Steve Barton (swashbuckler) wrote in marvel_nextgen,
@ 2010-08-24 21:24:00

Entry tags:

anya stark, inactive - swashbuckler, plot-"avenging angel"

If we think we can pull this off, we're Stark raving mad
The different clothes, the dyed hair, a ballcap, and sunglasses made for a reasonable disguise. Probably wouldn't fool many for long, but long enough to get them where they needed to go.

He wasn't paying attention to the Stark Industries tour guide, though he would, to most people watching, look like he was. Years of slacking off in classes and pretending to pay attention that way, at least, had paid off. His real focus was on Anya, waiting for her to tell him when they needed to slip away, so they could track down...

Whoever it was that was impersonating him. Or duplicating him. Or... he didn't know. There were too many damn possibilities in this world for this kind of thing.

(Post a new comment)

anyastark
2010-08-24 11:47 pm UTC (link)

Anya was actually paying attention to the tour. It was...amusing. Though she did almost bite through her tongue to keep from correcting the tour guide. She made a mental note to bring up the inaccuracies to Pepper when this was all over.

They finally made their way close to the secured lab area. When the guide was distracted, Anya took Steve's hand and put her other hand on the palm scanner near a door. When it clicked open, she opened the door and pulled Steve in the room.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

	swashbuckler 2010-08-25 12:30 am UTC (link)
	Steve didn't need much pulling. He wanted this solved and live back to relatively normal. His plans for his girlfriend's birthday had been rather rudely interrupted. But he'd get to make it up to her. After a serious ass kicking. "Time to work some more of your magic, Gorgeous." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	anyastark 2010-08-25 01:57 am UTC (link)
	"My lab is a few doors down," she said. "We just need to wait a few moments for the tour to disappear and then we can get in there. Once I have access, Goddard can track the energy signatures and I can grab a computer to bring with us." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	swashbuckler 2010-08-25 02:07 am UTC (link)
	Steve almost laughed. "Damn. Is there anything you can't do?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

anyastark
2010-08-25 02:36 am UTC (link)

"The list is long," she said. "Cook is at the top of course." Anya opened the door and looked up and down the hall. It was clear.

"Come on." She led him out of the room and down the hall to another door. She opened this one and went inside.

This was her lab when she was here working. It was small by Stark Inc lab standards, but she didn't spend much time in it. The far was was all screens and a there was a lab table with computers on it in the middle.

"Goddard?"

"Where have you been? I have been monitoring SHIELD frequencies and have heard they are looking for you and Mr. Barton. I was /worried/."

"I'm fine as you can tell. I'll explain later." There was nothing worse than a worried AI. "I need you to start scanning for residual energy signatures near where SHIELD is holding the Mandarin. Then I need to you to scan the city for those same signatures." A pause. "Please." Goddard could be touchy at times and right now she needed his help.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	swashbuckler 2010-08-25 03:21 am UTC (link)
	It didn't take long, and a map displayed a definitive trail. There were prolonged stops at various areas. Mostly Stark distribution warehouses, and a couple power plants. Steve took in the map. "He's running, trying to fix his tech. Where's the nearest Stark place to his last stop?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	anyastark 2010-08-25 03:30 am UTC (link)
	"It looks that way," she said. "Let me bring up the list of Stark properties." Anya went to a computer and punched in a few commands. "This one is closest." She pointed to an address. "It's in Queens." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	swashbuckler 2010-08-25 03:51 am UTC (link)
	He nodded, his features set. "Let's go nail this bastard to the wall." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	anyastark 2010-08-25 03:54 am UTC (link)
	"After you, Mr. Barton," she said, the tone of her voice was serious. "Thank you, Goddard." "You're welcome." (Reply to this)(Parent)

Queens

swashbuckler
2010-08-25 11:31 pm UTC (link)

Steve hated the idea of going into action out of costume, with borrowed gear. Not that he couldn't fight with just about anything, but it disliked it all the same. Proving your own good name or not, if you were a super-hero, you wore a costume. It was just the way it was.

They were on the next rooftop over, and he was fiddling with the crossbow. Between them, they'd worked up a few jury-rigged bolts that might give him a little bit of an extra edge here, if it came down to fighting.

"You ready for this, Gorgeous?"

(Reply to this)(Thread)

	Re: Queens anyastark 2010-08-25 11:39 pm UTC (link)
	Anya was not happy about not having her armor, but she would manage. She wasn't sure what happened to her armor, but she would look into it later. If there was a later. She charged up the Widow's Bite and checked the pistols at her waist and the knife in her boot. "Ready, Handsome. Let's do this." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Queens swashbuckler 2010-08-25 11:44 pm UTC (link)
	Steve brought up the crossbow and fired, a grappling line trailing behind the bolt. It sank into the concrete above the factory door. He grabbed Anya around the middle. "Hank on tight, he said, as he pushed off. As they swung, he extended his legs, kicking hard at the door, knocking it down. He let go of the line and landed easily. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Queens nextgen_baddie 2010-08-25 11:47 pm UTC (link)
	When the door slammed off its hinges, he was forced to look up from his wiring on his gauntlet, slapping it back over his wrist. Metal gleamed on his fingers, along with the components of armor he wore. "Who's there?! Show yourself!" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Queens anyastark 2010-08-25 11:50 pm UTC (link)
	Anya had the Widow's Bite charged and set on stun. She fired in the direction of the voice as soon as her feet were on the ground. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Queens swashbuckler 2010-08-26 12:10 am UTC (link)
	Steve responded to the voice as well, launching a new arrow in the direction the sound had come from. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Queens nextgen_baddie 2010-08-26 12:13 am UTC (link)
	He brought up a fist, first creating a wall of force which blocked both the arrow and the Bite. He brought his other hand up,, illuminating the darkened portions of the warehouse with white light. "You!" he gasped. "What... what are you doing here?!" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Queens anyastark 2010-08-26 12:33 am UTC (link)
	"Us? What the hell are you doing and more importantly, who are you?" Anya demanded. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Queens swashbuckler 2010-08-26 12:42 am UTC (link)
	Steve had another bolt leveled, just in case. "Answer the lady's question." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Queens nextgen_baddie 2010-08-26 12:46 am UTC (link)
	His attention was entirely on Anya, ignoring Steve for now. "You're... you're alive. When... when he was just locked up... not dead... I thought... I thought you had to be..." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Queens anyastark 2010-08-26 02:15 am UTC (link)
	"Yes, quite alive," Anya said. "He's alive. As much as I wanted him dead, I was not going to be like him. He's powerless and broken." Anya's eyes narrowed. "Now, show your face." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Queens swashbuckler 2010-08-26 02:20 am UTC (link)
	Oh, I have a freaking bad feeling about this... Steve thought, keeping his weapon up. Muffled by the mask, he thought the guy's voice sounded familiar, but... (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Queens nextgen_baddie 2010-08-26 02:39 am UTC (link)
	Little harm in it now, not when she was so close. Not when... he could... He pulled the mask back. It was Steve Barton's face, but a more tired one, one pulled down by the horrors it had seen, by the horrors it had unleashed. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Queens anyastark 2010-08-26 02:54 am UTC (link)
	Blink. Blink. Blink. It was Steve...just slightly different. "Steve?" Anya shook her head. She had fantasies about...nevermind. "Start explaining," she demanded. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Queens swashbuckler 2010-08-26 03:08 am UTC (link)
	Steve's grip on the crossbow wavered only for a second. "Okay. Skrull? Space Phantom? Carbon Copy Man? Dire Wraith? LMD? One of those latex Mission Impossible masks?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

Re: Queens

nextgen_baddie
2010-08-26 03:16 am UTC (link)

The other Steve raised a hand and blasted his counterpart with a black-light beam, encasing him in bonds of darkforce.

"The Avengers... never rescued you," he told Anya. "The Mandarin had his hooks in you. And I dedicated my life to stopping him. I tried to kill him... but you got in the way. I... I killed you. And then I killed him.

But... I thought... why should I stop at just one? What if I could keep others from feeling my loss. The rings... I knew the rings were the key. They could help me. I used them. And I traveled. World to world. Wherever I found him... I killed him. Or her, sometimes, depending on the world. Sometimes as a child. Sometimes as an old man. Sometimes ones who had no idea about any of it.

But I would wipe all the universes free of his evil."

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Queens anyastark 2010-08-26 03:29 am UTC (link)
	"They did here," she said. "Twice. You can't keep doing this. You can't just murder every Mandarin you find. It makes you just as bad as he was." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Queens nextgen_baddie 2010-08-26 03:43 am UTC (link)
	"I can!" he snapped. "I have! And I've done it all for you! Every time, every death, it was all for Anya! All to keep her safe!" His expression was growing more maniac. "But now... now you're here! You're actually here! And we can be together again!" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

Re: Queens

anyastark
2010-08-26 03:49 am UTC (link)

Anya shook her head. "No. We can't. I am not your Anya. She is dead. You said so yourself. I belong with the Steve from this universe. You are not him."

She felt sorry for him and pitied him, but she kept her Widow's Bite aimed at him.

"The Mandarin is dead. Your Anya is dead. You need to let them go and move on with your life. A life of revenge for someone who is already dead is no life at all. You are sinking into darkness and are no better than the Mandarin was."

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Queens nextgen_baddie 2010-08-26 04:01 am UTC (link)
	He moved with surprising speed, his hand wrapping around her forearm and pulling her close. "No! I've finally found you again! And nothing is going to keep us apart! Nothing! Do you hear me?!" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Queens anyastark 2010-08-26 04:03 am UTC (link)
	"I'M NOT YOURS!" she yelled in his face and then headbutted him. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

Re: Queens

swashbuckler
2010-08-26 04:12 am UTC (link)

He reeled back, tried to strike her, but another fist pounded into the side of his head. Steve's.

"Hands off my girl!"

His other-worldly counterpart blasted some beam from his rings, but the shot went wide, arcing too far up, and missed him entirely. He kept close, exchanging blow after blow with his counterpart, neither gaining the advantage, both moving back and forth too much to get a good shot in.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Queens anyastark 2010-08-26 04:14 am UTC (link)
	Anya was going to have a headache for awhile, but she could worry about it later. She aimed and let lose a blast from the Widow's Bite. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Queens swashbuckler 2010-08-26 04:21 am UTC (link)
	The blast struck the other-Steve, damaging something else in the chestplate. There was a crackle of energy that seemed to start to consume him. But he fought on and grabbed Steve, the glow beginning to suffuse them both. "ANYA!" he cried out. "I LOVE Y----" There was a great flash of light that seemed to consume them both. When it cleared, both were gone. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

Re: Queens

anyastark
2010-08-26 04:27 am UTC (link)

Anya blinked a few times to regain her sight. When she could see again there was no Steve. Not hers and not the double.

Her chest tightened and she couldn't breathe. It felt like someone had just kicked her in the gut. Panic rose.

"STEVE!" she yelled. OhpleaseGodno! "STEVE!" she yelled again.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she screamed at the top of her voice. She fell to her knees. Her hands went to her face and the tears started to fall.

She didn't even notice when the SHIELD agents showed up sometime later and took her into custody.

(Reply to this)(Parent)

	redheadspy 2010-08-30 06:53 am UTC (link)
	((END)) (Reply to this)

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