Bab 32: Ch32. Too soft
Tony sat bored in a small restaurant near the warehouse. He had to admit, the food was shit. He had some kind of... soup? Well, it was watery, creamy, and something was swimming in it. It was also cold so there is that...
Honestly, he should have expected it. It was near the harbor and most likely served laborers who usually came for lunch here. Trying to get something normal here would be like attempting to find a sasquatch in the middle of Queens.
At least his fake bird covered his identity perfectly. Ha! Natasha could hate on it as much as she wanted but it worked! No reporter in sight and Tony was left to his own devices.
Who cared the other people sitting in the restaurant stared at him as if he had something strange on his face...
They were just jealous.
It took an hour for Natasha to finally call him and inform him that she was done.
Tony excitedly stood up, leaving a hundred-dollar note on the table, not bothering to check how much his bill was. If that crappy soul they served him costs more than a hundred dollars then that was undoubtedly ground for suing them.
There definitely must be a law for that somewhere.
Tony walked inside the warehouse as if he owned it and what greeted him was the floor full of bodies, some still breathing, others... not so much, and in the room where Natasha was located, Tony was greeted by more bodies, puddles of blood and in the middle was a chair to which was an unconscious lanky black man bound by a rope and Natasha stood behind him, her hands on his shoulders.
"You quite were fast." She quipped in amusement as the mask and hood receded into the clothing on her shoulders, revealing Natasha's face and hair.
"How was the clothing?" Tony eagerly asked from between the door and Natasha nodded in satisfaction.
"I will have a few small bruises in the morning but it was amazing. The kinetic force ward worked like a charm." She smiled widely at him, her eyes full of life and glee. Apparently, Tony was not the only one who liked new gadgets.
"Hmm... Still, if you felt some of the bullets then it is not good enough. I will try to find out a way to improve it later." Tony mused. He didn't like the idea of Natasha's body littered with bruises...
"So, I see you put an effort to prepare the scene for me." Tony casually walked inside, evading the blood and bodies, and sat on the chair in front of the unconscious man. He rested his hands on the backrest of the chair and looked searchingly at the bound man.
"Yeah. He doesn't look all that smart. I can see where he got the guts to steal from me." Tony said with a cocky smirk.
Natasha just rolled her eyes, "I am waking him up." She dryly uttered and sent a big of electrical current into the man from the device attached to her glove.
He shook for a bit but Natasha cut the current before it was strong enough to make the man faint again so it only made him wide awake, if a bit shaky.
Tony found it adorable how the man looked around in total confusion as if this situation had nothing to do with him. At least until Natasha brutally pressed her fingers into his shoulder deep enough to split flesh and draw blood, making him give out a short scream of pain.
"Here we go. Wide awake." She coldly spoke and patted the man's shoulder.
"Thank you." Tony cheerfully nodded, but inwardly he did not really know how to react to this sudden change.
It was as if a switch was flipped and boom, Natasha became Black Widow. All cold and efficient, ruthless and cruel if necessary. Her eyes were dim and lifeless, just blankly staring at the bound man as if he was already a corpse.
He saw her in the 'work' mode many times during missions but it was never like this. Tony wondered what changed...
Deciding this wasn't the time to consider this, Tony smiled at the frightened black man. "Hello, I am Tony Stark. The guy you stole from. I am sure you are just delighted to see me."
The man stared at Tony with horror and realization. He was too scared to speak, however.
"Don't be afraid." Tony said in a friendly tone, "Let's start with something simple. Tell me your name."
The man gulped, trying to look at Natasha who still clutched his hurting shoulder but he couldn't turn his head that much.
Natasha squeezed the wound on his shoulder in response and indifferently said, "You are not speaking with me. Answer."
"I... I am Jack Carter." The man obeyed with a shaky voice, causing Tony to frown at him in disappointment.
"Hmm, nope, you seem like James Granz to me." Tony quipped, enjoying the man's wide-eyed reaction. "So, Jamie... can I call you Jamie?" Tony asked and without waiting for a reply, he continued with a small amiable smile on his face, "Be a good boy and tell me who told you to go and steal from little ol' me, will ya?"
"I..." James looked intently at Tony with his scared gaze as if inwardly debating on what to do. After a while, he nodded at Tony as if agreeing to do as he asked and started speaking, "Nobody. We-"
"Oh, come on!" Tony instantly interrupted him. "We both know that's not the truth. If you want to lie at least pick a better one." He petulantly complained.
"I- I am not lying!" James exclaimed, "Nobody sent u-"
Natasha suddenly sighed and pointed her gun at James's temple and shot so fast, Tony didn't even manage to react. The man was dead before Tony registered it happened and he could only watch James's body go limp in front of his eyes.
"What was that for?" Tony crossly asked, turning towards Natasha.
Natasha sighed again and walked around the chair with the corpse until she was near Tony before she put her hand on his shoulder and showed a sardonic smile. "You have no idea how the underworld works, Tony." She gently patted his shoulder. "He was not going to tell us anything. Not after seeing you have no guts to torture him nor any desire to kill him. Leave the rest to me, kay?"
And with that, Natasha walked away, leaving the stupefied Tony to his own devices.
Tony looked at the limp corpse and frowned. He really wasn't about to kill the guy. All he wanted was the name of the guy who sent them because, obviously, a small-time gang does not just decide to rob someone as rich as him because they are bored.
Tony sighed, "Am I still too soft?" He wondered before shaking his head.
He didn't need to think long about it. The answer was obvious. He might have killed some people as the Iron Man but never in cold blood.
Tony decided there and then he was not about to start. It might have been a selfish decision but he was all about selfishness. He didn't really want to kill somebody who didn't cross him in any major way.
Cripple? Maybe?
Drive to insanity? That actually sounded like fun!
But not kill.
Of course, mercy killing would or would not count depending on the circumstances...
'I'll have to readjust my mindset a bit.' Tony thought as he whipped out his phone, "J, send the NYPD an anonymous tip about a shoot-out in this warehouse. I am sure they will be good and return my stolen electronics after they find them here." He said while ignoring the gunshots in the background signalizing that Natasha was hard at work, finishing the 'job'.
"As you wish, Sir." A British voice came from the phone.
Tony smiled but it wasn't genuine. He felt too melancholic for that. "A path strewn with the corpses and death. That's what I chose, isn't it?" He muttered glumly.
But... he wouldn't stop now. Not for anything. He was too stubborn for that.
To be safe and to make everything he cared for safe he needed power. And that meant he would definitely butt heads with others also seeking power in one way or the other.
It was... inevitable.
God how he hated that word.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone