[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/nck50RJ.png[/img][/center]

The Blonde Man, the young man, the [i]boy[/i]s head exploded into a fine red mist. Jim couldn't even turn away as the minigun spun up, his HUD disappearing as the gun swept around the room. People screamed and shouted as they ran for cover, bullets catching them and soaking the floor and walls with blood. He shouted in his helmet, though nobody could hear it. He did his best not to close his eyes; he would have to live with the image of this for the rest of his life. He clicked his fingers together, but nothing happened. Tap forefinger to index, nothing. Tried moving his legs, his arms. Nothing, the armour had completely locked up. Clicking his tongue against the faceplate, he could hear other shots now in the distance. Over the firing of his weapon, the screams and the shouts. The faint ringing in the distance of automatic weapons fire, explosions and electric sizzling. 

Jim fought and strained against the suit, but it refused to give. The servos locked in place, holding him there. Scanning his mind for ideas. [color=skyblue]"Priority override"[/color] His HUD flashed up for a second, before disappearing again. [color=skyblue]"Priority Override: John Rhodes, password WarMachineRox123."[/color] The gun continued to fire, but he instantly felt his legs and arms release. He lifted his hand as the HUD started to reboot. The gun continued to fire as the rest of his systems came back on.

Not entirely sure how long his control would last, or even if it would let him shut down the weapon. He reached up and grabbed the barrel with two hands, alarms blared, and warnings flared as he pulled. Ripping it from its mount and then throwing it away. He stood. 

The room was silent, and the whole area was deathly quiet. All he could hear was his heartbeat and breath rattling around the inside of the suit. He felt numb, a cold pit forming in his stomach. The death, destruction. This was all because of him, because of the suit. Jim didn't know what had happened, but there was one thing for sure he was[i]going[/i] to know. He turned around as he heard a laugh and a shout Taggert lowered his gun. [color=Cadetblue]"Clear!"[/color] 

Taggert looked around at the piles of bodies, and some of the mutants still moaned and groaned. Alive but wounded, Jim had managed to disable his gun in time to save their lives. If only- [i][b]No.[/b][/i] He stopped himself. This wasn't the time to spiral; he held onto his anger, swallowed his rage. Now was the time for answers, without even turning to Taggert he looked up, activating his flight systems. [color=cadetblue]"Y'know Colonel, if your problem with me killing 'em was that you wanted first digs, you could have just-"[/color] 

Jim didn't have to listen to the rest of that statement, as his repulsors fired and he shot up through the roof leaving a cloud of dust, debris and blood.

[hr]

Tony sat, one arm propping him up against the side of the chair while the other held the cup up to his mouth. Lips fastened firmly around the straw as he drank, the thick liquid practically oozed. The taste wasn't much better, it tasted like it oozed. Oozed was the correct word; it was a thick, moist ooze. Above him synapses flared in a holographic representation of a brain; some of them flashed brilliantly, and others dimmed. Occasionally, a bolt would flash along a path and then just die out before it got anywhere. It was a brain, but it wasn't a healthy brain. 

It was his.

[color=darkorange]"How we looking Jarvis?"[/color] Tony called to the abyss, as the sooth calming voice came over the speakers he had in the walls.

[color=Silver]"Integrity is at 90% and falling. At current rate we won't reach maximum stability before your brain is beyond the point of no return, perhaps we should tell-"[/color]

[color=darkorange]"No!"[/color] Tony bolted up at the suggestion, coughing and spluttering as he choked on his ooze. Putting the cup down and sitting himself back down slowly. [color=darkorange]"No. I'll tell them when I have a solution. That's what they expect from me, I'm the guy who offers up the solutions. Not the problems."[/color] 

[color=silver]"Sir, this may be one of the times where-"[/color]

[color=darkorange]"Mute."[/color]

He should never have given the damned A.I assistant anything beyond a basic personality. All he wanted to do was help, and it was a pain in the-

[color=darkorange]"Unmute. Jarvis, give me a visual representation of your current state."[/color]

There was a brief pause, before it appeared. A swirling mass of light and colours. [color=darkorange]"Now overlay it with my most recent scan."[/color] The two images blended together, flaring brilliantly in a flash of light. [color=darkorange]"I'll be damned."[/color] There was a bang from the garage doors, Tonys eyes darting to a nearby suitcase that was dropped haphazardly in a corner. A moment of panic across his face, before he saw the red white and blue of Rhodeys armour come flying down the ramp. He clapped his hands together and the hologram disappeared from view. Wincing as he stood up he held his arms out in greeting to his friend, but before he could get a word out the suits faceplate opened, Rhodey doubled over and threw up all over the floor. 

It was concerning how much the vomit reminded Tony of his ooze. Rushing to his feet, making his way over to Rhodey as quick as he could, only to be pushed back by his friends palm. He tried not to show how much that simple strike had winded him. 

[color=skyblue]"What the hell did you do Tony?"[/color] 

Confusion spread across Tonys face. [color=Darkorange]"What, what are we talking about?"[/color]

[color=skyblue]"JARVIS!"[/color] Rhodey shouted, looking up at the ceiling. Rage, fear and terror clouded his eyes, and it chilled Tony to the core. In all his years, even through the war with the Reach. His eyes had never seemed so intense, so betrayed.

[color=silver]"Sir?"[/color]

[color=skyblue]"Iron Patriot playback. Thirty minutes."[/color]

The warehouse, the blood. The killing. Tony sank to his knees, everything he had feared. Everything he had fought to get away from since his time as a prisoner, seeing his weapons kill innocents and American Soldiers. Now, seeing his most powerful weapon turned on the destitute and the homeless within America. Seeing them mowed down and destroyed by his best friend, who had no control over anything. He saw the arms cross the faceplate as Rhodey reached up for the weapon before tearing it from its mount and casting it away. 

Tears threatened the edge of Tonys vision, but he couldn't look away. Looking away would be the worst thing to do, it would betray those who lost their lives, and when Rhodey spoke again ending playback. When he turned to look at his friend on the floor, tears in his eyes and rage in his heart Tony could say only one word.

[color=Darkorange]"Trask."[/color]