Hank fell silent, lost deep in thought.
He wasn't just any scientist—
He was a scientist who specialized in the Quantum Realm.
After all, no matter how one judged him, Hank Pym did successfully recreate a time machine.
If anyone had the authority to speak on quantum phenomena, it was him.
And his first conclusion was simple:
Building a lab on the ocean floor made no sense at all.
The Quantum Realm was unstable.
Creating a research base underwater would be riskier, not safer.
On top of that, it violated all logic.
If there wasn't a secret quantum lab under the sea, then where had that quantum energy surge come from?
"Enough. No point guessing blindly."
Alex interrupted the silence.
"I'll go see it myself."
He raised his hand—
The Infinity Gauntlet gleamed.
SHOOM—
A blue star-shaped portal opened—identical to America's.
"I'll check it out."
Alex stepped through and appeared above the vast ocean of that alternate universe.
SPLASH!
He dove straight into the water, sinking rapidly.
Then—
His immense mental power expanded like a scanning wave.
He swept through the entire seabed for dozens of kilometers.
And found…
Nothing.
No lab.
No disruptions.
No machinery.
No trace of quantum experimentation at all.
Even the marine ecosystem looked completely undisturbed.
"Nothing?"
"Absolutely nothing?"
When Alex relayed the findings, Hank stared blankly, just as confused.
If the surge didn't originate from the universe America opened…
And didn't come from their universe…
Then where had it come from?
"Alex, are you absolutely certain the universe you opened was the same one America accessed?"
Magneto finally voiced the doubt they were all thinking.
He knew Alex making a mistake was unlikely—
But right now, every other explanation sounded even less plausible.
And Alex himself was beginning to wonder.
Could he have misread the coordinates?
He reopened the portal.
Checked again.
Still nothing.
The senior mutants exchanged bitter looks.
This mystery was becoming more bizarre by the minute.
"Wait!"
After pacing back and forth dozens of times, Hank suddenly stopped.
A spark of realization flashed through his eyes.
"I think… I know what's going on."
Everyone straightened at once.
Previously, Hank had unconsciously assumed the Quantum Realm functioned like any other material realm.
But that assumption was wrong.
"The Quantum Realm isn't a normal physical universe.
Or rather… its physics, space, and time follow entirely different laws."
Professor X rubbed his forehead.
"Hank, perhaps it's better if you just tell us the conclusion."
Hank nodded.
"The conclusion is…
The source of the quantum surge could be ANY parallel universe."
"ANY parallel universe?!"
Alex, Charles, Erik—all stared at him in stunned disbelief.
Even for the weirdness of the multiverse, this was outrageous.
Hank continued:
"Think of the Quantum Realm as a plane outside the multiverse.
Independent.
Self-contained."
"Any parallel universe can open a doorway into it.
And if someone, somewhere, triggered a quantum event… that surge could spill into other universes as well."
"To simplify—imagine the Quantum Realm is Krakoa's Moonlit Lake.
Everyone standing around the lake is a parallel universe."
"If ANYONE throws a rock into the lake, the splash hits everyone."
"The surge America encountered had nothing to do with her specific universe.
It wasn't ours either.
It was triggered by someone else entirely."
Only after that analogy did everything click.
"So the quantum surge came from a completely unrelated universe," Charles summarized, "and America happened to open a portal right as spacetime weakened. The surge followed the breach straight through."
"Exactly."
At last, the situation made sense.
"Then Hank…"
Erik took a deep breath.
"If we enter the Quantum Realm, what are our chances of finding Raven and the others?"
Hank's face darkened.
"Very slim.
The Quantum Realm is infinite.
Entering to find someone is like an ant diving into the Pacific Ocean."
"The only feasible method… is to locate the universe that caused the surge, find their entry point into the Quantum Realm, and go through their doorway."
Silence fell.
Everyone understood what that meant.
The multiverse contained countless universes.
Finding the one that caused the surge?
Nearly impossible.
Unless…
"Alex," Charles said slowly, "you once mentioned that Kang the Conqueror wrote the life-scripts of every being in the multiverse."
"Yes," Erik said, eyes lighting up, "if anyone knows which universe triggered the surge…
It's Kang."
Alex had no counterargument.
If one spoke of omniscience in the multiverse—
Only Kang fit the definition.
But Alex's expression tightened.
He had just firmly rejected Kang's offer to become the new Time Keeper.
Going back now to ask for help…
…would put him in Kang's debt.
And Kang—
any version of Kang—
was a vortex of trouble Alex wanted no part of.
But without Kang…
There was no path forward.
No one else could know the answer.
"…Fine."
After a long, heavy pause, Alex made his decision.
Raven, Emma, the X-Men—
They were all irreplaceable to him.
Even if it meant owing Kang a favor—
Even if it meant stepping into another mess—
He would bring them back.
At any cost.
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