Here's an extra chapter because you reached the goal! Honestly, I hadn't really noticed, since to be fair I originally set it more as motivation, I never thought we would actually reach it, haha. It really makes me feel like I'm improving little by little.
I'm not entirely sure how this usually works, or if every author handles it differently, but this is how I'll do it: at the end of the week, before the counter resets, I'll check if the target was met. Depending on the amount, I'll post extra chapter(s). From what I've seen, this is the most common method. I know there are others, but this is the one I like the most.
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"So, you have a daughter?"
Tony Stark spoke as he connected several cables to Natasha's body, who was lying on a stretcher in the Avengers Tower.
"This isn't the time to talk about family, Tony."
"Alright... done!" he said with a smile as he activated the scanner, "But according to what you said, she can already talk and is self-aware, right? So... have you had a daughter for years?"
"Tony!"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it... By the way, who's the father?"
Natasha was about to respond, visibly annoyed, but J.A.R.V.I.S.' voice interrupted her just in time.
"Mr. Stark, Miss Romanoff, the results are ready."
"Did you find anything?"
Natasha adopted a serious expression. Ever since Jean's fire grew and surrounded her completely, she had felt something wasn't right. Jean explained that her magic was tied to intent. She didn't need to know how something worked—just wishing it was enough, and the magic would make it possible... if it was feasible.
That led Natasha to a conclusion: her body must have been sick, even if she didn't know it. Jean, unaware of the issue, had simply wished to heal her... and her fire acted on instinct.
She had asked Loki. He assured her that was only possible in cases of true emergency.
In other words, Natasha had been on the verge of death.
But that made no sense. As a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, she was protected against almost all known diseases. In fact, with current advancements, they were close to replicating the super soldier serum. A common illness was out of the question.
That left only one option: poison or some kind of external alteration.
J.A.R.V.I.S.' answer caught her off guard.
"Your body is exactly the same as in your last check-up. No traces of toxins, radiation, or known anomalies. However..."
"So I'm fine?"
"Not exactly. I only ruled out poisoning. But I found a concerning match."
"Explain."
The holographic assistant projected molecular-level images of all the Avengers.
"The number of molecules in the human body is so high that the odds of a match between two individuals are nearly impossible. Yet Miss Romanoff's molecular pattern matches 96.4% with that of Miss Cassie Lang."
"Scott Lang's daughter? Is there a reason for that?"
"I have formulated two hypotheses. The first: an extraordinarily rare coincidence. The second, much more likely: that an external agent is modifying the molecules in both bodies, copying patterns for some unknown purpose. It is possible that Cassie was the first infected, and that Jean, intending to heal you, expelled that agent from your system, although this only halted the molecular activity. The patterns are still aligned, causing the match."
"J.A.R.V.I.S., how likely is that?"
Tony was no longer joking.
"Under normal circumstances, less than 10%. But considering what happened with Doctor Banner... the probability rises to 74%."
Tony and Natasha exchanged a glance. The conclusion was inevitable.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., call the rest of the team."
"Right away, sir."
---
Hours later, Tony was reviewing the scans of the rest of the Avengers. The results confirmed the worst.
"Did you find anything?" Steve asked, frowning.
"Looks like we were poisoned... by someone who knows exactly what they're doing."
"Who?"
"You, Natasha, Clint... and, to my absolute embarrassment, me."
Tony pointed at himself. His voice sounded oddly subdued. For someone so confident in his tech, discovering he'd been compromised without noticing was a personal defeat.
Steve was the first to notice the pattern.
"Everyone who went to see Pym?"
Tony sighed and nodded with feigned drama.
"Looks like even I can be wrong. Congratulations, we've got our suspect."
"This isn't a competition," Steve said seriously. "Can we be cured?"
Tony looked at J.A.R.V.I.S., who already had an answer ready.
"Theoretically, no. To reverse the molecular alteration you'd need an expert on Doctor Pym's level, which doesn't exist... or a source of exceptional healing."
The room fell silent. Everyone turned to Natasha.
"You think...?"
"No," Natasha cut in. "No. I'm not involving her."
"We don't have another choice. Please," said Steve with his usual sincerity. At another time, Natasha might have given in. Steve was her moral compass, her constant reminder that even the most broken could seek redemption.
But this time was different.
"Jean doesn't control her power. She could get hurt. I won't risk her."
Steve looked down. He had no way to argue that, and he didn't want to.
At that moment, Gwen appeared.
"Natasha."
She tossed a phone to her. Natasha caught it purely by reflex.
"It's for you."
As soon as she held it to her ear, she heard a voice she had already expected.
"It will work. Don't worry."
Said the voice on the other end of the line.
"There's no other way?"
"There isn't. If you look for another option, you'll just waste time and end up giving in anyway. Just take her now and get it over with."
Natasha sighed.
"Anything else?"
"Yes. Take Cassie too. Let Jean heal her. And make sure both stay in the tower when you go to Pym's house. Goodbye."
"Wait!"
But it was too late. Leonardo had already hung up.
---
Later, Jean used her fire to heal them. With surprising ease.
Vision was put in charge of guarding the tower and watching over the girls. The rest of the team headed to Pym's house.
There was no room for doubt anymore. If Leonardo warned that keeping the girls out was the right move, it meant Pym would even be willing to use them as hostages.
As soon as they arrived in the neighborhood, they noticed it was... completely deserted.
The moment they crossed the main street, a massive energy dome rose around them, sealing off the entire area.
Thor tried to break it with his hammer. The impact was deflected, as if the shield rejected force rather than absorbing it.
Pietro tried to vibrate through... and failed as well.
Then, a drone descended from the sky. The voice coming from it was familiar, but colder than before.
"Avengers. You arrived earlier than expected. I thought Scott would at least serve as a distraction. I see he wasn't even good for that."
Pause.
"Now that you're here... don't expect to leave alive."
The drone fell lifeless before them.
Wanda, wasting no time, enveloped it in chaos magic and hurled it at the edge of the dome. The impact triggered an explosion, contained by the field... but strong enough to make the ground shake.
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+20 chapters in advance on Patreon.
p-atreon.com/IAMME26
(just delete the hyphen)
80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)