This chapter and the next do not take place in the same Universe/Earth as the story so far. They will follow the characters from Earth-199999, the MCU Earth.
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Tony stood in the main lab of the Avengers Compound, staring at the video of the destruction of the alien ships. On screen, the two Q-shaped ships were being destroyed by an orange hand construct. The footage showed the ships approaching Earth's upper atmosphere when, suddenly, the gigantic hand materialized around them. The construct closed like a fist, and both ships crumpled like tin cans, exploding in brilliant bursts of fire and debris.
Tony replayed it over and over, focusing on the moment the construct appeared frame by frame, trying to understand what he was seeing.
"Friday," Tony said.
"I cannot determine what the hand construct is made of, boss," Friday reported. "It does not match anything in my database, not Chitauri, not Asgardian, not even the energy signatures from the Battle of London."
Tony frowned. He hated that—hated not knowing. Information was power, and right now he was flying blind.
He was interrupted by a low whistle from behind him. He turned to see his best friend, James Rhodes, standing in the doorway in casual clothes, leaning on his leg braces.
"So what are we looking at here?" Rhodes asked, walking closer to examine the screen.
"I don't know," Tony admitted.
Rhodes raised an eyebrow. "The great Tony Stark doesn't know?"
"No," Tony said, a bit testily.
Then Friday spoke up. "Boss, I think I found the source of the energy. Or at least where the source went."
"Where?" Tony asked immediately.
On screen, Friday pulled up a global map. A tracking algorithm ran, triangulating the energy signature's trajectory. The map zoomed in from Earth, to the African continent, to the eastern regions, and then finally to a specific location that showed as a blank spot on most maps.
Wakanda.
"Oh," Tony said, understanding dawning.
"So it's some kind of secret Wakandan technology?" Rhodes asked, studying the map.
"I guess it could be," Tony said thoughtfully. "They've got vibranium. Who knows what else they've been hiding?"
"Also, Tony, I saw a weirdly dressed man floating in—" Rhodes started.
"Oh, that's the wizard," Tony interrupted.
Rhodes blinked. "We have wizards now?"
"Yeah," Tony said simply. "Let's go see him."
They left the lab together, walking through the Compound's corridors toward the conference room where Strange and Bruce were set up.
They found Strange floating in a lotus position about three feet off the ground, the Eye of Agamotto open and glowing a bright green, casting an eerie light across his face. Bruce stood nearby, watching with fascination and obvious concern.
"Okay, what's Harry Potter up to now?" Tony asked.
"I have no idea," Bruce admitted. "He's been like this for an hour."
Suddenly Strange gasped and fell. His levitation cut out completely and he dropped toward the floor.
Tony, Rhodes, and Bruce all rushed forward, catching him before he hit. They helped him up, Strange's legs shaking as he tried to find his balance.
"What happened?" Bruce asked urgently. "Are you okay?"
Strange looked shaken, genuinely rattled. "I peered into the future to see what dangers lie in wait for us in the coming conflict."
"And?" Tony pressed. "What did you see?"
Strange's expression was haunted. "Nothing." His voice was barely a whisper. "It has never happened before. In all those futures, I saw... nothing. Just darkness. As if something is blocking my sight, or..." He trailed off, unwilling to finish the thought.
"Okay, well, at least I have something," Tony said, trying to inject some positivity. "I tracked the mysterious hand that saved us from another alien invasion. The source is in Wakanda."
"Then we must go to Wakanda," Strange said immediately.
Tony was about to respond when a red-and-blue costumed figure landed on the exterior wall of the Compound, visible through the large windows.
"Damn kid," Tony muttered as Spider-Man swung into view and, with far too much enthusiasm, through an open window into the room.
"What the hell is that?" Bruce said, startled.
"Spider-Man," Strange, Rhodes, and Tony said simultaneously.
"Wait, a Spider-Man?" Bruce said, looking confused. "We have an Ant-Man and a Spider-Man? Is there a theme I'm missing here?"
Spider-Man landed in a crouch, then stood up. "Mr. Stark!" His voice was young and excited. He rambled on, words tumbling over each other. "My spider-tingle has been going crazy all day, like, crazy crazy, not just tingly but like alarm bells, and I did not know what to do, so I came here, and—" He suddenly noticed Bruce. "Oh my God. Bruce Banner. I am a huge fan! Your work on gamma radiation and its effects on cellular mutation is revolutionary! The way you theorized about the relationship between gamma exposure and genetic expression, especially in 'Anti-Electron Collisions and Their Impact on Biological Systems'—that paper changed how I think about radiation entirely!"
"Kid, kid," Tony said, trying to get Peter's attention. "Peter!" he added more firmly, and the young hero finally stopped talking.
"Yeah, Mr. Stark?"
"It is not a good time. We have a situation on our hands," Tony said.
"Aha! I knew something was up!" Peter said, pointing excitedly. "Like I said, my spider-tingle, it has been—"
"I am sorry," Dr. Strange interrupted, turning to face the masked teenager with a raised eyebrow. "Your what?"
Peter turned to the sorcerer, gesturing animatedly. "It is this power I have that warns me when something bad is going to happen, and it has been going off all day. Just non-stop buzzing." He paused, tilting his head as he studied Strange's elaborate robes and the glowing amulet. "Who are you, anyway?"
"Dr. Strange," the sorcerer replied imperiously, his cloak settling around his shoulders.
"Oh!" Peter nodded enthusiastically. "We are using our made-up names then. I am Spider-Man."
Tony rolled his eyes so hard it was almost audible and pointed toward the exit. "Kid, go home. We have this handled here."
"But Mr. Stark—" Peter protested, taking a step forward.
Tony was about to speak again when a phone rang. He gasped, his entire body tensing as he pulled the burner phone from his pocket.
He stared at it, frozen, the name on the small screen making his jaw tighten.
"Pick up the phone, Tony," Bruce said quietly, moving closer.
Tony flipped it open and brought it slowly to his ear.
"Tony," came Steve Rogers's voice on the other side.
"Captain," Tony replied, his tone carefully measured.
"I need your help," Cap said without preamble.
Tony's free hand went to his forehead, rubbing at the stress building there. "Does this have to do with the near-alien invasion from a few hours ago?"
Cap's line was silent for a long moment. "An invasion? What? What happened?"
"So it's not that, then..." Tony muttered.
"No," Cap said firmly. "I got a distress call from Wakanda. It sounded bad, Tony. I need your help."
Tony's eyes widened. "Wakanda?" he repeated.
"Yes," Cap confirmed, his voice tight with concern. "People are hurt. I need your help."
"I'm on my way," Tony said immediately, the decision made before he had finished processing it.
"Really?" Cap said, genuine surprise breaking through his urgency.
"Yes," Tony confirmed. He paused, then added firmly, "But don't enter Wakanda alone. Wait for me and my team."
"We can meet at the border," Cap suggested.
"Sure," Tony agreed, then snapped the phone shut.
"Well?" Strange asked.
"We are going to Wakanda," Tony announced, turning to face the assembled group.
"Sweet!" Peter said.
"No, you are going home," Tony said immediately, pointing at the teenager.
"But Mr. Stark—"
"No buts," Tony said, already heading toward the armory.
"Look, Stark," Strange interrupted, stepping into Tony's path. "We need all the help we can get. If his precognitive abilities could be a great help, why don't you just bring Spider-Man along?"
Tony stopped, closed his eyes, and sighed deeply. "Fine. Fine. But first, come with me. You too, Banner."
"Yes!" Peter celebrated quietly, doing a small jump before rushing to follow Tony.
Tony walked toward the armory, Peter and Bruce following. Rhodes fell into step beside Tony.
"You sure about this?" Rhodes asked quietly. "Taking the kid?"
"No," Tony admitted. "But if Strange is right and we need everyone, it's better that the kid is with us, where I can keep an eye on him, than have him swinging around New York when Thanos shows up."
===========
Tony, Peter, Strange, Rhodes, and Bruce neared Wakanda as they traveled in the Quinjet. Inside, Peter stood in the Iron Spider armor, testing it out flexing his arms and checking the extra mechanical limbs that extended from his back.
"Be careful with those, kid," Tony said from the pilot's seat without turning around. "They're experimental. Don't break my tech before we even get there."
"I won't, Mr. Stark!" Peter said, retracting the spider-legs carefully.
Bruce stared at the Hulkbuster armor standing in the cargo bay, arms crossed as he debated climbing into it. He planned to use it rather than risk the Other Guy coming out.
Strange sat cross-legged on one of the bench seats, eyes closed, his hands forming patterns as he tried to scry ahead.
Meanwhile, Rhodes flew outside in the War Machine suit, keeping pace with the Quinjet while his systems scanned the approaching terrain.
Peter moved to the cockpit and looked at the screen ahead of them. "Uh, Mr. Stark? What is that?"
On screen, where the Wakandan capital should have been visible, everything was instead covered by a massive orange dome miles across and glowing with an energy that did not register on any of their sensors.
"We're going to find out soon," Tony said, leaning forward in his seat. "Either the Wakandans made it, or something else is doing it."
Strange opened his eyes suddenly, frustration evident on his face. "I can't get a reading on it," the sorcerer said, his voice tight with annoyance.
"Well, join the club," Tony muttered, running another scan that came back with nothing useful. He paused, then turned to Strange. "Wait, why didn't you just portal us here?"
"I needed time to assess the situation," Strange replied.
Tony looked at Peter and mouthed silently, "He can't."
Peter tried to suppress a laugh, his shoulders shaking.
Strange's expression darkened with annoyance, the Cloak of Levitation rustling amusedly around his shoulders.
The Quinjet descended, engines whining as Tony brought it down near the coordinates he'd agreed to meet Cap. The landing gear deployed with hydraulic hisses, and the ramp lowered.
They all walked out—Bruce inside the massive Hulkbuster armor, its heavy footfalls shaking the ground; Peter in his sleek Iron Spider suit; Strange with his cloak billowing dramatically. War Machine landed nearby with a heavy thud, repulsors cooling.
Tony touched his arc reactor, and the bleeding-edge armor materialized over his body in flowing waves of nanomachines, assembling piece by piece until he stood fully armored.
Ahead of them waited Captain America and his band of outlaw Avengers.
"Vision," Bruce said, spotting the android standing close to Wanda.
"Well, we found him," Tony said as his faceplate retracted. "And our dear Widow as well," he added, then began walking forward, the others following.
Captain America waited with Wanda, Natasha, and Sam Wilson, all of them looking tense.
"Tony," Cap said as they approached, his voice carefully neutral.
"Captain," Tony replied, his eyes scanning the rest of the team.
"Uh, hi," Peter said awkwardly, offering a small wave.
"Romanoff," Tony continued, looking at the now blond spy. "So this is where you've been."
"Not really," Natasha said, arms crossed. "I came when I was called." She glanced past Tony at the Hulkbuster as it opened, revealing Bruce inside.
"Bruce?" she said, genuine surprise breaking through her usually controlled expression.
"Bruce?" Cap echoed, equally shocked.
"Hey, everyone," Bruce said lamely, climbing out of the armor with an awkward wave.
"Yeah, yeah," Tony said dismissively, waving a hand. "He was apparently in space, came back a few hours ago with stories about a purple maniac." He turned to Vision. "And you—where have you been?"
"I have had business to attend to," Vision said carefully, his hand sliding subtly closer to Wanda's.
Tony tracked the movement with his eyes, then smiled knowingly. "Yes. 'Business.'"
"Tony, I wouldn't have called if—" Cap started.
"I know," Tony interrupted, his tone shifting to business. He activated a hologram projector from his suit, which displayed a 3D image of the entire Wakandan capital engulfed in the orange barrier. "The entire city is under some kind of dome."
"We saw it too," Cap confirmed, nodding grimly. "We couldn't fly the jet closer. Systems started going haywire."
"Something's messing with the electronics," Sam added, adjusting his goggles.
"I will portal us closer," Strange said, stepping forward. "I need to inspect it more closely."
"Portal?" Cap muttered, confused.
To their surprise, Strange made a circular gesture with his hands and sparks of amber light formed a gateway. Through it, they could see the massive orange barrier up close.
"What the hell?" Sam said, taking a step back.
"Oh yeah, he's a wizard," Tony said casually. "I have a wizard on my team now."
"I am not on your team," Strange corrected, and walked through the portal.
Before anyone could follow, Tony held up a hand. "Wait. Before we leave..." He motioned toward the jet, and a metallic box flew from the cargo bay, landing smoothly in his grasp with a soft thud.
Cap watched as Tony opened the case. Inside was the shield he had given up in Siberia, the red, white, and blue vibranium disc.
"Take it," Tony said simply.
"Tony—" Cap's voice caught.
"Just take it before I change my mind."
For a moment, Steve just stared at the shield, then reached out slowly. His fingers wrapped around the familiar grip, and the weight of it settled onto his arm like coming home. He flexed his forearm, feeling the balance and the rightness of it.
"Now let's go," Tony said, turning toward the portal Strange had opened.
Cap nodded, gripping the shield tighter. "Thank you."
Tony paused midstep, glanced back over his shoulder, and gave a slight nod before walking through the gateway. Sam clapped Steve on the shoulder as they followed, the shield once again where it belonged.
They stepped through the portal and arrived near the massive orange dome.
"Well, this is something," Tony muttered, running scans that returned nothing useful.
Strange approached the barrier, his hands weaving mystical patterns as he prepared to analyze it. He reached out to touch it.
But just as his fingers were about to make contact, the dome began to disappear, like morning mist under sunlight, dissolving into nothing.
What lay beneath made them all freeze.
Wakanda's capital was destroyed. Buildings were reduced to rubble. Fires burned across the city, smoke rising in thick columns. The technological marvel that had been hidden from the world for centuries was now a burning wasteland.
Even more horrible was the silence. No screams, no cries for help, no people running. Just the crackling of flames and the occasional groan of collapsing structures.
"What... what is this?" Cap said, his voice shocked and hollow.
Peter's spider sense screamed, making him stumble. "Oh God..."
"How," Natasha whispered, her usual composure cracking.
Sam's hands tightened into fists. "An entire city, just gone?"
Wanda's eyes glowed red with tears. "I can feel it. Death. So much death."
Vision stood motionless, processing, his synthetic face showing something close to horror.
Bruce stepped out of the Hulkbuster, his face pale as he remembered what happened with Thanos. "No. No, no, no..."
Strange's jaw clenched, his hands already moving to cast detection spells.
Cap didn't wait. He ran into the city.
The others followed immediately.
Tony and Rhodes flew overhead. "Friday, scan for life signs. Any life signs?"
"Scanning, boss," Friday replied. "Detecting... minimal biological signatures. Most concentrated toward the city center."
Strange and Wanda spread their powers, their mystical senses reaching through the devastation.
"I'm picking up some kind of radiation signature," Banner said from inside the Hulkbuster, studying his readings with growing alarm. "This is CMB radiation. It shouldn't be here."
Peter swung through the ruins, his metal spider-arms extending to check collapsed buildings. He found only blood splattered across walls, fires still burning, smoke choking the air, and destruction on a scale he had never imagined.
"Mr. Stark, there's nothing," Peter said, his voice shaking. "Just... nothing."
Sam flew low, his wings cutting through smoke, searching street by street. Nothing moved except flames.
Natasha moved on foot with Cap, her weapons drawn, checking every corner. But there was nothing; it was as if the Wakandans had simply vanished.
Vision hovered above them all, watching from above as if he could perceive something the others could not. His eyes glowed with the Mind Stone's power.
"Friday, what the hell happened here?" Tony demanded.
"Boss, I am detecting something at the center of the city," Friday reported. "Energy signature of unknown origin."
Suddenly Vision's voice cut through their comms. "I sense it as well. We must converge on the city center immediately."
They all changed direction, flying, running, and swinging toward the coordinates.
"Peter, stay close to me," Tony commanded as the teenager swung nearby.
"Got it, Mr. Stark," Peter replied, his spider-sense still screaming.
They assembled near the center, a plaza that had once been beautiful and was now scarred and burning.
There, lying on the ground among rubble and blood, they saw him.
T'Challa.
"NO!" Cap ran to him, dropping to his knees beside the fallen king. The others rushed over, forming a protective circle.
T'Challa's armor was shattered; the vibranium that should have been impenetrable was torn and broken. Blood covered him, pooling beneath his body. His breathing was shallow and labored.
"What happened?" Cap asked urgently, his hands carefully checking for injuries. "T'Challa, who did this?"
T'Challa's eyes opened slightly, unfocused and glassy with pain. His lips moved, blood flecking them. "My people..." he whispered, his voice breaking. "I could not... could not protect them."
"We're going to get you out of here," Cap said firmly, looking to Banner. "Bruce, can you—"
"You must leave," T'Challa interrupted, forcing the words out with visible effort. His hand weakly gripped Steve's arm.
Peter's spider-sense suddenly spiked so violently he gasped, stumbling backward. "Something's wrong. Something's really, really wrong!"
Suddenly, black ooze erupted from the rubble above them. It formed into a massive tendril and, before anyone could react, grabbed T'Challa and yanked him from Cap's grasp with horrifying speed.
"STEVE!" Natasha shouted.
The tendril pulled T'Challa upward, suspending him in the air as they all saw the source of this monstrosity, a silhouette of a large figure in the smoke.
Then it spoke.
The voice sent shivers down Steve Rogers's spine, a voice he was all too familiar with and had hoped never to hear again.
"Ahh, Captain America," the figure said in a thick German accent, each word dripping with malevolent pleasure. "How long I have waited for this reunion."
Cap's eyes widened. He took a step back, his shield rising instinctively. "No," he muttered. "It can't be..."
Tony's sensors were going haywire. "Captain?, who is that?"
The figure stepped from the shadows and smoke.
It was the Red Skull but transformed. A symbiote covered his body, black and writhing with a life of its own. A red Hydra symbol blazed on the chest. His face resembled a skull, a black skull with red eyes that burned with hatred.
"Schmidt," Cap said, his voice barely above a whisper.. "How? You were... the Tesseract sent you away. You were gone."
"Gone?" he laughed "is that what happened to my counterpart here was the cosmic cube my undoing"
He laughed again.
"I am not the Johann Schmidt you knew, Captain," he said. "I am not the Red Skull. No, I have not been known by that name for some time." He held T'Challa up like a trophy, looking at the king with disgust.
"Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am the Black Skull."