Saturnine

He wanted to scream, to clench his fist high, raised against a god he didn't, couldn't believe in.

What kind of supreme being would let this happen?

But no. He had a job to do.

A family to protect.

A son to avenge.

AES

The air was growing thinner by the second, and colder by the milli, but he held on, in a deathgrip with the Mad Titan as they rose in time with the beeping of the "failsafe" the intergalactic despot had woven into his robes.

"Stark! I've got the Gauntlet! Let go!"

"Not a chance, Licorice. Gotta get this lavender sissy into the outer thermosphere before we've got a baby binary solar system."

"Stark! Stark, no! Ton-"

With a flick of his thoughts, he cut off all communications with Rogers.

The air was so soft. Like a blanket.

"Stark, you fool. The Balance must be kept."

"Not the way I see it, Old Scratchy McScratcherface. Y'see, you big-shot warmongers never bother reading the essentials. Here's one for ya."

The nanobots restraining the Last Son of Titan enveloped his head, leaving just enough for the repulsors, boots, and helmet.

He could feel his joints locking up, but he continued anyway.

"'But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.' Know what that means, Mr. Grape?"

The cold was starting to burn.

"It means you, my little lilac friend, are fu-"

TS

May,

By the time you get this message, Peter will hopefully be back. If not, then- I'm sorry.

Your nephew- Jesus, your nephew. He was the bravest of us, the smartest. The hope that we all had that what we've worked towards all these years was the right thing to do.

And I failed him.

He was talking about that Nolan film, the last time I saw him, before-

Uh, anyways. He was talking about that space film by Nolan, "Interstellar", I think it was. Said that his class was going to some big-shot space-research lab, OsFlight or Horizon Labs or something like that. Kid was so excited, he could barely catch his breath.

I should've done something. Recorded it, videoed him. Fuck.

I could've saved him. He was my responsibility, and I wasn't powerful enough.

Rogers says we're coming up on Hala now. Guess that means our little chat is over.

Look, if I don't- if not, tell Pep- tell her to go with Morgan.

IM


Author's Note: Fuck.

Russos, you sure know how to stick it where it hurts.

Anyways: first part of a three-/four-part thing; this was based off of "Saturn" by Sleeping at Last.

-Nate