[On the plane, Captain America noticed that Rhodes was still in pursuit, so he immediately pushed the Quinjet's engines to full power, accelerating at maximum speed to try and shake off Rhodey and Tony.]
[Sam was also flying behind them. Rhodes, noticing him on radar, immediately called out to Vision: "Vision, I've got a tail!"]
[At that moment, Sam locked onto Rhodes and fired a missile from his shoulder launcher. The missile split mid-air, releasing several smaller warheads that exploded around Rhodey.]
[The sudden blasts threw Rhodey off balance, making it difficult to stabilize his flight. He urged again, "Vision! Do you read me? Take out his thrusters! Turn him into a hang glider!"]
[Vision, who had been distracted watching Wanda on the ground, finally turned his head and fired a beam of energy at Sam's thrusters.]
[But at that moment, Sam spotted the beam, and in a split-second reaction, he folded his wings and curled into a ball, dropping altitude to evade the attack.]
[However, Rhodey was unintentionally in the direct path of the beam. Before he could react, it passed through his chest, hitting the Arc Reactor at the core of his armor.]
[With his power source completely destroyed, Rhodey's suit shut down instantly. The Iron Patriot armor lost all function, and he began plummeting through the sky in free fall.]
[Darkness surrounded him. The wind roared in his ears as he spun uncontrollably, his altitude dropping rapidly. He was helpless.]
[Tony immediately sensed something was wrong. He stopped pursuing Captain America and Bucky, his heart dropping as he looked down. "Rhodey?"]
[Realizing the danger, he instantly dove downward at full speed. "Rhodey!!!" he shouted desperately.]
[Sam, seeing what had happened, also dived after him.]
[Inside his failing armor, Rhodey struggled to call for help. "Tony… I lost power!" His voice was weak, barely audible over the rushing wind.]
[The rapid descent and spinning became too much. Rhodey's vision blurred, and soon, he lost consciousness.]
[Tony pushed his suit to the limit, desperately trying to catch up. "Rod!!!" he screamed.]
[But it was too late. Rhodey crashed onto the ground at full velocity, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.]
[Tony and Sam landed seconds later. Tony was the first to rush over, ripping off his helmet as he ran to Rhodey's side. He hurriedly removed Rhodey's mask, his heart pounding.]
[Rhodey's face was bruised, blood trickling from his nose. His body lay motionless.]
[Tony pressed his hand against Rhodey's chest. "Vitals?! Read his vitals!" he ordered.]
[Friday responded immediately: "Heartbeat detected. Emergency medical services are on the way."]
[Tony exhaled sharply, momentarily relieved.]
[Sam stood a short distance away, looking at Rhodey's unconscious form with regret. "I'm sorry," he said solemnly.]
[Without a word, Tony fired a repulsor blast at Sam, knocking him off his feet and sending him sprawling onto the ground. Only then did Tony finally look away, focusing entirely on Rhodey.]
[Vision hovered nearby, staring down at Rhodey's unconscious body. His face remained expressionless, but something was clearly going through his mind.]
"Oh my God… Rhodey! Is he going to be okay?" Coulson's voice was filled with concern as he watched the scene unfold.
Natasha's expression shifted slightly. It was unbelievable that Vision—a being of pure logic—had miscalculated so disastrously.
Logically speaking, Vision should have been able to predict the trajectory of his own beam attack. Jarvis could have done it. So why did Vision, a more advanced version, fail?
"Damn it!" Tony clenched his fists. "I should've installed a parachute in that suit!"
"Jarvis!" he barked. "Mark this as a priority upgrade. The next time I get back, remind me immediately."
Banner, listening, nodded in agreement. Unlike Tony and Rhodey, he didn't need a parachute—the Hulk would always save him from a fall. But for Tony and Rhodey? Precautions were necessary.
Meanwhile, Rhodey himself watched the footage of his own brutal fall with a disgruntled expression.
"Seriously? I'm the only one who got wrecked in this whole battle?" he complained. "I got hit by a tanker truck, pummeled by Scott, and now shot out of the sky by Vision of all people?!"
Rhodey groaned. "Did the universe just decide I needed to take all the L's today?!"
Even Captain America looked tense. This was all because of him.
If Rhodey didn't survive, he would have to live with that guilt forever.
Rhodey, seeing Cap's guilt-ridden expression, sighed. "Relax, Cap. I'm just messing with you." He waved it off with a tired smile.
"Okay, enough small talk," Tony cut in. "We're almost there."
Elsewhere, Wanda and Pietro had yet to volunteer for Baron Strucker's experiments. They still participated in protests and anti-war movements, unaware of the true power hidden within them.
Baron Strucker, however, had plans. He didn't care about their ideals—he wanted to study them.
His men were already en route to capture them. But then, new intel arrived—Tony Stark and his team were also heading there.
Strucker was torn. Should he risk it?
His assistant advised against it. Hydra was in full dormancy right now. If they clashed with Tony Stark and his team, it would draw attention and potentially expose their base.
Even worse, if their existence was revealed, Alexander Pierce—another Hydra leader—would throw them under the bus in an instant.
Reluctantly, Strucker backed off. He would let Stark have his moment.
For now.
Back in Wanda and Pietro's apartment, the two were unaware of the incoming visitors.
That was until they heard screaming from outside. A fighter jet had landed on the street.
Shocked, Wanda and Pietro rushed to the window. Their eyes widened as they saw Tony Stark and Captain America standing outside their door.
There was a knock.
Wanda and Pietro exchanged glances before hesitantly opening it.
Standing there, Tony Stark gave them a small smile.
"Hi," he greeted.
Without hesitation, Wanda slammed the door shut in his face.
Tony blinked.
"Wait… What?" he asked, completely baffled.
Captain America sighed, stepping forward. "Let me handle this."
Tony shrugged and stepped aside.
Cap knocked again.
"Wanda, open the door. It's me—Captain America. I think we need to talk."
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