You can read ahead up to 100 chapters on my patreon and I've also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/marvel6395
As long as I reach 200 dollars on my Patreon, I will post 10 extra bonus chapters per month in batches of 5 for that month. If I reach 300 dollars then I will post 15 extra bonus chapters in batches of 5 for that month. If I reach 400 dollars then I will post 20 extra bonus chapters in batches of 5 for that month. So come and support me.
The post-apocalyptic streets of New York, scarred by the recent alien invasion, lay in ruins. From the distant future, Iron Man Tony Stark and Ant-Man Scott Lang navigated through the rubble, following the coordinates sent to them by Captain America.
They arrived at the designated location only to find the streets eerily empty, with no sign of Steve Rogers.
Ant-Man, back to his normal size and clad in his battle suit, looked around in confusion. "Where's the Captain?"
"If I knew, we wouldn't be looking, would we?" Tony, now past middle age with silver streaks in his hair and lines etched into his face, exuded a tired yet determined air, a far cry from his former billionaire playboy persona. Such was the mark of time.
"Over here."
A hand suddenly emerged from a wrecked car and waved at them.
"Captain?" Tony peered into the vehicle and saw Future Steve sitting in the driver's seat, partially visible through the shattered window.
"It's not safe out here. Get in," Steve said sternly.
Tony and Scott exchanged glances, their faces still shadowed by the recent setback, and obediently approached the car.
Scott opened the back door first and nearly jumped at the sight of a man in an identical uniform to Captain America lying unconscious on the seat. "Who's that?!"
"Who else?" Tony glanced at the unconscious Steve, then at Future Steve, and remarked, "Captain, did you knock yourself out?"
"Quite the opposite. I was almost knocked out by my younger self," Future Steve admitted with a sigh. His strength had diminished over the years, a fact he could no longer deny.
"Let's dump him in the rubble. The military will find him eventually. We can't afford to draw the attention of other heroes in New York right now," Tony suggested after a moment's thought.
"Agreed," Steve readily replied. The fight had reminded him of his younger self's relentless drive and vitality - qualities he now envied.
Tony and Scott wasted no time. Each took a turn carrying the unconscious Steve to a hidden spot among the ruins.
With their task completed, they returned to the back seat of the car, only to find they weren't alone.
In the passenger seat sat a boy no more than five years old, with golden hair, a cherubic face, and bright blue eyes that sparkled like sapphires. He wore a permanent, innocent smile and looked at them with a mixture of curiosity and recognition.
Tony's thin shoulders trembled with emotion, his eyes filled with a mixture of excitement and disbelief. His voice wavered, "Is it really...?"
"Who is he?" Scott asked, his confusion evident as he looked at the child.
"He's my godfather! Little Godfather!" Tony snapped at Scott, irritation mixing with his awe.
"Little Godfather?"
Scott blinked and rubbed his eyes before looking at the boy again. Recognition dawned and he exclaimed, "Caesar Carl? Oh my God, it's really you! You're my idol!"
"Stop it. If you can't even recognize your idol, I don't need fans like you," Caesar replied half-jokingly.
The future heroe sat in awe, realizing that the boy next to them was indeed the legendary Caesar Carl. Despite the grim circumstances, a spark of hope rekindled in his their hearts, knowing they had an ally from the past who could help them overcome the challenges of their mission.
Despite his casual tone, Caesar's mind raced. The fact that Ant-Man didn't recognize him suggested that when Scott joined the Avengers, Caesar was no longer part of the team - or perhaps it was possible that he was not even on Earth.
"Little Godfather, did you find us?" Tony, always quick on the uptake, had already pieced together much of the situation.
Caesar nodded, straightforward as ever. "Yes. I met Banner for the first time. He told me of your mission. I lent him the Mind Stone and the Time Stone that were with me and the Ancient One to take back to your future."
Scott pumped his fist excitedly. "Two stones? That's great!"
But Tony remained grim, knowing that all six stones were needed. "Captain, Little Godfather. We screwed up with the Tesseract. Loki took it and disappeared through a portal in the SHIELD building. Knowing Loki, he's probably off-world by now. We've lost our only chance at the Space Stone."
Scott's smile faded, his voice a hollow echo. "The only chance, the only chance we had."
Tony, rubbing his temples, sighed in frustration. "Stop repeating that. We've had enough."
Caesar watched them, sensing their desperation. He smiled and turned to Steve. "Do you want to explain, or shall I?"
Steve shrugged. "Go ahead. You know the details better."
"Explain what? We failed the mission," Tony said, looking between them. "Unless you know where Loki went?"
"Tony," Caesar said, his tone serious. "Not getting the Tesseract was actually the right thing to do."
"What?" Tony and Scott stared at him, stunned. "We lost the Tesseract. How is that right?"
Caesar told them what he had just told Steve about the true nature of the Space Stone. "The Tesseract has been an empty shell for over seventy years. The real Space Stone was with Kyle."
Tony and Scott were stunned. "So the Tesseract has been a decoy all this time and it is with kyle?"
Caesar nodded. "Yes it has been a decoy but it's not with Kyle at the moment, the first time Kyle activated the portal, the Space Stone mysteriously disappeared."
Tony rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So if we don't know where the Space Stone is now, how are we going to find it?"
Scott agreed, adding, "Without the Space Stone, we're still stuck. We only have enough Pym Particles for one round trip."
The future heroes were at a dead end, trapped by their dwindling resources.
"Listen," Caesar said, getting their attention. "I have two possible solutions that may help you."
(End of Chapter)