In which it is whispers that keep Tony awake
Tony crouched alertly in the most guarded corner of the lab. Two of his robots stood guard over him.
The other avengers were probably trying to get in.
What if they got in?
They couldn’t!
But what if…?
Tony hoped to his feet and shook his head a few times.
They were coming for him.
They would cage him.
Put him back in the cage of his own sanity.
He couldn’t let them. He needed to be free.
They didn’t want to let him be free.
Why?
...Why?
...why?
They are afraid of what you can do…
Tony jumped. Who the hell had just spoken?
What if they are going to cage you forever?
Tony shook his head again.
Who was talking to him?
What if you're not the one that changed?
What if they aren’t them anymore?
What if they try to hurt us?
Us? He should go to sleep.
No. No sleep. They will get us.
They can’t be trusted.
Not safe!
Not safe…
Not safe
What if the voice was right?
I’m right.
Tony gave in and listened to his to the perinoya whispering in his ear.
Peter yawned and approached the lab, he needed to see if Tony ever ended up sleeping.
Peter found that the beriors to the lab were down, and that the aveners were all sitting outside looking defeated.
“What did you guys do?” Peter asked.
Bruce mumbled something about phase five, and continued banging his head against the wall.
“Phase five,” Steve answered Peter’s question.
Phase five?
What was phase five?
Then it hit him. Tony had told him once about his phases of being sleep deprived. Tony had told Peter to never ever let him get to eight. He had told Peter that he had never gotten past six without passing out. He had seemed genuinely afraid of what would happen if phase 8 happened.
“He’s in phase five!” Peter exclaimed.
“Started around when you went to bed last night,” Clint said drowsily, “He locked us out of the lab.”
“Wait how do you know about the phases?” Bruce stopped banging his head on the wall.
“Mr. Stark told me about it awhile ago,” Peter answered, “He told me to never ever let him get above a 7.”
Bruce’s eyes wided.
“There is a seven?!”
“Well yeah, it’s like six but worse. He told me hasn’t ever gotten that far, but he had Friday run an algorithm a while ago. He told me if he reaches eight then he will pretty much lose it.”
Bruce sighed.
“I guess it’s time for plan B.”
“What is plan B?” Peter looked around confused.
What had the adults been planning?
“Plan B is we make him sleep.”
“Boss you are running a high fever,” Friday informed Tony.
“I don’t want to hear it Friday.”
He needed to make sure they didn’t get him.
Tony set the release for the first boobytrap. He knew they were coming for him. He couldn’t let them get him.
You don’t know what's happened since you closed off the lab. What if someone brainwashed them?
Tony flinched.
What if they betray you like him?
“Long time no see Tony,” Tony whirled around and standing on the other side of the room was Obadiah Stane.
Tony backed up.
The man seemed bigger and stronger.
More evil.
It was then Tony wished he hadn’t pushed his friends away.
They could help.
“Hah! Your friends?” Stane laughed.
How had he read his thoughts? Tony backed up farther.
“Your friends are mine now.”
“No! What did you did you do!” Tony was confused.
“I told them about you. They don’t care about you anymore, not after what you've done. They want you dead.”
“What did you say!” Tony screamed. He could feel tears stinging his eyes.
“I told them everything you did. Your mistakes as a young man. They hate you.”
“NO!” Tony cried in dismay.
You have to escape.
“I am here to give you something from them.”
Stane pulled a gun out of his suit pocket.
“What is that?” Tony could feel the shake in his own voice.
“Your gift from once proclaimed friends.”
He lifted the gun.
“NO! STOP!” Tony screamed, “please no!”
Stane smiled and pulled the trigger. Tony cried out as he stumbled over backwards knocking over a table.
He gasped helplessly.
“They wouldn't…” Tony gasped, "They would want you to kill me!"
Something hot and metallic tasting filled his mouth.
Blood.
“Yes. They would,” Stane said coldly and vanished.
“Help me!” Tony screamed, "GA! PLEASE! Don't leave me..."
Red flooded across his shirt.
"NO! NO!" Tony choked trying to stop the blood, "Help..."
"PLEASE!" Tony scream in pain… Then realized there was no pain.
He was completely fine.
The plan was simple. They would bust into the lab. Peter would incase Mr. Stark in weds, they would all pin him down while Bruce administered the sleeping drug.
It was a good plan.
“Friday, open the lab gates.”
“I can’t Tony has overridden my protocols. I can’t open the doors.”
“Fine we'll just have to do it this way,” Steve grumbled and walked over to the heavy metal gate barring their way. He wrenched his fingers under it and lifted. Peter was surprised he could actually lift the thing.
They entered the lab and found that it was empty.
“Friday? Where is he?” Bruce asked cautiously.
This was bad.
“He has made it so I can not access where he is.”
“Shit!”
It could take them days to search the whole compound.
“Can you tell us what kind of mental state he’s in?” Peter begged.
He needed to know his mentor was okay.
“I am sorry I can’t tell you anything.”
Peter crossed his arms angrily, and stormed out of his lab.
He was getting Karen.
“Hello Peter,” The AI greated him cheerfully.
“Where is Mr. Stark?”
“East training wing,” The AI answered as Peter pulled on the rest of his suit.
“Great what can you tell me about his heath from here?”
“He is dehydrated, and is running a high fever.”
They had to get him to sleep.
Peter marched back to where the rest of the of the Avengers were looking around the lab.
“Karen found him. East training wing.”
“Let’s go! Same plan,” Steve said and ran out of the lab.
Tony laughed to himself.
Idiots.
They were all idiots.
Tony rubbed his hands together. This was going to be fun.
They were going to pay for betraying him, and listening to Stane’s words.
They were not going to cage his mind.
He was going to be free.