A little too tired of just hanging on

Chapter 11

Watching the governments of the world running around like headless chicken would have been really funny if it wasn't for the circumstances. For the first time in the history of the world, they had to work together whether they liked it or not, for the greater good. The task seemed next to impossible really but they didn't have that much of a choice. The things of no importance were even out pretty easily as usual. Some countries absolutely wanted to be the top dogs. They would die just the same if they couldn't put their differences aside in order to win the battle.

Tony was actually glad not to be the one dealing with all that mess. Politics weren't exactly his thing even if he had played the field when he had to. He didn't really have the patience, especially in those circumstances. They all probably thought he was petty not helping the planet in its defence right now. The people would need all the help they could get. The old Tony would have done anything in his power for them, to make everything better. He had learnt it wasn't possible. If his plan was working like he wanted, the threat would be gone soon enough. The element of surprise was most important.

Tony already had way too much in his ledger. One life lost was a life too many. The Avengers had a violent background, almost all of them. Death was surrounding them. Not all of the members of the team seemed bothered by it. Being a superhero didn't negate all they have done before. The genius didn't want any more of that guilt on his conscience. The weight was too much to bear already. The Avengers were not prepared to share any culpability. They couldn't save everybody apparently. Steve might not be wrong there but Tony would keep trying anyway.

Friday still liked to show him things she felt were important on the TV set. The Ai had gone skynet without the bad side of it. This way he was up to date with the preparations, the mood of the people and a thousand other things. Friday knew not to be too intrusive. Some things were private and they had to respect that.

Vision was trying to talk to the Avengers. The mind stone needed to be destroyed at any cost. The android was prepared to die. Thanos was coming for it and they just couldn't let the mad titan put his hands on it.What was a life against billions? Surely, Wakanda could remove the stone from his forehead and keep him whole. If not, they should destroy the stone anyway.

Tony couldn't fault Vision's logic. Still, it was a shock. Despite everything that had happened, Vision was still his creation, his son. Many things could have and should have gone a different way but parents were meant to die before their children, especially when they had the potential to be immortal like Tony's Ais and bots.The genius was fighting for them, his children, so they could have a future. Dum-E, Butterfingers, U, Friday, Vision but also Harley and Peter deserved a very long life ahead of them.

Wanda wasn't protesting that much with Vision's decision. Her love seemed to stop when her own life was on the line. She knew how to survive best. She always knew when her allies were becoming dead weight for her. Steve thought she had seen the errors of her ways during the Ultron debacle. Tony knew better.

Steve didn't want to trade lives as he said. Trading lives was what soldiers did. Bruce's reaction was surprising. Tony wouldn't have believed it if he had not seen it with his own two eyes thanks to Friday. This would have been nice some months ago, after Sokovia for exemple. Even as Banner and not the Hulk, he could have calmed Thor down. They had been nowhere near an interface. Tony had tried to explain to the Avengers but Bruce's voice wasn't there to help prove his point. When the going got tough, the good doctor was the kind to flee. He was scared of hurting people yet he was only protecting nobody but himself. Life wasn't fair, to some more than to the others but there was no reason to give up on it or on the others.

Saying that, Tony was being a hypocrite, he knew it. He had reasons to be mad at those people. Tony had tried time and time again to please the world and the Avengers in particular. He would have done anything for his team. They just had been using him. Bruce had had Betty willing to do anything for him and then Tony himself. The genius didn't even have that. Not anymore. Pepper had left him and the company, Rhodey didn't want to talk to him anymore. Tony couldn't help but be a little bit jealous of Bruce.