David Ramirez POV:
It's been a rough couple of days for David Ramirez.
First of all… he gained superpowers. He actually reached the peak of his life — or at least, he thought he did. He wanted to be a hero. He wanted to do good.
But… his first ever patrol ended with him killing over five people.
And that's not what a hero does.
He was stupid to think something else would've happened. Those guys had guns. They would've killed him if he didn't act first. He keeps trying to convince himself it was okay — that he didn't do anything wrong — but no matter how many times he repeats it, it doesn't stick.
Then— knock, knock, knock.
Someone's at the door.
His mom and sister aren't home today. It's just him.
Oh my god… what if people saw what happened? What if they're here to kidnap me? What if they want to experiment on me?
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god…" he mutters, frozen in place. "I'm gonna answer. No… I'm not. I'm staying right here. Nope. Not moving."
Knock, knock, knock.
Five minutes later.
Knock, knock, knock.
Ten minutes later.
Knock, knock, knock.
"David Ramirez!" a voice shouts from outside. "I know you're in there. I just want to talk."
Yeah, sure. Totally sounds like you just 'want to talk.'
Panic is eating him alive. Does he open the door? Risk getting kidnapped? Risk ending up strapped to a table while people poke and prod him to figure out why he has powers?
"Oh my god, bro," David whispers to himself. "Just… just go find the plant instead…"
The plant. The one that started all this. Whatever happened to it—
Knock, knock, knock.
"Ugh." David groans and finally decides, "Screw it, I'm answering. And if this is someone trying to kidnap me for experiments… I'll just use my power. My LifeSuck power. Yeah. LifeSuck. Amazing name, right?"
Slowly, he creeps out of his room and walks toward the door, step by step.
Knock, knock, knock.
"I'm coming!" he shouts, his voice shaking.
Click. He unlocks the door, opens it just a little, and peeks his head out—
Standing there is… a man.
Average height. Wearing a dark, standard-issue suit paired with a white shirt and a tie. There's an earpiece in his right ear. Average build. Blue eyes. Neatly styled brown hair, but with a noticeable receding hairline.
"Nice to meet you, David Ramirez," the man says calmly. "I am Agent Phil Coulson with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. You can call us S.H.I.E.L.D. for short."
David freezes.
Oh my god. I knew it. I'm done. They're here to take me. I'm getting kidnapped. I'm getting experimented on. This is it. This is the end. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope.
"Do you mind if I come in?" Coulson asks politely.
"...Sure," David stutters out. What else is he gonna say? No? They'd just force their way in anyway, right?
As Coulson steps inside, David immediately notices how messy the living room looks. Great. Just great. He should probably clean before his mom and sister get back.
Coulson doesn't pressure him, though. He waits — calm, collected, patient. And that makes it worse somehow.
David can tell. This guy knows.
Why else would a government agent be here, at his door, in his crappy apartment?
This is it. He's screwed.
Slowly, David raises his hands, stretching them out in front of him, ready for handcuffs. "I did it," he blurts. "I didn't mean to, but I did it. I killed those people… by accident. I didn't mean to. I promise."
His chest is tight. His stomach's twisting. His voice cracks, but he forces the words out anyway.
Because David's lawful good at heart. He believes in the law. He believes murderers should face trial. And he is a murderer.
"We already know," Coulson says simply.
David freezes.
it's over, they know.
But before panic fully consumes him, Coulson adds, "We've scrubbed the feeds. Wiped out any video evidence. You won't have any trouble from the wrong people." His voice is calm, matter-of-fact.
Then he leans forward, clasping his hands together. "Let's cut to the chase. I'm not here to punish you. I'm here to recruit you… for something called the Avengers Initiative."
David blinks, wide-eyed. "…Um. I'm listening," he says, finally able to speak without stuttering.
Coulson smirks.
Tony Stark POV:
You see him getting ready to finish the armor when—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"HEY!"
People are preparing to storm in because, from what they've seen on the cameras, it doesn't look like Tony's building the missiles or weapons they ordered. No… it looks like he's making some kind of garbage shaped like a human. They don't recognize it as armor because, from the tiny glimpses they got, it really didn't look like armor then.
Peeking through the little slidey viewing slot, they spot Stark inside. Now, Tony's ready. The armor's on the ground… in stealth mode. Yeah, stealth mode—he added that.
The door creaks open.
In walks a bald man. Raza.
He steps in calmly, flanked by multiple armed men on each side.
"Relax," he says, tone smooth, calm.
Tony and Yinsen both have their hands in the air. They're not delusional enough to think they can tank bullets without protection. They're smart. But after Raza says "relax," they slowly lower their hands.
Raza walks up to Stark, moves Tony's shirt slightly, and touches the glowing Arc Reactor in his chest.
"The bow and arrow," he begins, voice slow and deliberate, "was once the pinnacle of weapons technology. It allowed the great Genghis Khan to rule from the Pacific to Ukraine—an empire twice the size of Alexander the Great's and four times the size of Rome's."
He leans closer, arrogance dripping from his tone.
"But today… whoever holds the latest Stark weapons rules these lands. And soon… it will be my turn."
He pauses, staring at Tony.
"Why have you failed me?"
Tony's face stays calm. "We haven't," he replies smoothly.
He starts walking toward the armor's hiding spot. It's in stealth mode, still cloaked, reflecting its surroundings so perfectly that it looks like there's nothing there.
Raza steps closer to investigate—
BOOM!
A blinding beam of light bursts out, blasting him straight back. The armor activates and rises to its feet.
Chaos erupts.
Everyone raises their guns and opens fire on the suit. Bullets ping uselessly off its plating. Yinsen and Tony dive for cover while the suit takes over, automatically firing repulsor blasts at the attackers.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Repulsor after repulsor.
The armor pauses, aims its arm, and a tiny minigun folds out from a hidden compartment.
BRRRRT!
It sprays bullets, mowing down everyone in front of it.
"Quick! You ready?!" Tony yells to Yinsen.
"Ready as ever, Mr. Stark!" Yinsen shouts back.
The suit spreads its arms into a T-pose and the back opens up. Tony sprints forward, mimics the pose, and—click!—the armor locks onto him.
Yinsen reaches under the desk and pulls out a small gun—Tony's own invention, using repulsor tech but designed like a pistol.
They're ready.
The door bursts open—more soldiers rushing in. Tony fires a massive repulsor blast, vaporizing them. Yinsen hides behind Tony, using him as a walking shield, occasionally leaning out to fire his repulsor pistol. The walls dent, rocks crack, and the ceiling starts collapsing from the force.
They keep moving, sprinting down the narrow passages, blasting anyone in their way. Finally, sunlight pierces their vision.
They step out onto a cliff, overlooking a valley littered with Stark weapons.
Tony's jaw clenches. He sees what his work has caused.
"Yinsen," he says coldly, "wanna see some fireworks?"
Yinsen smirks. "Ready as ever, Mr. Stark."
Tony raises his hand and points it at the stockpile.
The soldiers below finally notice the armored figure standing on the cliff. Panic spreads.
"Hold on," Tony says.
Yinsen grabs onto his back.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Tony fires three massive repulsor blasts, hitting the missiles and weapon crates. A chain of huge explosions tears through the valley, sending fire and smoke sky-high.
Then—FWOOOSH!—repulsors in his feet ignite.
Tony launches into the air, but he's not using his hands to stabilize, so small back-mounted jets kick in automatically, balancing his flight.
He's free.
++++++++
Author Note -
Right, this is my first time ever writing action, so it's not the best, but I tried, so that's good enough for me. I hope I got the personalities right with Coulson and Tony, because I find personalities are the hardest thing to write.