My apologies for the delay in posting this chapter. We've been having an intense heatwave here in the south-east of the UK. In fact, the whole country has been and its simply been way too hot to be able to be on the computer and do any writing. I managed to finish this chapter on a day road-trip to Wales and back.

Hopefully it is worth the wait...

PART FOUR

THE WAR ON EARTH

Chapter Four

Revelations

Tony hated this.

He loathed watching people loyal to Pepper be herded like cattle into the foyer, forced to stand or sit by the walls as the Chitauri squad rounded them all up. They were not kind to them. They were forceful and struck those down that tried to fight back.

No one had been killed yet.

Tony knew why that was.

They were looking for Pepper. They wanted to identify her, ensure they knew who to use against him if he attempted to turn on them. He couldn't stop them, no matter how much he wanted to. He hated being here, watching it. Tony knew his role and what he had to do. His face was hidden behind the mask. A part of him wondered if anyone would recognise the suit as being familiar to an Iron Man one. If they did…

The suit he had designed to wear himself was familiar to the Iron Man technology but with notable differences. The Arc Reactor was hidden from sight as Tony hadn't wanted a valuable part of him on display.

Off to the side he sees Happy being dragged into place. He had bruises on his face and his hair was a mess. He looked thinner then Tony remembered him to be but there was still the determination there that he wasn't done fighting. God, he hoped Happy wasn't going to do anything stupid.

Minutes passed and Tony eventually saw Pepper being dragged into the foyer. His breathing halted as he saw her fully for the first time in years. She looked just as he remembered her to be. Still beautiful with her hair tied back in a pony-tail and dressed in a cream suit. Her hair was slightly askew but her face… her beautiful face…

He wanted to run to her, to hug her, to hold her in his arms and never let her go.

He didn't.

He didn't want them to find out who she was. He had hoped she wouldn't be here for their attack. That she might have been somewhere else. Alas, his luck had run out. He didn't want her to see him like this. See what he had become. See what he had to do to keep her safe.

He knew his heart was breaking.

Tony saw Proxima Midnight step forward, her cruel voice issuing an ultimatum to the crowd. Proxima lied. Tony knew, even if someone stepped forward with the information they wanted, they wouldn't spare them. They'd kill half. But only after they had identified Pepper.

He watched, anticipation in his stomach, as Corvas grabbed the youngest looking intern and proceeded to throw her out onto the floor in front of Proxima. Corvas grasped her head, exposing her throat.

Tony wanted to intervene, to tell them to stop, to let him just get the information they wanted. He had the power to do so.

But no, that wasn't the plan.

He had a role to play.

The loathing burned within him.

And then Pepper stepped forward.

Tony inwardly groaned. He had hoped Pepper wouldn't but he already knew she wouldn't allow anyone to suffer if she had the power to stop it.

"None of us have access to the information you require, especially if it is about the arc reactor. That's what you're interested in, isn't it? It's the only technology you would have encountered, isn't it?" Her voice was strong and Tony felt proud of how brave she was being.

Proxima hissed out a response. "Who are you?"

Tony watched as Pepper revealed her identity and he knew Proxima would be pleased her tactic to lure Pepper out had worked. He nearly physically shuddered at her reaction.

"Potts? You're the Pepper he used to talk about?" she screeched, her mouth stretching out into a hideous grin.

Pepper stepped back. "What? You know me?"

Tony shuddered at Proxima's cruel laugh.

"Of course we know of you. Stark wouldn't shut up about you."

Tony clenched his fists. Pepper had been a source of comfort to him during his torture though it had hurt to remember her. It had helped him survive. But now she was here and they were using his pain to hurt her. He'd never had much dealings with Gamora's other siblings but they had been responsible for training him after he had broken. When he had failed and been tortured, Pepper had often come up when the pain had become too much. He wished they didn't know of her or who much she meant to him.

Pepper was marked by his captors as a way of controlling him, of ensuring his obedience.

Proxima had grabbed Pepper's chin. "There's nothing special about you. He used to cry your name."

He could see in her eyes as realisation struck her. Pepper's eyes moved to Tony and he knew she realised it was him in the armour, no matter how much she wanted to deny it and hope it wasn't.

Soon the time would come for him to reveal himself.

He felt sick. He didn't want to do this. He couldn't hear what Proxima whispered to Pepper next but it was Corvas' cruel words that alerted him to what was going to happen next.

"Perhaps it is time you two should meet again."

Tony stepped forward. This was his cue. He had no choice. He had to do this.

"Enforcer, why not obtain the information we require?" Corvus suggested. His voice was gleeful, as if he was looking forward to what would come next.

Reluctant, knowing what the consequences would be if he did not acquiesce, Tony moved towards a panel on the wall by a door in the corner of the room.

A part of Tony hoped this wouldn't work, that his DNA had been wiped from the system. But he knew Pepper would never have done so, just in case Tony had returned miraculously one day. There were other areas within Stark Industries that required hand DNA to open too but they were few and far in between. This particular area Tony was about to go into had been installed after his loss, an area he had sanctioned to be built only after his death so his company could continue benefitting from Arc Reactor technology.

He heard a hitch in Pepper's voice. He knew what she would be thinking.

The armour retracted around his right hand and he raised it towards the palm reader.

"You can't get through there!"

His heart twisted at Pepper's voice telling him he couldn't.

Proxima answered for him. "Really?"

This was it.

The moment he would reveal his identity to the masses of people here.

I have no choice. I have to do this.

God, he really did not want to.

But he feared the promise of pain and what they would do to Pepper.

The helmet began to retract around his face.

Gasps of horror echoed all around the room and Pepper just stared in horror at his face, her features uncomprehending what she was seeing in front of her.

He turned away and pressed his palm on the reader.

Seconds passed and Tony knew what the outcome would be. The horror on her face told him that much.

Then, the words he had been dreading echoed forth: "ID CONFIRMED. ACCESS GRANTED TO ANTHONY EDWARD STARK."

The door slid open.

Tony closed his eyes.

"Well, Enforcer?" Proxima goaded. "Go forth and complete your mission!"

Tony took a step forward but her voice stopped him.

"Tony?"

He didn't turn around.

"If you are still in there, please don't do this. Do not let them win. I know you've been gone a long time… Tony… Please do not throw everything away…"

Tony turned back to face Pepper. He could see Proxima and Corvas watching with interest. In fact, the whole foyer was.

She was so beautiful. All he wanted to do was hold her in his arms again, sweep her up and protect her and never let her go. I can't…

"You will never be able to understand what I've been through," he answered quietly. I'm not who you remember me to be.

"Those that love you can!" It was a plead that would, ultimately, prove to be hopeless.

Tony's lips twitched upwards slightly. "I trusted love before. It failed me."

"Tony…" Pepper moved forward, reaching for him.

He stepped back. "No."

She paused, shocked by his reaction.

All I want to do is hold her.

It hurt Tony to push her away. To pretend their history meant nothing to him. Perhaps it would save her in the end?

He stepped back through the door that had opened for him. His eyes never left Pepper's as he moved, before he finally turned and walked further down the corridor to another room where another palm reader was situated.

The others could no longer see him and he placed his hand upon the reader. Once again recognising him, the door slid open and he stepped inside.

The room itself was small. It fit the purpose of what it served for.

This was where the databanks of the Stark Industries servers had been moved. Originally Tony had stored them at home but upon his death, Pepper had ensured a transfer had happened to allow more people to benefit from his work and ideas. It had always been something Tony had told Pepper to do if he died.

His company needed to benefit, to continue to remain top of the game. The servers being moved meant easy access to information regarding the Arc Rector technology and Tony knew Pepper would have trusted only a small amount of people.

His suit retracted over a pocket on his jumpsuit and he removed a small portable device which he placed on the screen. It was a hacking device that would be able to access the information he required. It could be downloaded and then deleted from the system, ensuring Earth did not have any way of using Tony's technology against Thanos.

He pressed a button on the side of the device.

The screen lit up, immediately hacking into the system remotely. Even JARVIS wouldn't be able to stop the attack. An alien virus and technology wasn't something the AI would be able to easily counteract. He would, however, learn from it, ready to defeat it the next time.

Tony traced his fingers on the device's screen, inspecting the files that came up, selecting which ones he needed and ones that were surplus to requirements. Once he had the information he required, Tony detached the device from the mainframe and pocketed it, sealing it safely inside his suit.

Retreating back to the foyer, he avoided eye contact with Pepper but stood straight when he addressed Proxima and Corvas. "It's done."

"All erased?"

Tony didn't hesitate. "Yes."

"Good." Proxima turned away from him. "Now, as per father's wishes, half will be spared, the other not."

Tony's face paled. He hadn't known this. They were just supposed to retrieve the data Thanos required and leave. There had been nothing about killing. Tony knew Thanos wanted to balance the universe.

"Oh, don't worry, Tony, we have orders to spare your lover." Proxima caressed Pepper's cheek. "She is far too useful to be part of the half that die…"

The Chitauri squad began to separate people up, forcing terrified employees to different sides of the room. Pepper was kept in the middle, her arm held in a fierce grip by Proxima.

Tony didn't want to have any part of this. He didn't want anyone to die. He saw Happy being shepherded across the room, his eyes never leaving Pepper's. Terror reflected within them.

Finally, when all the employees were fairly halved, Proxima dragged Pepper along with her, raising her voice and explaining the glorious role the sacrificed would have in bettering the universe.

Tony tuned out, not wanting to listen, not wanting to be part of another slaughter. He'd been here before and he loathed it. Fists clenched at his side, Tony vowed not to watch. He didn't know what side Proxima would pick to be sacrificed but he was going to have to no part of it.

But Proxima broke any illusions Tony had on the matter.

"You are loyal to us, Tony," she said, "and you've done this before. Give the order."

He swallowed.

Each Chitauri warrior already knew what task it had, which side was the sacrifice side and which was not. Corvas and Proxima also knew but Tony did not. He was never granted with that knowledge.

Casting his gaze around the foyer he saw employees looking at him fearfully, their eyes worried, hugging one another close. He'd issued the killing order before yet always hated doing so. He couldn't do it.

"Tony…" Pepper's voice broke into his inner monologue. "Don't…"

"Shush, human!" Proxima hissed, squeezing Pepper by the throat, silencing her protests.

Tony raised his arm. Eyes closed. He couldn't watch. He couldn't…

He opened his eyes and saw Happy looking at him sadly, his eyes conveying a message only Tony could see. Don't do it.

This was his chance to prove he was loyal or take a risk and begin to fight back. The fear of pain always stopped him. He didn't want to suffer punishment for his failure to co-operate. He didn't want to the pain.

But he couldn't give the order. To order the deaths of those he had once known was completely different to ordering the deaths of those he had never known.

He lowered his arm, turning back towards Corvas and Proxima.

"No." He was surprised by how strong his voice sounded.

"What do you mean no?" Proxima glared, squeezing Pepper's throat just a little bit tighter.

A slight smile pulled at the tips of his lips. He felt better already, knowing he had made the right choice, regardless of what his fate would be. "No means no. I won't do it."

She snarled at him. "Then you will experience pain more so than ever before!"

A blaster formed around Tony's wrist. "I don't think so!" He twisted his arm and shot Corvas who flew back to the ground, a smoking hole in his shoulder, as the alien had jerked at the last minute, saving himself from death.

He turned the blaster on Proxima who moved Pepper in front of her body.

"Try it and she dies!"

Snarling, Tony didn't lower the blaster but he didn't fire, not wanting to hurt Pepper.

"Issue the order and your insubordination may be forgiven," hissed Proxima darkly.

The promise of pain was there. His resolve wavered as his eyes moved to Pepper, struggling to breathe in the grip of her captor.

"I'll still be tortured though," swallowed Tony. "Thanos doesn't need to kill all these people! If he gets the stones, half will die anyway! You'll be reducing a population more than it should be, upsetting the balance!" It was a risk worth taking, trying to argue back against his captors. He had never thought he would be in this position where he would want to fight back but seeing Pepper again, seeing her struggle had given him the fight that had left him when Nebula had raped him all those years ago.

"You know the punishment of failure very well, Tony. It's a shame Nebula betrayed us too," said Proxima.

Tony stilled. No…

"I think you know what I am insinuating… She may be gone but others can still do the same to you…" leered Proxima.

The threat of rape was enough to make him freeze with terror and Corvas took advantage of it, despite the injury Tony had caused to his shoulder.

Corvas was fast and he and Tony fell to the floor, but there was something in Corvas' hand which he pressed to the front of Tony's armour. Electricity crackled around Tony's armour, instantly disabling it. He jerked and the armour retracted leaving Tony in just his under-suit, trembling from the pain and whimpering as jolts of electricity ran up and down his body.

"Awww, a pity you tried to fight back," smiled Proxima. "I think the Chitauri will enjoy their reward tonight." She squeezed Pepper's throat harder. "Perhaps we will even get Pepper here to watch it happen… but then again… it could be her who suffers instead of you."

Tony closed his eyes, still laying on the floor as bolts of electricity continued to run up and down his body. Tears welled in his eyes. He'd tried and failed.

It was over.

The grip on Pepper's throat loosened and then relaxed and she fell to the floor as the female alien finally released her. She fell to her knees, catching herself with her hands, takin in deep breaths to replace the air she had lost. She glanced over at Tony's trembling form.

She couldn't believe he was here, what he had tried to do. He had tried to rebel against his captors. What had they done to him to make him obey?

The female alien was tending to the male one, pulling him to his feet. The other aliens still had their weapons levelled at the other employees.

Carefully, Pepper started to slide across the floor towards Tony.

She couldn't believe he was here. The scars decorated his face showed the horror of what he had lived through. He had survived for so long. Whatever he had suffered through, a part of him still wanted to fight back.

"Despite our setback, we have come here for a noble cause. Be happy that you all serve in making the universe great again. Those that have been chosen to die will be honoured in death and those chosen to live have been given the opportunity to serve the universe in a greater capacity by surviving into the new era of peace and prosperity!" praised Proxima.

Pepper found Happy in the crowd. The ominous feeling crept up on her. She had the feeling he was about to die. But there wasn't anything she could do. She mouthed, 'I love you' to him across the hall. He smiled sadly at her, as if he was accepting his fate, realising he had no choice but to let his life be torn from him. He didn't need to reply to validate his love for her. She already knew.

The female raised her arm and then brought her arm down fast.

One half of the room lit up in a burst of blaster fire. Bodies fell to the floor, smoking and blood pouring from the wounds. The half that survived screamed in terror as they watched their colleagues die.

Pepper blinked the tears down her cheeks.

As the smoke cleared, she could see Happy's blood covered body amongst the dead. Sitting there beside Tony's numb and tortured body, Pepper cried.

The rescue came too late.

Half of the employees were dead, their blood staining the white floor. Those that had been chosen to live were left alone to cry and huddle together in shock and horror.

Pepper was restrained with her hands tied behind her back, ready for transportation back to their ship.

Tony had been stripped of his suit, sitting in the foyer wearing just his under-suit, with his hands tied behind his back. His body was shuddering and she knew he would suffer for his disobedience, if his punishment wasn't placed upon her.

She didn't know what to do. Happy was dead. Her eyes kept drifting to where his body lay, and the tears kept threatening to spill, despite the crying she had done earlier. She didn't know what to say or how to feel. The shock of learning Tony was alive had overridden all her other feelings.

But Happy was dead.

Taken from her in the cruellest of circumstances.

It was when they were in the midst of preparing to leave, when Tony was being personally escorted back to their ship by Corvas and had already been taken away, that the attack happened.

The shield of Captain America flew through the window, smashing it into hundreds of shards, followed by the other Avengers as he threw his shield again at the invaders.

He was joined by Rhodey, Sam, Spider-Man, Thor, Natasha and Clint.

Most of the Chitauri had already left, leaving only a small band left.

Natasha was by Pepper's side before the Chitauri could grab her, and pulled her away from her captors as Proxima commanded her remaining Chitauri to attack them.

"It's okay," soothed Natasha, "we're here now."

Pepper shook her head. "No! Happy's dead and Tony's alive!"

Natasha paled as she slit the binds on Pepper's wrists.

"Nothing is okay!"

Natasha dragged Pepper down as a blaster shot came careening towards them. "Look, we'll talk about it later…. But… right… now… we have…. this… problem!" The Widow twisted, pulled out two guns and shot two Chitauri warriors right through the skull, dropping them.

Pepper moved back against the wall, closer to her remaining employees and the attack was over in seconds.

Proxima retreated, taking the remains of her Chitauri warrior with her, warning that this was not over.

Even with the foyer now cleared of enemies most people stayed still, shocked and sickened by what they had just witnessed. Pepper was one of only a few to move out into the field of dead.

Happy's body laid on his front. There two wounds through his abdomen, and one which had grazed an arm, still slowly pumping out blood.

Hold on…

It was then that she noticed his hand trembling, ever so slightly.

"HAPPY!" she cried out.

Rushing over to him she found Happy was still breathing. Barely alive but not dead just yet. He was seriously wounded but alive. The horror and the relief of what had happened combusted insider her and her tears finally flowed free as she held Happy's trembling hand as she waited for medical to arrive.

Happy was taken to hospital. A few other employees had survived the slaughter too, all of whom had been airlifted to hospital, leaving the rest of the survivors to be tended to by medics and therapists from the government. A public statement had already been released, though neglecting to mention Tony's survival, to placate the newscasters that the Avengers were trying to stop this imminent threat.

Rhodey was in the process of speaking to the government and though Pepper had wanted to go to the hospital with Happy, she had ultimately decided not to. She needed to be here for the survivors and Happy wouldn't have wanted her to abandon her company in favour of him,

She was doing the right thing. She could feel it. Knowing Happy still had a fighting chance was enough for her to keep strong and keep going, but her thoughts kept turning to Tony who had been alive all this time and… and… god knew what they were doing to him up there for his defiance.

She saw Steve and decided she needed to speak to him. She would have spoken to Rhodey but he was busy dealing with the political ramifications of this. So she approached Steve cautiously. They knew Tony had been here and their facial reactions showed they had already known he was still alive.

"Pepper," he acknowledged, looking a bit wary as he noted her approach.

"Steve," swallowed Pepper. She had to know. "How long have you known?"

"About Tony?" he replied quietly. "Not long. A few days."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"We thought it best not to get your hopes up. Thor told us Tony was hostile… We know all the facts about what happened to him. He's not what you remember him to be," explained Steve.

"That shouldn't matter," pointed out Pepper. "Tony and I… we were together! I deserved to know the truth! By not telling me you put me in danger and my co-workers! People are dead because of this!"

"They acted faster at attacking here than we thought they would. Time was not on our side but we believed it was."

"You knew this was going to happen?" Pepper stared at him.

"We had suspicions…" admitted Steve. "But then Loki came with Thor and things just got complicated."

"Loki? Thor's brother, Loki, who attacked New York? He's here?" Pepper shouted. "Why is he here? Because of him I lost Tony!" She didn't care she was shouting, drawing attention to herself.

"I can't really talk about it here. Look, Pepper, we screwed up. We should have told you. Come by the compound when you can. I know Happy is important to you. Go and see him," he suggested.

Pepper shook her head. "I can't. Those monsters wanted me. They were going to take me with them. To hurt Tony… He's terrified of the consequences of what they will do him whenever he fails. I need to stay protected in case they come back for me. I'm not going to be the fall of Tony."

Steve swallowed. "Okay. We'll be here for a few more hours. We're helping with recovery and restoration work. When we leave, we'll take you with us."

"Thank you." She knew her life was in danger. But she wasn't going to allow them to use her against Tony, even if it meant leaving Happy to recover on his own.

"Once Happy is stable, we'll move him to the compound."

"I was going to suggest that," replied Pepper. She started to turn away, still feeling numb from the events which had occurred when Steve grabbed her wrist, turning her back to face him.

"Pepper… I just want you to know, we will do everything we can to rescue Tony. To bring him home. It may be difficult and there may be bumps in the road but I won't stop until we bring him home. I promise you."

And Pepper believed him. Considering the guilt Steve carried with him, she knew he wouldn't stop until he made sure the promise was brought to fruition. The only thing that would stop him was death.

But she hoped no one would die to bring him back safely.

Tony would need them all if he was to ever recover from this. And if it meant spending the rest of her life helping him, she would. She and Happy had not forgotten him, they would not abandon him when he needed them most either.

It was a sobering thought. One, she intended to cling to, to help her through this.

To be continued...

Please let me know what you think!

Tony is still very conflicted. He acted out because of Pepper. And Happy was meant to survive the culling but that doesn't mean he isn't out of the woods yet... And the Avengers just missed Tony... If they had arrived just minutes earlier they may have been able to rescue him too...

I hope to post the next chapter soon, hopefully before the 18th August. I fly out the country that day for a family holiday. Before that, I have a family wedding and also working too. I will try my best to update before my holiday but if I do not, I will be getting a chapter up as soon as I get back.

Until next time,

the-writer1988