Swish!
The world twisted. Alex's vision blurred as the dizzying sensation of time-space travel seized his body once again. The air shimmered, light fractured, and when his eyes refocused, he was standing in an entirely different timeline.
The first thing he did was spread his super-hearing outward like a net. Countless sounds flooded in—the chatter of distant soldiers, the hum of machinery, even the faint buzz of fluorescent lights in a nearby facility. And then—two familiar voices. A grin tugged at his lips.
"Found them."
Boom!
His figure flickered, vanishing like lightning.
In the next instant, Alex appeared before two very familiar men. Iron Man and Captain America stood frozen, staring at him as though a ghost had materialized. Their eyes widened, expressions grave.
The two had just completed their time-jump from 2023. The mission was simple: secure the Pym Particles and retrieve the Space Stone hidden within this era. They had succeeded in the first half, the vials of Pym Particles safely in hand, and were preparing to infiltrate the S.H.I.E.L.D. base to hunt down the Tesseract.
But before they could even make their move, another traveler had arrived. And not just anyone—Homelander.
"Homelander, what are you doing here?" Captain America's voice was sharp, suspicious. His shield tilted slightly higher, as though preparing for the worst. A bad feeling coiled in his chest.
Alex's sudden arrival did not carry the aura of an ally. His stance, his calm smirk—it screamed danger.
"Relax," Alex replied casually, shrugging as if brushing off an insect. "I won't interfere with your mission. I just… need to delay you for a while."
He didn't wait for an answer. His body blurred.
Boom!
Captain America barely raised his shield before Alex's strike slammed into him. The impact sent the super-soldier skidding across the ground, the shield rattling against his arm as he crashed and lay motionless, breath knocked from his lungs.
"Steve!"
Iron Man's HUD screamed alarms. Panic shot through him. In an instant, his gauntlets flared with light and his armor spat out a volley of micro-missiles.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
They streaked toward Alex, warheads primed to detonate. The air burned with trails of smoke.
But Alex didn't even flinch. With a thought, a translucent telekinetic barrier shimmered around him. The missiles exploded harmlessly against it, sparks and fire washing over him like rain.
"Pathetic."
Boom!
Another flicker of movement. Iron Man barely registered the blur before a tremendous force slammed into his chestplate. The world spun. He hit the ground hard, armor screeching as circuits sparked, his body lying crumpled like a broken doll.
Silence followed.
Alex strolled forward with unhurried steps, his cape brushing the floor. His gaze settled on Captain America's unconscious form. Calmly, he reached down and unclasped the sleek time-travel device from the man's wrist.
Click.
Strapping it onto himself, Alex pressed the button.
Swish!
Light swallowed him whole, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone.
He reappeared inside the Avengers headquarters of 2023.
The atmosphere there was tense but hopeful—until he arrived.
"Did it really work? Everyone, you—" The words of greeting froze on the lips of the gathered Avengers. Smiles stiffened, eyes widened in shock.
Because standing before them was not Iron Man or Captain America.
It was Homelander.
"Homelander?!"
"Why the hell are you here?"
"Where are Stark and Rogers?"
The voices overlapped in disbelief. The sudden intrusion set every nerve on edge. Homelander was not an enemy in the traditional sense, but he was far from an ally. His unpredictability was a danger in itself.
Worse, his presence in place of their two comrades painted an ominous picture.
Alex raised his hands slightly, expression calm, almost amused. "No need to panic. Stark and Rogers are alive. Just unconscious. I didn't kill them." His tone was as casual as if he were discussing the weather.
The Avengers exhaled collectively, a wave of relief sweeping through the room. They didn't doubt him. A being like Homelander had no need to lie. If he'd wanted them dead, they would already be corpses.
"Then what do you want, Homelander?" Rhodes demanded, his War Machine armor whirring as it armed itself. His tone was sharp, eyes never leaving Alex.
The others, too, shifted subtly—Hawkeye's bow drawn, Rocket's blaster raised, Thor's hands twitching toward his hammers. Every instinct told them this wasn't a social visit.
Alex's gaze swept over them like a predator studying prey. "I don't mean you harm. I simply need to borrow the Time Stone." His words fell lightly, but the weight behind them was crushing.
Faces darkened instantly.
Alex added with a half-smile, "Well, technically I am stealing it. But only temporarily. Once I'm finished, I'll put it back, and in your timeline, it'll be as if it never left. No damage done. Nothing to fear."
But the reassurance didn't land. The Infinity Stones weren't mere objects—they were everything. No Avenger could stomach handing one over, no matter the promise.
"Banner, get the stone out of here!" Thor barked, lightning crackling across his body as he seized Stormbreaker in one hand and Mjolnir in the other. With a roar, he launched himself at Alex, thunder exploding around him.
Boom!
The headquarters trembled. But Alex moved faster. A flicker—then Thor's body was blasted back, smashing through reinforced walls like a ragdoll, his body leaving a gaping hole in the compound.
"Open fire!"
War Machine's shoulder cannons erupted, missiles and miniguns thundering. Rocket and Nebula unleashed a storm of plasma bolts, while Hawkeye's arrows streaked in rapid succession.
The room filled with fire, smoke, and the deafening roar of weapons.
Alex barely acknowledged them. His telekinetic wave burst outward in a ripple of invisible force.
Boom!
War Machine's armor screamed as he was hurled across the floor, sparks flying. Rocket yelped as he collided with a wall, Nebula crumpled, and Hawkeye's bow snapped as he slammed into the ground.
In seconds, they were all down, groaning, unable to rise.
"Homelander!"
Thor staggered back into the fight, lightning sparking wildly across his body. His eyes blazed as he charged again, twin hammers raised high.
Alex sighed. His fist blurred.
Pound! Pound! Pound!
Three heavy blows later, the God of Thunder was sprawled on the floor, battered and broken, his weapons clattering away.
And then—silence.
Only Banner remained. He had seized the distraction to flee, sprinting out of the base, clutching the Time Stone with white-knuckled desperation. His breath came ragged, his heart pounding.
But behind him—
Boom!
The air split with a sonic boom. A figure blurred ahead of him, materializing in his path.
Alex stood there, calm and smiling, his eyes glowing faintly with power.
Banner skidded to a halt, his face draining of color. His worst fear had come true.
There was no escape.
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