Iron Heart: The Beginning

Chapter 3: The Sacrifice

Next day, Tony speeds towards the Avengers compound. He reversed in front of Steve and Tony rolled down his window and looked at him.

"Why the long face? Let me guess: He turned into a baby." Tony guessed. "I figured it,"

"You did," Steve said.

"Oh, did I? Thank God I'm here. Regardless, I fixed it." Tony said

"We got a shot at getting these stones, but I gotta tell you my priorities: Bring back what we lost? I hope, yes. Keep what I got? I have to, at all costs. And... maybe not die trying will be nice." Tony said.

"Sounds like a deal," Steve said and reached out his hand to shake, in which Tony replied the same. Tony reached back into his trunk, to pull something out. He flipped it over, all of Morgan and Harry's toys fall off, to reveal Steve's shield.

"Tony..." Steve hesitated.

"Why? He made it for you." Tony said, referring to his father, "Plus, honestly I have to get it out of the garage before Morgan or Harry takes it sledding." He said and Steve fit the arm into the shield.

"Thank you, Tony," Steve said.

"Will you keep that a little quiet? Didn't bring one for the whole team. We are getting the whole team, yeah?" He asked after a moment of hesitation.

"We're working on that right now," Steve said.

Everyone planned and were ready to go. 

Natasha Romanoff shot up and gasped for air. Her lungs and head hurt. In fact, now that she thought about it, her whole body ached. She had forgotten where she was until she looked up the sheer, purple cliff.

Natasha ran toward the cliff, with the full intention to jump but Clint shot an arrow and the small explosive on the end knocked her away. She pulled herself up as her best friend made a running start toward the cliff and jumped off. She couldn't let him do that; she wouldn't. She jumped and grabbed him midair, attaching him to a grappling hook as they fell a couple of stories. Clint slammed into the cliff wall and grabbed tightly to Natasha's wrist."

Damn you," Clint said. He tried to reach for Natasha's hand with the one that wasn't holding her wrist, but it was too far a stretch. They were both breathing hard.

"Let me go," Natasha whispered. It was the only way. It was the only way to get all the stones and Natasha wouldn't sacrifice Clint. He had too much to lose.

"No," there were tears in Clint's eyes and he shook his head, "Please no,"

"It's okay," Natasha said, trying to mask the fear in her voice. If she pushed off and let go now, there was no coming back now. No serum or stone could save her from that.

"Please," Clint said weakly. His grip loosened enough so that she could push off. She took her chance.

She could hear Clint shouting at her as she fell, but she couldn't hear what he had said. All she could hear was the wind in her ears. She fell down, down, down and she remembered all that she had to fight for. Clint had his family and so did Tony. But didn't she too? She had the Avengers, no matter how broken and messy they were. They had to save what was gone from the world.

Natasha remembered that Steve once said that they didn't trade lives. That was over now as the ground grew closer. She was trading her's.

Natasha just hoped that her death would not be in vain. Natasha had just died, hadn't she? Was this the afterlife? Why was she here? Even she had thought the afterlife would be slightly more spectacular and less likely to have a stone that was blood-stained by the others that had been sacrificed here. Natasha stood up, a little light-headed at first. She tried to activate her Quantum Suit but to no avail. She looked around. The landscape hadn't changed and when she looked up she couldn't see Clint, only the Red Skull looking down the cliff, directly at her. She couldn't make out his face at that distance, but if he was looking down at her that must mean something.

On Earth

Bruce snaps his fingers and then the base is destroyed by past Thanos who come into the future.

"AVENGERS, assemble," Steve said.

The battle begins.

Captain Marvel then starts flying towards the van with the Gauntlet, flying past enemies and going through enemy blockades that are in her way with ease. Thanos, seeing this, starts running to Captain Marvel, but is stopped by Pepper, Shuri and The Wasp, who blasts him backward. Thanos, after seeing Captain Marvel fly past him, throws his double sword at the van, destroying it and the quantum realm tunnel, throwing Captain Marvel backward and losing her grip on the Gauntlet, which falls to the ground.

Doctor Strange steadies the water after the explosion. In the final brawl for the Stark Gauntlet, Stark moves one of Thanos' enemies aside and sees the Gauntlet. He runs to get it but sees Thanos, who Stark tackles. Thanos smacks Stark away, knocking him out. Then Thor arrives with Stormbreaker and 2013 Mjolnir in an attempt to pin Thanos' arm down, with assistance from Captain America.

However, Thanos overpowers them and knocks them both out. After picking up the Gauntlet, Captain Marvel arrives, punching away at Thanos while he is holding the Gauntlet. She keeps punching him, but Thanos grabs her by the arm and flings her away. Thanos puts on the gauntlet, gamma radiation from the stones eating at him as he tries to snap, but Captain Marvel arises again and stops his fingers from snapping, opening up his hand similar to what Captain America did in Avengers: Infinity War.

Thanos head butts her, but it does nothing. Just as Captain Marvel is gaining the upper hand by rising up and forcing Thanos onto his knees, Thanos pulls the Power Stone out of the Gauntlet and uses it in his free hand to hit Captain Marvel away.

Stark looks in question at Strange, who simply raises one finger, reminding him that the one win over Thanos he foresaw is now at risk. Or is it?

Stark nods.

Thanos puts the Power Stone back into the Gauntlet, yelling from the gamma radiation coursing through him, until Stark makes one last attack on Thanos, pulling on the Gauntlet before Thanos punches him away.

The worst feeling of seeing Strange's finger come up to signify this was their only chance to win, was knowing that what he was about to do would ensure his death. Tony was the only one close enough.

There were unshed tears in his eyes as he went towards Thanos, knowing he would never see his daughter grow up, never get to take her to her first day of school, never be the father he wanted to be with her. He'd miss her first day of school, miss her first award ceremonies... miss her meeting Peter for the first time. He knew what he was about to do would save everyone else in the entire universe... but not himself.

He was already commanding the nanites to form a make-shift Infinity Gauntlet. It was exposing his fingers. And as he tackled Thanos, wrestling for the Infinity Gauntlet, trying to make the Titan believe he was trying to get the Gauntlet itself, he was already commanding the nanites to retrieve the stones.

Thanos was wearing a Gauntlet that was Tony's own technology. It responded to him when in contact with other nanites.

He was flung away by Thanos, crashing to the ground, curling up as intense pain spread up his arm as the Infinity Stones settled within the Gauntlet of his suit. He could feel them. It was a struggle not to scream. He could feel the power of the Stones burning his arm, spreading out over the right side of his body...

"I am inevitable." He heard Thanos snap his fingers and nothing happened.

He was in agony, so much pain. It was difficult to push himself into a sitting position to face Thanos as the Titan turned to look at him in shock. Holding up his right hand, Tony turned his hand around, revealing the six Infinity Stones sliding into place on his Gauntlet, merging with his suit. Breathing was difficult. He had to be strong.

"And I...." His body was failing him.

"Am..... Iron Man."

He snapped his fingers and everything went white.