Adam stood beside Natasha among the scattered HYDRA soldiers.
His body was still in the Humungousaur-like transformation. He was close to Hulk's size. The tail behind him moved once over the snow.
Then Hulk came walking from the other side of the field.
The green giant stepped over a broken vehicle like it was nothing.
Adam looked at him for a second. Then green light ran over Adam's body. His size dropped fast. The tail vanished, and his arms returned to normal.
Natasha turned toward him. "Why are you changing back now?"
Adam rolled his shoulder and looked at the central building. "I will finish this quickly and come back."
Natasha's eyes narrowed. "People say that right before explosions."
"Then stay away from the explosion."
Before she could answer, Adam tapped the Omnitrix again. His body stretched into Lodestar's form. His body became lean. Metal across the base pressed against his senses.
He lifted off the ground.
The first push was rough. Then the magnetic pull caught him, and Adam shot across the field toward the main building. He did not move like Tony. It felt more like the whole base was pulling him forward.
Iron Man was above the building, flying near the shield that still covered part of the fortress. The glow of the shield spread over his armor as he circled it.
Adam rose near him and pointed at the shield.
"I have a way to shut that shield down."
Iron Man turned his helmet toward him. "Sure. Show me the trick, little guy."
Adam did not answer. He focused on the shield generator instead, feeling the hidden machine through the wall. Metal rings spun inside, and the plates around them fed power into the field. Adam found the center of that pull and pressed it inward. The field around his fingers felt heavy, like he was squeezing a spring that did not want to bend.
His fingers tightened.
The machine inside the wall screamed under pressure. Adam pushed harder until the metal parts crushed into each other. The shield flickered once before it vanished from the air. For a second, the space around the building looked open for Tony.
Iron Man hovered beside him. "That power would be great for pulling old cars out of my basement."
Adam looked at him. "Can I keep one of those cars?"
Iron Man looked at him. "What the..."
Iron Man flew through a high window. The glass broke around his armor and fell into the hall. Adam followed through the same opening, moving slower so he did not crash into the frame.
They entered a large room inside the fortress.
HYDRA soldiers spun toward them. Iron Man raised both hands in a relaxed way.
"Okay, let's talk."
The soldiers opened fire before he could say anything else.
Adam moved his hand forward. He did not have time to dodge. Lodestar's body was not built like Diamondhead, so he trusted the metal instead.
Bullets stopped in the air a short distance from his body. A few came close enough for him to see the heat on their tips. The soldiers looked at the bullets hanging in front of him, and their fingers froze on their triggers for one breath. The nearest soldier pulled the trigger again. The rifle only clicked.
Iron Man looked at Adam. "That is new."
"I will handle them. You go ahead."
Iron Man lifted one thumb. "Have a nice chat."
His armor lifted from the floor, and he flew deeper into the building. The soldiers aimed after him. Adam pulled the bullets to his side and let them spin around his palm.
More shots came from the upper rail.
Adam raised his other hand. The new bullets stopped as well.
He twisted both hands. Every bullet in the room began to spin faster. The metal heated as it scraped through the magnetic pressure around it. Red marks appeared on the tips.
Adam looked at the soldiers.
He snapped his hand sideways.
The bullets shot across the room in broken paths. They struck weapons first, then the men holding them. The first row dropped. Others hit the floor and shouted as their guns fell away.
Adam did not aim at one person for long. He moved the bullets through the room like a storm of hot metal. Some soldiers stopped moving after the hit. The rest were left on the floor, holding wounds or trying to crawl away.
Adam pulled two rifles from the nearest soldiers and crushed them against the wall.
"Nice talking to you."
He levitated forward and left the room behind.
The fortress had become louder after the shield fell. Explosions echoed outside. Adam could feel Tony moving below because the suit was a clear shape in his senses. Then the suit opened below the floor. Tony stepped out.
Adam moved through a corridor toward another pull of metal. Captain America was already inside. Steve came through the other side of the hall with his shield raised.
"Tony went down," Adam said.
Steve nodded. "The scepter is still here."
"Then we are close."
By the time Adam reached Steve, Wanda was already gone. The door at the end of the hall had just shut.
Before Steve could ask, another voice came from the room ahead.
Baron Strucker stood near a control panel with his hand close to the table. He did not reach for a weapon. He looked at Steve before his eyes moved to Adam.
The worry on his face lasted only a moment.
"Do not look so confident," Strucker said. "We prepared a countermeasure for you."
Steve did not wait for him to finish.
His shield was on the floor near his boot. Steve kicked its edge hard. The force behind the kick sent the shield skimming off the floor.
The shield struck Strucker in the chest and threw him backward into the transformer behind him.
Sparks jumped across the wall as Strucker hit the metal frame and slid down.
Steve caught the shield as it bounced back.
He lowered his hand and looked at Strucker. "Get out of here."