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‘Oh, good,’ Wong suddenly muttered.
Tony looked over his shoulder and then followed Wong’s line of sight. There were two people, a man and a woman, running towards the battle. They were vaulting over the debris left by the fight and heading right for their little group. From Wong’s reaction to them, Tony guessed they were help. Strange looked back at Wong curiously.
‘You know them?’
‘I know the woman,’ Wong said. ‘Do you remember how I told you that the founders of the Order consisted of a woman whose soul kept reincarnating because she was part of a group of select individuals chosen to protect the Infinity Stones?’
‘That’s her?’ Strange asked. ‘So the man must be another one of them.’
‘Correct,’ the man said as they vaulted over the last car. ‘I’m Reuben.’
‘I’m Sharee,’ the woman said. ‘So, what’s going on?’
Tony answered that one. ‘Oh, big and ugly there wants to steal the Infinity Stone.’
‘Over my dead body.’ Reuben turned around and punched out. Immediately, a stream of fire exploded out from his fist and sailed across to hit the alien square in the face. He went flying back with a scream.
It was kind of like what Killian did, but without the crazy and with a whole lot more control.
‘Ooo!’ Pete landed next to him. ‘That looked like it hurt.’
‘Probably,’ Sharee said. ‘Are they just after the Time Stone or all of them?’
‘All of them,’ Bruce said.
‘I guess we need the whole gang here, then,’ Reuben remarked.
‘Yeah.’ And Sharee waved her arm in much the same way that Strange and Wong tended to do. Ten portals suddenly appeared around them. Tony watched as an equal division of men and women stepped out and onto the street. They all seemed to be aware of what was going on and turned to face the invader. Tony wondered how.
The Vietnamese woman turned and looked at him, Peter, Bruce, Strange, and Wong. ‘Mental synchronisation.’ She tapped her temple. ‘We’re all linked at the moment.’
Mental synchronisation? That sounded...well, actually that sounded totally non-invasive – not like that shit Maximoff did. Synchronising simply meant for something to occur at exactly the same rate. Sounded more like non-verbal communication than mind-reading. An idea began to stir in Tony’s mind, but he pushed it aside for now. It was obviously how they’d communicated before Sharee opened the portals.
Their alien attacker began to charge again.
One of the men, European with dark eyes and dark hair, shot forward. With a single punch, and a sickening crack, the alien flew back. He didn’t get up again. The South American woman brought her heel down on the ground. The earth underneath the alien’s body opened up and swallowed him whole.
With a wave of his hand, Strange restored the street.
Sharee turned and gave him a wry smile.
***
‘So, you guys are supposed to be protecting the Infinity Stones?’ Rhodey asked.
‘Pretty much,’ Sharee said as she bounced a rubber ball across to Kolya. He, in turn, bounced it over to Grace.
‘I meant to ask something,’ Tony said. ‘If this guy’s after the Infinity Stones, why don’t we just destroy the one we have?’
Strange huffed. ‘We are to protect the Time Stone.’
Mai Phi Than smirked at him. ‘You don’t know, do you?’
Strange pulled a face of offended dignity.
‘Okay.’ Sharee stood up and swept an arm. A golden line shot across between her and Tony. ‘The Infinity Stones create what you experience as the Flow of Time.’ A ring appeared in the line and projections of the six Stones appeared between them. ‘For instance, without the Reality Stone, the laws of the universe would break down. That’s also the reason why Maximoff’s powers are unstable. She was empowered by the Mind Stone. Her state of mind at any given moment dictates whether her control is shaky or whether she is phenomenally powerful.’
‘It doesn’t help that she herself is mentally unstable,’ Mai threw in.
Sharee cracked a grin. ‘Moving on.’ She flicked the projection of the Time Stone away. ‘If you remove one of the Stones, that flow splits.’ A black line shot out of the golden one. She flicked the rest of them away. ‘Remove them all, and it shatters.’ The golden line did exactly as Sharee had said: it shattered. ‘And it won’t be a fast shattering either.’
‘It’ll be slow,’ Reuben went on. ‘Insidious. The barriers between the universe break down and our worlds all fall apart.’
‘And that is why none of the Stones can be destroyed,’ Tony said. ‘See, I can accept that.’
Rhodey nodded. ‘So what do we do now?’
‘We wait,’ Joel said. ‘The Time Stone was placed in the Eye of Agamotto and entrusted to an Earth-based order specifically to draw any Infinity Stone seekers in. They will come again. And we will do our job.’
***
Tony was amused that Ross was annoyed.
There would be quite a pile of alien bodies…if Reuben didn’t keep cremating them.
‘Well, what are you complaining about?’ Tony asked. ‘Sure, they’re aliens who want to kill us but this way our reputation isn’t sullied before we even get out there.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ Thunderbolt demanded.
‘Nobody slices up alien bodies,’ Tony said. ‘Presuming the laws of nature are the same everywhere, I’d think cremation would be seen as a respectful way to get rid of dead bodies everywhere. Prevents the spread of disease, returns them to dust, that sort of thing.’
‘I must agree with Mr. Stark,’ a woman on the video call agreed. ‘There are more of them coming and it would be unsavoury to just leave the bodies either lying where they fell or in a pile somewhere. And this set of enhanced has the situation under control?’
‘Perfectly,’ Tony said. ‘They like to say they’re OP as hell, and I can’t disagree.’
‘And the artefact this…Thanos character is chasing?’
‘Apparently, it’s where it is specifically as a trap. Thanos isn’t the first one to try this, and the designated guardians of the damn things have one where they can see them just in case anyone tries to play “collectables”.’
Beside him, Rhodey threw in, ‘Which is a wise precaution. As soon as they’ve ensured the safety of the artefacts and reconcealed them, that one will go right back to where it was before.’
There were murmurs of agreement all through the all, except from the sour-faced Ross. Soon enough, they were able to end the call.
Bruce came out of his hiding place. ‘So…why is Ross on that committee?’
‘Because the President’s a lousy judge of character,’ Tony quipped.
Rhodey clarified. ‘He’s the Secretary of State.’
‘Jesus.’ Bruce ran a hand through his hair. ‘And you still haven’t called Steve?’
Tony scowled. ‘We’re not going to.’
‘What do we need them for?’ Rhodey asked. ‘He’s just got Peak Human Condition. Joel’s got Supernatural Condition and between them, the rest of the Transcendent Souls can control just about everything.’
‘Still, Steve…’
Bruce was cut off as Ethne walked into the room, rolling her eyes and carrying a tray. ‘Oh, please don’t talk about him. I had enough trouble with that brat last lifetime.’
‘You know Rogers?’ Tony asked.
‘In my last life I was a school teacher in Brooklyn,’ Ethne said. ‘And I had the rather dubious…pleasure of teaching him.’
Rhodey cracked a tight smile. ‘What was that like?’
‘If it makes you feel better, he’s always been a sanctimonious brat who punches first and asks never,’ Ethne said. ‘I felt worse for his poor mother. War widow struggling to make ends meet during the Great Depression, and he goes out picking fights with anyone he doesn’t agree with.’
‘No one ever disciplined him?’ Rhodey asked. ‘I heard it was a big thing back then.’
‘Yeah, but no one dared. He was piss-weak and no one wanted to give Sarah Rogers a medical bill she couldn’t afford. Of course he didn’t have the self-awareness to realise that was the reason.’ She looked and saw Bruce’s shocked face. ‘You’ve been off-world a while, Dr. Banner, and you missed quite a bit. Don’t assume Tony’s in the wrong like you have been…especially not when Steven Grant Rogers is involved.’
She headed for the door.
‘Oh.’ Ethne paused. ‘I almost forgot. Zhen told us that the Rogues are in Wakanda. Apparently, they went there because Vision was with Wanda when one of Thanos’s generals attacked him for the Mind Stone. And now, T’Challa’s sister, Shuri, thinks she can remove the Mind Stone from him.’
Bruce shook his head. ‘That would be impossible.’
‘By normal science, yes,’ Ethne said. ‘But Wakanda is built on the cheater’s metal that is vibranium. They call it sacred but use it for everything. I know that because one of us reincarnated into the country about three lifetimes ago. Tony, Jamil would like you to send drones there. It’s high time the world saw Wakanda as it is.’
Tony grinned and turned. ‘This is gonna go so badly for them.’
‘Yeah,’ Ethne said. ‘Not to mention it’s going to be hilarious to watch. An alien army will have no problem taking down their force-field.’
‘They have a force-field?’ Rhodey asked.
‘The damn country’s small enough for one,’ Ethne said. ‘It’s the main impact zone of the meteor that brought vibranium to Earth in the first place. And if they put the Mind Stone there, when Thanos’s people are actively hunting it, a lot of Wakandans are about to die. Wakanda have been untouched for centuries. I think it’s time they be served a slice of humble pie.’
She walked out.
‘Wow…’ Bruce muttered. ‘That was…cold.’
Rhodey shrugged. ‘She’s been around for God knows how long. These guys keep getting reborn after they die. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re just desensitised to everything. It’s like being in the military. The battles are horrifying when you start, but over time you just…grow numb. You’re used to it.’ He looked at Tony. ‘What are you doing now?’
‘Sending a stealth legionnaire to Wakanda,’ Tony said. ‘The drones will take a lot of pictures of the battle, and I’ll use those pictures to explain what just happened to the public. But…if we’re right, then Vision’s probably going to die today. Wakanda’s defences will be laid low and they’re about to lose a good chunk of their population. I can see there being opportunistic assholes who would go in and grab his remains.’
Rhodey winced and nodded. ‘And, with how these things go, they’d wanna repurpose those remains into a weapon.’
‘So I’m just scooping him up first.’
Wakanda
As soon as the barrier came down, the drones flew in. Attention was taken off of them by the charging army below them. The stealth legionnaire, piloted by FRIDAY, stayed in hiding. Its scanners took in the country and immediately zeroed in on where Vision was. Now, all it had to do was wait.
It waited to see what would happen.
New York City
Thanos stepped through the portal and paused, considering the group sitting before him. There were six males and six females. They sat in a gender-alternating line, man-woman-man-woman, on fold-up chairs. Behind them, there was a small group in the doorway of the building. One of the men there wore the Time Stone around his neck.
The smell of burning flesh was heavy in the air.
‘Oh,’ one of the Terran men said. ‘This must be the big boss.’
‘Of course,’ one of the women remarked. ‘The attacks were getting more frequent, so it was only a matter of time.’
‘Look at the gauntlet he’s wearing. It’s Älfeneel, isn’t it?’
‘Looks like it.’
‘So he’s got the Space Stone. I can see the Reality and Power Stones as well.’
‘Ooh! Look, the Soul Stone!’ One of the older women scoffed. ‘Who’d you kill for that?’
‘And the Mind Stone! We know who he killed for that.’
Thanos scowled. ‘Who are you?’
In unison, the twelve of them stood.
‘You didn’t really think the Infinity Stones didn’t have guardians, did you?’
‘Seems a foolish oversight to me.’
Guardians? These people expected…?
Thanos sneered and lifted the gauntlet. ‘You think you can defeat me?’
Wakanda
A portal opened in the sky.
The Mad Titan’s severed head dropped through and slammed into the ground like it’d been thrown with a tremendous amount of force. His entire army froze. Thor was the first to move, running over as fast as he could to be sure the head did indeed belong to Thanos, Stormbreaker clenched in his hand.
‘It is the Titan!’ he declared. He looked up.
At that moment a white man with short blond hair dropped down. He appeared to be anchoring himself to something on the other side as only half of his body was visible. One arm remained in the portal, stretched and taut as if he was holding onto something. Then he reached down with his other hand and seized Thor by the front of the armour.
Yanking him up, the man spoke in a calm and level voice that had a detectable British accent. ‘If you grab another baseline human and dangle him from his throat, I’ll dangle you from the Berj Khalifa with a chain around your neck.’
That said, he tossed Thor back and seemed to be pulled back through the portal.
A stream of fire passed through the portal a moment later. The Mad Titan’s head was incinerated in an instant. Then the fire stretched out, seemingly with a mind of its own, and reached out for every single one of Thanos’s army. The Wakandans and the “Avengers” watched in disbelief as their battle was won for them.
Then the portal closed.
New York City
A bonfire burned, reducing Thanos’s massive bulk to dust.
‘Status update, boss,’ FRIDAY reported.
‘Go on,’ Tony said.
‘Vision’s remains have been secured,’ FRIDAY said. ‘We are returning them as we speak.’
‘When you do,’ Zhen said. ‘Let me see them. I might have an idea.’
Tony nodded.
‘The battle was ended in Wakanda by Mr. Magnussen but now the involved parties are getting their noses out of joint. I recommend we upload the footage as quickly as possible. The Wakandan Council are already talking about rewriting the narrative.’
‘I’ll give a press conference in the morning too,’ Tony said.
‘Just do us a favour and don’t specify who we are,’ Toby called across. ‘Especially not with Fury still poking around.’
‘No problem,’ Tony called back. ‘Anything else, FRI?’
‘Not really, boss. It can all be viewed by your personal computer.’
‘Great.’
***
‘So, the Infinity Stones are scattered again?’ Pepper asked.
The rest of the Transcendent Souls has returned to their own countries. Only Sharee and Reuben remained. They’d all sat down to have lunch together and discuss the previous day’s events.
‘Across the universe this time,’ Sharee said. ‘We’re only keeping the Time Stone in the Milky Way.’
‘Are there other teams of Transcendent Souls?’ Happy asked curiously.
‘It wouldn’t surprise me,’ Reuben remarked. ‘Universe is a big place and this is an obscure planet, considered backwards and underdeveloped by the rest of the Galaxy. It would make sense for the Soul Stone to have laid down pockets of defenders all over the place.’
Tony looked at them curiously. ‘So your powers are actually from the Soul Stone?’
‘Naturally.’ Sharee shrugged. ‘If you die with the Soul Stone in your possession, it absorbs your soul – along with any powers you might have. And if you’re alive and holding this Stone, you can access every single power from the souls it has absorbed.’
‘That actually sounds terrifying,’ Pepper said.
‘For the absorbed souls, it’s not so bad,’ Sharee assured her. ‘The Soul Stone constructs a paradise for them to live in, so to speak. But they are, I suppose, still trapped for all eternity.’ She cleared her throat. ‘But, yes, our powers once belonged to other people. They’ve just been repurposed.’
‘And Rogers and his crew?’ Rhodey asked, pulling a face.
‘I wouldn’t worry about that,’ Reuben said. ‘We’ve got Vision’s body. The vibranium has been put to good use. Sharee’s put up defences around you guys against Wanda. Koyla’s keeping an eye out for her. I tell you, he’d just itching for an excuse to strip her powers away. And we’ve sent someone after them that will annoy and scare the shit out of them until they do turn themselves in.’
The two Transcendent Souls looked at each other and snorted.
‘Who?’ Rhodey asked.
Sharee smirked. ‘Have you heard of Deadpool?’