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The regenerative chamber's vents hissed open, and vapor spilled across the floor, thick enough to wade through. Through the mist, Jay's form materialized. His skin looked like porcelain that had shattered and been glued back together. Scars traced patterns across his torso and arms, hairline cracks that pulsed with a faint green light, like circuit boards trying to reboot.
The door burst open.
Domino entered first, her controlled stride breaking into a run. Ben Grimm, still in his Thing form, followed with Alicia, and Johnny Storm brought up the rear.
Domino stopped three feet from the chamber, and her legendary composure cracked.
Jay looked like he'd been put through a meat grinder.
"Jesus Christ," she whispered.
Her hands clenched. She'd known the plan, known what he was going to do and the risks he was taking. But knowing and seeing were different things.
Ben's rocky hand settled on her shoulder, heavy as a cinder block. "He's tough, Domino. Tougher than anyone I've ever met."
"And he's alive," Alicia said softly. "That's what matters."
Reed approached from his monitoring station, tablet in hand. "His cells are rebuilding themselves from scratch, but barely. His adaptive physiology is the only reason he's not..."
He stopped, glancing at Domino's face.
"Not dead," Domino finished. "You can say it, Stretcho. I'm not made of glass."
Reed nodded slowly. He reached into his lab coat and pulled out three cards, of which two pulsed with contained energy.
The first card showed Loki's image, who was still silently screaming as his one remaining eye was wide with terror. The god pounded against invisible barriers, mouth forming words no one could hear.
The second and third cards each contained an Infinity Stone. Both the Mind and Space Stone, compressed into two-dimensional containments.
"Jay said you'd know where to keep these safe," Reed said quietly.
Domino took the cards carefully. Even through her gloves, she could feel the power thrumming inside.
"Yeah," she said, tucking them into an inner pocket. "I know exactly where these need to go."
A tiny cry came from the adjoining room.
The tension shattered, and smiles replaced worried frowns as they filed into Sue's recovery room.
Sue Storm sat propped up in the hospital bed, blonde hair still damp with sweat, face glowing with exhausted joy. In her arms, wrapped in a soft blue blanket, Franklin Richards made his presence known.
"Oh my God," Johnny breathed. "He's so tiny."
"He's perfect," Ben corrected as he turned back human. His fingers touched Franklin's tiny hand and the baby's hand barely wrapped around Ben's pinky. "Hey there, little guy. Your Uncle Ben is gonna spoil you rotten."
"Not if Uncle Johnny gets to him first!" Johnny leaned in, making faces at the baby. Franklin's eyes tracked the movement, unfocused but curious. "See? He already loves me best."
"Boys," Sue said, smiling. "There's enough nephew to go around."
Alicia moved to Sue's other side. Her sculptor's fingers read Franklin's features with practiced gentleness. "He's beautiful, Sue. Congratulations."
"Thank you." Sue's voice was thick with emotion. "I still can't believe he's here and safe."
Domino watched the family scene and something warm settled in her chest. Jay had done this. He risked complete cellular collapse to give this baby a chance at a normal childhood.
"How long until Jay wakes up?" Johnny finally asked.
"Days, possibly weeks," Reed said. "His body needs time to repair the damage. What he did, it was like trying to channel a star through a matchstick. The fact that he survived at all is..."
"A miracle," Sue finished. "Just like Franklin."
Franklin yawned. The tiny sound silenced the room as everyone stared at the baby, completely smitten.
"Okay, that's adorable," Domino admitted.
"Right?" Johnny grinned. "I'm definitely the favorite uncle."
"In your dreams, matchstick."
Their banter continued as Sue watched with contentment. Her family was together. Her baby was safe. And in the next room, the man who'd made it all possible was alive and healing.
Later that evening, the Baxter Building's conference room filled with voices as multiple heroes checked on Jay, discussing next steps. The space hummed with tension barely held in check.
Tony Stark stood by the window, arc reactor casting a faint blue glow through his shirt. Steve Rogers sat at the table, all his damage healed completely thanks to Jay. Professor Charles Xavier had wheeled himself near the head of the table.
The door opened as Nick Fury entered, long coat sweeping behind him, with a woman in red and blue, her blonde hair pulled back, radiating power.
"Gentlemen," Fury said, "let me introduce Carol Danvers - Captain Marvel."
Tony turned from the window. "So, she was your backup? You came awfully fast."
Captain Marvel crossed her arms. "I was halfway across the galaxy when I got Nick's signal. The jump back wasn't exactly comfortable."
"Could've used you during the actual invasion," Tony remarked with his voice sharp. "Where were you when New York was burning?"
"Tony," Steve warned.
"No, it's a fair question." Captain Marvel met Tony's glare. "I protect a lot of planets, Stark. Earth's not the only one with problems."
The argument escalated quickly as voices rose and accusations flew. Captain Marvel demanded to know where the Infinity Stones were being kept, her connection to the Space Stone making her hyperaware of their presence.
"I can feel them," she insisted. "The Space Stone is too dangerous for Earth. I have a responsibility..."
"You have jack shit," Domino interrupted. "Those stones are Jay's to deal with when he wakes up."
"This is bigger than one man!" Carol stated.
Xavier tried to intervene. "Perhaps if we all took a moment to..."
"Don't." Tony's voice went cold. "You don't get to play peacemaker, Charles. Not after you and your X-Men were conspicuously absent during the invasion."
The room went silent.
Xavier's expression didn't change, but something flickered in his eyes. "We were handling another threat. Mr. Sinister's facilities..."
"While we were fighting aliens!" Tony cut him off. "You sent what, three X-Men? Storm, Cyclops, and Wolverine? That's your contribution while the rest of us were bleeding in the streets?"
"The timing required precision," Xavier said calmly, though his fingers tightened almost imperceptibly on the armrests of his wheelchair. "Sinister's operations required simultaneous strikes across seven locations globally. We had to act when his attention was divided."
"How convenient," Tony said. "The world's ending and you're playing strategic chess."
"It wasn't chess, Mr. Stark. It was survival. Sinister had to be stopped before he could..."
The argument spiralled again as more voices joined in. Captain Marvel pushed toward Domino again, demanding the stones. Domino's hand moved to her gun.
"Back off," Domino warned. Her luck channeled erratically thanks to her anger. The tachyon-wrapped bullet in her chamber would fly true.
"Or what? You're going to shoot me?" Captain Marvel's eyes began to glow.
"If I have to."
Everyone moved at once. Steve stepped between them, and just before Xavier's telepathy could reach out to calm their minds.
Then the world suddenly shifted.
Walls bent at impossible angles and colors that were not there bled across surfaces. Outside Manhattan's geometry warped as distances became suggestions rather than facts.
Space itself was rewriting itself.
A figure silently materialized in the center of the room. The Ancient One stood there, ageless and eternal, carrying a presence that made even Captain Marvel hesitate.
"Heroes of the present, please calm yoursleves. Jay is my student," the Ancient One said quietly. The room returned to normal geometry, that made sense, but her power lingered. "And I'll be taking custody of these stones and Loki until he wakes."
Thor, who'd been standing silent in the corner trying not to think too much of his brother's future consequences, stepped forward. "Ancient One. It has been many years."
"Prince Thor, it really has been a long time." She inclined her head slightly. "Your father and I have cooperated before. I trust you understand why this is necessary."
Thor nodded slowly. "If you vouch for this arrangement, I will support it. Though my father will want assurances."
"Odin knows where to find me."
The temperature dropped as Captain Marvel's glow intensified. "You expect us to just hand over two Infinity Stones to some mystic we know nothing about?"
"I expect nothing," the Ancient One replied. "I am simply stating what will happen."
"The hell you are." Captain Marvel's fists lit up with cosmic energy. "Those stones are too dangerous..."
"To be in your hands? I agree." The Ancient One's expression didn't change. "You are powerful, Captain. But power without wisdom is merely destruction waiting to happen."
Another round of arguments erupted as Fury tried to establish order, Tony demanded answers, and Steve attempted diplomacy.
Through it all, Domino watched the Ancient One with calculating eyes. Jay must have called his master for this exact situation.
Finally, Domino pulled the three cards from her jacket. The room went silent as the Infinity Stones pulsed with contained power.
"These are Jay's to give," Domino said flatly. "And since he's unconscious, I'm making the call. Ancient One, they're yours."
"You can't be serious!" Captain Marvel moved forward.
Reality shifted again. More violently this time as the Ancient One's eyes glowed with power that made Captain Marvel's look dim.
"Do not test me child," the Ancient One said softly. "You have lived for decades. I have walked this earth for centuries. I have held back dimensional invasions that would make Loki's army look like children playing with sticks. If Jay trusts me with these artifacts, perhaps you should consider why."
The cards floated from Domino's hand to the Ancient One's. She examined each one carefully.
"The prison is well-crafted," she noted. "Constrained but functional. Jay's mastery has grown considerably."
Then she vanished in a portal, taking the cards with her.
The room erupted into chaos again. But beneath the shouting, one truth remained.
The heroes were remembering they weren't fully aware of the depths of power that existed on Earth. Beings like the Ancient One, like Jay, who operated on levels most of them couldn't comprehend. Xavier's telepathy, impressive to humans, was nothing compared to mystic arts that rewrote reality itself. Captain Marvel's cosmic power, formidable across galaxies, meant little to someone who could fold space like origami.
It was a humbling realization.
And for some, a terrifying one.
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