The lounge wasn't quite as quiet as he had thought it would be.
The place wasn't packed, but there were several groups sitting at tables talking silently, and everyone in the room looked over when Tony and Pepper appeared at the entrance with Natasha. Nick was at a table with Steve, Clint and Gradymatson near the corner, but he spoke up.
"How is he, Tony?" he asked, knowing that everyone there was wondering the same thing.
Stark understood that, as well, and decided that it didn't make sense to have to answer the question half a dozen times, separately – or to make Pepper have to answer it, at all.
"He's stable. They're going to try an immersion treatment on him to heal his injuries."
There were murmured comments to that; some concerned, some interested, and others inquisitive, but none were actually directed at him, so he didn't reply. Instead, he walked across the room toward their usual corner table, Pepper's hand still in his and Nutmeg in the other. He did stop, however, when he reached the table where all the guardians – except Gamora – were sitting with Sirah. The alien girl Peter had brought home with him was nursing a cup of what looked to be tea, and was still dressed in the bulky clothing Wong had given her.
"You guys okay?" he asked Peter.
Quill nodded.
"Yeah. Just waiting for Gamora to come back."
"Is she alright?"
It wasn't every day that the being that you'd called father was snuffed out – along with an army of people that Tony understood she had pretty much grown up with.
"She's sending a few messages," Rocket answered. "Just to double check the extent of damages to Thanos' army."
"They're gone," Natasha said.
"The ones here are," Quill said. "Danvers said the light shot past her and headed out into space."
"I think she's hoping that it went to take out any stragglers who might not have been included in the purge."
"I am groot?"
"Good point."
"What did he say?" Pepper asked, curiously.
"Asked how the light would know someone with Thanos from someone who is just a bystander," Rocket replied.
Tony frowned.
"Seriously? How are you getting all that from I am groot?"
Quill smirked.
"I have a translator implanted. I don't know how the rest of them do it."
"It's the dialect," Rocket said, shrugging – which looked odd to see a raccoon do. "Anyone can learn it. It just takes time and exposure to it."
Tony just shook his head. He wasn't worried about anyone left over from Thanos' army. From what he was hearing they'd taken on a million or more of the bastards – and who knew how many had still been on the spaceships that Danvers and the light had taken out? – if there were enough left to even form a baseball team, Stark would have been surprised.
"You guys are all okay?"
"Yes."
"Sirah?"
The alien girl hesitated, looking up at her name, but uncertain what he was asking.
"He wants to know if you need anything," Mantis said, kindly.
"No. Nothing."
Stark nodded and walked with Pepper over to their usual table, which was right up against one that had Nick and the others – including T'Challa, Tony saw. All five men smiled, standing when Pepper and Natasha joined them.
"Shuri told you what she intends?" the King of Wakanda asked as he took Pepper's hand, smiling warmly and bringing it up to brush a kiss against it.
"She did. Then she kicked us out of the room so she and Stephen could implement it."
"Will it work?" Steve asked.
It was obvious that he'd heard what was planned.
"Stephen thinks it's the only way to save Peter's hand."
"I should have held those stones," Steve said, shaking his head. "I might have been able to handle them better than Peter."
"I was thinking the same thing," Tony told his friend. "And I was wrong – and so are you." A server brought him and the others coffee, and he suddenly felt a million years old. He'd been doing a lot of thinking while he'd held Pepper, earlier – and knew that he was going to continue to rehash the events of the last even for many more hours to come. "Peter's the only one that could make the stones do what he wanted them to do and he's made of stronger stuff than we are. Not to mention he had the polymorph, so he had a way to hold them and focus all that energy."
"You think he planned on the light thing?" Natasha asked.
"I think we'll want to ask him – when he's feeling much better than he is, now." Tony turned to Steve. "Carol and Wanda?"
"Are fine. They're tracking the light."
"It's still running across the globe?"
"No. It finished what it was apparently doing and dissipated on the surface about forty-five minutes ago."
"Quill mentioned the light didn't seem to stop with this planet?"
"Danvers reported that it shot by her going fast and gaining speed. She didn't have any idea which direction it was going, only that it seemed to be expanding as it went."
"What does it mean?" Pepper asked, curiously.
"Hopefully it's just the excess burning off somewhere safe," Tony said, with a shrug. "We'll have to worry about that, later. Did it make it through the Wakandan shield?" he asked T'Challa.
"Oh, yes. And everyone was awake to see it." The king of Wakanda smiled, slightly. "From what I have heard through initial reports, it is the same there as it appears to be everywhere else. Injured and sick have been healed all around my country. There is much confusion, despite the relief that is being felt by family members to those affected."
"We're going to see a lot of that in the coming hours – and days, Tony," Steve said. "We're not going to be able to cover this up, really."
"Yeah."
"What do we tell the other world governments when they come asking about it?" Grady asked, curiously, taking a sip of his coffee.
"That we have no comment, at this time," Tony replied, looking at the others to see if they agreed. Which they did. "You're going to need to keep your guardsmen quiet, too."
"Yeah. Only a few actually saw the light here, and what it did. Luckily, they were out finishing the evacuations when it went through them, and most aren't sure which direction it came from. Some will probably put a religious spin on it."
Tony shrugged.
"As long as no one comes here looking for Peter."
That wasn't acceptable. Ever.
"We dropped the shield," Steve said. "But I think we'll keep security tight, here, for a while."
"Good idea."
"We'll coordinate with the SHIELD folks and Steve, here, to see how best to implement it."
"Whatever Steve thinks best."
Tony and Pepper were going to have other things on their minds, just then, and Stark trusted Steve to make sure someone with a camera wasn't going to show up and snap a picture of him when they least expected – or desired – it.
OOOOOOOO
"Have I mentioned just how remarkable a young woman you are?"
Shuri blushed a brilliant shade of red, and was grateful that her complexion didn't allow it to show as much as it would have on someone lighter-skinned. She smiled at Strange, who was watching the readings on the chamber as it was prepared.
"I have had many advantages in my life, Doctor, and the benefit of growing up surrounded by technology."
"But you didn't settle for what you already had," Stephen pointed out. "You're like Tony; always looking to make the next amazing thing, or improvements on things that are already incredible."
If she could have turned redder, she would have. Being compared to Tony Stark was a fangirl's dream. Of course.
"I'm glad I did, in this instance," she told him, gesturing to the chamber. "We used something similar for chemical burns back home, but I thought that it could be used for many other types of injuries, if it could be modified properly."
"I know they've been doing research on similar ideas for several years, now, but nothing fully immersible like this. It'll make the difference, I believe."
The princess nodded.
"I do, as well." She adjusted a parameter in the controls of the chamber. "It is ready."
Strange nodded, and it was proof just how much he trusted her that he didn't double-check her work. He walked over to the bed Peter was in and looked down at the boy as a couple of medics came forward. They had already been briefed by Shuri exactly how Peter needed to be prepped to be put into the chamber. With a thought, Peter was dressed in a pair of plain swim trunks, which would save his modesty and wouldn't do anything to impede the nanites or the healing process.
His hand brushed Peter's forehead, tenderly, and for a moment he forgot about the others in the room with them.
"It's going to be fine, kid," he murmured. "A quick swim and we'll have you back in your own bed in no time. Just hang in there…"
Peter didn't answer, but he'd known that he wouldn't. The doctor stepped back and nodded to the medics, letting them do what needed to be done.