Tony's eyes stayed glued to the holographic display. The battle in Cairo played out like a disaster movie. Dust clouds rose from ancient pyramids.
Lightning cracked across the sky. The X-Men fought hard. The Brotherhood fought harder. But Apocalypse was winning.
'This is bad,' Tony thought. 'Really bad.'
His fingers danced across the control panel. The Infinity Chamber hummed around him. Blue light filled every corner of the small space.
Tony had initiated the next evolution of his abilities expected to start out as a man and to come out a God and did he succeed?
He turned his eyes.
The screen showed Cyclops blasting at Apocalypse. His red beams hit the ancient mutant's chest. Apocalypse didn't even stumble. He just smiled.
Tony tapped the communication screen. A direct line to Captain America opened.
Steve's shield appeared on screen first. Then his face. Sweat ran down his forehead. His uniform was torn.
"Rogers here," Steve said between heavy breaths.
"Cap, you need to move," Tony said. His voice came out tight. "The mutants are getting hammered. They won't last much longer."
Steve wiped blood from his lip. "How much longer do we have?"
"Maybe twenty minutes," Tony said. He checked the readings again. "Maybe less."
"When are you coming?" Steve asked. His blue eyes looked worried.
Tony's stomach twisted. He looked at the energy readings around him. Red warning lights blinked everywhere.
"I'm... I'm dealing with something here," Tony said. "I'll be there as soon as I can."
'If I have a bit more time,' he thought.
"What about the Young Avengers?" Tony asked.
"Safe in the bunker," Steve said. "Just like you planned."
Tony nodded. That was good news at least. If they lost today, the kids would still be alive. They could rebuild. They could try again.
"I have to go," Steve said. "We're moving out."
The screen went dark. Tony was alone again.
He turned to look at the other Avengers through the communication system. Steve was already talking to them. Hawkeye checked his arrows. Black Widow loaded new weapons. War Machine's armor gleamed under the hangar lights.
Captain Peggy Carter stood next to her shield. She looked ready, just like Steve, but different. Tougher maybe.
Shang-Chi stretched his arms. His movements were smooth like water. Iron Fist glowed with golden light. His fists could punch through steel.
And Hulk? Hulk just growled.
"Avengers," Steve said to them. "We move in five minutes."
Tony wished he could be with them. Instead, he was trapped.
The Infinity Chamber existed in a pocket dimension. Time moved different here. One minute here was one hundred minutes outside. Tony had built it to give him time to think. To plan. To find solutions.
Most important to evolve himself.
But that very small percentage of things going wrong?
He just had to encounter.
'Maybe I'm not the main character after all?' he thought.
"M.A.R.V.E.L., give me a status report," Tony said.
The AI's voice filled the chamber. It sounded calm but slightly forced calm.
"Warning, Mr. Stark," M.A.R.V.E.L. said. "Energy levels are reaching critical mass."
Tony looked down at his body. He was sealed inside a glass pod. Energy spikes shot out from his skin. The pod contained them, but barely.
"Analyze it, what's the discovery?Tony asked.
"No much," M.A.R.V.E.L. said. "Similar to Infinity Stone radiation. But different."
"Different how?"
"More... chaotic."
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