Rain slicked the streets into mirrors of fire and chaos.
Sirens screamed in the distance, their wails bouncing off glass and steel. Smoke curled upward in thick columns, blending with low clouds. The air shimmered with heat as unstable Extremis signatures burned through the city like living explosives, each one a walking catastrophe waiting to happen.
And then Impact.
Eli hit the ground in a controlled drop, concrete cracking beneath his feet, but not shattering. He landed low, one hand on the pavement, already reading the scene.
His eyes locked onto the first target.
The Extremis subject lunged forward, body glowing like an open furnace, a civilian gripped in one hand like a shield.
Eli moved.
Fast wasn't the right word. Fast was too slow. He crossed the distance, appearing between the attacker and the civilian in the space between heartbeats. His hand snapped forward, catching the Extremis user's wrist before the next strike could land.
Heat surged.
Enough to melt steel.
Eli held.
"Hey," he said calmly, meeting the attacker's wild, burning eyes. "We don't throw people. It's bad manners."
The Extremis subject roared, Eli twisted.
Using the attacker's own momentum, he redirected the force downward, slamming them into the pavement, Away from the civilian.
The ground cracked. The Extremis glow flickered from the impact.
The civilian stumbled back, unharmed, staring at Eli like he'd just materialized from a dream.
"Good catch," came Tony's voice over comms. "Very heroic. Very marketable. We should get that on camera."
"Working on my brand," Eli replied.
The Extremis subject surged back up, Eli was already gone.
Above the street, another signature hovered, energy flaring violently as they hurled fire at fleeing pedestrians.
Eli launched upward.
Air compressed beneath him
BOOM
He broke into the sky, closing the distance in a heartbeat.
The Extremis operative reacted fast, faster than the first. Blasts of superheated energy tore through the air in rapid succession.
Eli twisted mid-flight, movements sharp, precise, almost effortless. Every arc of energy missed him by inches, passing through space he'd occupied a fraction of a second before.
"Okay," Tony muttered, tracking the feed. "I'm starting to think you're showing off now."
"I'm not—"
Eli ducked another blast, flipped over it, and drove his elbow straight into the target's center mass.
Impact.
The air rippled.
The Extremis operative was launched backward, Eli followed instantly.
No hesitation. No wasted motion.
He grabbed the target mid-air, redirected the momentum, and slammed them straight down into an empty alley.
Controlled. Contained.
No civilians. No collateral.
The ground cratered. The Extremis glow flickered, sputtered, died.
Eli landed lightly on the edge of the crater. "Two down."
"You're making me look bad," Tony replied.
"You were already doing that yourself."
"Wow. I create one hero and suddenly I'm obsolete. This is how it feels, huh? This is how parents feel when their kids become more successful."
A scream cut through the street.
Eli turned.
Third target.
Charging straight through traffic like a battering ram. Cars flipped aside like toys. Civilians scattered in every direction.
"Got eyes," Eli said.
"Try not to let him—"
Eli was already moving.
He sprinted forward, speed building instantly, feet barely touching the ground. Rain sheared off him in waves.
At the last second—
He jumped.
The world slowed.
The Extremis subject swung a molten fist—
Eli twisted mid-air, catlike, fluid. The blow passed harmlessly over his head.
He caught the arm.
Redirected the momentum.
Used the force against them.
And flipped the entire body over his shoulder in a perfect arc.
The Extremis user slammed into the ground, the impact driving the air from their lungs.
Eli didn't stop.
He drove a palm strike into the chest—not brute force, but precision. The energy burst outward into the pavement instead of detonating. The street cracked in a spiderweb pattern, steam rising from fresh fractures.
The Extremis subject collapsed.
Alive.
Out.
Contained.
Eli exhaled. "Three."
There was a brief pause on the comms.
Then: "…Okay, I'm officially concerned," Tony said.
"Why?" Eli asked, already scanning for the next signature.
"You just handled three walking explosions like you were late for lunch. That's not normal. That's not even enhanced normal. That's 'I do this before breakfast' energy."
Eli glanced around. "I am late for lunch."
"…That's somehow worse. That's the worst answer you could have given."
A sudden movement on a rooftop.
Eli's head snapped up.
Fourth target. More unstable than the others. Energy surging erratically, like a reactor about to melt down.
"Last one," Eli said, focus sharpening.
"Careful," Tony replied, his tone shifting. "That one's spiking hard. Readings are off the scale. If that one goes—"
"Won't let it."
"Yeah," Tony said. "I see it."
Eli crouched.
And jumped.
The air exploded beneath him as he shot upward, cutting through rain and smoke like a missile. The rooftop rushed toward him—
The Extremis subject lunged.
Too fast. Too unstable. A walking star about to go supernova.
Eli met them head-on.
Collision.
The shockwave rippled across the rooftop, cracking concrete and shattering windows. The Extremis energy flared wildly, white-hot—
Eli reacted instantly.
One hand locked onto the target.
The other braced against the rooftop.
He absorbed the incoming force—not blocking, not deflecting, but taking it into himself. The Vibranium concept spread through his frame, dispersing the energy across his entire body.
Then he redirected it.
Downward.
BOOM
The rooftop cratered—but held. The energy discharged safely into the structure instead of exploding outward. Cracks ran through concrete. Dust billowed.
The Extremis subject went limp.
Out cold.
Contained.
Silence followed.
Rain fell again. Soft. Steady. Washing dust from the air.
Eli stood up slowly, scanning.
Clear.
All targets neutralized.
No civilian casualties.
Minimal structural damage.
He exhaled, letting the tension drain.
"…Okay," Tony said after a long moment. "I'm not saying I'm impressed—"
"You are."
"—but if I was, this would be the part where I say good job."
Eli smirked slightly, stepping to the edge of the rooftop. "I'll take it."
Below, authorities moved in. S.H.I.E.L.D. extraction teams secured the unconscious Extremis operatives. Emergency vehicles flooded the streets.
Sirens replaced screams.
Fire crews replaced chaos.
Eli dropped down to street level, landing softly near the first civilian he'd saved. The man was still standing there, staring at him like he'd seen a ghost.
"You okay?" Eli asked.
The man nodded slowly. "You… you just—"
"Long day," Eli said with a small smile. "Get somewhere safe."
He turned and walked into the street.
People were shaken. But alive.
That's what mattered.
Tony's voice came back, quieter now. No jokes.
"Hey… kid."
Eli looked up slightly. "Yeah?"
"Good work."
No sarcasm. No punchline. Just honest.
Eli nodded once. "…Thanks."
A pause.
Then: "And for the record," Tony added casually, warmth creeping back into his voice, "that was a very heroic performance, Rapunzel. Really sold the whole 'mysterious protector' vibe."
Eli closed his eyes.
"I'm ending the call."
"You can't. I'm already in your head. Metaphorically. Also literally, through the comms."
"I'm throwing your suit into orbit next time."
"Empty threats. You love me too much."
Eli looked around the city. Smoke fading. Rain washing everything clean. The chaos settling into something resembling peace.
For a moment—
Quiet.
He exhaled.
"…Not bad," he muttered.
Then he shot into the sky—
A blur cutting through clouds at impossible speed.