New Avengers: The New Initiative

CHAPTER III

TONY STARK'S POV

As Tony gradually regained consciousness, he couldn't help but feel disoriented and confused. Blinking away the haze that clouded his vision, he slowly took in his surroundings - a dimly lit room with a hard, cold marble floor and a reflective surface that seemed to stretch on for miles. It was eerily similar to the location the Mind Stone had teleported him to after saving him from Siberia, although there was an unusual white glow that permeated the space. As he tried to make sense of his situation, he realized there were only three possible scenarios: he had died and was in the afterlife, someone had kidnapped and held him captive, or the Infinity Stones had teleported him here. Of course, Tony sincerely hoped it was the latter, but he couldn't shake off the feeling of uneasiness that settled deep in his gut. Next time, he should listen to Pepper and Rhodey about needing to be more cautious and vigilant so that he could avoid these types of situations overall. It was official; Tony despised déjà vu way more than nostalgia.

He could never seem to catch a break, couldn't he? Regardless, it never helped him when he sat around and did nothing, so in an effort to gain some clarity or find a means of escape, he decided to explore his surroundings. As he made his way through the area, a sudden occurrence caught his attention: a bright blue portal materialized on the ceiling, and before he knew it, Ethan emerged from it and landed on the ground with a loud thud. Although he was unharmed, he seemed bewildered until he laid eyes on Tony.

"Ethan? Are you alright? What happened?"

"That is what I want to know, Mr. Stark!" Ethan shouted in a confused and terrified tone. He took a moment to calm down and then continued. "All I remember is this assassin-type person chasing me. He was too strong, even for me to handle. As he raised a sword to me, Josh jumped in the way to take the blow, and it just went through his skull like a hot knife through butter. Then with me just standing there in shock, the man used that opportunity to slice through my stomach. As I lay there dying, I remember seeing the man pull each of my intestines and organs out until he found the Soul Stone," Ethan recalled, clearly still shaken up by the whole ordeal. "He muttered something like, 'Five down, one more to go.' I never had a dream like that before," he whispered. It was more of a nightmare than a dream. But what did all that mean? Was it only a warning or another incident of someone messing with his mind? Two more additional portals appeared on the ceiling, leaving Tony with no opportunity to think about what the dream could have meant, as Dr. Strange and Vision arrived through them, executing a more graceful landing on the floor as opposed to Ethan and Tony's more harsher landings. Had they expected to show up here?

"I assumed that you all are here because of similar dreams?" Dr. Strange bluntly questioned.

"If you mean the one where a strange assassin-type man hunted you down and performed a barbaric surgery for an Infinity Stone, then that is why I am at least here." Dr. Strange nodded at the sentiment.

"I don't have dreams; the Mind Stone instructed me to head through the portal," Vision revealed. Well, at least that made sense, but then again, when did anything in Tony's life make sense?

"Regardless of how we all came here, it is clear that it involves the Infinity Stones in some way." 'Only what is inside you.' The only sentence uttered by the hooded man; at least Tony understood what it meant, but what was his intention? How did he find out about the four people who bonded with the Infinity Stones? Didn't only a selective and most powerful few have the ability to wield an Infinity Stone, let alone all six? What made him different? What did he intend to do with them? And what role did that galaxy-colored humanoid have in the situation?

"Relax, Mr. Stark. We will explain everything." Tony remembered that gravelly but baritone voice from anywhere. As if on cue, a luminous dark blue mist enveloped the room, and then the familiar and radiating royal blue stone emerged from the distance.