CAEB Part IV - The Cross He Bears.
Chapter 10 -The Last Days of Silence
3 days 4 hours 27 mins and 15 seconds
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"There is widespread panic across America this evening as a citywide evacuation has been ordered on the Island of Manhattan and in the wider city of New York. Sources say it is being orchestrated by the National Guard along with SHIELD personnel and that fully facilitated refugee camps have been established in upstate New York, apparently under orders of the President. The Armed Forces appear to be setting up a perimeter and there are reports of all barracks across the country being on standby for some sort of attack."
The streets of New York were littered with people and bags. Soldiers lined the intersections, directing civilians into buses and cars, many with plates from a different state. It looked like a war zone without the rubble. They had seen images like this a thousand times before, from Syria, Afghanistan, Israel - war torn countries with desperate refugees, crying children and panic. But never had they expected to see this in America. Never in New York.
"Momentum labs, owned by the Roxxon corporation, have given a statement that they have been detecting energy signatures within the city which are very similar to those created by the portal that opened above the city just over twelve months ago. Everything is pointing to an imminent alien threat, yet so far no statement has been issued by SHIELD, the Government or the Avengers themselves, but witnesses have said that the team dubbed 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' have been present and aiding in the evacuations."
Flashing images of the battle they had faced all those months ago crossed the screen. A video of Natasha and Steve on the street outside Stark Tower, talking heatedly with SHIELD personnel was shown next; that had been shot mere hours ago, but they couldn't remember what they had been arguing about.
"Despite the apparent threat, there are some refusing to leave their homes and there have been riots breaking out across the country, many fearing for their loved ones in the city and the possibility that the threat will not be contained solely to New York."
Then came the chaos. The protestors, the non-believers, people locking and slamming their doors and refusing to leave -images from mass riots in 8 different cities. Fireworks, gun fire and angry protesters clashing with police, battering each other in the streets. So much was destroyed, so much was burning, and these people were not even in the city that wore a target on its back. It was anarchy.
"The measures being taken demonstrate some level of foresight and planning, which leave many unanswered questions and is only adding to the nationwide chaos. What is the threat we are facing? When will the attack take place? And most interestingly, how long have the authorities known about it and why have we been kept in the dark? Public officials are demanding answers from the White House and the involved authorities, but for now all we can do is watch and wait and pray that our heroes will once again protect us."
"It's starting." Steve breathed out.
They couldn't believe what they were seeing. The reality of what was to come suddenly hit home and it hit hard.
"I was expecting panic, but this, this is chaos!" Clint whispered.
"The country is falling apart." Natasha acknowledged.
"Shouldn't we tell them?" Clint asked. "Surely not knowing is worse?"
"The President is going to make an announcement tomorrow. They expect the evacuation to be finished by this evening." Steve informed them.
"Then we'll have two days to play with." Bruce nodded.
"When are the Asgardians arriving?" Steve asked. He knew they'd been through this a thousand times, but his head felt like a sieve from lack of sleep and worry. He was usually so objective and focused before a mission, but this time - well he almost wondered if Tony was projecting his anxiety onto them subconsciously in the same way he'd been picking up on theirs for months. Or maybe this was just bigger than anything they'd faced before which, he realized, was both true and a horrendous understatement.
"Tomorrow, when the quadrant around the tower has been evacuated." Nat nodded.
"This is insane." Clint breathed out. "This is really, really insane."
"I know Clint." Natasha put a hand on his shoulder. "We're all scared."
"I'm not scared Natasha." Clint said sincerely. "I'm fucking terrified!" He bellowed. "I've said it before; we're spies not soldiers."
"We're Avengers Clint. Not soldiers or spies or superheroes. We're not anything but a team." Steve stepped in. "And we'll be there for each other. This is going to be ok Clint, one way or another, it's going to be ok."
"You can't promise that." Clint said darkly but received no reply. He was right and they knew it.
"Where's Tony?" Nat asked breaking the sudden silence.
"Take a guess." Bruce sighed.
"That machine still not working?" Steve asked, half worried and half in disbelief.
"He says he's close." Clint shrugged.
"He's painfully close." Bruce confirmed. "But we just can't figure out why it keeps misfiring just before it puts out the energy pulse."
"He'll do it." Clint nodded adamantly. "He's got us this far; he'll finish it in time."
"Of course, he will." Steve said certainly.
"When's this damn briefing." Clint grumbled. Settling back into the chair and muting the chaos on the news.
"Pepper, Rhodey and Coulson are bringing them up to speed with the important details of the CAEB and what Tony has been through since New York at the moment. We are just waiting for the call and then Tony is talking us through the plan."
"Tony's leading the briefing? This should be fun." Bruce gave a wry smile.
"Hang on, I thought we had a plan?" Clint shrugged.
"I mean a specific plan other than attack the enemy and hope for the best." Nat sighed.
"And hope that Tony can wipe these shits off the face of the Earth you mean." He threw back
"Clint, I know you're nervous. But can we cut out the snide remarks for a while before we all go insane." Natasha bit.
"Sure." Clint sighed. "I'm sorry."
"It's ok Clint. We understand." Bruce smiled. "We're just the suffer in silence types and you and Tony and the ones who like to talk everyone's ears off. It doesn't mix."
"Can I go talk Tony's ear off then, because I don't think I'm physically capable of shutting up?" Clint huffed.
"Just sit tight till the briefing. It won't be long." Nat sighed, holding herself together. She was used to dealing with nervous Clint, but this wasn't nervous Clint, this was panicked Clint and she wasn't even sure she'd met this side of the Archer before.
"Avengers, your presence had been requested by Miss Potts. The second part of the briefing will commence in fifteen minutes." Jarvis broke into the conversation.
"Right on cue." Steve nodded and stood up with a quiet exhalation. "Come on Team, let's go."
"Don't start with the Captain corny Steve, I am far too anxious to deal with it." Clint huffed.
"Where's Thor?" Bruce asked, before anyone could reply to Steve.
"Doesn't matter. Jarvis will have notified him." Natasha said simply. "Come on."
The meeting room was full of government officials, SHIELD high ups, the world security council, and military Generals, yet the number of people being allowed in on what was happening was less than 40 in total, including the Avengers.
It was an alien environment to the team as they gathered in their seats. They were glad to see the friendly faces of Pepper, Rhodes, Coulson, and Fitzsimmons enter the room after their break from the first part of the briefing, but as the clock ticked by there was no sign of the sixth Avenger.
Tony pushed in twenty-three minutes late. Steve supposed this was actually fairly on time for him. The conversation in the room suddenly began to hush and Tony leaned across to Pepper and started whispering something. They seemed to have a short and lively debate about whatever was written on a piece of paper the Genius was holding, before Tony seemed to nod in understanding. Yet, the way the man's jaw was fixed in tension showed he was one jolt away from losing his cool.
"Tony you look like shit, when did you last sleep." Nat said bluntly.
Even the several thousand-dollar Italian suit could not disguise the raggedness of the Engineer. Steve hadn't seen him this tired in a long time and he dreaded to think how long Tony had been in that lab. The frustration was written in the lines of his face and the slight tremor in his hands. Nat couldn't have missed it, so Steve frowned wondering why the hell she would have been so confrontational. At least it seemed he'd had a shower before he dragged himself up here, Steve could see his hair was still damp at the back and a cufflink was undone. This was not the usual face Tony presented to the world, then again, this wasn't the world he was talking too.
"Fair, but rude Nat. It's not as if the world is ending in three days." Tony growled.
"Wow, ever the optimist." Clint hissed across the table.
"Are you volunteering to put on a monkey suit and do a dance for all these assholes, so I can go back and do something actually useful?" Tony bit back.
"Tony keep your voice down!" Pepper scolded in a whisper.
"Hey, hey just cool it everyone." Steve huffed, pushing them all back into silence. "Are you ok Tony?" Steve asked sincerely.
"Is that your way of saying I don't look up to this, because if it is…" Tony glowered.
"Tony, take a breath." Rhodey stepped in.
"No one is doubting at you, we're just worried." Pepper took his hand.
"I'm ok." Tony sighed. "Sorry. It's been a shitty day."
"We know." Pepper smiled. "But we're all behind you."
"I know it feels like we're feeding you to the wolves again Tony, but it's because you are better at this than all of us put together, but you're not alone, ok?" The Captain comforted.
Tony sighed in acceptance. "Thanks Steve."
"We won't let them eat you, Stark." Clint chuckled. "They'll have to go through us first."
"We're family." Bruce smiled.
"Oh, for crying out loud don't turn this into a chick flick." Tony groaned. "Let's get this shit show on the road, before this gets any more sappy."
"Tony cufflink." Steve pointed out, to the Engineer's confusion. "Your cufflink is undone." He clarified.
"Thanks, Capsicle." Tony gave him a thumbs up, fixing it, before moving to the front of the room.
"First things first." Tony started, and the room was instantly silent. "I am not here to debate the validity of any intel, or to answer questions about how I know what I know. Nor am I going to waste time proving anything to any of you. You have been briefed, you know what's coming and when. I'm here to tell you what has been done about it."
Tony let the room sit for a moment in a contemplative silence.
"Good. Now the interdimensional space continuum is fragile around New York, because of the event last summer. The enemy has the means to force open the weakest points and I have predicted the location of all the breeches that will open. The time and location for each breech is listed in your information pack. We are expecting a large army of hostile alien forces, of more than one species. Of those we have faced, the Makluhk and the highly advanced combat aircraft are our greatest threats. A summary of the species we have encountered, their strengths, weaknesses and otherwise is again in your information pack." Tony took a breath. "I have created a large arsenal of weapons designed specifically for taking down these creatures, and guess what? You can find all this listed in your information pack. Read it once, read it twice, memorize every goddamn syllable because it will probably save your life if things don't go to plan."
Clint smiled wryly at that. Tony wasn't taking any shit today and he liked it. He hated people like this - the ones surrounding them in the room - they were opiniated, arrogant and more likely to get people killed than offer any real help, but unfortunately they had to be in the loop if there was going to be any semblance of democracy or order after this battle was over.
Tony pulled up a holographic model of the weapons hubs he had created and continued. "These weapons hubs will be positioned in the airspace around the city. They contain replacement ammunitions and arms for both the Avengers and the allied forces of Asgard and Vanaheim, who have agreed to come to our aid. They will be arriving when Phase three of the city evacuation is complete and we are to expect around three million warriors, is that correct Thor?"
"Yes Stark. That is indeed correct." The God answered quickly.
"Thank you." Tony nodded back in gratitude.
"Excuse me Mr. Stark, how are we to be sure that these aliens are our allies?"
Thor stood up in offense and turned around to the young female army officer while the hands of Steve and Natasha pulled him back into his seat.
"I'm not going to grace that with an answer." Tony sighed and shook his head. "Now if I could continue without further interruptions?" He asked the room, leaving a moment for the silence to answer his question. "Good." He turned back the hologram. "The hubs are camouflaged with retroreflective panels and will deliver replacement weapons and ammunitions to the ground forces within seconds of their requirement. It is run by an advanced AI I developed specifically for the task, but as vital as they are, the hubs are also vulnerable and then there is the matter of the rather large number of civilians refusing to leave the city… So I have created the Iron legion; an army of three-hundred drones utilizing the same technology as my Iron Man armors and controlled by my personal AI. Their primary directive is to protect the hubs and any humans on the ground." Tony glanced at the Avengers as he left out the part that they were also there to protect his friends. The room would not see that as a priority; soldiers were a casualty of war, but to Tony that was not an acceptable risk. "And speaking of humans, your jobs are to man the boundary of the war zone and to keep the evacuated population safe. You are the last defense. Should all go to plan, no human lives will be risked, other than the Avengers' themselves and those stupid enough to stay behind."
There was a murmur of shock and outrage in the room.
"I don't understand, what role exactly are the military playing in this?" A faceless voice from the back of the room called out over the heated exchanges before him.
"Crowd control." Tony said simply.
"Excuse me?" A rather weathered looking General stood up in outrage. "You want us on crowd control?" The man asked in disbelief.
"I am not underestimating or disrespecting the abilities of any of our Armed Forces, but the enemy we are facing is not something humans are equipped to fight. Military weapons are effectively useless, and the human physiology is nowhere near strong enough to fight these creatures. My directive is to minimize human casualty. I put you in the field and you will die needlessly, but outside the battle zone, you can be helpful." Tony explained and brought up another hologram. "This shield is the same technology that Asgard uses to protect their city in emergencies. It is nigh on impenetrable. Once the portals have opened and when as many of the civilians who have stayed behind as possible, are out of harm's way then we will deploy the shield, confining the enemy to the battlefield and protecting the outside world." Tony left a gap for anymore outbursts, but the room seemed too stunned to respond for now, so he continued. "We do not know the size of the enemy forces, so the next stage will be for me to deploy my space-time continuum stabilizer. This machine should be able to close the portals and that way we can restrict the size of the enemy army. These beings who are controlling the Makluhk and other dimensional creatures are omnipotent. The CAEB's power is the only thing that can destroy them, while I cannot take down the entire enemy army at once, it will be down to me to put an end to their Generals."
"So, we can close the portals trap them here and pick them off… That sounds a little too easy Mr. Stark." Another doubt from another face Tony could not see with the light directed in his eyes.
He sighed. "If you read the information pack you will see that the enemy we face is not to be taken so lightly. Just because we have the means to limit their numbers and trap them here, it is no guarantee of our victory."
"But what if you cannot kill these creatures? What if you lose and they kill all the allied forces? How long will the barrier hold, how does Earth defend itself should they escape?" The same man demanded.
"I, of course, have a contingency. Whilst the city is encased in the Asgardian Shield, so will the blast from any weapon detonated. Should it come to it, the machine I have created to close the portals can be modified to emit an impulse capable of vaporizing the entire city, thus ending the threat."
"And killing anyone left standing!" Someone protested.
"That is why it is a last resort, acceptable only under the circumstances of a completely certain defeat and will not be deployed for any other reason." Tony stressed.
"Blowing up the city is your answer! And you almost had us convinced you had cut your ties with being the merchant of death, Stark." Tony recognized that man from the research he had done after the 'incident' in New York and he almost snorted in amusement.
"I would not be so quick in your disdain for this plan Mr. Malick and in fact I find your accusations more than a little hypocritical since it was you and your council, if I remember correctly, who ordered the nuclear strike on New York in the last battle. This was despite the large civilian population present and the fact the battle was far from lost at that time. The fact I nearly lost my life clearing up your mess is the precise reason we are all here today so why don't you sit down and shut up."
Clint sniggered quietly, but it was far too loud considering the quiet in the room and Natasha elbowed him sharply.
"But the machine isn't ready." Steve said quietly to Natasha. The rest of the room did not hear, but Tony clearly did.
"No, Captain Rogers indeed it isn't." The Billionaire answered clearly, loud enough for the whole crowd to hear.
Steve sat up straight. 'What are you doing!' He ranted in his head. Had Tony gone mad? Telling everyone that the machine wasn't ready was perhaps the stupidest thing he could think of doing right about now.
'Relax Steve, they need to know. I'll deal with it.' Came the reply, but Steve just looked at Bruce and Natasha in disbelief as they shrugged and shook their heads.
"For the benefit of you all, what Captain Rogers just pointed out is that the machine to close the portals is not yet ready."
And now there was uproar.
"Your whole plan hinges on closing the portals, yet now, 2 days from the battle, the machine you need to achieve this is not ready!" The General raged.
"It will be." Tony said simply.
"How can you know that?" The young woman scoffed.
"Because I'm Tony goddamn Stark, now are there any other stupid questions?"
Clint couldn't help but laugh out loud to that.
"Something funny agent Barton?" Came a voice.
"Yeah." He scoffed. "You idiots."
"Excuse me?"
"Clint!" Natasha growled as Tony rubbed his forehead in frustration, but Agent Barton wasn't done.
"All of you," Clint scoffed, "you're so high and mighty, yet if the protection of the world was left to you we'll all be dead…"
"That's enough Clint." Steve sat him down.
"Sorry Tony." Clint grumbled quietly as he settled back into his seat, hoping he hadn't made the situation worse for the Iron Avenger.
"No thanks birdbrain," he said genuinely, happy to have someone having his back, "but maybe let me take it from here." Tony said quietly, before turning back to address the room. "Ok," he announced, "where was I? Yes! Strategy for the front lines will be left to the individual units. Asgardians are a race with millennia of experience in war and strategy, I think I can safely say they will be able to a better job at planning their attack than we could do. However, I do have a direct line linking all the major Generals in the field, so communication will not be an issue."
"A direct line? How secure is this?" Malick asked skeptically.
"I can talk to people inside their heads. It's pretty secure." Tony said impactfully.
"And why do you, of all people have this CAEB power? Surely Captain Rogers is more equipped for such responsibility."
Clint face palmed, and Steve looked around at the General angrily. Tony had done all this preparation and they were treating them with such disrespect.
"Where you asleep earlier General?" Fury's voice came from the back of the room and Tony felt himself tense and the whole team's eyes trailed on him to see his reaction, before turning back to the man in distaste. "Because I'm fairly sure this was explained only an hour ago." The Director continued.
"Nothing was explained Director Fury, only stated in brief. The information you gave us had gaps the size of the Grand Canyon. Stark apparently has the power of a nuclear weapon inside him and only a handful of people are allowed to know about it!" Another familiar face stepped in.
"You are wrong Secretary Pierce." Fury continued. "Stark doesn't have the power of a single nuclear weapon, he has perhaps a thousand times that, and regards to the gaps in your briefing you know everything you need to. All we really need you for, is to stand outside the shield like a good little soldiers and look good for the press. Now sit down."
The General and Pierce looked fit to explode, but the former was tugged down into his seat by the man next to him.
"Well if that's everything…" Tony started.
"No, it's not everything." Steve stood up abruptly. "Sorry to interrupt Tony, but this needs to be said." The Captain turned to face the room while the Avengers looked on with interest. "I am quite frankly appalled by the disrespect you have all shown Stark, not only today but in the past. Yes, you may not like him, you may not approve of his lifestyle or behavior in public, but quite frankly it's irrelevant. You all sing praise for Iron Man when he puts his life on the line for this country, for the world, yet you seem to forget that Tony Stark is Iron Man. He has proved himself time and time again. In New York he sacrificed himself for all of us, fixing the mistake of bureaucrats in this room, and you cannot even imagine the suffering he has endured since then because of it. And despite the way you have treated him and slandered him in the press, he has gone above and beyond to protect you again." Steve took a breath. "Without the preparations that Tony has just outlined to you, which he orchestrated almost single-handedly, in three days' time after a short resistance everyone in this room would be dead and, in a week, this planet would burn. So, you need to get your attitude in check and realize who the real hero in the room is." Steve looked pointedly at Tony who had an amused look of gratitude on his face. "That's all." Steve sat down, and the room remained silent until Tony stepped back into the line of sight.
"Well thank you Steve, I love you too." He said jokingly and there was a small chuckle from the Avengers and the few un- arrogant people in the room. "Right… Questions?"
The young woman who had spoken earlier raised her hand.
"Sensible questions?" He corrected ad she lowered it once more, embarrassed.
"How have you got all this manufactured in time?" A man Tony recognized as the Army Chief of Staff asked.
"I have contacts. For the hubs I got Boeing and Airbus in on the take. They are supremely efficient at churning out items of this size. I threw a fair bit of cash at them too which always helps."
"How much cash?" One of them scoffed in amusement.
"Well let's just say, with everything - all the preparations made - my own personal funds are nearly empty and Stark Enterprises will be in the red for a good year, but with the stock increase when we win this fight we should pull through. Not that it matters."
"Jesus Christ." Someone exclaimed.
"Yep, it was that, or a go fund me page, but I think that would have caused more panic than revenue." Tony stated in a blasé tone.
"When we win this fight?" Another man, with scoff.
"Well, I've not done all this for us to lose. These alien fuckers need to learn their lesson and leave this damn planet alone." Tony growled.
"Well I think we can all drink to that." Someone laughed and the room all cheered.
"Yep, the end of the world bar is open at the back, go get hammered." Tony announced and with that everyone started seemed to gain enthusiasm, moving in that direction.
"Thanks Tony, they'll be no alcohol left by the time we get in!" Clint moaned.
Tony slid a bottle of scotch across the desk and it came to a halt in front of Bruce. "Saved for a special occasion." Tony winked.
"Tony is this the…" Pepper protested.
"The Dalamore 64 Trinitas? Yes." He smirked.
"Tony there's only three bottles of that in the world." Pepper protested.
"Well there might be no world next week, so what's the point in saving it?" Tony winked at Clint, who was definitely all for opening it. "Besides, I have the other two upstairs."
"Since when?" Pepper said, outraged.
"Since I bought them." Tony shrugged.
"And how much did that cost?" The CEO scolded; eyebrow raised.
Tony quickly opened the bottle with practiced fingers and grabbed a couple of glasses, so they all had one each. "Lighten up Pepper and have a drink."
"I can't drink this." Pepper shook her head.
"Yes, you can." Tony said simply, putting a glass in her hand. "To the end of the world." Tony toasted.
"To winning this damn thing." Nat corrected. "I ain't dying for this shit."
"Suit yourself." Tony smirked and they all clinked their glasses.
"There's none of that Asgardian stuff in this, is there?" Steve asked suspiciously.
"Relax Captain. It would be a cruel prank to play and I would imagine there will be none left on Asgard after the feast they will have this eve." Thor reassured him.
"You should be with them Thor." Natasha said, a frown developing on her face.
"I can send you back tonight." Tony nodded. "I'm the Universe's smoothest teleport I'll have you know." He boasted with a smirk
"Quit bragging Stark" Clint teased.
"I would like that very much." Thor beamed at the Engineer.
"Now I really hope I don't have to remind you all wear your fucking under armor tomorrow." Tony addressed the Avengers bluntly.
"Tony, I've been wearing it all week in case they caught us off guard." Nat smiled. "And I never said thank you, but well, I'm saying it now. Thank you. It really is amazing stuff."
"I'm glad. If there's any modifications, you want before…"
"Tony." Natasha chuckled. "It's perfect."
"Stark, the efforts you have gone to, to protect us all, even my people, it has not gone unnoticed." Thor said, sincerely.
"Well if your guys are willing to put their necks on the line for some backward little planet like ours then I think it's only fair." Tony reasoned.
"Nevertheless, it is greatly appreciated." Thor said sincerely.
"Thanks, Pointbreak." He nodded, patting the God on the shoulder in solidarity. "Bruce have you and Fitzsimmons got the Asgardian shield technology working?" Tony turned to the scientist in the corner, but he was at that moment sipping his drink.
"Yes. When the portals open, and we are sure of the exclusion zone we need to set up, all we have to do is get the right position and input the radius." Jemma answered in Bruce's place.
"And this will keep all the aliens in?" Natasha asked for clarification.
"And all the civilians out." Tony nodded.
"So…" Clint sighed. "We're as ready as we can be."
"Looks like." Fitz shrugged.
"Minus my goddamn machine, which I'm about to go tinker with again." Tony sighed, undoing his top button and tugging at his tie.
"Tony, you need to rest. You've been at it for days, just take a breather." Steve implored.
"Steve, it's not like we have all the time in the world." Tony reminded him, tapping his watch which prominently displayed the countdown.
"I understand that Tony, but you need to be at your strongest come Wednesday. For the CAEB's sake." Steve countered.
"Granted." Tony sighed. "I'll take a few hours." He conceded.
"Thank you." Steve smiled. "Speaking of, is there anything we can help with, CAEB wise?" Steve asked.
"I have reinforced the implant to give me all the help I can get, I have the exoskeleton which will help me channel stuff and with Frigga's advice, I think I ready to do anything." Tony shrugged.
Steve nodded and moved on to his next line of enquiry. "Is your army ready Thor?"
"Yes, we are ready," Thor confirmed, "they will arrive with a day to spare."
"That's great news…"
"Wait… they can't." Tony cut Steve off, a horrified expression on his face as realization dawned.
"What?" Clint blurted out.
"What do you mean Stark?" Thor asked, confused and worried.
"You'll be using the tesseract… I'm not strong enough to teleport a whole army! You cannot bring an infinity stone anywhere near these assholes. The risk is huge! If Kairon and his assholes get their hands on it…." The genius ranted but was cut off as Thor laughed out loud and everyone looked at him in confusion.
"Relax Stark." The God patted the Billionaire on the shoulder. "The Bifrost repairs were completed just last night. There will be no need for the tesseract."
"Talk about timing." Clint smiled in relief.
"Bit convenient." Steve chipped in.
"It has been broken for nearly two years. Once we knew of the threat to Earth, our workers have been tolling night and day to finish the repairs. It is no coincidence." Thor explained.
"Speaking of timing, I hate to ask…" Steve gritted his teeth.
"The machine." Tony sighed, predicting Steve's question. "I say this tentatively, but I had a bit of a breakthrough yesterday."
"The simulation completed?" Bruce said hopefully.
"Not quite." Tony winced. "I jumped from 94.26% to 97.43% and well, it allowed me to eliminate one hundred fifty-six possibilities and left me with only three. With a bit of intuition, I picked one and… let's just say I'm 80% certain I've got it right this time."
"How long will the simulation need to run for?" Bruce asked.
Tony looked at his watch. "It's twelve hours in, so maybe another nine if it's successful."
"Nine?" Steve said in disbelief.
"I'm using a goddamn supercomputer I can't make it go any faster." The genius protested.
"We know Tony and that's great news. Worse comes to worst and there's only two more combinations to try, right?" Bruce offered.
"Precisely." Stark agreed. "So, even if it's the last option I test, barring any unforeseen complications, it will be ready."
"That's amazing Tony. Truly amazing." Bruce smiled.
"Well, you know I am amazing. So, pour me another glass."
…
"Stark."
Tony sighed and considered pretending not to hear the voice that was pursuing him down the corridor, but in reality he knew it wouldn't help. Nick Fury wouldn't give up that easily.
"Thanks for jumping in, in there and all Nick, but I really don't want to hear any more from you today… or any day for that matter." Tony growled.
"Stark, please, I am here to apologize." The Director grabbed his arm to stop the Billionaire and Tony's eyes lit up blue in warning.
"I'd let go if I were you Nick." Tony said darkly, the threat wholly clear in his voice.
"I'm sorry Tony." Fury shook his head and backed up, half in fear and half looking like a kicked puppy. "I am not here to fight with you but seeing as though there are only days until the battle, and this may well be my last chance I need you to hear me out."
Tony sighed and took a step away from the Director, folding his arms. "You have two minutes." Tony said looking at his watch.
"There are no words Stark." Fury sighed. "I brought you all together hoping you could be something more, but I underestimated and misjudged you from the beginning. Even after New York I didn't give you the respect you deserve."
"Yeah I think Steve pretty much covered that so…" Tony shrugged, ready to walk away.
"I know Stark and what he said, it struck a chord. I put my trust in all of you to deal with New York and you proved yourself a thousand times over. When I got the call from Steve, I forgot that trust. Yes, you were a danger, but you are a human being and… we were maybe even friends once. The second I got that call I stopped seeing you as a human and saw you only as a threat. It was unforgiveable."
"Yet here you are asking forgiveness." Tony said, his voice emotionless.
"No, that's not why I'm here." Fury disagreed. "I'm here to apologize - because all that's I can offer you - an apology and my thanks. I took Steve's word as law when he rang me that night. I ignored the fact that he was scared and emotional, I ignored the fact that the rest of my team had kept it hidden from me and that they must have had a reason. I didn't try to find out the full story or get to the facts, which ain't like me. I regret all of it and would hate for us to part without you knowing that given my time again, I would have done things very differently."
"You know, don't you?" Tony said with a sigh. "Was it Coulson?"
"I haven't spoken to Coulson since that day on The Bus." Fury denied. "I know because I know you, Tony. I worked with your Father, I watched you grow up from afar and I've seen you talk and waltz your way around the press a thousand times. You aren't planning to get out of this fight alive are you? I've seen the look so many times, though you are better than hiding it than most."
"The visions are conclusive." Tony said simply.
"I'm sorry." The director sighed, looking down at his feet regretfully.
"You mean that." Tony said in confusion; reading Fury's face didn't give him an awful lot to go off, but as he looked deeper and opened up the emotional switch he could tell that Fury was sincere. There was so much pin and regret and sadness radiating from The Director that Tony quickly turned the switch off again.
"You may not believe it, but I care about you Stark. I always have. I didn't know conclusively what Howard was like in his home life, but I watched him change as time went by and I watched you. I saw the damage, the personality you adopted said a lot."
"It's ancient history." Tony huffed.
"But it's not. The fact is, call it irrational, but I felt responsible for what you became. I should have done something, but I didn't want to lose Howard as a friend, but he stopped being the man I once called a friend long before he died. I thought he'd damaged you beyond repair, so when you became Iron Man I was shocked to say the least." He sighed. "If I am honest, when I took you to The Bus I didn't treat you like I did because I hated you or saw you as a threat… I was desperate to save you."
"Save me?" Tony snorted. "Funny way of going about it."
"I thought this CAEB was possessing you, so I treated it as the hostile. I wouldn't allow myself to believe a word you said, because I didn't think that you were you."
Tony pondered that for a moment. "Are you saying you were misinformed?"
"I was scared and ignorant… and a little bit misinformed." Fury admitted. "But at the end of the day it was my fault. I take responsibility, but you deserve to know my thought process."
"Well, whether that's true or not Nick I don't want to have any regrets, any grudges… any unfinished business when I step out onto that battlefield."
"Does this mean you're calling a truce?" Nick asked.
"Not a truce…" Tony turned around to face Fury and the man looked at him concernedly. "Nick Fury I forgive you."
Fury looked at Tony in shock and honestly, Tony was a little shocked at the words that had just come out of his mouth himself.
"Tony, honestly, that means the world. If there is anything I can do…"
"Come upstairs." Tony nodded. "Make your peace with Phil and the others. The world will need you when this is all over and you all need to be on good terms."
"I will Stark. I will, but will you do something for me?" Fury asked.
"Go on?" The genius rolled his eyes.
"Don't give up." Fury ordered. "Don't just accept your fate; if you find another way you take it." Tony scoffed. "What?" Fury asked.
"Nick, I'm not giving up." Tony chuckled. "I have way too much to live for. I will fight till the bitter end, but I know that as fate would have it I will die on Wednesday and if that's how it has to be I'm ok with that. But if you think I'm just going to check out and wave goodbye you are way off."
"The Tony Stark of a year ago wouldn't have had that attitude." Fury smiled. "In fact, that same Tony Stark took a nuke through a wormhole knowing he wouldn't come back." Tony shrugged, neither acknowledging nor denying what Fury had just inferred. "I'm happy for you Tony." The man smiled. "I'm happy you've found your reason, whatever it is. You have waited long enough for it and I hope you get the time you deserve to enjoy it."
"Yeah me too." Tony smiled weakly. "But if I'm going to get that, I have a machine to finish." He said, announcing his departure.
"Of course. I'll leave you to it. Thank you for listening."
…
"Yes, yes, yes, yes, YESS!"
Everyone jumped to their feet in alarm. It was the first quiet half hour they had had all day and Tony had to go and interrupt it by dancing through the common room yelling like a five-year-old at Christmas.
"Tony what the hell man!" Clint protested, but the look on the Billionaire's face had them all on the edge of their seats.
"I am up. Me. I'm your fucking God right now Feathers because I've only gone and done it!" Tony yelled triumphantly.
"Done what?" Steve asked, wondering what the hell all the commotion was about.
"No!" Bruce's face lit up, sitting up sharply.
"Yes." Tony smiled opening his arms wide in triumph.
Bruce leapt to his feet and approached Tony with a massive grin. "Tony you beautiful fucking Genius you!" Bruce leapt into Tony's arms and the two hugged ecstatically.
"Gay!" Clint shouted out and received a whack from Natasha, who also got to her feet and joined in the hug. There was a really wide smile on her face, one that unusually reached her eyes and was nothing but genuine.
"Tony Stark, you are utterly incredible." She whispered into his ear as she wrapped her arms over him and Bruce.
"Thanks Tasha." Tony whispered, in a cracked tone that definitely wasn't cause by him tearing up.
"What are we celebrating?" Clint asked, baffled.
"The machine your dumb ass!" Natasha yelled.
"Simulation… Successful!" Tony's cry of victory was muffled by the bear hug he was currently enveloped in by Bruce and Natasha and suddenly Thor and Steve had joined the fun too.
"No goddamn way!" Clint rugby tackled the cuddle ball and they all collapsed to the floor with a grunt of triumphant laughter.
"What on Earth is going on?" Pepper asked as she, Rhodes, Coulson, and Fitzsimmons entered the room, with a befuddled and taken aback Fury in tow.
"Tony fixed the machine!" Bruce announced with a huge smile.
Rhodes joined the pile with a roar of happiness. Tony, who had only just managed to dig himself out from the bottom of the pile when he was tackled back the floor by his best friend, yelped loudly in surprise. "Oof, Rhodey get off!" Tony chuckled.
"Who's the biggest genius in the galaxy?" The Airman asked, grinning.
"Tony Goddamn Stark. That's who." Tony smiled.
"Damn straight." Rhodes nodded. "So proud of you my man."
"I couldn't have done it without you guys." Tony said sincerely, addressing the room. "Thank you. Thank you for believing in me when I didn't believe in myself. Thank you for being the first people who have stayed, despite everything. I love you guys; I love all of you."
"We love you too Tony." Natasha pecked him on the cheek and Clint pulled him into hug.
"We're family. Come what may." Steve smiled, holding Tony's shoulder. As Clint pulled away the Captain gave Tony a quick one-armed hug and patted the man on the back.
"Come what may." The genius agreed.
"It's us who need to thank you Tony. The entire planet needs to thank you. You've just saved us all." Coulson said with an appreciate gaze.
"Thanks Phil. But let's not speak too soon." Tony warned.
"You remembered my name." Phil smiled jokingly.
"Phil's your middle name, right?" Tony asked, jestingly. "We all know your first name in Agent."
"Very funny." Phil smirked, folding his arms as Tony opened his.
"Bring it in Coulson." Tony beckoned and the man didn't resist. It was man hugs all around today.
"Congratulations Mr. Stark." Leo smiled hesitantly, holding out his hand.
"For the last time Fitz, it's Tony and a handshake seriously? Come on there's enough hugs for everyone!" Tony pulled a shocked Fitz in without warning as Coulson retreated. "Come on Jemma, you too." He ordered, and Jemma shyly made her way over for a hug before the pair were sandwiched in by Coulson once more.
"You two little geniuses." Tony said fondly. "We would not be here without the work you've done. Don't for a second think the part you played in this was small. You were incredible. You are Avengers, both of you, everyone in this room is an Avenger."
"Even Fury?" Coulson asked skeptically, glancing over his shoulder at the Director who was busy watching the scene.
"Yeah I suppose." Tony shrugged as they pulled apart. "I mean, we wouldn't be here without him and he gave me a pretty good apology earlier. So I guess in the spirit of the end of the world, I should forgive him… and maybe you should too Phil." Tony patted him on the shoulder.
"I'm going to have a hard time doing that." Coulson said darkly. "You didn't see yourself when I dragged you out of the interrogation room on the bus."
"No," Tony acknowledged, "but I lived it Coulson. If I can forgive him, I think you can."
"I'll try." The Agent sighed.
"That's all I ask. Mend fences don't burn bridges."
"When did you become so diplomatic?" Coulson chuckled.
"I'm in an alarmingly good mood." Tony shrugged. "Borderline sentimental. I might need to see a doctor, I'm probably sick."
"Well for once Stark, I think you couldn't be more wrong." Coulson said fondly.
The man in question, Nick Fury looked on at the team and smiled. He may not have done everything right; he may have made some huge mistakes and he was more than sorry for what he had put that genius man through - but despite all his shortcomings he was responsible for bringing these people together. He may not have made them a team, but he gave them that push, the push they had needed, even if they didn't know it.
The whole point of a team is to bring the best out of each other and the people he saw in front of him had put their differences aside, their opinions to bed and come through some truly horrible things and learnt to love each other. They had learnt to see beyond the mask of a man who had been broken for nearly as long as he'd been alive, they had carried him through some of the worst experiences imaginable and most important of all, they had helped him find the strength to put himself together again; to trust again, love again and most of all, to have hope again. And because of that, this man, this brilliant, unbelievable man, had achieved the impossible.
This team had already saved the world, it had saved it twice. Once from the Chitauri but their biggest achievement, was that had saved Tony Stark.
Fury smiled. They had saved Tony Stark and now those fuckers from the other dimension had better be very afraid.
Pepper watched on with a heart filled with joy. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. The man she was looking at was Tony, her Tony, but over the last few days he had changed so immensely she could hardly believe it. Despite the lines of age and the bags of exhaustion under his eyes, Tony looked like he was twenty years old again. There was a spark behind his eyes, glowing so brightly that she could tell it was never going out. She had seen glimpses of it in the past, tiny glimpses in his best moments but they had always been fleeting. But not anymore.
The man who stood before her, having dug himself out of the pile of ecstatic bodies, was the real Tony Stark - not the mask, not the act, not the tabloid stereotype - but the genuine article. Pepper felt like shaking hands with him, telling him it was 'nice to meet you', because in a way that's what it felt like. She was meeting the real Tony Stark for the first time.
"Well done baby." She smiled as he buried his face in her neck. Tony just sighed contentedly, and she felt a few tears wet her shoulder as she realized they were both crying, in relief and happiness. He pulled away and looked her in the eye for a long moment before she felt Rhodes at her shoulder. Unexpectedly, the airman's eyes were also filled with tears and a look that spoke volumes. Rhodes was looking into the face of a man he hadn't seen since they were teenagers and as they embraced again Pepper realized that these were two old friends, brothers even, reuniting after having been separated for nearly four decades.
"It's so good to have you back Tones." Rhodes grinned, a single tear tracking down his cheek.
"I was always there Rhodey. I didn't realize it until just now, but I was always there. I just got lost somewhere along the way." Tony smiled, eyes wet.
"I know." Rhodes sniffed. "I can't believe I've got you back after all this time."
Tony nearly sobbed but turned it into laughter as he pulled Rhodes back into the embrace. "Look at us. Pair of ninnies crying like girls."
"Fuck it. Real men cry." Rhodes blurted and Tony laughed as finally the two broke contact.
Over the next half hour there was singing and dancing and pillow fights. There was a group of ordinary people, extraordinary friends, enjoying themselves and celebrating without a thought of what was to come.
Tony took it in with a feeling of great joy, but also a twang of sadness. He regretted that he wouldn't have long to enjoy this, because there was one thing that had not changed throughout this. The vision was still the same. He was to die to save the world and maybe some of them would die too. Part of him wished that he had lived his whole life like this, happy and carefree and amongst family - surrounded by love. But he knew that this, right here right now, was perfect for one reason and one reason only; he had earned this. With every fiber of his being, he had suffered and toiled and never given up and come back from places so dark that the light had almost been forgotten entirely. He had earned this perfect, beautiful moment and if it was the one and only moment like this that he got to enjoy that didn't matter. He was happy. He achieved everything he had ever wanted to achieve, and he was content. For the first time in thirty years he didn't want to die, for the first time in thirty years he had something to live for and yet, for the first time in his life dying was also ok.
"You should all come to Asgard tonight with me for the celebration." Thor offered. "I would love to introduce you to my family and friends on Asgard."
"Party on another planet!" Clint exclaimed. "Count me in."
"We're all in!" Jemma announced, to everyone's, especially Fitz's, surprise.
There was a collective cheer at the decision as Tony chuckled to himself and raised his glass.
"What are you thinking about?" Pepper asked him, pulling him into a tender kiss.
"How perfect this is." He said contently, glancing around the room.
"How about we make it more perfect?" Pepper raised her brow suggestively.
Tony gave a seductive smile and whispered lowly into her ear, his voice rough and husky. "Lead the way Miss Potts."
Pepper smiled broadly and planted another kiss to his lips before walking over to the elevator and stepping in. Tony finished his drink and put in down on the table before starting to follow.
"Where you off to Stark?" Clint asked as the Engineer went to make his exit. "Not leaving the party early I hope."
"The only way to top end of the world group hugs is end of the world sex!" Tony announced loudly.
Nat covered her face in exasperation and Pepper blushed a little, but otherwise just smiled and laughed.
"Eww, get out of here." Steve threw a pillow in their direction.
"Don't expect us to save any booze!" Bruce called after them.
"Don't worry Bruce they'll be back in fifteen minutes!" Clint said loudly and the whole room burst into laughter, including Tony.
"Just because you're jealous bird brain!" Tony quipped.
"That's no comeback Stark." Clint protested, wanting a fight, but Tony had other things on his mind.
The genius listened the conversation as Pepper pressed the button to close the doors and then he heard Fitz moaning about the canapes. "Why did they make it so small!" He said, loud enough for the whole room to hear.
Tony jammed the doors open button and yelled back into the room. "That's what Clint's wife says!"
"Screw you Stark!" Clint yelled as everyone else laughed at his expense.
"No, I'm the one doing the screwing, you on the other hand aren't getting any unless your seductive chicken dance can woo any of the pigeons on the balcony."
Clint threw a very well-aimed pillow at the elevator doors, but Tony had no trouble in anticipating and avoiding it.
"You don't shut up and close these doors you ain't getting any either." Pepper warned, teasingly and Tony frantically made the motion for zipping his lips.
"Don't go to Asgard without me!" Tony called as the elevator doors closed.
"We can't you idiot. You're the damn transport!" Bruce threw back and Tony chuckled as he and Pepper were finally alone.
…
End of Part IV
