Search for the Soul Gem

Chapter Sixty-Seven

(Tony Stark's Point of View)

     Peter disappeared over the edge. 

     "Peter!" Lucy screamed, looking down. Before really thinking about it, I look off after him. His scream echoed off the rock walls and up to me. 

     "Come on J," I cursed, pushing faster. I closed the distance between us as fast as I could, reaching my hand out, "Parker, grab my hand!" I demanded. He reached up and closed his hand around my wrist. I pulled him up and he latched his arms around my neck. 

     "Alright underoos, we're sitting this one out, alright?" I said. 

     "But Mr. Stark-"

     "Not a discussion," I said, rounding the last bend. The cliff came into view just up ahead. Voices crowd the Com and I tried to ignore them. I landed on the cliff and let Peter go. My mask lifted and I looked at Peter. 

     "Stay here," I demanded. 

     "I'm sorry Mr. Stark," he said glumly. 

     "Don't be sorry. I just can't explain your death to May," I said. 

     "Stark, you might wanna get back here. Things are getting sticky," Nat muttered in the Com. 

     "Copy that. Stay here. Don't die," I motioned to Peter. He nodded quickly. My mask came back down over my face. I took off back around the curve, trying to get back as fast as possible. 

     "Oh my god, Tony!" Rhodey yelled. My heart raced. 

     "What!" I yelped. 

     "She's falling. Loki deactivated my suit," Rhodey panicked. I was still minutes away and that would be too late. 

     "JARVIS, give it all we got," I demanded. 

     "Sir, we haven't got much left-"

     "Just do it!" I yelled. A thrust went through the suit, speeding up my flying rate. I turned the last corner and there she was, falling through the sky. Her scream echoed around the canyon, so much fear and panic in the sound. The force of her fall spun her around. "Come on J," I pushed. I rounded out and plunged down after her. 

     "15,000 feet," JARVIS said. She was still so far away from me. I reached out my hand and pushed myself further, "10,000 feet." The river was getting closer to us and fear rose in my chest. Lucy reached up to me, her hand far from mine. 

     "Tony!" her voice was broken and heavy with fear. 

     "5,000 feet."

     "Not helping!" I quipped. The thrusters sped up and pushed me further down. The elevation ticked down in my vision quickly. My hand wrapped around her arm and I pulled her up against me. I rolled over and leveled off before stopping completely. She was laying on top of me as I hovered over the river. Her body was shaking violently, her face wind-whipped and a harsh red from screaming and crying. I reached up and caressed her cheek softly. 

     "Falling for me again doctor?" I asked. Her face collapsed into a mixture of laughing and crying. She dropped her face to my chest and just cried. 

     "Heads up, Stark. Loki threw the scepter out the window," Nat warned. 

     "Copy," I confirmed. I looked back at Lucy and smiled, though she couldn't see it through my mask, "hold on Indie, we've got a job to do," I said. I shifted her to my back carefully. She wrapped her arms and legs around me before I took off in the direction the scepter was thrown to.