"Who is this person you're looking for?" Max asked, turning toward the X-Men, his curiosity piqued.
Storm, who had been standing silently, finally spoke. "Her name is Wanda Maximoff."
Max blinked, a flicker of recognition passing through his eyes. "Wanda Maximoff? She already exists in this universe. You're looking for her?"
Beast stepped forward, adjusting his glasses, his blue fur catching the light of the setting sun. "Yes. But it's not as simple as finding her. We need her to... save our world."
Max tilted his head, frowning. "Save it? From what exactly?"
Beast took a deep breath, the weight of the explanation evident on his face. "We need her to use the Darkhold."
There was a beat of silence. Max's expression shifted, his face contorting in disbelief. "The Darkhold? Are you insane? Why in the hell would you ever—"
Beast raised a hand, his voice calm but firm. "A mutant in our world—she has the power of foresight—she saw it. In every scenario, Wanda using the Darkhold is the only way to stop the N'Garai from overrunning the Earth. It's our only chance."
Max's hands dropped to his sides, his face pale with shock. His voice was low, almost a growl. "Do you even know what happens to someone who uses the Darkhold?"
The X-Men exchanged uncertain glances, their confidence faltering.
Max took a step closer to Beast, his tone sharp. "The Darkhold corrupts. It's not just a book—it's pure chaos. It drives people insane, warps their minds, makes them do things they never would have done. It bends reality itself, and anyone who uses it pays the price. You'd have to sacrifice Wanda to save your world. Is that what you're willing to do?"
Beast's hesitation was palpable. "We don't have a choice—"
Max cut him off, his eyes flashing with anger. "You always have a choice. But it seems like the X-Men's solution is always to sacrifice someone. Jean Grey, now Wanda. You people never change."
Before the conversation could continue, the sound of a metal door clanged open. From the far end of the rooftop, the elevator to the Stark Tower roof slid open, and Nick Fury, flanked by several SHIELD agents, stepped out. His expression was hard, his eye scanning the scene.
"Alright, boys and girls, playtime's over," Fury announced, his voice echoing across the rooftop. His trench coat billowed in the wind as he strode toward Max. "I believe you have something that belongs to me."
Max turned, arms crossed, already knowing what was coming.
"The scepter," Fury continued. "I'll take it from here. SHIELD will secure it and place it in a safe location."
Max's gaze was unwavering as he responded, "No."
The air grew thick with tension. The SHIELD agents shifted uneasily, and the Avengers exchanged glances. Natasha, sitting with the rest of the team, raised an eyebrow. "Max," she began, her voice steady, "I think it's better if you hand the scepter over to SHIELD. They're equipped to deal with these kinds of things."
But before Max could respond, Yelena Belova stepped forward, her Ghost armor glinting in the fading sunlight. She removed her helmet, shaking out her blonde hair. "The scepter is safer with Max than it will ever be with SHIELD," she said, her voice sharp. Her gaze fixed on Nick Fury. "You know SHIELD has been compromised, Director Fury. Or have you forgotten about Hydra?"
There was a stunned silence.
Natasha's eyes widened as she stared at Yelena. "Yelena?" Her voice was a mixture of shock and confusion, recognizing her sister from the Red Room. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Yelena glanced at her sister briefly, but her focus remained on Fury. "I'll explain later," she muttered.
Max handed the scepter to Mason, who stood beside him in his hulking Space Marine armor. "Fury, the scepter is going to be secured off-planet. It's not staying on Earth."
Nick Fury's mouth opened as if to argue, but before he could get a word in, Max continued, "SHIELD already had their chance with the Tesseract, and look how well that turned out. You aren't getting the scepter, not after what Hydra's done."
Max gestured with his hand toward the skyline of New York. "Besides, I think it's clear who's really prepared to protect this planet."
Fury's expression hardened. "You knew about this invasion, didn't you?"
Max didn't flinch. "Of course, I did. The invasion was necessary. Without it, the Avengers wouldn't exist. And trust me, without them, this world is in a lot more danger than you realize."
Tony, standing nearby, frowned. "Why didn't you tell me about this, Max? You know, the whole alien invasion thing?"
Max shrugged, pointing toward Loki, who lay unconscious nearby. "Loki's situation is... complicated. He's having a pretty severe midlife crisis, exacerbated by his real parentage and being mind-controlled by an insane titan for months."
Thor's brow furrowed as he looked down at his brother.
Max sighed. "Loki wasn't entirely in control. The scepter was influencing him as much as the on behind the scepter was."
Nick Fury wasn't convinced. "And you're telling me that the invasion—the death of civilians—was all part of some grand plan?"
Max turned to face him directly. "The loss of life was minimized. You saw the shields I set up. Without this invasion, the future battles Earth faces would be catastrophic. The formation of the Avengers was critical."
Before anyone could respond, the air shimmered, and a figure materialized a few feet away from Max.
The Sorcerer Supreme, dressed in flowing red and gold robes, appeared as though stepping out of the very air itself. Her dark hair was tied back, and her piercing eyes swept across the group before landing on Max. "I suppose that's where I come in," she said, her voice carrying a calm authority.
Max smiled slightly. "I was wondering when you'd show up."
The Sorcerer Supreme looked around, her gaze lingering on Loki's unconscious form, then back to Max. "I'm here for a different reason, but yes, I've been watching you. As I hinted it before, I would only imprison you temporarily, if you had interfered too much in the invasion."
The Avengers and SHIELD agents stiffened at her words, but Max seemed unfazed. He looked at her curiously. "By the way, how often have you been watching me, exactly?"
She smiled, a knowing glint in her eyes. "Not as often as I would like. Your Fidelius Charm has kept you hidden from me whenever you're at your home. But the moment you step outside, you're visible again."
Max's brow raised in surprise. "I knew the Fidelius Charm worked, but I didn't think it was that effective."
Fury, now thoroughly confused, crossed his arms. "Who or what is this 'Fidelius Charm' you keep talking about?"
Max turned to Fury, his expression amused. "It's not a 'who,' Director. It's a spell—an ancient one. It hides people or places from those who seek them, including powerful sorcerers like the one standing before us."
The Sorcerer Supreme offered a soft smile but said nothing.
Max continued, "The Sorcerer Supreme and her order have been protecting this planet from threats far beyond what SHIELD can handle for thousands of years."
Fury frowned but remained silent, his mind clearly working overtime to process the information.
The Sorcerer Supreme stepped forward, addressing Max. "I didn't come here to argue over the scepter or the Tesseract. I came becouse of the X Men and also to invite you to Kamar-Taj. There's much we could learn from each other, especially about your... unique magical abilities."
The Avengers looked at Max, surprised by the mention of magic. "Magic?" Clint muttered. "Great, now we've got wizards too."
Max smirked, glancing at Clint. "Everyone assumes I'm just a tech guy because I use advanced technology. But there's a bit more to me than that."
He turned back to the Sorcerer Supreme. "But I'm curious... will you be helping the X-Men get back to their universe, or do you plan to banish them?"
The Sorcerer Supreme chuckled softly, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "I suspected you'd ask that. I've already agreed to help you open a portal to send them home. In exchange, I'll teach you the techniques required to open such portals. All I ask in return is that when the time comes, you'll assist me with my successor and perhaps share some of your magical knowledge."
Max nodded thoughtfully. "That seems fair."
The Sorcerer Supreme smiled. "Then we have a deal."