The decision had been made.
The moment John confirmed who would be coming with him, the mood shifted on the Sky Fortress. One by one, the others nodded and slowly turned away, returning to where they came from after encouraging Natasha, clint, thor and john.
Tony Stark lingered a bit longer than the rest.
He walked up to John with his rune book still in hand, eyes narrowed beneath the shadow of his brow.
"I'm serious, John. If this parallel Earth thing is what I think it is, then you better be careful. You don't know how twisted timelines can get. One wrong move and boom—multiverse soup."
John smiled faintly.
"I know the risks, brother. And I will be careful, so don't worry."
Tony sighed, clearly not satisfied.
"Just... don't do something stupid, alright?"
"I won't," John said softly, placing a hand on Tony's shoulder.' And I won't let you do anything stupid either. Not this time,' he thought to himself.
In his previous life, as far as he could remember, John had never cried. But watching Endgame had brought him to tears—and the reason was Thanos.
Now, he had a chance to change everything.
And this time, Thanos would pay.
Tony gave him a long, unreadable look. Then, reluctantly, he turned and flew off, leaving the sky quiet once more.
Now, only four remained—John, Thor, Natasha, and Clint.
With a wave of his hand, a shimmering portal appeared before them, spiraling open with soft light. The group stepped through it together, emerging inside the familiar lounge of Avengers Tower. The place was exactly as they remembered—sleek, futuristic, and strangely homey despite all the tech humming quietly in the walls.
John took a breath and turned to the others.
"Suit up. Meet me back here in an hour."
Thor let out a laugh.
"Finally, something exciting! I'll grab my battle armor."
Natasha nodded.
"Understood," she said simply, already heading toward her room.
Clint smiled.
"It's been a while since I geared up properly. Give me thirty minutes."
Each of them had their own quarters in the tower, and it wasn't surprising to find everything exactly as they'd left it. Clothes, weapons, gadgets—it was all still there, untouched but maintained. The Avengers Tower had always been more than a base. It was home.
As they dispersed, John sat down on the couch, running a hand through his hair. He leaned back, trying to relax, to calm the energy buzzing inside his chest. They had one hour. One hour before they would jump into another Earth. Another timeline. Another version of reality entirely.
And time was ticking.
'Please... let us not be too late,' he thought. 'Let us reach before he snaps... before Tony even has to.'
He knew what that moment would bring. The pain. The sacrifice. The end.
But maybe, just maybe, they could change that.
---
One hour passed.
Exactly on time, the lounge doors slid open one after another.
Thor entered first, now fully clad in his Asgardian armor, Mjolnir strapped to his side, a confident grin on his face.
"I am ready for whatever world awaits," he declared boldly.
Next came Clint, his suit sleek and reinforced, quiver full, bow already resting on his back.
"Let's hope this world has better weather than ours."
Natasha entered silently, dressed in her black combat suit, twin batons magnetized at her waist, her gaze steady and unreadable.
John stood to meet them.
"Thanks for being on time," he said with a nod. "Now, before we go… there's something I need to tell you."
The mood instantly shifted, a tense stillness taking over.
"We're not exactly going to a different planet," John continued. "We're going to a different Earth. A parallel version of ours—same people, same world, but… different paths. Different choices. And you might meet your other selves there."
Thor raised an eyebrow.
"Another me? Ha! I hope he's as handsome as I am. And powerful."
"Oh... he is more powerful than you can imagine. Just don't sulk later after seeing him," John said in a teasing tone.
Clint blinked.
"Wait—so there's a me in that world too?"
"Yes," John replied. "Most likely. You'll see differences. Big ones."
Natasha's voice was quiet.
"And what about... me there?"
John paused.
"Who knows, you might see her or not. I'm not sure about it."
A doubt flashed across Natasha's eyes, but she didn't look away. She simply nodded, a thoughtful look crossing her otherwise calm expression.
"I understand," she said softly.
John looked at all of them seriously now.
"One more thing. You can't tell anyone about this. Not even Fury. Not anyone back home. The knowledge of parallel Earths... it's too dangerous. It could tear everything apart if the wrong people find out."
He turned his gaze to Clint and Natasha in particular.
"Especially you two. Promise me."
There are secrets John is hiding. At some point, he knows he'll have to trust others—and this moment is also a kind of test for Natasha and Clint. If they can stay quiet, even in front of Fury, it means they can be trusted.
As for the Sky Fortress, John never intended to hide it from the world's governments. So even if Natasha and Clint tell Fury about it, he wouldn't mind.
But so far, so good.
Clint gave a firm nod.
"You have my word."
Natasha looked him in the eye.
"I won't say a word."
Satisfied, John stepped forward.
"Alright. Everyone, hold hands. This trip isn't gentle. If you're not connected, you might end up halfway across the planet—or worse."
Thor took Natasha's hand with a firm grip. She took Clint's, and he grasped John's.
The four of them stood in a circle, hands clasped, the air around them beginning to shimmer.
John closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Then, slowly, he raised his free hand and summoned the rune.
The circular symbol hovered above his palm, ancient and glowing with black and silver lines. He infused it with his origin energy—pure, powerful, and limitless.
The rune flared to life, spinning rapidly in mid-air.
With a sudden pulse of power, a flash of dark light engulfed the room.
Then—silence.
The space where they had stood was empty.
No sound. No light. No trace.
They were gone—vanished from this world.
And the journey to the other Earth had begun.