Chapter -0001 -One Stone to rule them all.

Steve Rogers, holding his own photo frame of his skinny weak past framed in it, looked at the only love of his life past the window blinds, just two steps away from him. His heart wanted to cross and hug her, but his duty kept him on this side of the window.

Stark looked at his father one last time and couldn't help but steal a hug. "Thanks for everything," his heart spilled out, his emotions almost bursting. "For everything you did for the country." He quickly recovered himself as he tore himself away from his father before he could lose himself again, risking raising suspicion and revealing his secret.

"We have to leave, now," Steve urged, pressing for urgency, while Stark tried to steal one last glance at his father's departing car.

"Yeah, yeah," Stark replied, controlling his emotions as he followed the Captain.

They both briefly took cover as Steve handed the vials of Pym particles to Tony, who swiftly secured them.

"Ready? On my Mark," Tony said, and Steve nodded in agreement.

*CLICK*

The Quantum suit took over and they vanished from their spot. Two MP guards came running looking for them but found only dust.

In the mysterious expanse of the Quantum Realm, they found themselves drifting through countless tunnels as their Quantum Suits worked their magic. They had accomplished their mission; they could finally bring back everyone. They hoped others had succeeded as well.

Tony looked at Steve with hope in his eyes, but he noticed Steve's expression filled with terror and shock.

"What's wrong?" Tony asked, concerned.

"NO! NOT AGAIN!" Steve's voice was urgent as if he had just seen a grave threat.

Tony quickly looked at himself, noticing a glowing blue ethereal layer covering him. He recognized it immediately—the Tesseract, the Space Stone, one of the six Infinity Stones. It can open wormholes, create portals, and manipulate energy.

"What's happening?" Tony asked, sensing the urgency in Steve's tone.

"We don't have time, get rid of the Tesseract! NOW!" Steve yelled, trying to grab the case from Tony, but Tony held onto it tightly, refusing to let Steve take it.

"What's happening?" Tony asked calmly. He had learned to trust Steve's judgment over the years, but he couldn't bring himself to discard the Tesseract.

It's one of the Infinity Stones, and everyone is counting on us to bring them back. Even if he wanted to dispose of it, he wouldn't risk losing it in the Quantum Realm, where the chances of retrieval were cosmically infinite.

"Let's make a quick stop," Tony suggested, but Steve wasn't paying attention to Tony's words; instead, his focus was fixed on the blue ethereal glow enveloping Tony. He couldn't shake the memory of this same phenomenon occurring decades ago while chasing the Red Skull.

Realizing Stark wasn't going to heed his warning, Steve attempted to tackle him and snatch the Tesseract. As he touched Tony, the blue ethereal glow enveloped them both. Contrary to his expectations, Steve felt a sense of relief rather than panic, leaving Tony even more puzzled.

"Are you going to scream like one of my exes or say something?" Tony quipped, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere.

Steve glanced at the Tesseract case and sighed. "I've seen this before..." 

Before Steve could share his experience with the Tesseract, their surroundings shifted abruptly. Their vision churned, and their bodies twisted and shook violently as if caught in a whirlwind. In the chaotic maelstrom of the Quantum Realm, reality seemed to warp and bend around them, throwing them off balance.

A blue hue mingled with the dark chaos of the whirlwind, ensnaring them both. They fought against the pull, their muscles straining, but it was like trying to swim upstream against a raging river. 

Tony struggled to maintain his focus, his mind racing to comprehend the situation. He could feel the power of the Tesseract pulsating within the swirling vortex, its energy threatening to consume them both.

Both of them had no power over this situation as the whirlwind of unknown energy and matter dyed ethereal blue sucked them both out, leaving nothing behind. 

*BOOOM*

Under the blue moonlight, the sky ripped open ethereal blue as two figures, one with a shield, tossed out as they fell from the sky. Steve quickly gained consciousness but Tony was still out cold, still clutching the Tesseract case tightly in his grip.

Steve's training kicked in as he maneuvered himself in the air and quickly caught Tony. He positioned himself between Tony and his shield, bracing for the impact. He held Tony tightly, determined to prevent him from getting harmed at any cost.

The shield braced the first impact, hitting a high branch, and like a pinball, they were tossed through multiple trees until they smashed into rocky terrain. Steve gritted his teeth against the force of the impact, his muscles straining to absorb the shock.

The shield, as usual, helped much better than Steve's expectation as he looked at Tony. "Stark? TONY! Wake up! TONY!" He picked him up and put him back in a comfortable position.

Steve unequipped the Quantum suits as he checked for a pulse. He sighed with relief upon seeing Tony still breathing normally. Unsure of what to do in this condition, Steve knew Tony was not a simple person; he had contingencies for almost all possible scenarios. He hoped his tech had something for this situation too.

He could have tried CPR if Tony wasn't breathing, but seeing that he was not in any immediate danger, Steve allowed himself to relax for a moment while figuring out where they had been tossed. He looked at the Tesseract case and felt the urge to toss it away. To him, this was the second time the Tesseract had reacted this way, and it felt like it had a mind of its own, playing with him.

However, to prevent it from playing with them any longer, he yanked the case from Tony's grip to keep him away from its danger.