Chapter 203 — Visitors Out of Place
The lower levels of Stark Tower were unusually quiet after the battle.
Emergency lights lined the walls, glowing in steady intervals and casting long shadows across the polished floors.
Pepper Potts stood in the hallway, her redesigned Mark VII armor emitting a soft mechanical hum. The faceplate was open, revealing a composed but watchful expression. She had mostly recovered from the strange pressure she felt earlier, though the memory of that hollow sensation still lingered faintly in the back of her mind.
Beside her stood Mindy, watching curiously.
Across from them, three unfamiliar men froze near the corner of the hallway like children caught sneaking into a room.
For a moment, no one moved.
Pepper broke the silence.
"Who are you?" she asked firmly, studying them with clear suspicion.
From the stairwell entrance, a towering armored figure finally emerged.
Titus.
His massive frame filled the hallway as he stepped forward, blue armor scarred from countless battles. Every movement carried weight and certainty. Behind him followed the Sister of Silence, silent as a shadow, her presence pressing gently against the mind like a cold wind.
She stayed slightly behind Titus, deliberately keeping distance. Even without words, she Knows her uniqueness unsettled others, especially Pepper, who had already felt its effects earlier.
Titus walked straight toward the three men.
No hesitation.
No curiosity.
Only purpose.
He stopped a few steps away and spoke in a calm, steady voice.
"Come with me."
That was all.
No explanation.
Scott blinked, staring up at Titus, who towered over them.
"Uh… come where exactly?"
No answer came.
Steve's expression hardened slightly. Inside, his thoughts moved quickly.
This was bad.
They were not supposed to be noticed. Their mission was simple: retrieve the Infinity Stones and leave without changing anything else.
Now they were standing inside another world's Stark Tower, confronted by soldiers that clearly did not belong to Earth as he knew it.
Steve raised his hands slightly, a gesture of peace. Yet his body remained on instinctive alert, tense and ready as he watched Titus.
"We are really just going," he said calmly. "We were really just curious."
He slowly stepped backward, subtly guiding Tony and Scott with him.
Titus did not react.
"I don't care," Titus replied evenly. "I need you to come with me… or."
His hand moved to his weapon.
The chainsword roared to life.
Metal teeth began spinning with a loud mechanical growl that filled the hallway. The sound alone carried a clear message.
Behind him, the Sister of Silence lifted her bolter, though she remained in place, allowing Titus to stand as the primary presence. She noticed Pepper shift slightly again and chose not to advance further.
The threat was unmistakable.
Scott's eyes widened.
"…Okay, that's definitely not a cosplay thing," he muttered.
The three men exchanged looks.
A silent conversation passed between them instantly.
Scott's expression clearly asked: Should we fight?
Steve's eyes responded immediately: Are you serious?
Tony's gaze settled both arguments.
We surrender.
Tony had already reached a decision.
His mind ran through possibilities at high speed.
They had traveled to another parallel universe. Whatever happened here would not affect their original timeline. Fighting unknown super-soldiers inside Stark Tower was reckless and unnecessary.
More importantly…
If this world's Tony Stark existed, and he clearly did, cooperation might actually help them obtain the Mind Stone and Space Stone faster.
Tony exhaled quietly.
"We'll follow," he said.
The hallway fell silent again.
Titus studied them for a brief moment.
Then the chainsword slowed.
The roaring teeth stopped spinning.
He lowered the weapon and secured it at his side.
Without another word, he turned and began walking back toward the stairs.
The Sister of Silence followed.
Conflict ended before it began.
Scott released a slow breath.
"…I vote we never argue with that guy."
They began walking after Titus.
Heavy footsteps echoed as the group moved toward the stairwell.
For several moments, only the sound of armor and shoes filled the space.
Scott leaned closer to Steve and whispered quietly.
"Should we escape right now?"
Steve didn't answer immediately.
He was actually considering it.
Tony remained silent, eyes forward.
Before either could respond, Mindy spoke from behind them.
"Don't do anything stupid."
All three turned slightly.
She looked at them seriously.
"If you escape," she continued calmly, "they can catch you back."
Her confidence surprised them.
She wasn't scared at all.
Scott blinked, then quickly shifted tactics.
If fighting wasn't an option, information was.
He smiled awkwardly.
"So… little girl," he said casually, "who are they?"
They continued walking while talking.
Mindy raised an eyebrow.
"You don't know them?" she asked. "I thought they had gone viral."
Scott froze for half a second before scrambling for an excuse.
"W-well our phone was destroyed and gone," he said quickly. "We don't know anything."
Steve's mouth twitched slightly.
Tony resisted the urge to facepalm.
Even Pepper hid a small smile behind them.
Mindy stared at Scott.
"Are you joking?"
She shook her head but pulled out her phone anyway.
"Look," she said. "This is a video I uploaded to YouTube long ago. It's about them."
She handed the phone carefully to them.
Scott took it first, then angled it so Tony and Steve could see.
He pressed play.
The video began.
A massive warship appeared on screen, the Oath of Rectitude.
Gaius stood in golden armor before ranks of Ultramarines. The soldiers moved aside, leaving two towering Primaris warriors behind him.
The three entered a drop pod.
Locks engaged.
Launch.
The pod tore through red clouds, shaking violently as it descended.
Impact.
Doors exploded open.
A dead wasteland stretched endlessly ahead.
Movement.
Chaos cultists charged, screaming.
Gaius raised his hammer.
Strike.
The ground shattered. A shockwave blasted outward, throwing enemies aside like leaves in a storm.
The Primaris advanced beside him, precise movements, efficient strikes, no wasted energy.
An abyss appeared.
The two Primaris descended first, bracing themselves along the walls.
Gaius followed, landing beside them.
Formation reformed.
They advanced into darkness.
The video ended.
Scott's mouth hung open.
Slowly, he lifted his head and looked at Titus walking ahead of them up the stairs.
"…Okay," Scott whispered. "That's real."
Tony stared at the screen, disbelief settling deep in his chest.
He spoke quietly, almost to himself.
"Is this real? …No. This can't be real."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"If this is real… then the land shown there isn't on Earth."
Steve felt the same shock.
At first, he had assumed Titus wore advanced armor, something like Iron Man technology taken further.
Tony Stark could build incredible things.
Thinking they had imitated the armor they saw in the video, trying to make it look the same.
But now…
Watching Titus walk ahead, hearing each heavy step, seeing the worn scars across the armor, damage earned through real combat, Steve understood.
This wasn't imitation.
These were warriors from somewhere else entirely.
Mindy watched their reactions with a small smirk.
"That's right," she said. "Everything in the video was real."
Steve opened his mouth, ready to ask another question.
Before he could speak—
Titus' voice echoed down the stairwell.
"Follow faster."
The tone wasn't angry.
It wasn't loud.
But it carried absolute authority.
A command that simply expected obedience.
Tony, Steve, and Scott exchanged one more glance.
No arguments this time.
They quickened their pace and followed him up the stairs.
End of Chapter 203
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