Pull | Infinity War

Chapter 24: Iris, you've got to snap out of it."

Now Playing: Control: Halsey

And all the kids cried out, "Please stop, you're scaring me"

I can't help this awful energy

God damn right, you should be scared of me

Who is in control?

Stephen Strange

"Hey Supergirl, ya coulda waited for my signal maybe?" Tony, oblivious to the gauntlet on her arm, went straight to calling her out, hand on his hip.

"Stark.." He turned his head to Stephen.

"Something wrong Magic Man?" The sorcerer nodded to Iris, eyeing the golden glove. It took Stark a minute to catch on, but when he did, the facial expression he possessed went from smirky to panic and worry.

"Oh shit," Tony whispered. Oh shit indeed, Stephen thought. Even though he'd seen this outcome, knew exactly how it would end, the sight still brought shivers to him."Supergirl? You good?" Iris did not respond, didn't even looked in his direction. Stark's mask slipped on, and so did Parker's. Tony whispered something in his ear, and Peter was slowly inching away toward the Guardians.

Stephen let his shields hover over his knuckles, extended in front of him, to burn brighter. "Iris, you've got to snap out of it." 

"Supergirl? Come on, say something." Her head rotated slowly to Stephen- it was the creepiest head-turn he'd ever seen. Tony backed up a bit. Was it Stephen's imagination, or was he creeping slowly closer to him?

Stark, if you use me for a human shield I'll sacrifice you instead.

Iris' eyes bore into his own with something in her usual, flatline expression askew. "Iris please." Stephen tried again.

"The stone."

Fuck me sideways with a chainsaw, he thought.

That sounds like something Iris would say, she's rubbing off on you.

Stark leaned in closer to his ear. "Did she just-"

"Stark, shut up." Tony zipped his mouth closed instantly. Stephen took a deep breath and tried again. "Iris, I know it's hard, but you've got to take that thing off. Please, for me."

"Give me the Time Stone, and nobody dies," Her voice sent chills down his arms. Her words seemed so right, yet so wrong like she was speaking from another body. Stark muttered under his breath, something that sounded like a combination of profanities and 'well, this is going well.'

Stephen agreed.

"I can't do that." The corner of her mouth twitched, as though she knew he'd say that. Fuck, here we go.

Iris the gauntlet in her hand clenched purple light engulfing it for a split second before the ground in front of them erupted.

"Hit the dirt!" Stark screamed, diving away from the flying rocks and dust. The Cloak of Levitation unfurled and lifted Stephen off the ground, spreading out majestically behind him. In his peripheral vision, Parker had reached the Guardians, now fully aware of the situation at hand. Quill looked a bit dumbstruck, so did Mantis. Drax looked ready to kill, and Nebula seemed like a cross between concern and fierceness.

Thanos still held down by the metal they'd woven around him, kneeled in a corridor of rocks the Guardians had built around him. His eyes widened with- was the fury? Worry? Stephen couldn't tell from this far away.