The Space Stone

I told Fury about the Tesseract which contains the Space Stone and the Time Stone in Kamar-Taj. Well, there was no Dr. Strange, so it's safe to assume that the Ancient One has it and it would be impossible to get it from her. When I told Fury about that he was like─ 'How the hell does that guy know I have the Tesseract? Is he spying on us?' and his thoughts were clear. 

Oh, if anyone is wondering about the Reality Stone or that sludge, well, I can't reveal everything to them just like that, can I now? If I were to face Thanos, I gotta have some kind of insurance and what could be better than the power to control the reality itself, right? But the bad part is that I have no idea when the convergence will occur.

Besides, I wonder if my power of absorption works on the Infinity Stones or not. It would be insane if I somehow managed to absorb even a tiny wisp of that Infinity power.

Coming back to the present...

It doesn't matter what Fury or anyone else thinks, the vision of Thanos's army is enough for him to push back his questions and focus on the serious matter. 

"What about her?" Fury pointed at frozen Nebula.

"She killed people and she has to pay for it. I've already placed a mental block in her mind. She won't be able to do anything. Put her in a cell or something for the time being. And if you are thinking of using her as a bargaining chip, forget it. Thanos would kill her and move forward just like that," I explained as I stood up and stretched myself.

Fury nodded in understanding and pressed his finger on a device in his ear. "Lock her up in a cell."

Four agents entered his office with a large metallic container and placed Nebula inside. Then they carried the container out of the room. After that Fury led us to the underground lab where the scientists and researchers were doing experiments on the Tesseract. It was a freaking big lab and was filled with machines, robots, and all kinds of scientific stuff. 

There were multiple workstations and computers lining the walls. One end of the room was dedicated to containment—a series of transparent cylindrical chambers, each one holding an object of unknown origin. In one of the chambers sat the Tesseract, a glowing blue cube pulsing with power. 

Fury ordered the workers to leave the room for a bit and then he took out a remote from his pocket and pressed the button. One of the cylindrical chambers lit up with a bright blue light, bathing the room in a warm glow. There was the Tesseract, surrounded by a containment field of some kind. The glass around the cylinder opened and the cube was moved forward by mechanical arms, out of the field.

"I don't know why you know of Tesseract, but following your actions so far, I've no doubt you are a good man, Aron. So, I'll trust you on this," Fury said as he looked toward me. 'There is no choice. Thanos' army is too big and our options are limited. Aron seems like a good guy. Considering this power he could have taken over the world by now if he wanted but decided not to... Sigh! Anyway, I should call Carol, just in case.' 

I don't know if he's trying to think those things on purpose or not, it's good that he isn't thinking of stabbing me in the back later. Besides, if Carol comes to Earth and Thanos doesn't have the stones by then, it's a winnable situation.

I walked towards the Tesseract, studying it closely. Its surface was smooth and featureless, but its energy radiated outward, filling the chamber with an almost palpable power. It was both beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Watching it in the movies was one thing, but seeing and experiencing its power firsthand was something else entirely.

Fury watched as I reached for the cube. I made sure to cover my body with the Phoenix Force. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. So far anyone who touched it with bare hands turned into dust."

Yeah, yeah, I know. Heck, it banished Red Skull to Vormir. 

"I am not like anyone," I grabbed the cube.

The moment my fingers closed around the Tesseract, a surge of raw energy coursed through me, burning and electrifying every nerve. It wasn't painful—far from it. The Phoenix Force wrapped around me like a protective cocoon, its fiery aura blending with the cube's radiant blue glow.

Inside my mind, I could feel it—limitless power, ancient and pure, a fragment of the universe itself. The Tesseract pulsed with a heartbeat-like rhythm, its energy flowing through my body like molten light. I could see glimpses of space, distant stars, and galaxies swirling in an endless cosmic dance.

Fury's voice broke through the haze. "What the hell are you doing, Aron? You're—" He stopped mid-sentence, staring as the Tesseract's glow dimmed slightly, its energy stabilizing around me.

Natasha took a cautious step forward. "Aron? Are you okay?"

I turned to her and grinned. "Never better."

The Tesseract didn't resist my touch; instead, it seemed to recognize me—or perhaps it recognized the Phoenix Force. It was almost... welcoming. A thought flickered through my mind: Could I absorb a part of this energy? Would it even be possible?

I closed my eyes, focusing on the cube's energy. The Phoenix Force stirred within me, eager and curious, as if it shared my desire to test the limits. Slowly, carefully, I reached out with my absorption power, letting it brush against the Tesseract's immense energy.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, like a floodgate opening, a tiny sliver of the cube's energy flowed into me. It was overwhelming—a thousand suns exploding at once. My body tensed, every muscle locking up as I fought to maintain control. The Phoenix Force roared, its fiery presence growing stronger, merging with the Tesseract's energy in a dazzling display of power.

"Aron!" Natasha's voice was sharp, worried. Fury had his gun out, but he wasn't pointing it at me—yet.

"I'm fine," I said through gritted teeth. "Just… give me a second."

The energy stabilized, settling into a small, contained reservoir within me. It wasn't much—just a fraction of the Tesseract's power—but it was enough to feel its potential. Space itself seemed to bend around me, as if I'd become a living conduit for the cube's energy. But this isn't enough. I want more. I crushed the cube in my hands.

The moment I did that, there was a mini energy explosion, and then among the tiny shards on my palm was the Space Stone... 

I picked it up with my left hand and held it closer to my eyes. The blue stone was beautiful yet powerful, pulsing with a strange energy that resonated within me. The power of space itself... Such a tiny gem had so much power. I wondered how powerful it would be if combined with the other infinity stones.

Fury and Natasha watched, stunned. 

"Is that...?" Natasha asked.

"The Space Stone. This tiny gem has the power of space itself." I explained. "Just imagine, appearing in multiple locations simultaneously by fragmenting one's spatial presence or warp, stretch, compress, or rearrange the structure of space. Heck, one energy blast can tear through dimensions or destroy matter by warping space around the target. Then there are wormholes..."

"Aron..." Fury said. He looks to have his guard up. "How do you have so much information on that stone and what are you planning to do with that stone now that you have the stone?"

"How I know about its power isn't that important. What important is that now I can fuck up Thanos and his army. Just gotta do a little more preparation. And after killing Thanos, I'm gonna take a long vacation," I answered as I grabbed the stone into my palm. Damn! It's so overwhelming, if not for the Phoenix Force shielding my mind and body, things could have gone worse. It's like the stone has a will of its own, but before the superior Phoenix, it can't do shit.

[Booom!] A massive explosion rocked the place.

...

[A few hrs earlier]

The hot winds of the Sahara blew fiercely, carrying sand that stung against skin and armor. The Avengers stood at the edge of the vast, glassy crater formed by the crash. Smoke rose from the remains of the alien ship, a jagged mass of twisted metal that shimmered unnaturally under the sunlight.

Steve Rogers surveyed the scene with his shield slung over his back. "This doesn't look like any ship we've seen before. Alien, for sure."

Tony Stark in his Iron Man suit, hovered above, scanning the wreckage. "JARVIS, tell me we've got something unusual here."

"Indeed, sir," JARVIS's calm voice replied. "The material composition of this vessel contains elements unknown to Earth's periodic table. Scans indicate heavy use of quantum-based technology."

Bruce Banner knelt by a fragment of the ship, his scientist's curiosity overtaking his caution. "Quantum technology? This isn't just advanced—this is leagues beyond anything we've encountered before."

Clint kept his bow ready, an arrow nocked. "Let's not get too cozy, folks. Crash sites are usually booby-trapped, and I don't feel like being fried today."

As if on cue, the ship emitted a loud hum. Panels on its sides slid open, and sleek, humanoid robots with glowing red eyes emerged, armed with energy weapons.

"Called it," Clint muttered, releasing an arrow that struck one robot square in the chest, causing it to spark and collapse.

"Avengers, move!" Steve barked, raising his shield as a barrage of energy blasts rained down.

The battle erupted. Tony zipped through the air, firing repulsor beams at the robots, while Steve charged forward, deflecting blasts with his shield and using it to smash through the metal frames of their attackers. Hawkeye took out targets with precision shots, covering Bruce, who struggled to keep his temper in check.

"Banner, we could really use the other guy!" Tony shouted, dodging a blast.

"I'm trying!" Bruce growled, his fists clenching as his skin began to take on a green hue. With a roar, the Hulk emerged, smashing through a line of robots with a single swing of his massive fists.

Well, Hulk alone smashed the remaining robots with ease.

Within minutes, the last robot fell, its parts scattering across the sand.

"That was... fun," Clint said, wiping sweat from his brow.

Tony landed beside him, his armor covered in scorch marks. "Define 'fun.' Because if you mean 'almost getting vaporized,' then yeah, loads of fun."

Steve crouched by one of the fallen robots, inspecting its core. "This tech is advanced, even for alien standards. Can we get anything from it?"

Tony knelt beside him, using a small device to extract data from the robot's central processor. "Downloading now. Let's hope it gives us something useful."

JARVIS chimed in. "Sir, I've decrypted a portion of the data. It contains coordinates and a communication log referencing... Thanos."

The group exchanged uneasy glances.

"Thanos? Who's that?" Steve said grimly. "We need to get this back to Fury and check on this Thanos."

With the data secured, and the Shield agents securing the site, the Avengers boarded their Quinjet and set course for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s base. However, as they approached New York, alarms blared.

"Incoming!" JARVIS warned. "Unidentified hostiles detected."

Through the jet's windows, they saw it—a massive dreadnought descending from the clouds, its colossal frame casting a shadow over the city. Its weapon systems glowed ominously, and smaller fighter drones swarmed around it like angry hornets.

Tony groaned. "Why is it always New York?"

The dreadnought fired its first salvo, a concentrated energy blast that narrowly missed the Quinjet, rocking it violently.

"Brace yourselves!" Steve shouted as Tony leaped out, flying towards the ship to intercept its fighters.

"We're gonna need backup," Clint muttered, securing his gear.

"This is no coincidence," Bruce said, his voice low as the Hulk threatened to resurface. "This has Thanos written all over it."

As the Quinjet dodged incoming fire, the Avengers prepared for another fight. 

**[POWERSTONES & Reviews]***

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[16 advance chapters] [No double billing] 

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