Fic: In Extremis, part 8
TITLE: In Extremis, part 8
Iron Man (movie)/Transformers (movie)
AUTHOR: Macx
RATING: PG-13
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by people with a lot more money
Author’s Voice of Warning (aka Author’s Note):
English is not my first language; it’s German. This is the best I can do. Any mistakes you find in here, collect them and you might win a prize The spell-checker said everything's okay, but you know how trustworthy those thingies are....
FEEDBACK: Loved
BLAME: Sapphire made me do it. No, seriously, I was toying with the idea and Sapph wasn’t trying very hard to discourage me. She actually went over some of the ideas with me. Between her leaving on Sunday and the next weekend I wrote this baby. All blame to her. And the rather receptive brain cell.
PLOT-BETAS: Sapphire and elfin
GRAMMAR-BETAS: okami_myrrhibis and elfin
"The man is the most aggravating, arrogant and idiotic human being I ever had the displeasure of dealing with!"
Optimus Prime knew that there was no stopping Tony Stark, unless he resorted to violence. The man was determined and he was more stubborn than was healthy for him. With his new abilities he also had an advantage over other humans, even Sam. Where Sam had to consciously log into a satellite system, Tony was already connected. He only had to change directions, access what was in the background, and collect the data. Extremis handled the download, the buffering, and the storage of that information.
“I’m a walking wi-fi’d up computer,” Tony had joked.
And he was.
In a way he was a mix of Sam’s technopathy with Will’s metamorphic abilities. Ratchet was still puzzling over how the man could create a skin of near-protoform consistency. He theorized that some of the P-Cells had ended up in Tony’s body. Stark had mentioned that he had hurt himself early in the development. Even a small amount of the normally harmless P-Cells would have been enough. The Extremis had incorporated what it felt was needed and already there.
They couldn’t keep him here. They couldn’t foretell what would happen. Ratchet was unable to even predict further complications or changes, just like it had been the case with first Sam and then Will. They had turned out okay, but Tony’s changes had involved a human-made, untested nanotube virus.
They had found the location of Maya Hansen. Satellite surveillance was their advantage. Optimus knew how easy it was to hack into the system of the satellites because he and the others had done it frequently. It was how they had learned about humans and the different cultures. Now Tony did it with such ease, as if he had never done anything else, too. Extremis had rewired him, rebuilt him, changed whatever needed to be changed to accommodate the metamorphosis.
“She’s mine,” Stark now said, drawing the Autobot leader out of his thoughts.
“I can’t stand by and let you kill her.”
It got Prime a dark smile. “I never said anything about killing her.”
Optimus looked at the smaller human, dressed already in his armor, helmet dangling from one hand. There was a hard, determined expression on the narrow features.
“She hasn’t sold Extremis yet. She stayed hidden. All we have to do is arrest her.”
“If she comes without a fight.” Tony rubbed over his armored stomach in an unconscious gesture.
Maya Hansen had been located in a small town near the border of Mexico. Tony had spent more time on getting a lead on where she was going because the location made no sense. There was no larger airport and no train station. The bus going in and out drove by once a week. It was really backwater.
But he had tracked someone else, someone by the name of Rumiko Fujikawa, who had landed at San Diego International Airport, had taken a rental car, and could be easily found by keeping track of the car model and license plate. Her credit card wasn’t in her name. Rumiko Fujikawa had disappeared the moment she had gotten off the plane and ‘Janet Lin’ was currently a few hours drive away from the backwater town. She had switched the car for a motorbike.
“We can handle it, Tony,” Optimus repeated what he had said already.
“Not without me. She betrayed me. She tried to kill me. This is my problem.”
“It is our problem.”
Tony glared at the so much larger Autobot leader. “How do you want to stop me? Shoot me down?”
“No. I can only offer to help you, if you let us.”
Tony snorted. “I can deal with it.”
But he knew Prime would send one or more of his people along. He couldn’t stop the mech from doing so.
“So who’s the volunteer?” he asked coolly.
There was a smile on Prime’s face. “Will has offered to come along since he has the most combat training of the civilians on the base. Colonel Rhodes insisted to be there, too.”
Tony sighed. “Should have known. All right. I guess Ironhide will be there, too?”
Prime smiled. “You guessed correctly.”
Tony knew he was missing something when it came to Lennox and Ironhide, and he planned on finding out about what was going on so subtly that he hadn’t caught on to it yet, but right now he had a traitor to catch.
“Then I’ll be off,” he simply said and left the office.
Optimus contacted Ironhide and Lennox, who had already picked up Rhodes and were on their way. Even if Tony hadn’t agreed, they would have come along. It wasn’t such a long drive, but Stark would probably be faster. He just hoped Tony wouldn’t do anything stupid.
Knowing Stark, it was a fervent hope.
* * *
Sam had watched Tony leave from outside the hangar. He had left the man to argue with Prime and sought out the relative peace and quiet of the desert. There was a tight sensation in his stomach.
::Sam?::
He scrubbed a hand over his face. ::I’m okay::
::You’re not:: Bumblebee argued.
The mech approached him and knelt down. He reached out and touched his partner, the cool metal a pleasant counterpart to how hot his skin felt. It was the weather, he knew, but the attack on Tony had rattled Sam more than he wanted anyone to know.
He wasn’t a weapon!
::He wanted you to do it::
::No reason to do it::
Bumblebee’s hand now cupped his back and Sam leaned against the support. Sometimes he needed the more physical reassurance.
::I don’t like attacking things, Bee. It makes me feel…:: He stopped, then gnashed his teeth. “I’m not a weapon,” he whispered fiercely.
Bumblebee’s thumb rubbed over his tense back. ::You’re not::
Sam sighed and closed his eyes. The use of technopathy had had little repercussions this time. There was hardly a headache. Still, something inside of him cringed at the fact that he could kill with this.
::You’re no killer:: Bumblebee reassured him. ::We all trust you, Sam::
“Yeah,” he said out loud.
He pushed out of the safe cocoon of Bumblebee’s hand and walked back into the base again. Tony had technopathic abilities now, too. He could actually infiltrate with the help of a nanovirus, with no apparent drawbacks, and he could, if he wanted to, use it as a weapon. Sam was no weapon, had never wanted to be one, despite what Barricade said.
Bumblebee followed him, a steady presence in his mind, a support he really needed right now.
* * *
Tony had had some time to think about what he would do, what he might say when he looked into Maya Hansen’s face. He had flown fast, but he hadn’t broken the sound barrier. He needed time to think. Part of him was busy rooting through computer uplinks and enjoying the steady flow of data streams. Extremis was everything he had hoped it would be and more. The moment he could adjust the armor to the new situation, Iron Man would be someone completely new.
Nothing about this really scared him. Maybe he should be having a nervous breakdown about being a walking computer. Maybe he should feel depressed that he still had the arc reactor. Yeah, well, that sucked, but it was necessary. It powered the armor and the P-Cells. It was necessary.
No, this wasn’t scary. He didn’t feel like a freak. There were people with much bigger problems than his out there. He had upgraded himself, he had become faster and stronger. If Extremis worked like Maya had intended it to, Tony would also be immune to viral infections or cellular mutations, like cancer. What remained to be seen was what else his cells would now be immune to.
Hansen had found refuge in a run-down motel that had seen better days. Most of the rooms were no longer occupied and the dingy main building didn’t inspire much confidence. The motel lived off those who had not much money or needed an anonymous room for the night. Hansen had gotten money at a machine eighty miles ago, had bought supplies and then paid for the room in cash.
Tony knew all that because of the satellites. He knew where the car had been, where Hansen had gone, and if he used Stark Industries’ own satellites, he could even count the money, tell the ingredients of the cheap burrito and see the fine lines of sleepless nights on Maya’s face.
Checking on Ironhide and Will’s progress he found them not too far behind him. He was impressed by the Autobot’s speed. That he had simulated police lights in his front grill helped push cars out of the way and kept them from being stopped for speeding. Stark would still be there first.
* * *
“I could kill him for that stunt!” Rhodes muttered, staring at the road as if he was trying to scare the other drivers away.
Will smiled. He had his hands on Ironhide’s steering wheel, pretending to drive.
“That’s a given with Tony.”
“You have no idea! The man is the most aggravating, arrogant and idiotic human being I ever had the displeasure of dealing with!”
“And he’s your friend.”
Rhodes snorted. “Yeah. Tough, huh?”
“He must have at least some redeeming qualities.”
“He’s stinking rich and he knows his way around an engine. He’s a fucking genius and he knows it!” He sighed and shook his head. “When you get to know him, he’s also a really good guy. Somewhere deep down inside. Well, not so deep inside any more. He changed after Afghanistan. But this now? The whole nano-stuff? Typically Tony! You can’t tell me he didn’t plan to inject himself with the freaking stuff!”
“He probably did,” Will agreed.
“He most definitely did,” Ironhide rumbled.
Rhodes grimaced. “Yeah. Tony’s a risk-taker. Always was. Who in his right mind flies to Afghanistan, into the middle of a war zone, to present military weaponry? He could have sent one of his guys, but no! He gets himself kidnapped and nearly dies!”
Lennox regarded his passenger calmly. “It wasn’t his fault. He was betrayed by a man he trusted. And he survived.”
The colonel was silent, then nodded jerkily. “Damned best day in my life.”
“Tony is a remarkable man.”
Another nod.
“And what happened to him this time was an accident, Colonel. He survived something that should have killed him.”
“Like last time.”
“Maybe.”
Rhodes sighed deeply. “He costs me nerves, I can tell you. Ever since we met he has. Son-of-a-bitch.”
Will chuckled. “He probably says the same about you.”
The other man grinned. “Yeah. But I don’t go flying around in some personal armor.”
“But you would if he ever offered you one.”
That got Lennox raised brows. Will just grinned. Rhodes shrugged and went back to staring out onto the road.
“Maybe,” he finally said. “But I’m quite happy where I am now.”
Lennox didn’t comment on that. They were by now heading off the highway and onto a rather bad road, which would soon turn into a dusty strip in the middle of nowhere.
“Ironhide? Anything on Stark?” Will asked.
“He’s about half an hour ahead of us.”
“Let’s hope he won’t do something stupid.”
Rhodes chuckled. “Tony and stupid go hand in hand. Let’s just hope he leaves the town standing.”
Will had to agree.
* * *
He landed around the back of the dusty place and scanned. There were several small life signs, which meant rats or cats, two humans in the main building, one sleeping in one of the motel rooms, and one not far from where he was now. From the satellite images he knew it was Maya Hansen because she had parked her car in front of the dingy place.
Tony walked over without hesitation, aimed the repulsors at the door and fired. Subtlety and ‘let’s talk about it’ had gone out of the window fast when she had pushed the injector into him.
Dust billowed around him as he stepped through the door. The room was cheaply furnished, the paint peeling off the walls, the bathroom a health hazard, the mattress a collection of unspeakable things. Maya had been sitting in the chair, which had toppled over, and she was just getting to her feet, a gun in her hand.
She stared at him as if she was seeing a ghost. Well, she was - a ghost wearing the armor of Iron Man. The Tony Stark of before no longer existed. He had been reconfigured into something completely new.
“Miss me?” Tony asked lightly.
“How..?”
“How did I survive? Well, I’d call it luck, Maya. The Extremis you injected me with was an untested prototype, like all the other vials you have in there.”
He nodded at the carrier.
“It could have killed me. It could have sent me into a coma. It could have disfigured me. What it did was exactly what I wanted it to.” He grinned behind the faceplate. “Not that your last stock will work on anyone else. I was a special case, you see.”
She shook her head, clutching the gun.
“You really think this will accomplish anything?” Stark went on conversationally. “The armor is impenetrable for mere bullets.”
“I’m not going to jail!”
“It’s better than dead, Maya. Think about it.”
“You won’t kill me! You can’t! It would be murder.”
“An eye for an eye? Ring a bell?”
“You’re not a killer!”
He cocked his head. “I thought the same of you.”
“I didn’t want… I never planned…” Her white-knuckled grip didn’t ease. “I didn’t want this.”
“Oh please. Don’t tell me a sob story about a sick mother or a missing child. I checked your background. Both your parents are dead. You have no siblings, you never married, you have no kids. You did this for money, Maya, and money alone.”
She was chewing her lip, then suddenly raised the gun.
Tony was faster. His armored fingers clamped around her wrist, bone creaking underneath the grip, and the bullet went into the ground. He pushed his faceplate into her face.
“You lose, Dr. Hansen.”
tbc...
Iron Man (movie)/Transformers (movie)
AUTHOR: Macx
RATING: PG-13
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by people with a lot more money
Author’s Voice of Warning (aka Author’s Note):
English is not my first language; it’s German. This is the best I can do. Any mistakes you find in here, collect them and you might win a prize The spell-checker said everything's okay, but you know how trustworthy those thingies are....
FEEDBACK: Loved
BLAME: Sapphire made me do it. No, seriously, I was toying with the idea and Sapph wasn’t trying very hard to discourage me. She actually went over some of the ideas with me. Between her leaving on Sunday and the next weekend I wrote this baby. All blame to her. And the rather receptive brain cell.
PLOT-BETAS: Sapphire and elfin
GRAMMAR-BETAS: okami_myrrhibis and elfin
"The man is the most aggravating, arrogant and idiotic human being I ever had the displeasure of dealing with!"
Optimus Prime knew that there was no stopping Tony Stark, unless he resorted to violence. The man was determined and he was more stubborn than was healthy for him. With his new abilities he also had an advantage over other humans, even Sam. Where Sam had to consciously log into a satellite system, Tony was already connected. He only had to change directions, access what was in the background, and collect the data. Extremis handled the download, the buffering, and the storage of that information.
“I’m a walking wi-fi’d up computer,” Tony had joked.
And he was.
In a way he was a mix of Sam’s technopathy with Will’s metamorphic abilities. Ratchet was still puzzling over how the man could create a skin of near-protoform consistency. He theorized that some of the P-Cells had ended up in Tony’s body. Stark had mentioned that he had hurt himself early in the development. Even a small amount of the normally harmless P-Cells would have been enough. The Extremis had incorporated what it felt was needed and already there.
They couldn’t keep him here. They couldn’t foretell what would happen. Ratchet was unable to even predict further complications or changes, just like it had been the case with first Sam and then Will. They had turned out okay, but Tony’s changes had involved a human-made, untested nanotube virus.
They had found the location of Maya Hansen. Satellite surveillance was their advantage. Optimus knew how easy it was to hack into the system of the satellites because he and the others had done it frequently. It was how they had learned about humans and the different cultures. Now Tony did it with such ease, as if he had never done anything else, too. Extremis had rewired him, rebuilt him, changed whatever needed to be changed to accommodate the metamorphosis.
“She’s mine,” Stark now said, drawing the Autobot leader out of his thoughts.
“I can’t stand by and let you kill her.”
It got Prime a dark smile. “I never said anything about killing her.”
Optimus looked at the smaller human, dressed already in his armor, helmet dangling from one hand. There was a hard, determined expression on the narrow features.
“She hasn’t sold Extremis yet. She stayed hidden. All we have to do is arrest her.”
“If she comes without a fight.” Tony rubbed over his armored stomach in an unconscious gesture.
Maya Hansen had been located in a small town near the border of Mexico. Tony had spent more time on getting a lead on where she was going because the location made no sense. There was no larger airport and no train station. The bus going in and out drove by once a week. It was really backwater.
But he had tracked someone else, someone by the name of Rumiko Fujikawa, who had landed at San Diego International Airport, had taken a rental car, and could be easily found by keeping track of the car model and license plate. Her credit card wasn’t in her name. Rumiko Fujikawa had disappeared the moment she had gotten off the plane and ‘Janet Lin’ was currently a few hours drive away from the backwater town. She had switched the car for a motorbike.
“We can handle it, Tony,” Optimus repeated what he had said already.
“Not without me. She betrayed me. She tried to kill me. This is my problem.”
“It is our problem.”
Tony glared at the so much larger Autobot leader. “How do you want to stop me? Shoot me down?”
“No. I can only offer to help you, if you let us.”
Tony snorted. “I can deal with it.”
But he knew Prime would send one or more of his people along. He couldn’t stop the mech from doing so.
“So who’s the volunteer?” he asked coolly.
There was a smile on Prime’s face. “Will has offered to come along since he has the most combat training of the civilians on the base. Colonel Rhodes insisted to be there, too.”
Tony sighed. “Should have known. All right. I guess Ironhide will be there, too?”
Prime smiled. “You guessed correctly.”
Tony knew he was missing something when it came to Lennox and Ironhide, and he planned on finding out about what was going on so subtly that he hadn’t caught on to it yet, but right now he had a traitor to catch.
“Then I’ll be off,” he simply said and left the office.
Optimus contacted Ironhide and Lennox, who had already picked up Rhodes and were on their way. Even if Tony hadn’t agreed, they would have come along. It wasn’t such a long drive, but Stark would probably be faster. He just hoped Tony wouldn’t do anything stupid.
Knowing Stark, it was a fervent hope.
* * *
Sam had watched Tony leave from outside the hangar. He had left the man to argue with Prime and sought out the relative peace and quiet of the desert. There was a tight sensation in his stomach.
::Sam?::
He scrubbed a hand over his face. ::I’m okay::
::You’re not:: Bumblebee argued.
The mech approached him and knelt down. He reached out and touched his partner, the cool metal a pleasant counterpart to how hot his skin felt. It was the weather, he knew, but the attack on Tony had rattled Sam more than he wanted anyone to know.
He wasn’t a weapon!
::He wanted you to do it::
::No reason to do it::
Bumblebee’s hand now cupped his back and Sam leaned against the support. Sometimes he needed the more physical reassurance.
::I don’t like attacking things, Bee. It makes me feel…:: He stopped, then gnashed his teeth. “I’m not a weapon,” he whispered fiercely.
Bumblebee’s thumb rubbed over his tense back. ::You’re not::
Sam sighed and closed his eyes. The use of technopathy had had little repercussions this time. There was hardly a headache. Still, something inside of him cringed at the fact that he could kill with this.
::You’re no killer:: Bumblebee reassured him. ::We all trust you, Sam::
“Yeah,” he said out loud.
He pushed out of the safe cocoon of Bumblebee’s hand and walked back into the base again. Tony had technopathic abilities now, too. He could actually infiltrate with the help of a nanovirus, with no apparent drawbacks, and he could, if he wanted to, use it as a weapon. Sam was no weapon, had never wanted to be one, despite what Barricade said.
Bumblebee followed him, a steady presence in his mind, a support he really needed right now.
* * *
Tony had had some time to think about what he would do, what he might say when he looked into Maya Hansen’s face. He had flown fast, but he hadn’t broken the sound barrier. He needed time to think. Part of him was busy rooting through computer uplinks and enjoying the steady flow of data streams. Extremis was everything he had hoped it would be and more. The moment he could adjust the armor to the new situation, Iron Man would be someone completely new.
Nothing about this really scared him. Maybe he should be having a nervous breakdown about being a walking computer. Maybe he should feel depressed that he still had the arc reactor. Yeah, well, that sucked, but it was necessary. It powered the armor and the P-Cells. It was necessary.
No, this wasn’t scary. He didn’t feel like a freak. There were people with much bigger problems than his out there. He had upgraded himself, he had become faster and stronger. If Extremis worked like Maya had intended it to, Tony would also be immune to viral infections or cellular mutations, like cancer. What remained to be seen was what else his cells would now be immune to.
Hansen had found refuge in a run-down motel that had seen better days. Most of the rooms were no longer occupied and the dingy main building didn’t inspire much confidence. The motel lived off those who had not much money or needed an anonymous room for the night. Hansen had gotten money at a machine eighty miles ago, had bought supplies and then paid for the room in cash.
Tony knew all that because of the satellites. He knew where the car had been, where Hansen had gone, and if he used Stark Industries’ own satellites, he could even count the money, tell the ingredients of the cheap burrito and see the fine lines of sleepless nights on Maya’s face.
Checking on Ironhide and Will’s progress he found them not too far behind him. He was impressed by the Autobot’s speed. That he had simulated police lights in his front grill helped push cars out of the way and kept them from being stopped for speeding. Stark would still be there first.
* * *
“I could kill him for that stunt!” Rhodes muttered, staring at the road as if he was trying to scare the other drivers away.
Will smiled. He had his hands on Ironhide’s steering wheel, pretending to drive.
“That’s a given with Tony.”
“You have no idea! The man is the most aggravating, arrogant and idiotic human being I ever had the displeasure of dealing with!”
“And he’s your friend.”
Rhodes snorted. “Yeah. Tough, huh?”
“He must have at least some redeeming qualities.”
“He’s stinking rich and he knows his way around an engine. He’s a fucking genius and he knows it!” He sighed and shook his head. “When you get to know him, he’s also a really good guy. Somewhere deep down inside. Well, not so deep inside any more. He changed after Afghanistan. But this now? The whole nano-stuff? Typically Tony! You can’t tell me he didn’t plan to inject himself with the freaking stuff!”
“He probably did,” Will agreed.
“He most definitely did,” Ironhide rumbled.
Rhodes grimaced. “Yeah. Tony’s a risk-taker. Always was. Who in his right mind flies to Afghanistan, into the middle of a war zone, to present military weaponry? He could have sent one of his guys, but no! He gets himself kidnapped and nearly dies!”
Lennox regarded his passenger calmly. “It wasn’t his fault. He was betrayed by a man he trusted. And he survived.”
The colonel was silent, then nodded jerkily. “Damned best day in my life.”
“Tony is a remarkable man.”
Another nod.
“And what happened to him this time was an accident, Colonel. He survived something that should have killed him.”
“Like last time.”
“Maybe.”
Rhodes sighed deeply. “He costs me nerves, I can tell you. Ever since we met he has. Son-of-a-bitch.”
Will chuckled. “He probably says the same about you.”
The other man grinned. “Yeah. But I don’t go flying around in some personal armor.”
“But you would if he ever offered you one.”
That got Lennox raised brows. Will just grinned. Rhodes shrugged and went back to staring out onto the road.
“Maybe,” he finally said. “But I’m quite happy where I am now.”
Lennox didn’t comment on that. They were by now heading off the highway and onto a rather bad road, which would soon turn into a dusty strip in the middle of nowhere.
“Ironhide? Anything on Stark?” Will asked.
“He’s about half an hour ahead of us.”
“Let’s hope he won’t do something stupid.”
Rhodes chuckled. “Tony and stupid go hand in hand. Let’s just hope he leaves the town standing.”
Will had to agree.
* * *
He landed around the back of the dusty place and scanned. There were several small life signs, which meant rats or cats, two humans in the main building, one sleeping in one of the motel rooms, and one not far from where he was now. From the satellite images he knew it was Maya Hansen because she had parked her car in front of the dingy place.
Tony walked over without hesitation, aimed the repulsors at the door and fired. Subtlety and ‘let’s talk about it’ had gone out of the window fast when she had pushed the injector into him.
Dust billowed around him as he stepped through the door. The room was cheaply furnished, the paint peeling off the walls, the bathroom a health hazard, the mattress a collection of unspeakable things. Maya had been sitting in the chair, which had toppled over, and she was just getting to her feet, a gun in her hand.
She stared at him as if she was seeing a ghost. Well, she was - a ghost wearing the armor of Iron Man. The Tony Stark of before no longer existed. He had been reconfigured into something completely new.
“Miss me?” Tony asked lightly.
“How..?”
“How did I survive? Well, I’d call it luck, Maya. The Extremis you injected me with was an untested prototype, like all the other vials you have in there.”
He nodded at the carrier.
“It could have killed me. It could have sent me into a coma. It could have disfigured me. What it did was exactly what I wanted it to.” He grinned behind the faceplate. “Not that your last stock will work on anyone else. I was a special case, you see.”
She shook her head, clutching the gun.
“You really think this will accomplish anything?” Stark went on conversationally. “The armor is impenetrable for mere bullets.”
“I’m not going to jail!”
“It’s better than dead, Maya. Think about it.”
“You won’t kill me! You can’t! It would be murder.”
“An eye for an eye? Ring a bell?”
“You’re not a killer!”
He cocked his head. “I thought the same of you.”
“I didn’t want… I never planned…” Her white-knuckled grip didn’t ease. “I didn’t want this.”
“Oh please. Don’t tell me a sob story about a sick mother or a missing child. I checked your background. Both your parents are dead. You have no siblings, you never married, you have no kids. You did this for money, Maya, and money alone.”
She was chewing her lip, then suddenly raised the gun.
Tony was faster. His armored fingers clamped around her wrist, bone creaking underneath the grip, and the bullet went into the ground. He pushed his faceplate into her face.
“You lose, Dr. Hansen.”
tbc...