"What exactly are you planning on doing?" Strange asked in a not at all polite voice. This guy was something. Tony had told him do a thing, he didn't do it, and he got beamed up as a result. Things worked so much better when people listened to him.
"Shoo, Casper."
"How original."
What, honestly, was Tony supposed to say? Riding a space donut this many miles from Earth's breathable atmosphere wasn't conductive to clever comebacks. Not when a certain Wizard (!) got himself captured, along with the potential world ending amulet that was inconveniently attached to him.
"To answer your question, I'm thinking about it. Considering it..."
Tony found an open panel, probably a vent. Trying not to look at the quickly vanishing light of Earth, trying not to think about how he was going into space for a second time, he stowed away inside just as it closed. He felt sick.
"You'd hope there'd be only room for one. Ectoplasm included," he said to distract himself, and shot the Wizard a tired look.
Strange was clipping through the wall, totally unaffected by Tony's attempt. His eyes were still filled with resentment as they had been when they first came to blows.
"Cut the look. You appeared under my feet as I was walking. I could have slipped into nothingness, but here I am, saving your magical ass. You're a glass cannon, all sparkle and no oomph."
"Cut the attitude," Strange said levelly. "You better hurry, this Maw isn't messing around." He managed to convey oh so much venom without so much as moving a muscle. He'd be killer at poker.
Tony oriented himself and ignored the slight as he cut through a panel.
"Which way?"
The Wizard's ghostly form guided him to a door and pointed. "I have a feeling he's going to torture me. Don't let him have the Stone, no matter what."
"You and your Hot Topic jewelry. This is your--"
But the Wizard threw a shocked glance at the door and next thing Tony knew, he was well and truly gone. He waved his hand in the air. As quietly as he could, he cut through the alien metal. It was dark except for a splotch of lurid blue light in the distance. He was on a catwalk of sorts and immediately found Strange below along with Squidward: he was floating in front of him, only now just coming to and without his signature stage cape.
Too bad, it added so much--
He almost had a heart attack when the stage cape tapped his shoulder minus the usually included magician.
***
So, Squidward had the Wizard pinned. Literally.
It was a bad joke that suited an even worse situation. As mockingly close to a cartoon character as the alien was, there was something undeniably creepy about him, and not in the classic "lay eggs in your chest" sense either. More like...sadistic. Tony's helmet picked up a few staticy words from below that confirmed this.
"Painful, [static]...they? [static]...originally designed for micro-surgery. And [static] could kill you in an instant. I thought you'd appreciate [static]..."
Tony felt another tap on his armored shoulder. The Wizard's pet cloak looked anxious for something without a face, and he gestured for it to stand down. It knew what he meant, right? Did the Wizard use telepathy?
All of what Tony knew of this self-proclaimed Doctor Strange had been learned from the internet. Not that he regularly creeped on team-mates in potentia, but hey you couldn't blame him for sneaking a few peaks at his cell during the Infinity Stone documentary as provided by Wong. Guy was a surgeon once. An accident ended all that. How he ended up with the magic act was beyond Tony, but the fact that Squidward knew about it too bothered him. Privileged information for humans only, thank you. Shit, that thing mind-probed him, didn't it? The thought of it galled him.
This was bad. "Kill you in an instant' bad. He couldn't risk poking a hole in the Doctor's chest while Tony entered stage left with the usual heroics. A little more fine tuned surgery it was then. But how?
The Cloak paced very subtly in the corner of his vision. Why didn't it just fly down? Of course it couldn't, it would get ripped to shreds...well, hello, Bad Idea. But it was their only chance, and he better act on it soon. Below, Grandma's needle kit closed in on the Voodoo doll. Tony flinched when Strange screamed.
"You better know how to fly without your magic carpet," he said under his breath, then looked pointedly at the Cloak. It pointed at itself, who, me? Tony pulled it closer to whisper in its...ear.
That done and not without a little apprehension hidden behind the bravado, Tony broke cover just in the nick of time.
"Hey, Voldemort!"
___
"I thought you'd appreciate that, considering your former occupation," said the alien, Ebony Maw, and at his behest the needles closed in around Stephen's flesh. Stephen didn't question how he knew. He had a few guesses that could wait if he ever had the chance to review them again. The elegant, evil needles kissed him with pain. In some other time and place, he would have appreciated them.
It's nothing, he thought, it's nothing compared to what you've--you've--
He screamed. It was worse than anything Dormammu had put him through. At least he'd been inclined to quick kills.
Through his anguish he heard a voice. He wasn't sure what it said, but it sounded very, very cocky.
Idiot! He won't stand a chance!
"What?" The alien turned about, concentration slacking. There was the sound of whirring in the form of a small, efficient engine.
"Catch, Wizard!"
Stephen didn't even have time to ask, 'catch what?' when a streak cold blue breezed across his tear-blurred vision and the weight of salvation slammed into his chest.
The needles scattered like so many forgotten playthings, scraping his face, arms and body. The damage would have been much worse, because it slowly became apparent to him what had happened: The sensation of being enclosed in a form fitting suit, the feeling of trying to fly on his own without a semi-sentient mind to help, the blue glow of the hand cannons.
Tony had thrown his armor at him, leaving him as naked as a jaybird.
To say Stephen was angry was an understatement. Still, he tried as ever to exude grace under pressure. Or did until he met Tony.
"Get the hell out of here!" he said while nearly falling backwards due to an inexperience with operating boot-rockets, but not before something else happened. Stephen sensed the Eye pulse with unusual energy and he couldn't help look down. Around the Eye, glyphs etched a circle in the armor. He hadn't even commanded it to do so, not consciously at least. A wave of magic washed over him from head to toe. Intuitively he righted the armor and summoned his shields. The suit had become infused with magic, there was no other explanation.
What he couldn't account for was what he was seeing in front of him.
___
Tony had to act on faith, in an article of clothing no less. Who knew when Strange had last updated the Cloak's OS? Or whatever it was you did with magical objects. Feed it Tarot cards?
"Distraction is the plan. You float me in like a prized pinata. I know you've got a thing for him, but on me, not Strange, because you don't stand a chance against that," he pointed to the needles, which caused the Cloak to shudder. "It probably hurts you as much as it does him. I toss this at your boss," he tapped his nano-housing unit, "Got it?"
The Cloak nodded. Putting his life in the folds of animated cloth...this was going to go down like the Titanic. Alternatively, since it was he who thought it up, it was going to be fine. He would just be without his armor a little while. No biggie.
"On three. One, two, three..."
The Cloak thumped over his shoulders, a lot more substantial than he estimated. This was no Gucci rip-off, kid's theater production shit. This was some heavy metal, ancient pagan, I-Drink-The-Blood-Of-Dragons shit. For a vertiginous moment Tony felt as if he were the Cloak. He barely had to ask and they floated a good, but not ideal, distance above Enemy Mine. He got his bearings.
"Hey, Voldemort!"
Squidward rounded on him, hatred flashing in his eyes.
"Catch, Wizard!" Tony could throw a mean pitch. Only he didn't feel like it today. The AI guided thrusters delivered the package perfectly, the clearance between the needles making it by centimeters.
Naturally, the Wizard swore at him once he saved him. More importantly, Squidward was confused.
"It's me you want, I'm smarter." Tony shot up into the vault of the spaceship. Squidward didn't like that, and with an appropriately enraged yell shot the needles in his direction him, battle-mage forgotten.
"Die, ape!"
"Don't feel like acupuncture today," Tony quipped back with a nervous edge as the Cloak moved him out of harm's way independent of his input. He was grateful. The needles were now more than half-way embedded in the ceiling. C'mon Wizard, that's your cue!
___
Stephen's shields felt wrong. It could have been that they weren't acting as shields anymore. Maw, hurling abuse and actual death at Tony wouldn't see what hit him. Stephen didn't kill, but then he didn't like becoming a human pincushion either. The least he could do was give his captor a taste of his own medicine. He shot a blast of arcane, nano-blue energy at Maw intending to only singe him.
When it hit home, Stephen felt a pang of shame over his riant emotions. He didn't have to wallow. Maw was no pushover and indeed, was only singed. The action only increased his wrath.
"You...insect..." he seethed at Stephen, face half-sooty and one eye closed with inflammation. "The both of you!"
There was the creaking of angry metal from all around them, a sound no one wanted to hear in outer space.
"Uh, hey, Wizard..." Tony's voice was right in his ears. Stephen was half-tempted to rip off the helmet.
"This isn't your battle, Stark, you don't have any armor. Find a dinghy and take it home to your fiancee." His voice was controlled for the sense of impending doom creeping up on his spine.
"You have it, you're welcome, and her name is Pepper. Also, I have your opera cloak so you aren't going anywhere without me."
Maw snarled at him. They were both in agreement for once.
Stephen tried to ignore the groaning ship and menaced Maw with another blast. The energy must have been new to him as well, he was having trouble deflecting it even after the first blow.
"Above you!"
Stephen glanced up as he moved back. A metal panel was coming in fast, courtesy Tony no doubt. It made substantial contact with Maw before being deflected at Stephen who was taken by surprise. With a tried and true gesture he summoned a shield...which unexpectedly rebounded off the sheet and sent him caroming into the wall.
"Not in my plan," Tony semi-apologized.
Stephen only just noticed that the metallic groan had stopped during Tony's attack. It now resumed two-fold. That wasn't coming from him, was it? The wall behind him jolted unexpectedly. Flanges that weren't there before appeared without warning held him fast at his arms. For the fourth time that day he was indisposed. The phrase 'glass cannon' swarmed in Stephen's mind mockingly.
___
"You hearing that too?" Tony asked, only slightly concerned over Strange's spectacular screw-up. It didn't look like Maw was going to give him a fatal hug, and he knew that armor was up to snuff.
"Feeling it," grunted Strange.
Tony had a feeling he knew what Maw was up to, why the spacecraft was crying out as if in pain. When you lived in space you didn't have to watch Star Wars to know about the trash compactor. It came with the territory.
"Credit me with inspiration for that." He hovered above Maw, gesturing at the original felled panel. "Otherwise that's called plagiarism where I come from."
"Your only credit will be bringing the Time Stone to Thanos." Maw jerked an arm towards his own body then outwards. A rough spear-shape shot at Tony, followed by another panel in quick succession. Somehow the Cloak anticipated it and pulled him out of the way. Maw wasn't poised anymore. He was obviously in pain and off-kilter from their attack. Good.
Tony was aware he was liability out in the open without a weapon. Fine. He'd copy Maw. The Cloak knew exactly what he wanted to do. They floated over to the steering gimbal.
Maw attempted to stop him but only snagged the Cloak instead. It was enough, Tony already had a grip on it. "Sure your insurance won't mind this, you don't seem to have any qualms." He had a vague idea of how to steer this thing, which was just fine with him. He jerked it sharply to starboard. Maw yelped behind him as he went flying, the Cloak keeping Tony upright. Tony glanced over his shoulder, Maw had smashed into some elaborate piping along with loose bits and pieces. A pressure valve sprung a leak. Maw was side-by-side with the trapped Strange. Black blood trickled down his bony skull. He was mistaken to hope for his enemy's death, because suddenly the wall screeched again, and Tony stiffened when Strange's section was shoved directly at the wall opposite. Everywhere, the walls began to fold inward.
The Cloak was in a panic, there was danger everywhere. Barely missing it, Tony saw Stephen splay his fingers in the signature Iron Man pose; the detached wall panel that he was bound to was left with a dent in it as he slipped through the restraints and flew away. Tony got off the ground quick and met with Strange. Maw was already rising. With a ragged gesture, Maw caused the ceiling to implode over them. Stephen repelled and obliterated it with a blast and did the same with another wall.
It was enough to deter Maw.
"Why do you get powers?"
The armor's visor melted away from Strange's face. "Flying not enough for you?" He said in a sarcastic tone and narrowed eyes.
"For the record, this is all your fault."
"Are you really distracting from the--"
"SHUT. UP."
Both Tony and Strange looked down. Maw's body was wracked with discomposure. They'd pissed off Squidward enough to start ripping probably very essential equipment from the floor and forming an exosuit over himself. Several wires lashed out with no pretense to warn them. One hooked Tony's leg and began its decent.
"Tony!"
If things hadn't been so dire Tony might have smirked at the fright in Strange's voice. As it was, his heart was beating far beyond its capacity. That, and the sensation of being in mid-air without any sort of control was bringing on a panic attack. The Cloak pulled in response, but it wasn't enough. Instinctively Tony grabbed up for purchase. He found Strange's hand.
"Hang on."
Wasn't planning on letting go!
Stephen couldn't hit Maw without hitting Tony; and not only that, but either the Cloak or Tony's arm was going to give. His armor and subsequently Strange would be fine. Aware of this, Strange conjured a glowing protective bubble around Tony, but whatever Maw's powers were prevented it from reaching the cable around his leg. That's when the lights shuddered throughout the ship and the screech turned into a roar. Maw was raising himself up in his salvaged armor, only his eyes visible from the slit between his crude armor.
"Strange!" Tony kicked as hard as he could but was stunned when it caught on Maw's invisible force. Maw began to crush his foot...
"...I'm sorry, Tony."
It was so simple of an admission. Tony knew that tone. It never came from someone who he considered an ally. He couldn't even look up in disbelief before he felt the Cloak go slack and leave his shoulders, Stephen's hand loosen, felt his stomach rise into his throat.
Everything went in slow motion. The cable was still connected to him like some mechanical umbilical cord. The floor, rent and distorted, rose up to meet him. Years of habit told his hands to activate blasters that didn't exist.
The blaster. Which he didn't see until just now, on his hand as if it had always been there. He took the shot.
Thanks, Wizard
The alien metal was no match for anything Tony had invented.
Unfortunately, Tony was no match for the vacuum of space which opened up under his feet. Neither was Maw, but maybe that was how things had to be. He despised space, he'd rather die anywhere else.
He closed his eyes as he felt the air rushing him, along with everything else, out of the ship. This was it.
Until it wasn't.
The sensation of a sudden stop shook him. Maw continued towards the hole in his cocoon of armor, stunned into inaction. Tony didn't hesitate. He didn't have the benefit of winning every battle, not even he could accumulate so much hubris as that alien. He fired the blaster automatically and accurately without a second thought. It was an action honed from that very small part of Tony that knew he was capable of losing. The cord connecting them separated, melted ends glowing orange.
Great, but there was still a hole sucking them out into oblivion and holy hell, he hoped Strange had pre-planned this. Tony looked up. He was holding said Wizard's hand, and in turn Strange was gripping the Cloak which had curled around a bent pipe. Thing was, Tony was actually good with planning. Or improvising. Didn't matter right now.
"More armor!"
Thank god Strange was a quick study. The gauntlet slid away from his hand onto Tony's, hurriedly made its way across his chest and joined its opposite. Tony sprayed their imminent demise shut with nano-particles and a drop of sweat or two.
He hadn't realized how literally close he was to death until Strange dropped him. He thumped on the newly repaired floor with only minor injury. Of course the Wizard floated down with the poise of a crane.
"What was that? Couldn't hang on another second?" Tony said, rubbing his ankle ruefully.
Strange was panting, and not just from exhaustion. He was in pain too, he noticed.
***
The armor dismantled itself around Stephen and sizzled back into the glowing Stark-tech chest piece. Stephen stumbled.
"Whoa, hey. Doc, you ok?" He felt Tony's hands around his arms, his shoulders. He beat the Cloak to it.
"I'm fine. It's nothing."
Stephen stood tall and looked him in the eye, trying not to wince. Tony found a hold out in his hands when the Cloak took up it's rightful place about his shoulders. Tony was covering them. Truth was, his hands were smarting like no one's business. He bore all sorts of pain with the patience of a mule, but his hands...that was a special kind that made him nauseated.
"Doesn't look like nothing," Tony said with actual professionalism for once. If Stephen wasn't mistaken he looked a bit ill as well.
"Hey." Stephen reasserted who was holding whose hands here, and placed his over Tony's. He shook them a bit to take him out of his concern, out of his shock at almost dying. "Admit I saved your iron ass and I'm all good."
"Technically my iron ass saved us, I made the gauntlet, but I'm willing to share credit. They teach you slight of hand in Wizard School?"
Stephen allowed the slightest of smiles, only because Tony said all that while out of breath and still out of his mind with gratitude.
"I'm just glad it worked for the both of us. I didn't have a plan."
Tony's shoulders slouched with the release of pent up tension but he didn't let go. The relief behind his eyes that it was over regardless betrayed a deep fear, and Stephen made no move to end their contact. That was until he felt a prickle on the back of his neck. The Cloak had spotted something. Slowly, he turned, and he felt Tony's hands slip away from his and was sure he locked onto it as well. Their debt to each other was paid in full for now. This was something else.
"Uh, Mr. Stark...I can explain why I'm here..."