The TVA's high-level command room was dominated by shades of orange—orange walls, orange ceiling, and screens glowing with the sa hue.
B15, her short curly hair bouncing slightly, stared at the large orange screen with a serious expression. Aside from her, most of the room—from skin tone to clothing—was orange.
Suddenly, an orange portal opened behind her.
"Wait, Mr. Stark, you should really finish the wedding first!" Holland-Spider's voice called out, as noisy as ever.
B15 raised an eyebrow, initially intrigued, but her expression hardened as she saw who had arrived.
"Iron Man? Why did you bring this playboy back? Where's Superman… Oh, Superman! You're finally here!"
She smiled again, walking past Tony and Holland-Spider to shake Malrick's hand enthusiastically, her disdain for Iron Man clear in her tone.
After Malrick and Wanda stepped through, the orange portal closed automatically.
"Long ti no see, B15. So, what major event has occurred? We need to assess the situation imdiately," Malrick said, his gaze sweeping the screen.
B15's face instantly beca serious.
"It's Thanos. He has disturbed the Multiverse."
She led everyone to the screen and played footage from a specific tiline.
Earth, Wakanda.
Thanos's army stretched from sky to ground, blotting out the sun. The massive purple figure stood at the front, radiating an aura of unshakable authority, like an immovable mountain.
Opposite him stood the Wakandan army and the Avengers. Captain Arica and Iron Man led the charge.
"The Mind Stone, one of the last two Stones, hand it over," Thanos commanded, extending his right hand. His left bore the Infinity Gauntlet, four Stones already in place, only the Mind and Ti Stones missing.
Captain Arica shook his head, gripping his shield.
"Where is the Dr. you kidnapped? What did you do to him?"
In the TVA, everyone looked at Holland-Spider, who had paused the footage.
"We need an explanation," Malrick prompted.
Holland-Spider gestured frantically.
"Okay, so this might be complicated. This is actually my second—no, third—ti facing Thanos. First, Mr. Stark, Doctor Strange, and I went to Thanos's ho planet. Total wasteland…"
"Get to the point," Tony interrupted, rubbing his forehead.
"Right, okay. Anyway, that ti, Stephen gave the Ti Stone to Thanos to save Mr. Stark. In this world, he was taken alone because he didn't ask the Avengers for help. He probably foresaw that he needed to do that."
Tony nodded, already knowing the original events from Old Captain Arica. He let Holland-Spider ramble to give the young Spider-Man a chance to improvise.
"Good. That's enough. No pausing during the footage," Tony said.
In the scene, the kidnapped doctor would survive temporarily after handing over the Ti Stone, leaving the rest to fate.
Thanos repeated, "Give the Mind Stone."
"Not while we're standing," Captain Arica said firmly, tightening his grip on his shield.
Iron Man activated his thrusters and rose into the air.
"This guy's a jerk, but what he says… I feel the sa."
Thanos's gaze swept over them.
"I know you. You two shouldn't stop ."
He clenched his left fist, activating the Reality Stone. The environnt around them shifted, like a channel changing on a television, revealing another planet.
"My ho, Titan, was once beautiful, but resources were limited, populations growing uncontrollably. I foresaw its extinction and proposed a solution—fair, random, selfless. So had to vanish."
Captain Arica stared.
"You an… half the population?"
"Exactly," Thanos said calmly.
"The people of Titan once thought I was mad, too. I foresaw the outco, but Titan still fell. The universe is ignorant. I must bring hope myself."
He brought his thumb and forefinger together.
"With six Stones, one snap reduces each planet's population by half. They won't suffer, just fade into ashes. That is my rcy. Hand over the Mind Stone. I won't hurt you. Fate decides all."
"No! This is an invasion!" Captain Arica spat.
"Avengers, assemble!"
The Avengers and Wakandans charged, but Thanos, wielding four Stones, was nearly unstoppable.
He restrained himself, allowing so warriors to fall while sparing their lives. Even as Iron Man and Captain Arica blocked him repeatedly, he struck only to subdue, never to kill.
When Banner climbed from the damaged Veronica armor, shouting, "Are you sure the Mind Stone taken from another Universe won't be found?" Thanos's expression changed.
He grabbed Captain Arica by the neck.
"The Mind Stone is in another Universe? You speak the truth?"
Captain Arica, gasping, managed a calm smile.
"Yes. You cannot reach it. Give up. You cannot complete the snap."
Thanos remained silent.
Monts later, he tossed Captain Arica aside, stepped on Iron Man, and surveyed the battlefield. His suppressed fury was palpable.
"I will find that Stone."
Instead of striking further, he activated the Space Stone, vanishing with his fleet, leaving only an undeniable, mountain-like statent of his power.
The battlefield fell silent.
Captain Arica exhaled, collapsing to the ground. Tony lay nearby, his armor battered.
"Now you see why we need defenses for Earth," Tony muttered.
"Next ti, will it really be 'face him together'?"
Captain Arica gasped.
"He cannot find the Mind Stone. He won't co again."
At that mont, the Bifrost descended.
Thor erged, gripping Stormbreaker, lightning crackling around him. His voice carried the weight of wrath itself.
"Where is Thanos?"
For a few seconds, the sky remained calm, clear, and blue, leaving everyone on edge.
---
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