Ivy here.
"What's going to happen?" asked Hawkeye as I handed back his ear piece.
"Stark?" said Cap. "What are you doing?"
"Taking the missile up through the portal. Give the Chitauri a welcome-to-Earth present."
"But you don't have enough power to fly back down," said Black Widow.
"I know. Save the rest for the turn, J."
Hawkeye was staring at the earpiece in his hand. "You knew he was going to do this?"
I nodded.
"And you didn't do anything to –"
"You think I didn't want to?" I asked. "I'm in the middle of a story and I don't dare risk changing the ending. Miranda and me, we don't belong here. I don't do anything. If you knew how it ended, you might try to change it. And if I change one thing here, it could end up completely different. Would you tell anyone what happened?"
He looked at me for a moment.
Both our arms were bloodstained. Aside from the stab wound in my arm, there numerous bits of glass stuck in my arms, as there were in Hawkeye's.
"We should get those out," I said.
"It can wait. We still have a war to fight."
"After the missile explodes, all the Chitauri will drop dead," I said. There couldn't really be any harm in him knowing that.
"Well, I suppose that'll make it easier for you," said Mr. Stark.
I could tell him he was going to live. But what could happen if he did know? I wrestled with the question for a moment. Who was I to decide the answer? Who am I to decide what's best, really?
I watched through the broken window as Mr. Stark flew up through the portal.
And I couldn't take it.
"You're going to –" I began.
And static filled the earpiece.