stands_for_hope | The Not Quite Justice League in... The Bee's Pleas!!!

"Do it," Jim agreed. "Kal and I have work to do. Lois - trust her. I do."

And from Jim... That said a lot.

Having seen what happened to Lois, and the fact that this was Hydra-- He could bet that Clark was ready to ruin this place, and Jim was willing to help. He wanted to see this place turned into a crater.

Then he had his hand on Clark's arm. "Let's get them back."

Clark swallowed hard and nodded before stepping forward and putting his hand gently on Lois's shoulder. She winced a little, then winced for wincing, and the pain of seeing it was written all over Clark's face.

"I'll be all right," Lois said softly, looking up at him. Clark nodded and let his forehead rest lightly against hers since it seemed like one of the few spots on her that wasn't injured. She smiled just a little and leaned in to kiss his lips ever so gently.

"Go get 'em, tiger. Your way."

He'd been starting to nod at the first part but when he heard the second part, he paused.

His way. The right way.

He wanted... he wanted to run rampant all over this place, rip and tear and warn the world against ever trying to take the people he cared about hostage again. But she was right, she was always right, and if he did any of that... if he did that, HYDRA would win whether they ruined this base or not.

There was a right way to do this, a way that would help more than just HIM, that would benefit more than just his little family. This base didn't just have to be destroyed, it needed to be exposed. Queen Bee's lies of peaceful conquest and her claim that she had no association with HYDRA on the world stage... he needed to make the lie plain. He needed to help Lois with her work and he needed to do it the way that he was supposed to.

He had the power to rip this place to pieces, kryptonite or no. But what he needed to do was shine a light on it: infinitely harder, but deeply important.

But he could do it. Because Lois believed he could.

He turned to Kara.

"Get her back to Metropolis and bring her to Tony; he'll get her the medical care she needs. Jim, Diana, Steve, Sandy, and I are going to make a spectacle of this place... and bring ample evidence of Bialya's HYDRA associations right out where people can see and question them."

Lois smiled just a little before looking to Jim.

"Don't worry, Uncle Jim. I was more than they could handle and then some. I'll be okay."

Edited 2014-11-24 06:59 (UTC)

A smile flickered behind his mask and Jim stepped over to tap her chin - a part that didn't seem too bad off. An affectionate, fond gesture. "That's my girl. Go make Jarvis take dictation for you - get this story out."

The only problem was what Lois had said. Clark's way. He still wanted to tear through this place, to leave a trail behind him, make them pay for daring to disturb his family. That was what he was best at. Nonlethal was...

Not him.

But what choice did he have?

"Oh, I'm going to make JARVIS take dictation and Tony is getting me a masseuse, as far as I'm concerned," she said with a warm smile over at Jim. Thankfully, all of her teeth seemed to be in place, even if her lip was bloody.

Kara gave them all a wry, tired smile.

"You can all be tough and adorable once you're home. I'm heading out with her now."

And with that, Kara lifted Lois in her arms and a white-red streak exited the room. That left Clark and Jim and Clark turned to his brother with a deep, pained sigh.

"I know what I just said isn't going to sit right with you," he said quietly, "so you do what you deem best."

Jim didn't have his powers, didn't have the same weights hanging over his head. He was human, with everything that came with, including a vulnerability to bullets. Not to mention his laundry list of reasons to want to kill every last one of HYDRA's members. But Clark... couldn't. He knew Diana could, knew Steve could, knew Jim could. But for better or worse, they were all warriors. Soldiers.

He wasn't. And some part of him never would be, no matter how many times he fought.

"I'm going to try and knock out and tie up as many as possible before I get word to embassy in Qurac. For everyone's sake, we need living proof of HYDRA's association with the Bialyan government. We need to hold them accountable for this, so that everything that happened to Lois isn't in vain."

She'd kept his secret, through torture and who knew what else. He'd do this the hard way for her as much as for himself.

He laughed once - not a laugh. More of a bitter scoff that he took a breath to ease. "I have no mercy left to give them and I have no faith in any system that would try them. Zmei slishkom gluboko. Oni dolzhny byt' sozhzheny."

Firebrand. He'd been given the name for a reason.

"I... will try not to kill all of them."

But he couldn't give guarantees. He wanted to see them dead. Wanted to see them dying. He knew what they were, perhaps more than anyone else. But he also knew his brother.

Maybe removing a few kneecaps by gunshot would help assuage his bloodthirst.

[The snakes are too deep. They must be burned.]

Clark watched Jim for a moment before reaching out and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Yesli by ne bylo vsekh, kogo ya dumal, dostoin togo, chtoby sudit' ikh v pokoye , eto budet vam. Ya ne tak dostoyno."

Then he squared his shoulders and looked out towards the remainder of the complex, using his enhanced vision to check in on Diana and Steve, who both seemed to be doing just fine. Clark was happy to note that most of Steve's combatants had just been knocked out due to his choice of weapon. Diana's... not so much.

"Sandy?"

The other fighter assisting them appeared out of the floor, keeping himself on the opposite side of Clark from Jim to make sure he didn't have to get deal with bullets in him.

"Here. What can I do?"

[If there was anyone I thought worthy to judge them alone, it would be you. I am not so worthy.]

Edited 2014-11-25 00:09 (UTC)

"We will show the world what Bialya has harbored," Jim answered, and pulling his rifle from his back, he turned to the way he'd come. There were still soldiers with kryptonite weapons, and they needed his express attention so Clark could do what needed doing.

"...I think I have an idea. We're going to want to herd them all into the central area of the base. Superman, you have the same laser vision as Kara, right?"

Clark nodded and glanced over at Jim.

"I think we can do that.

"Do that and I'll handle it from there. I'll even let Wonder Woman and Captain America know what we're doing."

"Got it."

Which was when Sandy disappeared.

And Jim checked his magazine before nodding. "I'll herd the ones that'll go."

He'd make his own judgement on what to do to the ones who wouldn't. He didn't particularly care what he'd do to the ones who wouldn't. And though he worried what it meant about him as a person, he knew he'd enjoy it.

And so he kicked the door open and started his job, the role settling over him like a second skin. It was cold and familiar and comfortable in a way that twisted a part of him that had come slowly undone.

But the first ones who felt his wrath were the ones not so far outside the door - the ones bearing Kryptonite weapons. He gave them one chance to drop their weapons. If they agreed, he nodded toward the inside of the building. Those who didn't...

Fell.

It didn't take long, most of them clearly under orders to take down Superman and Firebrand above all else. Soon enough, they were outside in the main courtyard, where it looked as if Captain America and Wonder Woman had done their own work: the main force was found squarely in the middle and with a slightly satisfied smile, Clark used his speed and the riptide force of it to pull the remainder around them. Then he swooped down and grabbed Diana and Steve, flying straight up to keep their focus.

"Perfect." came from behind Jim, which was when Sandy appeared and put his hands to the ground. A moment later, the majority of the central courtyard shot up on a column of pure rock, fifty feet tall, stranding the mixed HYDRA and Biaylian troops well above a safe jumping distance. Sandy took a moment to breath before slamming his hands down again, which brought up ten foot walls around the group, trapping them entirely.

Clark deposited Steve and Diana beside Jim before looking to Sand.

"Nicely done."

Sand was breathing a little hard through his mask, but the smile was in his voice when he spoke.

"Now it's up to you. Cut off the top bring them wherever you need to go."

Clark grinned, and it wasn't a nice expression.

"Like, say, the UN? A nice selection of living proof to show Bialya's cooperation with HYDRA."

Steve wasn't listening, though. He went straight over to Jim and put his hand on his flesh and blood shoulder. Fine. Jim was fine. And if he wasn't killing someone right then and there, so was Lois. He'd just needed to ascertain it for himself with his own hand.

Diana walked over and looked to Jim, ascertaining with her eyes whether or not Lois was all right before glancing at Clark.

"Will you need my assistance in flying the prisoners?"

Clark shook his head.

"Nope, I should be able to handle it. I will need your assistance in getting Jim and Steve back home, though."

"I would be quite happy to assist in that."

Jim looked from Steve to Diana before saying quietly, "She'll be okay. She's already back in Metropolis, at a hospital, I think. She's going to be fine. She's tough."

Part of him wasn't quite done with bloodthirst yet, but he had to be. He had to be done. He wanted to take a life with his hands, but he had done enough, or he had to tell himself that at least.

God, how he hated that was inside him. That urge, that want, that almost-need, smooth and familiar and easy... And that was why he had to fight against it.

Clark watched the three of them for a moment before focusing on Jim. He looked him up and down, seemed to see some of the conflict... and the fact that Jim was fighting against it. A faint smile, something hopeful after all of this mess, flickered at the corner of his mouth: Jim's marshmallow was coming out again, Clark as he should be emerging from the fear and the anger. Lois was all right, they'd done a good job, and now he was going to expose Bialya without any further bloodshed.

Steve, on the other hand, gave Bucky's shoulder a squeeze.

"Sounds good, Jim. Sounds like it's time for us to head home."

Diana, who'd been watching all three of them, nodded in agreement.

"We will go to the Tower, regroup, and then join Lois." She turned to Clark. "Join us as soon as you can, but we will watch over her until then."

Clark nodded in appreciation.

Jim nodded, holstering his weapons at last. "Ready when you are."

And as much as he hated to think it, what he was going to need when they got back to the tower was time to himself. Time to come down from the battle.

Time to be Jim instead of the Winter Soldier or Firebrand.

Already his adrenaline was starting to crash.

Clark watched him for another moment before flying up and slicing the top most portion of the prison off of the pillar. It was slightly awkward, but he managed to get underneath and lift the whole thing soon enough. He gave a nod to Sandy, who disappeared back into the floor, and then to his family before flying off with his captives.

Diana breathed out a moment before turning to the two of them.

"Steven, I will require your assistance with watching Lois. Jim?" as if she could tell that he was going to need some time to bring himself down from this. She held out her arms for both of them regardless.

Another nod and Jim stepped into her embrace - and then he was holding on to her and Steve alike, head ducked despite his goggles.

But one thing came to him. One thing that hadn't happened that he'd expected. That Queen Bee. She hadn't put in an appearance, and that was one thing they'd almost counted on. That she'd be there and try to enthrall one of them.

He'd have to think about that.

Diana kissed Steven's hair and gave Bucky a firm squeeze before adjusting her grip and lifting off. Then the world was darkness and wind and movement until they were landing on the upper patio of the Metropolis Stark Tower.

"Lady and gentlemen!" Tony greeted. "The news is already going crazy. Good job."

Jim pulled off his goggles, then his mask, and he gave Tony a nod. "I'm... going to go--"

"Go down--" Tony interrupted, as he was so good at doing, "to my gym where there are things hardened for me to practice on with the armor and do whatever you want to do there."

And for once, he found himself grateful to the spoiled brat. "Point me there."

Steve looked over at Jim and pressed his lips together, not happy that the whole thing had given him this much grief but well aware that anything he'd say would only make it worse. Then he turned to Tony.

"Where's Lois? Is she here or--"

"She's here, and I've got Mike doing a little field medicine until my personal doctor can get here. Apparently that boy's car is really great at first aid," Tony said, "and has been walking him through it over that little earpiece of his."

And then he pointed, "Nice, quiet room, that way."

Diana nodded and headed towards the room. Steve bit his lip and looked between the room and Jim before turning to Tony.

"Can you show him that gym? We promised Clark and I want to check my niece."

Tony nodded his understanding. "You've got it." And then he was leading Jim off, showing a little sensitivity in how he wasn't chattering on - or touching him. In his own moments, he'd learned that touch wasn't always so helpful when it came from strangers.

The room Lois had been shown to, though, was as promised. A nice, quiet room, with overstuffed furniture, a private bathroom, and a young man who was responding to what Lois wanted instead of forcing anything on her, even if he did have a box full of medical supplies at hand.

Steve immediately headed over, giving her a warm if somewhat dirty smile as Diana walked beside him to settle at the foot of the bed to carefully rest her hand on Lois's leg on an unmarked section.

"Hey, sweetheart," Steve said, tired and sounding it, "how're you doing?"

He turned an appreciative smile on Mike before reaching out to gently brush her hair out of her eyes. Lois gave them both a brave smile.

"I'm assuming Clark's off finishing things properly?"

Diana nodded.

"He took a large force of Bialyan and HYDRA troops to the UN for questioning and to substantiate your claims of Bialyan cooperation with HYDRA. From what I understand, this was what you were doing there in the first place."

"Oh yeah," Lois said, groaning as she tried to sit up a little. Her hands were splinted and bandaged, but they were still messy, "that's what I was going for. Let's see Queen Bitch explain this away."

"Lois!" and Steve almost looked like he was going to push her back down to rest before she raised an eyebrow at him. AHEM. WHO was trying to get her to lay down and relax when there was work to do?

"Lois," Mike said, "you're doing pretty much exactly what I'd do, and I get told off for it all the time. So how about I prop you up against the headboard? Last thing you want is people telling you how much you remind them of Michael Knight. Either of us. I can get you something so you can dictate your story, though."

"Oh hell no," she said as she leaned up against his arm so he could do as he'd said, "I saved that thing to my email account. Should be waiting for me as soon as I can use a keyboard again."

Then she nudged him.

"And stop insulting the guy who's patching me up. I happen to like him."

"Don't let anybody else hear you say that," he said as he settled her against the pillows and the headboard. "It'll ruin my reputation as an asshole. Besides, I'm a secret operative. Of course you like me."

Mike gave her a broad wink.

"How's that painkiller kicking in, by the way? Should be starting to about now."

Kitt had the good stuff. Stuff they didn't let the civilians have. Stuff that dulled pain but not thinking.

Mike liked it a lot.

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