Atomic stood tall and stared down at the chaos in front of him. His eyes moved quickly, noting the position of every person in the pavilion, including Peter, Gwen, Harry, Justin, Pepper, and Natasha.
Not willing to waste another second, he shot forward and grabbed a woman who was about to be trampled by one of the drones. The woman, Sandra, gasped in his hold and watched as Atomic clenched his fist in the direction of the drone. She gasped in shock as the drone's body crumbled into a ball of steel.
"If you can, help anyone that you can," Atomic said as he created a large first aid kit. It was full of the most basic supplies that anyone could use.
Sandra nodded as if in a trance and did as he said. Despite her usual mouse-like behavior, the woman did her best to help anyone she could on her way out of the pavilion. It was hard not to do so when a superhero personally asked you to help.
Four of the Army drones turned to Atomic and fired their shoulder-mounted guns. The bullets ripped through the air and were about to reach Atomic when, all of a sudden, they stopped an inch away from the hero's back.
Hah! Even if it was for a few seconds, it worked! Atomic thought with a grin.
Turning around, Atomic reached out to the bullets and crushed them together. After a second, the ball of bullets transformed into a sphere of red plasma. With a yell, Atomic sent the ball of plasma through two of the drone's chests. The remaining two were crushed from the ground beneath, clamping over them.
As he was about to reach the Navy drones, Atomic saw a man trying to crawl away due to a large piece of glass embedded in his thigh.
I need to separate the people from the drones. Atomic thought and landed on the ground. Entering a horse stance, he forced his powers through the ground and raised his arms.
The ground trembled violently beneath everyone, sending ripples across the surface that caught the attention of those still gathered in the pavilion. To their astonishment, the earth began to rise, forming a powerful wave that surged toward them with an unexpected force. Some instinctively flinched, bracing for what they believed would be an impact with solid earth, but instead, they were enveloped by a bizarre sensation of plush softness as the wave rolled under them.
This miraculous swell transported the bewildered crowd away from the looming drones, gently depositing them at the exits of the pavilion. In a simultaneous display of raw power, a colossal wall of steel burst forth from the ground, towering high and effectively severing the connection between the menacing drones and the frightened civilians. Atomic directed the crawling man toward Peter, Gwen, and Harry in the distance, trusting in Peter's capability to assist the man.
"Holy crap! Did you see that?!" one person shouted, eyes wide with disbelief.
"He saved us!" another exclaimed, their voice trembling with fear and relief.
"Let's get out of here!" someone insisted, urgency lacing their words as they glanced back at the chaos, adrenaline fueling their desperate escape.
These were just a few frantic comments exchanged among the crowd as they hurried away, hearts racing and breaths coming in quick, panicked gasps.
At the sight of the injured crawling man being slid right in front of him, Peter moved without hesitation. "Harry! Help me get him out of here!"
"R-right!" Harry moved in and helped Peter carry the bleeding man away from the chaos behind them, followed quickly by Gwen. As they ran, she turned back and watched as bright lights and explosions rocked the now-empty pavilion.
Back with Atomic, he pushed himself up and turned down to see his right arm smoking slightly. During the process of helping everyone escape and creating the steel wall, one of the Navy drones shot a volley of rockets at him. He had been quick enough to have created a large adamantium shield over his right arm to block the attack. The resulting explosion had knocked him back.
"Okay, enough games," Atomic growled and stood. His arms glowing with energy.
What ensued could only be described as total devastation. Atomic soared through the air with remarkable speed, wielding every tool at his disposal to annihilate the relentless swarm of drones that filled the pavilion. The stakes were high; he couldn't allow even one to escape and potentially wreak havoc on the Expo.
As he darted from one drone to the next, a surge of curiosity compelled him to scan each unique model before delivering the final blow. The intricate designs and advanced technology of the drones fascinated him; he knew that their blueprints would prove handy in the future.
"Ragh!" Atomic yelled as he smashed the last remaining drone into countless pieces with an impact force of 582.9 kN.
Atomic gasped tiredly as he stood among a sea of destroyed drones. As he recovered, he walked over to a lone glowing disk. It was one of Ivan Vanko's imitation arc reactors. After scanning it, he crushed it and transformed the drone's remains into water.
There. No end of movie explosion for you. Atomic thought and turned to see Pepper, Justin, and several security crew staring at him in awe and disbelief. To them, he had destroyed a small army of highly sophisticated and well-armed drones with seeming ease.
"Make an announcement for everyone in the Expo to get underground. Call in the NYPD and every available ambulance. The drones chasing after Iron Man won't think twice about shooting at anyone on the ground." Atomic yelled out, hoping that they had already made such a call at the start of it all.
Without another word, Atomic shot out to the night sky and chased after the drones in their pursuit of Iron Man.
"…holy shit," Justin mumbled in a daze. The pain in his shoulder from when Natasha grabbed him was momentarily forgotten.
"For once, I agree with you," Pepper said, quickly walking to the control center behind the stage, with Justin following closely behind. "Yes, I need you to make a widespread announcement for everyone at the Expo to go underground. Also, contact the NYPD and several ambulances. There's been an attack." She spoke urgently on the phone, then turned to a nervous technician.
"No, no, please don't call the authorities," Justin interjected, trying to stand in front of Pepper.
Justin attempted to block Pepper, but she swiftly moved him aside. "Step aside. Step aside," she instructed, positioning herself next to the technician. "Now, tell me everything you know."
••o••o••o••
Ivan Vanko sat motionless in his chair, disbelief etched across his features.
He had meticulously crafted each detail of his plan with deadly precision, every move designed to dismantle Tony Stark's legacy and rid himself of the man whose family had long been his owns undoing.
In his mind, victory was within reach—a destructive symphony of revenge that would resonate through the corridors of the Stark Expo.
But in an instant, his carefully orchestrated scheme had been thrown into chaos. A red and white stranger had appeared to ruin it all. The new, unexpected hero had appeared with unimaginable power, obliterating twenty-four of his drones in mere moments. The sight of his destroyed drones filled Ivan with a burning rage.
With a growl of frustration, Ivan pushed himself up from his chair. He stormed through the halls of Hammer Industries towards his lab where the next phase of his plan awaited.
••o••o••o••
Blasts and gunfire erupted in the skies above the Expo. Tony flew in and out, skillfully avoiding the deadly hail from the chasing drones and his out-of-control best friend. His evasive maneuvers caused the gunfire to continue on its destructive path toward the ground. Civilians below screamed as bullets rained down around them.
The Air Force drone's shoulder armor opened and released dozens of small missiles. With a quick roll, Tony dodged the missiles, allowing them to fly straight toward a crowd trying to move into a building and away from the chaos.
"Shit!" Tony said and changed directions.
"Tony! The people!" James yelled and watched helplessly as the missiles flew down.
"I know! Jarvis!"
"Increasing power to thrusters," Jarvis, Tony's ever-helpful A.I., said. Immediately, the thrusters on Tony's suit burst with power. Increasing his speed.
But before he could reach the missiles to destroy them before they reached the innocents below, Atomic flew over them and raised his hands. A massive barrier of energy formed over the people, leaving them transfixed by its glow. The barrier formed into a half sphere where the missiles crashed into, containing the explosion within it and releasing the blowback into the sky.
Atomic looked back at the people and created several more entrances to the building. "Go! Get inside!"
His voice snapped everyone out of their stunned states and got them moving. Several people yelled their appreciation and smiled at the hero.
"Who the hell is that?" James asked as Tony swerved back into the sky.
"That's Atomic. Leave the people to him," Natasha said from over the comms in Tony and James's suits. She was currently at Hammer Industries within Vanko's control room. Her fingers were fast at work on the keyboard as she tried to reboot James's suit.
"The Power Ranger?" Tony said before his eyes landed on the large globe structure at the center of the Expo. He grinned and flew in its direction. "Alright, we'll leave it to him. Rhodey, you still locked on?"
A hail of machine gun fire was all his answer.
"That's an affirmative. Drop your socks and grab your Crocs. We're about to get wet on this ride!"
"Wait, wait, wait!" James yelled as Tony navigated through the globe with careful precision. Unfortunately, the other Air Force drones lacked that same control and ended up crashing into the globe, resulting in a brilliant ball of fire erupting inside.
"I'm sorry, buddy. Had to thin out the herd. What's your 20?" Tony asked as he looked around the skies, but he grunted as James's suit struck him on his back.
The two descended in the sky and crashed into the Oracle Biodome, making impact and rolling along a small stream of water as they came to a stop in a large Japanese-inspired garden.
Atomic ignored them and flew right at the collapsing form of the flaming globe sphere. He released a wave of his power and extinguished the roaring flames. Reaching out, he constructed glowing, long, arm-like appendages and pulled the globe back into its original position. The glowing arms released a wave of energy, rebuilding and reforging the globe back to its original state.
The people below watched the light show in awe; some even recorded the scene before them. Amongst them stood Peter, Gwen, and Harry. The man they had helped earlier sat beside them with Sandra applying gauze over his injured thigh.
Once he was done, everyone cheered loudly, causing Atomic to turn to them. He examined the crowd and found that there wasn't anyone heavily injured from the explosion. His eyes landed on Gwen and his two new friends. His eyes then moved to the injured man from before. Flying down, everyone in the area gave him room as he crouched beside the wounded man.
"Good work," Atomic said to Sandra, who felt a deep, powerful feeling rise within her.
"T-thank you," she said.
Atomics held a hand out and created a wheelchair from thin air. He picked up the man and helped him sit. As he did so, he quickly scanned the man's injury.
"That's good. The glass didn't reach your artery. Ambulances are on the way. They'll take care of you," Atomic said.
"You… you saved my life earlier. Thank you." The man said, grateful.
"It wasn't just me," Atomic said, turning to Peter, Harry, and Sandra. "These people did as much as me. Can I trust you to get him to an ambulance?" He asked them.
"Yeah, you can count on us," Peter said. Harry and Sandra nodded their agreement.
In the distance, sounds of explosions and gunfire rocked the Biosphere. Atomic began to float and turned to everyone around him. "You all need to evacuate. This isn't over yet."
In a burst of speed, Atomics flew away toward the Biosphere. Leaving everyone to watch as he became a stream of light in the night sky.
Peter couldn't help but watch Atomic disappear with a growing sense of resolve. He now knew what he had to do.
What he had to be.
It was time for him to be Spider-Man and use his powers to help like Atomic.
••o••o••o••
An intense battle erupted within the vibrant greenery of the Biosphere, where Tony and James now stood resolute against Ivan, who was clad in a formidable heavy-duty suit bristling with newly upgraded electric whips. The air crackled with tension as the fight unfolded, each combatant fiercely vying for supremacy.
In a different reality, Tony and James might have found themselves overwhelmed, exhausting their arsenal against the relentless legion of Hammer drones. But at this moment, they were fully equipped and determined to outlast Ivan and his advanced weaponry.
Even so, the Russian adversary was not to be underestimated; his combat skills were as polished as the sleek armor encasing him, and the whips he wielded crackled with lethal energy, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
With fierce determination, Tony unleashed a brilliant crimson laser, its beam cutting through the air like a lightning bolt, obliterating everything in its merciless path. The sheer intensity of the energy made the surroundings tremble.
Ivan, quick to react, dove to the side, narrowly escaping the onslaught. He swung his whips with precision, their tips glinting ominously as they slashed across the garden, expertly targeting Tony's forearm and severing his control over the deadly laser.
With a powerful flick, Ivan sent Tony hurtling through the thick trunk of a tree, the impact causing the wood to splinter and debris to scatter. Instinctively, Ivan raised an arm to shield himself from the relentless barrage of bullets rained down by James, the crack of gunfire echoing against the lush backdrop.
Using his whips again, Ivan wrapped James's neck and pulled the war machine right to him. Pulling his arm back, Ivan punched James across the garden.
Tony flew over Ivan and slammed a fist into the Russian's back, staggering him briefly. Growing, Ivan spun and unleashed a combo of punches before swinging a whip around Tony's neck. The whip's strength and electric power made it hard for Tony to break free. Leaving him to struggle.
Seeing his friend in trouble, James began firing off his bullets from his position on the ground. Ivan ignored the bullets and marched over to James.
Ivan stomped a foot over James with a metal clang, causing the Colonel to grunt. Ivan slid back his helmet and grinned down at James.
Tony glared at Ivan and stepped back, the whip around his neck pulling Ivan away from James. James quickly tried to stand, but a whip wrapped around his neck as he got on his knee.
Both Iron Men tried to pull away from the whips but found it impossible. Arcs of lightning streamed off the weapons and jumped into their suits, causing their systems to begin to glitch.
A loud crash echoed above them as Atomic flew through one of the Biosphere's glass panels. Ivan looked up just in time to see Atomic fly down to land before him in a split second. Atomic placed his hands on Ivan's arms, and after a brief moment, the armor and whips around them shattered into pieces. Leaving Ivan utterly stunned.
Pulling an arm back, Atomic punched Ivan's chest with enough force to send the man flying back into a boulder.
"You... saw that, right?" Tony asked James.
"Yeah. Did Vanko's armor… fall apart?" James said.
"I weakened the molecular structure of the materials in his armor," Atomic said without turning to both Iron Men as he walked up to Ivan, who was gasping in pain. His chest armor was bent and cracked. "I'm assuming you're the one behind this entire attack. People could have gotten killed!"
Once his breathing was back in control, Ivan cracked a bloody grin. "Dozens of American lives were lost even with their gods there to protect them. That was the idea, at least until you came. Now? Now I take you three with me to Hell."
Ivan then activated the detonator in his suit and waited. After a few seconds, he blinked in confusion as his detonation sequence failed to work.
"When I destroyed your drones, I figured out you placed explosives in them. I made sure to disable them. Still, I was surprised you had one installed in your suit as well. I made sure to disable that one as well when I took your suit's arms." Atomic said from above Ivan.
Reaching down, Atomic placed a hand on the Ivan's shoulder and transmuted the rest of his armor into sand. The sand shifted and wrapped around Ivan into a tight, inescapable, straight jacket. "You're going to answer for what you've done," Atomic said resolutely.
Ivan glared at Atomic but remained silent. He had lost. There was nothing more he could do. At least for now.
"Hey, Red Ranger. That's our guy," Tony said as he walked up to Atomic. Weary of getting any closer in fear of the red and white hero reducing his own armor to dust. "We get first crack at him."
"Mr. Stark," Atomic said with a steady voice. But deep inside, he was geeking out at having the man who would one day save the universe standing before him. "Colonel Rhodes." He said with a respectful nod to James.
"Let's backtrack for a second. You said you took out all the other drones? By yourself? Seems far-fetched." Tony asked.
"He's telling the truth, sir. I have footage of the pavilion where Mr. Atomic single-handedly eliminated the rest of the Hammer drones," Jarvis said, playing the footage for Tony and James to watch.
"Damn…" James muttered as he watched Atomic fight. The entire battle lasted only two minutes.
James had read and seen the reports on Atomic. After the attack in Harlem, the Army had gathered any information and footage on Atomic. They were particularly interested in his ability to create whatever he wanted from thin air.
"Okay, I'll concede. Not bad," Tony said as the front of his helmet snapped open. "So, who are you? Really?"
"Sorry, can't tell you. Defeats the purpose of the whole secret identity thing," Atomic said and looked around at the once beautiful Japanese garden.
With a stomp of his foot, a wave of power extended out from his position. As the wave washed over the ruined patches of grass, burnt greenery, knocked-over trees, and craters were all instantly erased. Returning the ruined garden to its original state.
"What did you do? What was that?" Tony asked, not believing what he just saw. Even Ivan was stunned at what had occurred.
Tony had heard about Atomic and his exploits throughout New York, but he had been too preoccupied with figuring out the palladium poisoning that was slowly killing him. Still, he had heard about Atomic's ability to change the reality around him seemingly, but Tony had always dismissed those rumors as nonsense.
However, seeing Atomic's powers firsthand, Tony was left gobsmacked.
"Some sort of illusion? No, this is solid. Maybe… matter manipulation?" Tony muttered as he had Jarvis examine his surroundings after snapping his helmet closed.
"Now that everything is handled, I have to get going. I'll leave this guy to you then," Atomic said and began to float into the air. After giving both stunned men a small salute, he shot out of the Biosphere and into the night sky.
In the aftermath of that fateful night, the events surrounding the attack marked a pivotal turning point for Atomic, whose popularity surged to unprecedented levels.
The release of security footage and countless videos captured by bystanders showcased his heroic feats, rapidly circulating across the internet and various media outlets, leaving a global audience captivated. People everywhere were left in awe, not only of his extraordinary powers but also of his unwavering commitment to prioritizing the safety and well-being of others.
Among the countless videos that gained traction online, one stood out as a poignant testament to his character. It focused not on Atomic's impressive strength in neutralizing a small legion of Hammer drones but rather on a profoundly human moment—his meticulous creation of a wheelchair for an injured man at the Expo.
Viewers watched in admiration as he gently lifted the man and carefully set him down, demonstrating a tenderness that highlighted his compassion far more than his destructive capabilities against the drones. This act of kindness resonated, showcasing him as a hero who values humanity above all else.
By the end of that night, the name Atomic had become synonymous with hope and heroism, echoing through the hearts and minds of millions across the United States and beyond.
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AN: I hope you enjoyed today's beefy chapter. Writing Tony is tricky, by the way. So, hopefully, I captured his personality well enough.