Chapter 26 – The Curse of Knoweldge
26
Earth
Upstate New York, USA
New Avengers Facility
5:22 p.m.
The moment Vision stepped into the New Avengers Facility, he could already tell how the discussion was going to start. Hardly any greetings, followed by ominous reports from the blaring television, and finally Tony Stark breaking down the situation piece by piece.
He was close. Fairly spot-on. Harold “Happy” Hogan led him through the halls, into the living room, and let him figure out the rest. The Vision stopped where he was, gazing onto the scenery he stepped into. The large television was on, spilling news from around the globe of the alien invaders. They attacked cities, military bases, sunk fleets in the Atlantic and Pacific, completely crippling the fighting force of the human population. The news, the world, screamed out.
“News of the Russian army falling back to Moscow! Berlin has already fallen!”
“The Israeli army is managing to hold off the invading forces. No word on how long they’ll last.”
While the TV blared, the Vision noticed the occupants in the living room. Happy walked over and stood by Colonel James Rhodes. The man offered him a short greeting with nod, Happy responding with one of his own. He turned down the volume on the television, dropping the remote and turning towards his right. Happy nodded once to Virginia Potts.
Pepper, for short.
The television could be heard in the background, the President of the United States giving his address to the nation and to the world. “My fellow Americans…”
She, too, offered a short nod, finally turning her concerned and somewhat fearful gaze away from the television and onto the only other man in the room. The man of the hour. The leader of the Avengers. The genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, and many, many more…
Tony Stark had never looked more on edge.
“I can’t explain, nor can many understand what’s happened. But we will not surrender.”
He wore what appeared to be a dark silver and orange jacket. He stood near the corner of the room, facing it, completely disregarding everyone else present. He tried not to look out the window, nor towards the television. They all revealed too much of what has happening outside their walls. He couldn’t focus too much on the horrible events, lest he get another migraine. Stark needed to start small, like he always used to. Build from there.
“Even without the Avengers, we will not falter. We are working closely with our allies to fight back against this invasion. We will not die today!”
His age was showing, the wrinkles on his face and under his eyes heavy. Covering his stubble, mustache, and goatee with a shaking palm, Tony heard only the distant sound of the television, of the people informing the world of what was happening. The death toll had already come in, already in the hundreds of thousands. God, Tony hated hearing that. The U.S. President just gave a brave speech not too long ago, all meaningless words that were used to ease the public and not cause even more madness.
“God bless America… and God be with us all.”
Stark knew better. It would only get worse from there on out. Every news station on the planet kept talking about the Avengers. The President talked about the Avengers. The whole world did. Where were they? Why aren’t they coming? Where are the Avengers?
They would always ask the same questions. The same questions Stark kept hearing in his head.
“Tony…”
The voices stopped, Stark spinning his neck to see Happy nod to the right of the room.
He said, “Vision’s here.”
“Oh, good. Vision, you managed to make it,” Tony stated, turning fully around to the android. When he did, Vision could see the Arc Reactor on his chest, between the flaps of his jacket, glowing a bright blue. Stark stepped closer to Vision, analyzing him for a moment before nodding and retreating towards the couches, where everyone else stood. “Now we can get started.”
Cracking his knuckles, Stark stared to what he called his team. There was Happy, one of his closest friends and personal pilot for the time being. He stood in a well-tailored suit and tie, waiting with his mouth agape for what Stark had to say. Then there were James Rhodes and Vision, one of which being his best friend and fellow Avenger. James stood well in his exoskeleton suit attached to his legs and torso, still holding well after all these years. He seemed to be getting his strength back. Then there was Vision, fellow Avenger who had left to God knows where to be with everyone knew who. Stark was a bit disappointed to know that Wanda wasn’t with him. They could have really used her help. Tony could have really used her help.
Then… there was Pepper.
Unofficial member of the team, more so Stark’s closest ally and wife-to-be. She stood with her arms crossed, blonde hair in a ponytail, wearing a silver jacket similar to Stark’s, but holding no Arc Reactor nor anything hidden between the fabric. Just a jacket. Just a frown on her face. Stark didn’t stare at her long, returning his gaze to the rest of the team. Whatever he could call a team. They weren’t much.
But they were all he had.
He began by slapping his hands together. “I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. The Chitauri are back, bigger than any of us could have ever imagined… Well, almost all of us.”
Seeing to stare off into space for a second, Stark blinked and moved around the living room. “Adding that to our plate, we still have an alien planet right above our heads,” Stark mentioned, pointing upwards towards the ceiling. Before he could continue, he paused, froze his movements, and stared at the Vision.
“Which planet would it be?” Vision asked.
“That’s just the thing… I got no clue,” Stark admitted. Ignoring everyone’s bemused expressions, he approached Vision, hands pressed together, centering Vision’s way. “I was hoping… you could offer us some insight.”
The Vision’s cape rested gently on his back, barely touching the floor. His robotic eyes fell to the floor, his red skin furrowing at the thought building in his mind ever since he first saw the alien world on an early morning in Scotland. Back where he didn’t have to worry about much… except what Wanda would like for breakfast in the morning. Or what restaurant they would prefer to dine at. Or…
“The world is alien,” Vision began to interrupt his own thoughts, earning an eye-roll from Stark. That much they already knew. “But… not so much, if I am to believe it. This second planet holds several similar traits to that of Earth. It has vast oceans, healthy landscapes, clouds that could provide moisture. Gentlemen… and my lady… this second world may just hold life.”
“Alien life,” James said, letting that thought sink in the living room. He shook his head, hands resting on the couch’s back in front of him. “We already got another form of that trying to destroy us. Is it the planet the Chitauri come from?”
“No,” Vision replied. “The Chitauri arrived from a vast portal above orbit.”
“Similar to New York,” Pepper whispered.
“Means they got hold of the Tesseract,” James said with a nod, a grim silence settling in. “Tony… what say you?”
He, as well as everyone else, slowly turned their heads over to Stark. He stood with his back turned, frozen once more in the little path he started when circling the couches. His hands rose up to rest on his hips, and when Stark finally answered after several seconds of dead stillness, he still didn’t look at them. Not at first.
Tony said, “You know, I saw this coming, Rhodes. I knew it was coming… and I still failed to do something to prevent it…”
He spun around, stared into each of their eyes, found a connection of some sort with each of them. “That’s why I made Ultron, to prevent… this from happening,” he exclaimed, jabbing his finger at the television, live footage from Russia showing a Chitauri Command Center descending upon a helpless city, the Russian army firing madly into the air. “It’s all coming true; just like I saw it.”
“Saw what?” Pepper asked, slowly lifting her gaze away from the carpet.
Stark couldn’t even meet it. He tried not to, turning around to stare at the glass window. “It’s what I’ve been fearing for three years, six if you count New York. Damn it, I saw them. These aliens, these… Chitauri… unleashing their full armada on a defenseless Earth. It’s all coming true.”
His voice broke after that, Stark spinning back and retreating towards the couch. He sat down and fell apart. Pepper rested her hands on his shoulders, gently squeezing them, assuring him of her presence. All he could so was bring up his hand and rest it upon hers. At least, physically. His mind was still processing the images and the vision he saw back when the Maximoff tortured his mind in Sokovia.
And Stark said, “Well, not all of it.”
“What else did you see?” Vision asked, taking a step closer.
Stark didn’t look at him. His own shell-shocked expression was facing forward, to the opposite couch with no one sitting on it. Even his voice seemed oddly distant. “The Avengers… pretty much all dead. Just me left.”
“Jesus,” Rhodes began, stepping back. His exoskeleton responded to his movements, allowing him to move across the room. He rubbed his face, turned to Stark and asked, “What do you suppose we do?”
Tony felt Pepper’s hands massage his shoulders, keeping him steady. He muttered, “Well, the U.S. government is pretty much dealing with the end of the world as of now… so they wouldn’t mind if we took some liberties into our own hands.”
“What do you mean, Mr. Stark?” the Vision asked.
What did he mean? Stark kept trying to figure that part out. The answer was there, but he still couldn’t believe he was actually considering doing it. Like it mattered anyway. He kept his distance from the government ever since the Accords, did everything in his power to have more of a normal life, and still… found himself coming back to it. To old scars. Wounds that were meant to heal.
With their situation, with what was happening with the world, some wounds just had to be treated faster.
“I’m saying we get Steve Rogers on the line,” Stark answered. The Vision dropped his gaze at the response, frowning at the thought of the circumstances he left Wanda in. “He said if I needed him for anything… that he’ll be here. Him and his team. We get the band back together, we come up with a plan, and…”
“We fight this impossible war?” Rhodes asked.
It took a moment to let that thought settle in, but Stark eventually nodded. “Yeah,” Tony said, pulling out the black flip phone that Rogers had mailed to him. He always kept it in his back pocket. Always. “We fight an impossible war.”
As he did so, he could feel Pepper’s hands fall away from him, clearly at his answer. Tony felt that, but still he stood up and called the number, listening to the ring. He strode across the living room for several seconds, James stepping up to him and telling him otherwise. Tony tried to listen, the ring in one ear and Rhodes’ voice in the other.
“Tony, listen to me, even if we manage to get the Avengers back together, we stand as a speck to the size of whatever army the Chitauri brought with them. You can… nuke as many alien warships as you can, Tony, but the fallout from all of this, the fact that these aliens are on our doorstep has completely changed the game.”
Stark stopped. He brought the phone in front of him, stared at the blank screen.
“What?” James asked.
Tony didn’t look at him, still staring at the phone. “Nothing.”
“It’s not nothing, Tony,” Rhodes replied, a much more agitated tone following. “Tell me what’s going o—!”
“No, it’s… literally nothing,” Stark said, interrupting James and silencing him in the process. He gripped the phone even tighter, turning to everyone in the room. He said, “Steve didn’t pick up. No response. Nothing.”
He tried again. Multiple times even. The answer was always the same. It was always nothing. No answer. Everyone could see him becoming more and more tense with each call, his exasperated breaths much harder and deliberate with each failed call. Until finally, he slowly, very shakily, closed the phone.
“Tony,” Happy began, taking a step forward. “Are you all right?”
Stark suddenly whirled towards him, a wild expression in his eyes. They were filled with a newfound fear, one Happy hadn’t seen from Stark in years. “Change of plans,” Tony said, his voice ripe with adrenaline. He strode across the room, saying, “Happy, get Pepper to the safehouse, just like we planned.”
“What?” Pepper objected. She pointed at him, even as he walked past her and focused on nothing ahead. “No, Tony, I am not letting you go out there to get yourself killed!”
“After you get to the safehouse, await further instructions.”
“Got it,” Happy said, reaching for Potts. That, unfortunately for him, was a mistake.
She smacked his hand away from reaching her arm. As he leaned back, a confused and somewhat hurt expression on his face, he could see the fury on her face, her finger rising up to him. And she hissed, “Happy… step back.”
He nodded and said, “Got it.”
With that dealt with, Pepper returned back to Tony, whose back was still faced towards them. She closed the distance he tried to build between them, separated the barrier he put between his face and hers as she stepped in front of him, her lips whispering close to his ear.
And she told him, “Tony, you promised that nothing else would distract us. Together to the end, that’s what we promised each other, remember? If you go out there, I don’t know when you’ll be back. Because I know you’ll always keep lying… keep trying to tell me that you’re protecting me when you’re just trying to play the hero.”
“I am not a hero,” Tony whispered back, much harsher than he intended.
Watching her expression shift from anger to concern, he watched Pepper nod, her lips pursing in thought. “You’re trying to do what’s right, I know. But at what cost, Tony?”
When he finally was forced to meet her eyes, he saw something else. He saw the desperation, the need for answers of which Stark had but couldn’t give. At least not now. Not with everyone else present. So, he called it.
“Happy… change of plans again. Take Pepper to my room… then rest up in yours.”
As Happy came up to them, Pepper turned her attention back to Stark when he whispered to her, “We’ll discuss this soon.”
He gave her a quick peck on the lips, to which she barely replied or acknowledged. She stared at him, mouth barely agape, but eyes meeting his. Understanding. Knowing his. And she nodded. They were gone, both of them, and Tony stared at her backside the entire time. She looked back even as she entered the hallway. With that settling in, Tony sat down on the couch, head falling into his hands. A great exhale left him, his body practically deflating.
Both James Rhodes and the Vision shared a look. The sounds of the television and Stark’s discomforting breaths were all they heard. That is until Tony lifted his head and sniffed fairly hard. Rhodes and Vision slowly approached the couch, seeing Stark’s gaze held to the empty table in front of him. Once more, he looked lost, his voice even more so.
“We’re the Avengers,” Stark muttered. He turned his eyes to the television, WHIH Newsfront reporter Christine Everhart asking the same question plastered on the screen. Where were the Avengers? “People look to us… and they see hope. I can’t honestly say we can provide hope… Not now.”
He looked over to his right, to his best friend. “But when has that ever stopped us?”
“You really think we can stem the tide now, Tony, with what we got?” Rhodes asked.
“Three Avengers?” the Vision observed. He stared at the television screen, saw the news station switch to an animated version of planet Earth. It showed confirmed alien attacks in nations spanning the entire globe. More than a hundred nations were hit, hundreds of thousands dead and still rising. They showed footage of the war, soldiers doing everything in their power to fight an army so much stronger. Warships dotted the skies, Leviathans crashing through buildings and spewing the rubble on helpless cameramen.
And the Vision shuddered. “We… are not enough. Is this what fear is?”
“It’s what giving up is. That’s not us,” Stark said, staring at the same madness as the android and not even flinching. Just glaring.
It took a moment, several to be in fact, for the Vision to finally come around to that revelation. The Vision nodded, looking to the world outside the window. He thought back to their numbers, to the overwhelming odds they’ll face with just three Avengers. “We’ll need a team,” he said.
“We got one,” Stark said, looking out to New York with Vision. He even got up off the couch, pushing past both Rhodes and Vision to do so. The afternoon sunlight pierced the clouds, the sun dipping low and almost out of sight. He thought back to that “one” he had in mind. Just one. Someone who gave it his all against Captain America and his team in a little brawl in Leipzig. Someone who became a major pain in his ass last summer, but also managed to prove himself not only to be a hero, but to be the one just what the Avengers were looking for.
He stared towards New York. Where Queens was.
“Let’s just hope we’re not too late.”
James scoffed, crossing his arms. “What ‘team’, Tony?”
“Kid from Queens,” Stark answered, not even looking back to James. “He’s got heart, you can’t deny that.”
“He’s also a kid.”
“He’s also the only ally we got right now!” Tony snapped, looking back towards Rhodes. He caught himself just in time, closing his eyes and altering his breathing to a more stable level. “With Steve offline for… God knows how long… we have no way of finding them. We’ll need all the help we can get… before it’s too late.”
“A second Chitauri attack on New York?” James asked.
“You know it’s coming,” Tony said, the inevitable defeat evident in his voice. “So, we take them by surprise. We try and get there first, we round up some help, and take down the Chitauri, mothership by mothership if need be.”
Spinning around, he stood close to Rhodes, offering a small, knowing smile.
“If you got a better plan, I am open to suggestions.”
He didn’t. It sucked even more because that smile told Rhodes that Stark knew he didn’t. Shaking his head at that, James looked away and exhaled through his nose. “When do we ship out?” he muttered.
“First thing tomorrow,” Stark said, slapping a hand on his shoulder. He slowly directed him towards the hallway, where his room was, but managed himself to slow down for Rhodey’s speed. “So, get as much sleep as possible. It’s gonna be a long day.”
James replied with a weak nod, waving behind his back as he stepped into the dark hallway. Tony patted his back a few times before eventually retreating into the hallway himself, to where his room remained. But not before he stepped back into the living room, pointing towards the android.
“And Vision,” Stark called, watching as Vision just hovered motionless in the center of the room, “you just… do whatever it is that you do.”
As he left, the Vision hovered over to the glass window, staring out to the city of New York that rested in the distance. They forgot to turn off the TV, the sounds of the world still crying out to the them. And Vision heard all of it. Every single cry.
All of them asking: “Where were the Avengers?”
And Vision answered, “I don’t know.”
New Avengers Facility, Tony Stark’s Quarters
5:34 p.m.
Tony tried to open the door quietly, but it squeaked the entire way through. And meeting him on the other side was a very disgruntled Pepper Potts. She sat at the front of the bed with her arms crossed, her glare on fire, and holding a frown that could kill. Stark had wished the little kiss he offered earlier would have cooled her down. Wishful thinking. Tony closed the door behind him.
“God, you just love arguing with me,” he began with a slick grin. He stood in front of her, his hands moving on their own. “Is it like a tick or—?”
“Tony, please…” she deadpanned. He stopped and stared at her, at the expression on her face change. The fury died, replaced only with a cooling sadness. She finished with a weak sigh. “For once.”
He didn’t smile anymore. He couldn’t offer a smart-ass response nor could he hope to form one. Instead, Stark chose to sit by her side, the bed squeaking as he settled himself next to his fiancée. He looked to her, but her gaze didn’t rise up. Tony watched as her expression completely fell apart before he could even breathe, her face falling into her palms and a painful sigh leaving her.
Stark knew what was coming next. He eased her into his arms. “Okay… okay. Easy there. Hey, look,” he whispered, tried to get Pepper to look at him, “it’s me. It’s me, okay? I’m not that… reckless asshole you somehow fell in love with all those years back.”
Even with her broken expression, her burning red eyes, Pepper still managed a chuckle. She shook her head, Stark’s palms on her cheeks falling away. “God, you just love lying,” she said.
Stark’s eyes became as hard as stone, his hands gripping her cheeks and forcing her attention onto him. When he spoke, Pepper could have sworn she had heard the same tone before. Back when Tony continuously lied, cheated, and nearly died. He said, “I swear to you… that I will be back… as fast as I can.”
“Tony—”
“No, just listen to me, please. I can’t protect the world, but I sure as hell can try. I can protect you, and I can guarantee you that I will. There is no force in heaven or hell that’ll keep me from fulfilling that promise.”
Pepper closed her eyes tight, twisting her neck to the side. “You always say that.”
“Am I wrong?”
“I want you to be safe, Tony!” she snapped, catching Stark by surprise. The power in her voice left, leaving only a whimpering exhale with each breath she managed. She laid her hand on his face. “I need you to be safe. And I can’t know, not even by your word, that you’ll be able to keep that promise.”
She was visibly crying now, tears falling from her red-hot eyes. Once her head fell, no longer having the strength to see Stark’s emotionless expression, Tony dropped his eyes, his mouth open but not even breath escaping him. He couldn’t even be mad at her, nor could he offer any form of rational retort that would make him and his argument feel superior. He just felt nothing, because he knew she was right.
And all she wanted was for him to be safe. With her.
He knew neither were possible now, not with the world at stake.
Taking in a deep breath, Tony held her in his arms and calmly stroked her hair, from the base of the ponytail to the very end. Her hair was always so smooth, and he longed to just lie on the bed with her and play with her hair, not even talking, just holding one another until they both fell asleep. Closing his eyes, it gave him an idea.
“I had a dream, you know.”
Pepper sniffed. Tony took that as her listening.
“Not too long ago… and we had a kid,” he continued, his voice soft to her ear. She lifted her head this time, her bloodshot eyes gazing up at him, instantly caught by what he said. Tony almost couldn’t believe he did say it. Ever since he had the dream, he never felt comfortable telling Pepper about it, especially not with… the subject it had. Then again, now was the best time. No time like the present.
“Named him after your eccentric uncle… Morgan, was it? Well… I remember seeing you, holding him in your arms, blanket wrapped all around him… just his little face… smiling up at you.”
Tony kind of smiled at that. The dream wasn’t all that bad.
“I’ve had a knack for dreams. What with the alien invasion, I’m one for two so far… hoping all the Avengers don’t get killed. But still I saw you… and I was there, too. We both looked at him… we both held him… both of us wondering how we made something so perfect despite everything we’ve done being so wrong. So… imperfect.”
He shook his head, not even looking at Pepper anymore.
“I looked at him, at our little Morgan. He didn’t see me like the world did. Not as a monster. Not as the idiot that killed the Avengers. No… he saw me as his father. His daddy. When his little hand touched my finger, I knew there could be nothing else in the world worth what we had. Because we had it. We made it. And I knew I would give up absolutely everything just to see you and Morgan again.”
Tony sighed, smiling even wider. Yeah. The dream wasn’t bad at all. He noticed an unnatural silence by his side, looking down to Pepper’s awestruck expression. She looked like she was crying even worse than before, but it didn’t look sad, or furious, or scared.
Smiling to her, Stark asked, “You ever had any dreams like—?”
He couldn’t even finish his sentence when Pepper silenced him with a kiss. It was so sudden, so out of the blue and warm that Stark practically melted in her embrace, something he had never felt from a woman. When she broke away, Tony could see the bright smile on her face, the blush in her cheeks, and felt the hands on his shoulders.
“That,” she whispered with a smile, fresh tears in her eyes, “is the man I fell in love with.”
At that moment, Tony could see the look in her eyes. He could feel the heart in his chest pounding that much faster. And Tony knew that nothing else mattered at the moment but her. Not the world falling apart. Not much of anything. He took her in his arms, their lips connecting once more, as they fell on the bed together.
It was a long night. Not a lonely one by any means.
Stats
Page generated in 0.039 seconds
Total duration
964 users online
138,590 hits today, 2,314,256 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
The road to Unity is long and slow but it will happen. the Mane six and the Avengers will reunite soon enough
At least Tony tried to reach out to Steve. Shame things were going awry on the other end though.
And I bet Spider-Man will be wondering if he gets to be an Avenger this time once he gets the call.
The world is losing hope. People are calling to the Avengers to save them, but their cries a vainly unanswered. With only three members left, their only reserve member from Queens still somewhere out there and being currently unable to reach out to Steve's team, what else can they do when they know they are clearly outmatched and unprepared for this.
Tony knew that this was coming since New York and the nightmares cursed upon him. He tried to prepare for it, to prevent the fate of what beheld the Avengers. But alas, it was inevitable. The fate of the world lies on his shoulders now, and all he can do now is reach out to those who can still help and hope for a miracle to happen.
And poor Pepper. She doesn't want Tony to go risking his life knowing that he may not be coming back, but she knows him well enough to know that he can't turn a blind eye to this, that he can't make any promises and that he will do anything to protect and fight for what he cares about, even if it will cost him his own life. Right now, she is Tony's reason to fight and live on. And hopefully when all this is said and done, they can finally settle down alive together and have their dream kid. That is if Thanos doesn't have anything to say about it.
You gotta find your inner strength and live through this Tony. You gotta pull out every piece of powerful technology you've ever built or come into possession of and unleash it on your foes. Because when you win, you need to be telling Steve "I told you so" about the Chitauri returning.
I like that Tony is willing to call Steve even if he doesn't pick up. Also, is this shortly before or after Thor and the space gang pop up in front of earth?
Damn, that one got me.
At least he's mature enough to admit that.
Pepper, for God's sake, the world is in danger of ending! He can't just sit there and do nothing.
9102052
I hope it happens shortly, I've been desperately longing for that.
How long before Strang intervenes?
"Kid, you're an Avenger now."
I like this meet-up chapter, and I can't especially wait for everyone to reunite. Although now that I think about it, only half the ponies would meet half the Avengers again. Like what happened in Infinity War.
Also, what happened to that chunk of moon rock that fell towards New York?
I gotta give Tony credit for trying to contact Steve, recognizing that this threat is something that the whole team is needed to stop, regardless of old grudges. Too bad that the number he dialed is permanently out of service!
I’m a little surprised that no one has figured out that the planet in Earth’s orbit is Equus. You’d think at this range, H.O.M.E.R. and F.R.I.D.A.Y. would be able to establish communication with each other, and fill everyone and everypony in on the situation. But, eh, I guess it’ll happen eventually.
Seems like Tony and Pepper are getting a head start on making Tony’s dream come true.
Best enjoy the evening while you can, Tony, because come tomorrow, you’re in for your toughest battle yet.
MAAAN....... Whens the MLP/Avengers reunion gonna happen? this is is taking FOREVER!!!!! (couldn't decide on which mlp sad emote to use...)
9103021
Indeed, Tempest and co. must meet the Avengers!!
9102996
Welp I think at this point Tony's new armor should be faster than Rainbow Dash, you can see him in a few seconds propel himself with his giant booster rockets just to reach the Black Order's ship, whom he reached within seconds.
9102052 Soon enough...
9102074 "All right, kid... you're an Avenger now."
9102095 That's something Thanos CAN'T take away as long as Iron Man has something to say about.
9102375 He can hold this over their heads forever.
9102390 Thor and the Guardians are still trying to understand what's going on. They'll show up again soon.
9102457
9102497 I think a small part of her knows that and is willing to let him go out there, but she just can't believe Tony when he says he'll be safe. After all, he's broken a lot of promises.
9102595 Strange is coming back in the next couple chapters.
9102630 That moon chunk is still on its way. It travels slow.
9102996 The toughest battle for their very lives.
9103021 Gotta introduce some more characters, have more events fall into place, before the reunion can happen. It'll be a while, but it'll be totally worth it.
Let's ride.*turns into Ghost Rider*
9103988
Oof! Why does space rules like slow?
It was real brave of Tony to try reaching out to Steve despite their differences of opinion.
9103988
I am Groot!
I am Steve Rogers.
Oh... I am, Rainbow Dash... I guess?
Called Cap a bit too late Tony, but hey at least now his team is going into action.
“Someone who gave it his all against Captain America and his team in a little brawl in Leipzig. Someone who became a major pain in his ass last summer, but also managed to prove himself not only to be a hero, but to be the one just what the Avengers were looking for.”
Yeah!!! Spider-Man!!! Let’s just hope this ends better for him here than in the movie. Also real nice moment with Tony and Pepper.
9110264 Thanks! Really hoped to push more on Tony and Pepper's relationship in this story compared to Infinity War.
It's going to be tough for Tony's group at this point. What with them not able to get in contact with Rogers (Who currently is dealing with his own issues involving Thanos' minions) and the world crying for The Avengers' return, it makes one think that the idea of limiting the Avengers' duties was the dumbest idea in the MCU, if you know what I'm saying? Iron-Man knows that with the numbers they have now, even if they could add a few, they barely stand a chance against this force. But at least Iron-Man will have gained something from this experience regardless of how much he's going to lose... Initially.
On the plus side, at least Tony actually reached out to Cap instead of letting his pride get in the way like in the film. Unfortunately he did it a bit too late here, and Cap is too busy in his own battle to pick up. They are going to need all hands on deck or they won't stand a chance against Thanos. They have a long road ahead of them before they can get the band back together.
Welcome to the big leagues Spider-Man!