Capítulo 13: Chapter 13 - Kick off
3rd POV (Quinjet)
The quinjet sped through the sky at breakneck speed, its reflective panels blending it seamlessly into the surroundings. Inside, the air was thick with stifling unease; feet shuffled uncomfortably, and brief attempts at conversation flared up only to fade quickly back into an oppressive silence.
Even Tony—a man who joked in the face of foreign gods and biomechanical alien armies—remained uncharacteristically silent as they closed in on their destination. Behind him, Vader stood tall, his massive frame seeming to dwarf the cockpit, which had been designed with even Thor in mind.
"Five minutes until arrival, sir." Jarvis's British accent cut through the silence, heightening the tension as everyone braced themselves for the possibility of a fight upon landing.
"Calm yourselves. No one lies in wait for us." Vader's cold monotone cut through the tension effortlessly, the absolute confidence in his voice bringing a semblance of safety to those behind him. "Upon our landing at Stark's factory, he and I will connect Cerebro. Then, Xavier will project his psychic presence across the globe, alerting Hydra to our location."
"If Hydra is as competent as you claim, they'll attempt to raze our location with artillery and aerial strikes. Xavier and Cerebro—if the machine functions as intended—will intercept any such attacks and, if possible, redirect them. Barton will remain within the facility as a final line of defence in case anyone slips past us. The rest of you will spread out around the perimeter to block any intruders."
Vader paused briefly, casting a glance at the archer they'd picked up before setting out for Stark's facility in Colorado. Why someone would rely on such a primitive weapon was beyond him, but the man came highly recommended. With their current shortage of manpower, he'd have to make do.
"Stark and I will move around the battlefield, providing support where needed. If any of you find yourselves overwhelmed or injured, call for one of us. Any questions?" A murmur spread through the gathered team as they whispered among themselves, sharing opinions and clarifying doubts. Soon, they each gave him a nod of agreement.
"Excellent. Relax your minds, and I will link us all together. You are not required to use this network if you're uncomfortable; however, mutant powers are unpredictable, and failing to use the link could severely compromise our communications. Is that understood?" Unease rippled through the group at the thought of having their minds tampered with. Vader sighed in annoyance as they continued to shift uncomfortably, avoiding his gaze.
"Very well. If communications are compromised, there are three flares aboard the ship. Decide among yourselves who gets them—and who will have to rely on running and screaming." No longer interested in conversation, Vader turned back to the front of the Quinjet, his enhanced vision picking out the distant outline of the facility.
Upon arrival, Vader turned to see that, unsurprisingly, the group had changed their minds about the mental link—all except Agent Barton, who was already proving to be a less-than-stellar asset. Setting up Xavier was simple enough, though the facility would require extensive repairs to its electrical components if it were ever to operate again.
As Xavier prepared himself, Vader and Stark stepped onto the roof of the facility, bracing for the impending onslaught. "Hey, are you sure this was the right move? Cap mentioned that Hydra has some kind of super weapon at the Triskelion. Shouldn't we be shutting that down?" Stark voiced the doubts that everyone except Widow shared about their current mission. In typical Stark fashion, he ignored the reasons that kept the others silent and spoke his mind instead.
"Hmm. Why do you think that?" Vader asked, turning his head slightly to look at Stark. "I assure you I've reviewed and revised this plan many times. If there's a better path forward, I cannot see it." He allowed curiosity to seep into his tone; there was no need to harass his allies.
"Well, far be it from me to question your military might, your excellency." Stark spoke with false cheer, lacking any real inquisitiveness. His genius had already given him the answer, but anything was better than silently reviewing protocols and running system checks in his armour. Jarvis was piloting his other suits, providing a protective detail for Pepper and other high-risk targets. "It's just that when most people hear about nearly finished super weapons, they tend to charge in and try to blow them up."
"Whatever super weapon Hydra has developed is pointless as long as Xavier lives. His psychic power, when combined with Cerebro—if capable of even one-tenth of what he claims—could easily take control of everyone in the building. Therefore, he must be eliminated. The only reason the school hasn't been raided is likely Rogers's continued probing and preparations for an assault. As long as Xavier is here, connected to Cerebro, Hydra has no choice but to send everything they have at us."
"Right, and that's where Red comes in. With so many agents in the field after us and Xavier constantly probing their minds, Red will be able to get in there and cause chaos. It's a solid plan. Glad I thought of it." Giving himself a nod of congratulations, Stark stepped forward until he and Vader stood at the edge of the roof, their eyes scanning the surroundings constantly.
"Oh, it's your plan now, is it? And how, pray tell, did you come up with such a grand strategy, Stark?" Vader kept his tone bland, speaking with indifference as he recognized Stark's ramblings for what they were.
"Hmmm? Well after all, if I hadn't approached you after you fell out of the portal, this plan could never have been formed. So, really it's my plan." Logic flawless, Stark gave himself a pat on the back as he relaxed and took a seat.
"Your logic holds some truth, Stark, but I believe it was Romanoff and Rogers who first approached me, not you."
"Yeah, but I directed them to that area, so without me, we probably never would have found you."
"Unfortunately, I find that hard to believe. I was rather loud upon reentry. It's unlikely anyone could have avoided me, Stark."
"Yeah, but Loki used my building to power the cube, which started the invasion. So really, I'm the one who brought you here in the first place."
"I think the Asgardian could have used any number of locations, Stark. All he really needed was the Tesseract."
"Yeah, but my dad is the one who plucked it out of the ocean for SHIELD. So, Loki stealing the Tesseract and using it to start an alien invasion is pretty much my inheritance."
"Truly, Stark, your family is one of legends."
"Yeah, my old man did some pretty cool stuff back in his day. Shame he couldn't channel any of that genius into raising his son."
"Speak for yourself, Stark. As you are now, you are already more than most can handle. Who would dare stand against you if you didn't have those family issues? It's a matter of balancing the scales."
"Ha, well…" Before Stark could continue the banter, they were both cut off as a heavy pressure descended upon them. It held no malice and wasn't actively constricting their movements, but its weight was impossible to ignore—a feeling like someone was constantly staring down at them from above, an unsettling presence that lingered.
"I believe that's all the time we'll have for conversation, Stark. You'd best switch over to the mental channel now that Xavier has finally started. Hydra will begin its assault within the next couple of minutes. Time to solve another apocalypse for this bitch planet of yours."
"Hey, only Earthlings get to talk about Big Blue like that. Watch your tongue, Vader."
"Defending your planet's honour so bravely—truly, your species would be extinct without you, Stark."
"Hey, I can hear the sarcasm, buddy, no matter how many layers your stupid suit has."
"Oh no. Stark, I can hear the sound of half a dozen missiles rapidly approaching our location. Perhaps it would be best to let it go this once."
"Hah. Don't think so. You're not the first to try that one on me, and it won't work this time either."
"A trick, you say? Then what, pray tell, is that?" Slowly raising his black-gloved hand, Vader pointed toward a missile flying straight at them.
"Psh. These things are no big deal. Xavier's got it covered. I can practically feel the baldy's excitement—must not exercise enough, that guy." Stark played it cool, but his nonchalance began to wane as the missile hurtled toward them.
"I think you might be right, Stark. He's still warming up, so you should probably handle this one yourself, just in case he misses it."
"Missed it!? How the hell do you miss something this big? Holy shit, that's getting close. Xavier? Any time now, buddy!" Stark nervously began tapping as he communicated into the mental link through verbal emissions.
"Xavier probably won't be able to hear any of your thoughts right now, Stark, what with him listening to nearly every thought on the planet."
"Fantastic. Hey, Vader, buddy, old pal, you want to handle this one?"
"I could, but I wouldn't want to take away your glory, Stark. After all the work you and your ancestors put into this plan, I'd feel like a cheat if I stole this accomplishment from you."
"No worries, no worries! You stopping this is also part of the plan, so if you'd please take care of it, it'sgettingreallyfuckingclose!" Snapping his face mask shut, Stark prepared to jet away from the roof when he noticed the missile had frozen in place, a metre or so from where he had just been standing.
Stone-faced, Stark turned to level a glare at Vader, who stood calmly in place, his all-black visage a stark (eh, eh, get it?) contrast to the white missile frozen in front of him.
"You did that on purpose."
"No, I didn't."
"Did too."
"Did not."
"Did too."
"Did not."
"Did too."
"Did not."
AN: Happy Halloween. Thought I'd give you guys a treat while taking the chance to fuck around when we were kinda at a middle stage in the arc anyway. This last bit is obviously very out of character for Vader, while the rest of the chapter does have him being more talkative. I don't find that to be way out of character because I think Vader(or at least Anakin) has a lot of parallels you can draw with Tony Stark. So I'm trying to build the base for them to have a Obi-Wan, Anakin relationship down the road.
I'm going to release another chapter in the next couple of days with some stuff of actual importance in it.
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