Chapter 425: Civil War II (Two Energy Sources?)
Just as Tony was about to be seized by Carol with no power to resist, a silver figure streaked across the sky, snatching Tony out of harm's way.
"Woo-hoo! Ahaha, I knew I could still pilot this thing!" Rhodey shouted excitedly as he maneuvered War Machine.
"What are you doing here?" Tony was even more shocked. How was Rhodey here, and how was he even using War Machine when he was supposed to be grounded?
"Heroes always show up at the last second," Rhodey joked. "By the way, you guys are all on TV right now."
"Sir, there are a large number of reporters surrounding the town using high-magnification lenses to film the scene," JARVIS added. Tony nodded, acknowledging the situation.
"But why come here? Don't forget, you've got a broken leg," Tony said, glancing instinctively at Rhodey's prosthetic. Rhodey hadn't fully mastered the interface yet; forcing the operation of War Machine was bound to cause issues. Tony now regretted not installing his own OS on War Machine so he could at least remote-pilot Rhodey back to safety.
"Don't be nervous. I may have been Army before, but I'm Air Force now," Rhodey quipped, thinking Tony was just worried he'd fall.
"No, you misunderstand. I just think you should fly a little faster," Tony said, looking at Carol behind Rhodey.
Carol's speed was terrifying—so fast that even Tony's Mark 47 couldn't keep up. Rhodey only saw a flash of light pass by him.
Bang!
Carol, encased in a star-like energy shield, slammed into the chest of the War Machine armor—right where the power core was located. The core took a direct hit; sparks showered from the chest plate, accompanied by thick black smoke. Rhodey began to spiral out of control toward the ground.
"Uh-oh..." Rhodey tried to regain lift, but the screens in front of him had gone pitch black.
"Rhodey!" Tony sped after him. He couldn't let what happened before happen again. Last time Rhodey fell, he was lucky to only lose the use of his legs; this time, he could lose his life.
"Carol!" Nick Fury shouted from below.
Carol nodded, understanding the silent command. She turned into a streak of light, surging past Tony and easily catching up to Rhodey. Rhodey, just about to give up hope, saw a brilliant light reaching out to him with "warm" hands.
"Is this... the light?" Rhodey's face, just beginning to form a relieved smile, crumpled the moment he saw his savior. It was Carol—the one who had just shot him down.
Carol caught the falling Rhodey with one hand, but she didn't realize his right leg was a prosthetic.
Snap!
"Oh no!" Rhodey's heart sank to his stomach as he felt the limb give way. His prosthetic had broken off.
"Hmm?" Carol frowned, holding up the detached prosthetic leg.
"Leave him to me, Mr. Stark!" Peter was already prepared. He fired a web, swung through the air, and caught Rhodey mid-fall.
Only then did Tony truly breathe a sigh of relief. Thank goodness Rhodey was safe.
"Thank you so much," Rhodey panted as he opened his faceplate to gulp in fresh air. The feeling of a near-death experience was a bit too intense.
"Just doing my job," Peter replied, helping Rhodey up so he could sit propped against a wall.
"I thought this was going to be a much better story," Rhodey muttered dejectedly. Had he just set a record for the fastest defeat?
"Sometimes the one who shows up last isn't a hero," Tony teased as he landed. The other Avengers gathered around, making Rhodey want to find a hole to crawl into. It was too embarrassing.
In the air, Carol saw that Rhodey was safe. While everyone's attention was on the injured pilot, she casually tossed the prosthetic leg back down.
"Hey! Don't litter from that height!" Rhodey shouted, pointing at the hovering Carol to shift the group's focus back to the threat.
Tony's gaze toward Carol softened slightly. Although she had ruthlessly struck Rhodey down, she had also gone to save him—even if she only ended up saving a leg.
The Avengers were exhausted. The enemy was simply too powerful. So far, the only one capable of making any impact on Carol was Wanda.
"Stark, the Mind Stone might not be with you, but the surveillance is non-negotiable," Carol stated from her high vantage point. As Captain Marvel, protector of the cosmos, she decided to make one last concession.
"I've said it a thousand times: no," Tony replied, his stance firm. He turned to the other Avengers. "You guys can go. This doesn't involve you anymore."
"Sorry, but we don't back down. I can do this all day," Steve said, refusing to budge.
"I truly think you are all lunatics," Natasha rolled her eyes but settled back into a fighting stance.
"I can still get big—like last time. Trust me," Scott added, deciding it was time for his trump card.
Clint drew his bow. "This isn't like last time. We're a team now."
"I've noticed something: being on your team, Mr. Stark, usually means we're going to lose," Pietro joked. During the last Civil War, standing on Stark's side had ended in a pretty miserable defeat. This time the Avengers were finally united, only for this Carol woman to pop up.
Wanda's Chaos Magic flickered around her. "I'll find an opening. When I do, take the chance to slip away."
"Do I look like the type to run?" Tony snapped.
"Sir, even if you intended to flee, based on Captain Marvel's current speed data, a one-minute head start would be useless," JARVIS interjected.
"Yes, thank you. You can be quiet now," Tony told his AI. Does he not understand the concept of reading the room?
"Underoos, is the Masked Boy coming?" Tony asked.
Peter shook his head. "He said he wouldn't get involved in this."
"Great," Tony sighed. Why did he have to sit this one out? Silas had only shown up last time because of Wanda; this time, there seemed to be no reason for him to intervene. (If Tony knew Silas had actually orchestrated this whole thing, he would have dragged the boy there by force to deal with this crazy woman).
"Are you ready?" Carol didn't launch a sneak attack. She waited patiently, looking down at them.
Tony didn't hold much hope, even with Peter there to try and tip the scales. "Bring it."
Steve gripped his shield tight. Carol was the most oppressive enemy he had ever faced.
"Hmph." Carol put aside her playfulness. Her aura surged to a new level. The air around her seemed to warp and shimmer in the eyes of the onlookers.
On the ground, Nick Fury decisively ordered his agents to retreat. Carol was about to unleash a major move.
"Uh... things are looking a bit wrong," Scott noted as he saw the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents backing away.
"Here she comes!" Steve shouted.
Carol positioned herself against the sun, eclipsing its light. The mysterious radiance from her body rivaled the celestial bodies, momentarily outshining the sun itself. She brought her fists down, falling like a giant star streaking through the daylight, the pressure making it hard for everyone to breathe.
Steve wasn't even sure if his shield would hold; he hoped the quality T'Challa provided was up to the task. Tony called over the half-wrecked Hulkbuster to act as a shield for the group. Scott considered growing, but he feared Carol would just punch right through him.
"Hah!"
Wanda expanded her magical shield, enveloping everyone in a dome of Chaos Magic. It was a clash of titans, each hero using their ultimate defense.
Bang!
Carol slammed into the crimson barrier.
"She's too strong!" Wanda's hands began to shake, and cold sweat poured down her forehead.
Crack!
The hemispherical shield of Chaos Magic shattered under Carol's assault!
"Get behind the Hulkbuster! Now!" Tony screamed.
BOOM!!!!
A terrifying energy shockwave swept the entire field. Even the agents a hundred meters away were blown back again. The explosion roared like a demon, a bone-chilling sound that struck fear into the heart. A massive cloud of dust swallowed the battlefield; no one knew what had happened inside.
"What's the status?!" Fury shouted to his subordinates, fighting through the ringing in his ears.
An agent struggled to stay calm, fingers flying across a keyboard until a circular wave graph appeared on the screen.
"Sir! There's only one powerful energy source inside... No! There's another one!"
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