"Okay..." Elric felt his head getting bigger when he heard Vision's explanation, the pressure building behind his temples like his skull was about to split open.
He really couldn't think of anything helpful right now. Or more accurately, he really didn't want to think anymore. His brain felt like it had been through a blender after the mental battle with Ultron, and now this?
"Vision," Elric said slowly, forcing his exhausted mind to focus. "Can you send us to our universe? Back to where we came from?"
Suddenly hearing Elric's question, Vision was stunned for a moment. Then a helpless smile appeared on his synthetic face.
"Is the universe you're living in your birth universe too?" Vision asked, his processors already calculating the logistics. "If not, we'll need precise coordinates, dimensional frequencies, and temporal markers. But if it was your birth universe, your original reality, then no coordinates are needed. We can directly teleport you from the exact point where you left, using your own quantum signature as an anchor."
"Mr. Elric..." Jean's voice sounded from beside him, soft and pleading.
He turned to see her standing there, her green eyes filled with desperation and hope in equal measure.
"I know it's trouble for you," she continued, her voice trembling slightly. "I know we have no right to ask this of you. But please... can you help us? Can you save our world?"
Elric slowly turned back to face her fully, his eyes helpless and tired.
"Jean, I really want to help. Truly, I do," he said quietly, and the sincerity in his voice was evident. "But alas... I don't have the ability to do what you're asking."
"What do you think I can do with a bomb that can destroy a whole-ass universe?" His voice carried frustration and genuine regret. "What can anyone do against something like that? I'm powerful, yes, but I'm not that powerful. Not even close."
"It's best if you all left for another universe with Vision," Elric continued, his tone gentle but firm. "Evacuate whoever you can, save as many people as possible. But nothing can be done here to stop this. The scale is just... it's beyond me."
"But... but..." Jean stammered, unable to accept it.
"But what?" A deep voice suddenly sounded, cutting through the tension.
Everyone turned around to see that Magneto's body—which had been lying down limply against the tree just moments ago—now stood upright at some point. Eric's face was haggard but alert, his eyes clear and focused.
While everyone stared at him in surprise, he quickly explained, "My body was just unconscious from the mental strain. But I heard everything you all were discussing. Every word."
Everyone might have been very curious about Magneto under different circumstances—after all, he'd just been possessed by an evil AI and then freed. But their world might be destroyed at any moment now. How could they pay attention to personal matters? So everyone's focus quickly returned to the main topic at hand.
"Vision, should we go see this bomb ourselves?" Elric asked, an idea forming in his exhausted mind.
He still had access to Galvanian DNA in his Omnitrix, even if the technology was very complicated and alien. Maybe he could do something with Vision's help, working together to understand the device. Even if he couldn't stop it completely, maybe he could learn something useful, find a weakness or a delay mechanism.
"No," Vision said simply, his voice carrying a finality that made everyone's blood run cold. "It's already exploded. The reaction has begun."
Hearing the word "exploded," everyone's feet became cold, a chill running up their spines despite the warm interior of wherever they were standing.
"The fuck?!" Logan quickly started checking his body frantically, running his hands over his torso and limbs, looking for signs of disintegration or damage.
Looking at his still-intact body, at the fact that everyone was still standing there solid and whole, everyone turned to look at Vision with puzzled expressions.
Sensing everyone's curious and confused eyes boring into him, Vision explained in more detail.
"It has already exploded, yes. But you must understand—this is an antimatter bomb, which relies on a controlled reaction between matter and antimatter. However, the mechanism is more insidious than a simple explosion."
Vision's eyes dimmed as he accessed the data he'd stolen from Ultron's base. "First, it starts very small—microscopic, even. Just a few atoms of antimatter coming into contact with normal matter. But like a nuclear chain reaction, it will quickly expand exponentially. The annihilation zone spreads outward in all directions, consuming everything it touches and using that energy to fuel further expansion."
"The reaction follows the path of least resistance through the quantum foam of space-time itself," Vision continued, his voice taking on a lecturer's tone as he tried to make them understand the scope of the threat. "It doesn't just destroy matter—it unravels the fundamental fabric of reality in this universe. Atoms, molecules, energy, space itself... all of it will be reduced to absolute nothing. Not even void will remain, because void is still something. This will leave pure non-existence."
"The one day I mentioned earlier?" Vision's expression was grim. "That's only the time it will take for the reaction to reach Earth and begin destroying our planet. The annihilation wave is currently expanding from Ultron's base location. But it will take approximately one week, maybe slightly more, to encompass and completely destroy the entire universe—every galaxy, every star, every planet across billions of light-years."
"So there's nothing that can be done here," Vision concluded. "At least not with pure intelligence or technology. The reaction is self-sustaining now, drawing energy from the matter-antimatter annihilation itself. Stopping it would require... I don't even know what it would require. Rewriting the fundamental laws of physics for this entire universe, perhaps."
"So what about the Infinity Stones?" Hela asked from the side, her voice sharp and practical. She'd been listening quietly, but now she spoke up with a suggestion. "I've heard about them from legends and stories across the multiverse. They're supposed to be the supreme treasures of each universe, capable of both destruction and creation on a universal scale. Couldn't they stop this?"
"No, the Infinity Stones won't work either," Vision began to explain, his voice carrying a note of resignation. "It's because—"
"Okay, enough," Elric interrupted, holding up a hand. "Anyway, let's go to the school. We can discuss the technical details later. We need to get somewhere safe and make plans."
He looked at Vision directly. "We have one day, right? Before Earth is affected?"
"To be exact," Vision checked his internal chronometer, "it is now 23 hours and 50 minutes until the annihilation wave reaches Earth's orbital path."
"Okay then." Elric nodded decisively. "Everyone, quickly leave this place. Let's get to the X-Mansion."
He also sent one of his shadow clones to retrieve Storm from her home, to bring her to the school where they could all gather and make decisions together.
Whatever they decided to do later, he had already made up his mind about one thing: he would not be staying here until the last moment. He'd already decided that whatever happened, he would be leaving with Hela and Storm in 3 to 4 hours maximum. He wasn't going to die in someone else's universe for a problem he didn't create.
After entering the grand castle that housed the X-Mansion, he saw that Professor X and Hank McCoy were already sitting in the main conference room. Their faces were unusually serious, grave in a way that went beyond their normal concerned expressions.
Then again, anyone who could laugh in the face of their own impending death was either completely crazy or just Deadpool. And Deadpool wasn't here.
Everyone quickly sat down around the large table, the atmosphere heavy with tension.
Professor X was the first to open his mouth, breaking the oppressive silence.
"I know, Mr. Elric, Ms. Hela, and Mr. Vision..." Charles began, his voice measured and careful. "Please, I know it is not your place to save our universe. You don't owe us anything. You came here by accident, got caught up in our problems through no fault of your own. But please..."
He paused, choosing his words with care. "I am not asking you to stay here and risk your lives until the end. No, I would never ask that of anyone. I'm just asking... if you have any ideas. Any suggestions at all. Anything that might help us save even a fraction of our people."
"Professor," Elric said gently, his voice carrying genuine sympathy. "It's not something that can be solved by just 'some idea.' This isn't a puzzle or a technical problem we can think our way out of. This is the fundamental destruction of reality itself."
"My only advice is this," Elric continued, meeting Charles's eyes directly. "You should leave with the mutants to another universe. Take as many people as Vision's technology can transport. Save who you can, and start over somewhere else. It's not ideal, but it's survival."
The words hung in the air like a death sentence, because that's exactly what they were.
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