Tether

Part 1

What was he supposed to do?

He'd been in this situation so many times. Villains trying to kill him for revenge, for his technology, megalomaniacs trying to enslave Earth. Things had become livelier when Feuding Asgardian Gods used his home as their battleground, opening Tony's eyes to the reality of the horrors beyond what he could see.

That all seemed infinitesimally small compared to the threat he now faced.

'Stark?'

The universe. Thousands, if not billions of lives. Trillions maybe, who knew how many civilizations were out there?

He could destroy life on a scale hitherto undreamt of.

'Stark?'

His fingers spasmed from where he had clenched them into fists, his pacing footfalls clanging against the metal floor as he walked, back and forth, back and forth. Thoughts accelerated in his head, sparking off each other, whirling around in a dizzy medley, his heart smacking against its prison of old, shattered bone.

What do I do?

'Have you got a plan?'

Tony always had plans. He couldn't sleep at night with all the information swarming inside his head. Panic had left its wound on his mind ever since Loki had brought the Chitauri to Earth. It had pushed him to do better, invent more, learn more, increase the strength of his armor so he could stand as the last line of defense between evil and those he cared about.

'We've got to turn this ship around.'

'Yeah. Now he wants to run...great plan!'

His mouth ran on autopilot as he strode around the ship, half-listening to Strange berate him.

What do I do!

'...I'm Spider-Man then.'

Why did Peter have to be here? Tony stared into the glowing cerulean liquid that acted as some sort of window. Were those stars drifting past? The guiding system for the ship? He shook his head, wrenching his mind back to where it needed to be. He had no problem giving up his own life, had leapt after the wizard knowing this was a one-way ticket, but Peter?

He glanced over at the kid, looking at the suit he had made to keep him safe, knowing it was next to useless on the journey ahead of them. Peter was more than worthy of the Avenger title, resourceful, compassionate, intelligent, but God he was young. He still had his life ahead of him, and Tony wasn't going to let it end here on a suicide mission.

'Stark? Can you get us home?'

'Yeah. I heard you. I'm not so sure we should.'

He didn't have the answer, his mind coming up with nothing. No tricks to save the day, no quips to buy time while he tried to escape. His lungs screamed as though the air he was breathing congealed inside his alveoli.

Tony had nothing.

'Under no circumstances are we to bring the Time Stone to Thanos. I don't think you quite understand what's at stake here,' Strange drawled, looking at him as if he were an idiot.

'No! It's you that doesn't understand that Thanos has been inside my head for six years, since he sent an army to New York and now he's back!'

His fear was seeping out from his body like a miasma, and he made a conscious effort to reel it back in, to force his emotions back behind his façade, his Iron Man armor. The man before him had no idea about the struggles he'd fought against, the way his life had been plagued by Thanos, but him losing it, showing his vulnerabilities wasn't the answer.