dear_mun | on withholding a very important detail from people

What about Reed?

[She's assuming this is an alternate timeline thing, because every alternate timeline Reed she's met has been a massive jerk.]

[This is definitely an alternate thing. ~~She looks old.~~]

Taking over the world and remaking it in his own image, the usual. [Not to mention playing operation with his brain. THANKS REED.]

[~~No, Tony looks young :|~~]

Yes, I've noticed he seems to do that a lot.

[Reed pls.]

I assume he's alienated everyone who ever cared about him and is now doing a better job being Doom than Doom ever managed?

[Sue's not sounding even slightly surprised. She's aware that her husband's failure mode is "techno-fascist."]

That's... [Remarkably accurate.] about the gist of it. Although I doubt Doom ever thought he was saving the universe by doing so.

With Victor, you might be surprised.

[Sigh, her life. Why does she end up spending so much time babysitting charismatic but unstable rulers who refer to themselves in the third person?]

Sadly, you're not the first universe where something like this has happened. I doubt you'll be the last.

Yours too? [He's wondering if they should just try and find something that will actually kill Reed since sending him to another universe doesn't work and neither does locking him up. Damn stretchy man being basically immortal.]

No, not mine. He pulled back when he realized what he'd become if he kept going.

[616 Reed: actually the best of all possible Reeds.]

Lucky for you.

[He genuinely means it. Tony doesn't want any part of his universe inflicted on anyone else... except maybe President Cap because that was still the best thing ever in his opinion.]

It's too bad it doesn't happen in more places. All we get is the one who just... [Tony hasn't had time to process anything about what had happened to him. He'd gone straight into figuring out how to save everyone, but here, there's no pressing issue.

He died.

He stares at the ground, shoulders slumped. But when he raises his head again, his expression is carefully blank.]

...have any tips in stopping him? Or get him to rethink this whole thing?

Rethinking? It depends how badly he's burned his bridges, but your Sue and Ben might be able to manage it, or I could see about sending Nathaniel over. Outside the family, you or T'Challa probably have the best chance of bringing him around.

[Nathaniel is 616 Reed's father, and, through a quirk of time travel, the only version of him left anywhere in the multiverse.]

Stopping him? Assuming there's no Franklin or Valeria in your universe...

[Tony looks way too young for that, and yes, Sue just implied that the best way to stop Reed is with his kids.

She sighs, since she's about to make a proposal she hates.]

You won't like hearing it any more than I like suggesting it, but...cut a deal with Victor. No one's more devious, but if he's even remotely like ours, he'll keep his word. He's likely to find beating Reed--and the fact you had to come to him to do it--its own reward.

[Sue and Ben already tried and failed. T'Challa has never met Reed as far as he knows and can't talk.]

Doom's stranded in a universe full of zombies. [Actually he's dead, but Tony doesn't know that. The fact that he's addressing the last resort option suggests all the previous ones aren't going to work.]

I'm not in a position to go and find him and there's no one else who has the knowledge to try.

["Dead" is not something that ever sticks for the Doom Sue knows.]

...I honestly wouldn't have thought that would be much of a problem for him.

It's been quite a few years so if he's still alive he hasn't made it back yet.

It's Victor. Even if you've seen the body, that's no guarantee he's actually dead.

[She brushes a lock of hair behind her ear. Since Doom's not available, it's time to range farther afield.]

Anyway, Reed. A powerful telepath could disable him. Charles Xavier, Jean Grey, Rachel Summers, maybe Emma Frost. [Sue can't stand Emma, but she's a powerful telepath.] He's perfectly capable of designing a psi shield, but it might not have occurred to him. Psi's a little too close to magic for him to be comfortable with it.

[This is like playing a game of how well does Tony know his mutants.]

That list is mostly people I don't know or they're dead. But you've got a point. If I could get word out to Utopia, Kitty might be able to send people. At the very least they could slow him down so he can't get to the last infinity gem.

[Telepaths are a scarce resource so let's branch out wider.]

Edited 2013-08-14 06:01 (UTC)

He's one gem away from assembling the Infinity Gauntlet?!

[Tony, why didn't you lead with that?]

Call Galactus. He can contact the cosmic abstracts.

[Yep, time to call in the personified concepts, because Reed is just that much trouble.]

[????]

Gah Lak Tus? How is that going to help?

[Hey, it's not her fault your universe is weird.]

Galactus is part of the cosmic balance. He'll act with the other cosmic entities to keep Reed from remaking the universe, but you'll have to move quickly, before Reed can get all the gems.

[Clearly not talking about the same thing, la la la. And I don't even know what's going on with Hunger, man.]

[No one knows what's going on with Hunger.]

How is a swarm of robots a cosmic entity?

[What the heck is a cosmic entity? At least one good thing from this misunderstanding. Tony is successfully distracted from his own morbid thoughts.]

[Not even saying anything yet. He's kind of disappointed, Tony, although that is for his own reasons.]

[Thor's disapproval is super effective. Tony squirms and fidgets.]

I'll tell you eventually.

...It's just a distraction right now.

[He can't stand the idea of his friend being mad at him. Please don't be mad. Thor is all he has left.]

[Have a long, hard look. He's upset, Tony, and he's not ashamed of showing it. Mostly because his version of upset is anger.

But he does relent a little after judging.]

We should have gone together. It was our hesitation that let that monster do that.

[Would he be less upset if he knew all Tony wanted to do now was hug Thor and cry on his shoulder? Because being in someone's headspace means all he can do now is think about what happened.]

I told you they were too powerful, we couldn't just rush in or we'd all be dead.

[There's an almost unnoticeable pause before the last word.]

[No, he would not be less upset. But he'd appreciate at least knowing that. Tony acts fine, which makes it hard for Thor to tell sometimes when he isn't. And then things like this happen.]

We would have had a chance.

[He wavers just slightly. It's well hidden, but there's a subtle tremor there.]

If I had known, I would not have left.

[Tony offers Thor a small but genuine smile. He doesn't blame Thor for leaving and even though he was counting on him to save him, he doesn't hold it against his friend.]

As your conscience let me say you're absolved of any responsibility you feel.

[Oh, Tony. Thor sighs and raises his head. He places a hand on his friend's shoulder.]

As always you are a good man, Tony Stark. But no man can or should erase the truth.

[Physical contact.

Oh.

How is he supposed to hold strong when Thor does something like this.]

Thor... [Tony slowly raises a hand to touch the arm Thor has against him. His hand is trembling.] I wished you were there.

[Don't say that. He feels bad enough knowing that they ended up like that. Being played again.

And now this. He's disappointed in himself.]

I am here now.

[This reaction is such a contrast to what he knows he's getting when they're unaware of what happened. He'd like to joke and brush this off, and he doesn't know if he prefers their brusque callousness over this worry.]

And I'm there for you now. I had a nice rescue plan all drawn out.

[It's different when they are away from everything and he can't actually pound anyone into the ground like he wants to. That would solve it. Now he's just resigned to being here, away from home, and deeply disappointed by the change.

But, really, Tony. Rescue?]

And during what part were you planning on telling us the truth?

[Tony flinches and a guilty look crosses his face before he looks away.]

I haven't lied.

[And to be honest, he's still trying to come to grips with it. There's no coming back from this. It's nothing like his tumour and the constant remission and return over the years. There's no chance he'll get better.]

Aye. You have not told a lie.

You have yet to say anything.

[Sorry, Tony. He's your arms brother and he cares, but Thor is still very disappointed. Being upset by the whole problem isn't helping him take Tony's decisions any easier. He's tired of all the skirting around everything anymore. It makes him feel helpless.]

Do not allow us to interfere with your plan.

[...you know a thread is old when a character dies and comes back to life.]

It's better this way. There's nothing you could do anyway. [Tony's words become shakier and shakier until his head is bowed to hide his tears and he's biting his lips to stop his sobs from escaping.]

[Shush. I am still getting into pace with him.]

Better? [He's offended by that. And offended that Tony follows it with the rest. There's nothing you could do. That may be true--he's no longer a god--but the answer still stings.]

How can it be better to carry that weight on your own? We are still able to fight.

[He's going to cry. Damn, he didn't want to make Tony cry. But he's so mad at being shut out and helpless. Tony doesn't understand how frustrating that is for him.]

[It is better this way because even if Thor had all his powers still, he would still be limited. Valkyrie and Cap may have been brought back, but it was at the cost of Thor's life and there was no way he was ever going to let that sort of exchange occur again. He wasn't worth it.

His shoulders shake as he tries to suppress his sobs and he keeps his head bowed as he shakes his head. He shouldn't burden them, the world should take priority over him.]

[He would have been content with losing his life to defeat Reed. Tony should know that. He's already lost everything. If beating that bastard cost him that much, then it was still worth it. He doesn't understand why Tony seems so determined to keep them around, especially at the expense of himself.]

We are a team. [He says that somewhat harshly, because if he can't have his family, if he can't have Asgard, then he'll at least have this.] I will not let you leave us behind.

[That part softens and he reaches out to out his hand on Tony's shoulder. Just as a reminder. He's there thanks to Tony. It would be a real crime not to do something with that.]

I apologise, but I really do hope you're from an alternate universe. [It's really not out of the realm of possibility that Tony got de-aged and Reed went evil. Not even a little.]

If, by the by, you're hiding the fact that you're dying, you should know that very rarely works out. [The words are flippant, but he does look genuinely concerned.]

[Dead people everywhere except the people he wants to see the most.]

If you were murdered by Magneto that's a yes.

[He's doing the flippancy thing too, but that's because he'd break down otherwise.]

...wrong tense. It's already happened and since it has, informing the others would only be a distraction.

[...What.] No, we're - [living together but that just sounds weird] actually working together at the moment.

And I don't suppose there's anyway to reverse the process, so to speak?

[Working together... this differing universes thing is truly weird.]

I doubt anyone available knows what to do after impromptu brain surgery. Besides I've been dead for over six minutes.

[Wryly.] Well, normally I'd suggest Reed.

Magic, perhaps?

[Yeah no, never Reed.

Flat, disbelieving.]

Magic? [The gods of Asgard are dead, what magic is there left in the world.]

on withholding a very important detail from people

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