A Soul's Past and Future

A Single Choice

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. Everything in here belongs to Marvel. Any OC added will be made known that they are mine. Other than that it belongs to Marvel.

Chapter 49: A Single Choice

"Alright, let's all calm down." Ross called as he walked onto the field. The gun in his hand and aiming it them. The soldier backed off but the Avengers still stood on guard. The Stone Guardians hovered behind him in the distance. 

Peter glanced at where Daniel being carrying by Hayden, mind, and Jason, space. "Is it true?" Peter turned to Ross. "That they've been possessed by the stones?"

"Well, most of them, yes." Ross looked up to where Peter was hanging on the side of a tree. "Two, however, are just regular old mind control."

"How?" Peter asked, now standing in front of Ross. Ross raised an eyebrow. "How did you get the stones to do this? Why would they do this?"

"Tell me, when you find someone, do you just forget the people who raised you, guided you, protected you? When you find the thing you were looking for, do you abandon those who helped you find it?"

Peter stared at Ross for a moment. "No."

"There's your answer."

Silence washed over the group, until there was a collective voice of confusion.

"You're a real bastard, you know that?" Peter cut them off. 

Ross snarled at him. "I did what was necessary to get what I want."

"You killed them, so you could gain the powers of the stones!"

"But they're right there. Are they not?" 

"What if the stones didn't answer to them!? What if they DIED!?"

"The stones wouldn't let them die like that. You of all people should know." Ross said matter of fact. "Of course, if the stones didn't respond to their Guardian's distress signals, we had a way to keep them alive. If that didn't work, then they're just minor casualties." Ross stopped for a moment before speaking again. 

"Is anyone lost?" Peter vaguely heard someone ask but couldn't pin point who.

"Hydra had put them into a state where they were close to death. As they are linked to the stone for obvious reasons, the stone's responded to this and took over them, keeping them away from death." Peter answered. He then added. "Like a life support."

"But Vision still has the mind stone and isn't the space stone missing?" Peter was sure that was Bucky speaking.

"I'm assuming since the mind stone was physically with Vision, it didn't go. Like I said, the stones go with Wielders over Guardians. However, since only Vision was physically in contact with his stone, the other stones responded to the Guardians."

"Precisely." Ross nodded. "Peter, you won't find what you're looking for with them. You come with us, and you'll find it. I know you went to your father. It's there, you just need to see it."

Everyone stared to raise their protests and went to attack but Peter growled, silencing them. None of that matter to Peter, no, the only thing that existed right now was him and the man in front of him, Thaddues Ross.

"You don't know what you're talking about." He retracted his mask.

Ross scoffed. "Why do you even stay with them? You even said it yourself, you don't belong with them."

"That doesn't make it that I belong with you!" Peter retorted.

"If anywhere, you belong most with us. The ones you created and raised you." Ross kept his tone even and monotone. It unnerved Peter to the bone.