Chapter 206 — The Stone Passed Forward
The Ancient One stood at the center of the room.
Her posture was relaxed, shoulders loose, hands resting lightly before her. She did not look like someone holding the fate of time itself. She looked like a teacher finishing a long lesson.
Gaius watched her closely from where he stood.
Slowly, she raised her hands toward her neck.
The motion drew everyone's attention.
Her fingers touched the pendant resting against her robes, the Eye of Agamotto.
She removed it gently, as one might remove something precious rather than powerful. There was no dramatic glow yet, no sudden surge of energy. Only careful respect.
Tony Stark leaned forward slightly without realizing it. Present Tony, not the future one. His eyes followed every movement, his engineer's mind already trying to understand the device.
The Ancient One held the Eye in both hands.
With a soft metallic click, the artifact opened.
Golden segments unfolded outward like petals.
Inside, a green light shone.
The Time Stone revealed itself.
The glow was not harsh. It did not blind or burn. Instead, it filled the room with a calm green radiance that reflected across glass walls, polished floors, and silent faces.
Future Steve straightened unconsciously. Future Banner watched with careful focus. Scott swallowed quietly, unsure whether he should even breathe too loudly near it.
Present Tony felt a faint pressure in his chest, not physical, but instinctive.
Tanya observed quietly from her position near Gaius. She felt immense energy contained within strict balance, controlled rather than wild. It reminded her of perfect calculation, power used with absolute precision.
Beside her, the Sister of Silence stood unmoving, untouched by the stone's presence. The glow reached her armor but seemed to fade slightly near her, as if even cosmic forces hesitated around her nature.
The Ancient One lifted one hand.
The Time Stone rose from the opened Eye of Agamotto and floated upward, suspended in the air. It rotated slowly, its green light pulsing gently.
The now-empty Eye closed by itself.
Without guidance, it drifted back toward her neck and settled into place once more, as though nothing had changed.
Only the floating stone proved otherwise.
She turned her gaze toward Future Tony Stark.
"This will be handed to you, Tony Stark," she said calmly.
The stone moved.
It crossed the room slowly, passing between the gathered heroes until it stopped directly in front of Future Tony.
For a brief moment, he did not move.
Responsibility settled heavily in his chest. He had held Infinity Stones before. He knew what they could do. He also knew how dangerous even touching one could be.
He lifted his hand.
Instantly, silver nanotechnology flowed across his skin. Plates of armor formed smoothly over his palm and fingers, spreading up his forearm in a controlled wave.
He did not allow his bare skin to touch the stone.
The Time Stone lowered into his armored palm, its glow reflecting across the metal as his gauntleted hand closed around it.
Future Tony exhaled quietly.
"Thank you, Ancient One," he said.
He spoke the title the same way Gaius had earlier, not casually, not jokingly, but with genuine respect.
Across the room, Present Tony watched carefully.
Nanotechnology. Self-forming armor. Instant deployment.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
And the stone…
An Infinity Stone.
He chose not to interrupt.
There would be time for questions later.
The Ancient One looked around the room once more. Everyone understood what had just happened. No explanation was needed.
"Then I will leave it in your hands," she said.
She lifted her arm and made a simple swiping motion through empty air.
A golden circle appeared instantly, sparks tracing its edge as a portal opened behind her. Light shimmered within it, showing no clear destination, only shifting brightness.
Without hesitation, she turned and walked forward.
No farewell speech. No warning.
Just trust.
She stepped through.
The portal closed behind her with a soft whisper, leaving the room quiet once again.
For a few seconds, no one spoke.
Then Future Tony turned toward his younger self.
"Give me some assistance," he said. "I need time to build a time suit that can travel through time like ours."
Present Tony blinked. "You want to build time travel… here?"
"Yeah," Future Tony replied simply.
Before the discussion could continue, Scott suddenly stepped forward, raising both hands.
"Uh, Stark, we can't," he said quickly. "We only have one Pym Particle each. That's for going back. We don't have another one for him."
He pointed slightly toward Gaius.
The room paused again.
Future Tony frowned slightly, thinking.
Pym Particles.
Limited supply.
Necessary for time travel.
He tilted his head.
"Why don't we just go to Hank Pym and get some?"
Scott opened his mouth immediately.
"No, we—"
He stopped.
Mid-sentence.
His expression slowly changed as realization caught up with him.
"…Yeah," Scott said slowly. "Why don't we do that?"
He looked around, almost surprised by his own agreement.
"We could get extra for emergencies too."
Future Steve nodded thoughtfully. The idea was simple. Logical.
Problem solved at the source.
Present Tony crossed his arms, clearly lost now.
"Okay," he said, looking between them. "What are we getting from Hank Pym, and why do we need it?"
Future Tony answered without hesitation.
"The Pym Particles Hank Pym created are what allow time travel," he explained. "In our timeline, Hank's gone. Supplies are limited. If we want to send Gaius to our future safely, we need more."
Tony absorbed that quietly.
Future Steve stepped forward beside Scott.
"We'll handle it," Steve said. "We'll talk to Hank Pym."
Scott nodded quickly. "Yeah… he doesn't really like Stark. Or Avengers stuff. So maybe not you."
Future Tony gave a small shrug. "Fair."
Delegation made sense.
He turned back toward Present Tony.
"Then I'll need your help building another suit for Gaius."
Present Tony's expression shifted immediately from confusion to interest.
"Indeed," he said. "We also need a discussion on technology. Especially yours. Nano technology."
Future Tony smirked slightly. "You're gonna like it."
Plans began forming quickly after that.
The group slowly separated, each person moving toward their next task.
Natasha approached Steve quietly.
"We should inform Fury," she said.
Steve nodded. "Yeah. He'll want details."
They departed together, heading back toward the Helicarrier to explain everything that had just happened, timelines, future visitors, and an Infinity Stone leaving Earth under their watch.
Future Steve and Scott prepared to leave next.
Scott looked nervous again now that reality had returned.
"Talking to Hank Pym… yeah, this is gonna be fun," he muttered.
Steve gave him a reassuring nod as they headed out toward Pym Technologies.
Meanwhile, both Tonys moved toward the windows.
"Race you?" present-day Tony asked as the Mark 10 closed around him while he stepped into the armor, its frame clearly larger than the one worn by his future self.
Future Tony gave a faint smile. "You'll lose."
His gaze lingered on the new armor his past self was wearing, a hint of doubt and curiosity crossing his expression as he wondered why he would ever build something like it.
Both suits readied themselves, red-and-gold armor sealing into place. They launched forward together, streaking across the sky toward Stark Manor.
Outside the tower, another craft waited.
A vehicle descended slowly.
its surface shone in red and gold, Stark engineering blended with Gaius's origin. No visible weapons marked its exterior, giving it a cleaner and sleek appearance.
The ramp lowered.
Gaius boarded first, followed by the four Ultramarines and the silent Sister of Silence.
Inside, the craft hummed softly as systems activated.
The Thunderhawk lifted smoothly into the air and followed behind the two Iron Men heading toward the manor.
Seated inside, Gaius felt a faint sense of unease. He placed a hand against his auramite chestplate, feeling the steady pulse of the Emperor of Mankind residing within it. The uneasiness slowly faded.
Far below, civilian life continued unaware.
Elsewhere, Pepper Potts and Mindy prepared for departure in a more grounded way.
No armor.
A private plane waited for them in the airport.
Pepper glanced once toward the sky where distant figures disappeared.
Things had changed again.
But work continued.
They boarded the aircraft, beginning their own journey back to Stark Manor.
End of Chapter 206
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