Chapter 12
The arrival back to Earth was chaotic.
Rhodey, Wanda, Vision, Drax, and Mantis waited for them on the landing pad, expectantly waiting to see Peter. They were excited and hopeful, but the radio silence had concerned them – after all, by the time they got off Sakaar, it had already been two Earth days that had passed during the space battle. Nebula had had to comm Rhodey and prepare him for what to expect. Much to everyone’s surprise, Valkyrie was at the Compound. Apparently, she wanted to see Thor, and she also had a lot to say about Sakaar. She’d caught wind that the Guardians and Ravagers wanted to tear down the Galactic Authority, and she wanted to be a part of that.
Without the Guardians even having to ask, Tony had FRI prep the Compound for the Guardians to stay there. There were plenty of rooms, and plenty of food – he just wanted the staff to know so he didn’t have to worry about it. He knew they’d want to be there when Peter woke up, would want to know about the games and see if Peter had any relevant or useful information. Dr. Cho, anal about the precautions she took with her patients, met the ship on the landing pad with her team and a rolling medical bed. Cap picked the kid off the bed easily and transported him to the medical bed, and Dr. Cho and her team raced him to the infirmary. Bruce ran off alongside her.
Nobody followed.
Tony intended to – he really did – but he only made it as far as the door outside the medical wing when Pepper intercepted him. Her presence was the soothing balm that Tony had been needing, a comforting embrace that offered him solace in the midst of the turmoil. Tony’s blank, stoic facade crumbled when he saw the strawberry-blonde, and he collapsed into Pepper’s arms in the middle of the hallways, his body trembling with the weight of his fears and anxieties.
Pepper held him tightly, offering steady support as Tony’s emotions spilled forth in a rush of words and tears.
“I can’t lose him, Pep,” Tony choked out. “I brought him onto the team, and now… now he’s… It’s all my fault.”
Pepper held him even tighter. Her chin rested on the top of his head and he nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck. Her voice was gentle but firm. “Tony, you can’t blame yourself for everything. Sometimes, despite our best efforts and intentions, things go wrong. You know this better than anyone. You’re a good person. You’ve done everything you can to protect him.”
Tony’s grip on Pepper tightened, his body shaking with the weight of his emotions. He buried his face deeper into her shoulder, seeking the comfort of her presence.
“But what if it’s not enough? What if I’ve failed him? I can’t bear the thought of losing him, Pepper. He… he’s like a son to me.”
Pepper held him in silence for a moment, letting his words hang in the air of the sterile hallway. When she spoke, her voice was filled with unwavering support and love.
“You’re not alone in this, Tones. We’re all here for you, for Peter. Dr. Cho is doing everything she can, and she has the best medical team. Peter is strong, just like you. He’ll pull through.”
Tony took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. His heart told him to trust Pepper’s words, but his fears still gnawed at him.
“I want to be in there, by his side,” Tony said, his voice a little steadier and determined. “I need to see for myself that he’s okay.”
Pepper gently cupped Tony’s face, meeting his gaze with unwavering strength.
“Tony, trust in the doctors. Trust in Dr. Cho. Trust in Bruce. Peter is in good hands. Right now, what he needs is for you to stay strong. We’ll be here no matter what, waiting for news.”
Tony nodded, a mix of gratitude and anguish etched on his face. Reluctantly, he pulled away from Pepper’s embrace, wiping his tears away with a shaking head and a determined resolve.
“You’re right. I’ll be strong for him. I have to be strong for all of us.”
Pepper smiled softly, her love for Tony evident in her eyes.
“You always find a way.”
With a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips, Tony mustered a small glimmer of his trademark humor.
“Well, I guess I should get up off the floor now,” he quipped in his wavering voice. “Not exactly the most heroic pose, is it?”
Pepper chuckled softly, her laughter mingling with the sweet sense of relief.
“No. No, it is not.”
The first thing Pepper helped Tony do was call May. The woman had been a nervous wreck ever since Peter disappeared – if there was one person the Galactic Authority needed to look out for, it was her. An angry May was probably the only person in this world Tony was genuinely afraid of – after angry Pepper. He’d been giving her daily updates on the situation, and before they’d left, he’d called to tell her about the Galactic Authority and yadda yadda yadda, all the details that Neb had told them.
He was pretty sure he was going to have to replace his phone after the havoc her screeching voice wrecked on the speakers of it. Vision, Rhodey, and Wanda were already on their way to Queens to pick the woman up. He didn’t tell her the state of the kid, though. He just said that they found him, and that he was in surgery. He kind of just wanted Pepper to deal with this because he wasn’t sure he could, but he knew it was his responsibility to.
He brought this kid into the mess, it was his responsibility to get him out of it.
When May arrived, Tony and Pepper greeted her at the door. Rhodey and Vision toted four different suitcases behind the woman – two for me, two for Peter. You think I am going to leave this place until he’s okay?! May had ranted at the billionaire. Not that it mattered. Pep quietly asked FRI to grant May access everywhere the Avengers could go and to have housekeeping prep a guest room for her. You okay sleeping in a room over from a talking raccoon? Tony had asked.
Tony updated May gingerly with the situation. She demanded to see him at once, and it took a while for Pepper to explain that No, you can’t walk into the middle of surgery. Yes, I know you’re a nurse. Yes, you probably know more than most of the people in there. God, Tony admired his beautiful, intelligent wife.
After May got settled, she decided to spend her time with Happy. He was fresh out of the infirmary wing. Tony told him he couldn’t work for another month, and needed to work on getting better. He wasn’t sure what was going on between his Head of Security and Peter’s aunt, and quite frankly, he didn’t want to ask. He was just happy that they were both happy. They decided to have a private “date night” in Happy’s room with takeout food.
A few hours later, everybody was all cleaned up and well-fed. Pepper, Wanda, Vision, and Mantis put it upon themselves to ensure that both teams put themselves back together again after everything that had happened. Vision and Wanda prepared a warm, home cooked meal while Pepper and Mantis collaborated with each other and with FRIDAY to make sure each and every person was clean. (Mantis needed some grease for her head plates that were getting scratchy and uncomfortable. Pepper put Rhodey in charge of that).
After everyone was mostly content and beginning to recover with laughter and comradery, FRIDAY informed the team that Dr. Cho and Dr. Banner were requesting everyone’s presence in the medical wing.
Of course, every single person wanted to go.
And honestly, Tony didn’t have the heart to tell anyone no.
On the off-chance Peter was awake, it would be good for him to see how loved he was.
The comically large group pushed through the halls, eager to be in the front, but nobody tried to get past Tony, Pepper, and May. May and Tony were shaking, nervous wrecks.
In the waiting area in the infirmary, Bruce and Dr. Cho stood up at the first sound. They seemed taken slightly off-guard by the large group, but being the good doctors they were, they never faltered. Dr. Cho, visibly fatigued, managed to summon a tired smile as she locked eyes with the concerned faces before her. Tony’s heart sank at the weariness etched on her features. It usually didn’t bode well.
“Thank you all for waiting,” Dr. Cho began, her voice carrying a mixture of exhaustion and determination. “Peter’s condition is stable now, but it was touch and go for a while. The toxin he was exposed to wreaked havoc on his body, leading to multi-system organ failure.”
A heavy silence settled over the room, each member of the team absorbing the gravity of Peter’s condition. Dr. Cho continued. “We had to put Peter into a medically-induced coma. It was the best course of action to allow his body the time and energy it needs to heal. His healing factor, though remarkable, faced challenges due to the unique toxin and extreme hypothermia. So we had to help it along by giving him time, allowing everything to heal on its own.”
Tony clenched his fists, his eyes burning with unshed tears. He wanted to see Peter awake, to hear his voice, to hear him crack a hoke, to know that he was going to be alright. But Dr. Cho’s words tempered his impatience.
“Will he… will he be okay?” May asked in a trembling voice. Her voice wavered with fear. Dr. Cho’s gaze softened, her exhaustion momentarily replaced by a flicker of reassurance. However, it was Bruce who now spoke up.
“Peter is strong, May. He’s young, and he’s resilient. Right now, he just needs rest and time. We’ll monitor him closely, and his healing factor will do the rest. It’s just a matter of giving him the support he needs.”
A collective sigh of relief mingled with lingering concern washed over the group. A mixture of appreciation was glowing in Dr. Cho’s eyes. The group seemed to understand why she did what she did. May’s shoulders slumped in relief, and she sagged into Happy’s side. He put his arm around her shoulders.
“Thank you all. Your support means a lot, not just to Peter, but to my team and I as well. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think it’s easy to say that we need some rest. But rest assured, Peter is in good hands. All we can do now is wait.” With that, Dr. Cho turned and left the waiting area, leaving the team to grapple with a mixture of emotions. Tony sank into one of the couches in the lounge, his mind swirling with thoughts of Peter’s strength that had gotten them through countless missions before.
The lounge they were in had a variety of plush couches, recliners, chairs, and bean bags. It was cozy, meant to quell anxiety for the team as they waited for news from whoever was in the Avenger’s private infirmary. A huge screen was on the wall at the front of the room. There was a ping-pong table, a pool table, and of course, vending machines (they were free, but just for fun, Peter and Tony had installed a fingerprint scanner so they could keep track of who ate the most. Peter usually won).
A pang of fear ran through Tony’s heart. He really couldn’t lose the kid.
As Tony sat down, so did a few others. Happy led May to Peter’s infirmary room. Quite frankly, Tony didn’t think his weakened heart could face seeing the kid. As he lost himself in a train of thought, the soft voice of Bruce, muted in his ears, told everyone that they should probably wait to see Peter. Even after all this time, the kid’s senses were still a mystery to the doctors – usually they tried to keep him safe, and even in his comatose state, all the noise and presence might overwhelm his brain.
Now that everyone was cleansed and well-fed (aside from Bruce, of course), Nebula, Rocket, and Quill all shared a look. “Now’s as good a time as ever,” Quill murmured under his breath. Nebula nodded, her lips pressed together in a thin, terse line. Nebula stepped forward and sat next to Tony, who had sunk down into one of the plush couches.
“Tony…”
Tony waved his hand, not even looking at the woman. “You want money, food, a car, whatever. Name it, you can have it. I don’t like owing people things, so take whatever you want and consider it good.”
Pepper stood behind Tony, lightly massaging the tension from his shoulders. She glanced at Nebula with a concerned look on her face.
“Tony… it’s not about that.”
“Then what do you want, Avatar?”
Nebula didn’t understand his reference, but then again, she usually didn’t. Instead, she brushed past it. She had now piqued the interest of everyone else in the room, and everyone was drawing closer to her to hear what she had to say.
“The Games are–were–mandatory viewing for anyone in the Galactic Authority territory. So when we arrived… the full livestream was uploaded to my databank the moment we got through their border.”
Tony didn’t move a muscle.
“Tony – we can watch what happened to the kid,” Cap’s voice rang through the lounge. At the sound of Steve’s voice, Tony lifted his head from his hand and frowned.
“You think I would want to watch Peter go through whatever he did to look like that?” Tony’s words were laced with disbelief, frustration, and a touch of bitterness. “You’re insane if you think I would willingly subject myself to that kind of imagery. Burn it. Destroy it, erase it from existence. I don’t care. Just get rid of it. Lock it away, bury it, drop it in the deepest depths of the ocean if you have to.”
Nebula’s eyes burned into Tony’s.
“I don’t want it, Nebula! I don’t want to be reminded of what he went through, of my failure. We’ll find another way, another means to help him. But this… this is not the answer.”
As the weight of the situation settled around them Tony’s harsh tone softened slightly, revealing the underlying concern and protectiveness he held over the kid.
“He’s been through enough. We need to focus on him, on getting Pete back on his feet. Whatever that recording represents, it has no place here. It’s time to let it go.”
Tony’s gaze shifted to the rest of the team, silently conveying his determination to shield Peter from any further pain of his ordeal. If everyone knew what Peter went through, he just knew it would make the kid feel worse. However, Tony was terrified that nobody around him seemed to agree. As he looked around the two superhero groups and accompaniments, many people avoided eye contact, shifted from leg-to-leg, and downright refused to even acknowledge what he said. His head whipped around to Pep. When he saw the look in her eyes, she felt betrayed.
“Are you guys kidding me? You actually want to subject yourselves to this?” Tony said incredulously.
“Tony…” Rhodey’s voice was calm and steady. He met Tony’s gaze. “If we want to bring down the Galactic Authority and truly avenge Peter, we need to understand what he’s been through. And if you want to help Peter heal, you have to face those demons alongside him. You of all people know that, Tony. You can’t provide meaningful help if you’re in the dark about what he’s endured.”
Tony felt a pang of betrayal, his eyes shifting from Rhodey to Pepper. He had expected support from his wife and best friend, but now they were urging him to confront the painful truth. A mixture of frustration and sadness flashed across Tony’s face as he locked eyes with Rhodey.
“Fine,” Tony muttered, his voice laced with reluctant resignation. “I get it. We need the whole picture of we’re going to take them down and help Peter recover. But don’t expect me to enjoy watching it. Just… be prepared for what comes next.” Tony’s jaw tightened. Deep down, he knew Rhodey was right. They had to face these demons together, Peter and him, even if it meant walking through the shadows themselves.
Tony would walk through the shadows for the kid. He’d do anything for the kid. It was time to prove it.
The group silently began to settle themselves around the screen at the front of the room. A few of them, particularly Rocket, ransacked the vending machines, and Pepper silently texted FRIDAY and asked her to order pizza for delivery around 11 PM. It would probably be a good pick me up. She had no idea how long this was going to take. Nebula walked towards the screen and plugged one of the cords into her memory plate. The woman’s eyes glowed blue as she worked on uploading the recording to the television. Pepper worked her way around the couch and curled into a ball next to Tony. Even though he was frustrated with his wife, Tony still wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her body close into his. The warmth from her body and her soul made him feel just a little bit better. He really did not want to do this.
The first part of the stream was a barrage of footage, each tribute showcased with their skills and abilities. Tony found himself unable to truly engage with the videos on the screen. The games, the tributes, the entire spectacle held no interest for him, not even a sick one. All he cared about was Peter.
Among the continuous stream of footage, Tony’s attention was piqued when he noticed that every piece of footage featuring Peter was focused on Spider-Man. The commentators, however, referred to him as Peter Parker several times, and at one point, Peter’s innocent school picture from Midtown High flashed across a screen. A realization struck Tony like a bolt of Thor’s lightning.
A thought quickly formed in his mind and Tony lifted his watch to his mouth, activating the communication interface with FRI.
“Hey, FRI, has anything else from the games been aired to Earth yet other than the tribute parade?” Tony’s voice was tinged with a sense of urgency.
“I don’t seem to see anything, no.”
“Okay. Can you make sure nothing else gets aired? Find the satellites through which the last broadcasts were channeled and block that signal from anything you can get into -- no, just block all satellite transmissions for the next five hours. Whatever comes through, try to scrub any mentions of Spider-Man out of it."
“On it, boss.”
Tony knew the last thing Peter needed was to wake up to his identity having been revealed by the same people who had caused him so much harm. And the billionaire wasn't afraid of causing an Earthly meltdown once transmissions from satellite to every home on Earth were blocked. He would do anything for the kid. If he woke up and learned his identity were revealed... Tony shuddered. He didn't even want to think about it. The world could know Peter Parker was taken by aliens, but they didn't have to know why, and they certainly didn't have to attach Spider-Man to it. He was sure some conspiracy theorists would put two and two together, but he doubted anyone would believe the scrawny 17-year-old was actually a world-class superhero.
The next round of footage was from some sort of interviews they did with each tribute – it was absolutely sickening and heart-wrenching to watch them interview these kids on the eve of their death. Some of the kids were into it, and seemed like they wanted to be here – others, like Peter, didn’t want to be there at all, and it was obvious. Tony wanted to throw up when a twelve-year-old walked onto the stage. He quickly learned to like Peter’s counterpart, Lyvernae. He hoped Peter hadn’t gotten too close with her.
Before Lyvernae and Peter took the stage, an unexpected recap aired, highlighting their “mentor”, Ingrid. The atmosphere in the room grew tense as the footage transitioned to a gruesome display of Ingrid’s gruesome and bloody games. Valkyrie’s reaction caught the attention of the group, as she stood up and approached the screen, seemingly entranced by the sight.
Rocket broke the silence. “Uh, is anybody else seeing this? What, is she possessed or something?”
Valkyrie furrowed her brows, a mix of recognition and disbelief crossing her features. “I… I know her.”
Thor and Bruce exchanged incredulous glances, stunned to learn that Valkyrie still had a connection to anyone on Sakaar. She had never mentioned it to either of them.
“I… when I arrived on Sakaar, I wasn’t alone,” she began, her voice tinged with sorrow. “Ingrid was one of my sisters. She was a Valkyrie, too. We fought together against Hela, and she was the only other survivor. We sought solace in each other’s company as we found ourselves stranded on Sakaar. But then… we had a falling out, and I lost track of her.”
Thor’s expression softened at the mention of another newfound Asgaurdian, one with a deep history with one of his closest friends. “Sister… I had no idea.”
Valkyrie’s eyes drifted to the floor. “I wonder if they counted her as a teenager because she looks like it, and technically she was still a teen in Asgardian time, I guess.”
As Valkyrie spoke, Mantis leaned in closer to Drax and Wanda, her whisper filled with genuine concern. “She loved the woman on the screen more than a sister.”
“I’ll help you stop the Authority. New Asgard doesn’t have much to offer, but what it does, I offer to you,” she nodded to the guardians. “I… I want to get Ingrid out of there.”
The Guardians nodded in unison, understanding Valkyrie’s new resolution. Honestly, they needed all the help they could get. Valkyrie’s connection brought a new layer of depth to the games that they didn’t realize. As if things aren’t personal enough, Tony thought to himself.
When the interviews were over, the games began.
Eyes wide, hearts trembling, bodies shaking, anxiety and nervousness settling over the crowd despite knowing the outcome, they watched Peter raised on a platform, a small blip amongst twenty-three others in a frigid, icy deathscape.
The Games had begun.