Using the Benatar to rip through Thanos' stupid army was more than definitely putting a dent in the rabid alien numbers. Even if it was kinda cool to be the cavalry, Peter Quill wanted to be closer to the action. His fingers itched to hold his blaster and fire it right at the ugly bastards' faces. Throw in some grenades too.
He wanted to find Thanos and kill the monster. Fists clenched tightly around the ship's controls at the thought.
Soft, hesitant fingers squeezed his arm, "Calm." The word sounded drawn out and breathy.
With it, the itch and the tension settled.
Mantis. Stark and the wizard had made her stay on the ship with Quill to keep him in check. The Starlord didn't like his emotions manipulated like this, but it was for the better.
He was doing a good job here. Aside from the fact that there were a lot of fighters already on the ground and Mantis was more of a gentle soul, Nebula had railed on him not go all cowboy on the way here.
"The only thing Gamora would have wanted is to make sure Thanos doesn't get his way," Mantis spoke softly, worried that her friend would do something stupid again. Drax said that it was characteristic of Quill to do something stupid.
The man took a deep breath through his nose, "Only because it's what you would have wanted."
"Yes, I think so," Mantis repeated and reassured, trying to give him an encouraging smile. "Maybe I didn't know Gamora for as long as you did, but I think that's what she would have had in her head."
A sudden explosion came from the forest to their far right, the shockwave rocking the Benatar.
"Holy mother- What?- Does that mean they got him?!" Quill wrestled with the controls to right the ship immediately.
Mantis' eyes were wide, "It was like on Titan."
Quill wanted to know and quickly directed the ship towards the forest but was distracted by a voice coming through the comms a little shrilly.
:: Oh gosh. Oh gosh. I think there was a self-destruct trip.:: It was the spider kid.
:: Okay, okay. That's fine.:: That was the other robot dude. Probably trying to sound calm so the kid wouldn't get more riled up.
Quill put his own two cents in, "Just get your butts out of there juniors. Likely that's a chain-"
Mantis gasped and grabbed the man's shoulder, redirecting his gaze to the assumed command ship, "Look!"
A ring of sparks had formed a level down from what he guessed was the command center. Two figures jumped out. The spider kid deployed a parachute before grabbing hold of Nebula and gliding safely away from the flaming mess.
Where was the robot girl?
A feeling in his gut had him abruptly turn the ship towards the sparkly portal. A burst of flame came from the ring, followed by explosions from the other ships. The Benatar's shields kept them safe but the turbulence once again shook the ship.
"Strap in!" He commanded Mantis. Quickly, she got to her seat.
Through the flames of the first blasts, Quill saw a third figure launch through the portal before it closed and the command ship exploded.
"Oh shit," From what he knew, the girl couldn't fly.
With swift maneuvering, he managed to swoop the ship down and up to sort of scoop the girl out of the air.
It was faint, but through the sounds of multiple explosions, he heard a solid thump on the roof of the ship.
"Let's hope she can hold on tight."
When Tony landed, the sight of so much blood made ice run through his veins.
Peter was sobbing, kneeling on the grass, cradling a limp form in his arms.
"Y-you're okay. You're o-okay." The kid's voice cracked.
Oh God.
The insect lady was kneeling by Peter, a gentle hand on the forehead of the pale figure.
Nadia.
Peter's mask was off and his suit was stained with blood. The red color of the fabric didn't help. There was crimson smeared on his cheek where he tried to swipe away his tears. There was more on the grass.
Even Mantis' fair skin had a few spatters.
No.
No. No. No.
The word echoed over and over in his head, his feet feeling heavy as he forced himself to walk closer.
"H-Hey, Dia... Y-your dad's here. Mister Stark, she-"
::-multiple cuts... A deep laceration... She lost a lot of blood. ::
FRIDAY's voice in his ear was faint, whatever the AI was saying was being drowned out by high pitched ringing.
The man saw the source of the blood, a wound on the column of his daughter's neck.
One that was partly bandaged by a silvery patch of webbing.
Everything seemed to come back into proper focus.
"She feels pain. But relief as well." Mantis looked up at Tony.
The man sucked in a breath, his gaze finally falling on Nadia's pale, clammy face, now turned toward him with Peter's slightly loosened grip.
Nadia was looking at him, a small smile on her lips. They parted slightly like she was trying to say something, but all that came out was a wisp of air that sounded like a wheeze. She flinched.
"No, Dia. D-don't." Peter scolded, but his moist eyes were filled with relief. He pulled her back to him. Tony realized that Peter had converted his suit's internal heater to an external one, making him a human electric blanket. Warmth was crucial for someone who lost so much blood.
"Trying to speak hurts her," Mantis reported like it wasn't obvious.
Quill stepped down the ramp of his ship, "I found the medkit. There's gotta be something here."
Nebula grabbed the case from him, scoffing. "It's your ship's kit, and you don't know what's in it." Her voice was flat and condescending. Opening it, she pulled out two pen-like devices and wordlessly handed them to Tony. Even she could sense that the man needed to do this.
:: They seem to be an antibiotic and an anesthetic.:: FRIDAY informed after a scan. :: Miss Nadia needs to lay flat with her legs raised slightly. ::
Tony knelt by Peter this time, armor melting away and retracting into his chest piece. He coaxed the teen to lay his daughter down on the grass, putting his hand on Nadia's arm too, "Kid's right, sweetie. You're okay. You're gonna be okay."
She was in danger, but she could definitely be saved. He did his best to make that the only thought in his mind.
So much blood though.
So much blood.
She needs a transfusion.
But these would have to do for now. To prevent further complications. There were two hisses as Tony administered the first aid medication.
Peter was less shaky now, "See, Dia. Even mister Stark said it-"
A screech suddenly cut through the air, quickly followed by several beams of energy.
Just then Tony noticed the blue and red-clad blonde standing with her fists out. His gaze turned to the charred bodies behind him.
Outriders.
:: Something's wrong. :: Sam's voice suddenly came through the comms. :: These aliens- shit! They're going berserk!::
"But Thanos is dead!" Tony shot up, "And their command ship was blown up!"
The hell?!
What was wrong with the universe?
Wasn't there enough death and destruction already?
"The self-destruct wasn't the only fail-safe." Nebula muttered, the man barely catching it. "I think they reprogrammed the army to keep going even after command shut down."
It had been silent a few moments ago, but now the shrieks and squalls were starting to build again.
"There's too many. And the fight's gone on too long, it'll be hard to pick out ours from theirs even if we have another powerhouse here." Quill gestured to the blonde woman who took off thirty feet into the air and began blasting at more outriders that tried to charge toward their location. Seeing the question in Tony's eyes, he continued, "She was the one who actually blew up the other ships. And she caught your kid too."
Apparently, the thump he had heard was the new arrival landing on the roof of the Benatar after catching Nadia.
Tony had to think... How could they win this?
"Wh-What?" Peter's somewhat hoarse voice pulled his attention. Nadia had raised one hand and tugged at his wrist, gesturing with the other hand and curling it into a fist. The movement of her fingers was weak, but Tony understood.
"The stones." He put a hand to his comms, "The gauntlet?"
Steve was the one to reply,:: It's here, but Tony-::
"Thanos was going to snap away half the universe. Why can't we use it to get rid of his army?" Ironman went through the scenario in his head.
Quill stepped forward, "Man, I hear you, and not that that's not a great idea, but using just one stone almost killed me a few years back."
Steve spoke up again, :: Wanda used the mind stone... But... She's not an option right now.::
Another wrench in the works. But not the immediate problem.
"Thor. He can do it." Tony suggested.
:: Nope. No. He might look fine right now, but he practically got barbecued by a star less than two hours ago if you can believe it-:: Rocket chimed in. There was an indignant grunt from the raccoon before the thunder god's voice came through.
:: Thank you for your concern, dear rabbit, but I can handle it.::
"M-Mister Stark? I think Nadia is trying to say that... Miss Danvers can do it?" Peter looked back at the magic-user for confirmation. The young woman managed a small nod.
"Danvers?"
She was a total stranger he met literally five minutes ago.
Yes. She saved his daughter from falling to over a hundred feet to the ground... But that didn't mean she got his instant trust. They were talking about a weapon that could wipe out half the universe here!
:: Yes, Danvers.::
The voice made Tony's jaw drop, "Fury?!"
:: Your little flower friend wouldn't stop bothering me about it, so I called Danvers in. You can trust her, Stark. ::
"Flower friend? And where the heck are you?"
:: Renny?:: Steve spoke up.
:: Yes. And I'm doing some damage control in New York. From what I can tell, you need to get your asses moving over there. All you need to know is that I trust Danvers.::
Fury?
Trust?
Those two words did not go together.
:: Believe me, friends, I can do it!-::
:: Stop yelling in my ear, thunder! Give me that before you hurt yourself - ::
:: Whatever you decide, it has to be quick. The casualties are rising here on the field. :: Shuri cut in breathlessly.
:: Renny always knew what she was doing.:: Steve paused. There had to be a reason she'd bugged Fury about the newcomer. Was this it? :: Can Danvers get here? We'll prep the gauntlet. ::
:: Tell Quill to bring my stuff. I'll whip something up to get the other stone out of Thor's brother.::
Tony ran a hand over his face.
He still had to make sure. Grabbing the bag Quill was holding, he re-engaged his suit.
"I'll make sure Danvers gets to the clearing." He didn't want to leave, but he just had to make sure. Taking a deep breath, he looked at Peter, "Good thinking with the heater. Keep her warm and keep her safe 'til I get back, kid."
The teen nodded, cradling Nadia to himself again.
A/N: Another shorter chapter. I think I should have combined this and the previous chapter. Anyway, the battle from different perspectives. The next few chapters will be wrapping things up. Gosh, it's almost over. There's a plot bunny hopping around in my head that will start off another story, but I don't know if I should write it. I'd rather wrap things more neatly and post the other story once I get more time and I feel more committed to the idea. The next chapters gonna make up for the shorter ones since it's almost two times longer. So there's that.
Thanks so much to everyone who read and reviewed this story! Things have been pretty shitty with life lately, and getting to hear (read) from you guys is one of the things that helps keep me happy. You really make my day even with just a few words.
'Til next time