[Cut to Ebony Maw interrogating Dr. Strange. Dr. Strange is floating horizontally, face down, and is surrounded by dozens of glassy needles, each about two feet long.]
"Ohh. God. What is that." Sam gasped.
Some looked Sick, other gave a pity look to Strange. But Strange had a blank face.
Ebony Maw: In all the time I've served Thanos, I've never failed him. If I were to reach our rendezvous on Titan with the Time Stone still attached to your vaguely irritating person, there would be... judgement. [The needles start to contact Dr. Strange's face, causing an obviously painful whitish subcutaneous glow at each touch] Give me... the stone.
Some Winched, others watched as One of Earth's Protector is Tortured. Loki has Paled noticeably, this got other round of pity looks this time to the Trickster.
[Cut to Tony who is watching, hidden, from above. The Cloak of Levitation taps Stark on the arm. He raises his hand to it, ready to shoot, but he sees what it is and stands down.]
"What the.. " Bucky started, unbelieving.
Tony Stark: Wow you're a seriously loyal piece of outerwear, aren't you?
Strange gave a pat to the Cloak, out of others eyesight, which got Cloak's collar to rub his face affectionately.
Seeing Strange shouting at his Cloak, 'DON'T DO THAT, YOU DUMB CLOAK', and Loki laughing while holding his stomach and barely sitting on his chair, All the other members got Very Very Confused.
Peter Parker: Yeah, uh, speaking of loyalty....
"O-Oh" Shuri sing-song's mischievously.
This got Laughter from most and had Peter red in embarrassment. With this few moments from kids uplifted entire mood of the Room.
[Tony and the Cloak turn to face Peter, dropping down from above]
Tony Stark: What the--
Peter Parker: I know what you're gonna say.
"I'm Sorry" Peter whispered slowly. But entire Room heard him. Every eye search Tony's face for his reaction.
Tony got up and hug Peter. Then said "don't worry, this didn't happened yet, we will not let it happen. But promise me you wouldn't take on someone you can't handle. Okay"
Peter nods and answers "I Promise"
Tony hugs him tightly then goes to his seat.
Tony Stark: You should not be here.
[The Cloak moves to "stand" at Tony's side]
"Even that Cloak know whom to side with" Quill jokes so that only guardians hears him, but his voice was heard by everyone. But most ignored him in favor of Watching the Screen.
Peter Parker: I was gonna go home--
Tony Stark: I don't wanna hear it.
"No Father does" Scott comments.
Peter Parker: But it was such a long way down and I just thought about you on the way...
"Excuses!" T'challa said eyeing Shuri. Who in all her wisdom, sticks her tongue at him.
Tony Stark: And now I gotta hear it.
"Every Father does" Clint responded, smirking. This got a laugh Everyone other then teenagers aka Peter, Shuri, Groot.
"That's Right, Terran." Rocket said, thinking 'seems all Terran are not as bad a Quill, I like some of them'.
[The Cloak shakes its collar in sympathy and shrugs]
Peter Parker: ...And I kinda stuck to the side of the ship. And this suit is ridiculously intuitive, by the way. So if anything, it's kinda your fault that I'm here.
[The Cloak looks shocked.]
"You shouldn't have said that." Maria murmured.
"Ohh-Peter" Rhody whined.
"Mr. Stark, There is a High Probability that Mr Parker is under stress. It would not be a good idea, if you acted on impulse." Vision warned.
"Vision's Right. Keep your Cool, Stark." Wanda comments.
"It's okay." Tony reassured with a smile which come out more like a grimace. He continued to himself "I got that lesson earlier"
Steve heard this and by Peter's Eyes, he concluded Peter heard Tony too, But Steve stopped Peter from saying anything with a gesture of silence.
"Tony." Steve started "it's okay, we all made mistakes, we should have talked and cleared things between ourselves, but we took it to a fight. Now it isn't the time to restrict ourselves by past mistakes but to unite for a bigger threat."
Tony nods. Core Avengers smiles, it seems the Rift between them is slowly closing and the Bridge on the Rift is Solidifying.
Tony Stark: [Seriously] What did you just say?
Peter Parker: I take that back. And now I'm here in space.
Tony Stark: Yeah. [Tony crosses to stand right in front of Peter] Right where I don't want you to be. This isn't Coney Island. This isn't a field trip. It's a one-way ticket. You hear me? Don't pretend like you thought this through. You could not have possibly thought this through.
Peter Parker: No. I did think this through.
Tony Stark: You could not have possibly thought this through.
Peter Parker: It's just .. you can't be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man if there's no neighborhood. [He waits for Tony's reaction] Okay. That didn't really make any sense, but you know what I'm trying to say.
"Don't sell yourself short, Peter. I hate to admit the Stakes are that high, but your future self is right. Even if he doesn't know the real stakes but Tony knows it." Clint smiled at Peter who was going more hypervalent as the scene continues.
Tony Stark: [Breaths shakily] Come on. We got a situation. [He leads Peter over to a viewpoint on the torture below. Peter crouches to study the situation, the Cloak leaning over his shoulder.] See him down there? He's in trouble. What's your plan? Go.
Peter Parker: Um. Okay, okay... uh... [Peter and the Cloak pop back upright] Okay. Did you ever see this really old movie, Aliens?
"At least, Kid can make better plans then Tony, even if it's rip-off from a Movie" Fury said with a sigh, just as he figured out the plan.
This got a offended 'hey' and a pile of laughter.
[The Cloak lifts its collar in surprise.]
"Does your Cloak has seen the movie, or it is surprised at bizzare comment?" Natasha asked with a raised eyebrow at sudden reaction from a piece of clothing.
"It's both, He has seen the movie with me, some time ago, but I think his reaction was mainly on a bizzare comment." Strange said absent-mindedly, without having a filter.
"What's a Movie?" Mantis asked.
"I am Groot, I am Grooot. (Is that Motion Picture, the thing that Quill always Bragged about)" Groot Explained.
Every Earthling minus Quill, had their eyes staring at Thor, Loki and Guardians for explanation.
"He explained her about your 'Motion Picture thingy'." Thor said with air quoting, the thing he likes but had no idea of its working.
[Cut back to Ebony Maw interrogating Dr. Strange, who groans loudly.]
Ebony Maw: Painful aren't they? They were originally designed for microsurgery. And any one of them...
"Ironically" Strange said sarcastically, to divert the grim mood of the Theatre. But it fall flat.
[At the "thump" behind him, Maw turns to see Iron Man standing there, hand repulsors ready to fire.]
Ebony Maw: ...Could end your friend's life in an instant.
"Not a Friend, Just Doing my Job." Tony said stubbornly.
Tony Stark: I gotta tell you, he's not really my friend. Saving his life is more a professional courtesy.
"You have a Weird way of repeating yourself." Strange said. "It's like the entire time here, you are saying something which your future self is about to say."
"I think, Me and My future self has lot in common" Tony replied sarcastically with a snort.
"Of course, Brothers have a lot in common, especially Twins. And I think, The Person on the screen is your Twin Brother and not someone else, otherwise how can you look alike and talk same way too." Drax said. This got some major Wide eyes from everyone else, even Master Spy like Fury cannot hide his Surprise on that comment, but before anyone can comment...
"Ignore him, He's that way, some things just goes over his head." Rocket said.
"Nothing goes over my head, My Reflexes are that high, I'll catch anything going over my head." Drax reminded Rocket once more.
Gamora sighs, while everyone else was horrorstruck.
Ebony Maw: [Walks slowly towards Iron Man, beckoning very large, very solid metal objects to float behind him] You've saved nothing. Your powers are inconsequential compared to mine.
Tony Stark: Yeah, but the kid's seen more movies.
This got a blush from Peter and Laughter from most.
[Iron Man fires a rocket from his shoulder which pierces the side of the ship to Maw's right and begins to suck everything out with depressurization, especially Maw and his large objects. Dr. Strange is pulled loose of his pinnings, loses the needles, but also heads for the hole, helpless to resist. The Cloak wraps around his arm and an anchor point, but Dr. Strange's arm slips loose and he keeps going. Spider-Man shoots a web strand at Dr. Strange with one hand and holds onto a piece of the ship with the other. It breaks, sending them both towards space when his Iron-Spider suit's metal arms brace him to keep him from being sucked out. Fortunately, Dr. Strange is still surrounded by the ship's atmosphere making haste to leave.]
Some Winched as Strange hangs out in space.
Peter Parker: Yes! Wait what are those?!
[Spider-Man crouches with his new spider-legs, and makes a mighty leap to pulls them both back inside. Iron Man quickly sprays nanites onto the hole to plug it up. Dr. Strange safely, if emphatically, hits the floor. Ebony Maw is seen floating in space, quite dead, ice from the escaped atmosphere frosting over his grimace. Spider-Man lands on his new legs, retracts them, and finds the Cloak "standing" next to him.]
Peter looks horrified at death of someone by his hand, even if indirectly. This reality hit him hard.
Tony gives a gentle squeeze on Peter's shoulder. And Everyone gives a gentle smile or proud nod.
No word was spoken to say that it was right to kill someone, but everyone reassured him that there was no other way.
Peter Parker: Hey, we haven't officially met. [He offers the Cloak his hand to shake. It ignores his offer and continues to Dr. Strange.] Cool.
"Rude Cape." Shuri stated.
[Iron Man walks past Dr. Strange, shaking his head and with his armor retreating into its containment as Dr. Strange gets to his feet and becomes en-Cloaked.]
Stephen Strange: We've gotta turn this ship around.
"Good Call." Gamora murmured. Most heard her. Tony turned to face Strange.
"Your telling for us to run!?" He seethed.
"No. I want to go to my Sanctorum, to prepare for the impending fight." Strange challenged.
"If you had ran when I told you to, we wouldn't be in this situation." Tony chilled, he was reliving his fear, he was not in mood to debate war strategies.
Strange picking up, Tony's line of thinking and choose to not escalate the issue, so he started the Movie again.
Tony Stark: Yeah. Now he wants to run. Great plan.
Stephen Strange: No, I want to protect the stone.
[Tony walks towards the expansive front view-port, showing a hyper speed/warp effect.]
Tony Stark: [Irritably] And I want you to thank me now. Go ahead, I'm listening.
"Yes, Say Thank you, or you cannot pronounce that word" Tony gloated Stephen.
"That's enough! Get yourself Together, Stark. It's not time for fighting within. There is a bigger threat coming." Carol said annoyed at Stark's behaviour.
"I'm Sorry, Who are you and What are you doing here?" Stark challenged.
"I'm-" Carol started.
"We will find it there." Fury stated pointing to the screen. "Now's not the time. You have to calm down."
In few minutes of silence where Tony gets his mind under control, he nods to Fury, Carol and Strange as a way to apology and a way to say he's okay.
Stephen Strange: For what? Nearly blasting me into space?
Tony Stark: Who just saved your magical ass? Me.
"Hey! It was Peter, Tony. Don't credit yourself to much." Rhody said jokingly to push out the tension.
Stephen Strange: I seriously don't know how you fit your head into that helmet.
"Well, We don't know either." Steve said smirking.
Tony Stark: Admit it. You should have ducked out when I told you to. I tried to bench you. You refused.
"I admit, I underestimated their Troops." Strange confessed. Stark nods. Their Hostility has come to an end. Somewhat.
Stephen Strange: Unlike everyone else in your life, I don't work for you.
"Ouch, That hurt, man. And by the way not everyone in my life works for me." Tony said with a smile. If he got over one-uping one another then Strange is not bad.
Tony Stark: And due to that fact, we're now in a flying doughnut billions of miles away from Earth with no backup.
Peter Parker: [Raises his hand] I'm backup.
Raised eyebrow everywhere, and an embarrassed young man.
Tony Stark: No. You're a stowaway. [Waggles a finger between himself and Dr. Strange] The adults are talking.
"Where!? I can only see Two kids bickering." Gamora asked. And got a Offended"Hey" from the Children, and Laughter from adults.
Stephen Strange: I'm sorry, I'm confused as to the relationship here. Wh-- what is he, your ward?
"You got that Right." Natasha answered.
Peter Parker: No. I'm Peter, by the way.
Stephen Strange: Dr. Strange.
Peter Parker: Oh, we're using our made-up names. Um... I'm Spider-Man, then.
"How is your Identity still a secret, if you go around introducing, that way." Sam asked.
"Well, He has seen my Face, so obviously I would Introduce myself. I think, my future self thought Dr Strange was his Superhero name, not his real one." Peter Explained in one breath.
Tony Stark: This ship is self-correcting its course. Thing's on autopilot.
Stephen Strange: [Walks closer to Tony] Can we control it? Fly us home? [Tony is lost in bad memories and does not respond right away.] Stark?
"You should stop whatever you are thinking. Because it's at the very least a dumb idea and at most a Super super stupid idea." Rhody said to Tony.
"Yeah!? Well I cannot say he will listen to your advice." Tony said with scratching back of his neck.
Tony Stark: Yeah?
Stephen Strange: Can you get us home?
Tony Stark: Yeah I heard you. I'm thinking... I'm not so sure we should.
"Oh Come Onnn! Tony. It's not time for that type of Ideas." Steve said with hands wide upwards.
Stephen Strange: Under no circumstance can we bring the Time Stone to Thanos. I don't think you quite understand what's at stake here.
Tony Stark: [Stalks over to Strange] No. It's you who doesn't understand, that Thanos has been inside my head for six years since he sent an army to New York and now he's back! And I don't know what to do. So I'm not so sure if it's a better plan to fight him on our turf or his but you saw what they did, what they can do. At least on his turf, he's not expecting it. So I say we take the fight to him. Doctor. Do you concur?
This shocked everyone, to think Tony had seen the bigger picture that far back. Now Each and Every Decision the Genius has taken made sense.
Him Taking up the Suit again after the whole Mandarin fiasco.
His help to SHIELD in Project Insight to build Three Mass Murdering Helicarriers, even for 'good guys'.
His persistence in making Ultron the so called Global Defence System.
His stand with Government Officials in their 'Civil War', as to Unite Earth for Upcoming Interplanetary Conflict.
This gives the Aim of Visionary Genius and his opinions and stands. A Realistic Farsighted Man trying to do everything just for Earth to have chance of survival.
This Realisation Shook every Avenger and those who know their entire History. While Steve had tried to do right for the team while seeing the small picture, and in many terms his opinion of self-authority was way better than that of Tony idea of giving up their freedom. But for this type of Threat, Unity of Peoples of Earth was more important then Freedom of a team. There is no way to get the right answer for this question.
"I'm Sorry, Tony." Clint said silently, "I should have said those words, I've said to you on Raft." He sighs.
"It's okay Clint. I should have got everyone in the loop. Just like with Ultron, I didn't give you all full details and our Trust for one-another took the hit." Tony said as he brings his hand forward for a handshake. Clint takes the hand, pulls him inside for a hug with a smile and Laughter.
Stephen Strange: [Pauses] Alright, Stark. We go to him. But you have to understand... if it comes to saving you or the kid or the Time Stone... I will not hesitate to let either of you die. I can't, because the fate of the universe depends on it.
This stunned everyone. Strange got some very angry looks from everywhere, but that didn't phase the Sorcerer Supreme.
Tony Stark: Nice. Good. Moral compass. We're straight. [Stepping over to Peter, he formally taps each of Peter's shoulders with the edge of his hand, dubbing him as is done at a knighting.] Alright, kid. You're an Avenger now.
[Tony doesn't look at him as he says those words, knowing well what he is signing him up for.]
Peter looked as if Christmas came early. But Tony looked ahead with blank face, but inside he was horrified at thought of possible results of having kid in the fight.
[Peter looks at Tony in disbelief, and then cycles through delight, satisfaction, pride and determination, and braces himself for what's to come.]
~~~~
**Infinity**
3028 words
Widow out.
Incorrect Username.
(You should write your will, Stark.
You'll not like the results.)
AuntySpiderSpyLady007 Out.