrong, like it didn't fit in his mouth, like it didn't belong there. Slowly coming into consciousness, Gohan was confronted with an old but familiar smell, it smelled like his hope, his home but not. For some reason he felt like there was some sort of urgency he should be feeling, but he was so out of it, he couldn't remember what he was forgetting- what important thing that was yet to return to his brain.
Trying to feel his limbs, he twitched his fingers, then his toes. His movements were more restricted than he thought they should be, but he didn't quite know what to make of that. As he forced his eyes to open more and more, he squinted at the light. There was more yelling and crashes before things went silent, as he forced his eyes to open more, tearing up at the light and irritation. Vaguely he could make out a shape through his blurry vision. It was a man, broad shouldered, tan skinned, with dark wild hair. He almost looked like he was gleaming, and surrounded by the familiar smells of home- not home, but human, so home, and earth- and disoriented as he was, Gohan felt like his chest was going to explode as his hope sored, he exhaled loudly and tried to say something, but it only came out a whisper of air. Trying again this time, as the almost familiar looking figure leaned toward him to hear, so kind, so good, Gohan tried harder to make his voice heard, not just a whisper of air and breath. With intense effort, it still came out soft and muted, more of a murmuring whimper but none the less understandable and heard by those that were listening,
"D… D-Daddy…?" Almost as soon as he got it out, the man nearest him tensed, and the yelling and shouting was replaced with tense silence. Gohan blinked harder and tried to move more, trying to just wake up but it was so hard, why was it so hard, when the blurred figure, coming more and more into focus the more he blinked, reached out and rested his hand on Gohan's head. The gentle touch was almost too much for Gohan. He could not remember a touch so gentle and caring, completely lacking in any malicious intent at all, outside of dreams. When the hand gently rubbed his forehead and moved his hair about on his head a little, Gohan couldn't hold it in. He was so confused and it couldn't be, but who else could it be? The tears began to flow, and a sob ripped its way out of Gohan's throat. He felt the shaking through his whole body. How long has it been since he last cried? Since he last sobbed, and genuinely weeped? It had to have been centuries.
"D-daddy… Daddy I-I'm so… so tired... where were y-you?... Daddy it … It hurts, I w-wanna go-o-oh ho-o-o-ommme…" Gohan started sobbing in earnest as he struggled to get the last words out. It felt as though they came from deep inside of him, his deepest innermost most heartfelt desire. He hadn't dared to utter anything of the sort the last few years- not even to himself- but as he was surrounded by the smell of humans and it reminded him so much of that place so far off in his distant past it all came out. He felt dazed; nothing made any sense.
Suddenly there were loud crashing and ripping sounds over Gohan's own weeping and then it was as though he became ten times lighter, moving his body and limbs was suddenly much easier and he felt so light. The hand on his head was joined by one around his waist and Gohan couldn't believe it as he was pulled into something he had only dreamed about for the past years. It was a hug, someone was hugging him. Hugging him and shushing him and rocking gently while holding him tight. Gohan buried himself deep into the embrace and cried and cried and cried. Eventually he dissolved into just the occasional sob and hiccup and whimper, his swollen eyes falling shut as he succumbed to the exhaustion and passed out into the strong arms of his savior.
It was a disaster zone. The helicarrier could never hide from Tony's superior technology, so after what felt like hours, Tony descended like an avenging angel. JARVIS led him straight to where they were keeping the boy, and he blasted his way through what doors that didn't open for him. He was in a fury, pardon the pun.
It didn't take him long with his quick pace to get to where they were holding captive the young alien boy. Tony didn't hesitate to strong arm his way through these doors as well. While seeing it on video was terrible, seeing the little boy strapped defenceless to the table in front of him seemed so much worse. The scientists around him, drawing his blood and recording data on the machines hooked up to the boy in the room were repulsive. Tony raised his hands and the tell tale sound of a charge was deafening in the room. If he had not caught the doctors' attentions before by blowing a hole in the door, he certainly had it now.
"Step away from the boy." His mechanical voice said with barely restrained rage. No matter if it was an alien, it was a child. This was wrong. And Tony couldn't believe it had happened in the first place. All those in the room backed away until they were pressed all together on one of the walls. Tony never took his aim off them. Walking until he was right at the kids bedside, he looked over the machines attached to him. Assured that nothing would cause the kid harm, Tony took one hand away from the scientists, and blasted the equipment. It felt good to watch as the machinery exploded, as well as the looks of abject horror and dismay on the scientists' faces. Detaching the I.V. drip spiked with SHIELD's own personally fucked up cocktail of tranqs, Tony gave the boy a look over. Thankfully enough, it seemed as though they had not actually done anything too unforgivable. Maybe a few xrays and blood tests, skin grafts and hair samples; a physical definitely from what reading Tony had done on the way there. Still unforgivable, but not past the point of no return.
Tony heard the door open behind him, and his suit showed him that Fury had just walked in.
Ohlala, cliff hanger?