Storm ≛ Tony Stark ≛

12.

Susan stayed among the crowd and used forcefields to protect the public. She planned with the police about where to station units and that if they were going to shoot at the drones, aim for the necks. It was the only part of them that wasn't completely covered by military armour. One of the officers was able to shut down one of the drones by doing this, so it was all they had.

'Miss Storm! Everyone's clear from here. There are still civilians near the globe. We could use your help down there,' the chief of police said. Sue turned and made one last sweep of the area to ensure no one was hiding or left behind. A few deactivated drones littered the Expo, some in literal pieces from Sue's new found ability.

'Alright. I'll see where Tony is,' Sue said, and the chief nodded. He ordered his units to head for the globe that sat in the middle of the Expo.

She hadn't heard from Tony yet but she assumed he was busy destroying drones like her. The move she did when the young family needed saving was something she found to be extremely effective. If she focused on the placement, she could expand forcefields to nearly ten feet in diameter. With more training, she could expand them even larger. Drones exploded left and right and she willed barriers to appear around civilians and herself.

Despite all the progress, Sue couldn't help but feel fatigued. Using her abilities took more of her energy than she thought. Her arms felt heavy and a migraine pounded in her head. She would need to remember that using her abilities was just like using any other part of her. The bigger the forcefield, the more power it took out of her.

Sue raised her hand to her earpiece to speak to Tony and tapped it lightly.

'Tony? Are you okay?'

'I'm working on the answer to that question,' his voice brought Sue great relief. 'I'm heading to the biodome. Rhodey's hot on my tail. Are you okay?'

'Yeah, I'm-'

Sue was cut off by a large mechanical bang that shook the ground beneath her. Whipping her gaze up, she froze in her place and let go of her earpiece.

'Sue? Sue, what happened?' Tony was heard in her ear, but she couldn't find her voice to reply.

'The Invisible Woman,' Ivan Vanko smirked. 'I'm sure Tony will have wished you stayed invisible.'

Sue swallowed dryly. Ivan was in a metal suit that was even bigger than the drones he made for Justin Hammer. The shoulders were bulbous as sparks of electricity ran through them from the arc reactor in his chest. Armour that was at least five inches thick in every aspect gave Ivan the height and width of a tank. His signature electric whips slinked out and spat onto the floor with the sparks and shutters of power. The suit didn't have a helmet, letting Sue see the black and white hair and scarred face that had haunted her for weeks.

Ivan shone his gold teeth before he reared back his large arm, lifting his right whip. Sue threw her hands up and produced the blue sheen that Ivan's whip collided with. The current tried to flourish but was diminished from the barrier, leaving Sue unharmed. But Ivan didn't falter and brought down his left whip. Sue flinched as she could see the electricity strike above her.

Seeing that he wasn't getting through Sue's barriers, Ivan powered the arc reactor in his chest and sent it through to the cords in his hands. Bringing a step forward, he threw his whips down together and slammed them into Sue's forcefield. The force was enough for her to lose her strength and she fell back against the pavement. Gritting her teeth, she felt something warm trickle down her lip and drip onto her chin.

'If you can make God bleed...' Ivan's thick accent slinked through the air. 'People will cease to believe in him. I said these words to Tony. They apply to you too.'