บท 16: Ch.16 Don't Snap Your Fingers Next Time
Luckily, Ronan's brief pause didn't raise suspicion from the two people in front of him. At least, it didn't seem that way on the surface.
Tony Stark shrugged and walked over to the counter to pour himself a drink.
"Half an hour and you two are already discussing quantum realms? Are there physicists I don't know about around here?"
Tony's sarcastic tone had its signature edge, and Ronan couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Man, I really want to punch him. What should I do?
Ronan smirked, an idea forming in his mind. Why not let Stark experience what Bruce Banner went through earlier? Since Stark always claims to be a man who can match gods with his mere mortal abilities, surely he could handle a little thrill, right?
"Hold onto your drink," Ronan said, his eyes twinkling mischievously as he smiled at Stark.
"What?" Stark had barely grasped the meaning behind Ronan's words when he suddenly felt the floor beneath him disappear.
"Ahhh!!"
Tony's scream echoed through the room. Black Widow stood there wide-eyed as she watched Stark fall through the floor, only to reappear moments later through the ceiling, repeating the cycle of falling in a never-ending loop. Two golden circles—much like Ronan's signature portals—had appeared on the floor and ceiling, creating a gravity-defying loop for Stark.
Black Widow turned her gaze to Ronan, whose smug shrug told her everything.
Unfortunately for Ronan, both Banner and Stark weren't classified as enemies by his system. Otherwise, Ronan would've been farming experience points like crazy.
After a few dizzying loops, Stark managed to press the button on his chest. The nanotech Iron Man suit quickly enveloped him like a second skin.
With the propulsion system kicking in, Stark finally halted his crazy ride, although inertia had one last laugh at him, sending him into the floor with a thud.
Bang! The glass in his hand landed on his helmet with a dull thump, miraculously unbroken.
"You're right, Mr. Stark," Ronan said with a smirk, lifting his coffee cup in a mock toast. "There aren't any physicists here. But there is a reckless young sorcerer."
"Uh… Tony, were you showing off acrobatics?" Bruce Banner entered the room with some of the others, clearly drawn by Tony's earlier yells.
When they saw Stark with a glass on his head, they all assumed he was performing some kind of stunt or, more likely, showing off his suit.
"No," Ronan cut in with a playful grin. "Mr. Stark here was just helping me demonstrate Newton's laws of gravity. After all, Newton was quite the famous physicist."
Tony took off his helmet and exhaled sharply, eyes wide from the "experience."
"Are you done?" Banner gestured at the golden portals on the floor and ceiling. The memories of his own experience with them made him shudder.
Was Ronan just teaching him about gravity, too? Banner wondered, half-joking.
Ronan shrugged and casually waved his hand, closing the portals. It wasn't the most fun he'd had, but it was enough to give Stark a taste of what it felt like to be on the other side of things. A small warning, if you will, of what could happen when you irritate someone who isn't easily trifled with.
"Man, you sorcerers are all awful," Stark muttered as he touched down on the floor. "You make Strange seem like a saint."
"At least Strange isn't someone who attacks without warning," Tony added under his breath.
"Alright, Tony, enough," Steve Rogers interrupted, putting an end to the playful banter. "Ronan, can you give us the Time Stone now? We need to use it to model the Infinity Gauntlet."
Ronan, realizing the conversation had turned serious, didn't hesitate. This was, after all, part of his mission.
With a snap of his fingers, Ronan effortlessly conjured the green Time Stone, letting it hover between his fingers. "Here's the Time Stone. Just be careful with it—I don't want to get in trouble for losing it."
He tossed the stone to Banner, who barely managed to catch it in his panic. Only once the stone was safely in his hands did Banner breathe a sigh of relief.
Tony Stark, watching from the side, couldn't help but smirk. People say I have a bad attitude, but what about this kid? Does he not care about anything?
Banner didn't dwell on it, though. With the Time Stone in hand, they finally had all six Infinity Stones. Now all that remained was crafting the gauntlet and embedding the stones within it. Once someone snapped their fingers, everything would be set right again.
The thought filled Banner with hope, and he rushed toward the lab, his excitement contagious.
The others followed, eager to see their fallen comrades return.
But one figure in the back—Nebula—seemed troubled. Her expression darkened, unnoticed by most. All except Ronan, who caught the subtle shift in her demeanor.
"So, this part of the story hasn't changed, huh…" Ronan mused silently.
For a moment, a thought crossed his mind. If I had killed Nebula earlier, would Thanos from the other timeline still find a way here? Would that danger be neutralized?
But Ronan quickly dismissed the idea. Killing Nebula now would only turn everyone against him. There was no proof that this Nebula was a threat, no way to justify such an action.
Ronan wasn't a hero who would sacrifice his own safety for others. He wasn't going to bear the burden of being misunderstood just to save these people. That was the kind of thing reserved for protagonists, and he didn't have the kind of relationship with these people that warranted such sacrifices.
"Thank you," Black Widow said, standing up and nodding toward Ronan. Her gratitude wasn't just for the explanations he had provided but also for Tony's earlier comments.
As she walked a few steps away, she turned back to Ronan with a playful smile.
"Next time, don't snap your fingers when you're casting a spell, okay?"
Ronan chuckled. "Got it."
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