Summary:
Metal and MagicBy: Dasteiza Nineteen year old Harry Potter is pulled through a portal from a war-torn magical world and into the MCU. Thankfully, he makes friends with a certain billionaire playboy. What could go wrong? SMUT LemonsRated: Fiction M - English - Adventure - Harry P., Black Widow/Natasha R., Agent Maria Hill, Wanda M./Scarlet Witch - Chapters: 23 - Words: 96,326 - Reviews: 387 - Favs: 2,499 - Follows: 3,174 - Updated: Apr 11 - Published: Oct 6, 2024 - id: 14399445
Chapter 1
Beads of sweat rolled down Harry Potter's forehead. His breathing was ragged, and the stitch in his side was hurting with every step. He was running down the Atrium of the abandoned Ministry of Magic. Footsteps could be heard gaining on him from behind. Reaching deep within him, Harry summoned every last ounce of strength and moved his legs even faster. "In here!" one of the few remaining Death Eaters shouted. Harry took only a second to look over his shoulder and saw three masked men barreling toward him. Reaching into his pocket, Harry pulled out a circular glass vial filled with a dark purple liquid. He tossed it over his shoulder as far as he could.
The explosion was concussive. The shockwave knocked him forward, and he hit the floor hard. His body slid across the marble floor for almost ten feet before he came to a stop. He groaned for only a second before remembering the situation he was in. Rolling over onto his back, Harry pointed his wand, fully expecting to see at least one of the Death Eaters still coming for him. Instead, he saw smoke, rubble, and scattered body parts. The Death Eaters hadn't even had time to scream. Arms and legs were spread out across the floor, and the walls were peppered with spots of blood. Chunks of flesh and shredded clothes were stuck on the ceiling and sliding down the walls. Slightly sickened by the sight, Harry shakily got to his feet and ignored the ringing in his ears. He had a job to do.
The war hadn't ended as quickly as he had hoped, and sadly, a lot of good people had died. Of course, they took as many Death Eaters with them as they could. The magical community was in complete ruin, and only Hogwarts stood the test of time. At almost nineteen, Harry had spent the better part of two years looking for Voldemort's Horcruxes. Once they had all finally been destroyed, he had hoped to get his chance to face Voldemort. How things would end … He had no clue. By that point, he was just tired of fighting. When Voldemort discovered the loss of his Horcruxes, the bastard went into hiding. At that point in time, the war had turned in Harry's favor, and the Dark Lord had very few followers left. Seeing that he was more vulnerable than he had ever been, it was no surprise that he had hidden himself away from the world. Sadly for him, secrets never stay buried forever.
Harry received word from one of the last living Unspeakables. The hidden censors he had placed in the Department of Mysteries had detected a presence. Whoever it was, they were spending a lot of time in the Death Chamber. This immediately piqued his interest. No normal person would just go and hang out in that depressing room. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had gone to the Ministry for a bit of recon. Sure enough, about two dozen or so Death Eaters, which was all he had left, were secretly guarding the entrance to the Ministry. The Floo Network had long been destroyed, so the normal entrance was all that was left. Knowing Voldemort was in there and up to no good, they quickly put together a plan.
At dawn, the rest of Harry's supporters waged an all-out assault on the Death Eater guards while Harry snuck into the Ministry. As Harry used the lift to take him down to level nine, he only hoped that his friends were okay.
Metal and Magic
Voldemort cackled with glee as the tattered, fluttering Veil burst into black flames. As the flames engulfed it, he used a silver knife to slice a cut across his palm. When enough blood had pooled in his hand, he flicked his arm towards the flames and splashed some of his blood into the fire. The fire began crackling, and the heat intensified. When the room became boiling hot, the flames suddenly froze. They didn't turn to ice … that would have been ridiculous. No, they just stopped moving. They had frozen in time. Voldemort waited impatiently for something to happen. Just when he thought that he might have screwed things up, the flames flickered out of existence, and a black void replaced it. The room immediately went from boiling hot to ice cold.
"Yessss," he hissed excitedly, his breath coming out like a fog. He ran his hand along the outer surface of the stone archway and found the correct ancient runes that were nearly invisible in the low light of the Death Chamber. Tapping each one with his wand, they began to glow with light whiter than he had ever seen before. Then, the void let out a low hum, and the stone archway began trembling. This was it, he thought. "Let's hope this new world is better than this one," he said to himself. The only bad thing about leaving this shit hole was that he would have to start his plan for world domination all over again. He didn't give two shits about his worthless followers. They thought he was in there working on a weapon to destroy their enemies. Little did they know that they had always been brainless pawns.
The humming was so loud that it was starting to hurt his ears. He reached down and picked up his bag. He had pilfered as much as he could in preparation for his trip. There was no way in hell he was going to start over with nothing to his name. He turned toward the void, waiting for it to fully charge. Suddenly, behind him, there was a flash of light. He barely had time to turn before his free arm was sliced clean off. It dropped to the ground with a meaty thud that went unheard over the loud humming. He cried out in agony and dropped his bag. There was another flash, and his instincts kicked in. His wand was in his last remaining hand in an instant, and he parried the curse, not seeing the one directly behind it. A grapefruit-sized crater was ripped through his chest, and Voldemort stumbled to the side. Harry Potter was running down the stone tiers toward him. Voldemort cursed himself for getting caught off guard. He tried to fire back but was forced to avoid another curse, which sailed directly into the void and disappeared.
Metal and Magic
As Harry dropped down into the pit, he flicked the Elder Wand and sent another twisting curse at Voldemort. Blood was pouring from his chest, but he was still able to throw up a magical shield in time to intercept it. His shield shattered upon impact, and he dropped to his knees. There was no sympathy in Harry's heart for him. Voldemort had killed his parents and friends and had ruined countless lives. With as much hatred as he could, he fired another Sectumsempra directly at Voldemort's neck. The bastard still had enough life left in him to attempt to duck under it. He moved his head low, and the curse clipped the top of his skull clean off. Voldemort let out a pained wheeze and collapsed to the ground. Harry stopped short and watched as blood pooled from the top of his head. He then summoned the Dark Lord's wand and caught it from the air. Stuffing it into his pocket, Harry slowly walked over to the dying man. He stopped beside him and looked down. Voldemort tried to say something, but it came out with a wet gurgle. His breathing was very shallow, and his eyes looked glassy. Wanting to get this over with as soon as possible, Harry pointed the Elder Wand at him and hit him right between the eyes with a powerful Piercing Hex. The back of his skull exploded against the ground, and his head jerked violently. For good measure, Harry severed his head and piled the remains away from the humming archway. He flicked his wand again, burning the Dark Lord's remains to ashes. As he watched it burn, he was overcome with a sense of relief and satisfaction. No one else would have to die because of him. Before he could do anything else, the humming turned into a high-pitched whine. Harry spun around just in time to see the black void turn into a brilliant white light.
He was forced to block the light with his hand; it was so bright. The archway's tremble turned into a full-blown earthquake. The entire room was now shaking, and his only thought was to get the hell out of there. Harry turned to run up the stone tiers but was stopped by an unbreakable force. The high-pitched whine became a low-pitched thumping drum that sounded eerily similar to a heartbeat. His body was being magically pulled backward toward the swirling white portal. Harry dropped to the ground to avoid the torches which had been ripped away from the walls. They flew overhead and were sucked into the portal. Dust and pebbles were hitting his face, stinging and choking him. Harry was still being pulled back and dragged across the ground. Harry cried out in panic and clawed at the floor. He was able to get his hand into a crack in the stone floor, and he held on for dear life. Within seconds, his arm felt like it was about to be ripped from the socket. He knew he couldn't hold on for much longer. With nothing left to do, Harry pointed his wand and called out, "Expecto Patronum!"
The ethereal stag flew out of his wand and trotted around him, not affected by the portal's pull. "Hermione! I killed Voldemort!" he exclaimed quickly. "He created a portal, I think …" Harry winced in pain as his arm trembled and his muscles cramped. "I'm being sucked in … AHHH!" he cried out as his fingers burned. Harry attempted to apparate, but as he expected, the wards kept him from doing so. "Don't worry about me … I love you guys!" was the last thing he said. He shoved his wand into his pocket, and the stag disappeared through the wall to deliver his message. By then, the pull was getting even stronger, and Harry had no hope of hanging on any longer. Showing true Gryffindor courage, he let go and accepted his fate. Moments after being sucked in, the archway went critical, exploded, and completely destroyed the Death Chamber.
Metal and Magic
Harry suddenly woke from a dreamless state. He was on his back, laying on the hard ground. Blinking his eyes a few times to help regain his composure, Harry sat up in a flash when he remembered what had just happened to him. Looking around wildly, he saw nothing but pitch-black darkness. He knew he wasn't dead. The ache in his muscles told him that much. When going through the portal, he wasn't worried about dying. There was no way Voldemort would intentionally kill himself. The only thing he had ever been afraid of was death. That being said, Harry didn't know where the portal had taken him. Was it to a different place … a different time … he had no way of knowing. The air was stuffy and had an unpleasant smell, like when you re-entered your empty house after a long vacation. Harry stuffed his hand into his pocket and grabbed the Elder Wand. A moment later, the room he was in was filled with brilliant white light.
Calling it a room was a bit of a stretch. It looked more like a small stone chamber. To his right was a partially destroyed stone rectangle. Harry went in for a closer look. He was confused when he realized it was an empty sarcophagus. The lid was on the ground on the opposite side of the box and was cracked into three pieces. 'Definitely Egyptian,' Harry told himself as he studied the hieroglyphics … not that he could read them. The outside of the crumbling sarcophagus was filled with them, as were the walls of the chamber. Thankfully, the sarcophagus was empty. Forgetting about that for the time being, Harry looked around the chamber. Besides the stone box, everything else in the chamber appeared to be from the Death Chamber. There were snuffed-out torches and bits of debris on the ground. Seeing Voldemort's bag against the far wall, Harry rushed over and picked it up. When he turned around, he saw an exact copy of the archway from the Death Chamber placed against the wall he had woken up next to. The veil was missing, and it was severely cracked. It looked as though the slightest touch would cause it to crumble into a hundred pieces. Deciding to leave that for another time, all Harry's thoughts were about escaping the chamber he was in.
Most of the walls were made of massive stone blocks stacked perfectly atop one another. The only part that wasn't was a stretch of wall blocked by much smaller stone bricks that were comparatively poor in quality. 'That's my way out,' he guessed Apparating out would be too risky, and he had never learned to make a Portkey, so he had to do the next best thing. Aiming his wand, he slowly summoned the smaller stones away from the rest of the wall, only for the room to start flooding with sand. Thinking fast, Harry sent a powerful Banishing Charm at the flowing sand. It exploded outward, and he was rewarded with blinding sunlight. However, more sand quickly began filling the newly made hole. Clutching the bag tightly in his throbbing hand, Harry transformed into his Animagus form, which was that of a Common Raven. Transforming with his clothes and wand was always uncomfortable, but transforming with anything large was downright painful, Harry thought as the bag melded and fused into his skin. Unfortunately, he had no other choice. As soon as he was transformed, he flapped his wings and shot through the rapidly closing hole. Within seconds, his heart soared as he was back in the air where he belonged. Hermione theorized that his form was a bird because of his love of flying. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out, Harry thought as he banked with the wind current. Down below, all he could see was a sea of golden sand.
In his animal form, his senses differed from those of a human. He could smell the water close by and roughly knew its distance. Knowing that cities and towns were often located near water sources, Harry flew in that direction. After twenty minutes of hard flying, Harry spotted a winding river and followed it upstream. It took about twenty more minutes until he reached a large city. By then, the sun was beginning to set, and the city lights were blinking into existence. Harry circled the outer edge of the city until he found a place that offered some privacy. Landing in an empty alley, Harry transformed back into a human and winced loudly from the discomfort. He hated transforming while holding anything of significant size and only did it in emergencies. Harry leaned against a shop wall and took stock of his situation. He didn't know where or when he was, and the only possessions he had were his and Voldemort's wands, Voldemort's bag, and the clothes on his back. He had no idea if his friends were okay, and he wasn't even sure if he would ever see them again. Harry basically knew nothing. He had to fight off a sudden surge of panic and shock. 'I've been in worse situations,' he told himself and then took a deep breath. After his momentary episode was quelled, he came up with a quick plan.
'Step one … Find out where you are,' he told himself. As it turned out, it was easier said than done. Once he ventured forth from the alley, the people he passed were all speaking Arabic, a language Harry definitely didn't understand. Not only that, but all the signs and advertisements were written in the curvy Arabic alphabet. He had no choice but to keep walking. The people he passed seemed friendly enough. A few nodded as he walked by, but most chose to just take a quick glance at him. By the time he found his answer, the sun had completely set, and the only source of light came from the windows of buildings and the smattering of street lamps.
A large sign that looked fifty years past its prime read, "Grand Cairo Bazaar" in smaller letters underneath what he assumed was the same name written in larger Arabic. An address was written under the text.
"Cairo?" Harry asked himself. He was shocked that he had ended up in Egypt, but then again, he wasn't surprised. All of the previous signs pointed to it. You don't wake up next to an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus and expect to be in London, after all. With step one completed, he could now move on to step two. He had to get back to England.
Getting back to England was surprisingly easy for someone with magic. He simply went to the Cairo International Airport and made himself invisible in one of the bathrooms. Then he snuck on board the earliest flight to London. The only bad part was having to stay invisible the entire time.
Metal and Magic
"Shit!" Harry cursed under his breath. Every place he visited was different. Instead of seeing the Burrow, there was nothing but an empty plot of land where a few dozen sheep were grazing. Grimmauld Place still existed, but it was obviously owned by a Muggle family. A clean, shiny sedan was parked out front, and a smattering of children's toys was scattered across the front of the townhouse. The building itself looked to be in much better shape. There was no flaking paint and broken shutters. Overall, it was very well-kept.
Harry apparated to Privet Drive and found a similar result. The house was still there, but it was a completely different color. He knocked on the door to make sure, and an elderly woman he had never seen answered.
"Is Steve here?" Harry asked, making up a name on the spot.
"There's no one here by that name, young man. I think you might have the wrong address," the old woman told him kindly. Harry smiled back and nodded.
"Yes, I think I might. Sorry for the trouble, Ma'am," Harry nodded his head.
"It's no problem at all," she smiled back. "Have a good night," she said, slowly closing the door.
"You as well," Harry quickly added and left. It was another dead end.
The Ministry of Magic was non-existent, as was Platform Nine-And-Three-Quarters. Giving it one last shot, Harry apparated to Hogsmeade, but all he found was wilderness. The small magical village was absent, and the hulking castle, Hogwarts, was nowhere to be seen. They simply didn't exist, and it looked as though they never had. Harry sat down on a partially exposed boulder and put his head in his hands. It was as he feared. He didn't just travel to a different place or time … He traveled to a completely different reality. At least, that's what Harry suspected. What other explanation was there? Harry had no clue how to even attempt to get back to his home world. The archway in the tomb was broken and likely useless, and Harry didn't even come close to having the magical knowledge to pull something like that off. No, for all intents and purposes, Harry was stuck here. Still, he held out hope. Maybe he would find a way back at some point in the future, and even if he couldn't, at least his loved ones could rebuild without the haunting spectre of Voldemort looming over them. With nothing to do and nowhere to go, Harry sat there for a while, wistfully staring at the empty space where Hogwarts should have been.
When Harry stopped sulking and got to his feet, he accepted his situation and decided to make the best of it. Fate had dealt him a shitty hand more than once, and he always persisted. Harry was a survivor. He had survived Hogwarts' crazy adventures. He had survived Voldemort and his Death Eaters, and now he would survive this. By the time he stood, the night was well underway, and the air was crisp. He was about to leave when his foot hit something. Looking down, he saw Voldemort's bag at his feet. Harry had completely forgotten about it. "Let's see what he packed," Harry said to no one in particular.
Metal and Magic
Harry took a sip of tea and stretched out on the cushy sofa. With no money and no identification, there was only so much he could legally do. As such, Harry took a page out of Slughorn's book and began staying in Muggle homes whose owners had gone on extended vacations. He would stay in one house for a few days and then move into another. He always slept on the sofa and stayed out of everyone's rooms. He found it a bit too creepy to do otherwise. Harry placed his teacup down and flipped the page in his book.
If Harry thought that Voldemort's bag was going to be filled with gold and other treasures, he was very wrong. The git didn't even pack a magical tent. Instead, the magically expanded bag was filled with hundreds of spell, ritual, and potions books, not to mention an entire apothecary shop worth of ingredients and equipment. Still, Harry wasn't going to complain. The books held a wealth of knowledge that he could benefit from. Harry wagered that Voldemort planned to murder some innocent Muggle and take over his home. That sounded like something he would do.
Harry yawned and put the book down. There was only so much he could read in a night. The house he was currently in was very comfortable, and he would have to regretfully vacate it in the morning. He knew that he would have to figure something out. He couldn't do this for the rest of his life. It had been two weeks since his arrival, and for the most part, he had hidden himself away from the world. Harry told himself he just needed time to acclimate to his new situation. Two weeks was enough. Living in other people's houses and stealing food from the local grocery stores wasn't a very good long-term plan. Yawning again, Harry grabbed the remote and turned on the television.
"Dumb," he said as a crappy reality TV show came on, and he flipped the channel. "Boring," he stated as a snooker game popped up. He changed the channel again and came upon the evening news.
" … has been missing for over forty-eight hours. Billionaire weapons manufacturer Tony Stark and his military escort were ambushed in Afghanistan by suspected terrorist militants. The bodies of his escort were recovered from the site, but Tony Stark remains missing. Why he was in Afghanistan is unknown, and inquiries to the US Department of Defense have gone unanswered. Tony Stark's personal secretary, Virginia Potts, released a statement earlier today."
The scene then changed to a pretty woman with strawberry blonde hair looking tired and forlorn. Harry didn't pay much attention to her pleas for a safe return. He had his own problems to worry about. However, when she spoke of a reward, Harry put his cup of tea down and listened closer.
"... Stark Industries is offering a five million dollar reward for any information leading to Mr. Stark's safe return. You can remain anonymous, of course. If you have information to share, please get in contact with …"
Harry was paying close attention. Five million dollars could fix a lot of his problems. After the news report changed to something mundane, Harry ignored it and drank his tea. There was a chance that this Tony Stark character was already dead, but she seemed to think otherwise. Perhaps it was blind optimism or being in denial, or maybe she had information that the general public didn't. Either way, Harry was intrigued. He was used to living a chaotic lifestyle, so tracking down a wayward billionaire wasn't exactly out of left field for him. If done correctly, he shouldn't end up in too much danger. There was a very real possibility that he wouldn't be able to find out anything about the whereabouts of Tony Stark, but if that was the case, at least he was getting out of the house and doing something. It was better than sitting on the couch all day and doing nothing. The only problem was that Afghanistan was very far from London, and he wasn't even sure if there were any commercial flights to the war-torn country.
Something strange suddenly came over him. The last two weeks, Harry would fully admit that he was in some kind of funk. Now, however, he was starting to feel like his old self. For the first time since his arrival, Harry felt excited. He had something to do … a purpose. It wasn't exactly saving the world, but at least it was something to take his mind off the fact that he had lost everyone he loved. His body suddenly felt charged and energetic. Harry grabbed the phone book and found the number to Heathrow Airport.
Chapter 2
The trip to Afghanistan was long and uneventful. He first had to sneak aboard a flight to India before transferring to another heading to Kabul. Though the city was very poor, it was in a picturesque area between the Hindu Kush mountains and the Kabul River. Upon arrival, the high altitude caused a headache to form. Harry winced and rubbed his temples. He needed a place to rest and relax. With no money, Harry did the only thing he could.
He made his way to Chicken Street, where most of the city's foreigners spent their time shopping, and found an antiquity shop that appeared to be somewhat high-end. With so few foreigners visiting the city, the shop was deserted. Only a single person was working, and when Harry entered, the man smiled happily. He had barely opened his mouth when Harry hit him in the chest with a Stunner. The man crumpled to the ground. Moving fast, Harry went behind the counter and found the man's money box. Harry pulled out all the Afghani, which was the name of the local currency, and placed it on the counter. With some quick wand work, Harry had made duplicates of the small pile until he had more than enough money to last his trip. The only problem was that all the serial numbers were duplicated as well, but he guessed that no one would take the time to study the numbers of each bill he paid with. He stuffed the counterfeit money into the bag he had taken from Voldemort before making one last duplicate pile. Harry then returned the man's money to the box and countered the Stunner. As the man's eyes fluttered open, and he got to his feet, Harry pointed the Elder Wand at him and said, "Obliviate."
Harry watched as his eyes momentarily glazed over. Harry slipped out of the shop unnoticed as the shop owner's memories of the last few minutes were being erased from his brain. He didn't need to go far to find a hotel. Most of the city's tourists stayed in this area, where shopping, dining, and lodgings were abundant. Harry walked into the first hotel he came upon.
"Do you speak English?" Harry asked hopefully. The man gave a short nod.
"A little," he responded with a heavy accent.
"One room," Harry simply stated, holding up one finger.
"Two hundred and fifty Afghani for one day. One thousand for week," he stated as a foreigner came down the creaky wooden steps from the rooms above. Harry couldn't tell his country of origin, but he thought maybe Indian or Nepalese. The other guest paid them no mind. He just nodded in their direction and left. Harry took the time to pull out a one thousand Afghani note from his small wad of cash and hand it to the hotel worker. He took the note and looked it over before nodding. He reached into his desk and pulled out a weathered key. "Room six," he said and handed Harry the key. Harry was glad they didn't seem to care about nonsensical things like asking for ID. Harry smiled kindly, took the key, and went up the rickety stairs.
The hotel was nothing special. In fact, it was the exact opposite of special. The hallway walls were covered with outdated wallpaper peeling away from the wood in a dozen spots. The wallpaper that was still firmly attached was stained or discolored. The hallway smelled musty, like some of the wood behind the walls was rotting away. Harry didn't mind all that much. He wasn't here for a vacation after all. Room six was hidden behind an old door that once was painted baby blue, but over time, the color had dulled and dirtied until it appeared light gray. Mounted on the wall next to the door was a small sign with the number six written in multiple languages. Harry had to jiggle the key to get it to slide in. Opening the door, he entered before closing and locking it.
Harry was glad to see that the room was in slightly better shape than the hall. The walls weren't rotting, and a faint smell of incense lingered in the air. There wasn't much in the way of amenities. There was no television, radio, mini fridge, and certainly no mint on the pillow. There was an old bed that didn't look too comfortable, a small table by the bed, and a stand-alone cupboard to store his things. This was good enough for him. Harry sat down on the bed and bounced a few times to test its level of comfort. The springs in the mattress squeaked in protest. It wasn't looking too promising. Digging into his bag, Harry found a pain-relieving potion and drank it. Within seconds, his headache dulled into a light throbbing that was manageable. Now that the basics were taken care of, Harry laid down, kicked off his shoes, and took a much-needed nap.
Metal and Magic
Nick Fury studied the photograph closely before setting it down on his desk. As the Director of SHIELD, it was his job to know everything going on in every part of the world. A single mistake could mean dire consequences for the country he was charged to protect. So, as one can imagine, it tended to peeve him when he didn't have all of the facts.
"Where exactly was this taken?" Fury asked, tapping his finger against the photo.
"It was pulled from a covert surveillance video captured by Agent Purja in Kabul. He's the Agent you assigned to the Zargona Hotel last month … Sir," the reporting Agent quickly added.
Fury didn't immediately respond. His mind was going a mile a minute. He had placed Agents in training at all of the tourist hotels in Kabul. Over the last few years, Afghanistan had become a hotspot for those wanting to make a quick buck off the rampant terrorist activities taking place in that part of the world. Two weeks ago, SHIELD had arrested an American Colonel selling landmines to a prominent member of the Ten Rings. Of course, news of the arrest was highly classified. The US government didn't want knowledge of the treason out in the open, and Fury didn't blame them. The black eye from this embarrassment would be far-reaching. This resulted in SHIELD being tasked with keeping tabs on the region. They wanted to know who was coming and going, what the military members were doing in their free time, and who the various foreigners and diplomats were interacting with. It was a tall order, but Fury had never shied away from a challenge. The good news was that SHIELD got a nice bump in its operating budget. This enabled Fury to place dozens of Agents in the ten largest cities in Afghanistan, with the most being in Kabul and Kandahar.
"Zargona?" Fury asked. He couldn't exactly remember all the names of the hotels in Kabul. Many of them sounded similar to his American ears.
"It's on Chicken Street, sir. Agent Purja was assigned to covertly place one of our surveillance nano-cameras in the lobby and remain disguised as a tourist," Fury's underling explained. "We've been able to identify all of the visitors except him. There's no documentation of him legally arriving in Afghanistan, and facial recognition software came up empty."
"What do you know about him?" Fury asked.
"Not much, sir. He arrived three days ago and paid in the local currency for a week upfront. The first day, he stayed in his room … Room Six, to be exact … all night and left at 9:23 in the morning. From what we can gather, he bought a few groceries, returned to his room, and didn't reappear until this morning. He spent the day walking around the local area before returning to his room roughly an hour and a half ago. He hasn't left his room since. He hasn't talked to anyone except a few local shop owners," the underling reported.
"Keep me informed," Fury ordered, and the man nodded. Understanding that he had just been dismissed, the man left Fury's office. Fury pulled out his phone and made a call. "Coulson … my office," was all he said before disconnecting. It wasn't long before Agent Coulson knocked on his door. "Enter," Fury called out.
Agent Phil Coulson was an unassuming man with a kind face. Anyone who met him would never believe he worked for one of the world's premiere spy agencies. Coulson entered and remained quiet. Fury wasn't one for small talk. "I want you to contact Agent Purja. I want him to gather intel on this man," Fury told him, holding up the photo of a handsome young man with messy, black hair. "And I want to know the purpose of his visit and how he got there."
Metal and Magic
It took a few days, but eventually, Harry's body became acclimated to the city's high elevation. With that problem taken care of, he could begin the task he went there for. Unfortunately, he didn't really know where to start. He didn't speak the language, and it wasn't like the terrorists were offering guided tours of their camp. The only thing he could think of was to find someone who had a starting point, and since Tony Stark was a big-time weapons manufacturer for the US military, Harry guessed that they were looking long and hard for the man. Harry had done his research before leaving London, and as luck would have it, a large US military base was not far from the city. That was his best bet for some answers. Of course, they wouldn't just give them to him. Before leaving his room, Harry grabbed his bag, which held all of his possessions, and added some magical protections to the room. It was a habit he had gained from his war with the Dark Lord. He pulled out a map he had purchased in London and found the small dot he had drawn on it. That was the approximate location of the base. It was northeast of Kabul, near the heavily mountainous region that bordered Pakistan. Apparently, that was where many of the terrorists had their base of operations. It was easy to hide in the caves and man-made tunnels that crisscrossed the mountains. This made it easy for them to sneak back and forth into Pakistan and evade capture. If Harry had to guess, he would say that this was the area where Stark and his party were ambushed. It would have been all too easy for the terrorists to ambush the convoy and take Stark into the nearby mountains.
Harry stepped out into the night and moved through an alley, out of sight. He then pulled a compass out of his pocket and ignited his wand. Harry turned his body until he was facing the northeast. Stuffing the compass and wand into his pocket, Harry transformed into his raven form and took off into the night sky. As much as he loved flying, he wasn't looking forward to a long night of flying, but sadly, there was nothing to be done about it.
Every half an hour or so, Harry would land and transform back to his normal self and check the heading on his compass to ensure he wasn't going off course. He traveled for seven hours, and the only saving grace was that because the region was so mountainous, plenty of updrafts allowed him to glide for long distances. Once he was in the correct area, it took another hour to find the military base. Powerful lights brightly illuminated the large complex of buildings and towers. Spotlights lit up the area surrounding the outer gates where armed guards were stationed. First, he landed a fair distance away and made a mental apparation point in case he needed to come back. With that done, he flew back into the sky. Harry wasn't going to risk landing outside the gates. He had no way of knowing whether the ground was laced with landmines or not. To play it safe, Harry landed on top of a light tower and studied the base from above. Though unsure if he was correct in his assumption, Harry figured the commanding officer would be somewhere in the middle of the base where it was safest. Flying down from the tower, Harry landed in a dark, shadowed area, transformed, and made himself invisible. Safe from visually being spotted, Harry began checking the buildings. He first explored the smallest ones since he didn't think a commander would live in one of the large warehouses.
The first one he entered was completely dark. Harry closed the door behind him as quietly as possible and ignited his wand. Finding the light switch, Harry flicked it on and cut the Lumos. Harry discovered it was an office, so he immediately went through the desk and filing cabinets. It took around fifteen minutes before he realized this wasn't the place. He slid the filing cabinet drawer closed just as the doorknob turned. Harry quickly got to his feet, his heart thumping in his chest. He looked at his hands to make sure he was still invisible and quietly moved to the corner of the room. The door opened, and an armed guard slowly stepped over the threshold. When he came in sight, Harry saw an assault rifle flat against his chest with a finger on the trigger. The soldier stopped and looked around the room with a confused expression. He then stepped further in and slowly turned. Harry didn't make a move and held his breath. As soon as the soldier's back was to him, Harry stunned him and caught his falling body before it could loudly hit the floor. Laying him down quietly, Harry quickly closed the door. 'He must have seen the light through the crack in the door,' Harry guessed. Harry exhaled deeply and tried to calm himself. It was a close call.
Harry was coming up with a plan when he suddenly thought of something else. He knelt by the man's head and pointed his wand at him. "Legilimens," Harry quietly encanted. He poured through the soldier's upper layers of his mind. Harry wasn't a pro regarding Legilimency, but he had practiced on several captured Death Eaters in the past. He had gotten good enough to pull useful information from the subject, but he still couldn't traverse the deeper levels of the mind where long-kept secrets and desires were usually hidden. Thankfully, that kind of expertise wasn't needed most of the time. Images flashed through Harry's mind, and he used his magic to slow them down. Manipulating the magic, Harry made the soldier focus on the layout of the military base. "Got it," Harry smiled happily as he discovered the location of the office and sleeping quarters of the commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Morrison. Once he had the information, Harry ended the spell. He looked down at the unconscious soldier. Doing what he did to the shop owner would be too risky. Quite a few guards were constantly patrolling the base, so the chance of him being discovered was high. No, his best bet was to leave the man there, so that's what Harry did. He levitated the unconscious body to the corner of the room and rested it against the wall. The soldier would remain unconscious for at least several hours. On Harry's way out, he turned off the light.
Skulking his way to the C.O.'s office was a little more difficult than he would have liked. The patrols were heavier in that part of the base, but luckily, Harry made it through undiscovered. Upon trying to enter, Harry found the door locked. A quick Alohamora took care of that. Harry slipped in and refrained from turning on the light. A desk lamp was still on, which provided more than enough light to see. There was another door in the far corner of the room, and Harry could hear loud snoring from behind it. He tested the doorknob and found it locked as well. Harry unlocked it with another piece of magic and slowly pushed it open. The room inside was small but comfortable-looking. It had a dresser with a TV sitting on top. Another door was probably hiding a private bathroom, Harry wagered. A queen-sized bed was against the wall to Harry's right, with Morrison sleeping on it. The snoring suddenly stopped, and he mumbled something in his sleep. He rolled over, and Harry quickly stunned him as well. The man went silent. Harry left the door open and went back into the office area. It only took a quick glance to see a combination safe behind the desk. It was no match for Harry's magic. With a wave of his wand, the door creaked open. Inside were a dozen or so folders marked CLASSIFIED with large, red block letters printed across the side. Harry pulled them out and sat down at the desk.
The first four folders Harry looked over dealt with plans for upcoming attacks and a casualty report from an ambush they had experienced. It was the fifth folder that told him what he needed to know.
According to the report, Tony Stark had demonstrated his new Jericho missile to the United States Air Force. On his way back to Bagram Air Base, which was an Air Force base that was further to the west of his location, Stark's escort was attacked by terrorists. The higher-ups believe it was targeted specifically to kidnap Stark. The location of the ambush was detailed on a map. Harry studied it closer. The attack occurred in the Kunar Province near Asadabad. They believed that Stark was taken north into the mountains. With this new information in hand, Harry made magical copies of the folder and placed everything back as it was. He closed the door to the bedroom and apparated back to his room in Kabul.
Metal and Magic
The following day found Harry soaring through the sky while looking for the exact location of the ambush. The general location was marked on the map, but the exact spot took more work to find. Harry was very thankful he didn't have to make the entire trip again. He simply apparated just outside the Army base and made his way from there. When he finally did find the spot, it couldn't tell him much. There were small bits of twisted and scorched metal scattered throughout, and the ground was pockmarked from small explosions. Not seeing anything useful, Harry pulled out the classified report from his bag and reviewed it again. They had visited the site and did what was basically a crime scene investigation. The bodies of the servicemen were removed, as were the destroyed vehicles. One part of the report mentioned that Tony Stark's cell phone was found next to a large rock on the side of the dirt road. They thought that he might have hidden behind it to take cover from the attack. Blood samples were taken from the area. Harry looked around and found the only rock large enough to hide behind. He went over there and looked around.
There was a small crater nearby, and as Harry examined the area closer, he found the spot on the ground with patches of congealed blood mixed with dirt. Some of it was missing, likely having been dug up and collected by the investigators. Harry didn't know if this was Tony Stark's blood or not, but since it was so close to the spot where his phone was recovered, he thought there was a good chance it was.
"Brilliant!" Harry said, excited by the prospect. He shoved the folder back into his bag and pulled out a book he had read in London. It was all about Blood Magic. He flipped through the pages until he found the right one. "Blood Tracing," Harry read.
Blood Tracing was a form of magical tracking, though most of the time, it was fairly useless. The magic couldn't track anyone through wards, so most of the magical community was safe without even trying. Because of this, no one ever used it or even talked about it. Harry had never heard about it until he read the book. Stark, however, certainly wasn't hidden behind wards. Harry read everything in the book about it before pulling out the necessary items. Within minutes, he had a small fire going and set a very small copper cauldron above it. Into the cauldron, he poured water he had produced from his wand and waited for it to boil. Once the water was boiling, Harry dumped in a measured amount of powdered dragon claw and a squill bulb. Harry stirred the mixture until the bulb dissolved completely. The potion turned from clear to the color of gunpowder. Harry continued stirring until the gray liquid formed a purplish sheen on the surface. Harry then added some of the bloodied dirt he collected from the ground. He hoped the dirt wouldn't affect the potion too much. To help counter this, Harry added a small amount of octopus powder to help strengthen the effect. He was glad to hear that the liquid began producing a high-pitched keening sound right before purple bubbles formed on the surface. The last step was to drop in a small amount of Occamy egg shells. He pulled out a few small chunks of the pure silver shells and dropped them in. Now, he had to wait until the keening stopped. The book said it could take anywhere from twenty minutes to an hour and a half, depending on how fresh the blood sample was. Harry had to wait just over an hour before the sound stopped. Harry levitated the cauldron off the fire and dumped the contents onto the ground. As the liquid poured out, a small lump of silver fell onto the ground, slowly rolling away. Harry quickly grabbed it and held it in his palm. The silver lump moved on its own and tumbled end over end in the direction of the blood's owner. Checking his compass, Harry discovered the silver was moving north. From the report, Harry knew that the bodies of Stark's escort were taken back to Bagram, and that was to the west. Excitement filled him, and he quickly packed up his belongings. Harry checked again and got an exact heading before taking flight.
Metal and Magic
Harry had to stop dozens of times to make sure he was going in the right direction. He would place the piece of silver on the ground and carefully watch the direction it moved. Most of his journey was spent crossing the desert toward the mountains. When he reached the mountains, he didn't fly for more than half an hour before he spotted something. There was a large cave entrance, and around it were what appeared to be military crates covered in camouflage netting. Harry spotted seven men walking around. Each one was wearing clothes that were army green, but they weren't military uniforms. All of them had automatic rifles on their backs or in their hands. Harry flew past it and landed a short distance away. He checked the silver again and found it rolled back toward the cave. Nodding to himself, Harry took a short break and came up with a plan.
Sneaking in and out might be doable, but Harry wouldn't count on it. He didn't know how big the caves were, and there might be very little room to move around. To top it off, if Stark was being kept in there, there would probably be more than a few guards inside. Those crates outside the cave probably weren't toys for tots, either. These men were dangerous and had already killed an entire escort just to get to Stark. One wrong move on his part and they probably wouldn't hesitate to shoot first and ask questions later. In a small cave, the chances of him being hit by an errant bullet was high. Harry didn't like hurting people, but the war he lived through taught him never to hesitate to put a madman down. Hit them hard and fast and don't give them a chance to fire back, Moody had told him more than once. They were good words to live by, Harry had learned. He flew back to the cave entrance and landed behind a large boulder overlooking the small, rocky clearing. He changed back into a human and made himself invisible. What he needed was a distraction.
Four of the seven men were lounging together on one side of the clearing. Three were sitting on the crates, while another was smoking a few feet away. Harry took a deep breath and aimed his wand. Out of the tip erupted a stream of napalm that arched through the air and enveloped the men and crates. That was when the screams began. Harry moved a short distance away, just in case someone saw where the fire was coming from and blindly fired in that direction. Thankfully, he didn't need to worry. As the four men stumbled while being completely consumed with fire, the crates exploded so violently that Harry was knocked back several feet.
"Shit!" Harry groaned as he landed hard on a rock. His ass would be bruised tomorrow, he guessed. 'What the hell is in those crates?' he asked himself as he got back to his feet. He looked down at the devastated clearing. The fire had spread to the other side, and the netting that was covering the other crates was starting to burn. The three men who weren't outright killed were panicking and trying to move the remaining crates by hand. Men flooded from the entrance, confused as to what was going on. The three men were shouting in a language that Harry didn't understand, but the message was clear. They were on high alert and looking around for their attacker. Harry looked around and found a better vantage point that would offer him some protection. Apparating over to it, Harry fired a Blasting Curse at the crates and ducked behind a large rock. The explosion was just as big as the first. A fireball shot up into the sky, and Harry heard pieces of metal hitting the rock in front of him. He was nearly hit by a large chunk of metal plating that landed beside him. As it came to a rest, Harry read Stark Industries printed on the side in white script. Confused as to why these terrorists possessed Stark Industries weapons, Harry decided to collect the evidence and shot some water on it to cool it down. He grabbed the piece of metal and stuffed it into his bag.
When he looked back down at the clearing, most of it was covered in fire and debris. Everyone that was out there was gone. Harry couldn't spot a single body remaining. He slowly climbed down the uneven rocks and dropped down at the entrance. Harry peeked in and found two guards further down the entrance. They were both pointing their guns at the entrance and shaking badly. It was easy to see they were scared shitless. Harry silently summoned one of them with his wand. The man screamed in fright as his body was magically ripped from the safety of the cave. He flew through the air and even let off a few accidental rounds with his rifle that ricocheted off the cave wall. Harry flung his body into the fire and tried to ignore the man's agonizing screams. The other man cried out in terror and ran further into the cave. Harry followed after him. He moved slowly and quietly. The man was obviously scared and would shoot at the slightest sound or movement. When Harry heard the sound of a heavy metal door opening, Harry picked up the pace. He ran around the corner just in time to see the man letting go of the door to get inside. Harry flicked his wand and slammed the door shut just as he was entering the room. His body was crushed between the door and the frame. Harry heard several bones break with a sickening crunch. The man dropped to the floor and cried out pitifully. Harry summoned him, and his body slid painfully across the cave floor. Harry wasn't one to execute a man already down for the count. Besides, his injuries were severe, and the chance of his survival was slim at best, especially in this part of the country. Harry stunned him and vanished his gun.
With no one else in sight, Harry looked into the room and found two men standing together. Both looked a little worse for wear. He didn't recognize the first man, but the second was unmistakable. He had just found Tony Stark.
Chapter 3
The two men scooted further from the door. Neither looked like they wanted to be the first to peek their head out. Harry didn't blame them. He wouldn't want to either. Harry pointed his wand at the first and gave it a little wave. The sleeping spell instantly took effect. The unknown man blinked a few times before becoming unsteady on his feet. "Yinsen? Are you alright?" Stark asked, sounding genuinely concerned. Harry took advantage of his distraction and placed Stark under the spell as well. Within a minute, both men were on the ground, fully asleep. Harry stepped into the room and looked around.
It looked like a medieval blacksmith shop, Harry thought. However, there were bits of high-tech equipment around. Not wanting to stick around too long in case backup quickly arrived, Harry transfigured both men into small stone statues and stuffed them into his bag. Another explosion outside told him it was a good time to get out. Harry spun on the spot and disappeared with a near-silent pop.
A short time later, Harry appeared in his rented room and found it exactly as he had left it. The temporary wards hadn't detected anyone entering. Harry placed his bag on the table and sat down on the edge of the bed. He breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Grabbing his only empty glass, Harry magically cleaned it before filling it with water from his wand. There was no way he would risk drinking the tap water from this decrepit building. He tapped the glass again and made the water frosty cold. Harry drank greedily from the glass until only a small amount was left. He then splashed the remaining water on his hot face and wiped it with his hand.
The first part of his mission was done, but he would have to think about the second part. Getting his reward while remaining anonymous was going to be a little tricky. It wasn't like they would just trust his word and send over the money. Harry didn't even have a bank account. Thankfully, with Stark in his possession, he had plenty of time to devise a plan.
Metal and Magic
Fury rubbed his temples to try and help alleviate some of the stress that was beginning to build up. As the Director of SHIELD, there would always be incidents that taxed his nerves, but one thing he wouldn't tolerate was incompetence. Agent Purja had failed him in every way possible. His target would come and go as he pleased, and Purja seemed unable to keep track of him. Not only that, he hadn't even broken into the man's room to search for intel. When asked why, Agent Purja couldn't give a good excuse. Of course, Fury outright ordered him to get into the man's room, but even that didn't help. After some time of not hearing back from him, Fury contacted Purja himself for an update. The nervously stuttering Agent told him that he had tried but became distracted and was forced to quickly retreat to his room. Fury asked what had distracted him enough to disobey a direct order. His answer was less than helpful.
"I D-Don't know, sir. I can't remember," was what he had told Fury. Needless to say, that Agent would be on the first flight back home as soon as they could replace him. A knock on his office door captured his attention.
"Enter!" he called out in a gruff voice. Good manners had long since gone out the window. Coulson entered the office and shut the door behind him.
"News from Afghanistan," he said, handing Fury a file.
"Is it about our mystery target?" Fury asked, hoping for some good news on that front. He opened the file and began looking at a picture. It was an overview shot of a cave encampment that looked like it had been through hell. Debris and scorched rocks filled the photo, and heavy smoke plumes flowed horizontally across the rocky ground, pushed by the stiff mountain wind.
"No, sir. An attack just occurred in the mountains of Kunar, not far from the ambush site where Tony Stark went missing," Coulson shared. This immediately grabbed Fury's attention. Tony Stark was a major weapons manufacturer for the United States military and provided sophisticated weapons that no other company could provide. His falling into enemy hands was a danger Fury could have done without.
"Who attacked the camp?" Fury asked, sitting up a little straighter.
"We don't know, sir. The attack happened over five hours ago and …"
"And we're only hearing about this now?!" Fury angrily asked. He didn't like being kept in the dark. Sometimes, you only have a moment to react, and any delay could be the difference between life and death.
"The US Air Force … You know how they can be," was all Coulson could say. Fury gritted his teeth in annoyance. The military didn't like sharing their info despite the fact that they were playing on the same team. They would share that information eventually, but only after it was outdated and useless. "We had to use a high-altitude drone to capture these photos, and our cyber security team was able to scrape a bit of info from the Air Force's secure database," Coulson added before Fury truly blew his top.
"So, what do we know?" Fury asked, flipping through the sparse pages.
"Not much … They're being very hush-hush about the whole situation. That's practically a confirmation that something significant happened there," Coulson reasoned. Fury nodded in response.
"I agree. I'll make a few calls and force it out of them. In the meantime, keep digging," Fury told him. Before Coulson could reply, his phone rang. Coulson flipped it open and answered the call.
"Coulson," he said as he held it to his ear. "Yes … Well, find out where he's gone, or there will be hell to pay," he stated, sounding none-too-pleased. He snapped the phone shut a little harder than necessary.
"That was Keefer. Agent Purja finally got into his target's room. It was completely cleared out. He's nowhere to be found, and the surveillance camera didn't record him leaving. He did find a couple of useable fingerprints, but no matches came up when they ran them," Coulson told him.
Fury sighed and pinched the area between his eyes. His day was just getting better and better.
Metal and Magic
Harry had to admit that the weather in Los Angeles was much better than London's. It was sunny with blue skies, and there wasn't a cloud to be seen. Beautiful blondes in short skirts walked down the sidewalk, drawing the eyes of every guy around them, including his. This was his first visit to the States, and he was already seriously considering setting up shop here. While he loved London, Harry really felt he needed a change, and he would soon be able to afford one with the money he was about to get. It had been nearly four days since he rescued Tony Stark from the terrorists, and he would need to make the exchange soon. It wasn't good to keep a living human in a transfigured state for too long. Harry chose to come to Los Angeles for the simple fact that Stark Industries was based out of the city. Stark's assistant, who Harry learned was nicknamed Pepper, lived close by. She was the one he needed to contact.
He first found some temporary lodgings. There were plenty of houses in LA that were empty. Harry chose one up in the hills that was being refurbished. By the looks of it, the contractors wouldn't be back to work for a while. Harry didn't know if they were taking their sweet time or if the homeowner didn't have the money to continue. A few wards on the property would keep anyone from trying to enter while he was there. He doubted anyone would since he would only be there a short time. Once inside the house, Harry removed the transfigured men from his bag and changed them back. A couple of quick Stunners made sure they were out cold. Harry then pulled out a prepaid cell phone he had stolen from the airport and used its camera to take pictures of the two men lying on the floor. He was planning on sending them to Pepper Potts as proof. However, something else caught his attention. When he had first found Tony Stark in the cave, Harry noticed something glowing under his shirt. It radiated a steady blue light. Now, however, the light was flickering. Harry knelt next to him and lifted his dirty, smelly shirt. Harry was repulsed by what he saw. A metal circle appeared to have been implanted into the middle of his upper chest.
"What kind of a nutty world am I in?" Harry asked himself as he examined it closer. It smelled kind of weird and not at all pleasant. Harry tapped on it with his finger, and it stopped flickering for a second. He tapped it harder, and finally, the flickering light turned steady again. He wasn't sure what that thing's purpose was. Was it some type of life support system? Stark was breathing steadily and didn't look pale or clammy, so there was no doubt he was still alive and at least somewhat well. 'I need to make the exchange quick before he keels over. Otherwise, I'll never get my money,' Harry told himself as he pulled the man's shirt back down.
Harry went into his bag and found the phone number for Stark Industries' main headquarters. He dialed it up and waited. No one answered. He dialed again. No one answered. He looked at Stark unimpressed. "They really don't want you back that badly, do they?" Harry snorted. He dialed again, and this time someone answered. Harry poorly attempted to change his voice by lowering it.
"I need to speak with Miss Potts," Harry said after listening to the customary corporate greeting from the front desk.
"Please leave your name, number, and …"
"This is regarding Tony Stark's whereabouts. I suggest you put me through," Harry stated a little more forcefully. The line went silent for a moment, and Harry thought she might be talking to her supervisor or something.
"Hold the line, please … I'm transferring you to Miss Potts' office," the female voice told him. Annoying elevator music suddenly began playing while Harry stayed on the line.
"Hello?" a female voice joined the line. "Who is this?"
"I'd prefer to remain anonymous. I have Tony Stark in my possession here in LA, and I'm willing to hand him over for …"
"I don't know what kind of sick game you're playing, but if you attempt to contact me again, I'll press charges. Goodbye," she exclaimed while sounding very annoyed. The line suddenly went dead. Harry looked at the phone with astonishment. Chances of him getting his reward were slimming by the minute. Harry sighed and stuffed the phone into his pocket. There was only one way he was going to get his money now. Harry conjured a white mask and put it over his face. He then pulled a bottle of water from his bag and woke Tony Stark.
Harry watched as his eyes slowly opened. At first, they were hazy and confused, but then he shot up into a sitting position and looked around wildly. "What's going on?" he asked in confusion. He then saw the other man lying next to him and crawled over to check on him. "Yinsen?" he called out while gently shaking him. He didn't wake up. Harry stepped into his view and made himself known.
"He's fine. He'll wake up in a few hours," Harry told him. Tony spun around and faced him.
"Where am I?" he asked, looking around. "The last thing I remember is that I was in the cave, and explosions were going off outside." Tony rubbed his forehead. He looked very stressed.
"Some of my finer work," Harry bragged. "I'm not sure if any of your captors survived." Tony looked at him like he was nuts, and it didn't appear as though he believed Harry.
"Are you CIA or military?" Tony asked him in a hoarse voice. Harry handed him the bottle of water, and Tony quickly cracked it open and drank half of it in one go.
"Neither," Harry simply replied.
"So, what agency are you with?" Tony pushed for answers.
"I work solo," Harry told him. Tony snorted, still not believing him.
"So you blew up a bunch of terrorists and rescued me out of the kindness of your heart?"
"Not exactly. I saw Pepper Potts on the news asking for your safe return in exchange for a five-million-dollar reward. That was an offer I couldn't pass up," Harry said. The news of his bounty probably didn't shock him.
"Only five million?!" Tony exclaimed, insulted by the low amount. He then shook his head sadly. "I really need to have a talk with that girl. She should have offered at least twenty."
"Whether it's five or twenty doesn't matter at the moment. I just called her, and she verbally berated me before hanging up," Harry comically confessed. "Maybe she's better off without you."
"That's a damn lie!" Tony clamored, standing up. "Pepper is probably just too broken up to think straight. All those sleepless nights of her gently weeping into her pillow have finally caught up with her. I'm the heart and soul of the entire company. Besides, you're probably a terrible negotiator," Tony said, looking at Harry unimpressed.
"My hostage negotiation skills are top-notch, I'll have you know!" Harry bowed-up. "Pepper probably already moved into your home, drove your cars, and toasted your demise with your own overpriced champagne. I wouldn't be surprised if she's used your money to become the sugar mama of some young stallion. They're probably doing it in your bed right now."
"Oh, you don't know what you're talking about," Tony waved away his conclusion while pulling a face at the thought of Pepper getting railed in his bed. "Pepper can't function without me. That's why she hung up on you. Her brain's malfunctioning. I need to get back as soon as possible and ease that poor girl's suffering," he concluded before making a face. He lifted his arm and sniffed the pit stain on his shirt. "I also need a shower ASAP."
"On that last part, I one hundred percent agree …," Harry said, waving his hand in front of his face to waft away Tony's stink fumes. "... but there's still the matter of my enormous but well-deserved fee," Harry responded, greedily rubbing his fingers together.
"Don't worry. You'll get paid," Tony said while calling him a greedy bastard under his breath.
"And I'm supposed to take your word for it?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Hey! I always pay my bills. A cool five-mil is nothing to me. I spend more than that on a night in Vegas," Tony told him while examining the circular light thing in his chest. While Tony was distracted, Harry thought about it and concluded that he would likely pay.
"Fair enough … but I want it in cash. I'll contact Pepper again in three days under the name Alfonso. I'll tell her where and when you can make the drop, and remember, no funny business," Harry warned.
"So … You're just going to let me go now?" Tony asked, surprised it was so easy. Harry shrugged.
"I found you once, and I can easily find you again if you decide to cheap out on me," Harry let that threat hang in the air. "Tell Pepper not to hang up on me again," he added, grabbing his bag. "I'd go easy on that water," Harry said with a small smile hidden by the mask. "It's going to be a long and hard journey home," he chuckled as he walked through the bedroom door.
Metal and Magic
Tony hadn't even thought about his current location. As far as he knew, he was still somewhere in Afghanistan. He went to the window and pulled the curtains apart. He winced and shied away from the window when a blinding light hit him in the face. Partially covering his eyes, he looked around and found that he was on a street containing higher-end houses. He went to the bedroom door and ripped it open. The masked man was nowhere to be seen. Tony went downstairs and out the front door. Looking around wildly, he spotted two young caucasian women walking down the sidewalk in his direction. He ran up to them and grabbed one of their biceps. "What country am I in?" he asked, sounding like a madman.
"Eww! Get away from me, you homeless crackhead!" she responded harshly and pulled her arm from his grip. The girls walked a little faster away from him, only looking back to toss him a couple of dirty looks. Tony scratched his head, partially because he was confused and possibly because his scalp might have been infested with lice. Tony spotted a car parked on the other side of the road. He stumbled across the asphalt road and looked at the license plate. It read California across the top. He immediately knew where he was. There was only one city he knew where a hot, young blonde would call him a homeless crackhead.
"How the hell did I get to LA?" he asked himself, scratching his scalp again.
Metal and Magic
Harry had moved to a hotel after leaving Tony at the house. He just found a room that wasn't occupied and made himself at home. Like at the previous house, Harry warded the door to keep anyone from bothering him. Before leaving Tony behind, Harry removed the temporary wards from the house so as not to cause problems. Later that night, practically every television channel talked about the same thing … the sudden emergence of billionaire playboy Tony Stark. Tony hadn't held a press conference yet, so the media could only speculate. Once the channels returned to their regular programming, Harry took a much-needed shower and got into bed. He laid awake for a while thinking. What did he want to do with his life? The answer to that was murky.
He had never lived a normal life. His early life with the Dursleys was fairly shitty, but luckily, he had escaped to Hogwarts. Life in the magical world was chaotic, to say the least. Then came the war. Harry had never had a chance to be normal, and now, he wasn't sure if he could. Harry didn't know if he even wanted to. He couldn't imagine having a regular nine-to-five job while earning just enough to live comfortably. He was too used to the chaos. Hell, he thrived in it. Rescuing Stark's sorry ass was proof of that. Sadly, the opportunity to earn a huge sum of money while rescuing billionaires from dangerous situations was probably few and far between. Harry could retire early, sit on a tropical beach, and drink pina coladas all day, but he knew he would quickly get bored of that. He wasn't destined for a quiet life filled with relaxation. He rolled over onto his side and pulled the blanket to his chin. A decision didn't need to be made now, or any time soon, Harry told himself. For the first time in a long time, he had all the time in the world.
Metal and Magic
It seemed like SHIELD could never stay on top of things recently. Nick Fury pulled a flask from inside his black leather trench coat and screwed off the top. He took a quick swig from it before placing the cap back on and returning to the inside pocket of his jacket. The expensive whiskey went down smooth and warmed his belly. He didn't drink on the job often, but sometimes, a shot or two was needed to keep himself from punching someone. Tony Stark suddenly appeared in Los Angeles, and none of his agents could figure out how in the hell it had happened.
As far as he knew, Stark should have been in Afghanistan or possibly Pakistan. Then, there was the attack on the militant camp that turned out to be operated by the criminal organization known as the Ten Rings. After making a few calls and demanding answers, Fury discovered that all signs pointed to Stark having been kept there. There wasn't much left when the US military pulled their thumbs out of their ass and got down there to investigate. Fury guessed that the Ten Rings had done a good job clearing out any valuable intel before disappearing deeper into the mountains. However, they apparently didn't have the time to clean up. Blood samples and fingerprints matching Tony Stark's were found inside a holding cell in the cave. The military concluded that either Stark was killed in the attack, moved after the attack, or captured by the attacking force. However it went down, Stark was nowhere to be found … until today.
Tony Stark showed up in Los Angeles with another man who was a mystery to Fury. No one suspected that the Ten Rings had gotten their hands on Professor Ho Yinsen, a physicist and engineer from Timbetpal who had gone missing in Vietnam. Terrorist organizations didn't just kidnap a physicist and weapon designer for the shits and giggles. They were cooking up something good. Fury would bet his good eye on it. Thankfully, Lady Luck was on their side, and they had somehow escaped or were freed. Fury didn't yet know exactly how they had ended up back in America, but come hell or high water, he was going to find out. He had already put his best men on it.
Metal and Magic
Harry spent the next couple of days doing touristy things while keeping an eye out for a good drop-off point. He ended up finding a good spot that was open enough that he would see anyone trying to close in on him while providing enough cover to let him make a quick and clean escape. When the time came, Harry made the call. He spoke with the front desk again and asked for Pepper. He made sure to use his fake name. The transfer was quick, and Pepper's familiar voice rang through.
"Good evening, Miss Potts," Harry greeted her. "Do you have the cash ready?"
"Yes, but I can't drop it off alone," she stated nervously.
"You don't need to worry, Miss Potts. I have no intention of harming you," Harry assured her.
"It's not that. The money is in five large bags, and altogether, they weigh one hundred and thirty pounds. I can't carry it alone," she informed him. Harry hadn't thought about that.
"That's fine. You can get others to help you but only bring enough to do the job. Go to the Hollywood sign in one hour. Behind the sign, just out of reach of the light, there's a large shrub directly behind the letter Y. Place the bags behind the bush and leave. I'll be watching," Harry said and hung up the phone.
One hour later, Harry was invisible and sitting on top of the large white D, waiting for them to show up. It was another five minutes before he heard footsteps in the distance. As they got closer, Harry heard heavy breathing.
"Couldn't he have picked a place with nice, flat ground?" Harry heard Tony's voice. It was clear he was struggling with the terrain. Just then, three people came out of the darkness and into the light. Tony was leading the way, carrying two large duffle bags. Behind him was Pepper, who was holding one bag. Harry didn't recognize the man behind her, but he also carried two bags.
"These damn bags are heavy!" the other man grunted. "Who knew money weighs so much?"
"Shh! Quiet Happy. We don't know who's here," Pepper said nervously. She had her head on a swivel and was continuously looking around like she expected an ambush at any moment.
They momentarily stopped in the light and looked for the bush Harry had indicated. "There," Pepper said, pointing at the correct bush. They moved out of the light and went behind the bush. Harry could barely see them. When they moved back into the light, they were no longer carrying the bags.
"You're welcome … Jackass!" Tony called out, knowing Harry was watching. Harry snorted to himself as they walked away. He waited for a few minutes until they were out of sight. Harry then waited a few more to make sure no one else was coming. He then apparated behind the bush and made himself visible. He placed his bag on the floor and opened it up. Taking each heavy duffle bag, Harry stuffed them into his bag and closed it up. With his payment secure, Harry apparated back to the hotel room.
Metal and Magic
"Did you see that?" Hawkeye asked his partner as they looked down at the drop-off point from higher up the hill. Each had a pair of military-grade binoculars and was expertly hiding in the shadows. Unknown to Tony Stark, all his personal and business communications were being monitored by SHIELD at Director Fury's order. It was then that they discovered that Stark was somehow brought back to Los Angeles by an unknown savior. They were very lucky that Stark liked to run his mouth constantly. The reason for his rescue and release was simple … money. Stark had a five-million-dollar reward hanging over his head. That much money was a big motivating factor, Hawkeye knew. Hawkeye and Black Widow were charged with collecting intel when they overheard a call to Pepper Potts about the upcoming drop-off. The male voice on the line was captured and run through the system for comparison. No matches came up. With a little less than an hour to get everything set up, they did the best they could. They had multiple cameras recording in night vision and thermal IR pointed squarely at the bush.
"I saw it," his partner, Natasha Romanoff, responded as she looked on. "He just appeared, took the money, and disappeared. Where the hell did he go? Where did the money go? There's no way he could carry all those bags by himself," she asked quietly. The whole situation perplexed her.
"I have no idea," Hawkeye said, taking out his thermal imager and sweeping the area. There was nothing to be seen except a few small animals scurrying across the ground. "Let's stay here for a while and see what happens. Then we can go and check the footage. You better go and report this to Fury, or he'll blow a gasket," Hawkeye warned his partner. Natasha nodded her head and slipped into the darkness to make a call.