AVENGERS ~ IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, TONY STARK

DALANTIS 2016

CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR SPECIAL

Based on the first Avenger movie

AVNGRS, it's a wonderful life Tony Part 1

~The Incident~

Tony closed his eyes as the sounds of the city washed over him from where he stood on the Avenger tower rooftop. He could still see it every time he closed his eyes. He could still hear it. The screams of help from all those people. The children, the adults, the older people… all of them so helpless and looking at him and the others with such hope. Hope that turned to dread when it was realized that the Avengers, the supposed Greatest Heroes of the World, couldn't save them. Wouldn't save them. Not when saving them meant the death of so many more innocents. Not when it risked so much and yet, Tony couldn't sleep at night without seeing those faces staring back at him. The lives he had been forced to cut short.

Sure, it had been on Steve's order; Captain America's command. That still didn't stop Tony from feeling the full force of having been the one to cut the wire. The single wire that was keeping them alive, but also sinking countless others under the ocean waves.

Tony had never been in that position before and he never wanted to be again. The mission had supposedly been simple. After the fleet of alien ships were defeated on land and in space, it was a time of chaotic peace. However, weird things began to happen and it was soon discovered that a single ship had survived the attack, having cut themselves off from the mothership and was under the ocean, destroying anything and everything it could.

When a plea from a naval passenger ship came to Shield, they sent the Avengers. Who better, after all. Tony could still see it in his mind. That ship, cut in two with pieces floating all around. People screamed for help as the aliens beneath the water surged forward to destroy the survivors and at the time, Tony had been certain they could stop them. Certain the amount of casualties lost wouldn't be many. Tony was wrong.

In the end, the alien ship was destroyed, but not before entangling itself with half the ship. Half of that naval ship that held at least 40% of its passengers. Half the ship that had been dragging down its other half with it, connected by a single titanium steel wire.

"Ironman," came Steve's voice, cold like hard steel and without emotion.

Tony knew what he was about to say and he knew Steve hated saying it as much as Tony hated hearing it.

"Tony," Steve said again, this time more gentle, "We can't save them."

Tony scoffed on the rooftop, shaking his head as he began pacing the patio, thinking about that day. It had all seemed so easy in the beginning. Rescue the ship, destroy the aliens, and get the hell out of there. Fate it seemed, had other plans. Cruel plans.

The ship wasn't only getting attacked by a single alien craft. The alien under water ship had also released drones around the surrounding area that were continuously firing at the Avengers who were struggling to free the drowning passengers. A rescue attempt that also had to be taking place in the middle of a monsoon. With heavy winds, rough waters, and let's not forget the late evening time, their success rate had dropped down to minimal level.

Tony had finally reached the latched entry of the second half of the ship when the alien craft who knew it was going down, rammed the half, entangling itself within its ropes and wires and busted metal side. Tony had just gotten the door open when it began to sink at a rapid pace. Getting out who he could reach, he tossed person after person away from the ship, trying to get as many people out as possible, but the water was up to his knees and just when Tony was certain he only had a minute left, their descent slowed.

Captain America who was helping rescue the survivors from the rough waters was relieved when the ship slowed its descent beneath the waves, or at least he had been until he realized the truth of the situation. Whereas only the second half had been sinking at a rapid pace, it had now begun to sink the entire ship at a slow pace. Everyone, all those people who were going to live in the first half of the ship were beginning to panic as water began to surge inside. Those in the second however cheered, thinking they might be saved. That they might live to see another day.

Captain America knew otherwise.

Ironman knew otherwise.

Shield knew otherwise and it left them with a difficult decision.

A. They could let it sink slowly and try to save as many as possible from both sides, but according to Tony's calculations, it would reduce the chances of saving more than half of the ship if they did that, leaving the survivors at around forty percent the population.

Or B. They could sacrifice one half of the ship to save the other. With the second half being the one entrapped by the alien craft and the one carrying less than half the population, it was obvious which would be chosen. By doing so, it would save nearly sixty or seventy percent the ships population, only killing around thirty to forty percent in the process.

The decision was an obvious one, though it made doing the task no easier. Especially for Tony Stark who was the only one aside from Thor who could do the task and Thor at the time, had been busy destroying the left over drones.

Tony could see the faces of those in the ships windows beneath the waves, looking out with desperation for someone to save them, but Ironman knew the probability of saving them all was low. Already the ships first half had sunk nearly half way beneath the waves and the second half, nearly completely covered. With time running out, Tony Stark had to make a decision, but then Captain America did it for him. "Do it Tony."

And Tony did.

He could remember ordering Jarvis to fire the laser. He could remember watching it as the laser sliced through the titanium steel cable, freeing the first half of the ship that surfaced from beneath the waves, floating, as the second half began to rapidly sink.

Ironman had dove down with the second half, fighting against the strong ocean current with his repulsors and turbo boots, but already Jarvis had begun to warn him about pressure breaches within his suit.

Fighting, kicking, he grabbed hold of the closest thing he could and smashed his glove into the window. Water filled the ship as he struggled through the interior, trying to locate anyone he could and the first room he came to was a room filled with several families, crowded together with the water already nearly to their belly buttons. Water poured in from the door he entered through and they looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"Have you come to save us?" they shouted at him, but Tony knew he couldn't save them all. He could only save a few.

"I can take a couple," he replied honestly, "Do you think the rest of you can swim to the surface?"

Several of the people in the room were older and he doubted they would make it, but he couldn't see any other way but to try.

"Please," one of the women replied as the others began preparing for the swim, "can you take my children?"
She indicated a small girl and a baby. The girl was maybe four years old and the baby looked quite new. Around the room were several other children, slightly older than these two.

"Alright," he replied, "Children, you need to hang on to me okay? Parents and grandparents, I will see you on the surface."

The parents and grandparents nodded, but he could see the fear and resignation in their eyes. They knew it was nearly impossible. Taking the baby and toddler into his arms, he made his way to the window he had busted in through. Water was above the window completely now, but the hole had made an oxygen seal, not allowing any water to enter. Waiting with for the other children to grab a hold of him, he gave one last look at the families standing behind him as he shot into the water and up towards the surface.

Lights flashed in his suit and Jarvis warned him that water had begun to fill up the interior. Tony could feel the water against his legs, but he closed his eyes and gave all power to the boot thrusters.

"Cap, I'm coming to the surface!"

Hoping his team heard his call, he shot out of the water just as all functions began to fail and he splashed back down like a rock before bobbing to the surface.

"Jay," he called to Jarvis, his trusted AI, "give me a life signs read out."

Tony stared in silence at what he saw. Those families who had been behind him, no doubt amounting to maybe twenty some people, only five had made the trip and of the six children he had surface with, only three were alive.

"Power is unable to restore sir," Jarvis replied quietly, no doubt sensing his creator's emotions.

"Jay… open the top of the suit, but keep it floating."

Tony sat up as the top of his suit retracted and he looked around at those gripping the suit for dear life. In his suits hands were the baby and toddler. Pulling them up into his lap, he desperately began breathing for the little girl, hoping to revive her. With no sign of resuscitation, he switched to the baby and began breathing for him. Back and forth, back and forth, he switched, trying to revive the two children their parents had entrusted him with.

Around him, the three other older children who survived his rapid ascension to the surface watched him in silence and the five adults who made the swim, clutched them close as they too watched, praying the children would survive.

The avengers and Shield who came closer to bring them aboard said nothing to Tony as he continued to attempt CPR. When all others had been rescued from the water, only then did Natasha kneel on the side of the rescue boat and speak to him over the side.

"Stark… Tony. You tried."

Tony stopped and stared at the faces before him. The two small lives he had fought so desperately to save. Turning away, he hoisted them into his arms before handing them over to the medical team waiting aboard the boat. Following, he was helped on by Nat and Clint who hugged him in silence.

And Tony grieved.

AVNGRS, it's a wonderful life Tony Part 2

~The court hearing~

Tony was upset, but no one was more upset than the families and government officials who blamed the deaths on the Avengers, as though they could have done more to save them. A court hearing was held which Shield took care of. They presented evidence that all that could be done had been done, but the families refused to believe that even as the court ruled in their favor.

Tony, who had been silent during the hearing (which worried his team to no end) had been sitting by the aisle. As the hearing ended, his team arose from their seats, relieved at the ruling but no happier about the incident they were being blamed for than the families who had lost loved ones.

A woman walked up to heroes and stared at them. The others were a bit uncertain, so Captain America spoke first.

"Can we help you?"

The woman was silent before she locked her gaze on Tony and stepped up to him and to everyone's mutual surprise, slapped him across the face.

"I saw the news coverage," the woman hissed, "you left my children to die."

She turned and glared at the other Avengers.

"All of you did!"

She turned back to Tony, "You cut the wire and killed my son and daughter! I saw you! You could have saved them, but you didn't. You're not heroes. Your nothing but killers!"

With those words, the woman spun on her heels and stomped out of the room.

"Tony…" Started Bruce, but Tony just walked away in silence, leaving the others concerned as they followed.

The entire ride home, Tony had been silent, which never happens. They tried to speak to him or ask him his opinion on something, but he never once said a word, even when Natasha threatened bodily harm. When they arrived at Avenger tower, they had to go in the back way as rioters stood outside the front. Tony remained silent.

When they arrived upstairs in commons area, Tony vanished into his workshop and no one tried to stop him. That had been two weeks ago and only now, December 31 2015, had he emerged on the New Year.

Now, Tony stood staring across the city of New York, listening to the crowds cheer in the streets, celebrating the coming year. But for Tony, he felt there was nothing to celebrate. He had killed all those people. 227 people. And he refused to think otherwise.

Sure, some 653 survived, but those 200 that died… their blood was on his hands.

"I could have saved them…" he whispered to himself, closing his eyes as rubbed his forehead.

"No you couldn't have," another voice interrupted.

Tony froze as warm hands encircled his waist.

"Pepper…" he whispered.

"I heard what happened Tony. You couldn't have saved those people. The families who lost a loved one know you couldn't have either. Footage of that day was fully released last week and people have begun to understand that nothing could have been done differently without more having died. You did all you could."

Tony shook his head.

"I saw those people Pepper. We had more time. We could have waited to cut the line, we…"

"I talked to Steve. He said had you waited, the other half that had been saved might have sunk beyond the rescues reach. You saved them Tony."

"Go away Pepper," he whispered.

"Tony…" she started, her hands moving up his chest, but Tony could feel himself about to lose it and he pushed her away, refusing to turn and acknowledge her. "Get out!"

Pepper was silent for a moment before her footsteps echoed across the rooftop and then she was gone. Tony crumpled on the spot, his entire form shaking as he gasped, tears running down his face.

"God, I wish things could have been different," he prayed, "I wish I had never existed. Maybe then… maybe then all of this could have been avoided. Maybe then the person who took my place, could have made certain all the alien ships had been destroyed. Maybe then… maybe then Pepper would be happy."

Tony took a breath and stood up. "Maybe it's time to end it all, once and for all."

With a swig of the case of vodka he had carried out onto the rooftop with him, he stepped onto the railing and spread his arms. Staring down at the streets below, he smiled and closed his eyes.

"Happy New Year…" he whispered and began to fall.

AUTHORS NOTE:

This story will be placed in up to five separate chapters. Enjoy and let me know your thoughts!

Hope you all had a good New Year and Christmas!