CAEB Part V - The Battle for Earth.

Chapter 11 - It's What Heroes Do

Tony had always thought he'd known what his defining moment would be. The world thought it was the day he became Iron Man. He'd thought it was the day he'd lost his parents. But they were all wrong. Today was the day that Tony Stark would find out who he really was.

Over the last year, he had put aside the pain of his past, the fear of loss and the reluctance to trust anyone but himself. He put his faith in a team, which had hurt him before and yet, he forgave them. He stood up against the thing he feared the most and for the first time in a long time he had every reason to want to survive.

So, when the end came, it felt right. It was a shame, but for once he was proud of himself. It was a good day to die.

Tony closed his eyes and let the world around him fade away. The frantic calls of his friends behind him dulled into the background. They were safe behind the shield, everyone was. It was just him against the enemy, exactly how it was meant to be.

He could feel the undead army charging towards him as Kairon and Elthusa cowered. The ground beneath his feet trembled and yet he stood firm. He let his eyes flicker open for one brief moment, but his attention was not focused on the challenge he faced; instead he looked up, savoring the beauty of the blue sky above him, the sun that burned his eyes when he glanced at it, taking it in for one last time.

Then he returned to the blackness. Eyes closed he let the power flow through him, building. From every creature, every plant, every molecule and atom, both in the ground or in the air, the energy of the army charging towards him and finally from the arc reactor.

And then came the agony, the burning of his own atoms threatening to tear apart under the strain. There wasn't second to wait, if he did, he would explode, and half the country would be blown along with him. As the very air round him started to pulsate, he let go.

The pain exploded. The world around him burst into blue as the power rushed through him. He felt the warmth of blood sliding down from his face, at first a trickle, and then it gushed. The ground beneath his feet cracked and the whole city seemed to vibrate and roar. His body was screaming, his blood pumped through him like acid to his veins. Tony knew pain, but this was beyond words and yet he had to hold on. He must have been screaming but he didn't know. Eventually he didn't know anything but blistering agony and blinding power. And he didn't stop.

It could have been seconds, it could have been hours, Tony Stark would never know, all he knew was that eventually his body had the last word. The world was silent and dark and empty. It was over.

The shockwave exploded through the city. The Earth trembled and shook whilst a crack of thunder tore through the air forcing them to cover their ears.

The remaining fighters of the allied forces were thrown from their feet and as Steve's back hit the concrete, he felt the ground start to crack and splinter beneath him. He scrambled to his feet, checking on the Archer and the Hulk, who were stunned, but already standing.

"What's going on?" Clint yelped. "Tony!" The Archer yelled, but it was pointless, his voice was lost amongst the crumbling buildings and rumbling of the ground.

Steve turned to the blue shield, but he could no longer see the Engineer and the enemy inside, they were lost to a vortex of swirling dust. He watched on, chest thudding and mind racing with confused thoughts. What was happening? Was this Tony? Or Kairon?

"Steve?" Clint demanded.

"I don't know Clint I…." The Captain started, and then suddenly everything went silent. Steve gasped as he felt the air around him grow violently still and it was cold, like the middle of winter. The only sound was the faint ringing in his own ears. He could see Clint's mouth moving, but he heard nothing, and he felt weak. His legs threatened to give as if the life were being sucked from him. Everyone was still, even the swirling cloud inside Tony's shield had frozen, but as he squinted through the blue glow he could see each particle begin to tremor, to vibrate. The buzzing in his head grew louder, the air began to vibrate faster and faster until…

Suddenly everything snapped back into motion. A crack split the air and the sky lit up like fire, reflecting the explosion below. The blue of the shield was gone, replaced by rolling cloud of dust that stormed towards them, eating up the ground behind it and rumbling like thunder.

"Run!" Steve roared at Clint as he started tearing down the distance between himself and the Archer. Glass exploded all around them, raining down. Clint finally started to run from the oncoming storm, feet pounding on concrete. Steve tore across the street, grabbing Clint as he drew level. The Archer was fast, but he hadn't the advantage of super-serum.

The Hulk was bounding ahead, jumping himself clear of the blast already, but Steve couldn't outrun this, even on his best day. He could feel the adrenaline burn through him, willing him to make it clear of the cloud that threatened to engulf them, but it was a dull sensation in comparison to the way his tired body screamed. "I'm sorry Clint." Steve gasped. The rushing wind tore Steve's legs from under him and the world spun, abrasive particles stinging at his face he had no more control as everything around him spiraled. He tried to hold onto the Archer, but at some point, his hands must have released him.

Pain shot through his every fiber as he was thrown like a rag doll, smashing into anything and everything the storm of dust threw at him. The wind was knocked out of him, pain exploded through his skull. But none of it mattered. Finally, the world went dark.

…

When Steve opened his eye, there was only blackness. The buzzing, ever present in his ears, signaled he was still alive, but everything else told him it was over. There was no pain, no light, only darkness and confusion and a strange tingling sensation in his extremities that was slowly getting stronger. Then a blur of white and brown slowly grew in his vision. He coughed at the feeling of something scratching the back of his throat. His head started throbbing. Sounds of pain and confusion met his ears and the world become a series of blurred shapes. Finally, everything came into focus. The otherwise silent dust filled streets told him it was over, that the battle was won. But what had been the cost?

Steve's head was fuzzy, ears ringing, senses disconnected; his hands and knees where pressing into the cold, hard concrete and the sun baked the back of his suit and his sweat slick hair. He coughed and choked on the plume of settling dust that scratched at his lungs, yet only one thing occupied his mind. He had to find Tony. He squinted through stinging, tear-filled eyes as his shaking limbs hauled him to his feet. Despite the ache in every fiber of his body, he found himself jogging, limping, dragging himself in the direction he thought he'd last seen his friend.

The dust was thick in front of him; a screen of brown mist that forced him to cover his face. He couldn't see a thing. He staggered back to a walk as he tried to get his bearings, peering through the cloud as he tried to let his brain register the vague shapes he could make out. The further he went the more the thick cloud settled, the air getting thinner and more transparent with each passing second. There was a shape ahead, laid out on the ground. Oh God!

Steve pushed his body to move faster and now he was running, really running. The shape got larger in his vision. It was a body, human, still, and unmoving. "Tony!" Steve called desperately, his voice gruff and hoarse. He coughed from the effort but kept pushing on. His feet pounded on the torn-up earth and despite the burning in his lungs and legs he did not slow.

It was a mop of brown hair, caked in dust and grime and clad in a dark familiar under armor. The exoskeleton lay in tattered bits around him, there was no sign of the suit. The Engineer was slumped, his body collapsed against a lump of concrete that had been torn from the shattered skeleton of a nearby building. It was cold here, freezing and still, as if all the energy had been sucked from the air. Steve swallowed hard when he realized, it quite literally had. Skidding to his knees he stared at his friend. Tony was slouched into the rock, limbs limp. His head lay heavy on his shoulder with his face twisted into a resigned and satisfied smile. His skin was grey and coated with dried rivers of his own blood. So much blood, that it ran down his neck and arms, dripping in thick beads from his drooping fingers and pooling onto the concrete. There was the smell of burnt flesh and lines seared into his torso where the exoskeleton had once rested. His hazel brown orbs, that had only that morning been so full of life, stared off at a point in the distance, glassy and lifeless.

He wasn't breathing. The arc reactor was cracked and dark. It was over. "No." Steve whimpered. Pain ripped through his chest as the realization hit him. "No, no, no please no." He grabbed Tony by the shoulders and shook him roughly. Even through his under armor he could feel how cold Tony's body was, saw the limp way he flopped as he was shaken. He shuffled closer, pulling Tony's lifeless form into his chest. All Steve could do was hold him.

Bruce broke back into consciousness with a groan of pain as blinding light and his aching body bombarded him. His mind was hazed, but something in the back of his head was screaming at him, willing him to get up, to hurry. What, why… what had happened? He felt the Hulk stir angrily and suddenly everything snapped into place.

"Tony!" Bruce could hear Steve's shout somewhere ahead of him, not too far away but he could not see through the dust and the rubble. He staggered to his feet, the Hulk still roaring in the back of his mind and, despite his unbearable tiredness, he began running in the direction of Steve's footsteps. He heard some mumbled whimpers just before the cloud of dust in front of him began to thin and he saw two forms huddled together. Was that Tony? Was he…? The small whisper of hope he'd had was torn from Bruce as Steve's roar of pain and anguish echoed through the tattered city. Bruce almost fell to his knees there and then, his entire world had just crumbled, but he had to see for himself.

Somehow, the scientist staggered on towards Steve, who was cradling Tony to his chest. "Steve." Bruce whispered as he finally fell to his knees. "Please tell me this isn't…" He begged, but the tears streaming down Steve's face and the agony in his eyes told him that all he feared was true.

"I'm so sorry Bruce. I'm so sorry… There was nothing." Steve shook his head and looked away, squeezing his eyes shut. Bruce gently took Tony from Steve's arms, his hands shaking as he took in the face of his best friend. He pressed two fingers to his pulse point, even though he already knew from the way his eyes stared blankly, from the grey, cold skin tinged with blue, and the volume of blood that had run from every orifice, that there was no point. There was, as expected, nothing. No pulse, no sign of hope or life - just cold skin. Tony Stark was dead.

Bruce took a deep breath and bit back the rage that burned through him. He stared up to the clearing blue sky and felt anger at the sun for daring to be so cheerful. The planet should be mourning as he was, it should be raining, miserable… but it wasn't. He felt the Hulk's grief join his own in a tidal wave and despite all the emotion that was tearing him apart, all he could do was stare and cry and scream in pain as he held onto Tony's body.

Steve lifted a shaking hand to Tony's face and tenderly started to wipe the blood from his skin. It was a small gesture but somehow it helped… helped them to wash away the thoughts of the pain he must have endured in his final movements. They worked until Tony's skin was largely clean, but it made no difference. Tony was still dead and that wasn't going to change.

"I really thought he was going to do it." Bruce said, his voice nothing but a weak rasp. "Change things." He felt Steve's hand on his shoulder. Somehow the soldier seemed to have composed himself to some degree.

"So did I." Steve admitted sadly. "And I think in some ways he did Bruce. Clint and I were supposed to die…"

"This never should have happened." Bruce sobbed.

"No!" Steve never got the chance to answer Bruce as Clint's cry cut through the air. The raw sound of his friend's pain added to the pit in Steve's stomach. The archer never even approached, Steve and Bruce were just met by the sound of things being thrown around in anger, but they didn't look up. Their eyes were glued to the form of their fallen friend, their brother, as their despair sat around them, so heavy it threatened to choke them.

Then a hand slipped up onto each of their shoulders. They tore their eyes away from Tony, to see the battered and bloody face of the Asgardian Queen, Frigga. It offered them no comfort.

"And so, it ends." Frigga said sadly as she knelt and ran a hand through Tony's hair. "Rest in peace my brave, brave child." She pressed her fingers to Tony's eyelids, sliding them closed one final time.

The battle was over. The war had been won. But Tony Stark was gone.

…