The familiar whir of the Quantum Tunnel filled the hangar as golden light shimmered along the walls. The first team emerged with a gasp of displaced air—Steve, Tony, Bruce, and Scott materialized, quantum suits dimming and unlocking with mechanical hisses. Their expressions were tense, the weight of the mission clearly visible in their posture.
Behind them, Rhodey and Nebula stepped off the second pad, their forms stabilizing with a flicker. Rocket and Thor followed moments later, the former bouncing on his paws, the latter noticeably more composed, clutching Mjolnir in one hand, his eyes clouded with unspoken emotion. The last to arrive were Clint and Evil Nebula—masquerading perfectly as their Nebula.
But not Natasha.
Clint's expression was blank. His eyes were bloodshot, jaw clenched, hand trembling as he held out a glowing orange gem—the Soul Stone. It pulsed dimly in his grip, as if echoing the gravity of what had been lost. No words were necessary.
Bruce's eyes widened, and his lips trembled as he took an instinctive step forward, recognizing the painful absence immediately. Tony stopped cold, eyes flicking to Steve, who simply lowered his head, sorrow shadowing his features. Even Scott's ever-hopeful expression crumbled, replaced with a dawning sense of dread.
"Where's Nat?" Scott asked again, his voice thinner now.
No one answered.
"She gave it up," Clint finally said, barely above a whisper. "She gave everything."
Rocket looked away, blinking rapidly to hold back tears. Carol clenched her fists, her stance tightening. Even Thor, who had returned with Mjolnir in hand, let out a ragged breath and looked down, the burden of loss growing heavier by the second. The silence in the hangar was unbearable—thick with regret, pain, and unspoken grief.
Later, in the quiet of the meeting room, the team gathered again. Natasha's necklace—a small black pendant Clint had carried back—was placed in the center of the table, a silent tribute to their fallen comrade.
No one dared touch it.
Bruce sat apart, face buried in his hands. His massive frame hunched in a posture of defeat. Steve stood near the window, staring blankly out at the gray skies beyond. Carol remained stiffly by the door, arms crossed, jaw clenched. Rhodey paced slowly in the background, while Rocket busied himself disassembling and reassembling a small tool, his hands shaking.
Tony broke the silence, his voice low and hoarse. "She knew what it meant. We all did. But she still made the call."
Steve nodded slowly, voice barely audible. "Because someone had to."
Clint's eyes stayed fixed on the pendant. He didn't speak again, haunted by the memory of Vormir's red mist and her final words. Guilt clawed at his soul, and the silence around the table echoed with her absence.
Far beneath the earth in Wakanda, Alexander sat in the sanctum, his eyes closed. The chamber was silent, the flickering of his shadows muted. Nortis, Noctis, and Vasili stood nearby, unmoving. There was no need for words.
[SYSTEM STATUS: TIMELINE DEVIATION STABILIZED — SOUL ANCHOR REPLACED]
Alexander felt the cost. He had not known Natasha well—but her sacrifice burned through the timeline like a wound, and even his heart, forged in shadow, felt the sting of her absence. He exhaled, long and slow, the weight of consequence settling around him like a shroud.
Tony and Rocket worked furiously in the lab, surrounded by flickering blueprints and thrumming vibranium cores. The gauntlet—sleek, silver, and pulsing with integrated nanotech—took shape on the main workbench. Every second counted. A holographic display of the six Infinity Stones rotated slowly nearby.
"You think this'll hold?" Rocket asked, narrowing one eye, watching sparks fly from the final circuit weld.
"It has to," Tony replied, fingers working quickly. "We're about to shove a star into a glove."
Bruce entered the lab, shoulders tense, his usual calm fractured. "I should do it," he said firmly. "The radiation those Stones give off—it's mostly gamma. It's like I was made for this."
Tony looked up, eyebrows raised. "You sure about that? We don't know what it'll do to you."
"I don't care," Bruce said. "It's worth the risk."
Rocket gave a solemn nod. "Big guy's got a point. No one else has the durability."
Tony exhaled, stepping back. "Alright. Let's finish it."
With a low hum, the final Stone—the Soul Stone—was inserted. The gauntlet shuddered violently, energy rippling across the surface like lightning trapped in metal. It glowed with raw cosmic power, each Stone pulsing to its own rhythm.
The team gathered to witness the moment. Steve, Clint, Carol, and Thor entered the lab, their expressions mixed with awe and fear.
"This is it," Tony said, eyes locked on the glowing gauntlet. "Let's bring them back."
Aboard the Sanctuary II, orbiting a distant star, the past Nebula stood before Thanos, her golden eye flickering as the data from her future self played back through her neural network.
"She's seen everything," Ebony Maw said, gesturing to the device connected to her temple. "The other Nebula's memories—intertwined."
Nebula knelt, head bowed. "The Avengers succeeded. They have all six Stones in the future. They plan to reverse your work."
Thanos sat in contemplative silence, his double-bladed sword resting against his knee. He watched the flickering holograms projected by Maw—images of the Avengers, the Snap, the Time Heist, and finally... his own death.
He did not flinch. He studied every image with methodical precision.
"And yet they still fail," he said at last, voice low and confident. "They undo my destiny—and seal their fate."
He stood slowly, towering above them, eyes glowing with grim determination.
"Ready the fleet," he commanded. "I'm going to the future."
Back in Wakanda, Alexander's body stiffened as the shadows around him trembled. A pulse of unnatural energy surged through the chamber, the walls vibrating with warning.
[SYSTEM ALERT: TEMPORAL BREACH DETECTED — MASSIVE INTERVENTION IMMINENT]
He rose from the sanctum floor with deliberate calm. Nortis, Noctis, and Vasili stepped forward, their expressions grim. They had seen signs of this moment coming, but none of them expected the sheer scale of power they now felt distorting the temporal weave.
"What is it?" Noctis asked.
Alexander turned toward them, eyes now glowing white-hot, voice steady. "Thanos has found them. He's coming—through time itself."
"Do we act?" Vasili questioned, gripping his weapon.
Alexander's gaze hardened like obsidian. "No more waiting. Prepare the realm. Rally the shadows. Alert every sentinel and warden."
He stepped into the center of the sanctum, drawing his blade from the darkness. The hilt pulsed in resonance with his core. Shadows encircled him, swirling like a hurricane.
"This war isn't for a single world. It's for the flow of time itself."
He raised his hand, casting out a signal through the Shadow Web, reaching allies hidden across forgotten dimensions.
The shadows behind him surged, flickering like a storm ready to consume the stars.
The final convergence was upon them.
To be continued.
__________________________
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