Something More

Chapter 10

"Look. I don't know who you are, but for your own sake, I suggest you surrender." He knew he had a death wish when those words left his babbling mouth. Their enemy was just a kid. It's voice being masked with a voice modulator, making it anonymous.

Winterspider had his gun trained on the Avengers, studying their movement, and them studying his. So far, no one had so much as twitched, both sides holding each other at gunpoint. No one spoke. Just eye contact.

"I didn't know HYDRA still had the audacity to crawl out of their tiny hole after serving you on a silver platter. You must really be desperate for a good beating." While he talked, he was trying to bring back the power they had lost. Luckily, back-up generators were still fully functional and light flooded the entire room soon enough.

"Looks like it's 5 against 1. Hardly seems fair." Tony said.

"The odds will turn in my favour." With that, chaos rained.

Winterspider was incredibly skilled. It used it's agile form and small frame to it's advantage. It had put up a good fight with them, dodging Tony's repulsor as it leaped from beam to beam, using the tower as it's personal playground. It managed to use Thor's hammer to his advantage, appearing in front of the Norse god. When the hammer was heading straight for it's   target, Winterspider leaped and clung to Thor's cape. The god summoned his hammer back and got hit in the face with it. One god down, four more Avengers to go.

One by one, it took them down without even breaking a sweat. They couldn't risk a code Green and Bruce was pretty much useless from the sidelines. Steve hadn't had much luck either. For the most of the time, they were playing catch the frisbee with his Vibranium shield. This enemy had no tactics, no strategy. It used it's  enemy's strength against them. Their biggest advantage could always be turned into their very downfall.

Tony was the last one standing. "I'm warning you, stay back. I've got ten different suits ready to bust down this door on my signal." He wasn't lying on his part, but the Winterspider didn't seem fazed at the threat. "Jarvis. Activate all marks and attack on my command."

"You and the Avengers will pay dearly for your crimes." With that, the Winterspider clicked a button, electricity arced from the tiny disks he had placed on the beams and headed straight for the Iron Man suit and Tony looked like he was having a seizure for a moment. The last thing he saw was the Winterspider squatting down to look at him dead in the eye before he blacked out.

The next time Tony was awake, he was held in chains behind some sort of electrical barrier. He looked around to see the other Avengers in a similar state, separated by barriers of their own. He was out of his suit, having been changed into something much more exposing. "Ugh... please tell me you didn't stripped me. I don't like being touched."

"You won't be alive for long anyway." The HYDRA soldier replied him. He was armed with a gun and a radio to call for back-up in case Tony decided to do any monkey business. The billionaire tugged on the metal shackles that bounded him to the concrete wall. "What? You're going to kill me? Take your best shot." He really had to learn how to shut his mouth!

"Famous last words. As much as I would like to torture you and take you apart piece by piece myself, my boss wishes to have a word with you."

"Tony Stark." A man dressed in a lab coat strolled in. His single golden tooth reflected from the small beam of light that shone through the tiny hole in the wall as he shot him a broad smile. "Obviously, we haven't met before. Allow me to introduce myself. You may call me Dr X."

"What, is that some kind of stage name?" He said as he spat blood. He looked at the doctor with a small smirk. "Humourous even in the face of death. Does this look like a game to you? Do you find this funny at all?"

"No. Not at all. It's very serious."

"Do not mock me, Mr Stark. Do you know what I can do to you?"

"Yeah. Yeah. Just cut to the chase, will ya? Jeez. I've got better things to do than stick around playing 20 questions with some random lunatic who calls himself Dr X. You sound like a cartoon character."

"And cut to the chase I shall. You have something I want and I have something you want. What's the old saying? An eye for an eye?"

"Where is my son!?"

"Relax. I have no wish to harm him. He has been a great asset who has proven to be quite useful. You know, he has turned out to be quite the fine young man we'd hope he'd be. Quite the fight back there. Valiant effort. His abilities have grown into a matured state." Flashbacks of the signed papers he had found 7 years ago filled his head. "That means-" Realisation hits him hard and he gritted his teeth. "So, it was you who orchestrated the whole operation."

"Really, the credit has to go to the Parkers. If it weren't for their newfound discoveries, we wouldn't be here having this conversation. Shame that they decided to change their minds at the last minute. They nearly bailed. Fortunately, we were able to put them down before they could do anything to jeopardise our plans."

"What plans? Where is my son?!"

"Safe. For now. We have a preposition. We require the access codes to your armoury and your lab. Even the keys to your empire."

"Over my dead body."

"That could easily be arranged. I strongly suggest you cooperate for your child's sake."

"We can talk this out rationally." Steve said.

"HYDRA doesn't negotiate with terrorists like you. Murderers, in fact."

"Terrorists?" Tony wanted to laugh, but didn't. "We aren't the enemy here. Who were the ones who eliminated people who were considered a threat to your little society? You instill fear into the hearts of people to take control. It was no charisma."

"We are anything but little, Stark. This is the new HYDRA. Some people needed to be put in their place. Like you and the Avengers. Always thinking that there are better ways to rid the world of it's problems with your so called 'revolutionary' science and technology. Well, it's not. We don't always get what we want. You think that you're making the world a better place and think that the people are going to thank you as their saviour. But we know whose really killing the world here."

"At least we have the decency to try."

"Like how SHIELD was supposed to be better for the world? Who fired New York City with a huge beam when the Chitauri attacked. They willingly sacrificed thousands to solve the problem easily. Are these really the people you want to put your faith in? And you have advanced technology beyond comprehension at your very disposal with no boundaries. That makes you careless."

"And you aren't?"

"We are careful."

"It doesn't have to be this way. I give you what you want, you do the same. We can walk out of here without having to shed any blood."

"Unfortunately, it won't be so easy. No one is getting out of here without a single scratch." Dr X unlocked a single shackled wrist and held out a tablet in front of Tony's face. "I don't like being handed things."

"The codes. Now, Stark."

"Show me my son first, and then I'll do it."

"Солдат! (Soldier!)" The same enemy that they fought strolled through the doors.

"Да Мастер? Вы вызвали меня? (Yes, master? You summoned me?)"
Winterspider took one look at the billionaire. "Я приношу извинения. Я знаю, что ты хотел его смерти на месте. Вы вызвали меня сюда, чтобы наказать меня, мастер? (I apologise. I know that you wanted him dead on the spot. Have you summoned me here to punish me, master?)"

"Нет, это не имеет значения. Сними маску, солдат. (No. It does not matter. Take off your mask, soldier.)" When he removed his mask, Tony wanted to puke right then and there. The familiar chestnut brown orbs stared back at him. Only, it wasn't warm and innocent, it was void of all emotion. It was the face of a child who had seen too much for his age.

"The codes, Stark."