Toni opened her eyes to the sight of small white-ish stones and bright sunlight. It was a sight she was familiar to from late nights on the rooftop at her mom's apartment.

She looked around, feeling dazed and confused. Her vision was wonky, to say the least, and she could feel a little dried blood near her temple. She couldn't quite decipher where she was or what she was doing on a rooftop. She strained her memory, attempting to remember what she last saw.

She thought and thought, but nothing was clear to her.

Then, it came to her. The last thing she remembered was Kanen's smirking face as she was strapped to a metal table, moaning in pain.
Crunching footsteps interrupted her thoughts. She spun around and instantly felt breathless.

Standing about six or seven feet away from her was Kanen, hands in his pockets and his sandy-blonde hair fluttering slightly in the breeze.
"I was beginning to worry that you weren't going to wake up," he muttered as he brought a cigarette to his lips without even gazing in her direction, looking and sounding legitimately concerned. "In fact, I was downright terrified that my methods had been too much."

She stared at him, not sure how to respond. "Please, Kanen," she managed to mumble. "Please, just let me go home. Please. You don't have to do this."
He finally looked at her, tears in his eyes. "You have no idea, Antoinette. No fucking idea. I do have to do this."

****

Tony was down in the lab, putting on pieces of Toni's new Iron Man suit.
"Tony," Pepper said, sounding a little more than annoyed. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going to save my daughter, Pep."

"No," she said sternly and forcefully. "Not like this. Maybe this is the time to actually put away the suit, like you're supposed to, not put on a prototype that may not actually work"

"I have confidence in Toni's work," he said simply, try to hold back any and all emotions. "I don't see why you don't share that confidence."

"Because she's the one that kind of got you in this situation in the first place, Tony," she sighed and hung her head. "I want to make sure everyone makes it home tonight. Especially you and Toni. But I don't think you'll get anywhere by trying to fight him."

"So you want us to lay down our weapons and let him take over the city? Yeah, that sounds like a great plan."

"Tony, you know that SHIELD wouldn't let him do that. They would make sure that the world stayed safe. They would get someone else to handle it. It's not your job anymore. You're starting to build a life, for God's sake! I mean, you and Steve? That won't work if one of you ends up dying in a fire fight. Add your daughter into the mix, Tony. She'll be a for-sure target, especially considering the fact that you're not exactly hiding your identity from the world. I know you'd never forgive yourself if she died in your name."

Tony stopped in his tracks. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, Pepper was right. Pepper was always right and he knew it. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if Steve or Antoinette died for or because of him. "This seems like the right thing to do, Pep. You know I'm not one for codes and rules, or even ethics most of the time, but goddamn it, I know this is what I, no we have to do."

She shook her head. "No it's not, Tony. You're not listening to me. This isn't just some other fight. This isn't Loki's invasion or one of the Green Goblin's tricks. This isn't Obadiah trying to steal your suit and your livelihood. This is your daughter's life we're talking about here! You can't treat that like it's some kind of toy or experiment."

"I would never treat her that way!" Tony shouted. "You better know damn well that I would give anything for her. I wouldhang up the suit if that was the best thing for her, but it's not. Giving up when she needs me most is not what she needs. Maybe after all this is said and done, sure, I can hang up the suit, but certainly not now." He sighed and ran a hand through his already tousled hair. "Kanen is unpredictable. If I walk up without the suit and surrender, he may let her go like he said he would or he may just kill her to make an example out of her. I'm not willing to take that risk, Pep. I wouldn't ever take that risk with her."

"Then for God's sake, Tony, stop being Iron Man!" she screamed at him, tears welling up in her eyes. "That damned suit is what got her in Kanen's hands the first time! He's trying to seek revenge and what better way to do so?"

"My daughter needs Iron Man. Steve need Iron man. New fucking York needs Iron Man. If nothing else, SHIELD needs Iron Man. I'm not going to just give up my better parts."

Pepper shook her head. "You're not giving anything-"

"Stop lying to me!" he shouted. "I know what will happen, Pep. Stop trying to tell me otherwise."

Pepper, with tears silently streaming down her face, nodded and walked out of the lab, leaving Tony to put on the suit.

“JARVIS,” he started, sounding a little heartbroken. “Start diagnostics on the suit.”

“Of course, sir,” he replied.

A bright blue light shone over the unpainted and thoroughly unfinished suit. “The retro-reflection panels are not yet operational, but I am able to keep connection with you.”

“And the thrusters?”

“In perfect working order, sir.”

Tony nodded and finished putting on the last of the armor.

*****

"I'm going to do something that I never thought I'd ever have to do," Kanen said uneasily. "I never thought I'd have to kill anyone."

Toni clutched onto Kanen's arm for dear life, gasping as she stared down.

"I mean, I've heard stories of the other kids killing people, but I've never actually done it before."

Toni could hear the distant shouts and exclamations from the passers-by as they stared at the sight.

"Can you believe it?" he asked more to himself than to Toni. "I'm becoming more like Goby every day."

Toni couldn't bare it any longer. As she stared down at the concrete a hundred or so feet below her, she let out a terrified scream.

****

The Avengers entered Times Square to see large clumps of people, but this wasn’t the normal everyday hustle and bustle. People were stopped in the middle of the streets, either looking up at the rooftops or at the oncoming heroes.

Around them, there was already some wreckage. Apparently, Kanen had set to some destruction before they showed up.

Tony, with Steve by his side, looked up in the general direction of everyone’s stares. There, hanging onto Kanen’s arm while dangling over the edge of a particularly large building, was Toni.

“Toni!” he shouted. “Are you okay?”

There was a little feedback and Kanen smiled. “Hello, Avengers!” he said with an amplified voice. He adjusted the small clip on microphone. “How are you guys today?”

“Kanen,” Steve started. “We don’t want to fight you if we don’t have to.”

“Oh, but what’s the fun in that? I love me a good fight!”

“Kanen!” Tony shouted. “We’re here to negotiate!”

Kanen rolled his eyes. “Really?” he asked with an annoyed tone. “There’s nothing to negotiate! I’ve laid out my terms, and you’ve given me your answer! This isn’t a negotiation anymore, dumbasses. This is called bartering or even threatening, depending on how you look at it. I mean, look at you! The only ones dressed for the party are Cap, Thor, and Frosty Paws! The Iron Man suit looks a little…bland and your Hulk isn’t even the Hulk yet!”

“Like I said, Kanen,” Steve said. “We don’t want to fight you.”

“We’re way past that, Stevie. This is war, now.”

Schaefer cocked his gun and pointed it in Kanen’s direction. “Und you know zat war is my division!”

“Oh shut up, Fritz. Nobody cares.”

Tony took a step in Kanen’s direction. “I don’t want either of us to do something we’ll regret,” he said sympathetically. “Please, let’s try to talk this out. I’d be willing to hang up this armor if it meant my daughter would be safe.”

Kanen smiled lightly at the billionaire from his perch on top of the building. “Then do it. Swear to me that there will be no more Avengers.”

Tony nodded. “I swear, there will be no more Avengers.”

Kanen chuckled, looking at the whimpering teen in his arms. “You’re a lucky gal, you know that?”

She looked at him with tears streaming down her face. “Please,” she mumbled. “Please”

“But still,” he continued. “Your dad’s an idiot.” He looked back out to the assembled team on the ground. “You guys are idiots! I’ll accept your last second surrender, but this doesn’t change anything!”

“No!” Tony shouted as he took a step forward.

Kanen pulled his hands away from Toni, letting her slip from his grasp.

She fell through the infinite space, feeling weightless and so afraid. She opened her mouth and screamed.

“Dad!”