Natasha stepped closer, her eyes narrowing. "You just cracked time travel, and you're acting like it's nothing?"
Tony shrugged, though he couldn't hide the faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Well, it was kind of an accident. A really big accident."
Bruce was already rifling through the complex equations on the holographic screen, his brow furrowed deeply. "Tony, this isn't just some small disturbance. This is... universe-altering," he began, his voice growing more intense with every word. "The shockwaves are still incredibly strong, even after traveling what must be an enormous distance across space-time."
Bruce turned to face the group, his expression grim as he tried to convey the magnitude of the situation. "For a shockwave like this to remain this powerful, it would require an unimaginable amount of energy. We're talking about forces beyond anything we've ever encountered. Think about it—whatever's causing these quakes, it's sending ripples through the very fabric of space-time. And those ripples are still strong enough to rattle us, despite crossing light-years, maybe even entire dimensions. The energy behind that... it's off the charts."
Steve crossed his arms, his eyes dark with concern. "How much energy are we talking about?"
Bruce sighed, running a hand through his hair, trying to simplify it. "Imagine the energy released by a supernova—one of the most powerful events in the known universe. Now multiply that by... I don't know, a hundred? A thousand? A million? Whatever's out there, it's harnessing that kind of raw, destructive force. And it's not just blasting through space—it's distorting time itself."
Natasha leaned against the table, her expression unflinching. "You're saying this isn't just a cosmic event. It's something... intentional?"
Bruce nodded. "That's what it looks like. Random cosmic disturbances don't behave like this. There's a purpose behind this force, something deliberate, and it's powerful enough to sustain these shockwaves across the universe."
Tony, still staring at his screen, couldn't help but feel the weight of Bruce's words. His mind raced as he pieced things together. "And if it's intentional, then someone—or something—is doing this on purpose. Which means they're either incredibly reckless or they know exactly what they're doing."
Bruce continued, his voice more urgent now. "If this keeps up, the shockwaves could destabilize more than just time. We're talking a potential ripple effect across the entire universe, causing everything from gravitational shifts to temporal distortions."
Tony leaned back, rubbing his temples. "So, if we don't figure out what's causing this... the universe as we know it could fall apart."
Natasha's gaze flickered to the screen, then back to Tony. "What about the time travel breakthrough? Does that help us deal with this?"
Tony hesitated, thinking it over. "In theory, yes. But time travel wasn't designed to handle these kinds of cosmic anomalies. If we can control the fractures left by the shockwaves, we might be able to stabilize things, prevent any further damage." He paused, tapping his finger on the table. "But we'd have to figure out how to use the cracks without making things worse."
Bruce nodded in agreement. "If we can exploit those fractures, we could potentially isolate the source of the shockwaves—or maybe even reverse them. But we'd be running a massive risk. We're tampering with forces that could spiral out of control."
Steve stepped forward, his voice steady. "So what's the plan, Tony? What do we need to do?"
Tony turned to his screen, eyes flicking through the data. "First, we need to stabilize the fractures in space-time caused by these quakes. That means I need to refine the time travel algorithm and anchor it to something stable—something that can counter the effects of the shockwaves. If we don't, time itself could fracture even more."
Bruce stepped beside him, already working on equations. "We'll also need to track the next shockwave—if we can predict where the fractures will happen, we might be able to contain them before they get worse."
Natasha, ever the strategist, leaned forward. "And what if we can't contain it? What if the next one hits before you're ready?"
Tony paused, looking between them. "If we can't contain it... we'll need to figure out how to go to the source. Whatever's causing this is too far beyond us to just ignore. But we need more data before we can even think about that."
Bruce, still absorbed in his calculations, looked up. "We might not have a choice. These shockwaves... they aren't just dangerous. They're accelerating. If they're growing stronger with each pulse, we might only have a limited window before things start breaking down permanently."
Steve's eyes hardened, the leader in him surfacing. "Then we need to work fast."
"Exactly," Tony replied, his tone growing more serious. "We don't know what's going on, and the last thing we need is another shockwave tearing through the time stream while we're trying to get a grip on this."
Natasha folded her arms, still processing what Tony had done. "And you think these shockwaves are connected to that breakthrough?"
Tony exhaled, pacing again. "I don't know. I was close before, but that first shockwave—it did something. It destabilized everything just enough for me to spot weak points in the quantum framework. It's almost like..." He trailed off, trying to find the right words. "Like time's splintering, and I happened to catch the fractures."
Steve stepped forward, his expression grim. "So, if there's another one, what happens?"
Tony turned, meeting Steve's eyes. "If another shockwave hits while we're still figuring this out? Best case, we just have to start from scratch. Worst case... the timeline shatters."
The room fell into tense silence, only broken by the faint hum of the machines. Then, as if the universe was mocking them, another, smaller tremor rippled through the floor, setting the room on edge again.
"Great," Tony muttered under his breath. "Just great."
Bruce looked up from the screen, his expression serious. "We need to figure out what's causing these shockwaves—and fast."
"Yeah," Tony agreed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Because if these keep up, cracking time travel is going to be the least of our problems."
Darkseid staggered slightly, but his expression remained unmoved. His massive hand shot forward, grabbing Beerus by the throat with incredible force. "You challenge a god you cannot comprehend," Darkseid growled, his voice filled with the weight of countless annihilated realities.
Beerus's eyes glowed fiercely as he drew upon even more of his Ultra Ego. His aura flared to unimaginable heights, amplifying his strength beyond limits. With a surge of energy, he broke free from Darkseid's grip, unleashing a series of devastating punches. Each impact tore through the fabric of reality, creating rifts in space and time.
Yet Darkseid absorbed each blow, standing tall and unshaken. His glowing red eyes fixed on Beerus, showing only a hint of respect. "You are strong, Destroyer," he admitted, his voice deep with authority. "But strength alone will not save you."
With a sudden flash, Omega beams fired from Darkseid's eyes, twisting through the Abyss with impossible speed. The beams curved and bent, defying all logic as they homed in on Beerus from every direction. The Destroyer dodged, but the beams followed him relentlessly, warping reality to chase their target.
Beerus let out a snarl, raising his hand. "Enough!" With a single flick of his fingers, the Omega beams disintegrated, dissolved by the sheer force of his power.
Darkseid stepped forward, the very ground beneath him cracking despite the Abyss having no solid surface. "You destroy... nothing."
The battle raged on. Darkseid's blows could wipe out entire timelines, while Beerus's counters threatened to erase the very concept of existence. Their power clashed in an unrelenting storm, ripping apart everything around them. The Abyss rattled as their godly might fought for dominance.
In the distance, the universe Darkseid had begun consuming finally crumbled into oblivion, vanishing into the void. Yet the tension between the two gods only grew more intense.
Beerus charged again, his body now surrounded by an enormous aura of destruction. Darkseid stood his ground, the Anti-Life Equation swirling around him like a maelstrom, warping reality to his command.
With one final, cataclysmic clash, their fists met. The impact reverberated across the Abyss, sending shockwaves through it. Universes collapsed, pocket dimensions ceased to exist, and space was ripped apart.
As the shockwave subsided, both gods hovered in the wreckage of countless defenseless realities. Beerus smirked as he felt Darkseid's hand tremble slightly against his own. "I told you, Darkseid," Beerus said, his voice filled with confidence. "You're not the only god here."
Darkseid's eyes glowed brighter. "Impressive. But you have not seen the true power of Darkseid."
"And you haven't seen mine," Beerus retorted, his grin fierce as he prepared for the next round.