Day 99
A coyote howled outside. Tony rolled over on his camping mat on the floor of Clint’s living room with a groan. He didn’t know why he was attempting to sleep. He knew what would happen if he slept, and it wouldn’t be good. Nightmares of blood and death. His friends’ deaths.
“You should have done more. You could have save us.”
Tony sat up shaking his head trying to forget. He tossed a glance over at Steve who was asleep on the couch. Then it vanished. The whole house vanished. Tony was on his feet in a second. He was there again, on the massive piece of of stone overlooking Earth. Tony looked around desperately. The Avengers lay strewn about the rock. They were all dead.
No. No. No. NO!
The dream was different this time. Something was different. Wrong. Was it even a dream?
“Don’t move Stark.”
Tony froze at the sound of Clint’s growl behind him.
“Don’t fucking move.”
Tony turned around slowly to face the archer.
“I swear I will shoot you if you move again!” Tony flinched at the sheer rage in Clint’s voice.
“Clint I-” Tony tried to start, tried to explain something… he didn’t know what he was trying to say, but he needed to say something.
“SHUT UP! You did this!” The archers sounded terrified.
“What do you-?” And then Tony looked down at himself. He wasn’t himself. He was wrapped in dark gray metal. Dark and twisting metal. Red light danced and writhed underneath it, almost like some spark of evil life. Ultron. Tony lifted his hands, they to were wrapped in the cold dark metal, but there was more. There red. Blood. Blood on his hands, dripping from his fingers. He looked back up at Clint who now had an arrow pulled back in his bow.
“Please don’t…” Tony pleaded. What had he done? What had he done? WHAT HAD HE DONE! His head screams. Did he do this? Was he the man that would kill the Avengers?
“No Stark! You forced this on yourself! You have to die for what you’ve done!” Clint screamed back at him. Tony looked up through the whole in the sky that was the window to Earth. The planet was no longer blue and green. It was black with evil red light glowing through huge cracks in its surface. Dead. The planet was dead and he had killed it.
“You are the man that killed the Avengers. That is your legacy Stark, and you have to pay!” Clint loosed the arrow. It struck Tony in the chest. He reeled back from the force of the arrow. It tore through the evil metal wrapped around him, and sank into his heart. An evil laugh filled the air. Not Clints. No. A thick, evil malaised laugh of triumph.
I’m coming Stark.
He hit the ground.
Tony sat bolt upright with a gasp. Blood pounded past his ears, and sweat streamed down his face. He could feel his hands shaking… he could feel his whole body shaking. Tony looked around checking his surroundings. Soft blankets under him. Cool air. The air conditioner humming loudly in the window. He was safe. He was still in Clint’s house. Everyone was safe. He wasn’t Ultron. He hadn’t failed them…
Yet…