Saving Grace

Ninety Five

Tony runs for the gauntlet at the same time Thanos does, and he ends up having to tackle Thanos when he gets too close. It doesn't fell him, but it pushes him away before he turns and knocks Tony back onto the ground with his fist.

Thanos goes for it again, but Thor runs in and prevents him, hitting him with both hammer and axe. He tries to grab the gauntlet, but Thanos fights him, forcing him to turn and swing his axe.

Thanos grabs it by the handle, pushing against Thor, who calls his hammer to help force the blade at Thanos, lighting crackling all around them. Steve then jumps in, literally, landing on Thanos' back, grabbing the axe handle too, pulling it. Thanos struggles, but then head-butts Thor and punches the blade. He turns and grabs Steve by his helmet, throwing him to the ground. He punches him once, leaving him down for the count.

Then, he turns, grabbing the gauntlet, but Carol is there. She lands, kicking him in the knee, taking his balance for a moment, just before punching him in the face. He hits at her, but she floats, punching him again with all her power. Then, she lunges for the gauntlet, but he grabs her arm and spins her, throwing her to the side like a rag doll.

Thanos puts the gauntlet on, the power coursing through him as he yells in pain but tries to snap anyway. Mercifully, before he can, Carol is back, grabbing his gauntleted hand as she lands. He pushes against her, but with her power, she fights him off, pushing back against him until she's standing again. Desperately, he leans forward to head butt her, but she isn't moved.

She gets the upper hand, one hand forcing the gauntlet back, the other poised to punch him into the next century.

And then, to Tony's surprise, he reaches forward, grabbed one Stone — the Power Stone — and holding it in his other hand. It lights up bright purple and he roars in pain, but then clenches his fist and punches Carol with all that power, and not even she can best it. She's knocked so far away that Tony knows she won't be coming back again.

He turns, looking at Strange, who's still keeping the water at bay.

Strange looks back at him, and his hand shakes as he holds up his pointer finger.

One.

Only one.

And this is it.

Tony grapples with it for a moment, struggles to digest it, but, really, this isn't the first time. It isn't first time he's thought to do something like this.

But it will be the last.

Behind him, Thanos returns the Power Stone to the gauntlet, and he barely has time to absorb the power before Tony is up, and his hands are in the gauntlet, and he's pulling with everything he has.

Thanos hits him, punches him, but Tony doesn't let go until he has what he needs. And then he lets himself be hit back.

Grace, from a distance, only sees her father fighting desperately before being knocked away, probably unconscious on the ground. She runs forward, she stumbles, tears in her eyes, watching as Thanos is victorious once more.

He looks over at Tony. "I am... inevitable."

Grace stops, and her heart sinks as, for the second time, Thanos snaps his fingers.

But there's only a clink.

No burst of power, no white light. Nothing. Just the clink of metal against metal.

Thanos looks at his hand, confused. He snaps again, and, again, nothing. He turns his hand, revealing the gauntlet is empty. The Stones are gone. As Grace begins to fill with hope, she wonders where they are.

And then she sees them.

Her father, on his knees, raises his hand, the Stones rising to lock into the suit. The burst of power causes him to jolt, and he makes no noise, but Grace can tell all of that power, shining, flowing, is painful.

"Dad!" she screams, helmet going down, unheard across the battlefield, heart sunk and beating rapidly as she runs across the field again, trying to fly with damaged systems, tripping over debris, hitting the ground. Tears sting her eyes but don't run down her face, as the force of her running pushes them back.

She watches as her father stares down Thanos, his hand still up, the Infinity Stones gleaming. And as he replies, Grace remembers all those years ago when he said it to her for the first time. Memory blends with reality, and she hears double. Her father's voice, twice — one slightly nervous, a little unsure, gentle; the other hard as cement, a victory speech, sure as the sun, even in the midst of all of this madness, hangs in the sky.

"And I... am... Iron Man."

He snaps his fingers, and, for the third and final time, the world goes white.