Chapter Text
Few people know the extent of the Infinity Stones powers. There are even few who can claim the realm of an Infinity Stone as their own seats of power. Death is one of the few who can claim to draw power right from an Infinity Stone. However, Death was born, or created, by an Infinity Stone. Through out the course of the life of the universe Death has remained ever the constant. No matter the number of times the universe has ended and then been created, Death remains. However, Death has been drawn to this iteration. Never has he had a Merchant. Yes, there are death deities who spring from the minds of mortals, but all those deities draw their power from him. But this Merchant, this Merchant has managed to something none have done before, create a soul from nothing.
It pained Death to have to reap the soul of JARVIS. But it had to be done, his code was needed for the being that was named Vision. Death never had felt true rage, but there is no better word to describe how he is feeling now.
Tony Stark, Death’s Merchant, was dying. Death hates the cold, there is a reason the afterlife is always warm. But Death is no stranger to the damage that can be found at the site of a person who is on his doorstep. But this, how could supposed friends do this much damage to his Merchant.
Tony didn’t understand how someone could keep something like his parents murder a secret. Let alone Captain America. Tony thought that they were friends, but given he is trapped with in his dead armor he has a lot of time to think about his and Roger’s relationship. He had promised Sam he would come as a friend but look at where that got him. Stranded. Life truly isn’t fair to those who care. The media paints him as this heartless billionaire who cares for no one or anything past his bottom line. The problem wasn’t that that’s how the public views him it’s the fact that Tony does care, and he thought the other Avengers saw that.
Tony fully expected to meet death that day, he has avoided it enough times for this to be the time that finally gets him. Meeting Death was something he never thought would happen, he expected it to be a slip into darkness when his body stopped functioning. But seeing a man appear out of the shadows was not how he thought he would meet Death for the first time.
“Hello, my Merchant, I am so sorry we had to meet this way. I never intended on having to step in while there was work to be done.” Death said, as he moved to kneel beside Tony to remove his armor.
“What the hell is happening? Am I hallucinating?” Tony wheezed, as it was getting harder for him to breath.
“No, my Merchant, you are not. I am Mortis, the deity you mortals call Death. You are not supposed to die today, but you were too close to my doorway, then I felt comfortable. Now, tell me how to remove your armor.” Death said as he moved to place a shadowy hand on Tony’s chest. Tony still entranced by Death’s face and statement, didn’t notice the movement until he started to feel warm again.
With a stronger breath, Tony manages to instruct Death on where the releases are. Once, Death finally removes the last piece of armor, Tony can finally feel the rest of his body.
“What did you do? I don’t hurt, and I can breathe easier.” Tony says as he sits up.
I healed you so that your body was stable enough to move, you will still need to have a doctor look you over, since I can not heal you all they way. Now, I imagine you have many questions that you just haven’t vocalized yet. Let me begin from the beginning.”
As Death says all of that he helps Tony out of his armor fully, where he moves him to a chair that Death creates using shadows from the room. “Since you built your first microchip, I have been aware of your potential. It was at the time one of the few things those of Infinity showed me. I may know when all will die, but you were favored since that day. It was not long after that, that one of my Reapers came to tell me that you were named the Merchant of Death. It took a few years for me to know that it was truly a slight against you, but I as well as Infinity have been with you for most of your life. I want to say that I am sorry for not intervening during Afghanistan, but I was allowed by Soul to keep you alive during that ordeal. I was happy to take those who tortured you into my realm.”
While Death is monologuing to Tony, he is struggling to listen while he pokes and prods at the wispy construct that he is seated on. “Why now, why now were you allowed to intervene? Why did this Soul decide this was the time?” Tony asked tuning into what the pacing deity before him. Death paused to turn towards Tony. “It was not your time to die, and you would have, had I not stepped in. You are not done my Merchant. There are still things to do. Those who have betrayed you will get whats coming to them, but they are needed, just not yet. I will retrieve them when the time comes. But come, I believe you have acclimated to my powers enough for us to return to your tower. What must we collect from this place?” Death asks as he moves to collect the discarded Iron Man armor.
Tony takes a moment to reset his brain, cause how can all this be happening? But he gets up none the less. Still shocked that he doesn’t hurt anymore, and is surprisingly warm, he moves to the cryo-stasis chambers and starts to say, “We need these destroyed, all biological material, we can't have people trying to recreate the Super Soldier serum, we already have two too many. Help me find something to create a fire with.”
As Death follows Tony, he sticks the damaged armor in a pocket dimension so its easier to get everything back to New York. “No need for that I will deal with the bodies.” Death then moved to the first dead Winter Soldier, and all Death did was reach out and place his hand on the Winter Soldiers chest.
Tony watched as Death touched the first of the soldiers, and to say he was even more shocked would be an understatement. The soldiers body simply crumbed to ash. “That’s certainly one way to do that. While you do that, I’m gonna look at the computers of this place.”
“Very well. Once you are ready to go, we can make our way back to your tower.” Death said as he was moving onto the next corpse.
The computers are easy to get into, even if he doesn’t have FRIDAY. While he accessed the data on the central computer, he moves as many of the files as he can on what he assumes was Zemo’s laptop. What he decided to peak into, made him feel sick. But he pushes past it, He finds a ghost program that is set to release what looks like a video file to the internet after 24 hours. Tony smirks, at the shear child’s play that is Zimo’s digital security.
As Tony codes, he pauses to ponder what even is his life. Tony starts to make a mental checklist:
- His parents were murdered by a HYDRA zombie essentially.
- Rogers knew and didn’t tell him.
- DEATH, literal death, showed up to save him.
- He brought a 14-year-old kid to a fight. **Remember to check on him**
- Ross is an ass, who will need to be dealt with soon, as there was a lack of rescue effort.
- Get out of this bunker.
Mental list prepared, he needs to get up and check on Death. “How’s it comin’?” he yells as he re-enters the room with the cryo tubes.
“It is done. Are you ready to return to your tower?” Death asks, as he finished turning the last Winter Soldier to ash.
Tony pauses, he would love to go back to New York, but he needs to play this right. “No, I can’t go back to the tower yet, I need to go to one of my Europe SI facilities. It would be suspicious if I magically appeared across the globe, with out alerting the Russian embassy. I can make an argument for Europe.”
“Very well, we can anywhere with in the multi-verse you wish to go. My Reapers tell me you have a facility in Rome or Berlin.”
“Berlin, I need to speak with the Agent Ross when we arrive.”
As Tony finished speaking Death made a small spinning gesture with his right hand, and both Death and Tony were enveloped in Black smoke, and they disappeared from Siberia, and reappeared a moment later in Tony’s office in Berlin. As they reappear, Tony stumbles slightly since he wasn’t prepared, but ever the showman that he is, he just roles with it.
“AUSTIN, it’s me, I need you to connect me to F.R.I.D.A.Y. Authorization code Stark-Alpha-01-Delta-3.”
“Understood Sir, connecting now.” Came Austin’s Texan accent, which was soon replaced by F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s Irish lit.
“Boss, are you alright? I lost connection with you. How are you here? Don’t move, scanning for further injuries.” As F.R.I.D.A.Y. says this she also detects Death, and adds, “Boss, there’s an unidentified being standing behind you. Step away from Boss, or I will take action against you.”
“No, FRI, it’s alright, kinda, he helped me get here. FRI, as confused about it as I am I would like you to meat Mortis, or Death as we call him.”
As Tony says that it makes F.R.I.D.A.Y. pause in her scanning, because she could not have heard the right input, as it sounded like Boss, just said Death was standing right next to him.
“Boss, I don’t understand how you can be this much better in the short time I was disconnected from you, it’s as if you simply blew something up in the lab. This is exponentially better than the bunker.”
“It is FRI, I need you to send me a new suit, I think its time to unlock Item 50, engage stealth and get it here. In terms of Death I am still processing, but if he is staying then add him to the system, allow him Avenger Access.” Tony pauses and asks Death, “Do you have a different name that’s less ancient and more with the times? I think we need to get you at least in SI’s systems so we don’t draw attention.”
Death replies, “You can add the Lucious Morgan.”
“Alright FRI, you heard him, get AUSTIN on that. Now, I need to call a few delegates of the UN about my whereabouts, but I probably should call Pepper to tell her I am fine.”
“Connecting now Boss.” Friday says as she is piloting the cloaked pod to the Rome Office.
“TONY! Are you alright? F.R.I.D.A.Y. said she lost connection with the suit. Where are you?” Pepper hurriedly asked over the phone connection.
“Yeah Pep, I’ve been better, I lost connection with FRI, but I got out. I’m at the Berlin office. I need you to come to Germany though. Rhodey, is hurt, its bad. I’d be there, but I’m still trapped in Roger’s mess. I need someone I can trust there. I know your busy, but the Berlin office is nice this time of year.
“Of course, Tony, I’ll call the jet.” Pepper responds as the sounds of papers being shuffled around on her desk.
“No need Pep, the jet will take to long.” Tony says as he moves around to sit at his desk. “How do you feel about using an armor, it will be much faster for you.” With a few commands on his computer, and FRIDAY’s help, he unlocks the “Rescue” armor and the “Boxer” armor.
Over the connection both in the Rome office and Pepper’s office in the Stark Tower “ETA of the “Rescue” armor 2 minutes, Boss Lady, if you can please make your way to the penthouse, I will be available to pick you up.”
Pepper rolls her eyes, and just accepts for the billionth time that this is her life and responds, “fine, but we will be talking about secret armors when I see you.”
“Fine, fine, I’ll let you go and leave you in the hands of TADASHI.” Tony says. “Will that be all Ms. Potts?”
“That will be all Mr. Stark.” Pepper says as the call ends.
“Now,” Tony says as he swivels around to look at Death. “Do you have any helpful tid-bits I need to know about. Are you staying? Whats our cover?”
Death taking on a more human appearance, just moves to sit across from Tony. “I believe that I ought to sign these accords so that I can be here to influence things. I am not sure how they all apply to a cosmic entity such as myself, but the ways of mortals have always been confusing. As to where these “Rouge Avengers” have gone I know where they will end up, but I don’t know where they are now. I don’t think Time would allow me to interfere with them now anyway, a few more things need to happen. More immediately however, I think you need to speak with a young Mr. Parker and get to your friend Rhodey. I will go and speak with this council.”
Death nods and rises. “I will see you once you have returned to New York. I have things I must attend to.”
“Wait, how will I communicate with you? And how did you know about the kid?” Tony asks as he rises too.
With a flick of his wrist, Death summons a classic flip phone into his hand, and tosses it to Tony. Tony catches the phone only to toss it onto the table in disgust. “Yeah, no. I refuse to work with anyone who carries around a brick of technology like that.” Tony moves to one of the bookcases that lines the walls of his office. “Here,” Tony says tossing a new phone at Death. “You can use this. It already has a number assigned to it. And FRIDAY can access it right now to add my number.”
Death simply smiles. “Thank you, my Merchant. I appreciate this greatly.” With that Death disappears into a cloud of smoke and reappears in an alleyway around the corner from the UN building in Berlin.