Pale White Iron

Chapter Twelve:Wait for me (Tony's POV)

Chapter Twelve(Tony’s POV)

                “Mph…” I rubbed the back of my head, sitting up and realizing where I was. “Oh my God, Tony!” Bruce gave me a look that seemed to be half satisfied, and half concerned. He lent me a hand in getting up. I looked back at the floor, where there just so happened to be a new hole in the wall again. This was definitely Emi’s doings. She loved to punch me through walls, apparently. “So what happened Tony? I don’t remember you lying in rubble from the wall when I came by about ten minutes ago.” I patted him on the shoulder.

                Suddenly, realization hit me, and it hit me hard. “Oh, God, Emi!” I yelled, dashing down the hallway and banging my fist on Clint’s door. I couldn’t stand still, and ran off before he could open the door. Emi was crazy to have gone off after Quill alone. He has changed drastically since I first met the love of my life. “Bruce, get Clint to get off his butt and get everyone together! We have and old friend worth visiting!” I yelled down the hall as I continued to go around, banging on everyone’s doors. “And give Jean my sincerest of apologies!”

                She was going to hate me for having taken Clint away from her again. But I knew that this would be the one battle that I couldn’t handle all on my own. It took every one of us to take him out last time, and even then, it was hard to send him back to Juttenheim. This time, it is way harder, and I am going to need all of the help that I can get. Natasha is back in Russia, and I wouldn’t doubt it if Magnum and Alvis managed to make their way over there. Without everyone’s help, Elias, Emi and I would be killed…

Hold on Emi, I’m coming.

***

(10 Minutes Later; Outside the caves)

                Nick knocked on the see through shield of ice that had been covering up the entrance to the ice caves. “It’s rock hard, Tony, there’s no getting through this thing for quite some time. I don’t even think your suit could take this out.” I clenched my hands into fists. There had to be some way to get through there.

                “Well, there is something I could try.” Nick stood and we all immediately looked towards Bruce. “Dr. Banner, what is there that you could possibly do that could help us to get through this?” Nick asked, seeming to be not too keen on the idea he might actually be the only one here that could get us in. “Why yes. I know it’s not exactly what we all had in mind initially, but I don’t really care as long as it gets us all in there. So here me out, I’m going to let the other guy out to just to break through this.”

                “So I assume you’re going to change into the Hulk, hoping to break through this barrier, and somehow manage to make it inside and beat whatever life is left out of his in-law?” Bruce nodded and I almost felt like the world was against him. As a matter of fact, it was. He was the only other one of his kind that lived on Earth and planned on taking it over and then destroying it. However, it would be hard for normal humans to take him out. He’d kill them all in only a matter of seconds.

                Bruce let the Hulk out of his cage, knowing that this time he could control it. Immediately, he began to slam his large green fists at the barrier, chipping it away, piece by piece. It finally began to crack and break off until it was large enough for a kid to fit through. Too bad we didn’t have a kid with us. “Hulk, stop.” I jumped at the sound of a female voice behind me and turned to see that it was Jenny. “Jen, what are you doing here? Get out of here, go back home.” I watched her, wondering what it was that she was doing here in the first place. “No, Tony. Nothing you say is going to make me go back home, and you know it. Now, Elias is in there and so is Emi. We all need to work together to get inside, but it looks like I’m the only one who can fit through the hole he already smashed in that thing.”

                She walked around and rested a hand on the ice cold barrier and then looked back at the rest of us. “I’m heading in. We can’t risk not getting there in time, so somebody has to stall. After I’m inside, Hulk, you keep working at this thing. And then when you can all fit through, come charging in. Now, I also don’t know how I know this, but you need to follow the caves that aren’t lit.” Reluctantly, I gave her the go ahead and she slipped through. Nick looked at me as Bruce banged his fists against the ice again. “We’re most likely going to die, aren’t we?” Nick looked at me and Clint walked off for a moment. Was there something going on that I didn’t know about?

                “I mean, we all know how much force it took for us to get rid of him the last time, and from what you’ve said about him this time… we’re all screwed. And now, Elias is in there, doing God knows what! Tony, you know what’s going to happen if everything goes downhill, right?” I looked at him and then held back the painful tears. “Yes, I’m just trying not to think about that.” I looked away from him, thinking of what Emi said. He’d run away from us, heard our conversation; a million things must be running through his head right now. I’m so sorry Emi. At this point, I was hoping for a miracle. My love of my life, and my son were in those ice caves, probably engaged in battle by now. Please, let me know that you are alright. Because without you, I’d die.

                I waited for a response, but there was nothing. And Bruce managed to finally break completely through it and everyone piled in. All of the sudden, it felt like I’d been punched in the chest. “You alright, Tony?” Steve was already by my side. Annabelle must hate me for me having him come here and help without her.  I knew she probably wanted to kill her uncle too. “Yeah,” I managed, “I’m fine Captain.” I referred to him by his name as Captain America, otherwise, that would make this out of character.

                Everybody continued on, looking for the path that was not lit. Then it got harder and harder to breathe and the tunnels no longer looked like tunnels. It felt like someone was gripping my neck with cold, strong hands. I could see the image of Quill holding tightly onto it, smiling devilishly. Then I could see two pale white hands, matching his skin tone, grabbing and swatting at his arm. I couldn’t breathe, and I knew what this was. Suddenly, everything vanished and I could breathe once again.

                I looked around in a dazed panic. We had to find her, and fast. “Tony, what just happened?!” Captain snapped almost, looking at me with concern. I glared at him a moment before finding the unlit tunnel and running down it. Tears rolled down my face and for once, I felt like a broken man. “Emi, please!” I couldn’t let her die, not now. She was all that I had that kept me sane, and so was Elias. But now, I might have the both of them taken away from me, lost in a world of pain for the rest of my long, painful life.

My darling Emi, you just have to hang on! You just have to!