In fact, Alex Ray had already known about the group's plan before they arrived, and Doctor Strange had some idea as well, though he wasn't entirely sure what they were up to.
"So, are you ready to snap your fingers? The Stones are all here now," Alex said flatly.
Captain America—Steve Rogers, the leader and planner—stood and took the initiative to explain their purpose to Alex and the others.
"Our plan is to travel back in time to collect the six Infinity Stones. Then we'll use their power to bring back everyone who was wiped out by Thanos."
"Go on, we know this part. Dr. Banner already explained it," Alex nodded, unimpressed.
Steve sighed. Their detour into Alex's universe had been a total accident, and no one could quite explain how it happened.
Anyone would be thrown off by something like this, but in the end, Steve was glad they wound up here—because if they hadn't, Natasha Romanoff would have remained dead. Maybe someone—or something—had deliberately pushed them into this universe.
He made a silent note to thank Alex Ray properly once this was all over.
Captain America continued explaining their mission. According to the plan, he was responsible for retrieving the Mind Stone. Tony Stark and Scott Lang (Ant-Man) were going for the Space Stone (Cosmic Cube), Bruce Banner would acquire the Time Stone, and Hawkeye and Natasha were tasked with the Soul Stone.
Meanwhile, Nebula and James Rhodes (War Machine) were set to retrieve the Power Stone, and Thor would partner with Rocket Raccoon for the Reality Stone.
However, the plan had to be shelved after they ended up in Alex Ray's world. Steve didn't know this version of Dr. Banner and had gotten his ass handed to him. The Mind Scepter, which was supposed to be in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hands, was now in Alex's possession. Steve even ran into Captain Carter—a version of Peggy Carter he'd never seen before.
And after a series of unexpected fights, some of which ended in awkward, very personal territory… they were left reassessing everything.
Due to their limited supply of Pym Particles, Tony originally suggested going back to World War II, but Steve refused. They'd already veered into the wrong timeline once; another misstep and they might never return home.
As much as Steve wanted to save the lost, he wasn't willing to risk his team's lives again.
They considered returning to collect more Pym Particles and planned to resume their mission later. Dr. Banner had promised to keep the remaining Stones safe, so the team returned to regroup.
Strange fell into deep thought after hearing the plan. He wondered—if such a catastrophe had happened in their world, would they have taken the same route the Avengers did?
Alex glanced sideways at Tony. That meant this universe's Tony hadn't yet met his father, Howard Stark. It was one of the few scenes from the movies that had really moved Alex.
"Is that it?" Alex asked.
"That's right," Steve nodded, though he instantly noticed the disdain on Alex's face. He felt a pang of irritation. "Any questions?"
Even a fool could read Alex's expression. He clearly thought the plan was garbage.
Scott Lang, who had first suggested using the Quantum Realm, looked visibly irritated. He felt insulted—after all, it was his theory that had made all this possible.
Strange was also intrigued. Was there actually a better alternative?
"I know you're strong," Scott said, crossing his arms. "But we got the Stones. What exactly is wrong with the method?"
This echoed what everyone else was thinking. After five years of searching for answers, this was the only viable plan they had come up with.
They all looked to Alex, waiting for him to explain himself.
Alex didn't bother sugarcoating anything. "The plan itself isn't the problem—it's your timing. Whose brilliant idea was it to split up across multiple timelines?"
Steve and Tony immediately bristled, clearly offended. It was obviously their idea.
This immediately chipped away at any goodwill they had toward Alex—even though he had saved Natasha's life.
Before Scott could open his mouth to argue, Alex continued, voice cold and indifferent. "You're collecting Infinity Stones, right? Then why pick three different time periods? You know the exact point in time when all six are together. Why not go then?"
Silence fell over the room like a bomb had dropped.
Of course they had thought about that. But Thanos's sheer power had made them dismiss the idea without a second thought. They hadn't even dared to consider it seriously.
"You say that because you haven't seen what Thanos is capable of," Bruce muttered, eyes downcast.
The room went tense at the mention of Thanos. The Avengers flinched, visibly uncomfortable. It was clear the name alone evoked trauma.
Strange, watching their faces, began mentally drafting his escape plan. He didn't know who Thanos was, but from the way these seasoned heroes reacted, he didn't want to find out firsthand.
"I need a good excuse to vanish soon. This world's too damn dangerous," Strange thought.
Alex responded calmly, "Don't talk to me about Thanos. No one knows him better than I do."
Silence fell again. Given Alex's strength and his reputation, they couldn't argue.
Steve finally stepped forward in defense. "We just picked a safer, more reliable method. We couldn't guarantee the safety of our team otherwise. And we did get all the Stones, right?"
Alex actually laughed, not out of joy but disbelief.
"You already killed Thanos once, didn't you? So what, you're scared of facing him in his prime? Why not go to the cabin where he's weakened after the Snap? Admit it—you're afraid of him."
His gaze swept across them coldly.
"And who told you everything went 'intact'? If it weren't for me, you'd have lost more than one person on this little time heist."
Embarrassment colored their faces.
Thinking back, it did seem plausible. Post-Snap Thanos had retreated to a secluded planet, heavily weakened. If they had attacked him then, as a coordinated strike team, success would've been practically guaranteed.
It wasn't like Thor hadn't already split Thanos open with Stormbreaker once before.
A second attempt would almost certainly work.
As for Alex's comment about them losing more than one person… they assumed he meant their accidental arrival in his universe. Without his help, they might not have made it out alive.
They all looked fine now, so they didn't dwell on it.
But none of them noticed how Nebula, standing silently at the back, suddenly froze when Alex made that final remark.
Alex gave the group of Avengers one last disinterested glance and turned to leave. "The remaining three Stones are yours to prepare. Hurry it up so we can get this over with."
Truthfully, Alex didn't really blame them. It wasn't their fault.
It was the damn director's. Natasha's paycheck was too big, so they had to kill her off.
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Bonus Chapter - 150 Power Stones
2nd Bonus Chapter - 300 Power Stones
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