In her office, Anna remotely piloted an armored suit toward the spacecraft. Compared to other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, she'd interacted with Natasha more frequently over the past few months, enough to recognize her on sight.
But something felt off.
In another office, Coulson watched the live feed showing both Natasha and Hawkeye. He pulled out his phone and immediately contacted S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. The response came back within seconds – both agents were currently on separate missions, nowhere near the company facility.
He turned to Anna through the comm channel. "Ms. Anna, please restrain them. They're not who they appear to be."
He paused, remembering Fury's briefing about theoretical threats. "At least, they're not our Hawkeye and Natasha."
Anna nodded slightly. Whether they were S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel or not, flying an unidentified spacecraft directly into company airspace without clearance was a serious security breach.
---
Aboard the spacecraft, Natasha's heart skipped when she heard Anna use their names. The tone suggested familiarity, maybe even friendship. But how could someone in this timeline know them?
The armored suit turned and walked away, replaced by another that entered from the rear compartment. Anna's voice came through again.
"Natasha, what brings you here? Is this about the armor shipment?"
Natasha grew alert, and prepared herself to activate the Pym Particles at a moment's notice while her brain worked overtime to process the situation.
Armor shipment? What armor? I don't remember anything like that.
That's when it clicked. This wasn't just time travel, they'd crossed into an alternate universe entirely. She'd suspected as much when she saw the Italian message on Vormir, but now she had confirmation.
"Yeah," she said smoothly. "It's about the armor."
Anna continued, "The suits S.H.I.E.L.D. ordered are all completed. We made several modifications based on your specifications. Since you're here, I'll take you to see them."
The armored suit turned to lead them out. Hawkeye and Natasha exchanged glances and stood from their seats.
Then everything went to hell.
The armor suddenly erupted. Blue-white arcs lashed out toward both agents with terrifying speed.
Even with her enhanced physiology, Natasha barely had time to register the attack before voltage slammed into her nervous system. Intense numbness swept through her body, and her legs gave out beneath her. She collapsed to the deck, muscles spasming.
Beside her, Hawkeye had it worse. His eyes rolled back and he dropped unconscious immediately.
As the electricity dissipated, Natasha seized the brief window to jam her thumb down on a hidden button. The white quantum suit materialized around her body in an instant, a full-face helmet sealing over her head.
"I miscalculated her physical tolerance," Anna's voice came through the suit speakers. "Her enhanced body is more resilient than Hawkeye's."
Beneath the helmet, Natasha's expression hardened. She wanted to flee, but Hawkeye was completely unconscious. She couldn't abandon him, he was one of the few people she still considered family.
"Why did you attack us?"
Any response could provide useful intelligence about this situation.
That's when Coulson's voice came through the armor's speakers. "This is Coulson. Please stand down."
Hearing that achingly familiar voice sent a shock through Natasha's system. Coulson, alive, apparently working with this mysterious company. In her timeline, he'd died years ago during the Chitauri invasion.
She had no choice now. Looking at Hawkeye stripped down to his underwear by the security scan, she could only sigh internally and deactivate her quantum suit, revealing the tactical gear beneath.
This time, Coulson didn't take advantage. Instead, the armor extended a metallic hand in a clear demand.
Natasha began pulling various gadgets from concealed pockets and compartments. They clattered onto the deck in a small pile.
A scanning beam shot from the armor, projecting a holographic image of her body. Several areas glowed red, indicating hidden items the scan had detected.
When the metal hand extended toward her again, her expression turned helpless. She reluctantly pulled out another handful of devices from various hiding spots.
"Please come with me," the armor said, gesturing for her to walk ahead.
It turned toward Hawkeye, hoisted him over its shoulder, and began monitoring his vitals, ready to deliver another shock the moment he regained consciousness.
Fortunately, he remained unconscious. Otherwise, Coulson would definitely have gotten an earful.
Natasha followed the armor out of the spacecraft, taking in her surroundings with a trained eye. The sky above was now mostly clear. Most had returned to the workshop, leaving only four hovering as an escort.
They arrived at the main building, and Natasha's gaze caught on the obsidian layer covering the workshop's exterior. Her eyes flickered, but she said nothing.
What she didn't know was that every micro-expression was being recorded and transmitted to screens before Anna and Coulson.
Coulson watched the live feed. "She's seen obsidian before. I could tell by how her eyes changed just now."
The term "obsidian" was something he had specifically asked Mario about during one of their conversations. He was always curious about everything related to that mysterious man.
Anna paused. "You mean... she knows Mario?"
Coulson shook his head. "I'm not sure. For now, we'll detain her and try to contact him. Hopefully he hasn't wandered off somewhere again."
Meanwhile, Natasha carefully observed everything as they moved deeper into the facility. The more she saw, the more astonished she became.
Powered armor, which should have been rare, was common here. Security guards wore suits. More armor was parked in what looked like a parking lot, each one unique, reflecting different design philosophies.
What she didn't realize was that these distinctive suits were custom-built by the company's researchers, each modified to their personal preferences. Mario had ensured that his valuable scientists had proper protection in case of danger.
Eventually, the armor led her into a room constructed entirely of obsidian. Two torches burned on the walls, providing flickering light. Strangely, despite the lack of ventilation, the air wasn't stuffy at all.
"You'll need to rest here for a while," the armor said. "When Mario returns, he'll decide what to do with you."
Natasha felt anxiety spike. "Wait, there's something important I need to—"
But the armor showed no sign of stopping. It simply dropped the unconscious Hawkeye onto the floor, turned, and left the room.
---
In the company's interrogation room, Mario sat across from Natasha. His face showed excitement as he toyed with two small vials filled with red liquid.
Pym Particles.
The resource he'd wanted but never bothered to actively seek out. Now that he had them, he could finally explore the quantum realm, and possibly even traverse different parallel universes or timelines.
Though he was skeptical about time travel specifically. If it really worked, wouldn't his future self have already come back to warn him about something?
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Mario. I know who you are. A friend from another world. I just want to confirm something: in your world, has Thanos already snapped his fingers?"
Natasha, who had been quietly studying Mario, shot to her feet. Even her elite training couldn't suppress the shock on her face.
"How do you know that?"
Mario tapped his fingers on the table, producing deep thudding sounds. He smiled. "I know more than you think. But that's not the main issue right now. The important thing is, I want to go back to your universe with you. I want to see Thanos for myself."
He slid a peculiar device across the table toward her, a Pym Particle controller. With a simple press, it would activate the specialized quantum suit.
Natasha calmed herself, studying the young man whose faint smile never wavered. "Is the Soul Stone with you?"
"That's right," Mario nodded. "I have the Stone. I also know why you came here. In fact, I'm willing to help you fight Thanos."
Natasha hesitated, then made her decision. "Can I see it?"
"Of course. Just a moment."
Mario left the room and walked down the corridor to another chamber, openening the door and stepping inside.
The room was packed with familiar faces: Ivan, Coulson, Tony, Fury, Rogers, Hawkeye, Thor, Kaecilius, Banner...
Every gaze turned toward him as he entered.
Fury spoke first, "You're planning to go to their world?"
Mario had already discussed Thanos with everyone present before interrogating Natasha. The room was equipped with surveillance, so they'd all heard his conversation.
"Yeah," Mario replied. "Looks like she's agreed. Ivan, get ready. Once I cross over, I'll set up a portal immediately. You'll lead the Iron Legion through the Nether to their world. The target is Thanos's flagship."
Ivan nodded, and grinned.
He'd spent weeks building and studying spacecraft, completely mastering the knowledge. But constructing a mothership? That was like comparing a fishing boat to an aircraft carrier in terms of complexity. Now he had the chance to capture an interstellar mothership. How could he not be tempted?
Even Tony beside him looked highly interested.
"I can help Ivan," he said eagerly. "You know a project like this needs someone like me."
Mario nodded in agreement. When Thanos brought his mothership through the quantum tunnel to battle the Avengers, that would be the vessel's weakest moment, most soldiers would already be deployed on the ground, leaving only a skeleton crew aboard.
"Director Fury, have S.H.I.E.L.D. document everything you can about Thanos. When we return, we might face his attention too."
Fury didn't argue. Against a threat like Thanos, ordinary agents were useless. Among those with special abilities under his command, only a handful could be relied upon, and several of them still couldn't fully control their powers. Realistically, only Rogers and Hawkeye were fully deployable. Thor and Tony weren't even official Avengers yet.
"All right then," Mario said. "You all carry on with your planning."
He removed his gauntlet and extracted the Soul Stone embedded in the back, placing the glove into his inventory.
Returning to the interrogation room, he extended his hand, showing Natasha the glowing Soul Stone. Its mesmerizing light caught her completely off guard, stealing her breath.
Natasha instinctively reached out to touch it, but Mario closed his fist around the gem just in time, cutting off its allure. "Careful there. This thing's temperamental. Touch it wrong and... well, let's just say things could go badly."
If she touched it and the Soul Stone deemed her unworthy, it might consume her soul outright. After all, this wasn't the stone she'd earned through sacrifice.
Natasha took several deep breaths, snapping out of the trance. A moment ago, her mind had been consumed by a single thought, take the Soul Stone. Everything else had simply vanished.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Mario's lips curved into a slight smile. "No need to thank me. Now, shall we get going?"
---
At the new Avengers compound, in a spacious, brightly lit room, Banner awkwardly pecked at a keyboard with his oversized green fingers. The Hulk's massive digits were completely unsuited for normal-sized keys.
That's when the quantum tunnel machine suddenly flared to life. Light burst across the platform as several figures materialized.
The room erupted with excitement.
"Who are you?"
As the travelers' quantum suits faded away, everyone noticed the stranger among them, Mario.
Thor reacted instantly. His hand extended, and Stormbreaker flew into his grasp. He leaped through the air, ready to subdue the intruder.
"Calm down."
Mario tapped his staff lightly against the floor. The sharp clang sent out a strange ripple that washed over the room.
A translucent barrier formed around Thor, slowing his movements to a crawl, as if he were moving in slow motion through the air.
"I know you're in a hurry, but take it easy first."
He pulled the glowing orange Soul Stone from his inventory, tossing it lightly in his hand. "This one's mine. But since Natasha asked nicely, I'll lend it to you."
He glanced at Thor still pushing through the temporal effect, and added, "Though judging by that guy's strength, doesn't seem like you even need my help."
In just a few seconds, Thor shattered the temporal slowdown. Clearly, with Stormbreaker in hand and years of growth behind him, his power had reached an entirely new level.