Chapter 51:
[Goal: Hello Guys! Thank you for the 249 Stones! If we reach 300 Stones this week, I'll release an additional chapter next week. Thank You!]
"Heimdall," Mark's face turned serious. "What happened to Tony?"
"I'm not sure," Heimdall replied gravely. "I haven't been watching Midgard closely. All I know is that he's not doing well. Maybe you should go see him."
Thor immediately sobered up and stood up, worried. "What happened? Is he in danger? Mark's friend is my friend too. I can help."
"Wait, Thor," Mark interrupted, holding up his hand. He was genuinely confused. Tony was supposed to have solved his palladium poisoning problem by now. Mark had even given him a golden apple to help him recover. There shouldn't be any issues. "Heimdall, can you explain what happened to Tony?"
"He's dying," Heimdall revealed.
"Huh?" Mark was even more confused. "Are you saying Tony Stark is going to die?"
Mark quickly made up his mind. "Is the Bifrost Bridge working now?"
"It is," Heimdall confirmed. "In the name of Odin, the Bifrost will always be open for our allies."
"Then let's go," Mark nodded. "Let's head to the Bifrost Bridge."
"I'll come with you," Thor offered immediately. He summoned Mjolnir, which flew to his hand, and held Heimdall with his other arm. "You helped me a lot, and now it's my turn to help you."
Mark glanced at Thor, seeing his sincerity. It was hard to refuse such genuine help.
Knowing that time was of the essence, they didn't waste any time. Thor held Mjolnir in one hand and Heimdall in the other as they flew towards the Rainbow Bridge. Mark flew alongside them.
Within minutes, they reached the teleportation area.
Heimdall inserted his sword into the energy hub, and a bright light flashed. Mark and Thor found themselves back on Earth.
Mark immediately took out his phone to make a call. But to his surprise, the phone was dead. After spending several days in Asgard, where they used runic technology, he hadn't had a chance to charge it.
"Uh, Thor," Mark's face fell, and he handed his phone to Thor. "Can you do me a favor?"
"What kind of favor?" Thor asked curiously.
"Charge it," Mark sighed, wiping his face. "You're the God of Thunder, right? Help me charge my phone, but be careful not to fry it."
Thor was a bit perplexed, not fully understanding Earth technology despite being the God of Thunder. But given the urgency, he reluctantly took the phone and channeled his divine power.
With a faint electrical arc, Mark's phone quickly powered on.
Before Mark could make a call, the phone started ringing. He answered it without hesitation.
Nick Fury's voice came through the phone. "I should have given you a nuclear battery or built a signal tower for you in Asgard."
"What happened to Tony?" Mark cut to the chase.
"He's been poisoned," Nick Fury explained urgently. "You know his reactor has serious flaws, but he refuses to remove it."
"What? Palladium poisoning?" Mark was taken aback. "Wait... what's going on? Didn't you give him the new element formula his father left behind?"
"How do you know about that?" Nick Fury sounded surprised but quickly explained. "Actually, I never got the chance to give it to him. After he ate the golden apple you gave him, he thought he had solved the problem. He even dealt with that tech guy with the two whips."
"You know how stubborn he can be. After recent events, he just doesn't trust us anymore. He only trusts your miracle apple. So, the palladium levels in his blood have been going down."
"That should be a good thing. So why does he have palladium poisoning again?" Mark asked, confused.
"I don't know," Nick Fury admitted. "He hasn't been willing to trust S.H.I.E.L.D. But according to my agents, it seems he replaced his reactor with a more powerful one."
"Incurable, no hope, just waiting to die," Mark muttered. "Goodbye..."
"Wait a minute," Nick Fury urged. "This is serious. This is not the time for jokes. Tony's life is in danger."
"Fine, fine, I'll go there," Mark replied, taking a deep breath to calm himself. He asked, "Just give me the address."
"It's a private hospital about seven miles away from you," Nick Fury said. "I've sent the exact address to your phone."
"Got it," Mark said and hung up.
In just a few minutes, Mark and Thor arrived at the private hospital.
Tony Stark, being a rich guy, had spared no expense. He seemed to have rented out the entire hospital, as there were no other patients around.
As soon as they entered, Mark saw Tony Stark lying on a hospital bed. Pepper Potts looked worried, Dr. Ho Yinsen was adjusting some equipment, and Nick Fury stood nearby, lost in thought.
But Mark's attention was drawn to someone else—Natasha Romanoff, the famous Black Widow. She was examining something nearby.
Seeing Natasha, Mark instantly understood. In the original Iron Man 2 plot, Black Widow was involved. But now, because of some butterfly effect caused by his actions, Nick Fury had messed things up. Tony, already suspicious, didn't trust S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore.
"I think I know why Tony doesn't trust you anymore," Mark said to Nick Fury.
"Can you save him?" Nick Fury cut to the chase, focused on Tony's critical condition. "It's bad. The palladium poisoning has even reached his heart."
"No guarantees," Mark turned his attention to Tony. "What's wrong with you? I told you not to me
ss with palladium. Why didn't you listen?"