Previously on Out Of Time...
"I went forward in time to view alternate futures," Strange Panted. "To see all the possible outcomes of the coming conflict."
"How many did you see?" Star-Lord wonders.
"14,000,605."
"How many did we win?" Tony asked.
Strange stared intently at Tony for a moment, almost sad like. Before looking past him at Y/N. "One."
Everyone turned to look where Strange was looking. Y/N was still standing, with green eyes and green energy encircling her head. Tony rushed over, grasping Y/N by the arms.
"Y/N!" Tony called, trying gently to shake her out of whatever was happening. "Come on, honey. Push through!"
"Mr. Stark, what's happening to her?" Peter asked worriedly.
"The Time Stone is controlling her," Strange answered.
"Y/N, come on!" Tony continued, shaking her again.
Gasping dramatically, Y/N fell forward into Tony. The Time Stone's energy evaporated into the air as Y/N tried to cling onto Tony.
"It's okay, I got you," Tony responded, holding onto Y/N. "I got you."
From over Tony's shoulder, Y/N met Strange's gaze. He knew what she had seen and been told. He shook his head as if to tell her that she couldn't say anything. She clenched her eyes shut and tried to hold Tony closer.
"It's okay, we're okay," Tony continued to try and calm Y/N. "I've got you."
"We need a plan," Y/N whispered. "And fast." She pulled away, looking into Tony's eyes. "Before it's too late."
~~~
The small team came up with a plan and were all heading for their places. Tony grabbed Y/N's arm, stopping her, and pulled her in for a deep kiss.
"You are worth more than their lives, you understand?" He whispered. "You do anything to get the Stones and survive."
"I understand," she responded with a nod. "The same goes for you."
"I love you," he breathed out before pulling her in for another kiss. He was clearly pouring everything into it, like it could be their last. "Say safe." Then he walked away.
Thanos appeared not long after everyone had gotten into position. It was clear to Y/N that he had used the Space Stone to create a portal to get there. Thanos studied his surroundings, stopping at Maw's destroyed ship. Strange was sitting on some steps to the side of Thanos, with Y/N hiding behind a post. She had never sensed this many Stones at once. Thanos had successfully retrieved the Reality, Space, Power, and Soul Stones. He only needed two more.
"Oh, yeah, you're much more of a Thanos," Strange commented, turning Thanos' attention to him.
"I take it the Maw is dead," Thanos stated, taking a few steps towards Strange. "This day extracts a heavy toll. Still, he accomplished his mission."
"You may regret that. He brought you face-to-face with the Master of the Mystic Arts."
"And where do you think he brought you?"
"Let me guess. Your home?"
Thanos smiled reminiscently. "It was. And it was beautiful."
Thanos curled his gauntleted fist, activating the Reality Stone. As buzz formed in Y/N's head as the planet changed to look like what it was before it was destroyed. Green lawns, intact buildings, water-filled ponds. There were strolling citizens and structures hovering above the surface.
"Titan was like most planets," Thanos continued. "Too many mouths, and not enough to go around. And when we faced extinction, I offered a solution."
"Genocide," Strange stated.
"But at random, dispassionate, fair to rich and poor alike. They called me a madman. And what I predicted came to pass." Relaxing his fist, the Reality Stone stopped glowing and the illusion faded.
"Congratulations. You're a prophet."
"I'm a survivor."
"Who wants to murder trillions."
"With all six stones, I could simply snap my fingers, and they would all cease to exist. I call that... mercy."
Strange stood up. "And then what?"
"I finally rest... and watch the sun rise on a grateful universe. The hardest choices require the strongest wills."
Summoning his magical shields, Strange entered a fight pose. "I think you'll find our will equal to yours."
"Ours?"
Looking up, Thanos saw a chunk of wreckage descending rapidly on him, too rapidly to react. He was quickly crushed by it.
"Piece of cake, Quill," Tony commented, flying in.
Triggering his mask, Quill followed. "Yeah, if your goal was to piss him off!" He responded.
The wreckage on top of Thanos erupted in purple and he bellowed in rage. Using the Reality Stone, he turned the hovering fragments into a flock of bats, swarming Iron Man with them and driving him back through the ruins. Spider-Man then webbed Thanos' eyes and swung in to kick him in the face. At the same time, Drax appeared, blades in both hands. He knee-slid behind Thanos and cut the back of the villain's knee.
Dr. Strange jumped through a portal and summons a sword of magic energy. He dueled with Thanos as Drax attacked similarly on the other side. Thanos punched Drax through a ruined wall, then shattered Strange's blade and tore the webs from his eyes. He advanced on Dr. Strange and kicked at him, but Strange's shield absorbed the damage and the cloak lifted Strange from the ground.
Star-Lord began shooting Thanos from behind. Thanos used the Power Stone to shoot balls of energy at Star-Lord while Star-Lord leapt towards Thanos using magical platforms thrown in his path by Strange. The las one was placed above Thanos' head and Star-Lord flipped over him and slapped a bomb onto the Titan's back. Star-Lord sticked his landing, disengaged his helmet and flipped Thanos the bird.
"Boom!" Quill exclaimed, falling backward into a portal.
The explosion from the bomb on Thanos' back, knocked the Titan to his knees, dazing him briefly. Y/N was still behind the post, breathing heavily cause of the Stones. The plan was for Y/N to stay there until called in. Strange and Tony were both at the understanding that nothing could happen to her. She watched as Strange's clock swooped off his shoulders and wrapped itself tightly around Thanos' armored hand. Strange then started to throw portals everywhere, Spider-Man leaping through them to attack Thanos.
"Magic!" Spider-Man exclaimed as he put Thanos in the head before disappearing in a portal and reappearing above. "More magic!" He yanked the Titan's head down hard, then leapt into another portal. "Magic with a kick!" Spider-Man delivered a flying kick before disappearing and reappearing once again. "Magic with a-"
Before Spider-Man could finish, Thanos turned and grabbed him from the air. He threw Spider-Man to the ground, with a hand around his neck.
"Insect!" Thanos yelled.
Thanos threw Spider-Man at Dr. Strange, knocking them both down. As Thanos tore the cloak away from his hand, Iron Man began bombarding him with fiery explosives. Thanos sucked all the flame into the gauntlet using the Power Stone and fired it in a stream at Iron Man. Tony was hit dead on, sending him plowing through a massive fallen machine far away.
Y/N had had enough of sitting on the sidelines. Appearing in front of Thanos, her fists were glowing purple.
"What have we here?" Thanos asked, clearly unimpressed.
"Stop hurting the people I care about," Y/N growled.
Pushing her hands forwards, she blasted Thanos back. Regaining himself, Y/N marched forward, hands glowing purple once again. It was then that something on his gauntlet caught his eye. The Power Stone was glowing, yet not because of him. Y/N blasted him again, pushing him further into the debris.
"Impossible!" Thanos exclaimed, rising from the rumble. "You're channeling the Stones. How?"
"Does it really matter?" Y/N retorted.
She fired another beam at him, only for him to clench his fist and fire one in return. Both beams were from the Power Stone. They collided in the middle, sending both attackers crashing backwards. Tony quickly flew in and picked Y/N up, flying her to safety as Thanos fired at them.
"Stay here!" Tony ordered, dropping Y/N carefully. "Wait for the signal!"
"Tony! I could-"
"No! Stay there!"
Spider-Man leaped from behind while Thanos concentrated his fire on Iron Man. He webbed the gauntlet and dropped down in front of Thanos, pulling hard. Thanos yanked on the web-line, pulling the teenage towards him and punching him on his way past. The Titan then teared the webbing free of the gauntlet just in time for a small spaceship to attempt to crash-land on him. The ship dragged Thanos along for a distance, burying him under debris. Thanos stood just as the pilot jumped in a great arc to punch him, landing in front of him with an energy-blade at the ready.
"Well, well," Thanos chuckled.
"You should have killed me," the mostly robotic woman replied.
"It would've been a waste of parts!"
The robotic woman ran at Thanos, attacking him. "Where's Gamora?!"
Thanos punched her away. Dr. Strange reappeared and used his magic to pin the gauntlet, pulling Thanos' fingers open and trying to pry the gauntlet off his hand. The Titan tried to pull free just at Drax slid in. Drax kicked the Titan's knee, knocking him off balance, before wrapping himself around Thanos' kneeling leg.
Star-Lord shot an electric trap onto the ground, the tangle-field holding down Thanos' unarmored hand. Spider-Man swung in, webbed Thanos' chest and then wrapped it around behind him. Peter used his spider legs to anchor himself into the ground.
Dr. Strange opened a portal straight above Thanos, which Mantis dropped throw. She landed on the Titan's shoulders and placed her hand on his temples. He bellowed as she tried to put him under.
"Is he under?" Tony asked. "Don't let up."
"Be quick," Mantis said, starting to cry. "He is very strong." "Y/N!" Tony shouted, beginning to pull on the gauntlet. "You're up!"
Y/N portaled over there. She studied the Titan in front of her before choosing to focus on the Stones. She needed to get them off the gauntlet while they tried to get the gauntlet off his hand.
"Parker, help!" Tony ordered. "Get out here." Peter dropped his web-line and hurried over to help Tony. "She can't hold him much longer. Let's go."
Star-Lord flied over to join the others and stood in front of Thanos, tauntingly. "I though you'd be harder to catch," he said. "For the record, this was my plan. Not so strong now, huh? Where is Gamora?"
"My Gamora..." Thanos mumbled.
"No, bull-shit. Where is she?"
Mantis gasped in shock. "He is in anguish," she told everyone.
"Good."
"He... he mourns," Mantis cried.
"What does this monster have to mourn?" Drax laughed.
"Gamora," the robotic woman stated solemnly.
"What?" Quill questioned.
"Its..." Y/N whispered, feeling Thanos' thoughts as she tried to focus on the Stones, who were fighting her back. "It's his..."
"No! Y/N! Focus on the Stones!" Tony interrupted. "You can do this! Destiny and all that crap, right?"
"Nebula," Quill pressed the robotic woman for an explanation.
"He took her to Vormir," Nebula said in sadness. "He came back with the Soul Stone... but she didn't."
Tony quickly de-helmeted. "Okay, Quill, you gotta cool it right now, you understand?" Tony tried to get Star-Lord's attention as the man slowly turned to Thanos. "Don't, don't, don't engage, we've almost got this off!"
"Tell me she's lying," Quill demanded. "Asshole! Tell me you didn't do it!"
"I... had... to...." Thanos slowly got out.
"No, you didn't! No, you didn't!" Quill pistol whipped Thanos twice in the face, causing Mantis to let go in pain. "NO, YOU DIDN'T!"
"Quill!" Tony shouted. He leapt for Star-Lord's arm, re-helmeting and leaving Spider-Man with the gauntlet. "Hey, stop! Hey, stop! Stop! Hey, stop! Stop!"
"It's coming! It's coming!" Peter announced. "It's coming! I got it! I got it-"
Suddenly Thanos woke completely, now truly furious. As he head-butted Mantis and grabbed the gauntlet before it could fully leave his hand, the Soul Stone flew off of it and into Y/N's palm. Her hand firmly enclosed around it before anyone could notice. She had never held a Stone like this before, she could feel every ounce of energy it was pouring into her.
As the fight ensued, Tony grabbed Y/N and flew her behind a large wall. His helmet disappeared as he searched her. He cupped her cheeks.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"I'm fine," she responded with a nod. "And look..." she opened her hand and the Soul Stone hovered over he palm.
"That's my girl. Now, you need to go."
"What?"
"You need to create a portal and go find Steve and the others."
"No. I can't leave you," she responded, a lump forming in her throat as she shook her head. "Plus, Earth's too far."
"Yes, you can." He tried to give her an encouraging smile. "Thanos has the Space Stone still, channel it."
"I'm not leaving you."
"Oh, sweetheart..." Tony pulled Y/N in for a tender kiss. "I love you. So much."
"Tony-"
"I know I hurt you and that we've both been stupid. And I know that you haven't made your decision yet. But I love you. Forever and always. If we survive this, I promise to spend every day showing you just how much I love you." He pulled her in for one last kiss. "Now, go." He stood up, walking backwards, heading back into the fight. "Go!"
Tears falling to her cheeks, Y/N took a shaky breath as she watched Tony fly back into the fight. Cupping the Soul Stone between her hands, she closed her eyes and focused on the Space Stone.
~~~
Shuri and Vision had been left in the lab with only a few guards. Shuri was frantically working to reprogram Vision so that he could live without the Mind Stone. But it wasn't going fast enough. A giant alien killed one of the guards just outside the lab, alerting Shuri to an issue. She began to hastily disconnect her equipment from Vision. The guards engaged with the alien, only to be sent skidding across the floor.
After Shuri finished her shutdowns, she grabbed one of her sonic panther paws and fired at the alien. The guards got back up and attacked again as she did so. The alien sent the guards and Shuri through the balcony railing and onto the main lab floor.
Y/N appeared, cheeks still fresh with tears, in the lab. She quickly took in what was happening and ran to help Shuri off the floor.
"Y/N?" Shuri questioned. "Where have you been?"
"Long story," Y/N answered. "But I brought something with me." She revealed the Soul Stone in her palm. "I need Wanda. We can destroy it together."
Before Shuri could respond, they heard Vision cry out.
"Here!" Shuri said, placed a comm in Y/N's hand. "You'll need this."
With a small, grateful smile, Y/N put the comms device in her ear and shoved the Stone in her pocket. Running up to the balcony part where Vision was suppose to be, she heard glass breaking. Reaching the floor, Y/N saw that the alien and Vision had crashed out of the window and down the face of the mountain.
"Guys, we got a Vision situation here!" Sam warned over the comms.
"Somebody get to Vision!" Steve ordered.
"I got him!" Bruce responded.
"Not if I get there first," Y/N replied.
"Y/N?!" A chorus of voices filled her ear.
"Doll, where are you?" Bucky immediately asked. "And where the hell have you been?"
"Not really the time," she answered.
"Is Tony with you?" Rhodey asked.
"He's keeping Thanos occupied. The more important thing though is we now have two Stones instead of just one."
"You have another Stone?" Steve asked. "Destroy it! Now!"
"I'm gonna need Wanda's help."
"On my way," Wanda replied, but crashes were heard from her end.
"Just try Y/N!" Steve continued. "Do it!"
"I don't-"
"Y/N," Bucky calmly called. "You can do this."
Y/N let out a shaky breath and slowly got onto her knees. With a trembling hand, she retrieved the Soul Stone from her pocket. The Soul Stone floated above her palm, effortlessly. She then moved her hands and the Stone so that it was floating in-between them. Focusing her power onto the Stone, she closed her eyes. Her hands were shaking at the power coursing through him and out onto the Stone. Eventually, her hands calmed and her power stopped. Slowly, Y/N opened her eyes. Only to quickly realize, she wasn't in Wakanda anymore.