Chapter 8: Tonja Stark

After the initial success, Ethen is once again contemplating if following Deadpool's suggestion was the right thing to do. Despite finally being able to open gates into the Marvel Universe, the head was still unable to open up a Gate to a specific Universe, even less a specific time and place in that Universe.

Spending hour upon hours of Deadpool sapping through an infinite number of Universes and even more places of Space and time in them, Ethen suddenly has Deadpool stop, as he finally sees a living person on the opposite side of the gate, walking in the most desolate place imaginable a desert to be exact.

Removing Deadpool from the altar, Ethen tells him.''Since we have no way of knowing what kind of universe you have just opened, let's just ask a native.''

Saying that he rips some roost out of the altar to fasten around the skull. Fastening the other end around his own wast, Ethen now can carry the head, while also having his hands free.

As they move through the gate, he hears Deadpool grumble. ''Who would have guessed how accurate my Mimir cosplay would turn out to be...''

As the talking head and the man that is not supposed to exist, enter a to them currently unknown part of the Marvel Universe, Tonja Stark thinks she is hallucinating. Having wandered aimlessly through the desert for two days by now, she not only is dehydrated but also at the end of her row.

Seeing a gate/doorway appear out of thin air, as well as a man looking like a god come fly out of it, she is totally sure, that she is already dying. Thinking about Yinsen's dying word, Tonja is totally convinced that dying after having seen this god, was surely not a waste of her life.

Falling to her knees, accepting her fate of dying in the desert, only dressed in an army green tank top and brown pants and some worn put boots, she hears two voices, one very pleasant, the other more than just annoying.

''God, I hate sand!''

''Shut up. Why can't you be less annoying when we are meeting new people.''

''Because I am the merc with a mouth! I guess being annoying is kind of my job description!''

''Why do I have to end up with you? Isn't there a version of you that has its mouth sewn shut!''

''Thank good 'X-Man Origines: Wolverine' was such a huge disappointment!''

Having her own head spinning from just attempting to make sense of the man's conversation with the head on his hips, Tonja gets nauseous.

Seeing the woman collapse right in front of his eyes, Ethen picker up from the ground and flies high up into the sky in search for any kind of indicator for civilization. Making out some helicopters flying in the distance, he decides to simply follow them in hopes of at least finding a military outpost.

As the three of them are following the Blackhawks, Deadpool suddenly recognizes the woman. ''Wait a minute isn't this Tonja Stark?''

Frowning Ethen looks down at the woman. Aside from the dirt on her face, she is a very attractive woman. ''Is she the sister or wife of the Toni Stark we are searching?''

With her jet black hair, a slender waist, ample breasts, rosy kissable lips, and a stubborn chine, Ethen would hate her to be already married.

''Neither wife nor sister. She is this Universes version of Toni Stark!...'' Explains Wade, having seen Ethen's already possessive look, so he continues saying. ''... Now I seem to remember what happened to her...''

A bit concerned for this sleeping beauty, Ethen asks. ''What do you know about her?''

Biting his lower lip, Deadpool says. ''... Yes, well... She was dead by the time I came to this version of the Marvel Universe...''

''Explain!'' Says Ethen, his eyes unconsciously glowing red.

Intimidated by his palls reaction, the skull can only confess. ''She is supposed to die here. In other universes, Toni Stark is found by his best friend Brody... In this universe, there is no Brody... See the problem?''

Nearly triggering his heat vision, Ethen is still able to keep himself in check. ''So she is supposed to die in the desert?!''

''Not supposed to... She already did. It is her destiny to do so!'' Wade tells Ethen, for once ignoring the man's heat vision.

Looking down at the woman in his arms, then ahead, Ethen asks. ''Then whos Blackhawks am I following?!''

Looking at the helicopters the skull states. ''Those should be either from the Ten Rings or Obadiah Stane. Both want your beauty either dead or captured.''

''Say again?!''

Feeling small droplets of water run down her through, Tonja Stark slowly regains consciousness. Whoever had dripped the water into her mouth suddenly replaces the pipette with a cup of water. Seeling her lips come in contact with the liquid, she instinctively empties the whole cup in one go.

''Easy, Easy now...'' She suddenly hears the annoying voice from her fata morgana experience in the desert. Looking around, Tonja spots an elderly woman refill her cup of water. Just when she wants to thank the woman, the annoying voice returns saying. ''... You are supposed to be dead. Damm the idiot for this weakness for beauty!''

Following the voice, Tonja finds the origin of the annoying voice, as she spots the severed head of Deadpool on a counter facing her.

''What the...'' Tonja says with a broken voice and a sour throat when she suddenly feels the vibrations of explosions nearby. Crawling to the window, she is shocked by what she sees. Looking out of the crude hud, Tonja sees a hellish inferno wreak havoc all over what she assumes to be some kind of military outpost.

''That is Gulmira. In other realities, it was would have been your job to clean this place up.'' Tonja hears the skull comment behind her.

Turning around in disbelieve, she asks the skull on the counter. ''How?''

Hearing even more explosions take place, she turns back around, only to see a massive tank be lifted up into the sky by a small figure.

''Oh, that?...'' She hears the skull tell her, as she sees the tank suddenly being thrown into the outpost. ''... That is 'Champion'... Miss Stark...''

Seeing massive explosions take place all over the Outpost, Tonja is shocked by what she has witnessed so far. ''Who are you guys?''

Smirking the skull tells her. ''Consider us Travelers.''

Seeing the man she had previously thought to be a god, turn out to be one, come flying in her direction, Tonja can't keep herself from shivering in fright. Knowing that her previous self had sinned greatly sinned against humanity by flooding the world with ever more advanced weaponry, she fears that the day of reckoning has finally come for her in form of this 'Champion'-guy.

Somehow liking the shocked and fearful expression on the woman's dirty but beautiful face, Deadpool tells her. ''Miss Stark, my partner and I would like you to consider a proposition...''

As Ethen flyes back to the elderly lady's hud, he hears the skull make deals with 'his' Tonja. (Wade Wilson) ''... So, do we have a deal?''

(Tonja Stark) ''I guess we have reached an agreement. I will accompany the two of you and make this armor for you. BUT first I have to take care of some loose ends here if what you said is indeed true...''