Into the Fray

As Director of SHIELD, CEO of Stark Industries, and supervising (if not leading) the Might Avengers, Tony had been in a constant state of feeling like there weren't enough hours in the day. Since he'd come to the Hub, however, and Wanda had quite literally stopped the clock, he'd found himself with a wealth of time. He could always work on his armor, of course, and there were half a dozen projects he'd been meaning to make progress on for SI, and he was spending a few evenings a week with Safi, at least when the other man was in the Hub. But that left stretches, hours at a time, where there was nowhere he needed to be and no one to answer to. On the one hand, that was a good thing. On the other, being alone with his thoughts was...risky, to say the least. It better to keep himself occupied.

So, he explored. There were thousands of worlds, maybe more, all connected through the Hub, and each one was potentially a wealth of knowledge and new technology and possibility. All he had to do was suit up, find a portal, and disappear. He'd already been to half a dozen worlds and had picked up as many ideas for upgrades to his armor and the latest in renewable energy.

Then, one portal later, he was in the middle of a war zone. Who was shooting he had no idea, and the bullets pinged harmlessly off his armor but the more advanced weaponry looked like it wouldn't and before he knew it he was pinned behind the burnt out husk of an old building, and the portal (not as stable as he'd hoped) had just shimmered out of existence.

Tony cursed--he wasn't especially afraid for himself, but he'd left a few experiments running that would need adjustments in an hour or two--and edged around the side of the building. Then cursed again.

He wasn't alone. A rough-looking man was coming directly toward him, and the suit's scanners told him plainly that this was no ordinary human. Tony stood up straight, raising his hands so that his palm repulsors were facing the man, and said over the sound of the distant gunfire, "I don't want any trouble here. Hopefully that's something we can agree on, no?"

@dark

Marcus was eying the man in the metal suit. He'd never seen this stranger before but he noticed this metal suit was pointing energy beams at him. But sooner than later, Marcus picked up a plasma rifle that a terminator was holding earlier.

"Welcome to my world. Even though it's not really pleasant."

"Stand down, I'm a friend, not a enemy unless you are a terminator."

Several terminators could be seen moving toward their position. "You might want to fight the real enemy here."

The terminators shot a few human resistance soldiers with plasma rifles and they screamed in pain as they were dissolved.

"See what i mean? "So are you with me or against me?!"

Marcus didn't hesitate to push back the stranger in the metal suit as he slammed a terminator ready to kill a Resistance soldier.

"John better let me stay this time."

@Jasmine

Okay, so, the new guy was friendly, despite the nasty looking plasma rifle in his hands.

"I don't want to fight anyone," Tony clarified as other new guy encouraged him to fight 'the real enemy.' Apparently that wasn't an option, though, and Tony found himself rolling his eyes (not that the guy could see it in his helmet). "I'm not from around here. I'm not with you or--"

He cut himself off as his sensors registered what had happened. Humans bring cut down by robots. Never a good thing.

"Shit," he said, turning his repulsors on the advancing machines. Terminators, the guy had called them. "All right. I'm on your side. What's the objective here?"

@dark

Marcus just barely avoided a smack from a metal fist in the face as he responded to the man in the metal suit "You are in the middle of a war... Man vs Machine to say the least."

"Kill terminators about to crush the human soldiers on our side."

"The world is full of terminators, Hunter- Killers and more. Just don't get killed. Think you can do that."

"I'll cover your back if you cover mine."

"The best I can do is take you to Resistance HQ and they can explain more. I know some things but both sides don't exactly trust me.

"Also Skynet is the main baddy."

Tony blasted the terminator that was trying to decapitate his newest friend, feeling a rush of annoyance as he did. He'd just come from fighting a war. A brutal war that had cost him everything. He had no intention of getting involved in a long-standing conflict he knew nothing about. "I'M not in the middle of anything," he snapped, another repulsor blast sending the robot flying back down the alley. He had no problem helping out a group of people in trouble. That was what he did, as an Avenger. But going to Resistance HQ? He didn't want another war. "I'll help get you and everyone else to safety here."

He'd meant to say that was it, that he wouldn't go any further, but the words stuck in his throat. If people needed help, and the only way to help them was dealing with this Skynet thing, whatever it was... he couldn't turn them down. Especially since Extremis and the technopathy it gave him would almost certainly give him an edge most of the people here didn't have.

"I'll talk to this HQ of yours," he said, spinning around to blast another terminator that was coming at them. "But I can't promise anything. You have to understand that."

@dark