[Central Park, New York City.]
"Tell me he didn't name it," Tony Stark said, walking alongside Pepper Potts.
"He did," Pepper laughed. "Morgan. He named the eccentric uncle after himself."
"I had a dream," Tony stopped her. "We had a kid. It was so real. We named him Morgan."
"Tony, you woke up screaming," Pepper adjusted his jacket. "That wasn't a dream. That was the nightmare again."
"No, this was different. It felt like... a promise."
"Sir," Sebastian Michaelis walked a few paces behind them, holding a picnic basket. "If I may interrupt the domestic bliss, your heart rate is elevated. And there is a wizard standing behind you."
Tony spun around.
Doctor Stephen Strange stood there, flanked by Bruce Banner.
"Tony Stark," Strange said gravely. "I'm Doctor Stephen Strange. I need you to come with me. Oh, congratulations on the wedding, by the way."
"I'm sorry, you're giving out tickets or something?" Tony asked.
"We need your help," Bruce stepped forward. "Look, it's not a wedding. It's the end of the world."
Tony looked at Bruce. He hadn't seen him since Ultron.
"Bruce?"
"Thanos is coming," Bruce whispered. "He's coming."
[Bleecker Street. Sanctum Sanctorum.]
"The Infinity Stones," Wong explained, showing the holographic projection of the universe. "Six singularities. Thanos has the Power Stone and the Space Stone. He is the most powerful being in the universe."
"And he wants them all," Strange said. "To wipe out half of all life."
"Why?" Tony asked, leaning against a cauldron.
"To save the universe from overpopulation," Sebastian noted from the corner, examining a mystical artifact. "A Malthusian catastrophe. Logically sound, ethically monstrous. It is the kind of plan a madman calls mercy."
"Who is he?" Bruce pointed at Sebastian.
"That's the help," Tony said. "Seb, put down the Cauldron of the Cosmos."
"We have the Time Stone here," Strange pointed to his necklace. "And Vision has the Mind Stone. We need to hide them."
"We need to destroy them," Tony argued.
"We swore an oath to protect the Time Stone," Strange countered.
BOOM.
The building shook. Debris fell from the ceiling. Screams erupted from the street outside.
"He's here," Tony said. As he walked to the door, he tapped his chest piece. Nanotech—the Mark 50—began to flow over his skin.
Sebastian straightened his tie. His eyes flashed fuchsia.
"Finally," Sebastian smiled. "A challenge."
[Greenwich Village. The Street.]
The Q-Ship hovered over the city, a massive ring of alien metal.
Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian beamed down.
"Hear me, and rejoice," Maw preached, floating above the pavement. "You are about to die at the hand of the Children of Thanos."
"I'm sorry, Earth is closed today," Tony announced, stepping out of the Sanctum. "You better pack it up and get out of here."
"Stonekeeper," Maw looked at Strange. "Does this chattering animal speak for you?"
"Certainly not," Strange summoned his mandalas. "I speak for myself. You are trespassing in this city and on this planet."
"He means get lost, Squidward!" Tony yelled.
"Kill them," Maw ordered Cull Obsidian.
The giant charged.
"Banner, you want a piece?" Tony asked.
"No, not really!" Bruce tried to Hulk out. Nothing happened. "He won't come out!"
"Fine. Sebastian? You're up."
Sebastian stepped forward. He removed his white gloves, folding them neatly and placing them in his pocket.
"With pleasure, Sir."
Cull Obsidian swung his massive hammer. Sebastian didn't dodge. He caught the hammer handle with one hand.
CRACK.
The pavement beneath Sebastian's feet shattered, but he didn't move an inch.
"You are big," Sebastian looked up at the alien. "But clumsy."
Sebastian punched Cull in the knee, shattering the alien armor. Cull roared and swung again.
Meanwhile, Iron Man blasted Cull back. Spider-Man swung in to catch a thrown taxi.
"Hey guys!" Peter yelled. "What's this guy's problem? Mr. Stark, is that the butler fighting the alien?!"
"Less talking, more fighting!" Tony ordered.
[The Wizard Duel]
Strange engaged Ebony Maw. Bricks turned into spikes. Cars flew.
Maw was telekinetic. He simply waved his hand, and Strange was pinned against a wall by rebar.
"Your powers are quaint," Maw sneered, floating closer. "You must be popular with children."
"I prefer an older demographic," a voice whispered.
Maw spun around.
Sebastian—having left Cull to Tony and Spidey—was standing on a floating chunk of debris behind Maw.
Maw flicked his finger. A telekinetic blast hit Sebastian.
Sebastian dissolved into shadows, reappearing instantly on Maw's left. He slashed with clawed hands.
Maw shielded himself with a telekinetic barrier. Clang.
"You..." Maw's eyes widened. "You are not human. You reek of the dark dimensions. Are you a familiar?"
"I am a butler," Sebastian struck again, cracking the barrier.
Maw scowled. He lifted a fire hydrant, ripped it open, and turned the water into ice spikes. He launched them at Sebastian.
Sebastian deflected them with a silver tray (pulled from nowhere), but the sheer force knocked him back.
"Stonekeeper!" Maw yelled, grabbing Strange with telekinesis. "I take you to Titan!"
Maw flew up toward the Q-Ship, dragging the unconscious Strange with him.
"Wizard!" Tony yelled. He flew after them.
"Mr. Stark!" Peter shot a web, hitching a ride on the Q-Ship.
"Sebastian!" Tony called over the comms. "We're leaving the atmosphere! Stay here! Protect the Sanctum!"
Sebastian looked at the ascending ship. He looked at Bruce Banner, who was uselessly slapping himself to trigger the Hulk.
The contract, Sebastian thought. If the Master dies in space, the soul is lost.
"I think not," Sebastian whispered.
He ran.
He ran up the side of a building. He leaped from the spire of the Empire State Building.
He turned into a blur of black smoke and shadow, latching onto the hull of the Q-Ship just as it engaged its engines.
[The Stratosphere]
The air thinned. The cold of space set in.
Tony and Peter were clinging to the hull.
"Mr. Stark, I can't breathe!" Peter gasped.
The Iron Spider suit deployed, sealing Peter in.
Tony looked to his left.
Sebastian was standing on the hull. He wasn't wearing a space suit. He was just... standing there. His demonic physiology didn't require oxygen. He adjusted his coat against the vacuum.
"You are a terrible listener," Tony said through his helmet comms.
"I am a devoted servant," Sebastian's voice came through clearly (likely telepathic or magic). "And I have never been to space. The view is... adequate."
The ship accelerated. Earth vanished behind them. They were heading into the dark.
[End of Chapter 41]
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