Go Down Fighting
"Sir they've entered the atmosphere," FRIDAY relayed.
Tony landed on the lower level on one knee, with so much force he cracked his own floor. Steve came in, walking at his side in big strides, his shield clenched in his hand.
"Always with the entrance," Steve teased with little humor showing in his voice.
"You know it," Tony responded thinly. Bucky, Sam, Wanda, Clint, and Natasha flanked Steve. Rhodey, Dr. Strange, and Vision were at Tony's side. Nebula, Drax, Mantis, and Quill brought up the rear, in the windows of the ranks. Bruce joined them in his Veronica suit, still unable to call on the Hulk.
They all walked out the doors and stood, waiting on the tarmac, weapons raised. Steve tightened his shield around his arm, pulling his helmet over his head.
"Steve, when this is over, you're losing that stupid headpiece," Tony grumbled. Steve grinned slightly, shaking his head at Tony's attempt to ease the tension.
"Tony, as much as we love hearing your fashion statements, but now is not the time," Natasha teased, smirking dryly.
"You guys should seriously take my advice. I've seen what you wear around the compound," he said. "Bruce," Tony coughed quickly.
"Sweatpants are for casual wear," Bruce defended himself.
"Watch out, Banner's getting angry," Sam joked.
Bruce rolled his eyes, used to any joke involving the words 'angry', 'anger', 'hulk out', or 'green'. He sighed, "Shut up, I'm not-I can't, remember-"
"They will be arriving in 40 seconds," Vision advised, the android's calming voice rippling through the ranks as everyone readied themselves, staring at the currently blank sky. Not a cloud in sight, the sun slowly setting, the moon barely visible, like it was covered with thin layers of blue.
Tony's breath hitched in his throat and he grew restless. He turned and looked at his team. They could win this...right?
Dr. Strange nodded at him. Quill nodded again. Tony gave them all a subtle head raise of understanding and shut the helmet, his screen blinking to life and illuminating the world around him.
"FRIDAY, everything ready?" Tony asked nervously.
"Yes sir," FRIDAY said.
"Good. Let's kick his-" Tony snarled.
"Language," Steve interjected weakly.
There was a sudden low grumble and Mantis pointed up, her antanae twitching, "Look!"
The ship emerged from the clouds, descending slowly, the wind strengthening around them. Although still a massive ship, it was smaller than what Tony had expected.
Nebula provided reason to his doubt, "He's detached a pod from the Sanctuary."
If that was a pod...holy crap. How big is the real ship? Tony took a deep breath, curling his fists.
Rhodey checked his watch, "Hey at least he's got common courtesy. He didn't keep us waiting."
I don't give a crap about his manners, thought Tony, he's got my kid. If Peter wasn't in one piece he swore he would rip that titan to shreds.
The ship landed on the spot marked by Quill. 'LAND UGLY A** SHIP HERE DOUCHEBAG' It touched down, crushing the concrete from it's weight, all black with smoke curling off of the sides. It was about 10 times bigger than Quill's ship and roughly 100 times more intimidating.
"Drop your socks and grab your crocks, it's about to get wet on this ride," Tony warned, a massive gun materializing in his hand, repulsor at the center.
"We stop him, at all costs," Steve said firmly. "Do not let him get the stones. Quill, Strange, you know what to do. This is it. The fight of our lives. Stay sharp, watch each other's 6."
Everyone nodded, uneasy.
Steve took a deep breath. "Either we win, or we go down fighting."
The ramp lowered and Tony narrowed his eyes, wanting to immediately blow up the titan that walked down the ramp.
Thanos looked around, his gaze falling on the Avengers, immediately locking with Tony who receded his helmet to stare the titan right in the eyes.
"Tony Stark. You've held up your end of the bargain," Thanos noticed, his eyes flicking to Vision and the necklace around the wizard's neck.
"Yeah, I did," Tony snapped.
"You betrayed your friends, to save one boy," Thanos cocked his head.
"He's next in line," Steve lied, keeping up the trick. "We have to deal with you first."
"I don't like your tone," Thanos said, shooting a blast of purple at Cap before anyone could even blink.
"Steve-" Tony warned too late.
Cap raised his shield but even then it blew him backward, Tony reaching and missing to try and catch him. Natasha slid to his side, helping him to his feet.
"You're gonna pay for that," Bucky snarled, shooting Cap a look who nodded, letting him know he was ok as he limped back to the ranks, hand over his ribs.
Thanos glared at him for his audacity and Tony quickly stepped forward. "Hey, purple people eater, yea. Don't single out. Be inclusive." Tony just wanted teh attention away from any one person. Thanos could probably kill every single one of them 1 v 1, but together...together they stood a chance, and he would do anything to get that.
"Yet still protective over them," Thanos notices, his gaze sweeping across the Avengers and Gaurdians. "It seems like you protect everyone Tony, even some new faces. But who protects you?"
"You have him in the ship," Tony swore before he looked over his shoulder. "And they do too. They try," he joked. "I'm reckless, I know that. I'm a mess. But we're all a mess. And we get the job done. We're stronger than you think."
"You're arrogant," Thanos corrected, smiling.
Tony had had enough of Thanos' talk. "Where's my kid?" he snarled.
Thanos smiled, looking down. "Peter is here, yes. I left him inside though."
Thanos wanted to take him out of the fight. Smart. It could be a trap. Tony didn't care. Peter was inside that ship and he was going to get him out, even if that was exactly what Thanos wanted.
"You all are fighting for the wrong side," Thanos stated, shaking his head.
"You killed Gamora," Quill yelled, stepping forward, Mantis, and Drax stepping with him angrily, tears in all of their eyes. "You are a monster," Quill hissed.
"Your own daughter," Nebula said quietly. Her expression changed and she pulled out her knife, swearing, "She will be avenged. I will take pride in watching you bleed out."
"Nice," Rhodey scoffed at the brutality of Nebula's statement.
"Daughter," Thanos smiled knowingly, "You of all people know I can never be killed."
"Everything can be killed," Rhodey snapped. "You just have to hit it hard enough."
"Human kind is naive. And weak," Thanos spat.
"Yeah, why don't you see how weak we are," Tony challenged. "Bring it grape."
He fired the first shot and the rest of the Avengers followed suit, spreading out and sprinting forward, or flying, immediately attacking the titan. Cap went for Thanos' legs while Dr. Strange lashed Thanos' waist with weird red vines. Rhodey, Sam, Vision and Quill all shot forward, pelting Thanos with a massive amount of bullets.
"Tony!" Steve yelled, holding out his shield. Tony shot a beam at it's center, deflecting it off the metal and into Thanos' chest. Drax lept onto Thanos' back and Mantis grabbed onto Thanos' leg and closed her eyes, trying to will the titan to sleep.
Vision combined beams with Tony, hitting Thanos straight in the chest. Clint shot arrow after arrow on the side with Bucky, Nat sprinting in a circle, trapping Thanos' foot with an electric clasp. Wanda was hovering just above them, making sure none of the Avengers got shot by their own fire.
Cap threw his shield, hitting Thanos in the face before Tony blasted forward, punching him with the force of 1000 fists straight in the jaw.
He went tumbling because of the rough impact, the armor around his wrist shattering from the force. It quickly rebuilt itself and Tony looked up as Thanos let out a yell, exploding his arms upward and flicking his fingers. A pulse of purple threw half the Avengers at least 30 feet away, tumbling onto the pavement, leaving the others to fend for themselves.
Tony shot forward, tackling Vision out of the air as Thanos made a swipe and teh titan growled, soon distracted by the early rising Avengers while Tony hissed at Vision, "Come on Viz! We talked about this. Don't let him get close to you- he'll rip that darn thing right out of your head."
Vision nodded, before he and Tony returned to the fight, causing damage where they could, but really working on catching people that Thanos hurtled away.
Wanda went for Thanos, shooting red beams at him and he fired back with a purple bolt which she stopped with her magic, sliding a few feet back. Sam swooped in, kicking Thanos in the face and Drax slid by, slashing at his waist and catching an arrow from Clint. Drax let out a war crazed yell, stabbing it right between the titan's legs and then Quill spiraled down, shooting the titan once in the face and then grabbing his arm, pulling him away from the explosion.
Thanos made an enraged punch at Natasha who had stabbed him in the back with a spear. The spear snapped and she ducked but Bruce landed between them, catching Thanos' punch and smacking it away. He and Thanos engaged in a fist fight, the Avengers helping where he could but one blast from the reality stone had the machine he and Tony built crumple into a ball, Bruce inside.
"BRUCE!" Nat screamed.
"It'll wear off-" Nebula yelled into the comms.
"Nat move!" Clint urged, shooting an arrow at Thanos' arm that tried to whack her to the side. Natasha rolled backwards and Bucky took her place, firing his machine gun at the titan's face before he and Cap took on Thanos together, fighting hand to hand, speed and agility competing with the titan's strength.
He pulsed with the space stone and suddenly Cap and Bucky were gone. Tony whrilled and they suddenly reappeared, crashing into Mantis and Quill.
"20 seconds and we're ready!" Clint relayed, taking cover behind the nearest jet.
FRIDAY began counting as Tony's brain whirled. 20 seconds. They had 20 seconds. 20-
"19 seconds..." FRIDAY said.
Tony saw his friends go at Thanos and fail, almost in slow motion, tossed aside as if they weighed nothing and crushed into the ground.
17...16...
He spiraled forward, Cap jumping at his side and together they kicked Thanos down.
15...14...
Cap shoved the end of his shield into Thanos' stomach and Tony lifted his arm and blasted the end, trying to make the edge of the metal sink into the titan's chest.
13...12...
Thanos clenched his fist and suddenly Tony and Steve were dragged forward. The titan sat up and grabbed both of them with each hand.
11...10...
Tony got launched, literally thrown to the side and Steve was gripped around the throat.
Tony crashed to the ground, hitting a rock to stop his fall, small pebbles falling down as he moved to get on his hands and knees, groaning.
"Multiple cocussions detected," FRIDAY reported.
"Yeah, I detected those too," Tony said back.
"Someone get Cap outta there, now!" someone yelled from the comms.
Tony looked up and saw Thanos still gripping Steve, the Avengers fire slowing, knowing they could hit their friend. Tony readied his thrusters, crouching for the right opportunity.
'Come on fight Steve,' Tony thought.
Cap struggled, elbowing Thanos' stranglehold, trying to break it, but this was a titan. It still distracted Thanos as much as he needed and Tony thought, 'That's my man.'
He shot himself forward, slamming his whole body through Thanos' right arm while he turned and was off balance, the one that was holding Cap by the throat.
"4 seconds sir!"
Steve dropped as Thanos stumbled backwards and Tony didn't waste any time trying to go in for another hit. He immediately kicked off Thanos' chest and grabbed Cap's arm, firing up his boosters and getting him in the heck out of there. Cap hung on as Tony pulled him into the sky and he dove for the far right, out of the target zone. They crashed to the ground, rolling to a stop and Tony looked up at Thanos.
"FRIDAY, Give him hell," Tony demanded.
"With pleasure."
The guns on the compound all turned towards Thanos who looked at the deserted circle around him.
"Clear!" Clint yelled.
The guns fired and everything errupted into a cloud of bullets and smoke, flashes making Tony feel like he was going to have a stroke. He flew shakily over to Cap's side and clapped him on the shoulder.
"You good?" Tony asked.
Cap nodded that he was ok, coughing and Tony couldn't spend time and babysit. He shot over to the tall concrete structure they had removed from the renovating building. Anything underneath it would be crushed...hopefully.
Rhodey and Vision clenched the sides with him and together they lifted it into the air, hearing the guns fire ahead of them, all hitting their mark of the titan. The ground was trembling with each blast but above all the fire they could hear the titan yelling, but it didn't sound like he was in pain, more like anger.
"Tip now," Vision directed, and Tony's visuals agreed with his judgement. The top of the massive chunk of concrete tipped, heading straight for the titan. The impact blew them all backward and Tony stablized himself in mid air.
There was silence.
"Did we do it?" someone asked, he thinks Clint.
"No, he's not dead," Nebula responded. "But he should be wounded."
"What is with this guy?" Rhodey swore as the ground started to shake.
"Brace!" Steve yelled from the comms, Tony looking over at his friend who was back on his feet.
Everything exploded in front of their eyes with a blast of purple, tossing people 15 feet back or more. Thanos stood in the middle section of the rubble, seemingly uninjured, just winded and he snarled, the power stone on the gauntlet glowing bright.
"Tony, get Peter," Steve said. "He's angry, we can keep him occupied."
"No I can't just-" Tony protested.
"He's too pissed off to notice you're gone. You'll get him before he even realizes it! Go!" Steve demanded, waving his hand at Tony toward the ship.
"We might not get another shot at this, Steve's right!" Natasha yelled, somersaulting away from a blast and getting tackled by Nebula, narrowing avoiding another one. "Get the kid!" she yelled, nodding in thanks to their new friend.
Drax yanked a piece of rock off of Sam in the background and Quill grabbed Clint, repositioning him once Thanos had found out where he was located.
They were all taking care of one another. They could do this.
"We'll hold him," Rhodey assured him. "We've got this man. Go."
Tony hesitated, then burst into the sky, flying until he knew Thanos couldn't see him. He looped and dove towards the ship, slowing and shooting up the ramp and immediately sliding against the wall and freezing, turning off his suit so no light would be emitted. He held his breath, hoping that his position wouldn't be given away.
"You're clear, go," came the call from what sounded like Wanda, who was closest and Tony raised his repulsor, his palm lighting up the hallway. He looked around and kept walking, all the hallways looking the same.
"FRIDAY, give me a scan of this place," Tony requested.
"Scanning. One moment," she said. Blue light flooded the hallways, disappearing around corners. A screen came up on his display, showing the blueprint of the ship.
"Scan for heat signatures," Tony said hurriedly.
He walked deeper into the hallways, and once he turned and saw he was far enough away he yelled, "PETER! PETE! KID?"
"I have one heat signature 50 yards away," FRIDAY said. "Continue straight then take a left."
"PETER! Talk to me kid!" Tony yelled, shining his light down the hallway. "PETER!"
There came a muffled sound and Tony froze. "Peter?"
There was a muffled sound again and Tony walked faster, taking the left that FRIDAY had told him and walking even faster down the hallway. "PETER!"
He turned right and there was a small door, bolted with a large latch. He banged on it, "Kid!"
The sound was still muffled, but it was joined with a clanging noise and Tony stepped backward and blasted the door off it's hinges.
The boy in the back corner winced, ducking his head and Tony barged in, looking around desperately. His eyes fell on the teen and his heart stopped. It wasn't a cell, it was a small engine room, with machines covering the back wall. He couldn't help but see the side walls were torn up, rubble on the floor from some sort of impact. But his prime focus was on Peter, bound by what looked like metal to the pole on the farthest generator in, wedged in between the wall and the main machine.
There was a gag in his mouth and he was struggling, crying out what sounded like Tony's name. Even in the dark and with his body curled up in an uncomfortable position due to how the titan had left him Tony could see the damage done to him. He started forward with a soft, "Oh God...Pete-"
Then Peter's tear filled eyes widened and he screamed through the gag.
FRIDAY's call rang out to late as something materialized behind him. Tony barely had time to turn, seeing a massive figure in his peripherals, distracted by Peter's awful, blood chilling scream.
A knife plunged right through his side. Through armor, through skin, through everything. Tony felt it enter one side and come out the other and he looked down in shock, blood rushing from the wound the minute it emerged through his stomach. He choked, gasping, his eyes focusing on the glint of the knife's tip, covered in blood poking out of his chest. With every tiny movement the knife had it made Tony's stomach flip and he almost threw up. His muscles spazzed and Tony went tense, his knees locking as he stared in shock.
The knife moved, twisting in his side and tony let out his first, choked scream, joined by Peter's, as the blase was suddenly yanked out with just as much force as it had been shoved in. The pain was almost greater that time as a large hand pressed down on his shoulder. Tony let out another strangled gasp that turned into a cry of pain, his breathing failing him as he collapsed to his knees, choking on air that he so desperately needed.
Peter hadn't stopped screaming, the kid in desperate hysterics, screaming through the gag and yanking on his bound hands that trapped him. He was sobbing through the gag, screaming Tony's name and Tony looked up at him, his shaking hands hovering over the stab wound that FRIDAY was already trying to stop by nano particles.
The pain was immense, so much that Tony barely felt it for the first couple seconds, he just stared at the wound, replaying the sound of the knife going through his side over and over, the crunch of rib- Oh God...
His stomach churned and he felt like he was gonna throw up. He couldn't see for a second, his vision swallowed up by blinding white spots. He opened his mouth and sucked in a breath, clutching his hands against the wound shakily. Oh God...
There was a massive footstep, the figure coming to Tony's side. He didn't have effort to raise his head. He met Peter's eyes which were flicking back between him and whoever was next to him, filled with pure anger, thrashing on his bonds to the point where he was hurting himself in an attempt to get out. He screamed again and that one turned into a cry, Peter shaking as he jerked angrily.
Tony's breathing was raspy and short, still weak on his knees, his head spinning, his vision blurry. Blood poured through his hands despite the suit trying to patch up the wound on it's own.
"Tony Stark."
He knew that voice.
Tony tried to crawl away, or at least raise a hand to blast the person he knew had stabbed him, in the face. A foot came down, crushing his hand and shattering his repulsor, breaking a finger in the process. Tony let out a choked gasp, unable to move expect to flinch in pain, still gasping, dizzy from the blood loss.
A hand reached down into his field of vision and grabbed his chin, forcefully raising him to look into the cold eyes staring into his soul.
Thanos smiled.
Tony winced in pain, trying to stay conscious. "Not possible," he made out.
"Reality can be such a shame," Thanos said, the red stone gleaming. "I'm not even here. But I can still hurt you."
"So you stab me with a toothpick?" Tony asks, his voice garbled from Thanos' hand gripping his mouth, his body threatening to give up on him if it wasn't for Peter's desperate noises from the corner. He made eye contact with Peter who was straining against his bonds, still whimpering and breathing hard.
Thanos turns, looking over to Peter who clearly cusses at him. Tony smirks in the titan's grasp. "You said it kiddo."
Thanos slams Tony to the ground and Tony cries out, coughing and groaning in pain. Peter yelled again, yanking on his bonds, glaring daggers at Thanos.
"What a nice reunion," Thanos looked back and forth between the two. Peter gave Tony a painful glance.
"Let him go," Tony snarled, getting to his hands and knees.
Thanos kicked Tony in the chest, keeping him down. Peter let out a cry of protest, breathing harshly through the gag.
"Peter, you don't like it when he's hurt, do you?" Thanos asked softly.
Tony looked up at Peter who's gaze was full of pain, staring at Tony with tears in his eyes while he twisted his wrists, pulling against his bonds. He shook his head, his brown hair limp with sweat, plastered to his forehead, covered in blood.
"Would you rather me hurt you?" Thanos asks.
"No!" Tony yelled with as much volume as he could. "You've done enough to him. Me, we're just getting started, aren't we?"
Peter cried out in protest and Thanos looked at him, "Just say it Peter. You or him."
It was cruel. Peter couldn't talk because of the gag. The kid realized it, his face scrunching up with hate and anger.
"Don't do that to him," Tony hissed weakly.
"Fine," Thanos said simply, before he grabbed Tony's arm, hauling him to his level and pressed the reality stone against his head.
Tony's eyes went into the back of his head and all he felt was pain. He felt Thanos' presence burning through his memories, like fire in his head and he tried to scream in pain but found he couldn't. It was an endless visions cycle that felt like it lasted a year, but was only a couple seconds.
Old memories of him and Pepper, meeting, kissing, discussing a family.
Peter and him taking that picture he had on his mantle, smiling like fools, Tony's arm protectivly around the kid.
The fear of watching him get sucked away, not knowing if he'd see him again.
Peter's scream on the recording, pain filled and raspy, as if worn out.
Rhodey and him sharing a drink on a late night.
Happy yelling at him about security things and Tony just smiling to make him mad.
"I am Iron Man." The moment that changed his life forever.
He and Cap fighting about the Accords. "GIVE ME A BREAK."
His life flashed before his eyes, jumbled and disorienting.
"Cheeseburger."
"You're done."
"Than we'll do that together too."
"That's not a hug, I'm just grabbing the door for ya."
"Sometimes you gotta run before you walk."
"That man is playing Galaga."
"The one thing I can't live without...and that's you."
"Underoos!"
"I dreamt, we had a kid. We named him after your eccentric uncle."
"Genius billionaire playboy philanthropist."
"Tell me his name again."
"Everyone told me I was crazy to recuit a 14 year old kid- if you're nothing without this suit, you shouldn't have it."
"There's a shwarma joint a couple blocks from here."
"My only curse is you."
"Sometimes I want to punch you in your perfect teeth."
"Well guess what Cap, we lost, and you weren't there."
"PETER!"
Then one line that echoed through his mind snapped Tony awake, in pure fear and horror.
"I think he bought it."
The memories immediately came to a jarring halt and suddenly the pain then switched over once Thanos had been in his mind, the light around him switching from red to purple and it was then Tony felt pain incomparable to anything he had ever felt.
His body crumpled on him and he screamed, his voice breaking. His mind spun and everything came back to him at once, snapping himself out of whatever trance he had been in. Tony gasped on the ground, curling his fists and flinching, coughing and groaning, trying to blink himself back.
Peter was crying and he whispered a muffled, "Tony?"
Tony couldn't look at him. He hated the kid seeing him like this. He couldn't believe Peter had taken that much pain. Thanos had barely done it to him 5 seconds. On the video call alone it had been 3 times longer and Peter didn't even scream.
Tony coughed again, holding his stab wound that was bleeding out onto the floor. His fingers turned bloody immediately and Tony coughed, sending waves of pain through his side.
"Smart play," Thanos admitted and Tony looked up weakly, realizing he knew about their plan. "I did buy it. I was convinced. Maybe you don't love the kid as much as he loves you. Since you were faking everything."
Peter looked at him in confusion.
Tony shook his head, "Shut up. Save the monologue."
"Peter, he never did it to save you," Thanos said.
"Don't listen to him Pete-" Tony said before he suddenly couldn't breathe. He clutched his throat and Peter flinched, yanking on his bonds and taking a shuddery breath as he looked at Tony in pain.
Tony choked, writhing on the ground as Thanos manipulated Peter.
"It was all a set up. The whole call. They planned the whole thing. Everything Stark said was an attempt to trick me into coming here on their own terms, an attempt to catch me off guard. It was scripted. He wrote everything he said. He didn't mean it."
Peter looked back and forth between Thanos and Tony.
Tony gasped, still unable to breath and he heard Peter mumble something, staring at Tony. To his surprise the titan looked backward and flicked. Suddenly the pressure on Tony's chest was released and he gasped for air, clutching his throat and coughing on his side.
"Peter he's lying-" Tony said weakly, trying to refill his lungs with air, his vision getting worse. He clenched his hand to his side again, trying to stop the bleeding, wet warm liquid spilling through his fingers.
"I was in your head Tony," Thanos points out. "Your realities...your perfect realities...they weren't at all like Peter's." He turned to the kid, "Do you want to see them?"
"Peter-" Tony gasped, "Whatever he shows you- it's not real- it wasn't like that-don't listen to him kid!"
The titan walked over and Peter didn't even flinch as Thanos pressed the reality stone against his head. Peter opened his eyes and they were bright red as memories flooded his brain.