The planet Morag was desolate and lifeless. Around the ruins of the temple, the corpses of blue-skinned Kree soldiers lay scattered across the ground. On a raised rock, War Machine and Nebula sat weakly, recovering from the chaos.
"What just happened? Why did I feel completely out of control… like Hawkeye once was, when Loki used the scepter on him?"
Colonel James Rhodes lowered his head, staring blankly at his trembling hands. Fear tightened his chest, and his voice came out hoarse.
"In this time… wasn't the Mind Stone supposed to be on Earth? Could it have been fluctuations from when Vision was created?"
Nebula, though a later addition to the Avengers, had a brain enhanced with quantum cybernetics. She understood more than most about the team's history. Turning toward Rhodes, she asked the question that troubled her.
But Rhodes suddenly cursed. "Damn it… is 'Nine-Thirty' really the right code word for them?"
Nebula frowned in confusion. "Rodhey, earlier you said you had… another mission. What did you mean by that?"
She remembered his words before the fight, but no such orders had ever reached her.
"Listen, Nebula…" Rhodes's tone grew firm. "I received new instructions. I'm supposed to head to Earth in this timeline. Headquarters told me to make sure you return first—with the Power Stone."
His face grew serious. He patted Nebula's shoulder, then sealed his helmet. The War Machine armor roared to life, propelling him into the air. Above, a Kree warship floated abandoned—its crew wiped out earlier by Allens' psychic storm.
"Veronica, come online."
Inside the ship, Rhodes worked quickly. He pulled out a transparent panel, pressed it to the Kree command system, and activated Stark's failsafe.
"Veronica online. Synchronizing data with the Kree ship… Data transfer complete. Initializing launch. Quantum leap engaged."
A female voice echoed through the cabin. Across the display, streams of alien data refreshed rapidly before reshaping into the holographic avatar of a woman—Pepper Potts's likeness.
This was Veronica, the artificial intelligence Tony Stark had designed specifically for deep-space combat.
In front of the ship, a massive wormhole opened. War Machine vanished from Morag aboard the Kree craft.
"What mission… so secret even I don't know about it?" Nebula muttered bitterly, watching him disappear.
She began programming her quantum wrist device for a return jump—but froze. Her body suddenly locked in place, unable to move.
Far above Morag, drifting in the void, floated a warship vast enough to rival a small planet. Its surface gleamed with endless lights, surrounded by three massive cross-shaped escorts and swarms of smaller Q-shaped fighters.
It was the Sanctuary II—the dreadnought of the Mad Titan, Thanos. Within its core palace, Thanos sat on his floating throne, his oppressive presence silencing everyone in the hall.
"Has the fluctuation of the Mind Stone been confirmed?" His deep, commanding voice echoed.
At his side, Ebony Maw bowed low, his body trembling as he answered. "Yes, my lord. The Mind Stone's resonance was detected—originating from Earth."
As Thanos's most devoted disciple, Maw understood well why his master feared Earth. Two years ago, Thanos had only sent Loki as a test—Asgard's wayward prince had failed miserably.
Da-da-da.
Thanos tapped the armrest of his throne with his fingers, the sound sharp in the silence. None of the Black Order—not even Proxima Midnight or Corvus Glaive—dared to breathe. Nebula and Gamora stood tense at the side.
Suddenly—tsk!—a projection flickered in Nebula's cybernetic eye. Startled, the room turned to her.
"Lord Thanos," Ebony Maw reported urgently, "Nebula's brain is… syncing with another data stream. It appears to be information from the year 2023."
"Future data?" Thanos's eyes gleamed. Watching silently, he quickly pieced together the events yet to unfold.
"I am destiny itself," Thanos rumbled, rising from his throne. His towering figure radiated dominance as he loomed over Nebula. With two massive fingers, he lifted her chin, staring coldly into her eyes.
"To Morag," he commanded.
In an instant, the Sanctuary II vanished into hyperspace and reappeared above Morag.
On the ground, the two Nebulas—past and future—stumbled in shock as their minds tangled with the same network. The future Nebula desperately tried to activate her quantum device, but a beam of light struck her from above, pinning her helplessly. She was dragged aboard Thanos's warship.
Meanwhile, Allens's astral consciousness hovered above, gazing at the colossal ship.
"This is the first time I've seen Thanos's dreadnought… larger than it ever appeared in the films," he mused. "It's like a floating planet—bigger even than Morag's own moon."
His awareness drifted inside, passing through ranks of the Black Order until it reached Thanos's throne room.
"Thanos," Allens's voice echoed, manifesting inside the Titan's mind. "We finally meet."
Thanos's spiritual form stirred. His voice boomed, cold and disdainful.
"The devil of hell? Supreme Intelligence? Pathetic rats. None of them dare stand before me. So it was you who unleashed those psychic storms… human."
His eyes narrowed as he beheld Allens's projection. For the first time, a flicker of surprise crossed the Mad Titan's face.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
I upload 2 chapters daily on Patreon!
There are 90+ advanced chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.
Check out my new Marvel fanfic!
[Marvel: A Video Editor]