章 14: The Gauntlet Dilemma
"Captain."
Ned greeted Captain America casually.
"Sorcerer," the Captain nodded in return, then asked, "I assume you're aware of Rumlow and his team's true identities?"
Clearly, the Captain had been here for a while.
"Of course," Ned nodded, adding, "Otherwise, I wouldn't have actually gone so far as to kill them."
"Well," having suffered at the hands of Hydra's strike team before, the Captain had no objections to Ned's approach. Nodding, he said, "You know I need the Infinity Stones to save our world, so..."
The Captain gestured toward the scepter in Ned's hand.
"Here you go."
Ned didn't hesitate and handed the scepter to the Captain without any fuss.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure to return it as soon as possible," the Captain said solemnly after receiving the scepter.
In response, Ned simply stared at him and reiterated, "Captain, remember, don't hold back in using the stones."
"Understood."
Although the Captain didn't fully understand why Ned kept emphasizing this point, he could sense a looming crisis in his words.
Coupled with what he'd learned from Tony—that sorcerers seemed to possess the ability to foresee the future—it only deepened the heavy feeling in his heart.
Judging from Ned's repeated warnings, this time-travel mission was probably far more perilous than they'd anticipated, perhaps even to the point where using the stones would become unavoidable.
Realizing this, the Captain had no desire for further conversation with Ned. He hurriedly bid him farewell and rushed back to discuss matters with Tony.
Downstairs, as Tony Stark was preparing to take Thor out for barbecue, they were intercepted by Alexander Pierce.
What followed was a coordinated effort by Ant-Man and future Tony Stark, resulting in them successfully obtaining the Tesseract. This time, thanks to Ned's intervention with a portal, Hulk was also brought down without causing additional disruptions.
With three Infinity Stones in hand, the team from the future regrouped. After exchanging glances, they activated the Quantum Tunnel and left.
The Future: Avengers Headquarters
"Whoa!"
A collective exclamation erupted as the team reappeared.
"Did we manage to get all the Stones?"
As he removed his Quantum suit, Tony Stark glanced around and asked.
"Did we really succeed?" Rhodey held up the Orb containing the Power Stone.
Hearing this, smiles spread across the team's faces, as if victory was within reach.
However, Hawkeye's condition was visibly different. Staggering off the platform, he dropped to one knee.
The ever-perceptive Bruce Banner immediately noticed something was off. Noticing that Clint, who was supposed to return with Natasha, was alone, Bruce hesitated before asking, "Clint, where's Natasha?"
The others, hearing this, turned to see Clint's tear-filled eyes. They didn't need an explanation to understand what had happened. One by one, they bowed their heads in grief.
After a tense round of research, Tony Stark successfully built a tech-based Infinity Gauntlet capable of channeling the power of all six Stones. However, deciding who would snap their fingers became the next challenge.
"I'll do it."
"What did you just say?"
"No problem."
"Stop, stop, wait!"
Thor, despite his recent bouts of indulgence, stepped forward, volunteering to wear the gauntlet. But the other heroes clearly weren't comfortable with the idea of letting Thor take on such a dangerous task.
"Thor, hold on. We haven't decided who's going to wear the gauntlet yet," the Captain interjected, blocking his way.
"Then what are we waiting for? Is there anyone better suited than me? Do you know what flows through my veins?" Thor countered, clearly unimpressed by the hesitation.
Before anyone could respond, Rhodey quipped, "Cheese Whiz?"
Thor glared at Rhodey, gesturing for him to show some respect toward the King of Asgard and "strongest Avenger." He then turned back to the Captain, saying, "It's lightning, lightning flows through me!"
"Yes, lightning," Tony chimed in as he stepped in front of Thor. "Listen to me, buddy. Lightning won't help you here. This isn't just about the power of the gauntlet—it's about you. You're not in the right condition."
But Thor wasn't convinced. Grabbing Tony's arm, he pleaded, almost desperately, "Let me do this. Let me make things right."
Thor, having been encouraged by his mother Frigga, was beginning to regain some clarity. He felt an overwhelming guilt for his failures over the past five years and was determined to redeem himself as the son of Odin. He was willing to do whatever it took to bring back the comrades and citizens who had been lost.
"Buddy…" Tony didn't know how to respond to this version of Thor. But even so, his body instinctively blocked Thor's path, making it clear he still didn't believe Thor was the right choice.
Watching the argument unfold, the Captain suddenly remembered that Ned had mentioned Captain Marvel's ability to wield the Stones perfectly. He turned to Rocket Raccoon and asked, "How long until Carol returns to Earth?"
"Oh, she's probably still at some galactic beauty salon. A few more hours, maybe?" Rocket replied honestly, though he didn't understand why the Captain was asking.
Tony, overhearing this, realized that Steve was following the advice of that "chubby sorcerer" from 2012 by suggesting Captain Marvel should snap her fingers.
But that sorcerer had mentioned more than just Captain Marvel. In fact, his warning about her suitability had almost seemed like an afterthought.
With that realization, Tony scanned the room, his gaze darting between the assembled heroes. Suddenly, he noticed someone missing—a very familiar face.
"Where's Nebula?" Tony asked aloud.
Before anyone could react, he quickly instructed Friday, "Friday, locate Nebula immediately! And activate the defense protocols!"
Tony had always believed that "if you mess with time, it'll mess with you." Coupled with Ned's repeated warnings, Tony was now like a bowstring pulled taut. The moment he realized Nebula was missing, he became hyper-alert, wasting no time in preparing for a potential fight.
The Captain quickly understood the gravity of the situation as well. If Nebula was part of the crisis the sorcerer had foreseen, then danger was imminent. Grabbing his shield, he commanded to the others, "Prepare for battle!"
"Stark, Cap, what's going on?" Some of the others, still confused, began to gear up as they sensed the escalating tension.
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