Universe 2.
The group emerged in an underground space that looked similar in style to Mario's base, but comparing the two was like comparing a public plaza to a small apartment. This version was noticeably more cramped.
The first thing Mario did upon arriving was pull a couch from his inventory and place it on the ground. Last time he'd jumped universes, everything had happened so suddenly that he hadn't even been able to rest properly.
"Alright, let me lay out the situation. Last time I was here, I caused some problems."
He paused, choosing his words. "The moment we step outside, S.H.I.E.L.D. will be all over us."
Behind him, Kaecillius mentally edited Mario's statement.
Remove "caused some problems" and replace with "declared war on half the superhero community."
Mario glanced at the others. "Except for Skye, everyone else is in the same boat."
Both the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Tony were far too recognizable. The second any camera caught them, they'd have agents breathing down their necks within minutes.
Fury was curious about what "problems" Mario had caused in this universe. Whatever the truth was, he was certain it wasn't as simple as Mario made it sound.
"First stop is Stark Tower," Mario announced. "There's definitely leftover alien weapons from the Battle of New York. That's where you come in, Tony."
Tony perked up. "You mean my Stark Tower? The one that's still under construction in our universe?"
Mario nodded.
"Perfect. I want to see how far this world's version of me has gotten. And hey, copying from yourself doesn't count as plagiarism, right?"
He was confident that two years would be enough time for his alternate self to upgrade several generations of armor. A few keystrokes would save him years of research. This time, Ivan would be eating his dust.
Mario turned to Fury. "What about you? Any plans or objectives?"
"I want to understand what happened in these past two years." That was Fury's main reason for coming, learning from a parallel world's experience could help him avoid mistakes in his own.
Mario nodded thoughtfully. "I've got a suggestion. Want to hear it?"
"I'm listening." Fury gave him his complete attention.
"You could replace your counterpart in this universe. Taking your own place shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Fury's single eye gleamed. If he could replace this world's version of himself, he'd gain access to incredible amounts of intelligence and resources.
"What happens to... the me in this world?"
Mario shrugged casually. "Let him experience your life for a while. When you both want to switch back, you can figure it out between yourselves."
He added with a teasing smile, "You don't trust anyone... but I'm really curious if you trust yourself."
Fury's expression didn't change, but he understood Mario's game perfectly. The Italian wanted to see him squirm.
Seeing no objection, Mario continued. "Alright then. We head to Stark Tower and find this universe's Tony Stark."
"For convenience, we'll keep calling our Tony by his name. The one from this universe, we'll call Stark."
Skye asked, "What about Director Fury?"
The moment the words left her mouth, Mario's brain was already cycling through potential names for this universe's Fury.
Packard? Kincaid? Shaft? Warren? Or just Samuel? Decisions, decisions...
"We'll just call him Nick. Everyone's used to that anyway."
Mario turned to Kaecillius. "Open a portal to the top floor of Stark Tower."
The sorcerer complied instantly, creating a gateway without any of the dramatic hand gestures or ring-spinning theatrics. Magic really did improve with practice, by now, portal creation was as easy for Kaecillius as breathing.
The sun hung high in the sky as the group stepped through one by one.
Tony looked around at the penthouse space, his eyes lighting up. "Oh, this is exactly how I designed it! This feeling is incredible."
He immediately started heading downstairs toward the main lab.
"Jarvis!"
"Good morning, Sir."
The AI's voice filled the room. He smiled, but it quickly turned into a frown as he realized something critical.
Jarvis can't tell the difference between me and this universe's Tony. Which means my Jarvis back home won't be able to distinguish this universe's Tony either.
Better modify Jarvis' programming and set top-level authorization.
"Shut down all surveillance systems on the top floor."
"Of course, Sir."
Just then, the bedroom door opened. A figure emerged wearing a red silk nightgown that perfectly traced her curves.
Pepper Potts.
When she saw the crowd of people in the living room, her face flushed slightly, but instead of acting embarrassed, she greeted them with calm professionalism and a polite nod.
"Tony, you're back? Give me a minute. I'll go change."
She turned and walked back into the bedroom.
Mario approached Tony with a playful smile. Tony, meanwhile, was completely captivated by the sight of Pepper.
"So? Great figure, right? Feeling any... urges?"
Tony snapped out of his trance at Mario's teasing. But Mario, standing closest, could clearly see the thin layer of cold sweat forming on Tony's forehead.
"Is the me in this world together with Pepper?"
"Not married, if that's what you're asking. Why, you interested?"
Mario gave him a look that every man would understand.
But Tony shook his head firmly. "No. My Pepper is waiting for me back home. Even though they look identical..."
Mario chuckled. "Then maybe I should bring this world's Stark back to our universe and see if he can stay focused."
"No! You can't take him over there!" Tony said quickly.
Mario laughed. "You don't even trust yourself! Relax, I'm kidding. I brought you here to do research, not cause relationship drama."
Tony nodded and dove into J.A.R.V.I.S' code, studying and modifying the unfamiliar additions with intense focus.
Before long, the bedroom door opened again. Pepper emerged dressed in a sleek black business suit. The only thing missing, Tony thought regretfully, was a pair of glasses to complete the professional secretary look.
She was slightly surprised to see Tony working so intently. Something felt off, but when she saw his focused expression, she dismissed the thought.
"I thought you weren't coming back until tonight. And those clothes..."
She walked over naturally, leaning close to examine his outfit with curiosity. She handled his wardrobe purchases, and if she remembered correctly, this particular set had been bought two years ago...
Mario noticed Tony's body trembling slightly, his typing slowing down considerably.
This should be interesting...
Without turning around, Tony continued typing and replied somewhat unconvincingly, "My other clothes got dirty, so I just changed..."
Before he could finish the excuse, he sighed, turned to Mario, and admitted defeat.
"She knows I'm not Stark."
Just as Pepper understood Tony, he also understood her. While making excuses, he'd caught a subtle shift in her expression and instantly realized his cover was blown.
Pepper didn't step away from Tony despite the revelation. After all, if her suspicion was correct, running wouldn't help, and besides, this was still "Tony" in front of her.
"You're Tony from a parallel universe?" she asked.
Stark had previously confided in her about everything concerning Mario after his defeat. The experience had shattered his confidence, and in his vulnerable state, he'd told her the whole story.
"That's right. We're from a parallel world. Miss Potts, pleasure to meet you."
Mario stood up from the couch with a warm smile.
"We're here because we need Stark's help with something."
Pepper looked at Mario, immediately recognizing him from Stark's descriptions.
"Mr... Mario?"
Mario nodded, raising an eyebrow playfully. "That's me, Miss Potts. So, how does Tony from two years ago look to you?"
Pepper smiled and shook her head. "Two years ago? Oh, back then he was a real handful. The palladium poisoning really messed him up."
"He even... in his armor..."
She trailed off, but it was enough to spark Tony's curiosity.
"What about in the armor?"
Mario patted Tony's shoulder. "He pissed in it. In front of a crowd at his own party."
"Ugh—"
Everyone else was hearing this for the first time. Nobody said anything, but Tony could feel the judgment radiating from all directions.
Finishing his code modifications quickly, he protested, "That's impossible! I would never do something like that in public. The Stark from this world has nothing to do with me!"
He couldn't imagine himself doing something so degrading in front of witnesses.
Mario grinned. If he remembered correctly, J. A.R.V.I.S. had footage of the incident.
"Don't worry, Jarvis has the recording. You can watch it yourself."
There's footage? This world's version of me really went that far?
Despite Tony's protests, curiosity got the better of him, and he asked J. A.R.V.I.S. to pull up the video.
Everyone watched in silence. Aside from Skye, who was laughing uncontrollably, the rest maintained serious expressions, especially Tony and Fury.
"So that's what I went through in this world..." Tony muttered, visibly shaken.
Watching the footage, he instantly understood. That version of himself had been drowning in despair, everything he'd done was preparation for after his death. Without his authorization, nobody could use his armor. The fact that Rhodey had taken one meant Stark had deliberately allowed it.
After the video ended, Tony turned to Mario with a puzzled look. "Why was Rhodey the one who stopped Stark? Why not you or Ivan?"
Mario shrugged. "In this world, I don't exist. So everything that would've been influenced by me turned out differently."
"For example, you and Rhodey killed Ivan..."
"I get it. That's what makes a parallel world different."
The sound of repulsors firing came from outside. Several figures landed on the platform.
Stark, fully armored, walked in, followed by Thor and Loki. He looked around at the crowd and said dryly, "I don't remember scheduling a party."
His eyes swept the room before landing on someone examining his private blueprints.
"Hey, those are classified!"
Tony turned to face the armored Stark, studying him critically.
"Oh, this design... It's terrible."
Stark's face twitched behind the faceplate. He flipped it open and tried to discreetly signal Pepper to leave, but everyone in the room noticed immediately.
Thor spotted Mario and grew visibly excited.
"Can you return Mjolnir to me?"
Mario glanced at him flatly. "Why should I?"
Thor bristled at the dismissive response. Electricity danced over his armor, clearly ready for a fight. Mario pulled out his staff and tapped it lightly against his palm.
Loki shivered. He knew that weapon. Thor, remembering their previous encounter, quickly calmed down.
Can't beat him. Can't outsmart him.
That summed up his current reality perfectly.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "I can trade you treasures from Asgard's vaults for it."
Mario smirked. "In my universe, I own land in Asgard, your father gave it to me personally."
The menaing was clear: I'm close with Odin. I don't need you to access Asgard's treasures.
Thor's eyes went wide. He'd never imagined Mario could own property in Asgard itself.
"That's impossible!"
"Nothing's impossible."
Mario pulled Mjolnir from his inventory, smiling.
"You're the God of Thunder, not the God of Hammers. Why are you so obsessed with this thing?"
Thor's gaze locked onto the hammer with longing, like a husband seeing his kidnapped wife returned safely.
"If you want it back, it's simple. I want an Infinity Gauntlet. Go to Nidavellir, have the dwarves forge one for me, and I'll return Mjolnir. I might even lend you the Tesseract to help repair the Bifrost."
Thor was tempted.
But Loki stepped forward sharply. "You're digging your own grave. When Thanos comes to Earth looking for the stones, you'll realize your mistake."
Mario ignored Loki and looked back at Thor. "One more condition – Loki gets handed over to me... for one year of training."