Possibilities and Hope
Previously in Chapter One: A Better Explanation of Dire Events
Anthony Edward Stark was dying fast of a broken heart. Diminished lung capacity and his heart will probably go long before his liver they had said when they removed the arc. The under the weather turning into pneumonia turning into congestive heart failure before anyone could catch it… Tony caught it, but didn’t want to be an even bigger burden than he felt he already was. Well… he had, tried to make the call, but was turned away. He had days maybe only hours left to live.
By the time the Avengers make their way to the Tower, Tony spends most of his time resting fitfully hooked to so many monitors; it’s hard to see the Man of Iron. He’s gotten too weak to remove the oxygen mask that irritates him so, yet he does not complain. He doesn’t have the air or strength to. He never thought that he’d be using his state-of-the-art medical facilities (for Avenger’s injuries dammit) to see him through the final stages of the end of his life. Pepper sits with him constantly stroking his hair and reading to him. Gestures of comfort that probably mean more to her – he promised her he’d be okay – and here he is breaking another promise. He’d tried to hide his failing health from her – because that worked so well with the Palladium poisoning – but knowing that this is the real end, just makes it that much harder on them both.
Tony doesn’t know that Pepper sent Rhodey to the Avengers because she saw his health declining and knew as sure as she knew her first name was Virginia, that if the Avengers were called out – Tony would go if they had no air support, health be damned. She, of course, didn’t know how bad it was – she was highly paranoid after the Palladium poisoning – or how bad it was going to get, but she thought that a few days of rest and relaxation without him having to worry about the rest of the world would sooth him. It also gives Rhodey the chance to rip each and every Avenger a new asshole for the way they treat or have treated Tony in the past. They stop refusing the Tower because it represents a buy-in to the Avengers and start refusing it because they realize just how unworthy of Tony Stark they truly are.
When S.H.I.E.L.D. falls and no one hears a peep from Stark, Potts, or J.A.R.V.I.S. its Rhodey in a near panic that sends them all to the Tower. With how fast his health declined, and everything happening on the news, Pepper has had no chance to tell Rhodey that Tony is dying. That there is no last minute Hail Mary Miracle, no transplants, no cure, just his body shutting down from an ill-advised surgery related to the injuries he suffered in Afghanistan nearly a decade ago. The Assembled Avengers and their tag-alongs are completely and totally devastated by the impending loss of one of the greatest men the world will ever know.
Pepper has been with Tony for a long time (and she hasn’t tried to kill him yet!), but Rhodey has been with him since MIT, since before J.A.R.V.I.S. One of the first nights in the Tower after the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. the Avengers are picking at a meal no one feels like eating when he blurts out to J.A.R.V.I.S. “Extremis!”
“Colonel Rhodes?”
“J.A.R.V.I.S. can we use the stabilized Extremis strand that Pepper is carrying to heal the damaged organs in Tony’s body?” Rhodes clarified.
Before J.A.R.V.I.S. could answer Banner did, “No, it’s too dangerous. In his weakened state, he’d likely go nova and take out an entire Manhattan city block”.
“Then we put him in the Hulk room first! We don’t just sit around here and let him die!” Rhodes shot back.
“Mayhaps I could take him to the healers of Asgard? They are well versed in all manner of disease and injury and such a noble warrior such as the Man of Iron would be welcomed there,” Thor interjected diplomatically trying to keep the peace.
Only to be corrected by Barton, “Thor, Buddy, Tony would never survive the trip. Can you get one of your healers down here – like you did for me when Loki fucked over my head?”
Banner finally spoke up again after finally getting back under control – how could Rhodes just assume they would let Tony die? – “J.A.R.V.I.S.? Tony uses 3D printing to fabricate the parts he needs for his suits and inventions doesn’t he?”
“Yes, Dr. Banner. Sir showed you this when you were last here.”
“Do we have the technology available to us to 3D print the organs that are shutting down? In case, the healers can’t – or won’t help?”
“Fuck that, J.A.R.V.I.S. find me a list of all suitable candidates that Tony could receive the organs from – sorry Dr. Banner, we don’t have time to grow new ones,” Natasha finally spoke up.
Steve – who wouldn’t condone the death of another person even if it was to save Tony – finally said something. “What about my blood? The serum? Could it be transferred to him? Help him heal himself?”
This kicked off a firestorm of a debate. They could save him! They would save him! But they had to act quickly, his condition was almost too far gone, and they didn’t even know which way they were going to save him.
To Be Continued In: Chapter Three: He’s so tired But She’s on Fire