Steve Rogers stepped back through the portal, holding the glowing blue cube of the Tesseract. Nick Fury noticed the wounds on the four of them and asked, "What happened?"
"We went for the cube, but a group of agents tried to stop us. They drew weapons. Captain Rogers saved us," Natasha explained.
"It was Hydra," Steve said flatly.
Fury's eye darkened with rage. "As soon as this is over, I'm initiating a total purge of S.H.I.E.L.D." It was a humiliation he would never forget—his own agency was infested with parasites right under his nose.
Thor and Loki were the next to return. Their route had been the easiest—a simple trip home to see family and retrieve the Reality Stone.
Dr. Banner was third. Morag was a wasteland, and with the Stone's location still a secret, he had secured the Power Stone without incident.
Captain Marvel appeared fourth, completely unscathed. Taking the Scepter from 2012 Loki had been a trivial task for her.
The group gathered, their excitement building as they shared stories of their missions. But as the moments passed, the last portal remained empty. Tony and Pepper had not yet emerged.
The laughter died away. The air grew heavy with a growing, terrible realization.
"I'm going in," Steve said, ready to jump through.
Strange nodded, and the others followed.
The sky over Vormir was a perpetual, dim orange-red. Steve stepped through the portal and found himself atop a lonely peak. Before he could call out for Tony, a figure drifted toward him.
"Steve Rogers... old friend."
The Red Skull pulled back his hood, revealing his hideous, crimson face.
"You... Johann!" Steve clenched his fists, his body tensing for a fight. Their grudge spanned a century; Steve had stopped his plans at the cost of seventy years in the ice.
"How are you here? Where is Tony Stark?"
"Heh... have you forgotten? I touched the Tesseract once. It rejected me and exiled me here to serve as the guide for the Soul Stone. As for Tony Stark... he is waiting for you up ahead."
Steve sprinted toward the cliff's edge. He found Tony sitting alone on the rocks. The billionaire, the philanthropist, the man who always had a quip—he was hollow. He sat silently, clutching the Soul Stone in his hand like a man who had lost his soul.
Steve looked around. Pepper was nowhere to be found. His heart sank.
The others arrived, guided by the Red Skull. They stood in a silent semi-circle, unable to find the words. Thor lost his temper first, seizing Red Skull by the throat. "Pepper Potts! Where is she?"
"The Stone... to obtain the Soul Stone, a sacrifice must be made," Red Skull wheezed.
"Sacrifice what?"
"The life of the one you love most. A soul for a soul. It is the rule of the Stone. I cannot change it."
Thor threw him to the ground in a rage and knelt by Tony. "Don't worry. We have all six stones now. We can bring her back."
A spark of hope flickered in Tony's eyes. He looked at the others; they all nodded in agreement. Even Strange removed the Time Stone from around his neck.
"The power of the six stones is huge," Strange warned. "It will kill a mortal instantly. We must choose who wields it."
"Let it be me," Thor volunteered. "I am a god. I have lightning in my veins."
"Lightning won't help you," Banner said. "The stones release Gamma radiation. No one knows it better than I do."
"Banner, you aren't fit for this," Thor countered, implying that the merger with Hulk had made him weaker.
Captain Marvel stepped forward. "I'll do it. My power came from a stone. I can channel cosmic energy. I'm the only one who can survive the surge."
No one argued. Carol was the strongest among them. Thor and Banner handed over their stones.
Carol gripped the six gems. "Just holding them isn't enough. Tony, I need your armor to house them."
Tony hesitated, then tossed her the necklace containing the Rescue suit. Carol activated it, the blue nano-tech covering her body. She placed the six stones on the back of the right gauntlet.
Immediately, a terrifying surge of energy raced through her. The nano-armor began to buckle and crack under the strain. Carol didn't wait. She raised her arm and focused every ounce of her will on one thought: Bring back Pepper Potts.
SNAP.
The armor shattered. The six stones fell to the ground.
"Did it work?"
"I think so."
"Where is she?"
Tony scrambled to his feet, launching drones from his own armor to scan the entirety of Vormir. Thor and Strange flew into the sky. They searched for hours, scouring every inch of the planet, but there was no sign of Pepper.
"Why? Did it fail?"
Red Skull watched their futile efforts with pity. "No. She succeeded. But do you think the Stone permits such a thing?"
"What do you mean?" Thor growled.
"I mean that those sacrificed to the Soul Stone are gone forever. Not even the power of all six stones can undo the trade."
Tony's face went white. He collapsed onto the ground.
The stones were theirs, but Pepper's soul was lost to the void. The victory tasted like ash. For the next few days, morale was non-existent. Tony didn't sleep. He spent his nights in the S.H.I.E.L.D. lab, constructing a perfect nano-gauntlet to house the stones. But every morning at dawn, he would vanish, returning only in the dead of night.
Malibu Beach, California.
Tony Stark's private mansion sat perched on the cliffside, overlooking the ocean. It was 7:00 AM. A car pulled into the driveway. Sitting in the driver's seat was a woman—not a classic beauty, but someone with a magnetic, professional grace. Pepper Potts.
She was dressed in a black business suit, stepping into the mansion to begin her day. She cleaned up the trash from her employer's late-night parties and began preparing breakfast. She walked into the lab with a tray.
"Amazing. The girl actually took a cab home for once," Pepper quipped, a familiar bit of banter between them.
2008 Tony stopped his work, thinking of his companion from the night before. "Yeah, she was nice. Pity I have a rule against seeing the same girl twice. I didn't even keep her number."
Pepper rolled her eyes and pulled out her tablet to report on the day's business. "The meeting with the military is set. They want you in Afghanistan next month for the Jericho missile demonstration. I need to confirm the schedule."
"Afghanistan? That's next month. Don't bother me with it now," Tony said dismissively.
"I know, but they're pushing for a firm date."
"Your job is to keep that shit away from me, isn't it?"
Pepper suppressed her annoyance. "It is."
"Anything else?"
"The weapon contractors' awards ceremony..."
"God, again with next month. Is there nothing happening this month?"
"Three business meetings, two private consultations... which I've already canceled for you. By the way, there are only three days left in this month."
"Oh. Time flies."
"It does. Now eat your breakfast."
Pepper turned to leave, her frustration clear. 2008 Tony watched her go, a flicker of regret crossing his face, but he was too arrogant to change. Why should he change for an assistant?
"You should cherish her," A voice said from the shadows of the lab.
"Who's there!" Tony jumped, dropping his eggs.
"Disengaging stealth."
A red-and-gold nano-suit materialized in front of him.
"Shit! Jarvis!!"
"Jarvis, sleep," The armored man said.
"Understood, sir," The AI responded, shutting down. 2008 Tony was terrified. This intruder had higher clearance than he did.
"... what do you want?"
The intruder stepped forward and deactivated his helmet, revealing a face Tony recognized as his own—only twenty years older and broken by grief.
The two Tonys talked for a long time.
Afterward, the older Tony seemed to find some peace. He stopped stalking 2008 Pepper and returned to the S.H.I.E.L.D. safe house. It was the first time he had shown up during the day.
"Tony, what's going on?" Steve asked.
"I'm fine. The gauntlet is finished. I tested it last night."
Strange looked at him knowingly. "Did you say your goodbyes?"
"Yeah." Tony nodded, his expression hardening. "But before we head back, we have one last thing to do."
Manhattan. High-noon.
A man and a woman, wearing hats and sunglasses to hide their faces, entered a luxury high-rise apartment. As soon as the door closed, they were on each other, kissing passionately.
They were experts; within thirty seconds, their clothes were on the floor, their lips never parting. Jason swept Vanessa into his arms and carried her into the bedroom, tossing her onto the bed.
"Safety first," Jason whispered, looking at the sunlight streaming through the curtains. "I'm going to close them."
But as he moved, Vanessa wrapped herself around him like a serpent. "Don't go."
"But I'm worried—"
"Don't be. Kingpin is in L.A. We're fine. Now, I can't wait."
Jason growled and pinned her to the mattress. The room was quickly filled with the sounds of their tryst.
BOOM.
The exterior wall of the apartment exploded inward.
"Oh, shit!" Jason scrambled, the shock of the blast nearly killing the moment.
"What's happening?" Vanessa cried, her lust replaced by terror.
Jason had a bad feeling. He kicked Vanessa off the bed and flipped the mattress, revealing a stash of money and dozens of weapons. Whoever had broken in wasn't there for a chat. He grabbed two grenades and tossed them into the living room, then grabbed a rappelling line and headed for the balcony. He didn't even have time to put on pants.
But as he threw open the curtains, he froze.
A group of freaks in colorful costumes were floating outside his balcony, waiting for him. Jason's mind raced as he recognized two of them.
The old man in the red-and-gold armor had to be Tony Stark—but he looked ancient. The one with the cape and the hammer spinning like a propeller was Thor. He didn't recognize the blonde woman or the long-faced sorcerer.
Movement behind him confirmed he was trapped.
"Heh... I think I get it." Jason let out a cold laugh and dropped his gun. "So, my future self succeeded!"
"You knew we were coming?" Strange asked.
"I didn't before, but the scene is pretty clear." Jason pointed at them. "Old Stark, Old Captain America... and that tech. Unless you've got a better explanation, you're time travelers."
"Your future self is a monster," Steve said. "He killed a lot of people. Our friends included."
"So go find him and get your revenge! Why come after me?" Jason shouted. "I haven't killed your friends yet. You're just picking on the easy target!"
The heroes were silent, stung by the logic, but Tony's cold gaze never flickered.
"Are those your last words?"
"No, I've got one more!" Jason snarled, his face twisting into a grin. "Fuck y—"
Before the curse was finished, Tony's arm shifted into a long nano-blade. In a single, fluid motion, he swept the blade across Jason's throat.
Jason's head rolled onto the floor. Tony shook the blood from the blade, his eyes burning with a dark, vengeful fire.
"Let's get home," Tony said. "It's time to kill the other one."
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You can read advance chapters and view R-18 images of the characters on pat reon page.
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200 power stones.
Top 100. All time.