A Twist Of Marvel || Infinity War

67. Blue

The compound was quiet, as it had been ever since the arrival of 'team Cap.' Conversations were carried in hushed tones, even when there was no need. The air had a weight to it, and some days heroes hardly left their rooms except to train. But not Tony. He busied himself with every activity imaginable, and had a coffee permanently in his hand. He spoke to Strange often, seeking the man's counsel on almost every matter concerning Thanos or the mysterious Naomi. Even the arrival of Rhodey at the facility was not enough to life the man's spirits. The Stark breathed in anxiety, and out stress.

The message did little to help.

It was received in the middle of the night, erupting Tony's computers into loud rings and dire warnings. He had been half asleep standing over a portion of his nanotech suit, but with the help of Stephen- who had been perfectly awake and appeared to have been expecting the message- Tony opened it. He slapped himself awake as he read it, but the adrenaline rush that soon overpowered him left no need for any more caffeine.

It was from Wakanda, that was the first detail that Tony noticed. The message itself was brief, and lacked the usual eloquence that came with their exchanges. "An unidentified ship has entered Earth's atmosphere. Details unclear. Wakanda will be with you."

Tony paused, and re-read it. "Wait." He said, and vaguely reached out next to him, swiping at the air for Stephen, who stepped closer to allow Tony to grab him. "Is it Naomi?" Tony asked, gripping Stephen's arm without looking away from the message.

"No." Came Stephen's cool reply. Tony didn't bother to dissect the doctor's nonchalant attitude, and immediately made for the door.

"Shit!" Tony gasped, throwing open the doors to his lab and starting down the hallway, his pace growing quicker. "Shit, shit, shit!" He began to run. His mind was racing with the implications of what this alien spacecraft could mean- although there was really only one being that it could be. Tony didn't bother choosing a direction to run, but his muscle memory guided him down the corridors until he reached the 'heroes wing'. It was a stupid title, but fitting due to the fact that every superhero currently in the compound had a room in the same wing.

The first door Tony knocked on was Rhodey's, who immediately took note of Tony's distress. "Tony what the hell is-" Rhodey began to ask, his eyes drooped and his words thick with sleep.

"It's go time, come on." Tony nodded, slapping the doorframe and jumping to the next room. He continued in this manner until he had woken up every hero in the compound- although when it came to Bucky's door, he simply banged on it a few times without bothering to say anything. Stephen had arrived at some point, and quietly guided everyone to remain in the hallway. Natasha and Bucky were wide awake, their past lives leading to violent reactions when they were woken up. Natasha had pulled a knife out of her pillow when Tony started banging on her door. Steve and Sam stood at attention, although their heavy eyelids betrayed their grogginess. 

"Tony what's happening?" Steve asked, fighting off a yawn. Clearly, he was numb to Tony's erratic behavior and wasn't all that alarmed. 

"Thanos is happening, go suit up." Tony ordered, and started back in the direction of his lab. Steve grabbed his arm preventing the man from moving away.

"You need to explain, Tony. What happened to the prophet, uh, Nayeli?"

"Her name is Naomi." Tony asserted, shoving the super soldier away. "And I don't know, okay?" His voice rose, nerves slowly getting the best of the man as he started to remember why he had such a big fallout with the captain. "Happy now!?"

"Tony, calm down." Rhodey soothed, approaching the billionaire slowly as if he was dangerous. Tony rolled his eyes and continued out, this time stopped by no one. Rhodey followed after him with a moment's hesitation and a sigh.

"Steve?" Bucky spoke up, now that Tony was safely out of earshot. Bucky didn't know where exactly he stood with the man, but he wasn't too interested to find out. Steve turned to face his friend, and surveyed his team with a hard look.

"Let's follow Tony for now. Suit up."

With a light chorus of grumbles, the heroes complied and shuffled back into their rooms to get changed. Once he was alone in the hall, Stephen took a deep breath, and made a final glance around to ensure that no one was watching. Once he was certain he was alone, the wizard raised his hands in front of him, and with one arm made a small, circular motion. Before him, a spinning portal grew larger until he could view the room it led into. Solid, metal walls and a singular pedestal in the center. All Stephen had to do was take a confident step forward, and he entered the room.

It was small and felt cramped, as though it hadn't been meant to contain a person. In truth, the room hadn't. There were no doors, no windows, and no air vents. As soon as it had been constructed, the walls had been sealed clean shut and barricaded until it could withstand a nuclear blast. Tony Stark had constructed it in secrecy, and he had made a good job of hiding it from all others save for himself.

But what Tony did not know was that Stephen Strange never slept. Not anymore. In lieu of wasting his time dreaming, the sorcerer astral projected during the night and waited for his body to recharge on its own. The only times he allowed himself unconsciousness was when he truly needed it. It was a useful ability that had allowed him to observe the Stark as he built the vault, and make note of the location for later use. Because the vault was built for one purpose, and one purpose alone.

The Tesseract.

Now in the room with it, Stephen was able to admire the cube in person. He had seen it hundreds of thousands of times in his visions, but in person it appeared differently. The shifting hues and soft electric crackle hinted at the great power stored within. The cube was the only source of light in the room, washing Stephen in it's soft blue light. He didn't waste his time staring, however.

Slowly, he opened the Eye of Agamotto, allowing the Time Stone's green glow to to cast over the Tesseract. With a deep breath, he prepared himself. Steadying his hands, Stephen activated the Time Stone, and began the arduous process of reversing time on the Tesseract. He knew what great risks were associated with it, but according to his visions, the process had to be under gone. The Tesseract was a thing of mystery, and left Stephen with countless unanswered questions as he stole away years of age from the device. The cube showed little change, however, and as the minutes dragged on into hours, the sorcerer began to doubt if the task was even possible. With no feasible way to break the cube containing the stone within, Stephen could only hope to revert it back to when the cube was formed around it.

Sweat dripped down his brow and the edges of his vision blurred, but Stephen held his position steadfast. A long, translucent crystal appeared in the room, breaking the light into refracted rainbows. Stephen didn't spare it a glance and focused harder on the cube, doubling his efforts with a tight grimace. The crystals multiplied, swiftly filling half the room, and enriching on Stephen's limited space. The air grew thicker, and began to taste tainted to the sorcerer. The blurred edges of his vision crept in to the center. His breaths came in ragged gasps, and the man hunched over on himself, pressing up against the pedestal and the crystals enclosed on him. Stephen shut his eyes, and gave one final push.

In an instant, the cube was gone- a small blue stone lying prone on the pedestal. The crystals retreated, and the man slumped to the floor, the Eye closing as he released the Time Stone's power.

He looked up, and his vision gradually cleared as his energy began to restore itself. After a few tedious moments, he was able to stand, squinting down at the stone. A simple spell was all that he needed, and after a few hand motions the Space Stone was in the sorcerer's possession.