The hangar at the Avengers Facility was eerily quiet. No chatter, no quips, just the low hum of quantum cores and the distant murmur of wind pressing against steel walls. The makeshift time platform stood ready, glowing faintly with activated circuits, casting sharp reflections on the polished floor. Everyone present understood the stakes—one chance, one mission, no do-overs.
Tony Stark stood at the front of the room, fingers tapping against a holographic display showing six glowing Infinity Stones. He cleared his throat, the sound uncharacteristically somber.
"Alright, here's the layout. Each Stone exists at a specific place and time in our past. We're splitting into teams. We go in, grab the Stones, and get out. Minimal interference. Timeline stability is key."
He turned to Steve. The tension between them had softened since the handshake, but years of mistrust still lingered in the air like ash after a fire.
"New York, 2012," Steve said, stepping forward. "Me, Tony, Bruce, and Scott. The Space, Mind, and Time Stones were all there. Three birds, one timeline."
"Thor and I," Rocket added, adjusting his goggles, "go back to Asgard, 2013. The Aether was still inside Foster. I'll do the poking, and he does the heavy lifting."
"Nebula and I take Morag," Rhodey said. "Same timeframe. That's where Quill first found the Power Stone."
"That leaves Vormir for me and Clint," Natasha finished, voice firm but distant. Her eyes didn't meet anyone else's.
No one spoke. Everyone knew what Vormir meant. No one dared say it. The silence was heavier than any words.
Tony clapped his hands, trying to cut through the tension. "We've run the math, the tech checks out, and the quantum suits are stable. This is it. Let's bring everyone back."
They stepped onto the platform, hearts pounding. Carol Danvers watched from a distance, arms crossed, golden aura dimmed.
"No word from Alexander?" she asked Steve, almost a whisper.
Steve shook his head. "Not yet."
"Hope he joins us before it's too late," she murmured.
The countdown began. "Five... four... three... two... one..."
With a flash of white light and a blast of quantum particles, they vanished.
Far below Wakanda, deep in the mountain's ancient sanctum, Alexander stood with his eyes closed. Shadows crawled around him like restless wolves. Nortis and Noctis knelt, heads lowered. Vasili remained silent but alert, his spear resting lightly against the stone.
A ripple passed through the chamber. The air thickened.
[SYSTEM ALERT: TEMPORAL SHIFTS CONFIRMED – TARGET LOCATIONS: MIDGARD, ASGARD, MORAG, VORMIR]
"They've begun," Alexander whispered. "Their timelines fracture even now."
Noctis stepped forward, his voice cold but respectful. "Shall we intervene? We can stop Thanos before the first convergence. The shadows can thread through the cracks."
Alexander's gaze remained fixed in the void. "Not yet. The stream is fragile. Too much interference and we become the threat."
He turned suddenly, eyes flaring with intensity. "But Vormir... something is wrong."
Vasili looked up. "What do you see?"
Alexander's hand trembled. In the shadows of time, he saw cliffs drenched in red mist. Two figures stood atop them—Natasha and Clint. Their emotions rippled through the ether like cries through a storm. A pain lanced through his core, an emotion he hadn't allowed himself to feel in centuries: helplessness.
The cold on Vormir bit like a blade. Natasha pulled her hood tighter, but the chill wasn't just the air—it was the weight of the place. Clint walked beside her, quiet, brooding, every step echoing memories he wished he could forget.
They reached the altar, its surface worn by time and sacrifice. The sky above remained a bruised violet, stained with stars and sorrow.
A dark figure emerged from the mist. Red Skull. Cloaked in shadow, floating slightly above the stone. His voice echoed as though from another world.
"Welcome," he said, his tone hollow yet omniscient. "To claim the Soul Stone, one must lose that which they love. A soul for a soul."
Silence.
Natasha looked at Clint. Clint looked at Natasha.
"You're kidding," Clint muttered, already sensing the answer.
"He's not," Natasha said, jaw clenched, eyes fixed on the altar.
The wind howled around them. A hawk cried in the distance, the only sound of life on the desolate planet.
"We'll find another way," Clint said quickly. "There has to be—"
"There isn't," Natasha interrupted. "We knew this wouldn't be easy. We just didn't know it would be... this."
"Let me do it," Clint said. "I've done terrible things, Nat. Let me make it right."
"No," she said. "You think I haven't? I was a monster before SHIELD. Before you."
Tears welled in both their eyes. They turned from each other, both reaching the edge of the cliff, both silently preparing to leap first.
"We're family," Clint said. "That's why I have to do this."
"That's exactly why you can't," Natasha replied. "I've spent my whole life trying to make up for what I've done. Let me finish it the right way."
Asgard, 2013.
Thor trembled as he peered around a pillar, watching his mother in the garden. Her presence, serene and maternal, tore at his heart like a blade. Rocket rolled his eyes.
"We don't have time for a family reunion," he whispered, tail flicking.
"I need... a moment," Thor replied, voice cracking under the pressure of loss and regret.
Rocket nodded, stepping toward Jane's chamber, his steps light but determined.
Thor hesitated, feet planted. The scent of home, the ghosts of failure, they clung to him like frost. He wasn't ready, but he knew he had to be.
Back in Wakanda, Alexander reeled, breath catching.
[SOUL TIMELINE DESTABILIZING]
He slammed his fist into the stone. Shadow cracks spiraled out across the floor, the energy shrieking in response.
"I can't stop it," he growled.
"Can't or won't?" Vasili asked softly.
Alexander stared at him. "If I act now, the price becomes worse."
He closed his eyes again, seeing Vormir. His fingers trembled at his sides.
Natasha ran.
Clint followed. They wrestled, kicked, dodged. Arrows flew, batons cracked. Each was determined to be the one who made the sacrifice. Their bodies bore fresh bruises, but neither held back.
"Let me do this!" Clint screamed. "You have more to give!"
"No!" she yelled back. "Let me go!"
He managed to fire a zip-line arrow, hooking her leg. She yanked free, twisting in midair with practiced precision. The zip line snapped.
He dove.
She caught him.
"Let me go," she whispered, voice steady, eyes glassy with pain and acceptance.
"Please, don't—"
She pushed off the cliff.
Her body fell, graceful, red hair catching the wind like fire.
Clint's scream echoed across the barren valley.
The light flared.
The Soul Stone appeared in his hand, heavy with grief.
Deep in Wakanda, Alexander collapsed to one knee. His shadows pulled in tight around him like armor shielding grief. Nortis and Noctis turned away, giving him space. The chamber darkened, reflecting his pain.
[SYSTEM UPDATE: SOUL SACRIFICE COMPLETE – NATASHA ROMANOFF DECEASED]
He bowed his head. The weight of her sacrifice resonated through him like a tolling bell. His jaw clenched. His knuckles whitened.
"And so... the price has been paid."
His voice was quiet.
But the storm inside him was just beginning.
To be continued.
__________________________
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