[A black SUV cuts through the harsh desert landscape of Ixtenco, Mexico, its tires kicking up clouds of dust that billow behind it like a brown sandstorm. The vehicle bounces and lurches over the uneven terrain, its occupants gripping their seats as it navigates the rough path. The Mexican sun beats down mercilessly, creating heat mirages that dance across the horizon. Inside the air-conditioned vehicle, two figures in dark suits maintain their professional composure despite the challenging journey ahead.]
[After what feels like hours of driving through the desolate wasteland, the car finally arrives at what was once a thriving village but now lies in complete devastation. Nick Fury and Maria Hill step out of the vehicle, their shoes crunching on debris-strewn ground. The scene before them is apocalyptic - buildings reduced to rubble, vehicles overturned and twisted beyond recognition, and an eerie silence that speaks of lives lost. The acrid smell of destruction hangs heavy in the air, mixed with the metallic tang of blood and the musty odor of concrete dust.]
[Hill surveys the catastrophic ruins surrounding them, her trained eye taking in every detail of the destruction. The systematic nature of the devastation suggests something far beyond natural disaster. She shakes her head slowly, her voice heavy with disbelief and frustration.]
["Nick! The official reports claim this tragedy was caused by a hurricane! What's next? Are we now supposed to be at war with the very climate itself?"]
[Nick Fury, his expression characteristically stoic despite the horrific scene, responds with the calm demeanor of someone who has witnessed too many inexplicable events in his career as director of S.H.I.E.L.D. His one good eye scans the destruction methodically, cataloging details that don't fit the official narrative.]
["The locals who survived - the few who managed to escape - they all tell the same impossible story. They swear that the hurricane had a human face embedded within the swirling winds. Not just a trick of light or shadow, but an actual human face controlling the storm."]
[Hill's skepticism is evident in her tone and body language. She's seen enough panic-induced testimonies to recognize mass hysteria when she hears it. Her practical mind rejects the supernatural explanation, searching for logical alternatives.]
["People experience hallucinations when they're terrified out of their minds, Nick! Trauma can make people see things that aren't there. This doesn't necessarily mean we're about to witness another apocalyptic event!"]
[But before she can complete her rationalization, thick green smoke begins materializing directly in front of them, swirling and coalescing with unnatural precision. Both agents immediately draw their standard-issue pistols with practiced efficiency, their training kicking in as they assume defensive positions and aim toward the mysterious phenomenon.]
[As the emerald mist clears, it reveals a figure unlike anything in their extensive files. The man wears an elaborate costume that seems to blend medieval armor with futuristic technology. His cape billows dramatically despite the absence of wind, and intricate designs cover every surface of his outfit. He reaches up and removes a distinctive fishbowl-shaped helmet, revealing the face of a man in his forties with sharp features and intelligent eyes that seem to take in everything at once.]
["Who are you people? What agency do you represent?"]
[Before Nick Fury can formulate a response or begin his standard interrogation protocol, the ground beneath their parked SUV begins to shift and rise ominously. The earth itself seems to come alive, forming massive hands that reach up and effortlessly hurl their vehicle through the air like a toy. The expensive government car crashes down several hundred feet away with a tremendous impact that echoes across the desolate landscape. Upon hearing the destruction of their only means of transportation, both agents immediately pivot away from the mysterious costumed figure and aim their weapons toward the new threat behind them.]
[What they see defies all logic and reason. A colossal creature made entirely of rock and earth towers above them, easily thirty feet tall. Its eyes glow with malevolent energy, and each step it takes causes the ground to tremble. The elemental giant seems to be composed of the very landscape around them, chunks of stone and hardened clay forming its massive limbs. Nick Fury and Hill open fire immediately, their bullets striking the creature's rocky hide but producing no visible effect beyond small puffs of dust.]
["You'd better stand back and let me handle this! You'll only get yourselves killed!" The costumed figure - Quentin Beck - calls out as he raises both hands toward the advancing earth elemental. Brilliant green energy crackles between his fingers before launching in concentrated beams toward the creature's center mass.]
Back in his workshop, Tony Stark had been quietly waiting for the Sky Curtain's next revelation when the appearance of this new costumed hero immediately captured his attention. He bolted upright from his chair, nearly spilling his coffee.
"What the hell?! Who is this guy? Another new superhero popping up out of nowhere? Jarvis, run a complete identity check on this individual - facial recognition, costume analysis, energy signature if you can detect it from the video!"
Tony's AI assistant immediately began processing the request, scanning through databases, social media, employment records, and security footage. The results that appeared on Tony's holographic display made him do a double-take.
"Boss, the individual's name is Quentin Beck. He's actually currently employed by Stark Industries in the Advanced Holographic Research Division. He has exceptional credentials and achievements in the fields of optics, advanced holographic imaging technology, and virtual reality applications."
Tony stared at the information in complete shock. Not only was this future superhero one of his own employees, but Beck was also showing remarkable talent and innovation in cutting-edge technology fields that Tony himself found fascinating.
At this point in the timeline, Quentin Beck had not yet departed from Stark Corporation, and his ambitious "BARF Project" - Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing - had not yet been formally proposed or developed to its full potential. The holographic projection technology that Beck was researching was still in its early stages, nowhere near as sophisticated as what would eventually be displayed.
The BARF Project was designed to use advanced holographic imaging technology to create incredibly realistic virtual scenarios and artificial threats, then build a team of superheroes specifically trained to handle these manufactured crises. The plan involved using the technology to stage global emergencies that would require superhuman intervention, essentially creating a controlled superhero industry.
Tony had already begun to have reservations about the ethical implications of such a project. He worried that the plan was potentially too dangerous and could lead to uncontrollable consequences if the technology fell into the wrong hands or if the artificial crises became too realistic for the public to handle. These concerns would eventually lead him to shelve the project, causing significant dissatisfaction from Beck.
However, none of this had occurred yet in the current timeline. Quentin Beck had not yet become the ambitious and potentially villainous Mysterio. At this moment, he was simply a brilliant but ordinary researcher who was genuinely surprised and confused to see himself possessing apparent superpowers in the Sky Curtain's vision of the future.
In the Stark Industries building, Beck's colleagues gathered around him with expressions of amazement and curiosity. Beck himself stood frozen for several minutes, staring at his own image on the screen with a mixture of wonder and disbelief. His phone suddenly rang, jarring him from his stunned contemplation. The caller ID displayed only "Unknown Number."
[The video transitions as somber music begins to play, and text appears across the screen in elegant white lettering: "In Memoriam"]
[What follows is a heart-wrenching memorial montage featuring photographs of fallen heroes. Tony Stark's image appears first - not the confident, smirking genius the world knew, but a more solemn portrait that suggests sacrifice. Captain America's photograph shows him in his iconic uniform, shield at his side, representing the unwavering moral compass he provided. Natasha Romanoff's image captures her fierce determination and hidden vulnerability. A somewhat blurred photograph of Vision appears, his synthetic features somehow conveying deep humanity. The montage includes Tony's very first press conference where he revealed his identity as Iron Man, a moment that changed everything. Finally, the screen fills with countless white memorial candles, their flames flickering like stars against the darkness.]
[As the camera slowly pulls back, it reveals that this memorial is being broadcast on what appears to be a student-run news program. Two young people sit at a desk with "Midtown High School News" displayed prominently behind them.]
["The heroes may be gone, but their spirit lives on in all of us and in the world they saved!"]
[The male student, Jason Ionello, raises his finger and gestures toward the camera with the practiced enthusiasm of someone accustomed to being on screen.]
["We want to thank Kenneth Lim and W. Ramamoorthy for creating this incredibly moving tribute video that honors our fallen heroes!" Small photographs of the two video creators appear in the upper right corner of the screen, showing two earnest-looking students.]
[Betty Brant, the female co-anchor, takes over the narrative with professional composure despite her young age.]
["The past year has been absolutely unprecedented in human history. It's been..."]
[But before she can finish her thought, Jason interrupts with unfiltered emotion, his composure cracking.]
["This whole situation is absolutely insane! It's like we've all been living in some kind of surreal dream that we can't wake up from!"]
[Betty turns to look at him with the patient expression of someone used to managing her co-anchor's outbursts.]
["Jason, please!"]
["What? What did I do wrong?"]
["Don't use profanity on air! We've talked about this!"]
[Jason blinks with genuine confusion, as if the concept of broadcast standards is foreign to him.]
["Tomorrow's a holiday anyway! School's out! What's the big deal?"]
[Betty sighs and turns back to face the camera, determined to maintain professional standards despite her partner's casual attitude.]
["As I was saying, what we've experienced is certainly dramatic enough to be recorded in the history books for all time! If we go back five years to what's now known as 'The Blip,' exactly half of all living beings in the entire universe - including a significant portion of our own Midtown High School student body and faculty - simply vanished from existence!"]
[The broadcast cuts to archived footage from that terrible day. The video shows the school's jazz band in the middle of a performance when several musicians suddenly begin dissolving into ash and floating away like dust in the wind. In the audience, students and parents watch in horror as their loved ones disappear before their eyes, their screams of terror and confusion filling the gymnasium. The camera captures the exact moment when half the crowd realizes that something impossible and terrifying is happening.]
["But eight months ago, a group of incredibly brave heroes managed to accomplish the impossible and brought everyone back!" Betty's voice carries a note of reverence as photographs of the surviving Avengers appear beside her - their faces bearing the weight of their losses and their ultimate victory.]
[The video shows the reverse phenomenon - the same gymnasium where suddenly, in the middle of a basketball practice, dozens of students and faculty members materialized out of thin air, appearing exactly as they had five years earlier. The confusion and joy on both the returning and remaining students' faces tells a story of families and friendships forever changed.]
["The scientific community has termed this 'The Blip' - referring to how those of us who experienced the disappearance and returned are exactly the same age we were when we vanished five years ago..."]
["Meanwhile, the students who didn't experience The Blip have continued aging normally and are now five years older than their classmates who disappeared!"]
[The broadcast displays a split-screen comparison showing two students who were the same age five years ago. One clearly shows the effects of five additional years of growth and maturity, while the other appears frozen in time at their younger age.]
[Jason nods emphatically, his voice carrying a note of familial awkwardness.]
["It's incredibly weird! My little brother is actually older than me now! He's been the 'big brother' for five years while I was gone!"]
["Yeah! The mathematics of it all is just mind-boggling!" Betty's frustration with the educational system becomes apparent as she continues, "Even though the school year was already more than halfway completed when we were all erased from existence - we had already taken our midterm exams and everything - the administration still decided to make all of us returning students start completely over from the beginning of freshman year!"]
["This is completely unfair! There's absolutely no justice in this system!" Jason's indignation is genuine and relatable.]
[Betty sighs with the weariness of someone forced to accept absurd circumstances.]
["Fellow Tigers! This incredibly long and strange experience has been simultaneously thrilling and completely bewildering! As this unusual school year finally comes to an end, we should all be looking forward to moving ahead and entering the next stage of our lives!"]
["Let's just hope there won't be any more cosmic disasters or universal catastrophes! Especially since it seems like the Avengers have officially disbanded after their final victory. So what happens next? Do any of our former protectors have plans for the future? Who's going to save the world next time?"]
Tony Stark, who had initially been focused on researching Quentin Beck's background and credentials, now stared at the screen with a much more serious and troubled expression. His face had gone pale as he watched footage of human beings simply dissolving into ash and disappearing within seconds.
"Half of all life in the universe just... gone. Is this what happens when we lose? When we fail to stop whatever threat we're supposed to face?" Tony's voice carried a note of horror as the full implications sank in. "But apparently, somehow in the future, we manage to spend five years figuring out how to turn complete defeat into ultimate victory and bring everyone back to life."
Bruce Banner, who had been quietly observing from across the lab, wore an expression of deep concern and scientific curiosity. The method by which lives were lost after their apparent defeat was unlike anything in his considerable knowledge of physics, biology, or any known science.
"The mechanism of disappearance suggests some form of universal constant manipulation - possibly at the quantum level," Banner mused aloud. "What I'm even more curious about is the logistics of recovery. If we all failed initially, what could possibly give us the power to reverse something of this magnitude five years later?"
Steve Rogers had been studying the details of the footage with the strategic eye of a military commander. His enhanced vision caught subtleties that others might miss.
"Did everyone notice the memorial wall visible in the background when the girl was speaking? It wasn't just humans who disappeared - there were photographs of family pets, zoo animals, even wildlife. The disappearance affected all living creatures regardless of intelligence level. This suggests we're dealing with a threat that operates on a universal biological principle rather than targeting specifically sentient life."
Natasha Romanoff's expression had grown increasingly melancholy as she processed the human cost of what they were witnessing.
"Five years," she repeated quietly. "Those people were gone for five full years. Can you imagine what the survivors went through during that time? The grief, the adaptation, the slow process of learning to live in a world where half of everyone they knew was just... gone?"
Her voice grew more troubled as she continued her analysis.
"And then suddenly, without warning, everyone comes back exactly as they were. Think about the chaos - the legal complications, the emotional trauma, the relationships that formed and dissolved during those five years. People would have remarried, moved on, built new lives. Children would have been born to replace lost siblings. And then the original families return, expecting everything to be exactly as they left it."
"The psychological damage alone must be staggering. It's as if fate decided to play the cruelest possible joke on the entire human race. I can't even begin to imagine how many families and relationships were permanently destroyed by this cycle of loss and return."