Prompt#323 - All Soul's Day- Room for Improvement - Tekia – Exalted/the Avengers

[tekia.livejournal.com]

Title: Room for Improvement
Fandom: Exalted/The Avengers
Prompt: All Soul's Day
Warnings: none
Rating: PG-13
Summary: After falling into a trap, the first order of business it to find out where you are. But, if where you are makes no sense, then what are you supposed to do? Traveling to the future is easy, just fall asleep, right? Waking up to a whole different world is harder. Luckily, Tony Stark can adapt to any environment.


When the man woke up, Tony was sitting in front of him, smiling. White Song was up in a tree, keeping watch for the humans that dared to face a demon. Iron Dust had made a fire and was roasting some meat that he had provided by using a bow that Tony hadn’t known he had carried.
The man groaned when his eyes opened and he jerked against the ropes White Song had tied around his arms and shoulders. He kicked dirt at Tony, but Tony kept his smile firmly in place.
“Mornin’,” Tony said. “How’s your head?”
He spat curses at Tony in a language Tony couldn’t translate, so he looked to Iron Dust.
“What’d he say?”
Iron Dust pulled the meat from the fire. “Something about your taste in women and your bloodline.”
“Oh.” He turned back to their captive. “That really hurt. Well, it would, were I not already used to people telling me all that.” He paused. “Well, no, everybody loved Howard; they’d never insult his bloodline, just the me part.”
He could physically feel Iron Dust roll his eyes behind him. “So, what’s your name?”
The man glared at him. “Who are you?”
“I’m Iron Man. We’ve been told that your manse will save the world.” White Song hissed above them, clearly angry that he was spilling their secrets. Well, they tried things Iron Dust’s way, and even White Song’s way, and they both blew up in their faces. It was his turn.
He was gambling, but he had a feeling.
And it was paying off. The man’s eyes were searching his face, and while Tony was an excellent liar, he was being honest now. He hoped his face showed it.
“What does that mean? How is the manse supposed to save Creation?”
Tony shrugged. “I suppose we’ll find out when we get there.”
Iron Dust knelt between them and offered Tony a small plate filled with a leg of some poor critter which he accepted. He laid a second plate on the ground before their prisoner.
“What’s your name, friend?”
The man turned his blue glare to Iron Dust. “Stone’s Throw.” Then he looked surprised that he had answered. Iron Dust nodded. He reached out and began untying the ropes.
“I trust you’ll listen and not try to kill us?”
His body language he wanted nothing more than to go for Iron Dust’s throat, but he nodded. “Sure. It is after all, three to one.”
Iron Dust’s lips twisted in amusement, but he nonetheless nodded in agreement. “True.” He pulled the rope free and backed away, waving his hand from Tony to Stone’s Throw as if to say, ‘All yours.’
Stone’s Throw’s eyes were on Tony once more and, suddenly, Tony didn’t know what to say. How could he explain all that was rolling about in his head, ready to tumble off his lips in a mess of words that barely made sense to him?
“Luna found me,” he started. “And she has seen that I need to get to this manse to stop something terrible from happening.”
“What’s this something?”
Tony looked at Iron Dust who shook his head. “Only Luna knows.”
Tony turned back to him with a shrug. “Maybe I’ll be made to build something.” He closed his eyes and saw all the bombs and guns and terrible things that could steal a life highlighted against his lids. “Something terrible. That’s what I’m good for.”
“Build?” His eyes went to the arc reactor. “Who are you?”
Tony shook his head. “A pawn, just like the rest of you.” He opened his eyes and stared at the flames. “I have to who is behind all of this. I refuse to believe it was all chance. I happened upon this manse once before and suddenly it was All Soul’s Day and zombies were attacking and the dead were alive and then I was here, lost and thrust into the middle of this war that I learn I could make or break both sides.”
Stone’s Throw’s eyes went up to the dark shadow of White Song overhead. “If his words are true, he could help us.” He snapped his attention back to Tony when White Song didn’t reply. “If Luna is to be trusted-“ White Song snarled at the insult to her goddess- “then you could help us. You could unlock your memories of the past and build us weapons out of Essence and we would have a chance to win.”
Guilt and sorrow and helplessness twisted in his gut as he remembered that, no, he couldn’t help them, because his past, their future, was already set. This side of the war lost, and if they didn’t lose, then he, Iron Man, would never have a chance to exist.
This mechanical god must win. As much as Tony hated to think that he could stop so much death. He fisted his hands in his lap and shook his head. He couldn’t force himself to meet the man’s bright eyes, so filled with hope. He bit his lips, worrying the bottom as he tried to force words out. “I- Luna has commanded that I return from where I came. The manse is the only hope for any of us.”
Stone’s Throw shook his head. “There’s nothing in the manse that could help us win.”
Iron Dust shifted behind Tony. He had a massive book open on his knees and one finger pressed to the page, holding his place. “I don’t believe it is in our fate to win.” Tony swallowed, hard, and turned away. He knew that Iron Dust knew more than he let on, and it almost physically hurt to hear him so calmly talking about their future failure. As if it were already set in stone.
As if it had already come to pass.
“As great as Luna is, she commanded that he be returned from where he came. If she, in all her wisdom, thought we would win, she would make him stay and build weapons for us and help us. Look at him; look at the armor he wears. Have you ever seen anything like it? With his knowledge we could stand a fighting chance, but even with him, Luna has seen that we will fail. We will die in this war, and it all will be lost."