Chapter 1
Tony Stark found himself alone, alone aboard Milan, after a duel with Thanos. After a long time, Nebula set off in an emergency pod into a barren universe to save herself. So Tony had the whole ship to himself. Gradually he repaired the ship, trying to extend his chance of survival. As the oxygen approached the hazard line, he decided to use his metal helmet to send, or at least record, his will. He had no idea how, but he managed to activate the helmet. It was in the last few percent before the shutdown.
„Is it on?
Hello, Miss Potts... Pep. If you find this tape, don't post it online, it'll be a real tear-jerker. I don't know if you'll ever see this. If you're still... God, I hope so. Today is day 21 . . . no, 22. If it weren't for the existential anxiety of staring into the wasteland of space, I'd say I feel better today. The infection is fading, thanks to the special drugs I found here.
The power cells ruptured during the fight, but I found a way to reverse charge of the ions and secure 48 hours of function. But we're out of juice. The nearest planet to me is 7,000 to 11,000 light-years. Oxygen will run out tomorrow morning. And it will be over.
Pep, I know I said there would be no more surprises, but I was hoping I had one more up my sleeve. But it looks... You know how it looks. Don't get too excited. All you have to do is spend a few weeks in bed and then move on with a tremendous sense of guilt. I should lie down for a while.
Know that when I fall asleep, it means everything to me. I'm fine. I dream of you. Because you're there...” and with this, he tried to send his message to Earth. Or at least save it for someone to find.
He put on Star Lord's old jacket so he wouldn't get cold and lay down on the cold metal ground. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep. It would be better if he were to die, so so he die peacefully in his sleep. He fell asleep strangely quickly and was carried into dreamland. More than a dream, it reminded him of a memory. The memory of Loki's attack on Earth.
At first, he found himself in his metal suit, having shot the god of Asgard when he managed to knock Steve down. That was the first time he had seen him. That is, even earlier, he had seen him a few seconds earlier, striding regally toward a crowd of people, and in the process, all his "human" clothes had been transformed by a strange spell into ones one only sees in movies or history books. He was already wondering how the whole thing had worked.
He subsequently tried to find more information about him behind S.H.I.E.L.D.'s back while being held in prison on a helicarrier. As an interesting fact, he remembered until now, that the computer took the body temperature in the cage. The sensor showed how Loki's body temperature was much lower than his surroundings. Almost to the point of frostbite. He wanted to talk to him, but there was no time for that, for the god had a different plan and was out of his reach.
Subsequently, he found him in his tower, walking around as if he owned the place.
„Please tell me you're not here to appeal to my humanity,” Loki said as Tony got closer.
„Uh, I actually came to threaten you,” Tony said. He did not expect such a beginning of their conversation. Though he had to admit that Loki looked slightly distracted, he tried to hold his face despite that.
„You should have kept your armour on for that. It's quite impressive, on Earth.”
„Thanks. I have armour. You blue glow stick. Everyone has something. Want a drink?” he said, walking over to the bar. For some unknown reason, it didn't feel like he was talking to a god or an enemy at all, but rather like he was talking to an old acquaintance.
„Delaying won't help,” he said, eyeing him. Tony saw a flash of pain in his eyes.
„No, nothing like that. I threaten. So no drink? I'll have one, then,” and began to prepare something.
„The Chitauri army is coming. Tell me Sh... what am I afraid of?” Loki asked, looking as if he were about to call him by a completely different name, then stopped.
„The Avengers. That's what we call ourselves now. We are such a team of Earth's strongest heroes.”
„I saw that,” he said with a chuckle. „What if I made you an offer?”
„I guess it won't be an invitation for a drink,” he replied.
„No, I'm afraid not. Something else. Join me. We can rule this rotten world together,” and with each step he took a step closer to Tony, looking into his eyes as if searching for a long-lost friend.
„Sounds tempting, but unfortunately I have to decline. Ruling the world isn’t for me. I prefer to save him,” Tony said, taking a drink from his drink.
„What a pity that our paths must be divided again. But it will not happen this time,” Loki said, putting the point of his spear to his heart. A stream of energy coursed through the lance, pouring into the reactor that was in a place of his heart. It didn't seem to do anything for Tony. He tried again, but still with the same result. He looked at Tony blankly.
„Minor performance problem. A little accident. It happens...” he started to say, noting the strange blue glint in Loki's eyes before the god grabbed him by the throat.
„Looks like I'm going to have to wait a few more years for you,” he growled, throwing Tony through the glass.
„Jarvis, now!” Tony shouted, but as if no one had heard him. He expected to be rescued by his new suit of armour. But nothing happened. He was falling. He closed his eyes and awaited his end.
When he should have touched the ground. He opened his eyes and sat up, his heart pounding. It was just a dream, he was trying to calm down. He almost would have, had he not seen a man in a strange uniform before him.
„Sherlock?” the unknown man asked, moving closer to Tony.
„Who the hell are you?” he asked, but exhaustion coursed through his body, momentarily subdued by the previous shock. He tried to stand up, but his body resisted and he eventually passed out.
The stranger who found Tony in the boat was none other than Yon-Rogg. He had been assigned the task of space exploration after Thanos had wiped out half of all life. Everything was chaos. His planet was still processing it well, but others weren't as well. He was on a reconnaissance mission to find anything unusual or to find a trace of Thanos, who has been in hiding ever since.
Yon thought it would be one of those boring missions where he wanders around the galaxy until management lets him know he can come back. He had no idea that in the middle of his journey he would find a damaged ship he thought had been looted by space pirates or thieves, or that the crew had vanished along with the other half of the galaxy. Of course, he reported it to headquarters, and when he got permission, he went to investigate.
The scanner reported a faint sign of life in the ship. He boarded the Millano and began to explore. He immediately set out to explore the area where life was supposed to be. He walked in, not wanting to believe his eyes. Right in front of him was a man who looked like someone he'd lost many years ago. He walked over to check his bodily functions when the man in front of him awoke completely shocked. It's hard to tell if it was his entrance or something else but he subsequently passed out.
Yon went to the man he thought was his beloved Sherlock. He took him carefully in his arms and carried him to his ship, where he laid him on a cot. During this, he tried to be as careful as possible, for it was known that this man was wounded and very exhausted. He pulled up his T-shirt and looked at the still-sore wound. He treated the wound hastily and gave him several sedatives and medications. As a result, he was able to stabilize the new Sherlock.
He returned to the controls and set the autopilot for the journey to his homeland. Once all was set, he returned to the stranger and sat down beside him. Leaving aside the beard, this earthling was a perfect replica of Sherlock Holmes. He ran a faint hand through his hair, remembering all the memories he had spent with this man. A few tears came immediately to his eyes. He wiped them on his hand and smiled faintly. It was a faint, sad smile.
His smile vanished as the ship began to tremble dangerously. He released the man and moved to the wheel. He walked slowly, as everything was spinning around him and he almost fell several times. He tried to get the ship under control, but it was hard because they got into a very dangerous part where there were many wormholes. And one of them was just pulling them in. Yon turned the ship around and tried to fly out of the hole, but he didn't have the energy for that. Eventually, the wormhole sucked them in, seeming to suck all the power out of the ship.
All systems shut down and the lights went out. Within seconds, they were on the other side of the universe in a completely unknown place. As the ship malfunctioned and they flew out of the hole, their ship began to plummet to the ground. They were attracted by a very strong gravitational field. They could only expect a strong jolt now. They were pulled so hard and fast that Yon was ready to part with his life, for no one could have survived such a jolt. The expected impact didn't come, however, as it looked as if an invisible beam had caught them at the last moment. Yon surmised that it was some kind of force field that slowly lowered them to the ground.
He would already have thought they had been rescued, but he would have been sorely mistaken. The door from his ship was ripped open by brute force, and strange men in rags and strange technology burst in. They surrounded them, pointing questionable weapons at them. Two of the strange people walked over to Tony and poked him. That pissed Yon off. He activated his gloves and knocked some of the men aside. Once on the ground, they went over him and fired at Yon. The missile was attached to some kind of string, and they sent an electrical charge through it. There was so much of it, it brought Yon to his knees. He tried to resist it but to no avail. The intruders only increased the tension until it darkened before his eyes.