"Aren't we making the final adjustments?" Tony Stark shot a dissatisfied glance at Alex Ray while carefully refining the details on the new Infinity Gauntlet using precision tools. His voice carried a trace of irritation.
"No, seriously—how are you all so calm? Thanos is coming back soon. Shouldn't we be more nervous?" Ant-Man—Scott Lang—paced anxiously across the room. His heart raced with fear and unease over what was to come.
After all, he was the only one in this group who hadn't yet faced Thanos in battle.
While the Avengers were locked in combat with the Mad Titan, Scott had been messing around in the Quantum Realm.
When Thanos snapped his fingers and erased half the population, Scott was still playing in subatomic mud.
He glanced around. Despite their varied postures—some sitting, some standing, some meditating or prepping—everyone in the room exuded a stoic calm. Determination was etched across each face.
"Alex, are you sure Thanos will return? How can he travel through time and space into our universe?" Scott pressed again, looking to Alex Ray with desperation. He was hoping for a different answer this time—something to soothe his nerves.
"Scott, that's the twelfth time you've asked," Bruce Banner replied, seated on the floor. He glanced toward Nebula, who lay motionless nearby, his face clouded with regret.
No one could've expected that this Nebula—plucked from five years ago—would follow them into this universe via the Quantum Realm. Meanwhile, the original Nebula in this timeline had already been killed by Thanos.
What was even more terrifying was that no one had noticed the switch—except for Alex Ray. Without him, who knows what might have happened?
That alone made Banner feel as though Alex had an almost godlike foresight.
"So our top priority is to finish crafting the Infinity Gauntlet," Thor declared, gripping his Stormbreaker. "Once it's done, we snap our fingers, bring everyone back, and let Alex take the Stones. Leave Thanos to me. If I killed him once, I can do it again!"
But with his beer belly, Thor didn't exactly look majestic swinging his axe. The scene bordered on comical.
Alex Ray had watched the movies—he knew firsthand that this bloated Thor had, in fact, beheaded Thanos. Still, it was hard to believe without seeing it.
Not that he was planning to walk away. He was absolutely going to fight Thanos too.
Strange, standing silently to one side, nodded in agreement.
Once he retrieved the Time Stone, he intended to return to his own universe.
This world was far too dangerous.
Strange's eyes flicked toward Nebula.
He still couldn't figure out why she had attacked him.
Originally, no one had planned to expose her. But she kept approaching him, lingering too close.
Out of instinct, Strange bound her with scarlet magical chains.
If Nebula could still speak, she would've cried out, "This is so unfair!"
She'd only approached under Thanos's orders—to seduce Strange and gather intelligence about this universe.
She figured Alex Ray looked too sharp to be easily manipulated. But Strange, who seemed reserved and low-profile, looked like an easier target.
She didn't expect Strange to mistake it as an assassination attempt.
She definitely didn't expect to end up restrained on the floor.
If Strange had realized she was trying to seduce him, he might've hit her a few more times just out of disgust.
Who did she think she was, trying to seduce him?
Even back then, Strange had been surrounded by beautiful women. He could've had anyone he wanted.
Why would he settle for a scowling blue alien?
He didn't have that kind of kink.
Especially now—Strange was fully committed to the mystic arts. Women were just distractions.
When he wasn't buried in spellbooks at Kamar-Taj, he was studying historical tomes—especially ones from powerful Eastern civilizations.
History made it clear: women were the root of disaster. How many kingdoms had fallen because of them?
Barely five minutes passed.
"All right. It's finally done," Tony declared proudly.
Everyone turned as he lifted a massive red gauntlet in both hands. Six Infinity Stones, each glowing with immense power, were embedded across its surface.
These were the real deal—the true Infinity Stones.
Rocket Raccoon stepped forward, arms crossed. "So, the glove's ready. Now the question is... who's doing the death snap?"
"What??" Strange flinched and instinctively moved to stand behind Alex Ray.
Muttering low enough for only Alex to hear, he grumbled, "Wait—people die just by snapping their fingers now? When the hell did this world become that dangerous?"
Alex rolled his eyes. He didn't even bother replying.
There's no way Strange was that dense. He had to know what snapping with six Stones meant.
This wasn't rocket science. The combined power of the six Infinity Stones was incomprehensible. Even Captain Marvel had become a powerhouse just by absorbing a fraction of the Space Stone's energy.
Trying to channel all six Stones? The person doing it wouldn't survive unless they had a near-invulnerable body.
Thor stepped up without hesitation, lifting his hand. "I'll do it."
"Wait, wait!" Steve Rogers quickly cut in, blocking him. "We haven't decided anything yet."
"What's to decide? We don't have time! Thanos is already on his way. Are we just gonna sit here twiddling our thumbs until he shows up and rips the glove off our hands? If that happens, then what the hell was the point of time traveling? Of Nebula and Natasha's sacrifices—though Natasha isn't actually dead right now," Thor said, clearly drunk.
"But you're our strongest hitter," Tony countered coolly. "We still have to fight Thanos. If we lose you, who's left that can stand against him?"
Alex sat off to the side, silently munching on popcorn—figuratively. He was curious to see who'd end up doing the snap now that his presence had altered the timeline.
Then Bruce Banner threw him under the bus.
"Why don't we ask Alex?" he said. "Mr. Ray knows more about the Infinity Stones than anyone else. He'll know who's most suitable for the snap."
Every Avenger turned to stare at Alex Ray.
He blinked.
"How about you play rock-paper-scissors?" he suggested dryly. "Loser snaps."
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Bonus Chapter - 150 Power Stones
2nd Bonus Chapter - 300 Power Stones
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