Cold.
Pain.
That was the first thing Ebony Maw felt when he came back to consciousness.
His body felt like it had been torn apart and stitched back together wrong. Every movement sent sharp signals through his nerves. Slowly, his eyes opened—and what he saw made everything worse.
He was trapped.
Encased inside a cage built from vibranium, every joint locked in place, every possible movement restricted.
Across from him stood a man holding the scepter.
Tony Stark.
Ebony Maw's gaze shifted, and without hesitation, he lowered his head.
"My lord," he said calmly. "I await your command."
The room went quiet.
Tony glanced down at the scepter in his hand—the Mind Stone embedded at its tip glowing faintly.
That's… disturbingly effective, he thought.
Compared to even the most advanced telepathic techniques, this was brutally simple. One touch, and loyalty was rewritten.
Tony looked back at Ebony Maw.
"We know why you're here," he said. "You came to take the Space Stone and open a gateway for an invasion."
Ebony Maw nodded slightly.
"Correct."
"Good," Tony said. "Then you're going to follow your original plan."
A pause.
"Open the portal. Fully."
Ebony Maw didn't hesitate.
"As you wish," he replied. "Though I feel obligated to inform you—my master's forces are vast. Based on Earth's current capabilities, your chances of victory are… limited."
That earned a few amused looks.
Tony smirked.
"Yeah. We'll take that risk."
Behind him, the others shared the same quiet confidence.
Numbers didn't mean much anymore—not on this version of Earth.
Tony turned slightly.
"Let him out."
At his side, Erik Lehnsherr—Magneto—raised a hand.
The vibranium cage responded instantly, its structure unraveling piece by piece. Segments shifted, slid, and withdrew, freeing Ebony Maw without resistance.
The alien steadied himself as his limbs regained movement.
"To construct a stable portal," Ebony Maw said, "you will require a significant quantity of iridium."
Tony waved a hand.
"You'll get what you need."
With that, he turned and walked out.
Wilson Fisk fell into step beside him, a thoughtful look crossing his face.
"Never thought I'd see the day," Fisk said. "Planning an invasion… in reverse."
Rodriguez chuckled.
"Who knows? Maybe we don't stop at one planet. Could turn this into a full campaign."
There was no tension in their voices.
Just anticipation.
—
Outside the containment area, Tony checked his schedule and nodded to himself.
"Next up," he said, "the public vote."
Fisk frowned.
"Public vote? Since when was that happening?"
Tony didn't even look up.
"Since now."
Fisk and Rodriguez exchanged a glance—then shrugged.
"Whatever," Fisk said. "You're handling this stuff anyway."
Tony paused, then added casually—
"Oh, and Noah's giving the speech."
Both men froze.
"…You're kidding."
Tony smiled.
"Nope."
They didn't say another word.
But both immediately changed direction.
Because when Noah Vale spoke—
You showed up.
—
New York City, 7:00 PM.
Noah had asked for a simple broadcast.
No one took that seriously.
Across the country—across the planet—screens lit up. Homes, hospitals, offices. Anyone capable of watching was watching.
Even those who couldn't understand were still placed in front of a screen.
This wasn't optional.
The feed went live.
Noah appeared on screen, dressed casually, sitting in a chair like this was just another conversation.
No grand stage.
No theatrics.
He looked directly into the camera.
"Let's keep this simple," he said. "I've got one major announcement and one minor one."
Straight to the point.
"I'll start with the big one."
He leaned forward slightly.
"We're close to finishing a device that can awaken abilities in ordinary people."
Silence.
Then—
Shock.
Every viewer felt it.
Everyone?
Noah continued.
"If you choose to use it, you'll gain some form of ability. What you get depends on your biology. Some will be strong. Some… less so."
A pause.
"And there's a risk."
The excitement faltered.
"In about a third of cases, the transformation won't be clean. Physical changes. Permanent ones."
He didn't soften it.
"You might not like what you become."
That landed.
Hard.
Excitement cooled into hesitation.
Across the world, people sat frozen—caught between possibility and fear.
Noah didn't push them.
"I'm putting it to a vote," he said. "After this broadcast, you'll have three days to decide. Opt in, and you'll be scheduled for the procedure."
"And if you don't?"
He shrugged.
"Then that's it. You're out."
No second chances.
No reversals.
One decision.
The camera shifted slightly as the host beside him leaned in.
"Mr. Vale," she asked carefully, "do you personally recommend that people go through with it?"
Noah didn't hesitate.
"Yeah," he said. "Opportunities like this don't come around twice."
He didn't elaborate.
He didn't need to.
Around the world, reactions varied.
Some people were already convinced.
Others were terrified.
Most… were thinking very, very hard.
The host smiled, clearly choosing her path.
"In that case, I'll be signing up as soon as we're done here."
Noah gave a faint nod.
"Your call."
She hesitated, then asked—
"And the second announcement?"
Noah leaned back in his chair.
"That one's minor."
A beat.
"We're going to war with an alien civilization in a few days."
Silence.
Complete silence.
"The entry point will be in New York," he added casually. "So if you live there, you might want to clear out ahead of time."
—
Across the planet—
Millions of people stared at their screens.
Processing.
Failing.
Reprocessing.
"…What?"