The Devil Or The Deep Blue Sea (Comp/ Editing)

Chapter 2

"Yes, it is your choice. Choose well Stark. We can proceed with our plan only after you choose and we don't have much time. Which of the two do you choose?"

"I choose......."

"I choose the devil for now. Lets go through option two again. I have a plan for it but I need to get it right." Tony said to Strange, letting out his decision. They revisited the second vision as requested when Tony saw something that seemed Strange. (No pun intended but oh well)

"Isn't that....?" Tony asked, pointing to a particular scene. "It is but.... How the hell? Unless......" he trailed off, a sudden idea popping into his mind. "I think we got our plan" Tony and Strange said in unison and discussed enthusiastically and finally finished their plan.

"Now, only to execute it properly....." Tony said as Strange got them out of the dimension and unfroze time.

<Time skip to the time the team battles Thanos on Titan after Quill loses his temper>

"I hope you don't mess up with the plan Stark" Strange quietly says as he watched Tony fight Thanos. He knew that the weapons Tony had on his armour will momentarily defeat Thanos but he also knew that the underplay was necessary so that they had an advantage when they were going to defeat Thanos once and for all.

And luckily for him, Tony does not mess up and he soon hands over the time stone to him, bargaining for Tony's life. He is hurt more than planned but.... not everything can be determined... can it?

"Not exactly what was planned but still ok" Tony said as he sat up with the help of Peter, crudely wrapping up the wound with something. "What do you think he is going to do now Strange?" Tony asked.

"Go to wherever the Mind Stone is I guess. And by the things you told, it was on Earth with the rest of your team...." Tony winced at the mention of the team but everyone ignored it "... but out of all the possible outcomes which was millions, we only.... Uh oh!" Strange stopped short as he heard Mantis say "I don't feel good" before turning to ashes.

Mantis was followed by Drax and Quill and soon, it was time for Strange to disappear. "Its the only way Tony." he said and raised his eyebrow slightly with a small smirk before completely turning to dust. "Mr. Stark.... I don't feel good" Peter said from somewhere and Tony immediately rushed to him.

"It will be alright kiddo nothing will happen to you." Tony cried out softly as he held him tight, not wanting him to go even though he knew the outcome. "Mr. Stark I don't want to go. I don't want to go. I want to be here Mr. Stark" Peter begged as he started disintegrating. Tony just held on muttering nonsensical things to calm himself and Peter down until he finally vanished.

Tony just sat there, staring at his arms where once Peter was, still in a trance. He had braced himself for this moment from the time he had seen the future shown by Strange but to feel it was completely overwhelming for him. The boy who he had thought as a friend was gone, along with his newly found friends.

Nebula slowly came forward and placed a hand on the metal man.... Stark they called him, for once unsure on what they should do. She definitely knew that they had to kill Thanos but doing it single handed or with just with two people was nearly impossible, that much she knew for sure.

All of here family had perished in the hands of Thanos - her adoptive sister, her boyfriend and their crew (she didn't know what happened to the Raccoon and tree) and the spider and the magician were also gone.

Tony jerked out of his musings, he was about to delve deeper when Nebula had brought him back to the real world. "So its just you and me here?" she asked, startling Tony a little before he remembered that she had also survived. He just hated fate a little for that.