Through the ring of sparks welcomed a man cloaked in crimson wearing a navy tunic. Everyone immediately tensed, ready to fight the man that suspiciously dressed similar to the woman they had just taken down.
"Didn't know you had friends." Tony spoke towards the limp Sorceress still facing the man. "You didn't seem like the social type." He quipped. His suit's plates located on his upper arm and back unfolded to reveal a variety of miniature rockets ready to fire on his command.
"Gentleman…" The wizard spoke up, the air between them thick with awkwardness. "My name is Doctor Stephen Strange. I'm here to take a certain someone out of your hands." The portal fizzed into the nothingness as he began to step closer.
Tony instinctively stepped towards Peter to shield the kid from potential harm.
Peter acknowledged the new presence but made no effort to add more pain onto his body by craning his neck a different direction. Perhaps his spider sense was muted by pain, or there may be no danger after all. He tore his attention away from the continuous growing of the spike still seeping within his arm and darted his eyes to his left. He noticed 's suit that slowly shuffled towards himself. He finally decided to shift his body to get a better look at whoever they were aiming at. "AGH" Peter yelped.
Tony grimaced at hearing the teen in pain. He knew the kid needed immediate attention. 'If it weren't for this damn wizard.' He lifted his second repulsor threateningly, tension growing between the two of them.
Tony Stark was absolutely done and over this whole voodoo situation. He's never encountered this type of fight and never wants to again. Too many teammates at risk. Not to mention letting the two kids (Peter and Wanda) of the bunch injured. Hell, Wanda had to have a chunk of flesh pulled from her own back by Vision. This was his fault, he knew it was. Because of him, Peter now has to probably lay in the Med-bay for days to get that shit out of his leg and arm. What in the world will he tell May?
Dr. Strange quickly caught on. "I'm not here to fight Stark." He shifted on his side to get a better look at the figure on the ground, brown hair spilling through the red mask. "Seems like you've already done the job for me." His attention along with his head snapped over at the woman in a heap laying the grass. He strode calmly towards the woman, as if deadly weapons were not locked onto his head at the moment.
"Nu-uh" Tony snapped. "Tell me one good reason why I shouldn't blast your magical ass."
Stephen stopped on the spot. "You've all fought too close for comfort near my sanctuary, when I realized that it was the erm...traitor, I decided it'd be best to take care of her now before it got out of hand." Dr. Strange replied, smirking with frustration and an expression written 'duh.'
"Why should we hand her over to you. You could be here to pick her up from danger, I mean from us." Rhodey shouted from his side.
Dr. Strange sighed with his whole body as if he had more important tasks to attend to. This is the last place Stephen wanted to be at the moment, he just wanted to throw the wretched woman to Wong and go back. Hoping that The Ancient One would be proud for completing one of her tasks she left undone.
The Sorceress had betrayed her own Sanctum, turning to black magic followed up by killing its innocent occupants. Fleeing like a coward, this was the only chance Dr. Strange had, until she would vanish again. Perhaps the woman did this intentionally.
'I mean what does she have to lose at this point.' Stephen thought to himself. She has already abandoned herself back at the Sanctuary, broken beyond repair.
Even through the suit Tony could here the strained noises coming from Peter, a few times he could here the spike expanding within the kid's forearm, the skin stretching along with the muscle tearing. He didn't even want to think of the bones. He couldn't imagine what it took Peter not to scream out in pain at the moment. Shit, he really had to get Peter out of here.
Tony spoke, but not aloud, his voice connected to comms and directed to Rhodey. "Rhodes, you got this handled? I doubt he actually came here to attack us. Kid is being torn up right behind us, I got to get him somewhere else."
"Would if he actually came to her rescue?" He replied.
Dr. Strange began to turn his head between the two confused as to why their suits went oddly silent, despite the whirring of little and big weapons that unfolded from each machine.
"Honestly? who cares? If he leaves through his sparkles I'll send coordinates to where we'll be, I just have to get him outta here." Tony's voice was laced with anxiety. He couldn't help the growing knot in his chest. He knew deep down that this situation was bad for Peter. If Wanda was writhing in pain over one spike that surfaced her back what was going to happen to the kid with two of them literally impaling him through and through?
Dr. Strange broke the silence "Seems as if your companion is injured. And by the looks of it, he needs your attention now. Id advise for the two of you to stand down and surrender her. I'm here to lock her up and do nothing more."
Iron-Man lowered his repulsors not fully trusting Dr. Strange but had no other choice but to leave the area with Spider-Man.
"I'll handle this Tones, help him."
A beat passed before Tony stepped over the teen still staring at the man, making sure he wouldn't do anything sketchy.
"Friday, is the brat okay to move? Not by himself but by me." Tony asked crouching next to Peter. Peter couldn't stop moving around, constantly fidgeting not knowing how to react to the pain coating his limbs.
"According to my scan, he has no spinal injury. If you decide to transport him, only move a small distance, boss. He is losing blood, but it has yet to reach critical." That was enough for Tony to hear. He positioned both his arms behind Peter's back and upper thigh, avoiding the spike impaling the boy.
"It hurts. It hurts so bad."
Tony cringed, wondering if the sight of his frowning helmet provided any comfort. He was going to wait to remove his helmet until the both of them were out of sight. "You're fine kiddo, we're getting out of here to take care of those ke-babbed limbs of yours." He lifted the boy, slightly stopping when Peter cried out. The way his heart hurt and ached at the sound went unnoticed.
"Oh my gosh...I'm a spider-kebab!" Peter cried out, completely unaware of what he was actually saying aloud.
Tony couldn't help but snort, taking the opportunity of Peter's distraction to pick him up fully. Peter bit down on his cheek until he could taste iron on his tongue. Despite the burning pain coursing within every inch of his body, he found himself guilty for causing the trouble. 'It was only one lady!' He frowned beneath his ruined mask, hoping that Mr. Stark wouldn't give him yet another lecture about this later.
"You good?" Iron-Man's helmet peered down to Peter's mask showing his glazed over eye staring at nothing in particular. His focus barely changing, he nodded anyways.
Before Tony departed he had second thoughts. The wizard seemed as if he teleported himself from another location. Maybe him and Peter could go-no no, that was a stupid idea. Peter was already hurt enough by one wizard, why make it two?
"Farewell, Gandalf!" His suit rang out before he looked up into the night sky boosting the both of them somewhere safe. Peter's arm behind the back of the Iron suit limp and unmoving.
He pulled up his right arm to rip off his own mask. Although Karen went completely silent after the witch disintegrated part of his mask, he still felt bad stripping her away, or what was left, by removing his mask. Peter took in a shuddering breath trying to enjoy the fresh air. Laying the mask on his stomach he let his throbbing head tilt back to breathe easier. He hasn't felt this much pain since Homecoming night, under the rubble.
Suddenly he felt crushed, pressure on his chest. It didn't go unnoticed on Tony's part. He knew exactly what Peter went through that night, he never wanted it to repeat itself again. But yet here they were...in a situation even worse than that wretched fight.
"Fri, are there any stations under construction?" Tony said almost letting Peter slip from his grip. He quickly stabilized himself in the air while securing Peter in his arms.
"Showing directions to 86 Street Station." Friday answered. Suddenly a bright line emerged in his helmet's line of sight, directing him towards the subway.
"It's too late to take it out, isn't it?" Peter asked, keeping his head back. Suddenly he was embarrassed that Mr. Stark had to carry him to safety. His pale face, (due to blood loss) making his blush more obvious.
It was only mumbles to Tony. "Can't hear what you're sayin kid, save it for another minute." Taking a sharp right he finally came across the staircase Friday luminated. He hovered over the busy sidewalk for a few seconds observing the night life,
"I know you don't want to, but you gotta put your mask back." Hey eyed the taxis and cars stuck in place due to traffic, also the people walking back and forth the sidewalk.
His command was a bit muffled to Peter's ears but he quickly got the message. Fumbling with the disintegrated mask in his bloody fingers, he weakly pulled it over his head with his good hand.
Tony landed, Peter's body bouncing at the impact. Peter grunted in response at each bounce. Iron-Man's armored chest slightly hovered over the young hero, attempting to block his partly exposed face away from the crowd now forming. It was mainly a few young adults either going to or from a club. More than half of them gawking while pulling out their phones to record the hero's appearance.
"Stand back. I swear if one you younglings follow me, i'll fry you." No one dared to follow the obviously agitated hero
Labored breaths and soft whimpers escaped Peter each step the suit took, jostling his body. It hurt the worst when he began stomping down the steps. The familiar sounds of the city muffled as his body slowly grew numb.
Tony stopped dead in his tracks observing the dimly lit station, a few neon coated men currently working on the rails. The subway station was creepily silent, the sounds of the city muffled above them. There were planks of wood and saw dust scattered across the dirty tiles. The yellow light tinted anything underneath it with an eerie glow.
"Do me a favor? LEAVE! And on the way out, will you be so kind to put extra caution tape around the stairs?" Not realizing how rude his command was the men got the message anyways and hopped up onto the tiled floor. One man in particular made his way to protest against Iron-Man but seemed to choke on his own words at the sight of the man in iron carrying an injured vigilante. Tony eyed the man, silently daring him to speak while he was stressed.
As the last man in neon left up the dusty stairs, Iron-Man roughly let go of Spider-Man on top of a metal bench. Immediately turning his back on Peter, he began contacting War-Machine and the Quinjet of his coordinates. Peter tried to adjust his body on top of the bench, only to let out a cry as he fell hard on station's floor.
"Eugh, that's just nasty." What was left of Peter's conscious was now focused on the variety of colorful pieces of chewed up gum beneath the bench. He giggled to himself, not out of humor, but of frustration. 'You just had to screw the pooch once again, Spider-Man!'
The young hero hated this situation, how his body violently twitched without control, and how he could no longer move his left elbow nor his right knee. The branch like spike still slowly etching itself now towards his shoulder. He laid there for a hot minute, unable to stop giggling. Warm tears threatening to fall, but eventually never did. He felt cool armor lift the back of his neck forcing his face to meet with Iron-Man's iconic frown. Peter stopped giggling, this time his face relaxing, his lids suddenly feeling as if weights were dangling underneath them. His head went limp, Peter's focus going in and out. Blood poured beneath his impaled limbs at an alarming rate. Enhanced healing was kicking in. The amount of blood that Peter could lose without worry would kill a kid his size if lost.
"Hang in there kid, Friday contact Rhodey. Tell him I couldn't give a flying fuuuu" He eyed Peter, "uuuuudgesicle if the uhh wizard is there." Peter groaned in protest as Tony poked the broken lens and disintegrated fabric out of curiosity.
"Lemme take your mask off so you can take a bre-hey, HEY what are you doing!?" Peter's right hand gripped the spike without fear, pulling it weakly, attempting to pull it out. Tony easily overpowered Peter's strength at the state he was in. He shakily pried his hand away and held it in place against the floor.
Peter felt cold dusty air hit his face as he took in a shuddering breath.
In and out.
In and...out.
Tony tossed his mask aside. "Full body scan Friday, what can I do? How do I even get this thing out of him."
"...scanning now Boss...I suggest you leave his leg alone and focus on his left arm. My database does not recognize the object impaling Peter, but I do not believe it will not stop expanding up his upper arm any time soon...sorry Boss but you may need to-"
"No NO! Okay, we can fix this, no biggie." The last two words came out unsure as he attempted to stay positive. Tony knew deep down what had to be done, yet he couldn't find himself to make a move. A voice told him in the back of his head that he had to do it before it was too late. No he couldn't...but he had to. The iron helmet unfolded revealing Tony's face. He groaned staring up at the domed ceiling. Closing his eyes and shaking the willies out of his hands, Tony turned his foot and swiveled back to face Peter. He bent down to Peter's level, putting his armored hand back beneath the back of his neck, the other hand lifted his upper left arm.
"AH-Agh put it-leave it alone." Peter hissed.
"I know, just lemme get a good look at it." His helmet neatly folded back over his face in an instant.
"Friday, are you able to pinpoint where the stick thing is currently?"
"Of course, now showing you Peter's heat signature." Suddenly a blend of reds, oranges, and yellows outlined but barely filled Peter's left arm. Tony cringed at the sight of shades of blue branched out over the majority of his limp arm.
"Oh fuck, we really have to do this." His face paled at the realization of having to chop off Peter's arm. Even worse, it would probably have to be done before the Quinjet arrived before it crawled up his shoulder. He was going to tell him, he was going to have to tell a fucking kid.
"Peter…" His eyes fluttered open at his name being called. His doe like eyes stared at Tony, full of innocence but yet so much pain. 'I can't do this I can't do this I can't do this.' A few beats passed before Tony heard a slight thump.
He looked up (his heat visor still activated) and spotted the one and only War-Machine just above the concrete sidewalk that separated the two of them. He never felt so much relief in his life.
He practically jogged towards the staircase that Rhodey was now walking down on. Before War-Machine could even step down the last step, Tony began rambling. "Rhodey...we have to chop off the kid's damn arm before it-it can spread to his shoulder, I don't know how but we gotta, I can't be the one. Why did Steve have to leave, I-"
"Whoa whoa whoa, dude calm down, we're going to be fine, I doubt you have to hack it off." Tony's helmet revealed himself staring at Rhodey's iron helmet.
Rhodey knew this expression, he rarely made that face, but when he did, it meant nothing good. It was the expression that basically screamed 'i'm dead fucking serious and I have no idea what to do.'
Rhodey planted his arm on top of Tony's shoulder. "It's going to be fine." He said firmly.
Tony could only manage to nod. His lungs took in the fresh air as Tony gathered the courage to go back and get this nightmare over with.
Peter rested his eyes, rolling his head side to side. He began humming to a tune he was unsure of. Anything to take his mind off of the agonizing pain, which was slowly but surely going numb. He felt...funny, as if smoke clouded is head. Sleep sounded better and better after every second. He never stopped his quiet tune, even as he felt vibrations in the ground coming closer and closer towards him.
'Must be Mr. Stark here to take me to the facility.' He kept his eyes shut but stopped his humming immediately after he felt strong arms that lifted him and laid him back down on what he guessed was that metal bench.
All at once Peter's body convulsed in reaction of the spike now finding itself protruding directly through his wrist and into his web shooters. "UAGHH" Peter's voice bounced off the walls echoing his cries. Web fluid began to spray out of the device still latched onto his wrist. He swallowed the next cry down, attempting to keep his whimpers to himself.
Tony eyed the kid that was writhing in pain. His heart throbbed at the sight. Peter squinted his eyes open to the sight of Iron-Man and War-Machine positioning themselves. Positioning themselves for what?
Tony gently took Peter by his left hand (that was not yet reached by the magic) and draped it over the bench so the both of them could get a better view. Rhodey took a few seconds to process what he was exactly seeing, then spoke up nervously.
"For once, I hate that you're right." Tony's heart dropped. "We have to do this quick."
Peter began to stir,. "Wha- what's going on, what are you guys talking about? What do mean you have to do this quick?"
The two ignored Peter and continued their planning.
"How are we going to knock him out? We have no ambien, nor dalmane, I bet that's on Natasha...glad she's on the Quinjet." Tony said.
"Can we hit him in the head? You know…" Rhodey made a fist and playfully punched himself in the head making a thunk.
"No, he's already gotten a level two concussion, we might damage what's left in there if we hit him hard enough. Hell he was nowhere to being unconscious when the witch was basically hammering his head into the cement. Kid was eating shit." Tony began to sweat at the thought of having to amputate the kid's arm without a sedative. Scratch that- he was far from sweating, the hero was on the verge of a panic attack.
Both Rhodey and Tony began touching the kids arm, testing the durability of the spike, searching for any other alternative route to take care of this mess. Blood began dripping off of his suit's index finger. The both of them accepted what had to be done and began the preparations. Another part of Tony's conscious took charge over his emotional state and kept him going.
Tony shakily pinched where his suit's heat visor was showing where the porcupine like spikes were not. About six inches below the top of Peter's shoulder was where he would have to amputate the arm.
Shit, he really did not want to do this to the kid, let alone himself, he was sure this would plague his night terrors for months if he were the one to do this. He pointed his other hand towards the Spider suit, a thin laser beam pointed directly at the pulled fabric. It quickly cut through, followed up by Tony ripping a 360 line around the arm. Peter was not happy.
"What the heck dude! That's my suit-TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON!" The throb in his head was muffling the voices. Did he even know what he just said? Bu he knew exactly what was going but has yet to consider the outcome.
'What would Pepper say?' Tony thought to himself gathering the courage to tell the kid he was about to have a part of him ripped off.
"Pete, we're gunna have to um, we're going to have to" He coughed in attempt to fill the awkward space between them. "Going to have to"
Rhodey interrupted "amputate your arm"
Peter's blood ran cold, he wanted to scream, but the only thing that escaped his lips was a simple "oh."
He looked at the dim ceiling, his lips slightly parted, his throbbing head processing what was about to happen.
Suddenly Tony's suit shed showing a very stressed man dressed in a plain black T-shirt and jeans. The exoskeleton of Iron-Man stood in place as Tony kneeled next to the delusional boy.
"Peter, im sorr- we're going to have to do this quickly. We can't let this thing nest in your arm and kill you. I won't let that happen, this will be over soon." His eyes were full of regret, he could have prevented this. Will Peter even be a hero after this fight? Will this be his last one? He sighed, the weight on his shoulders lessening none.
"Look at me in the eyes kiddo." Peter slowly tilted his head to face Tony. Peter's brown eyes were closed but opened halfway. Tony looked into the eyes that were now glistening with tears.
"It'll be over soon." Tony promised.