Special Agent Loki Laufeyson

Chapter 71

"Jarvis, target their fuel tanks," Stark said. "I need to see all the weak spots on this thing."

"One moment, sir."

No Chitauri war creatures yet, Stark observed. But I'd better have Jarvis run a scan - "Jarvis, run a scan for Chitauri war creatures."

"Right away, sir."

"Tony, remember we've got you here," Abby reminded him. "Ducky, Jimmy, and I are all ready for whatever you need."

"Oh, yeah." But Jarvis can do it all, so why even bother?

"Fuel tanks have been targeted, sir. And my scans pick up no traces of the war creatures. Should I send the target reticules to Colonel Rhodes and Lieutenant McCallan?"

"Yeah, send them. Rhodey, McCallan, fuel tank target reticules coming your way. Hit them where it will hurt."

"You got it, Tony."

"Yes, sir," McCallan responded.

"Thor!" Stark commed. "You need to take Sergeant Hammer to the fuel tanks."

"And where are those?" Thor asked. Stark glanced over to see Thor crashing Mjolnir into the bridge of one of the warships.

"Or...do that," Stark remarked, watching Thor land on the battered bridge and start fighting the Chitauri. He raised Mjolnir and lightning arced down from the sky, striking the ship.

McCallan was flying towards another warship. McCallan's jet was light and very maneuverable, much more so than the quinjet. Stark was impressed with the way the military pilot handled his craft. It was as if it was an extension of his body, like Stark and the Iron Man suit.

The warship opened fire on its attacker, but McCallan simply banked tightly to the right, keeping on course for the warship as he swooped down under the ship's belly and poured fire up at it as he flew upside down. Just before the nose of his jet would have scraped against the bottom of his target, he straightened out, still upside down, and arced down towards the ground before righting himself and coming back around toward the ship.

Thor's ship shuddered and started to descend towards earth, still crackling with electricity. Stark headed down for his designated target and began to fire at the fuel tanks, cursing as a plasma beam came too close for comfort.

"Jarvis!" he yelled. "Get me a reading on their guns."

Jarvis was silent.

"He's busy!" Abby said into his earpiece. "But I've got a schematic pulled up before me. In one sec I'll have the locations for you."

"How the heck do you have a schematic?"

"I've analyzed the video images I've getting from your HUD and I came up with a 3D rendering of the warships. You know, for just in case."

"I love you, Abby."

"Should Miss Potts be made aware of that fact, sir?"

Stark rocketed up over the ship as plasma beams continued to scream towards him, spiraling out of their path. "Jarvis, since when did you get a sense of humor?"

There was silence from Jarvis as Abby commed in again. "All right, sending locations now. I've outlined them in red."

Stark whipped around and descended toward the warship again, the turrets clearly visible in his HUD. Shutting off his palm thrusters, he fired white hot beams at the turrets, effectively knocking out all of the ones near the fuel tank that were within range of him.

"Piece of cake," he smiled. "Switch targeting reticule to fuel tanks."

"Done, sir."

"Glad to have you back, Jarvis."

The reticule blinked off and then reappeared on Stark's HUD, centered on the fuel tanks. "Lock target and fire missile," he ordered, and the missile popped out of his shoulder pad and shot away at the fuel tanks.

Stark switched off his thrusters and dropped thirty feet before firing them up again and screaming away from the warship as the missile exploded above him.

"Critical damage inflicted," Jimmy whooped. "Two down!"

Stark whirled around in time to see McCallan skimming the bottom of his targeted warship, his cannons raised and firing into the belly, tearing the ship open. As the pilot reached the front of the ship, he rocketed up into the air right in front of their nose and spiraled across their top, pouring energy into the ship. As he neared the area where the fuel tank was, he banked left and sent two targeting missiles right into the tank before pulling away.

The ship exploded.

Rhodey was tackling the last warship, hitting the fuel tank like Stark had suggested. His heavier guns were inflicted more damage on the area and it exploded earlier than he had expected, catching Rhodey in the blast just as he was turning to leave. He pitched forward, his thrusters overloaded by the shock and shorting out, and began to fall.

Before Stark could react, McCallan was gunning toward the falling colonel, nosing his wingtip up underneath Rhodey's front and rocking upward. Thor arrived on the other side of him and grasped his arm, steadying him until his thrusters recovered.

Carefully, they descended to Stark's altitude, Rhodey firing up his thrusters and backing off from Thor and McCallan.

"Anything else, sir?" McCallan commed.

"Yeah," Stark said. "Gibbs? Where do you want us?"

Through the canopy of his jet, Stark saw McCallan stiffen before banking away from them and angling his jet upwards.

"Sir, we have anomalies entering the atmosphere above us."

Stark, Rhodey, and Thor all looked up. Several seconds went by and they saw nothing.

"Where?" Stark started to ask, but his voice trailed off as he noticed what McCallan had sensed. Long, serpentine behemoths were approaching them.

"One warship hung behind," Abby commed frantically. "We're just noticing it. It just released -"

"Chitauri war creatures," Stark finished. "We're just seeing them."

"That's not all of it," Abby told them. "The warship is entering the atmosphere as well. And it's the biggest yet."

"It's a mother ship," Ducky said worriedly.

"Don't worry," Stark said confidently, wishing he felt as sure of himself as he sounded. "I took out one of these before."

"With a nuclear missile, sir," Jarvis reminded him. "We're rather short on those today."

"Just full of laughs, aren't you, Jarvis?" Stark grumbled. "All right, form up. We've got to keep these from reaching the ground. You know the damage they can cause."

"Yes, sir," McCallan remarked. "I'll fly point."

"Hey," Stark said, insulted. "I fly point."

"Lieutenant, fly point," Rhodey told him. "Stark, let the kid do his job."

"Fine, fine," Stark said. "But you owe me."

/**/

What did you guys think of that chapter? Of McCallan's performance?

I hope you enjoyed; please, vote and comment! Let me know what you thought of this fight scene!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Skylar Wittenborn