章 34: 34
"Greetings, everyone! What has transpired that has led you to call me?"
No matter how Tony regarded Charles as an individual, particularly in light of the events involving Jean, he could not deny the merits of the latter's contributions. Tony had raised several generations of mutants, mostly on his own, by blood. Even the mansion in which the school resides is an ancestral estate passed down through his lineage. Xavier had relinquished much of his wealth to provide shelter, support, and educational opportunities for the children who had awakened the X-gene. Therefore, his hypocrisy — a trait common to all individuals — should not serve as a justification for denying assistance.
The artifact, along with Jarvis, would shield Tony from telepathic intrusions. While the latter was optional, Stark desired for the teacher and student to come to an understanding and resolve their disagreements. Alternatively, they could simply tell each other to "go to hell" and call it a day.
"Greetings, Mr. Stark, I am grateful for your response," Charles said, standing up and leaning on his walking stick. The serum had restored his health, even bringing about a sense of rejuvenation and adding muscle mass, but it had not been able to grant him the ability to walk. Charles had been undergoing rehabilitation for several months, and he once again expressed his gratitude for the serum.
"Since you are here, Jin, I wish to express that I do not expect you to find forgiveness in my actions, as they do not merit it. I simply wish to convey my sorrow, my guilt, and my deepest desire for your happiness."
Grey turned away with a snort. Before merging with Phoenix, she would have relished such words. Then she would have wanted to tear them up. But now... She felt nothing but mild annoyance and dull longing, like after meeting an old friend from childhood, when you realise that you've both changed, that you've had separate lives for so long, and that your friendship was just a small part of those lives, almost forgotten. You don't miss that friend you see now, it's the person he used to be, or, more precisely, based on the emotions and adventures you shared, you realise you can't go back even if you returned to the past. There's no need to apologise, Professor, it's just who you are. You prefer to avoid risk and danger, and I wanted freedom. We are what we are.. Perhaps in the future we will sit around over a cup of tea and reminisce about this time with a wistful smile, but for now I am content with the life I lead.
"My dear boy, you have grown up," sighed Charles, and even Jarvis refrained from making some foolish remark. "But let us return to the matter at hand. Pietro, kindly enlighten me as to what has transpired."
«Very well, Professor», a man in his thirties with silver hair that shone like mercury stepped forward, disheveled and with eyes whose capillaries seemed to be bursting from exhaustion. His speech was so rapid that it was sometimes difficult to understand. But Stark did understand, and I could literally feel the distortion of time in those moments.
After all, it was only after he saw this man that Stark realized who he was, because Stark himself carries a part of his X chromosome — Mercury, the fastest being on the planet, as proof of which he once managed to save 64 people from an exploding building. But the shock wave itself moved faster than the speed of sound, and potentially, Stark could move as well, or even faster. But for this, he needed energy. Mercury, however, moved like that purely through chronopsionics.
Nevertheless, the meaning of what was said was more important.
Peter Maximov, also known as Pietro Maximoff in the United States, hailed from an Eastern European nation called Zakovia. Both he and his sibling, along with their parents, were mutants. Unfortunately, they never knew their father, and their mother passed away under mysterious circumstances when Pietro was twelve and Wanda was three. The siblings were then placed in an orphanage before being adopted by a couple from London.
Pietro, having awakened his powers, would occasionally assist others for monetary compensation, albeit occasionally for personal gain. Wanda, on the other hand, did not manifest her abilities until she reached her twenties despite possessing a latent gene.
During Pietro's absence in Germany, where he was assisting in the aftermath of the Chitauri invasion, Wanda encountered an enigmatic anomaly in London that, as she described, drew her towards it.. Since that time, the young woman's condition began to deteriorate, while she simultaneously developed extraordinary abilities that allowed her to manipulate reality, create illusory scenarios, control objects, and influence thoughts. These powers were accompanied by a crimson haze.
However, a few days ago, her condition worsened dramatically, leading to unconsciousness. Prior to this, the siblings had attempted to seek medical assistance, but their efforts proved futile. Pietro, unable to transport Wanda directly to Xavier's facility, faced a critical challenge: Wanda lacked a passport and visa. Even the most expeditious individual on Earth could not expedite the necessary bureaucratic processes. Consequently, special authorization was required to transport the unconscious Wanda to Xavier's clinic, and negotiations with the airline company were essential. Even Charles, with his exceptional capabilities, could not utilize his hypersonic aircraft for the sole purpose of transporting a single mutant.
"I must see the patient first, then we can decide what to do," Tony remarked. "Follow me," Charles replied.
Tony, no longer an elderly man or even bald, with his brown hair having grown slightly on his head, limped towards the elevator, leading Charles down to the lower levels, following the familiar path that took them to an underground clinic and laboratory. There, on one of the hospital beds, lay a young woman.
"Are you serious? Is she another redhead?" Tony exclaimed in exasperation. He seemed to be surrounded by nothing but red-haired women — Pepper, Natasha Romanoff, Jean, and now Wanda. Fortunately, his student had come to her senses in time and refrained from bringing another redhead to the house. "Um, I'm sorry, it's just a personal thing."
After that, with Pietro's consent, Stark transported the bed to his laboratory via a portal shrouded in a blue mist. Stark gained access to the Tesseract through the use of a mental artefact that was intricately linked to it through protean enchantments. With a mere thought, he could create a portal between any two points he knew of, simultaneously. Why bother when it was faster and more reliable?
At first, Pietro saw nothing more than ordinary, albeit highly advanced, equipment. However, as time went on, he began to witness a true occult display. There were numerous modular structures, each comprising intricate geometric shapes adorned with runes. Hand gestures and incantations in an unknown tongue accompanied the proceedings.
"What is he doing?" Pietro asked Charles, his voice laced with uncertainty.
Charles, the world's strongest telepath, responded, "If only I knew. But I suspect he is performing some form of sorcery." The words struck Pietro, concerned for his sister, as they echoed in his mind. How could Stark be unaware? And what did "sorcery" entail?
Tony Stark's countenance grew increasingly sombre. Summoning Jean and Jarvis to his side, he engaged in conversation with them, first having Gray explore Wanda's being with her pyrokinesis, before the AI conducted a thorough analysis using a fine, wide-spectrum beam emanating from her forehead, unveiling the Mind Stone. Following a series of deliberations, Tony approached the matter with caution, proposing:
"I have both good and bad news to impart, shall I begin with the good?"
"Let us commence with the positive," the young man suggested, mentally bracing himself for the potential severity of the revelation.
"Your sister has awoken her X-gene, transforming her into a being beyond human. And, most likely, she possesses extraordinary strength."
"While I would not categorize this as entirely positive news, what is the negative aspect?"
Tony continued, "She awakened this power through a fusion with a particular stone, known as the Reality Stone. It is highly unlikely that you are familiar with it, but allow me to elaborate: this stone possesses unimaginable and nearly infinite power, bestowing its possessor with extraordinary abilities."
A sense of foreboding settled upon the air, as Tony concluded, "And here lies the crux of the matter. There is a reason why I described the news as negative."
The crux of the matter is that nothing comes for free, one has to pay for everything. The stone operates on the user's own magical energy, and if there is a lack of it, it draws on the mental and vital energies. Have you observed your sister's sudden outbursts of temper or forgetfulness?
Pietro recalled such instances. She would sometimes forget the names of their acquaintances or, suddenly, become enraged for no apparent reason. Once, while cooking, she had dropped an omelette onto the floor, and her rage was so intense that she almost destroyed their entire house. She barely managed to calm down.
This is a consequence of a decline in her mental abilities, which allows the sensual to take precedence over the rational. You may have heard that people with intellectual disabilities can be extremely aggressive, cheerful, or passionate. This is because they lack the ability to control their emotions. The same principle applies here, Tony explained thoughtfully.
"And what am I to do?" the man asked in desperation, ready to fall to his knees in order to help his sole and beloved relative. It is not to say that he loathed his foster parents; however, he did not feel great affection either.
"I see two possibilities," there was, in fact, a third option — to kill the girl — but he did not consider it even theoretically. "You can perform a ritual that would extract the stone from Wanda and sever the bond between them. However, I cannot vouch for the consequences of this action, and I will not do so. At the very least, her intellectual disability will become permanent, and her abilities will decline. At most, she may become an insane psychopath, obsessed with some idea, if not immediately then in the future."
"That is not what I wish for, but what is the other option?"
The second course of action is both more challenging and more perilous, not only for Wanda but for humanity as a whole. This path entails completing the merger, but it would prove too much for the patient's body and spirit, leading to her demise before the process can be completed.
After discussing this with our colleagues, we devised a strategy that aims to fortify her mind, body, and spirit. To accomplish this, she will receive an injection of a specialized serum, while Jarvis, Jin, and a source of mystical energy will provide her sustenance, and I will channel the surplus energy from reality. Even then, my assessment is that there is a sixty percent chance of her survival.
In the absence of action, however, the outcome is certain: a fatal outcome with the stone seeking a new host, with the same result.
"Then what shall we discuss? I concur. Where may I sign in blood?" Pietro jested with a hint of melancholy, having been left with no alternative. The other physicians could not even determine the source of the malady, whereas Stark not only identified it but also devised a method of treatment. At that moment, however, he fixed his gaze on a thick parchment covered in silver ink and characters, which Stark produced from thin air.
"Here, here, and here. Sign it. Do not fear, the quill will draw the blood of its own accord," Stark's expression, grave as ever, conveyed no hint of jest. It was clear that he required Pietro to sign a magical contract in blood.
****
Naturally, the process was not carried out immediately. Instead, Jean carefully transported Wanda via telekinesis to a vita capsule. However, an issue arose immediately. The vita rays were simply insufficient in comparison to the energy of reality, which exceeded 90%. For comparison, Stark's own energy amounted to approximately 69%, with deities and gods typically possessing more than 90. He had to assimilate the girl's energy and craft healing spells, along with rituals designed to fortify and augment her physical form with her soul. This would have sufficed to restore her consciousness, but Tony intentionally maintained Wanda in a state of unconsciousness to prevent her from experiencing fear and suffering during the transformation process. Following this, the primary procedure commenced.. The young woman was injected with a serum containing titanization and nanites derived from vibrantium. As Gina's body began to absorb the phoenix energy, Jarvis employed his own mind energy to assist Jean in controlling the nanites, both through telepathic means and by manually manipulating them for greater precision.
Meanwhile, Tony himself absorbed excess energy from the Reality Stone, which he channeled into Jean as an instinctual form of protection. The antimatter reactor generated bursts of magical energy through several mana transmitters, compensating for Jean's low reality with monstrous quantities.
The transformation began with a petite, red-haired young woman with a snub nose and a bust size of four. Her hair transformed from its original color to a deep scarlet, reaching down to her hips. Her height increased from 5 feet 7 inches to 6 feet 1 inch.. Tony's legs, which had previously been quite ordinary, stretched out and assumed the appearance of a model's. His slightly sagging chest, on the other hand, became taut and perfectly formed, as if it had grown by one size. Yet, Tony's attention was not solely focused on these physical transformations. He was not only required to absorb the unearthly density of the high-reality energy, but also to constantly monitor Wanda's condition.
The reality Stone was increasingly merging with the girl, taking on the form of scarlet-black fluid akin to venous blood in hue. Like blood, it permeated the girl's body and soul, imbuing them completely, leaving no trace behind. Once this process was complete, nothing and no one could separate them until the end.
At the final stage, a surge of energy occurred that Tony could not fully contain, as his immense reservoir proved to be overburdened. In that moment, the cameras in the laboratory went dark, and Pietro rushed inside, for no outsiders were permitted to witness the procedure. What appeared before him will remain etched in his memory for the rest of his days. A cardiac monitor with legs was pursued by a monitor with wings, and all the instruments had transformed into cybernetic avian forms.. The gold coins fell from the television set, and the dragon Smaug emerged, unable to enter due to the small size of the «window», causing him to emit a snort of flames. When the TV was affected by the energy, it switched to the channel where a Hobbit film was being shown.
The metal floor was covered with grass in some places, lava in others, and a clear sky served as the ceiling. This is just a glimpse of the chaos that ensued. All objects in the room transformed into living creatures or ceased to exist as themselves. For instance, real deer began leaping out of a painting depicting deer on the wall. An overwhelming surge of hyperreal energy, uncontrolled by the wizard's will, transformed everything around them into a surreal Salvador Dali-like scene. However, none of them knew that it was all just a figment of their imagination. After all, Jarvis, Jean, and Wanda had been connected mentally during the event, and this bond had now become permanent.
****
"I fail to see how my treatment is connected to the fact that I can now hear the thoughts and experience the emotions of two other individuals," said Wanda, upon awakening, having been informed of her prior condition and the course of treatment, which had deviated from the expected trajectory. She signed the confidentiality and non-injury agreements without hesitation, as she had no intention of harming those who had saved her life. However, one question remained pressing in her mind, which she posed to Jarvis.
"The surge of energy from the Reality Stone," Jarvis explained, having gained insight into the events by accessing the infosphere. "The released energy activated the latent potential, transforming it into a temporary permanence. Fortunately, Mr. Stark absorbed the majority of the energy, preventing any unintended consequences such as horns or hooves."
"Yes, fortuitously, I nearly perished myself," Tony mused, still feeling as if he had eaten too much after twenty-four hours had passed. The energy from the Reality Stone, bolstered by the rest, was being "digested" by his soul over an extended period. Fortunately, a positive development had occurred. The level of his soul's reality and the mana it generated were growing like mushrooms after rain, and the eighth shell had begun to emerge. The actual level of soul reality was often a prerequisite for its creation, and the titanized body merely accelerated this process.
"They called themselves Iron Man — overcome," replied Jarvis, who had actually been the most frightened of all when he had seen Stark unconscious.
Wanda had just begun speaking when her brother burst into the room, exclaiming, "Wanda!" and embracing her, unable to contain his tears.
"He was so concerned about you that he constantly rushed about, exhausting himself, and I had to cast a spell to put him to sleep lest he harm himself," explained Stark.
"My brother, thank you," the girl said, patting Pietro on the head. "And thank you all. I shall surely repay you for your rescue, no matter the cost!"
Stark dismissed her gratitude with a wave of his hand. "Don't be so humble," he said. "With the power of the stone of reality, there is still something you must solve so that it doesn't harm the world. Rather, I should offer you employment and training. You have no idea the kind of power you possess at this moment. And that power must be harnessed."
"Under your guidance?"
"No, under yours," I replied. "There are both advantages and disadvantages to your relationship with Jarvis and Jean. Through them, I will be able to transmit mental packets of magic to you, and all you will need to do is practice. For which, I have a separate subspace. Tony performed a ritual to copy Vlad's space, thanks to which an exact replica of his island in Polynesia, as well as several others, appeared in his own spatial bubble. As of now, drones are busy transporting soil, plants, beneficial animals and insects, while fresh water and fish flow through open portals.
The energy of reality, even if it damages space, will not harm the planet itself. Moreover, it is likely to bring even greater benefit by elevating the level of reality from pseudo-matter to reality or even beyond. Furthermore, after training, I may offer you a well-paying job if you are interested in such and such capacities.
"What about Peter?" Wanda asked, concerned about her brother's well-being.
"I have already made up my mind to work for Mr. Stark," her brother responded. "As you can see, he is a kind and generous man."
The young woman nodded, her scarlet tresses swaying. "Then there is no need for further deliberation. Wherever Peter goes, so shall I," she said. Little did she know that in the future she would be known as the Scarlet Witch.
"Very well," he said. "When you come to your senses, we will sign a contract and begin training."
Wanda grinned. "Not in blood, I trust?" Tony realized that, despite their different hair colors, they were indeed brother and sister.
****
A sennight later.
— Wanda, damn it, I expressly requested that you refrain from conducting any experiments in my absence! Tony was incensed, gazing at the three-meter long saber-toothed hamster.
"I apologise, Mr Stark," Wanda responded, shifting her foot like a child.
Tony looked around. They had begun their training just three days prior, and the designated enchanted island within subspace was already a mess. A once-ordinary rodent now chased a raptor adorned with a pink bow, while fairies flew and laughed around them, seemingly emerging from the farts of colourful unicorns, some capable of flight. These were just the immediate sights one could observe. Ascending further, one would behold a thirty-metre-tall structure crafted from the purest diamond, guarded by a genuine dragon.
This situation was due, firstly, to the fact that Wanda's childhood had begun to manifest within her non-childlike mind, and secondly, to insufficient control. Tony himself was to blame, having decided to leap over the "crutches" in the form of wands, transitioning to direct manipulation of reality as he perceived it. Wanda's crutches, after all, served as a fifth limb.. She is a master of creating dense illusions that are indistinguishable from reality through the power of her imagination, pseudo-matter, and turning them into actual beings or objects. Many of these creations cannot exist for long outside of her mind, as the world itself tends to adjust them to the reality where they no longer function. However, within her realm, they can persist for an extended period.
Furthermore, through meticulous study and analysis of the structure of these creations, almost down to the atomic level, and by harnessing Jean's capacity for imbuing them with life energy, the three acrobatic brothers were able to bring these creations to life! These creations possess the ability to think, react, feel, and even produce offspring to a certain extent. Fortunately, this process took place in a contained spatial bubble, and nothing of any danger escaped — I merely wanted to make the bubble slightly larger, as Mick was so diminutive and delicate...
Tony once again rolled his eyes and sprawled out on the lawn, immediately surrounded by fairies panting and trying to pull at his ears and the clothes he wore in the form of a T-shirt and shorts. He tried to ignore them stoically, not even feeling their attempts, for the last few days had been spent absorbing the excess energy of reality which had created anomalies and portals to other worlds in the process.
Tearing off a strand of grass that tasted like ice cream, Tony asked, "How is your mental magic coming along?"
The girl replied sadly, "Compared to Jean and Jarvis, I am nothing." She was dressed in a floor-length red dress, her favorite color.
"Compared to them, we're all nothing. I don't expect you to become the world's strongest mental magician. Although, should you so desire, you might be able to compete with Jean in the distant future, though she won't stand still. At the moment, however, I'm more interested in how well you control your emotions, your magic, and your mind."
The girl blushed as she spoke, and Tony couldn't help but applaud Jarvis's words. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, or perhaps due to the bond that bound them, Tony was playing a dual role. All he had to do was be polite, courteous, and constantly praise them, while managing to gain the trust and respect of both.
"Well, if he says so, then I have no reason to doubt him," Tony wanted to continue, when suddenly his phone began to vibrate. This could only mean one thing — he had been contacted using artifacts.
Tony, this is urgent. There has been an attack on Asgard, and I need your assistance! Rowdy's voice rang out, frantic and pleading.
Stark responded, "I'll get you out of there!" But the connection was severed, leaving him with a sinking feeling. It could mean only one thing: either someone had destroyed the portkey and communication artifact, or Rhodey had done it himself, recognizing that Tony owed nothing to Asgard and, by removing his friend from the Cif, could finally find peace. That was exactly what Stark wanted.
"You hear me? I have to go," Tony declared.
Rhodey interrupted, "Wait, take me with you. I won't be a hindrance." Seeing the doubt in the billionaire's eyes, she added, "I'll only use shields and magical arrows! Please!"
"Very well, but only those!" Wanda's arsenal of stable spells has thus far been limited to shields and arrows, with a certainty of success of one hundred percent. This is because these were the most basic forms of magical energy, conveying the simplest messages: attack or defense.
Tony himself contacted Jarvis and Jean, and once they had joined him via portkey, he opened a portal using the tesseract at the coordinates provided by Roadie. Regrettably, the spaceship remains in the process of refinement, currently in a partially disassembled state, rendering it unsuitable for immediate use. However, their combined strength should prove sufficient, and thus, having equipped Wanda with her red armor suit, they embarked on their mission through the portal, forming a truly extraordinary quartet.
Asgard was a magnificent city. A vast, multileveled metropolis of gold, with towering skyscrapers and verdant parks, nestled amidst picturesque mountains, rivers, lakes, and forests that in turn were situated on a massive, undoubtedly man-made platform several tens of kilometres thick. Particularly striking was the palace, which resembled a multitude of organ pipes rising ever higher towards the centre. From all these structures emanated a colossal flow of both magical and mundane energies.
Now, Tony understood. The Asgardians were exiles, and their home was the ark. It was difficult to imagine who they had fled from, such a powerful and magically endowed species. But now the stagnation in Ace development became clear. Their numbers were small. How many were there on this space island? Two hundred thousand? With so few, progress could only move forward at a glacial pace, especially when it was already at a relatively advanced level.
Nonetheless, what truly stood out were three dozen massive starships, several hundred smaller vessels, and thousands of fighters that had encircled Asgard, unleashing their fire upon the titanic force shield that enveloped it. The enemy vessels were dark in hue, resembling vertical and horizontal blades that emitted red plasma. It appeared that they were not averse to employing a ramming tactic, albeit cloaked in stealth technology.
Indeed, right before Tony's eyes, another vessel emerged from hyperspace, virtually undetectable in most electromagnetic spectrums. His heightened spatial awareness allowed him to perceive it. However, before Asgard's defenses could react, the shield abruptly collapsed, accompanied by a resounding explosion on the palace's side.
"Who are you?" finally, they were addressed by a warrior clad in blue armor, his helmet adorned with a circular open ring in the front, presumably designed to deflect swords from the head. The negligence was apparent, it was no wonder the enemy had carried out the diversion so effortlessly, having been lulled into a sense of complacency after thousands of years of peaceful existence.
"Friends," Tony replied, there was no time for explanations. "I am on my way to the palace. Jarvis, attempt to breach these defences. Jin, Wanda, your priority is to hold the line, if possible launch an attack. And make sure you locate my friend Rhodey so I can give him a good kicking!"
Stark hurled a hundred of Jarvis's miniaturized drones from the dimensional storage at once. Jarvis, undaunted, promptly added more to the mix. Tony, having issued the same instructions to them in the form of defending the local population, assaulting adversaries, and seeking out Roadies, leapt into acceleration and blinked to the foot of the palace, where an intense battle was already in progress.
It was then that Tony laid eyes on his adversary for the first time. These were painstakingly pale, humanoid creatures with sharp features, spiked teeth, and elongated, elfin ears. At first, Tony even considered the possibility that they had undergone some form of plastic surgery, but nay, they appeared to be naturally so. Did he have the time to ponder extraneous matters? Even so, there was a significant reserve of energy available, and the power of the Reality Stone was far more potent, promising an even more extended duration than simply fueling it with mana.. Stark, with his seemingly limitless reservoir of energy, charged forward, his blade coated in plasma, leaving a trail of fallen foes in his wake. To him, their movements were excruciatingly slow, like a film in slow motion, so much so that even his initial adversaries had not yet fallen to the ground.
He traversed the palace's interior, which resembled a fusion of Scandinavian and Roman architectural styles. The hallways were adorned with towering columns, vast ceilings, and abundant open spaces, yet they were also embellished with intricate bas-relief patterns in the Nordic style, some even crafted from gold. Stark mused that this place must have been the work of a master, recalling his own encounters with the ancient One.
As he delved deeper into the heart of the palace, Stark caught sight of a woman in rich attire, engaged in a fierce battle against six formidable opponents wielding both swords and blasters. The woman's appearance hinted at her advanced age, a testament to her lifespan of several millennia. Tony resolved to inquire about the most pressing issue at hand.. Suddenly, at this precise moment, these malevolent cosmic entities are meddling with a reactor.
— Greetings, I am Tony Stark. Might you inform me of your purpose here and the manner in which you are accomplishing it? I confess, I have become somewhat perplexed.
The woman, whose beauty and fortitude remain undimmed, was momentarily taken aback. She had been engaged in a fierce battle with an elite team of assassins dispatched to claim her soul, prepared to sell her existence at a high price, when they were abruptly destroyed, and a figure clad in unfamiliar armor emerged before her.
"I have heard of you from my son Thor. My name is Frigga. We are currently under siege from the forces of the dark elves from Svartalfheim, whom we believed to have been utterly eradicated. They have issued an ultimatum to Odin, demanding that he reveal the location of the Aether, or they will bring destruction to Asgard."
— What is this Aether?
— Also known as the Stone of Reality...
— Oh, damnation!
Only Tony had the intention of apparating back when, all of a sudden, Asgard quaked and waves of crimson-orange energy emanated from the palace. These waves literally reduced the enemy starships' already depleted ranks to dust, while the bodies of the Elves disintegrated into a macabre mess. Simultaneously, damaged structures were restored, and the wounded and slain aces were revived and healed.
Tony, still in motion, observed Jarvis, Jean, and Wanda standing hand in hand, from whom these waves emanated. The AI's voice resonated in Stark's helmet.
"Mr. Stark," said Tony, "do not worry, I have found a way for us to harness our powers together."
He could already see the results... impressive. For the first time, Tony felt a pang of weakness. But at the same time, he felt pride and joy that his students were so powerful and willing to work with him. However, it was premature to celebrate, for the combination of the energies of life and the reality had affected the growing plants, causing them to grow at an unprecedented rate. The aces themselves were also affected, filled with euphoria from their unexpected rescue and adrenaline coursing through their veins. They suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to continue their family. Fortunately, their self-control was strong enough not to act on their impulses, and soon, moans of pleasure began to emanate from nearly every surviving or rebuilt home, sometimes even from the streets.
At such moments, one might say, "Oh dear," Tony recognised the voice as belonging to Roadie, who stood beside him. Sif, on the other hand, seemed barely able to contain her own emotions. Unlike her husband, who possessed the resilience of a titans, she was susceptible to the wave's influence like everyone else.
"Well, I do hope that at least this will solve the issue of the population of Asgard," she said.
Stark embraced his friend. "Oh, you devil!"
Rhodey attempted to extricate himself from the seemingly friendly embrace, but it was futile. Tony's arms were like steel bands around his friend, crushing the air from his lungs.
In a low voice, Stark whispered in Rhodey's ear, "Why didn't you use the Portkey, you idiot? Why did you even call me?"
"You know, I just…"
"I understand. I wanted to protect my family. Be patient, then, for no good deed goes unpunished.
As a result, when Tony released Rhodey, he looked like a young girl in a pink ruffled dress. It was an elaborate illusion, supported by the power of the Reality Stone, so only Wanda, and Tony himself, could dispel it. But with her experience and control... No matter how she shaped the illusion into reality.
Tony, you were kidding, weren't you? What on earth, Tony? You've been walking around like this for a week, and now you think I'm going to put up with this nonsense? You could have asked me to save Asgard, and I wouldn't have needed to rush here. There was time to plan.
I... I deserved it. I'm sorry."
"Never mind. How many pictures of you in this form shall I take? I shall show them to your children, your grandchildren, and your great-grandchildren!"
"You're not really going to do it, are you?" "You can't be serious!" Two friends began chasing each other, playfully engaging in mock combat. But for them, it was all in good fun; for an ordinary person, such blows could prove fatal.
Jean commented on the scene, "The first four decades of childhood are always the most challenging."
"And then?" Wanda asked, prompting Sif to nod in agreement. "And then everyone grows accustomed to it, both them and us."
Jarvis adopted a look of pride. Some might say he was not a child; he was a sophisticated AI. Yet, no, he yearned for the thrill of Stark and Rhodey's altercation. He began to appreciate the allure of such impulsive actions.
Stark finally declared, "I give up, little girl. Don't hit me." He paused, then asked, "What on earth was that all about?"
"I, too, am intrigued by this matter," Thor interjected, clutching the hammer as he flew in. He had previously repelled hordes of foes that had invaded the throne room, assisted by Jarvis' drones. Odin, meanwhile, was in a state of recuperative slumber, unable to lend aid, and Loki, even more so. "And by the by, what on earth compelled my brother to assume the form of a sister?"
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