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Crossbones' body was ravaged by the Extremis virus, yet his power only grew stronger. He stood amid roaring flames like a fire god descended to Earth. His silver armor reformed in the blaze, wounds closing before their eyes. This regenerative ability made him nearly unstoppable.
"This can't be!" Steve gritted his teeth, raising his shield to block Crossbones' attack.
Hydra agents cheered as Crossbones rose again, rejoining the fight. The fire illuminated the entire room, forcing agents to shield their eyes against the blinding blaze.
Hawkeye and the other operatives fought with all their might, countering both Crossbones' flames and Hydra's assault. Hawkeye's gaze was locked on Crossbones. He understood the source of the enemy's power—the Extremis virus—but they needed to find a way to stop him.
Crossbones' flames grew more intense, the attack radius expanding continuously. Steve felt the shield beginning to fail under the heat; his uniform melted, and his skin burned.
"Captain, we need to retreat!" Hawkeye shouted, though his arrows couldn't penetrate Crossbones' armor.
Steve realized Hawkeye was right. They had to fall back and devise a more effective plan. He signaled the team to retreat, carefully maneuvering around the fire toward the building's exit.
Hydra, however, wasn't about to let them leave easily. They pursued relentlessly, firing continuously. The agents were exhausted, their energy nearly depleted.
At the brink of disaster, a blinding light shot down from the ceiling, pushing Hydra agents back. As the glow faded, a familiar figure emerged—Tony Stark in his Iron Man armor.
"Need some help?" Tony's voice rang out. His palm-mounted repulsors were primed.
Steve exhaled in relief. Tony's arrival meant new hope. "Tony, we need you. This guy's power is beyond what we expected."
Tony nodded, his armor whirring as it locked onto Crossbones. "Skullface? I got him." With a burst, his flight system kicked in, propelling him toward Crossbones.
Crossbones redirected his flames toward Tony. But Tony's armor projected a powerful energy shield, protecting him from the inferno.
"This isn't the time for jokes! Let's move!" Steve shouted, leading the agents toward the exit.
Tony and Crossbones clashed in a spectacular battle. Flames and repulsor beams lit the room, sparks flying. Tony's armor had immense firepower and defensive capabilities. He attacked relentlessly, attempting to weaken Crossbones' energy.
"This isn't an ordinary Extremis virus," Tony said, his mechanical eye scanning the enemy. "It's akin to the Aldrich virus—possibly an optimized Extremis variant."
Crossbones wasn't an easy target. His flames kept evolving, seemingly without limit. Tony constantly adjusted tactics, searching for a weak point.
"Direct injection of Extremis doesn't work. But I have a way to counter energy or elemental attacks," Tony declared, firing a concentrated beam from his palm.
Meanwhile, Steve and the team faced Hydra's fortified exit. The agents had to break through barricades while under fire.
"We have to push through!" Steve ordered, shield in front, charging toward the enemy. The agents followed, unleashing a coordinated assault.
At the exit, chaos erupted—sparks, gunfire, explosions—but Steve's leadership kept them organized.
Tony, meanwhile, kept Crossbones on the defensive, firing repulsor beams and analyzing the fire's energy. Yet Crossbones' self-healing made him increasingly difficult to damage.
"Tony, we need a way to control the flames!" Steve transmitted through the comms. Without neutralizing Crossbones' fire, the battle would stalemate.
"Leave it to me!" Tony responded. His armor, equipped with energy absorbers, began scanning Crossbones' flames for weaknesses.
The fight at the exit raged on. Hydra poured in reinforcements, desperate to stop the agents.
Suddenly, a brilliant light cascaded from the ceiling, enveloping the battlefield. Steve and his team felt a protective warmth, while Hydra's attacks weakened.
"What's happening?" the agents gasped.
Steve looked up and saw Tony, armor glowing like a beacon. His energy absorbers had successfully contained Crossbones' flames, radiating protective and restorative energy outward.
The flames erupting from Crossbones were now controlled, gradually solidifying.
"Tony, you're a genius!" Steve exclaimed.
Tony chuckled, his armor's voice system replying, "Don't get sentimental—move! I'll hold this field, but not for long!"
Steve and the agents sprinted through the energy shield toward safety. Hydra was trapped, their attacks rendered ineffective. Tony held the line, armor straining under the pressure, determined to keep everyone safe.
Eventually, the agents reached a secure area. The energy field slowly faded, and Crossbones' flames subsided. His armor returned to its original form, but his eyes burned with icy fury.
"Next time… next time, I will kill all of you—not just the Avengers, but all of them," he hissed.
"Stark's heroes," he added coldly.
Steve gave a thumbs-up to Tony. "Nice work, Tony."
Tony removed his helmet, smiling. "Of course, Captain. That's the Stark way."
The agents expressed gratitude. Without Tony's timely intervention, the mission could have ended in disaster.
"Why are you here, Tony?" Hawkeye asked, sensing the truth.
Tony shrugged, dust still falling from his armor. "Oh, I planned to treat you all tonight, but a little hunch—call it a woman's intuition—told me things might get messy with you two. So I came."
A "woman's intuition."
Steve and Hawkeye exchanged glances. Steve laughed, "Seems Natasha's instincts are spot on."
Hawkeye smirked faintly, then regained composure.
"Clint, I know what you're thinking," Steve said, noticing his teammate's inner thoughts. "Tony, Crossbones' Extremis virus has fire abilities."
Tony nodded, serious. "Super-powered virus. Aldrich and some mysterious tech combined."
"No wonder… Hydra again," Steve said gravely.
Tony re-engaged his HUD, showing battlefield scans. "Here's the intel I collected—European frontlines data."
The video displayed a striking, white-haired man swiftly eliminating enhanced combatants with a long blade.
Hawkeye and Steve frowned.
"From my analysis, these powers combined with Extremis' heat can become flames. Superpowers plus Extremis… this might be what Aldrich called a superpowered Extremis virus."
"Tony, any solutions?" Steve asked. In this scenario, Tony was the key.
Tony snapped his fingers. "Exactly. Energy conflict. Based on my data, I can create an energy disruption weapon."
Hawkeye and Steve listened intently.
"It will interfere with the Extremis virus in the target, causing rejection and internal chaos—heating their body until it burns or explodes."
Both men nodded in understanding.
"To take down Hydra, especially Extremis-enhanced foes, we must be decisive," Tony said, his tone unusually cold and precise.
Steve sensed a change in Tony's demeanor. Natasha's warning echoed in his mind—Tony had fallen in love, and this wasn't the carefree playboy they knew. Something had hardened him, sharpened his focus, and made him more determined, even ruthless when necessary.