Pulse

Blasting through the doors of the "Millhart Shipping Inc." warehouse was easy enough. Sure it was a front company, but technically they were still shipping. The cargo just happened to be abducted people genetically turned into weapons.

"Becket, have your team sweep the east section," Tony commanded the lead S.H.I.E.L.D. officer from within his Iron Man suit. "Safe guard victims, and as for any hostiles...use non-lethal force unless absolutely necessary."

"Rodger, sir!"

"The rest of you fine gentlemen and ladies, follow me!"

The rent-a-cop security guards that were encountered surrendered without a fight. Tony didn't have to lift a finger. A mission with no action was the best thing anyone could hope for. No fighting. Just a round up of the baddies and a careful evacuation of the innocent victims. But of course just when you think things are going easy, is when things start to turn bad. Iron Man and his S.H.I.E.L.D. team's sweep of the building's west side got interrupted by a swarm of people in black and gold tactical armor. They stood in two lines as a barrier between Tony's team and a set of ominous double doors a few feet from them.

"Looks like they just gave away where the precious cargo is." Tony remarked. He then made his voice boom to their opposition. "Stand down and no one needs to get hurt. We have an executive order by S.H.I.E.L.D. to search the premises, and anyone who-"

Suddenly three out of the fifteen of the beefed up security guarding the door suddenly burst into flames. Flames that glued to their frame and radiated, but didn't burn them. And that's when Tony really noticed the thick black metal collars around all of their necks, close to what those poor people in the video wore, if not the same.

"No one makes a move unless I say," Tony ordered. He brought his attention to Jarvis. "Tell me what we've got here," his tech scanning the neck devices. "Please say we're not dealing with the mad scientist 'obey me or die' shock collar."

"If you want it described as the dumbed down version. Then yes, that is exactly what we have here, sir." Jarvis piped in.

Shit, Tony thought to himself. "Run an algorithm to disrupt the frequency."

"These are victims, people!" Tony told his men. "I need to get through those doors. Keep them subdued or engaged. Do not kill. I repeat, do NOT kill."

Tony took the first step forward and with it the clash began. These second rate 'Human Torches' weren't very strong and couldn't blast out fire or fly, but the wild heat coming off them made them impossible to contain. Other victims revealed to have super strength, and others still sparked with electricity. It was a delicate dance of beating them down, but not actually knocking the tar out of these people. They were victims after all, being used against their will.

Two of the Torches had been extinguished, four of those 'Electric dudes' seemingly short-circuited, but all the ones with the super strength were still standing, proving to be the most difficult. S.H.I.E.L.D. officers were being tossed into walls like rag dolls, but they faught back as kindly as they could with stun guns or non-lethal shots to the controlled victims' limbs. The chaotic battle was happening fast, but still dragging on too long for Tony's liking. He needed to get through those doors. Something important was obviously inside. He grabbed around the arm of the last Torch woman still burning and standing in his way, and guiltily flung her down the hall.

"Hot hot hot..." he muttered, shaking his heated hand as he wasted no time flying forward and using his armor to batter through the doors.

It was the vast room from the video. White, crisp, haunting. There was the long row of beds with now only three being occupied. Not a good sign, but even worse was seeing one of the open containment pods holding a teen boy. He was limp and pale and disheveled and didn't look much older than fifteen or sixteen. There were three men in lab coats and masks surrounding him, one holding a recording device.

"Quickly!" The one holding the recorder shouted. "Finish the procedure!"

The teen was injected with a bright blue serum before Tony could do anything. The kid's sluggish form went tense, his head shooting up and his eyes opening wide. If Tony learned anything from the intercepted video, then the even worse part was about to happen next. The kid might end up burned alive or some other horror. Tony couldn't let the pod door slide down shut. He aimed his hand at the top of the pod and fired a repulsor blast. It should have been a clean hit. The door should have been blasted to pieces, and whatever genetic transformation these sickos in white planned for the kid should have been thwarted.

All of that...sorta happen.

At the same time of the repulsor blast firing, one of the super strength victims from out in the hallway had barrelled in and collided into Tony's back. The shot missed the door and instead hit the teen boy square in the chest. The kid scream out, loud and in anguish, and the whole pod toppled backward with a crash.

Well, it wasn't exactly a clean shot, but the door was in pieces, and the planned gene mangling was stopped...but what damage had Tony done to the innocent kid?

The room erupted into more chaos. The men in lab coats making a run for it, the fight from the hallway spilling in, and Tony being pinned down by more of the super strength victims. He struggled underneath them, hoping it wouldn't have to come to him using his blasts at such close range. They were still innocent people, and he didn't want to have to hurt them any more than he had too.

"We have the East section secured, sir." Officer Becket's voice sounded on Tony's comm.

"Great," Tony spoke strained through gritted teeth. His armor was starting to get dented. "Send all your available men to..."

Tony's call for back up trailed off. The pressure on his suit left. He moved to his feet swiftly on high alert only to see the controlled victims backed off and were now ripping off their helmets. Some raised their hands up in a scared surrender.

"Please." One man spoke up. "W-we didn't want to do this. Please help us."

"The collar devices are now offline." Jarvis declared.

"Everybody stand down!" Tony ordered.

It was more quick orders and a call for the paramedic team, and then Tony shot over to the fallen pod. His heart wasn't going to be able to take it if the kid wasn't alright, or at the very least, still breathing.

The pod was empty.