Chapter 17: Tony
Tony had been held prisoner several times in his life, but the small cell in the Chitauri spaceship took the prize for most depressing prison. It was windowless and gloomy, with walls made out of some cold rock-like metal, and there were zero furnishings of any kind – a.k.a., nothing to stop him going crazy from boredom.
His suit had been unceremoniously hacked off his body after his capture, and he'd been searched for weapons before being thrown in here. Then he'd waited for over an hour, slumped against the wall with his chin in his hand.
Voices approached outside his cell and Tony sat up straighter, trying to make out the words.
A voice that Tony recognized as belonging to the alien who had overseen his imprisonment, spoke, deep and rasping. "Thanos will return to Sanctuary to heal. We will continue to Knowhere and retrieve the next Stone from the Collector. But first…"
The cell door opened suddenly, and the alien who had been speaking entered with two other Chitauri guards. Tony stood to face them. He had no intention of appearing weak.
"Thanos wishes to know what you know about the Infinity Stones," the lead alien said.
Tony crossed his arms. "First off, who are you?" he demanded. "And secondly, the what? I don't have a clue what you're talking about."
The alien scowled from beneath the hood he wore pulled low over his face. "I am the Other," he replied. "And you may want to rethink your answer." He gestured and the guards moved forward, pinning Tony to the wall by his arms. "Are you sure you don't know anything about them?"
Tony tried to keep his expression neutral, to hide the rapidly-growing fear. "Mostly."
The Other laughed. "You think you're so strong and defiant. But without your armor, you're just like every other human…" He pulled a small remote-like device out of his robes and pressed it to Tony's neck.
Electricity jolted through Tony and he cried out, jerking in his captors' grip. He couldn't help himself.
"Weak…" the Other continued. He shocked Tony again, longer this time, and Tony screamed. "And easily crushed." He pressed a second button on the device, upping the charge.
Tony sagged in the guards' grip, helpless to even scream now let alone stand by himself. The pain had stolen his breath, his ability to think.
Then the Other stepped back. The guards released Tony and he crumpled to the floor, semiconscious. Everything hurt.
"I will return later," the Other said somewhere above him. "Think about what your answer will be." Then he left with the guards.
Tony lay on the cold floor, shaking weakly. So much for staying strong, he thought. Then he closed his eyes and let the darkness take over.