On a shoreline of surging waves, a pillar of blue light suddenly descended. As the light faded, several Avengers appeared on the deserted beach, looking dazed.
"Boys, we did it!" Tony shouted, looking toward the distant "old" Manhattan skyline with an expression of pure excitement.
He was certain because the tallest building in sight wasn't his Stark Tower yet. According to his calculations, Stark Tower wouldn't even be finished for another three years.
He realized no one was listening to him; everyone was staring at Stephen Strange, waiting for the Sorcerer Supreme's apprentice to deliver the final verdict. Strange put the Time Stone away and nodded. "No mistakes. This is New York, 2008."
The group exhaled in unison. Banner asked, "So, where do we start?"
Tony thought for a moment. "At this point in time, the only stones on Earth besides the Ancient One's Time Stone is the Space Stone. I remember S.H.I.E.L.D. had it hidden in a secret base in the central desert, but I don't know the exact coordinates."
Thor glanced at his brother. "Maybe Loki knows."
A few years from now, Loki would use the Space Stone to travel to Earth, and that desert base would be his first stop. Loki shook his head regretfully. "I was teleported directly through it. I don't know the physical location."
Steve Rogers stepped forward. "In that case, we only have one option: find Nick Fury at S.H.I.E.L.D."
"Agreed," Carol said, nodding immediately. Nick Fury was her friend, but because she had been away for so long, he had been murdered by Hydra —a fact that weighed heavily on her. Perhaps she shouldn't have set such strict rules for that pager. Poor guy... he was so honest he didn't even press the button as he died.
Tony had no objections. "Fine by me. I've got some insults for him that I've been saving for twenty years."
With the plan set, Strange began tracing golden circles in the air, opening a spatial gateway. One by one, they stepped through.
*
Nick Fury walked into the elevator accompanied by Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Agent Coulson, heading straight for the Director's floor.
"I just got a call from the Secretary of State. Apparently, you made quite a mess in London. Nearly caused a diplomatic incident."
"Sorry, sir. The situation was urgent," Natasha replied smoothly.
"When you're in the field, remember to stay off the radar. S.H.I.E.L.D. can't afford to be in the public eye yet."
"Understood, sir. Next time."
"Regardless, you did good. Sign two piles of horseshit paperwork in my office and then go home. I've notified Hill—you've got 72 hours of leave."
"Thank you!"
The four of them stepped out of the elevator and strode toward the Director's office. At this point in time, Hydra was still lurking in the shadows, and the Joker organization didn't even exist as a shadow. This was the golden age for Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D.—global authority with no real rivals. Life was good.
Fury pushed open his office door, ready to deliver a few more parting words, when he froze. Sitting in his chair, feet propped up on the desk and casually flipping through classified documents, was a stranger.
Behind him, the three agents reacted instantly. They moved to shield Fury, their hands hovering over their holsters. The man didn't flinch at the sound of the door; he just kept turning pages.
"Sir, are you lost?" Fury asked boldly, noting the man's lack of aggression.
"A little... your dump is remarkably hard to find." The man tossed the file onto the desk.
As he looked up, the four agents gasped. Despite the graying temples and the deep wrinkles, Fury and the others recognized him instantly. The man sitting in the Director's chair was the Chairman of the Board for Stark Industries: Tony Stark.
But... he looked like he had aged twenty years overnight.
"Stark?" Fury asked tentatively.
"I..." Tony beamed with a surprised grin. "You actually recognized me! Oh my God, I'm starting to suspect S.H.I.E.L.D. has been stalking me from the beginning."
"You're on the cover of every tabloid every day. Hard not to recognize you," Natasha quipped.
"What's that supposed to mean? When did S.H.I.E.L.D. start stalking you?" Fury demanded. He didn't understand the comment; at this stage, a mere arms dealer wasn't even on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar.
Tony stood up and rounded the desk to greet them. "Ah, it's a bit emotional seeing you all. Long time no see, Nick... Natasha... the balding agent... and you must be Clint 'Hawkeye' Barton. Pity we never crossed paths before."
Fury's eye twitched at the nickname. "Mr. Stark, what the hell is going on? Why have you suddenly aged? And how did you break into my office undetected?"
"Sigh..." Tony shook his head and threw up his hands. "Your eye really is failing you. Looking at me like this, you still haven't figured it out?"
"I'm not in the mood for riddles, Mr. Stark! Breaking into S.H.I.E.L.D. and tampering with classified data is a serious crime. If you don't start talking, I'll have my agents take you into interrogation." Fury was out of patience.
"Okay!" Stark dropped the act. "Let's bring in someone you know."
"Who?"
As soon as the question was asked, a golden portal of light sparked into existence in the middle of the room. The four agents drew their weapons.
Captain Marvel was the first to step through. She looked at Fury and gave a small wave. "Hi, Nick. Long time no see!"
"You... Carol?" Fury lowered his gun, his single eye nearly popping out of his head.
"Who is she?" Natasha asked, intrigued. Hawkeye shook his head, having no clue. Coulson remained silent, though he found the woman strangely familiar.
"Director!" Steve Rogers stepped out next.
The agents' jaws dropped again. That face... that was Captain America, Steve Rogers. He was supposed to have died seventy years ago. The information overload was making their brains crash.
"Hey, Nat!"
The Hulk, in the form of Bruce Banner, followed Steve out, looking at Natasha with a gaze full of complex history.
Click.
The collective brains of the four agents went into total shutdown. A green monster? Why were there so many strange people appearing out of thin air?
Fortunately, the remaining arrivals were strangers to them, giving their poor brains time to process the sheer volume of impossible information. The time travelers stood in a row, observing the four stunned 2008 agents.
"Who wants to explain this?" Fury asked, his voice low and serious.
The group looked at each other. Strange nudged Tony. "Stark, you've got the biggest mouth. You do it."
Tony gave him an annoyed look, then sat on the sofa. "The short version? We're all from over twenty years in the future."
From the future. It was absurd, but it was the only explanation that fit.
Fury looked at Captain Marvel. In his experience, only Carol possessed that kind of cosmic power. But Carol shook her head and pointed to Strange. "Not me. This is his trick. Specifically, the power of the Time Stone around his neck."
Fury frowned, forcing himself to accept the premise. "So you came back from twenty years in the future. What for?"
"The Tesseract in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s vault," Tony said. "Actually, it's the Space Stone. You can guess what it does by the name."
"What do you want with the Tesseract?"
Tony leaned forward. "Simply put, in the future, a monster appeared on Earth. No one could beat him. The four of you are already dead in the future. We're the only ones left capable of fighting."
"We're here to gather all six Infinity Stones across time, return to the future, and kill that son of a bitch!"
"Who? Who has that kind of power?" Natasha asked, clearly unsettled by the news of her own death.
Tony's face darkened with hatred. "Jason Walter. Of course, right now, he's just a nobody."
Coulson nodded. "I know the name. A top enforcer for Kingpin. Decent shot."
"A thug for Kingpin?" Clint asked, a smirk forming. "He's the one who made you all flee into the past?"
Tony stood up. "Just a heads up, Clint. Out of everyone in this room, you were the first one Jason killed. And it was messy. Very messy."
"He's welcome to try," Clint snapped, not believing a word of it.
"Quiet!" Fury interrupted. "Stark, was I killed by this Jason as well?"
Tony and Steve exchanged a look. "No," Tony said quietly. "You were killed... by Hydra."
"Hydra!" Fury was stunned. That name was ancient history.
"By the way, the guy sitting at the top? He's the head of Hydra," Tony said, pointing toward the ceiling.
"Alexander Pierce!" Fury gasped.
"Bingo. Hard to believe, right? S.H.I.E.L.D. was compromised long ago. More than half your agents are Hydra, including the Strike teams. And they've got deep roots in the government too."
Fury's face was grim. "Go on."
Tony waved it off. "No time. We've got a mission. Once we get the Tesseract, we need to find the other four."
"I'm sorry, but the Tesseract has belonged to S.H.I.E.L.D. for decades. I can't just hand it over based on your word," Fury said firmly.
Thor stepped forward, towering over them. "Listen well. The Tesseract has belonged to Asgard for millennia. It was Odin's mercy that left it in Norway a thousand years ago, hoping you Midgardians could use it for protection. Now, we are reclaiming it!"
The four agents looked at Thor as if he were insane.
"Odin... Asgard..." Coulson smiled. "Sir, those are Norse myths."
Thor said. "And why do you think those myths exist? Because those places and people are real!"
"And which god are you supposed to be?" Natasha teased.
"I am the God of Thunder."
The agents chuckled, dismissing him instantly. Thor's brow furrowed, and a low, rumbling thunder began to echo through the sky. The office grew dark as thick clouds rolled in.
Zzzzt!
Crackling purple lightning began to dance across Thor's skin. The agents' jaws dropped. Fury was the first to recover, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Okay, Mr. Thunder God. I believe you."
Thor smiled, satisfied by the fear in their eyes, and the storm vanished with a thought.
"Getting the Tesseract involves a lot of red tape," Fury said. "How long do you have?"
"Don't worry about the red tape, Nick," Carol said. "Just give us the address. We'll handle the rest."
"You're going to steal it?"
Carol nodded. "It's the simplest way."
"Agreed," Tony added.
Fury sighed, realizing he had no choice. These people were going to take it one way or another. "Fine. Agent Coulson will take you to the base."
Carol nodded. "If we survive this, we'll bring it back."
"Alright," Strange said. "Let's stick to the plan. Everyone to their stations."
"Steve, follow the agents to the S.H.I.E.L.D. base and secure the Space Stone."
"Got it."
"Carol, I'm sending you to future New York. Loki has the Mind Stone then."
"I'll try to go easy on him."
"Dr. Banner, you're headed to Morag for the Power Stone. It should be safe there for now."
"Understood."
"Thor, Loki. You're going to Asgard. Secure the Reality Stone from Jane."
"Our route is the easiest."
"Finally, Tony and Mrs. Potts. You're going to Vormir for the Soul Stone."
"Saving the best for last. I like it."
As the assignments were finalized, Strange began tracing five distinct portals in the air. Tony and Pepper activated their armor, and the shimmering nano-material covered their bodies in half a second.
Fury and the agents stared in awe. "Nano-tech?"
"The future of Stark Industries," Tony said with a satisfied grin. "You're only following me because of this suit, Nick. Admit it."
Fury finally understood the 'stalking' comment. If Stark actually invented technology like this, his younger self would never let it go.
"Okay, boys. Good luck to everyone!"
The heroes shared a brief smile and stepped through their respective gateways. The light faded, leaving only Strange and a very bewildered Nick Fury in the office.
"How long do we have to wait?" Fury asked.
"For them, it could be any length of time. For us? Exactly three seconds."
With that, Strange began to trace another circle.
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200 power stones.
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