One and a half months later.
The Avengers Space Base.
A weary Nick Fury finally saw light at the end of the tunnel.
Good news arrived from the spatial transport laboratory led by Tony Stark.
While they hadn't fully mastered Cybertronian tech, they had learned to utilize the energy pillars left on the lunar surface.
This meant that humanity, tortured by disasters for nearly two months, finally had hope of returning to a stable Earth.
Upon hearing the news, Nick Fury immediately summoned the Avengers to discuss how to teleport Cybertron away.
In the briefing room, Carol, Natasha, and the others wore relieved smiles.
Tony Stark, however, remained grim.
"Guys, we know how to use the moon pillars, but the energy required for a planet-scale transport is staggering."
"According to the space-mass-energy equation, the required output is equivalent to two hundred million second-generation Arc Reactors!"
Though they weren't scientists, the other Avengers understood the sheer horror of that number.
Natasha's smile vanished. "Can we build that many?"
Dr. Banner, looking professional in his glasses, interjected:
"The materials required for two hundred million reactors are too vast. We don't have the facilities for mass synthesis of the new elements right now."
The mood plummeted. They had celebrated too early.
Colonel Rhodes asked: "Dr. Banner, surely you can find an alternative power source?"
Tony Stark said in a low voice: "Yes. According to our research, the Cybertronians used the Sun as the source for the Space Bridge."
"We can do the same."
Rhodes breathed a sigh of relief. "Problem solved. Let's send that disaster star packing!"
"It's not that simple," Dr. Banner said gravely. "Drawing energy from a star is a blind gamble. No one knows if it will cause irreversible consequences."
"The Sun is humanity's cradle, but it can also destroy us in a heartbeat."
"If something goes wrong—if we trigger a solar storm—the high-energy particles and electromagnetic radiation would tear Earth's ionosphere apart."
"Shortwave comms would die, satellites would fail, and electronics would be fried by the pulse."
"Right now, tens of millions of the human elite are surviving in high orbit. If they are hit..."
Banner trailed off.
Everyone understood the risk.
Nick Fury, knowing things were never easy, said expressionlessly:
"Everything has a risk. We cannot retreat. To get humanity back on the ground, we have to take the gamble."
Tony Stark spoke softly: "No one can predict what happens when you drain a millionth of the Sun's energy."
"If we're unlucky, the end of the world will be much messier than it is now."
"Decisions affecting the fate of the entire race... we have no right to make them alone."
Nick Fury snapped: "What, you want to hold a global vote? A fair and just democratic decision on whether to drain the Sun?"
"Leave it to the people? Do you think that has any meaning? Can the civilians currently starving and dying in the dirt even comprehend the risk?"
Tony Stark remained silent.
Natasha understood his hesitation.
"He lacks the courage. He's afraid of being remembered as the man who extinguished the human race. It's only natural."
"But as the Avengers, we must have that courage."
"The closer we are to extinction, the more we must stand up to fight for a future!"
Coulson and Hill stayed quiet; despite Natasha's fiery words, who could truly decide the fate of billions?
Dr. Banner spoke up to break the tension.
"We need to prepare for the worst before we activate the bridge."
"First, we modify the ships and the base to increase their resilience."
"And we need to evacuate a portion of humanity in advance as 'Seeds.' If the worst happens, the race won't go extinct..."
Banner went into a long list of suggestions for the "Seed Project."
Nick Fury frowned. While the intent was good, resources were non-existent.
Maintaining tens of millions in space was already pushing them to the limit.
Where would they get the resources to modify ships and perfect the Seed Project?
Carol, acting as a "human starship," was already making dozens of supply runs to Earth daily.
The physical and mental strain was nearly breaking her.
Fury worried about her stability.
If she quit, two-thirds of the people in orbit would starve within weeks.
After long deliberation, Nick Fury made a proposal.
"We don't have the resources for both."
"We send the majority of the people in orbit back to Earth first. Once the resource drain is lifted, we execute the Seed Project."
"It's the fastest way."
"We can wait. The people struggling on the ground cannot!"
Dr. Banner saw the risk instantly.
How do you convince millions of the elite to return to a dying world? Would they believe the Avengers?
Or would they think they were being abandoned?
Human nature was messy. If they revolted before the transport was finished, what then?
And if they did go back, what if the Seed Project failed?
It was a house of cards.
If a single hidden problem erupted at the wrong moment, the plan was doomed.
Banner knew that many of the overcrowded ships were already descending into chaos.
Brawls and sexual violence were rampant.
Some ships had even seen "Kings" rise to power, ruling over life and death.
Even the Avengers, who controlled the food, couldn't stop them.
Every time a "King" was deposed, another took his place. It was a never-ending cycle.