"I have a pretty good idea," I said. "This is Corvus's doing. Probably part of his new Ascendant power. It's their original plan, but worse. They're going to try and wipe out the planet without lifting a finger."
"Not if I have something to say about it," Fury barked.
"And what is that exactly, Fury?" I turned to the bald secret agent, keeping my voice level, "because this isn't something we have the technology to deal with. Hell, it might be something the Novans can't handle."
"They can," Maria Hill said from beside me, tapping at her holographic tablet. She brought up a projection of a supercomputer working in real time, reading and continuously adjusting the makeup of an antiviral in response to the information being fed into it from the malicious-looking virus.
"The problem right now is information," she continued. "We don't know enough about this new strain. They're working off three-hundred-year-old scans. We need to see the virus in action, but that would mean—"
"Poking at the dormant virus, ruining some poor sap's life, and even then, there's no guarantee," I finished. "I fully expect the virus to have robust defenses against tampering, study, and antivirals. Either way, this isn't something I expect we'll beat without a lot of time and a lot of deaths."
"All concerns the eggheads have already raised," Fury said, folding his arms, "but it still has to happen. It's unavoidable. We need that cure, or we all die."
"True enough," I admitted. "I thought I might have a cheaper alternative."
I raised a finger and summoned the Time Stone. The air rippled instantly, alarms screaming to life as an AI screeched in the background, pointing out the very obvious.
There was an Infinity Stone in the room.
Captain Marvel's fist flared with gathered light before she caught herself.
Maria Hill gasped. "Is that—"
"Yup."
"I've never seen one so close." The stone hovered above my finger, held aloft by casual telekinesis.
The dormant, reality-breaking energy painted the room in green.
"This bad boy might just be the solution to our problems."
"You want to travel through time?" Fury asked, one brow rising.
"Nope," I said. "Far too messy, and harder than you'd think. No. I want to peek into the future. Look at alternative outcomes. Then tell you how to make the cure before you figure it out yourselves."
Carol blinked, glancing from me to the stone.
"That's ridiculous," she said. "It can't be that… easy."
"I wouldn't call getting an Infinity Stone easy," Fury said dryly. He was still salty about my stealing the Space Stone.
"How would this even work?" Carol asked.
I explained it to them. I had essentially memorized the possible-futures spell Mordo used earlier thanks to my mind affinity. Creating a rune to trigger that specific effect using the Time Stone wouldn't be difficult. And if I failed, I could always ask Jean or Mordo for help.
When I told them I'd already used the technique to strategize my first scouting mission into Limbo, Fury looked equal parts impressed and furious. He got over it quickly enough.
The merits of the proposal outweighed any lingering bad blood, and soon we were charting next steps.
It revolved around our joint invasion of Limbo and who would handle whom. Captain Marvel had her sights set on Belasco, and I promised to arm her with weapons that would guarantee success. I planned on sending Rin with her, along with a few others.
Rescue operations were obviously the X-Men's domain. SHIELD wanted to act as infantry, handling the chaff. Jean and I—assuming she agreed—would deal with Corvus, his army, and Lauren.
I had a vague idea of how to put her down. It involved massively upgrading my armor, using Anathema Fire, my two Infinity Stones, heavily boosted mind magic, and Yamato.
For insurance, I planned to move forward with the Sentinel project, using the Time Stone to cut down on guesswork. I also intended to double down on blood enchantments using demon and monster body parts I'd gathered over time. I even planned on using genetic material from Armando and any other willing mutant I could find.
Of course, I didn't tell them any of that, even though it would almost certainly affect the outcome of the time spell I intended to cast as soon as I got back to my dimension.
Captain Marvel raised an important question just as the meeting began to wind down.
"Regardless of what the Time Stone shows us," she said, "we shouldn't leave the rest of the Infinity Stones unprotected."
That earned her curious looks from everyone in the room, including me.
"I mean, if she can get to the Necrosword, she can get to the Stones. It's just a matter of time. She clearly has the firepower."
"We know where the Mind and Power Stones are," I said. "We aren't getting to them without starting a war."
Thanos held the Mind Stone and had somehow maintained his position as the strongest warlord in the galaxy. Thousands of independent demons were sworn to him, serving as officers for his endless, faceless armies.
As for the Power Stone, it was embedded in Mundus's chest piece—the demon who defeated and sealed my father. He hadn't even claimed the Stone when the sealing happened, and I wasn't stronger than Sparda at his height. Not without the Infinity Stones, at least.
I blew air through my nose. Going after the Reality and Soul Stones might actually be easier.
"You could always bank on your brother's reputation," Maria Hill said. "He and the current holders of the Mind and Power Stones have clashed before."
"It won't work," I said immediately. "They're smarter than that. Everything about us is different. Our energy signatures, for one. And my name is already circulating. They'll know it was me."
"As if a little challenge has ever stopped you," Fury scoffed. "You have the Space and Time Stones. Getting the jump on them should be possible if you plan it right."
I grumbled, but didn't disagree. The Space and Time Stones together were one hell of a power-up. If I wielded them simultaneously, there was very little I couldn't simply erase.
"It'll be risky," I said, "and I'll need fast, discreet transport into their territory, along with briefings on everything you have regarding their defenses—"
"I'll pass the request along to Nova Command," Maria said quickly.
"There's also the question of who keeps what when this is all over," I added.
The silence lingered for a beat before Fury spoke.
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," he said, surprising me. That didn't sound like the Fury I knew. He never missed an opportunity to wrestle for leverage. "I'm more concerned about the final two. As far as the Novans know, their locations are still a mystery."
"Asgard knows where the Reality Stone is," I said, almost casually, "or at least Odin's father did. He took it from the Dark Elves a few thousand years ago. Called it the Ether or somesuch..."
Carol blinked, giving me a startled look. Maria Hill took it in stride, as did Fury—both were used to my occasional bouts of alleged clairvoyance.
"Did the Sorcerer Supreme tell you that?" Carol asked.
I considered telling her the truth, then decided against prolonging the conversation. Let her speculate.
"You should talk to Thor," I told Fury. "He'll tell Odin, if he doesn't already know." I glanced toward the ceiling, narrowing my eyes.
"And the last one?" Fury asked, eye narrowing in return. "I know you know where it is."
"Haven't the faintest clue," I lied. I wasn't giving up my only shot at freedom, even if it meant saving the planet. "Still. Five out of six. I like our odds, assuming everything goes according to plan."
The meeting ended shortly after. We looped Tony in, coordinating a meeting inside my dimension to accelerate our productivity. Hill volunteered several Novan engineers and scientists experienced in designing battle armor effective against demons.
I left with a sinking feeling I didn't fully understand until I was airborne, Manhattan falling away beneath me.
Storm.
In all the blood, carnage, and disaster, I hadn't noticed she was gone.
Lauren had her.
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