Chapter 7- Bruce and Tony POV
Bruce POV
Bruce was seething as he walked down to the Wakandan labs where he was supposed to meet the Princess to continue their work on getting Vision’s stone out of his head. Well, he would more be working on other things since Shuri probably already finished the work while he was walking down the stairs. It was quite embarrassing to be outsmarted by a 16-year-old. Reaching the lab he found that his suspicions had been confirmed.
“Dr Banner,” Shuri said smiling at him. “I took the liberty of finishing the work on the mind stone while you were upstairs. I have figured by programming the synapses to work collectively we will be able to remove it.” Bruce stared for a second, that would work.
“Huh, yeah,” He muttered. “That would work.” Shuri looked down at the tablet in her hands.
“I have informed Vision and we can get started as soon as he is ready.” She glanced at him. “You should know, this is the equivalent of a major brain surgery so there is the chance of complications.” Bruce nodded,
“I know, the others understand that there will be risks as well since you seem to have that covered I’ll go find Tony.” Though as soon as he finished that sentence Tony and Peter walked in. Bruce sighed in relief.
“Tony, are you okay,” he asked in worry. Tony smirked clapping him on the shoulder.
“Everything’s fine Brucie-Bear no need to get all green. Now, have you guys figured out Vision’s fix yet?” Shuri smiled walking over.
“The stone can be removed by programming the synapses to work collectively.” Tony smiled back at her. Taking off his sunglasses and pocketing them. Bruce tried not to notice the dark shadows under his eyes. Tony spoke.
“Great job, you successfully figured it out! In almost record time too.” Bruce rubbed his nose bridge.
“Tony, please don’t tell me you knew already and didn’t tell us.”
“Well Brucie, I figured it out a while back but knew I didn’t have the tools for the best version possible of the procedure and Vis was already scheduled to come here. After all, I had heard that the princess was a genius as well and felt like testing her skills.” he smirked then directed at Shuri, “Impressive work by the way. If you hadn’t gotten the advantage of living in an already super advanced science city I may have admitted you were the smartest person here. But alas.” Tony mock sighed, “The older you get the wiser.” Shuri raised an eyebrow playfully smirking back.
“Glad I passed your test. If I wasn’t already one of the smartest people in the world I might have been excited by that. But, being the head of Wakanda’s technology and science department can get distracting.” While they were battling about who was smarter Peter turned to Bruce.
“Hi, Dr Banner,” Peter said holding out his hand and smiling widely. “It’s super nice to meet you. I really like your work and the Hulk is super awesome.” Bruce took his hand and smiled this meeting reminding him of one from years ago, You're working on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled and I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster.
“Thanks, you’re Peter right?” he asked hoping his information wasn’t false. Luckily judging by the look of utter excitement on his face it wasn’t.
“Y-yeah. It is!” Peter said.
“If you could please finish chatting and tell me why you asked me here it would be much appreciated.” came a voice from the door. Bruce turned to see Dr Stephen Strange there. “I do have a lot to do today so hurrying along.” Tony strode towards him.
“Gandalf, you’re here. Since you seem to be setting up lots of magical doorway things or whatever today, I was wondering if you could set one up to my lab in the compound.” Strange sighed,
“Really Stark? I have more important things to do.”
“And yet, it would be a quick way to get to my suits, so…” Strange sighed again, he then seemed to glide to a relatively empty corner of the room. Peter watched in excitement and Bruce in curiosity as Strange moved his hands in specific motions and gold energy symbols appeared around him, then he spun his hand in a circle and a circular doorway that revealed the lab appeared behind it.
“All done, now, goodbye.” said Strange exasperated heading towards the door, on the way bowing his head slightly in respect for the Princess who just rolled her eyes at all the formality.
“All right!” said Tony excited moving towards the circle and stepping through. He was greeted by a flurry of beeps and Bruce watched in amusement as Dummy, U, and Butterfingers zoomed up to him and began chirping and poking him seemingly in worry. “Chill guys,” he said rubbing the metal arm of Dummy, “I’ve been gone for only 32 hours.” Bruce sighed. Of course, he had counted. He spotted Shuri looking at the bots in amusement as well, Peter, however, had gone through the portal too, rubbed Butterfingers arm vaguely and headed to a mini fridge Bruce saw next to a coffee machine in the corner of the lab. He came back later with a couple of soda’s gave one to Shuri and asked Bruce if he wanted anything.
“Um, I’m fine thanks.” he murmured. Tony looked back at his voice.
“Come now Brucie, let me show you my new suits.” Bruce nodded and hesitantly stepped through the glowing circle into Tony’s lab. Tony then sent the bots off to continue whatever they were doing and motioned for Shuri to come as well. She shrugged and followed. They walked to a staircase in another corner of the room and headed down into a circular underground room filled with alcohol (of course) with a circle in the centre of the floor.
“Fri, open up the hall would you?” Tony asked stepping onto the circle the others followed suit.
“You got it boss.” came the voice of FRIDAY from wherever the speakers were. The circular floor began to rotate down. Bruce gaped, that was a lot of suits. As they descended lights shone on either side of each suit. The suits stood next to one another clearly marked by model in large shining letters. Bruce turned slowly in a circle admiring the view.
“So the suits are ordered by model the newest being at the top and steadily going all the way to Mark II since I rebuilt my old suits since I had the time and, why not? But it totals to…” Tony paused,
“117 suits sir,” FRIDAY said. Tony smiled.
“That’s right. 117.”
“You are impressive for living outside Wakanda,” Shuri said, examining one of the nearest suits. Tony smirked and made a motion that made the platform stop and begins to slowly move back up.
“Thanks, Princess, FRIDAY has informed me though that your brother is looking for you.” Shuri sighed.
“If only he could deal with something by himself for once.” They reached the top and Shuri headed back up to her lab.
“How much have you been sleeping though Tony?” Bruce asked in worry after Peter had left the room muttering something about calling his Aunt.
“Enough.”
“Tony, enough for you would be not sleeping at all.”
“Fair point but humanly, I’ve been sleeping enough.” Bruce rolled his eyes at that and instead directed his same question towards FRIDAY and before Tony had managed to open his mouth in protest she had replied.
“Mr Stark has an average of 22 hours of sleep per week although this week this has decreased to 17 hours of sleep.” Tony crossed his arms.
“Traitor” he pouted.
“17 hours!” Bruce paled, “Tony that is not healthy!” Tony sighed.
“I’m fine Bruce, no need to mother me.” Bruce glared at him.
“Looking out for you as a friend isn’t mothering you!” Tony rolled his eyes.
“Fine 'll try and get more sleep, stop panicking.” Tony turned and walked away leaving Bruce to fester in a pit of worry.
Tony POV:
Tony was reaching the collapsing point he knew. His senses were so dulled it was like he was surrounded by a thick haze and his eyes kept wanting to close even with all the coffee. He needed to make it back to his room. Last time Tony had fallen over and gotten a light concussion along with the side effects of lack of sleep. Trudging past Peter who was asleep on a chair near the portal he waved his hand and Dummy pulled a blanket over the kid. Tony continued through the dark halls, it was probably late. He determined, most likely past midnight judging by the lack of people other than the usual guards. Tony stumbled through the common room ignoring Natasha who looked up from her book on the couch and observed his most definitely dishevelled walking dead body as he trudged towards his room. Tripping slightly on the threshold to his bedroom Tony stopped steadying himself on the door frame a drinking from a flask in his jacket. Aaah Whiskey He through his jacket unceremoniously on the floor swung the door shut and collapsed on his bed, falling asleep almost immediately.
He was in a dark room, tied down. He yelled, no one could hear or they just weren’t replying. All of a sudden a voice whispered in the dark.
“Jericho?” Tony’s blood ran cold. Not again. No. Please.
“I-I refuse.” he stuttered. Pain filled him as his lungs filled with water. The voice echoed around him and Tony tried to pull in oxygen but the water was choking him. Filling him. He tried to scream. The water was blocking his throat and it gurgled past his lips and streamed out of his mouth drowning him from the inside. Then the water was gone. But the suffocating feeling wasn’t. Maybe he hadn’t noticed before but the room had grown colder. Much colder. Lights sparkled in the previously black room. Space. Tony’s heart jumped into his already choking throat as he defied logic and began to fall through space. Picking up speed, faster and faster until.
WHAM
Tony had all the air knocked out of him as he connected with hard ground. Gathering back the returning oxygen he stood up shakily.
No
No
No
They were all dead. Surrounding him. Pepper, Vision, Rhodey, Bruce, the Rogues, T’challa, Shuri, Strange and Wong, Thor and even Loki. There was a weak moan and Tony whipped around.
NO
Peter lay on the ground, blood streaming out of his nose and mouth, eyes darting around in fear as his hands weakly grasped the iron pole stabbing his abdomen. Tony rushed over.
Peter No, Please god No.
“Mr Stark?” he weakly managed looking at Tony in fear. “Please help. Please. I’m scared.” Tears were running down both their faces as Tony grasped Peter’s hand and gently ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t want to go! Please, Mr Stark! I’m sorry, I’ll do better, just please help me!” The last word came out as a gurgle as Peter shuddered and became still.
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
Tony sobbed over Peter’s dead body, it was all his fault, he should have never brought Peter here. Growls, snaps, and scuffling was heard as Tony looked up to see Chitauri surrounding him and Peter’s body in a circle. The wormhole was back, looking up Tony say it shining blue in the sky. The Chitauri rushed at him and tore him to shreds as he screamed, closing his eyes. The pain didn’t stop and now had moved from every inch of his body to his chest. Still yelling in pain and fear Tony wrenched his eyes open to see Yinsen looking at him as his hands moved in his chest.
“You wasted your life,” he said, blood beginning to pour from the wounds that cost him his life. “You wasted mine.” Then he was pushed out of the way by an ever-shifting figure. Was it Obie? No. Rogers? No. Obie? No. Rogers? The figure smiled cruelly.
“Tony!?!”
“No.”
“This is your legacy,” it screamed at him as it pulled his heart out of his chest.
“Tony?!?”
“Please, no.”
He could hear his friends laughter from the shadows. The figure permanently morphed into Steve, he smiled cruelly as he brought the shield. His father’s shield. Down on his chest,
“Stop… Please.”
“Tony! Wake up!”
It was brought down, again and again, Natasha stepped out of the shadows.
“I’m not the one who needs to watch their back,” she said as the shield split him in half.
Tony jerked awake, jumping out of his bed and falling to his knees panting. Was that tears or sweat on his face? The phantom pain bubbled under his skin as he barely registered someone, probably Rhodey muttering comforting words as they turned up the light as high as it could go. Tony rubbed his face and fell back into a seated position against the bed. The events of the meeting had probably combined with the lack of sleep and PTSD to form an ultra nightmare. Looking at the window as things came back into focus now the panic had slowly begun to subside Tony noticed that the barest slither of light showed the first signs of sunrise. He heard the click of the door closing and saw Rhodey had closed the door and was now sitting next to him.
“Worse than normal,” Rhodey said. It was more of a statement than a fact, Tony nodded anyway. “You wanna talk about it?” Tony shook his head. Rhodey sighed. “You need help Tones. If not professional then just talk to one of us. Talk to me.”
“When I’m ready,” he muttered. Rhodey looked at him sadly.
“You never seem to be.”