Believer [Peter Parker]

37 - Possibilities

The Avengers and the Guardians on Titian were starting to work together. Quill was measuring the planet's tilt.

"The heck happened to this planet?" Quill said. "It's eight degrees off its axis. Gravitational pull is all over the place."

In the background, Mantis is jumping joyfully in a low gravity spot.

"Yeah, we got one advantage," Tony said. "He's coming to us. We'll use it. All right, I have a plan. Or at least the beginnings of one. It's pretty simple. We draw him in, pin him down, get what we need. Definitely, don't wanna dance with this guy. We just want the gauntlet."

Draw yawned.

"Are you yawning?" Tony said, turning his attention to Drax. "In the middle of this, while I'm breaking it down? Huh? Did you hear what I said?"

"I stopped listening after you said, 'We need a plan,'" Drax said.

"Okay, Mr. Clean is on his own page," Tony said to Quill.

"See, 'not winging it' isn't really what they do," Quill said.

"What exactly do they do?" Hannah asked.

"Kick names, take ass," Mantis said.

Hannah looked at Mantis, confused. She knew what Mantis meant, but that didn't stop the confusion.

"Yeah, that's right," Drax agreed, quickly as he settled into a stance facing the Avengers.

Tony paused. Hannah could tell that he was hopeless at this point.

"Alright, just get over here, please," Tony said. "Mr. Lord, can you get your folks to circle up?"

"'Mr. Lord,'" Quill repeated. "Star-Lord is fine."

"We gotta coalesce," Tony said. "'Cause if all we come at him with is a plucky attitude..."

"Dude, don't call us plucky," Quill said. "We don't know what it means. Alright, we're optimistic, yes. I like your plan. Except it sucks, so let me do the plan, and that way it might be really good."

Hannah looked at Peter Q in disbelief.

"You did not just say Tony Stark's plan sucks," Hannah said.

"What? It does," Quill said.

"No, it doesn't," she said. "Look, I understand that you've been gone from Earth for years, but in today's time, Tony is considered a genius, the Da Vinci of our time. So if we're going with anyone's plan, it should be his."

"Thank you, Hannah," Tony said, smiling.

Quill rolled his eyes. 

"Tell them about the dance-off to save the universe," Drax said.

"What dance-off?" Tony asked.

"Dance-off?" Hannah repeated.

"It's not a... it's not... it's nothing," Quill said. 

"Like in Footloose, the movie?" Parker asked. 

"Exactly like Footloose," Quill said, excitedly. "Is it still the greatest movie in history?"

"It never was," Parker responded.

Quill frowned sadly.

"Don't encourage this, alright?" Tony said.

"Okay," Parker said. 

"We're getting no help from Flash Gordon here," Tony said to Hannah and Parker.

"Flash Gordon? By the way, that's a compliment," Quill said. "Don't forget, I'm half human," he started to point at Tony and Parker. "So that fifty percent of me that's stupid? That's a hundred percent you."

"I'm fully human too," Hannah said.

"I know, but you're my cousin," Quill said. "That's different."

"Your math is blowing my mind," Tony said.

"Guys," Hannah said, take a few steps forward, noticing Dr. Strange in the distance, "what's wrong with Dr. Strange?"

"Does your friend often do that?"

Strange was sitting cross-legged, floating slightly above the ground, his hands poised in a mystic gesture with the Time Stone glowing brightly in the Eye of Agamotto setting. Green vapor-like energy flowed from the stone, and more intricate magical energy patterns circled around Strange's forearms. The Cloak of Levitation flowed behind him as if the Stone is creating a strong breeze. His eyes were closed, and his head was jerking rapidly from side to side, the motion blurred but resembling looking for something.

"Dr. Strange!" Hannah called. 

"Strange!" Tony called as well. "We alright?"

The group approached the floating doctor. 

Strange snapped out of his trance and fell forward, letting out a cry.

"You're back. You're alright," Tony said.

"Hey, what was that?" Parker asked. 

"I went forward in time to view alternate futures," Dr. Strange said, panting. "To see all the possible outcomes of the coming conflict."

"How many did you see?"

"14,000,605," Dr. Strange said.

"How many did we win?" Tony asked. 

Dr. Strange stared, intently, at Tony for a moment. He paused.

"One."