Ender's directions had been good, so Stephanie hadn't had any trouble finding Vanko's family. It'd taken a little persuasion (but not as much as she'd worried it might) to get them to come along, but she'd managed it and hustled them down to the Pegasus facility.
Getting into a super-secret facility, on the other hand -- that might be trickier. Her lockpicking skills weren't quite up to spec yet, and as for hacking? Ha.
"Oooooookay, this might be a little tricky . . ."
Unless maybe someone had conveniently smashed their way into the building or something. Hmm.
Oh look there! A conveniently smashed wall that they could go through!
And beyond that, two guys in robotic suits of armor fighting like they were getting paid to do it. Tony was possibly even using this mythical thing called strategy to avoid getting beaten into a small scrap heap.
Go, Tony!
That was, of course, until his arm was caught by Vanko. "You are in my way, Iron Man."
Strategy didn't quite work so well when someone in a nay indestructible suit of armor dragged you into a very thick wall. Possibly nearby where Stephanie was.
Because this was Marvel and everything was built on coincidences.
Oh, look, melodramatic fight banter drifting out through a conveniently smashed hole in the wall! This was all so familiar despite being in a different world.
"Come on," she told Vanko's wife and kid, gesturing for them to follow her through the hole. "I swear to crap, he'd better not be doing anything exceptionally dumb."
Oh, look. A loud impact noise. Apparently she was wrong.
Other than the attempted head crushing going on there. Tony held up both hands, trying to keep the Dynamo from swatting him like a fly. "Little... help... would be nice," he gritted out.
Possibly just because it was the thing to do and not because he noticed Stephanie.
"Ivan?" the also stereotypically voiced Russian woman Stephanie had managed to find.
It worked to get the Dynamo to stop and turn toward the group of newcomers. "Isabella?"
Tony did the smart thing and fell to his knees to conserve what little power he had left in the suit. And resisted the urge to ask if anyone was named Rocky.
. . . the question was sort of begging to be asked, though, wasn't it?
"T --" Stephanie caught herself, both verbally and half a step into bolting towards him; just in case, she'd better keep herself between Vanko -- Ivan -- and Isabella.
"Iron Man?" she called Tony's way, keeping an eye on the Dynamo. "Are you okay?"
The little boy peered out from behind his mother, up at the suit. "Papa?"
It was just so heartwarming that it burned into Tony's very soul. Or maybe that was the concussion. Vanko and the suit fell to it's knees in front of the pair, huge hands hovering just before touching them. "Mikhail."
In the distance, but coming closer and closer was the sound of sirens. "We are so lucky you can't be traced to anyone here," Tony informed her, forcing himself to his feet.
Beyond them, Vanko finally popped the hatch on the suit to hug his family. And smell horrible.
She was pretty sure she caught a whiff of that all the way over here. Ew.
"Crap." No time to get her costume out, but there was a ski mask in the front pouch of her backpack, and never mind that Stephanie's hair was sticking out beneath it. "Can you walk? You're not pureed in there, are you?"
"Oh, for cripes' sake . . ." Stephanie moved over to offer him a shoulder to (painfully) lean on. You know. If that wasn't too less than impressive or something.
"You are so lucky you-know-who is still a bird." She snuck a glance over her shoulder and smiled. "Aw. That's kind of a sweet scene."
Getting into a super-secret facility, on the other hand -- that might be trickier. Her lockpicking skills weren't quite up to spec yet, and as for hacking? Ha.
"Oooooookay, this might be a little tricky . . ."
Unless maybe someone had conveniently smashed their way into the building or something. Hmm.
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And beyond that, two guys in robotic suits of armor fighting like they were getting paid to do it. Tony was possibly even using this mythical thing called strategy to avoid getting beaten into a small scrap heap.
Go, Tony!
That was, of course, until his arm was caught by Vanko. "You are in my way, Iron Man."
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Because this was Marvel and everything was built on coincidences.
"Ow."
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"Come on," she told Vanko's wife and kid, gesturing for them to follow her through the hole. "I swear to crap, he'd better not be doing anything exceptionally dumb."
Oh, look. A loud impact noise. Apparently she was wrong.
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Other than the attempted head crushing going on there. Tony held up both hands, trying to keep the Dynamo from swatting him like a fly. "Little... help... would be nice," he gritted out.
Possibly just because it was the thing to do and not because he noticed Stephanie.
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Stephanie cupped her hands around her mouth, took a deep breath, and yelled. "Hey! Dynamo guy! Over here!"
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It worked to get the Dynamo to stop and turn toward the group of newcomers. "Isabella?"
Tony did the smart thing and fell to his knees to conserve what little power he had left in the suit. And resisted the urge to ask if anyone was named Rocky.
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"T --" Stephanie caught herself, both verbally and half a step into bolting towards him; just in case, she'd better keep herself between Vanko -- Ivan -- and Isabella.
"Iron Man?" she called Tony's way, keeping an eye on the Dynamo. "Are you okay?"
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The little boy peered out from behind his mother, up at the suit. "Papa?"
It was just so heartwarming that it burned into Tony's very soul. Or maybe that was the concussion. Vanko and the suit fell to it's knees in front of the pair, huge hands hovering just before touching them. "Mikhail."
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Stephanie started inching her way over toward Tony, still watching. "Oh my god, that actually worked -- and you are so not 'never better.'"
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In the distance, but coming closer and closer was the sound of sirens. "We are so lucky you can't be traced to anyone here," Tony informed her, forcing himself to his feet.
Beyond them, Vanko finally popped the hatch on the suit to hug his family. And smell horrible.
Dude, two years in that thing.
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"Crap." No time to get her costume out, but there was a ski mask in the front pouch of her backpack, and never mind that Stephanie's hair was sticking out beneath it. "Can you walk? You're not pureed in there, are you?"
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Which way?
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Look, it was a valid question.
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"You are so lucky you-know-who is still a bird." She snuck a glance over her shoulder and smiled. "Aw. That's kind of a sweet scene."
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