Ch 101 I am inevitable

"So now we'll see how we beat Thanos then." Steve said.

"Yes, Cap. You all will." Logan said.

"Brace yourselves." Benjamin added and they nodded.

Morgan and Lila were shaking a bit but Cassie put hands on their shoulders. This action hadn't gone unnoticed.

"What happened?" Clint asked them.

"It's….something." Morgan said ominously.

"Just watch the recording." Lila sighed.

"You okay?" Tony asked in concern.

"We will be, dad." Morgan assured, though she knew they wouldn't.

"Let's start." Thor said.

"All right." Odisnon shrugged, dreading the reactions to Bro Thor, but Logan started it at last.

Clint was teaching Lila archery and she had an arrow drawn. He played a little with her hair, joking if she could see now as she chuckled. His ankle monitor was seen.

"Ankle monitor." Clint grunted.

"Can't remove it unfortunately." Scarlet Witch told him.

"I know." He said before turning to Lila, "But I'm so proud."

"Thanks dad." Lila said.

In the distance, Nate and Cooper were playing baseball as Nate managed to catch the ball. Laura asked if they wanted mayo or mustard. Lila asked who put mayo on hot dogs and Clint said it was probably her brothers as he told her they both wanted mustard.

"It's mom actually." Lila said and all burst out laughing.

"Yeah. I know, I know." Clint shrugged.

Laura asked the boys if they wanted mayo or mustard but Nate said he wanted ketchup, to which Laura replied she had that too.

"Ketchup is the best." Pepper said and all nodded.

Then Lila fired her arrow and it hit the target. "Good job, Hawkeye!" Clint said as they high-fived and he told her to get the arrow.

"Awesome!" Peter said as all clapped for Lila who smiled while Clint was beaming with pride.

"Thank you!" She said to everyone.

Laura said soup was on as Clint said they were coming but then turned to see specks of dust in Lila's place, confusing him as he called out to her.

Clint had a lump in his throat already as he started shaking while T'Challa put a hand on his shoulder.

"No." He whispered as all looked at him in sympathy.

Clint then called out to Laura and the boys as thunder rumbled overhead. He ran around the farm but no one was there.

Clint looked like he was going to break down. Before Lila or Natasha could go comfort him, Wanda got up from her seat and walked up to him instead, hugging him for comfort as he touched her hand and hugged back with tears in his eyes.

She gave him an assuring smile, grateful for all the times he had comforted her.

Natasha, Lila and Scarlet Witch looked at Wanda gratefully.

In the Benatar, Tony and Nebula were playing table football as Tony made a goal due to her moving her hands from position which Tony said she didn't need to do. They played a bit more as Nebula made a goal and Tony said she'd done it so now they were tied up.

"That's a nice thing you're doing for her." Pepper said as she smiled in pride while all nodded at Tony in approval and he nodded back.

"She's been losing her entire life. She needs a win." Fury said.

Tony then tried to make a goal but failed, saying it was terrible and then she made one, winning as Tony congratulated her on winning and they shook hands, with him saying it was fair game and good sport, asking if she had fun and she said she had.

"You did a great thing." Natasha told Tony in appreciation and he nodded.

"You gave her a win at last. Like she needed." Morgan smiled at him.

Later, Tony was on his knees in front of his broken Iron Man mask. He tapped it and clicked on the recorder before starting, "Hey, Miss Potts... Pep. If you find this recording...don't post it, on social media. It's gonna be a real tear-jerker."

Everyone gave watery chuckles to Tony's joke. Even in such a situation, he knew how to alleviate tension.

But it was still saddening to watch.

Tony continued, "I don't know if you're ever gonna see these. I don't even know if you're still... Oh, God. I hope so..."

"I'm never leaving you." Pepper said with tears in her eyes as Tony looked at her emotionally and they held hands.

"None of us are." Rhodes assured and he nodded.

The Benatar was shown stranded in space as Tony said, "Today is day 21... uh, 22. You know, if it wasn't for the existensial terror of staring into the literal void of space, I'd say, I'm feeling more better today. The infection's run its course, thanks to the blue meanie back there." Nebula was shown treating Tony's wounds as Tony said, "You'd love her. Very practical. Only a tiny bit sadistic."

"Now that she saved you, I do love her." Pepper said as all smiled at the couple.

Tony and Nebula were shown carrying out repairs on the ship as Tony said, "Some fuel cells were cracked during battle, but we figured out a way to reverse the ion charge to buy ourselves, about, 48 hours of playtime. But it's now dead in the water. We're 1,000 lightyears from the nearest 7-11. Oxygen will run out tomorrow morning. That'll be it. And Pep, I...I know I said no more surprises, but I gotta say I was really hoping to pull off one last one."

"Please do." Peter muttered, wanting Tony to survive this as all watched the screen sadly.

"He can do it. He has done a lot of stuff." Morgan assured him and looked at her father with pride.

Tony said, "But it looks like...Well, you know what it looks like."

"I know. But it doesn't make this any easier." Pepper said sadly.

Tony said, "Don't feel bad about this. I mean actually if you grovel for a couple weeks, and then, move on with enormous guilt."

Everyone gave watery chuckles to Tony's joke again as Pepper said, "I don't think I will. Ever."

"But that's what I'd want." Tony assured before joking, "After some groveling that is."

Everyone gave watery chuckles again. What was it about him that he could crack jokes in sad situations too?

Tony said, "I should probably lie down. Go rest my eyes. Please know that... When I drift off, it will be like every night lately...I'm fine, I'm totally fine…I dream about you. Because it's always you." With that, he shut off the recorder.

Pepper couldn't control her emotions anymore as she burst into tears and hugged Tony's chest, with him trying to comfort her with kisses as Morgan watched sadly while Cassie and Lila put hands on her shoulders.

Tony then got up and lay down on the floor, slowly passing out. Nebula eventually found him and helping him up, sat him down on a chair. She patted his back sadly before walking off.

Everyone looked at Nebula in appreciation. She had put Tony in that position to allow him to be comfortable in what were possibly his last moments.

Tony looked at Nebula gratefully and whispered, "Thanks."

Then Tony heard a distant boom as a bright light was seen. He slightly opened his eyes before opening them fully. He put his hand in the way to shield himself from the light before seeing what it was. Carol Danvers hovered in the air in front of him, her body glowing. There was a smile of relief on her face.

"Danvers." Steve said as all sighed in relief.

"Oh thank God! Thank God!" Pepper was saying as Tony hugged her again.

"She saved us." He said.

"I knew Tony wouldn't be leaving us so soon." Bruce said and all chuckled and nodded too.

"I was hoping he didn't." Thor said too.

The future people winced at that, especially Morgan who struggled nto to cry as the other future people looked at her in sympathy.

In the Avengers Compound, Steve washed his shaver after having shaved his beard clean and wiped his face too.

"Good thing you removed the beard. It might get in the way of kissing Hill." Hope said and all laughed while Steve and Hill groaned in embarrassment.

"Would you stop with that already?" Hill asked.

"Nope!" Hope said.

"What if I tell you that there's a chance to get back at Hope later in the recording?" Logan asked Hill who smirked.

"I say absolutely yes!" Hill said and Hope glared at Logan.

"What? I help my countrymen and women." Logan said and all laughed.

Then the building shook a little as Steve realized what was up. Outside, Carol flew down with the ship as Steve, Natasha, Bruce and Rhodes ran to watch and Pepper was there too, looking up in anticipation.

Tony sighed in relief as he held Pepper's hand. He knew Pepper had survived Thanos' snap but seeing her alive in the recordings was a relief nonetheless.

Carol looked at the others as the ramp opened and Tony staggered out. Steve ran up to support him as he said, "Couldn't stop him." Steve said, "Neither could I."

"This is gonna go well." Scott said and found all glaring at him, "I'm gonna shut up."

"Wise choice, my friend." Loki told him.

Tony looked at Steve and said, "I lost the kid." Steve looked at him sadly and said, "Tony, we lost."

"Because we weren't together." Steve said sadly with his down.

"Due to my mistakes and yours." Tony said, "But this time we won't be."

Steve looked up and nodded firmly.

Tony was going to ask about Pepper when she arrived and he was very relieved as the two hugged while Steve watched. He then kissed her cheek as they were led in.

Everyone sighed in restrained relief. While Tony had been saved and he and Pepper were reunited, half of the Universe was still gone and Thanos was out there.

Rocket walked up to where Nebula was and sat next to her as they held hands, mourning their dead team.

Almost nobody could stop some tears from coming to their eyes at that moment. While both Rocket and Nebula were cynical and rude, they had hearts and cared deeply for their team. And now they had lost them all.

Inside, holograms of the dead people were shown as Rhodes said it had been 23 days while Natasha added world governments were in pieces. The parts that were still working were trying to take a census. She said, "He did exactly what he said he was gonna do. Thanos wiped out...fifty percent of all living creatures."

Bucky held Natasha's hand as all watched her sadly. She actually sounded like she was going to cry in the recording.

Thor sat guiltily in a corner as Carol winced on seeing Fury's hologram among the dead. Tony asked where he was as Steve said he had walked through a portal. Tony looked at Thor and inquired about his condition.

"I failed." Thor moaned as Loki put a hand on his shoulder.

"We all did, brother." Loki told him.

Rocket said he was pissed as he thought he'd failed which he had but there was a lot of that going around there.

"There is. Too much." Vision said in agreement. He felt guilty for having Wanda kill him in the recordings and was traumatized by his own death a lot. He just hadn't shown it. But it was his fault too that he had gone off and shut off his transponder so that was another reason they weren't together.

Tony said he had though Rocket to be a Build-A-Bear until this second and Rocket said he was probably.

Everyone watched Rocket sadly accepting who he was while Tony felt guilty about his comment now that he knew what had happened to Rocket.

Steve said they had been hunting Thanos for 3 weeks but had nothing. He was about to ask Tony, saying he'd fought him when Tony said there hadn't been a fight because his face had been wiped by a planet and the Bleecker Street Magician had given away the store. There was no fight as Thanos was unbeatable.

Everyone could feel the tension between Steve and Tony in the recording. And they looked at Tony in sympathy. Clearly, he had been traumatized by the ordeal.

Steve asked if Thanos had given him any clues or coordinates as Tony said he'd seen this coming a few years back and had a vision. "Tony, I'm gonna need you to focus." Steve said.

"He just came back from space and is near dead and you're asking him questions already?" Pepper asked Steve as all turned to look at him.

Steve looked guilty for his on-screen self's behavior. Clearly, Tony was traumatized and his questions were only making Tony relive the trauma, which was going to push him. Understandable but wrong move.

"You're right." Steve said honestly to Pepper and Tony, "I know my future self is only trying to get Thanos. But asking you, Tony, at such a time, is wrong of me and insensitive. I'm sorry. I shouldn't push you like that."

Tony nodded, accepting the apology.

"And I needed you. As in past tense. That trumps what you need. It's too late, buddy. Sorry." Tony said, now pushed beyond his limit, "You know what I need? I need to shave." And then he slammed the table, shoving items away.

Everyone flinched at the scene as Pepper, Rhodes and Morgan looked at the on-screen Tony in concern. Steve and Tony glanced at each other apologetically.

Tony then ripped out his tube in spite of Rhodes' protests and said, "And I believe I remember telling all youse that what we needed was a suit of armor around the world. Remember that? Whether it impacted our precious freedoms, or not. That's what we needed."

While everyone could see Tony was traumatized by the fight with Thanos and pushed too far by Steve's questioning, his emotional outburst was also going out of line.

"A world like that…..isn't a world worth saving." Natasha simply said as all glanced at her and knew she was right.

"Well that didn't work out, did it?" Steve asked. Tony then reminded Steve, "I said we'd lose. You said, "We'll do that together, too." Well guess what, Cap? We lost. You weren't there."

Steve and Tony could only look sadly at each other, their eyes apologizing to each other.

"But that's what we do, right? Our best work after the fact? We're the Avengers? We're the Avengers? Not the Prevengers?" Rhodes tried to make him sit down as Tony pointed at Carol and said, "No, no. Here's my... She's great, by the way. We need you. You're new blood. Bunch of tired old mills... I got nothing for you, Cap. I got no coordinates, no clues, no strategies, no options...Zero. Zip. Nada. No trust, you liar..."

No one commented. While all knew Tony was out of line and blaming others, he was also reacting emotionally without thinking so this wasn't something they could call him out on either.

Tony then ripped out his chestpiece and handed it to Steve, "Here, take this. You find him and you put that on. You hide." And then he fell down as Steve looked concerned before he passed out as Rhodes and Carol helped him away.

Everyone sighed sadly as the tension died down slightly. The entire scene was rather intense. But everyone had known deep down that a tense reunion was coming.

"I shouldn't have pushed you." Steve said apologetically, "You weren't in a condition to talk and remember your trauma."

"And I shouldn't have tried to blame you all either." Tony said apologetically, "Ultron was my idea, and I executed it terribly. And I supported the Accords without thinking."

No one said any more. Steve and Tony were both accepting their mistakes and apologizing for the mistakes of their on-screen selves. That was all that was needed.

Later, Tony was on the bed as Pepper and Bruce looked over him. Rhodes arrived and said Bruce had given him a sedative. Carol said they could take care of him while she'd bring him a Bezurian elixir when she returned. They asked where she was going and she said to kill Thanos.

"She really thinks she can do it alone?" Hill asked incredulously.

"Looks like when she got her powers, she never lost a fight." Sam said and all nodded, "So now she thinks she can beat even Thanos alone."

"Which is a very arrogant way of thinking." Bucky agreed.

Natasha said they worked as a team here and morale was fragile. Steve said up there was Carol's territory but this was their fight too. Rhodes asked if she knew where he was and she said she knew people who might. "Don't bother." Nebula said as all turned to her, "I can tell you where Thanos is." Later, all stood as Nebula said, "Thanos spent a long time trying to perfect me. Then when he worked, he talked about his great plan. Even disassembled, I wanted to please him."

"He really did a number on her!" Scott said angrily as all were even more disgusted at Thanos.

"He's an abusive, self-righteous asshole!" Clint snorted and all nodded.

Nebula said, "I'd ask, where would we go once his plan was complete? His answer was always the same. To The Garden." Rhodes joked how Thanos had a retirement plan and Rocket showed a hologram of Earth, saying after Thanos' snap it had become ground zero for a power surge of ridiculously cosmic proportions and no one had seen anything like it. He then showed a hologram of another planet, saying Thanos had used the Stones 2 days ago on this planet.

"Now you have found him." Wanda said as all smirked but the future people looked grim.

Bruce said they'd be going in short-handed but Carol said they'd get the Stones and use them to bring everybody back. Natasha said, "Even if there's a small chance that we can undo this...I mean, we owe it to everyone who's not in this room to try."

Bucky looked at Natasha gratefully as she gave his hand a supportive squeeze.

Bruce asked how they knew if it'd end differently than last time and Carol said last time they didn't have her.

"Oh, the arrogance has gotten worse!" Loki said as all glared at Carol.

"The world doesn't revolve around you." May said to Carol.

"She seems to think it does." T'Challa said.

"All of us were a team together and lost. She alone can't make a difference. Only a better plan can." Odinson said and all nodded.

Rhodes said they were all about the superhero life and asked where she'd been all this time. She said there were many other planets that didn't have them.

"Which planets?" Hill asked, "Xandar ? Sakaar? I didn't see you saving anyone in there!"

"Looks like she is even more flawed than I thought." Fury said, not expecting Carol to throw excuses like that.

"You barely knew her. Even you couldn't have fully gauged her during that time." Tony pointed out to him.

"She never interfered when Ronan attacked Xandar." Bruce said, "Where the hell was she?"

"It's like she didn't even exist up until a few recordings." Peter pointed out and all nodded. [1]

"She dropped the ball in the hero game." Rhodes said.

"Or never even picked it up." Sam said.

Thor, who had been stress-eating up till now, got up and walked up to Carol as they sized each other up. He then held out his hand and Stormbreaker flew to it right next to Carol. She smirked and he said, "I like this one."

"Do you really?" Natasha asked him.

"I don't really." Thor said, "She reminds me too much of me before I was banished."

"At that moment, I was depressed and looking for any way to just stop Thanos and also missing all I'd lost." Odinson said, "So an arrogant warrior seemed like a ray of hope during that time and reminded me of the good times. So in the moment, I liked her."

All nodded, looking at Odinson in sympathy.

"Let's go get this son of a bitch." Steve said.

"Language Cap!" Tony said as all chuckled while Steve groaned.

Later, Steve, Natasha, Thor, Bruce, Rhodes, Rocket, Nebula and Carol flew to space in the Benatar as Rocket asked who hadn't been to space before and Steve, Natasha and Rhodes raised their hands as Rocket told them not to throw up on his ship.

All chuckled as Steve said, "I won't."

"I don't know." Natasha said.

"I might." Rhodes said and all laughed.

They soon passed a jump point and later, Carol flew down to recon. Steve was looking at Peggy's photo on his old compass to give himself courage and assure himself she was with him in spirit.

"Giving yourself courage?" Scarlet Witch asked and he nodded.

"Don't worry, she's always with you." Bucky said before pointing at Steve's chest, "In there."

Steve smiled and nodded in appreciation.

"This is gonna work, Steve." Natasha assured him. "I know it will." Steve said as he turned to her, "Because I don't know what I'm gonna do if it doesn't."

Steve sighed. He'd still not figured out who he was outside Captain America.

"You will one day." Logan assured him.

Carol flew back up and said there were no satellites, armies or ships. It was just him. "And that's enough." Nebula said.

"Is he that overconfident in his own power now?" Loki asked.

"No. He isn't." Morgan said ominously.

On the planet, Thanos' armor was arranged as a scarecrow.

"What?" A shocked Scott asked as all watched with jaws agape.

"Yeah, he became a farmer." Lila said and Clint snorted.

"He really thinks we'll let him rest peacefully after what he did?" Clint asked as all looked disgusted.

Thanos was walking around, picking up alien berries. His left hand was charred and burnt with the Gauntlet on it. He walked into his hut and cooked the berries before carrying his pot to the fire. Then a beam from Carol hit him. He put the Gauntlet in the way to protect himself as Carol leapt inside and tackled him to the ground.

"Let's kick his ass!" Bruce said as all watched in anticipation.

He got up when she jumped on his back and held him in a chokehold with her foot on his left wrist. He almost overpowered her and pushed her foot off when the ground burst open and Bruce in the Hulkbuster suit restrained his left arm while Rhodes restrained his right. Then Thor burst in and chopped off his hand with Stormbreaker as he screamed in pain.

"No more than you deserve." Bucky said, his voice lacking any sympathy.

"I think going for the hand was the best option based on your condition." Loki told Thor who nodded.

Steve, Natasha and Rocket then walked in as Rocket turned the chopped off hand around to see the Stones missing from the Gauntlet.

"What the hell?" Sam asked as all looked shocked.

Steve asked where the Stones and Carol asked him to answer the question. "The Universe required correction." Thanos said before revealing, "After that, the Stones served no purpose, beyond temptation."

"WHAT DID HE DO?!" Clint exploded as all jumped.

"You murdered trillions!" Bruce said as he pushed Thanos down. "You should be grateful." Thanos said as Bruce punched him.

"You keep telling yourself that to justify your skewed morality." Tony sneered as all glared at Thanos.

"Where are the Stones?" Natasha asked. "Gone." Thanos revealed, "Reduced to atoms." Bruce pointed out, "You used them two days ago." Thanos said, "I used the Stones to destroy the Stones."

"The Stones are gone?" Hope asked in shock, "He reduced them to atoms?"

"That's what Strange was talking about that day." Benjamin reminded, "Thanos destroyed the Stones and that's why this timeline will collapse, which is why you're all here."

"But then how did we bring everyone back?" T'Challa asked.

"Through tragedy and loss." Morgan said sadly as she glanced at her father for a split second before all turned to the screen again, Morgan's words making dread crawl up to their hearts.

"It nearly killed me." Thanos said, "But the work is done. It always will be." He then declared, "I am inevitable."

"He thinks of himself as the harbinger of fate and justice." Thor said in disgust.

"Which is why actually believed he was right." Odinson said in disgust.

"We have to tear this place apart. He has to be lying." Rhodes said in disbelief. "My father is many things. A liar is not one of them." Nebula spoke up. Thanos looked at her gratefully with regret in his eyes and said, "Thank you, Daughter." He then admitted, "Perhaps I treated you too harshly..." He was cut off when Thor chopped off his head with a roar of rage as all watched in shock.

Everyone watching flinched. Even those who had seen the worst things. Thor was watching the screen with wide eyes.

Rocket asked what he had done. "I went for the head." Thor said in a hollow and defeated voice.

"But…but it's useless now." Thor said with tears in his eyes, "I failed everyone."

Loki and T'Challa tried to comfort him as Odinson said, "We did. But now that we know, we won't."

Thor nodded.

Nebula had a tear in her eye and kneeling down near Thanos' head, closed his eyes.

Everyone watched Nebula sadly. Thanos had abused her but she had only wanted love and recognition from him. And right now, she had got it, hence her reaction, even if she hated Thanos with all of her being.

The others simply watched in horror and disbelief, with Natasha looking like she was going to break down. Thor turned away and walked out of the door, feeling defeated.

Everyone closed their eyes sadly. They had lost, and they had avenged those who had died, but they couldn't save anyone.

"What now?" Steve asked in a broken voice.

"Unexpected stuff." Cassie said as she looked at Scott who seemed to think along with Hope.

"Let's just keep watching." Logan said and all nodded.

With heavy hearts, they watched as the recording continued.