Take Me Back

Heisenberg smiled, raised his glass, and clinked it against Iron Man's. After downing the drink, he looked at Iron Man, Captain America, and the others with an air of mystery.

"Do you think I have a way to help you?

Of course I do!

Do you want to bring this gem to your universe?

Of course you can!

But I don't trust anyone but myself!"

Suddenly, he reached out, and the Scepter of Mind appeared in his palm in the blink of an eye. Holding it, he gently caressed the mysterious patterns etched onto it.

"You can't expect to walk away with my trophy just by talking.

But for the sake of half the lives in your universe, I'll personally go to your universe and offer you a little help!"

"You mean… you'll bring your gem to our universe?"

Captain America stood up abruptly, his face darkening instantly.

Heisenberg paid no heed to his expression and continued speaking to Iron Man.

"We're the same kind of people, Iron Man. We only trust ourselves.

So, I'm going back with you!"

…

As the words sank in, Iron Man furrowed his brow in thought.

He had to admit, Heisenberg's request didn't sound so difficult.

All they had to do was take him to their universe, give him enough time, and he could create time-travel suits and markers by 2008.

Handing these over to Heisenberg would allow them to return together.

How simple!

But in the mind of someone as brilliant as Iron Man—a genius only surpassed by Doctor Strange—countless possibilities flashed instantly.

To them, Heisenberg was clearly a lion as fierce as Thanos, perhaps even more so.

And they were about to bring an even more ferocious lion into their home after just beheading one!

Would Heisenberg, after traveling through time, refuse to return to his universe, causing irreparable consequences for their future?

This was Iron Man's greatest concern.

But after much deliberation, he sighed helplessly.

Because, for now, they had no other choice.

Iron Man had calculated countless possibilities, especially regarding the collection of the Infinity Stones.

But the Mind Stone, before Heisenberg possessed it, had always been under Thanos's watchful eye!

Iron Man truly felt they were stuck, and the Mind Stone was their biggest hurdle.

This mythical artifact could only be obtained by overthrowing either Thanos or Heisenberg.

There were no other options.

As for Loki, who held it briefly?

After watching the battle footage between Loki and Heisenberg, Iron Man saw how Loki used the Space Stone to escape.

He realized that dealing with Loki wielding both the Space and Mind Stones might be even harder than dealing with Heisenberg in some ways!

So, despite the worried looks from Captain America and Banner, Iron Man nodded resolutely.

"Alright!"

"Hmm!" Heisenberg patted Tony's shoulder, satisfied. "The right to use an Infinity Stone in exchange for a round-trip ticket to your universe—it's a great deal for you."

"Indeed, thank you for your generosity. So, what's your favorite food?

We'll prepare it for you in our universe. After all, you'll be our most important guest!"

With the decision made, Iron Man joked with Heisenberg.

Hearing this, Heisenberg smiled too.

"Tony, my friend, it seems the visitors from another world are hungry.

But I won't keep you from your honeymoon, so let's head back to New York!"

As soon as he finished, without Heisenberg even speaking,

The Ancient One rose and pushed her hands forward, opening a portal instantly.

Heisenberg strolled through it calmly.

The Ancient One and the four Avengers followed closely.

Once everyone passed through, the portal vanished silently.

…

After they left, Hill and Captain America exchanged confused glances.

"Shouldn't we have gone back with them?" Captain America asked, dazed.

Hill nodded blankly, "Yeah, why didn't we follow… Wait, they didn't even plan to take me…?"

Before she finished, Tony's annoyed voice chimed in.

"Why would we take you? Did you forget about Aunt Peggy's niece?"

"Uh…"

"This…"

Hill and Captain America exchanged helpless glances, then left the hillside villa deep in thought.

After learning everything, they had no reason to stop Heisenberg from going to another universe to save half its life.

But they couldn't help worrying and predicting possible outcomes.

For example—just hypothetically!

If Heisenberg never returned to their universe, what would they do?

Especially with Thanos still out there, poised to destroy half the universe in the future?

They had to admit that the Heisenberg they once feared had, in just two months, become a reliance they couldn't lose.

…

After Captain America and Hill left, Tony and Pepper finally had their time and space.

But things didn't start right away.

Pepper looked at Tony thoughtfully, then asked, puzzled,

"This isn't like you, Tony!

If it were the past, you'd have chased after them!

Whether to uncover the secrets of time or exchange tech with your other self.

The old you would never just sit here watching them leave!"

Saying this, Pepper gently caressed Tony's face, her voice filled with emotion.

"You've changed!"

"Yeah, I've changed, darling!"

Tony held Pepper's hand in his, while his mechanical arm removed their armor.

"Meeting my future self made me realize a truth, Pepper.

No matter how smart I am, I can't change the world's destiny.

My future self mastered nanotech and made breakthroughs in quantum and temporal realms.

It's beyond my imagination, but he still faced tragedy.

And I—this me now!

I have a happiness he couldn't imagine!"

By now, their armor was gone, and Tony carried Pepper toward the bedroom.

As they walked, he joked,

"Plus, my future self told me we'll have an adorable daughter, so what are we waiting for?"

…

Meanwhile, Heisenberg and the Ancient One brought the four Avengers to his territory.

Yes, New York was now entirely his!

When Loki attacked New York, he killed the mayor.

About 20% of New York's wealthiest also died.

When they vanished, the city's long-standing foundation was upended.

In the ensuing power struggle, Heisenberg's men gained the most.

Even if he spent all day sunbathing, his net worth tripled!

And the Nuclear Bomb Gang's influence had fully infiltrated New York's government during the forced mayoral transition.

The leading mayoral candidate was now Heisenberg's man, Daredevil Matthew Murdock!

Don't think it's impossible. Matthew graduated from UC Berkeley's law school, and his professor was a federal legal heavyweight with close ties to Mississippi's senator.

Thus, Matthew joined the Democratic Party before graduating, and New York's deceased mayor was also a Democrat.

That mayor hadn't made major mistakes, and citizens remembered him fondly.

After his death at the hands of aliens, his image transformed into "great" and "amazing."

In just days, New York held multiple memorials for him.

Matthew, as a fellow Democrat, naturally rode this wave, becoming a favored candidate.

Not to mention the countless backroom deals behind him—no need to let citizens know.

After arriving at Heisenberg's home, the four Avengers shared a meal of Heisenberg's recommended Chinese cuisine.

Afterward, the Ancient One floated away, looking like a European Xiaolongnu or a Tomb Raider in yellow—utterly ethereal.

Once she left, the four Avengers discussed new plans to gather the Infinity Stones with Heisenberg.

Of course, Heisenberg had no interest in joining.

Instead, he lounged in a yard chair, enjoying a bourbon and a massage from his servants while soaking up the sun.

Captain America and Iron Man huddled at the indoor bar, debating and dismissing ideas.

"Tony, we don't have enough Pym Particles!"

As soon as Captain America spoke, Scott replied,

"We can get them from Hank Pym's house in 2008—he must have stockpiled them!"

"Okay, Ant-Man, you handle the Pym Particles. Then, Captain and I will head back to… hmm."

Iron Man paused briefly.

"Back to 1970, when SHIELD still held the Tesseract!"

After explaining his plan, Scott looked puzzled.

"Why go back? The Tesseract's with Loki. I saw the news—he was just spotted in LA yesterday!"

"Hmm? Then go talk to the guy lounging over there. Ask him to deal with Loki.

After all, he managed to snatch the Mind Stone from Loki, who can vanish in a flash, while we can't even find him!"

Iron Man glanced at Heisenberg.

Scott, hearing this, shuddered.

"Never mind!" he muttered, "That guy's like the Godfather. I can't even look him in the eye, so I'm not going near him alone!"

"Hmm, he's like Superman—he can hear your disdain. Watch!"

Tony teased Scott, and Heisenberg obligingly waved from afar.

Hearing this, Scott straightened up and shouted,

"Damn it, Tony, it's not disdain—it's respect for the Godfather!"

He quickly turned and grinned foolishly at Heisenberg.

Heisenberg chuckled, flipped over, and continued sunbathing.

Meanwhile, Banner grumbled,

"Okay, you all have jobs, but my image isn't suited for public appearances, especially in the '70s.

So I'll visit my other self when I can.

Don't blame me for altering the future—we've confirmed this is a parallel universe, not our past.

I don't know if you have regrets about the past, but if you do, now's the time to fix them.

Even if our actions won't truly change our future, at least we'll have tried.

Of course, I need Heisenberg's approval!"

He waved at Heisenberg from afar.

"What do you think, Your Excellency? Can I meet my other self in this universe?"

"Of course, but take me with you. The current you is still hot-headed, so New York might see two Hulks brawling.

I'd love to see that—haha!"