Marvelous Twist #86

As the EMPs went off, the Iron Man suit began to falter, its once-gleaming visors now flickering in and out of existence. Tony found himself almost crushed under the weight of the heavy suit as its systems temporarily shut down. 

However, Alexander Pierce wasn't the only one who had come prepared for this confrontation.

In a split second, Tony Stark firmly planted his armored foot into the ground, preventing himself from collapsing entirely as the Iron Man's systems underwent a rapid reboot. 

Tony was many things, but a fool was not one of them. He had never intended to engage dangerous criminals and terrorists in a mechanical suit without addressing the glaring weakness of EMPs. He had devised a countermeasure, and he had it ready.

Inside the suit, Tony had installed his own Faraday Cage, a protective barrier that sealed and safeguarded an emergency operating system for the suit. It was his insurance against such technological disruptions.

Looking at Alexander Pierce through the dimly lit room, Tony couldn't help but smirk beneath his helmet. "You must be stupid or desperate if you thought that would work on me," he taunted, crossing his armored arms with a sense of triumph in his voice.

Much to Tony's confusion, Alexander merely chuckled, his demeanor unfazed by the failure of his plan. "As desperate as a cornered mouse... a particularly crafty one," Pierce remarked with a sly smirk, his amusement evident. He seemed almost pleased with the unfolding chaos.

"You see, Mr. Stark, you were never the target for my little ploy," Pierce explained cryptically, his words only serving to deepen Tony's confusion.

Tony's frown deepened as he tried to decipher the meaning behind Pierce's enigmatic statements. 

Before he could make sense of it all, however, the ground beneath him began to tremble, causing his eyes to widen with sudden realization.

"You... the helicarrier..." Tony uttered, a tumultuous mix of realization, shock, and horror coursing through him in rapid succession.

Pierce confirmed his fears with a sinister smile. "That's right, Mr. Stark," he acknowledged. "Do you know where we are right now?" he inquired, almost enjoying the torment of Tony's disarrayed thoughts.

Before Tony could muster a reply, Pierce continued, his voice dripping with malevolence. "We're hovering right over the capital, and right now, the helicarrier is well on its way down," he announced, punctuating the revelation with a dark chuckle.

Snapping back to the grim reality of the situation, Tony's anger surged. He lunged at Pierce, seizing him by the collar and raising him into the air with the strength of the Iron Man suit. 

His voice carried a mixture of rage and disbelief. "Why the hell would you do something like this?!" he demanded through gritted teeth. "Not only will you cause untold casualties and destruction, but you're practically killing yourself and everyone here! Including Hydra's people!" Tony's frustration was palpable.

Pierce, surprisingly composed in the face of Tony's fury, offered an explanation. "Because I'm desperate," he confessed. 

"I might be able to deal with you and the rest of the Avengers with Thor and Hulk out of the picture," he reasoned. "But that freak you brought along is a different story," he added, his tone laden with trepidation.

Tony's anger and confusion surged to new heights upon hearing Pierce's chilling words. "That 'freak' will survive this unscathed, and although I can't save everyone, I can easily extract the Avengers before the helicarrier hits the ground!" Tony declared, his determination unwavering.

Pierce's smirk widened at Tony's defiance. He responded in a cryptic tone, savoring the impending chaos. "Extract and take them where?" he posed the question, his words laced with malevolence. 

"As far as the world would be concerned, the Avengers and their new friends would be responsible for a terrorist attack that decimated the capital of the free world," he explained, his voice carrying a sinister satisfaction.

"I can already see the headlines; former heroes turned terrorists orchestrate a deluded terrorist attack," Pierce continued, his tone turning increasingly megalomaniacal. 

He seemed to revel in his vision of the world to come. "The entire world would be your enemy, and Hydra will be the one to lead the hunt... we'll be able to shape the world to perfection," he concluded, his words embodying the twisted ideology of the organization he served.

Finally losing his patience, Tony Stark tossed Pierce aside like a discarded toy, his frustration evident in his actions. He rushed toward the fried servers, his mind racing to find a solution to the impending catastrophe. His voice held a desperate determination as he spoke.

"That will never happen. And even if it does, you won't be alive to witness it!" Tony declared, his focus entirely on trying to salvage the situation, whatever the cost.

Pierce, whose back hit the wall with a resounding thud, maintained his unnerving smile even as the impact forced the air out of his lungs. He struggled to catch his breath but continued to speak through his distress.

"My survival was never... a part of the plan," he managed to say, his words punctuated by labored breaths. He reached into his inner pocket, retrieving a pistol with an eerie sense of calm. 

His voice quivered as he uttered the infamous Hydra motto, a chilling reminder of the organization's tenacity. 

"Cut one head... and two shall take its... place," Pierce proclaimed, his grip on the pistol unwavering as he pressed the cold metal to the side of his own head. "Hail... Hydra..." 

BANG

...

Meanwhile, atop the hull of the helicarrier, the fierce battle between Evan and the Juggernaut raged on. Their exchange of words and blows marked a high-stakes confrontation.

"Let me guess..." Evan quipped with a sly grin as he agilely evaded one of the Juggernaut's thunderous blows. "You're here because I'm working with Charles," he speculated, his movements swift and calculated. 

He leaped away just in time as the Juggernaut buried his colossal hands into the metal hull, ripping the armor plate that Evan had been standing on.

"The Juggernaut goes where he pleases, but the idea of making my dear stepbrother shed a few tears is definitely tempting!" Juggernaut boomed, his voice resonating with sinister glee. 

He displayed his immense strength by spinning his body and hurling the severed armor plate toward Evan.

Evan remained composed in the face of danger. With remarkable precision, he raised his blade and swiftly dissected the incoming projectile into two separate pieces. 

The halves sailed past him harmlessly, scattering shards in their wake.

"You'll be the only one shedding tears once this is over," Evan retorted, his tone resolute as he charged toward the Juggernaut, blade gleaming in hand.

Juggernaut responded with a raucous laugh, his overbearing presence undiminished. "What do you intend to do with that sword? Trim my toenails?" he taunted mockingly, his confidence unwavering.

Evan couldn't help but chuckle in response to the Juggernaut's humor, though he didn't waste words. As he closed the distance between them, he swung his blade with precision, aiming to strike at the Juggernaut's formidable shoulder.

Confident in his own durability and the thick layers of muscle and skin that protected him, the Juggernaut chose to stand his ground, an unyielding behemoth in the face of Evan's blade. He made no attempt to evade or defend himself as the sword descended upon his shoulder. 

The moment of impact was brutal and bloody, a testament to the blade's potency as it pierced through the Juggernaut's formidable defenses. A jet of blood spurted from the wound, and beneath his mask, the Juggernaut's eyes widened in shock.

"That hurts, damnit!" he roared in agony, reacting with instinctual anger. With a swiftness that belied his massive frame, he swung his meaty fist toward Evan in retaliation.

Evan, nimble and composed, leaped backward, narrowly avoiding the colossal fist. He couldn't help but smile at the Juggernaut's reaction to pain.

"Ready to shed those tears—" Evan began to taunt but was abruptly interrupted as the helicarrier itself seemed to betray them. 

The ship shuddered violently, and the hum of its engines abruptly ceased. Evan's expression darkened as he surveyed their precarious situation, realizing that something had gone terribly wrong within the helicarrier's operations.

"I'd intended to subdue and take you to Charles so he'd hopefully talk you to death, but it looks like that isn't possible anymore," Evan remarked with a regretful frown. The urgency of the situation demanded his immediate attention. 

"Sorry, but I'll have to cut this short," he declared resolutely, wasting no time as he sprinted toward the Juggernaut, his blade ready for another strike.