This is a bonus for reaching 80 stones.
---
"Did everything go well? What happened?"
As soon as Wanda exited the facility where the "interrogation" had taken place, the team approached. Natasha, in particular, was the most interested in hearing the details. As an agent, she had been trained to detect the truth behind any situation, and all the gaps in this one made her uneasy.
"Apparently it was some kind of accident with a machine… he should be back to who he was before. Though… with a few surprises."
Wanda's answer didn't fully satisfy Natasha's curiosity, but it was enough for her to reconstruct quite a bit from just that sentence. Still, why deduce when she could just ask?
"Surprises?"
The question left Wanda thoughtful for a moment before answering.
"How to put it...? It's like he used a machine to separate his consciousness and send it to the quantum realm. But he got trapped there for centuries. He learned a lot, yes… but he also lost his mind. When he finally managed to return, he found out that only an instant had passed here."
"And all that knowledge was preserved?"
"Yes. Even if he doesn't remember exactly what happened after activating the machine… the information he gathered should still be in there."
"That sounds... pretty messy," Natasha muttered. But someone didn't share her point of view.
"Messy, yes… but fascinating," Tony chimed in, eyes gleaming. "Centuries of data on a dimension we barely understand? That could change science as we know it."
Despite everything he had witnessed, something like this still excited Stark's genius. Wanda, however, could only shrug. Her questions went beyond what she could answer. They had to wait for Pym to wake up.
Meanwhile, near the spatial doorway, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who had previously gone inside were now coming out. One of them, however, looked particularly shaken.
"No! Let me back in! I need to go back in!"
His teammates tried to restrain him, but after being briefed on the situation, Coulson ordered them to let him pass. The Avengers, hearing the commotion, also approached, intrigued.
"Is everything okay?" Steve asked cautiously.
"Better than okay, Captain," Coulson replied, barely concealing a smile. "I think we just struck gold."
Seeing the group's confusion, he rushed to explain.
"The agent who just came out, codename: Ghost. She has an unusual condition. Her molecules vibrate erratically, which causes her to phase through objects involuntarily during episodes. With training, she's learned to control it, but the attacks persist… and her body is slowly disintegrating. We haven't found a cure yet."
"Sounds complicated," Natasha commented.
"It is. But I've just been told that, once inside that 'dimension', her episodes stopped. Not only that: she couldn't even use her powers."
"That's strange," Gwen said. "I didn't feel any kind of block. I didn't use my powers, but everything felt normal. My senses were just as sharp."
Coulson nodded, still processing the information.
"We're investigating it. But it's definitely interesting."
---
Hours later, Fury arrived at the scene. Despite his usual stern expression, there was a hint of satisfaction in his eyes as he read Coulson's report.
The Avengers had already left, except for Tony, still interested in both Pym and the newly discovered dimension, and Bruce Banner, who had just arrived with Fury after recovering from the previous incident.
"Doctor Banner, good to see you on your feet. What took you so long?"
Tony greeted him with a quick smile and hug.
"Very funny, Tony," Bruce replied with a sigh. "I would've recovered sooner if it weren't for a certain… situation."
Despite his extraordinary regeneration, there was a moment during his recovery when he felt his body, once brimming with energy, begin to drain. Something inside him was shutting down.
"Situation?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's nothing serious. The important thing is I'm fine. Let's… talk about this place."
Fury took the opportunity to step in.
"I don't know what you and your team did, Tony, but I have to thank you."
"Glad to help. Now, can you tell me exactly what we did?"
Stark's sarcasm remained intact, but Fury wasn't bothered. His mood was unusually good.
"According to what we've found, that place is massive. And yes, it does have an end. Coincidentally, it's the same size as Earth. But the strangest part is that all the physical laws are identical. Gravity, atmosphere, density… everything. After a lot of investigation, with some magic and a lot of science, we believe it's an exact replica of our planet, just completely empty."
"Not the weirdest thing I've seen," Tony muttered. "And what about Agent Ghost?"
"The interesting part is that in that place, apparently it's impossible to use any kind of power. Be it superhuman, technological, mutant, or enhanced… even simple physical advantages. Everything gets suppressed. It's like you can only be a regular human there."
"And why would that be a good thing?" Banner asked, puzzled.
Tony smirked.
"That's because you don't think like a strategist. Do you know how many people with special abilities exist in the world today? More and more show up every year. If the Avengers ever can't keep up… we could be outmatched. Many threats can't be contained, can't be stopped. If someone on the level of Thor or Hulk appears, where do we put them? And what about all those already out there, free, because there's no place to hold them?"
"Wait… are you talking about creating some sort of prison in that place?"
"I'm talking about creating a space of isolation for threats the world can't handle. Call it a prison if you want, but I prefer the term 'safe zone.'"
"I'm not convinced… putting so many powerful beings in one place can't end well."
"And that's where the important part comes in," Fury interrupted. "It's not a matter of whether we should do it or not. SHIELD has been considering it for years. But it's always been a global security risk. This place changes that. It's perfect."
"Safe, affordable, and practical," Tony joked, then turned to Bruce. "Don't worry so much. It's not tech that can fail. It's not a system that shuts down. It's a dimension… no, no, calling it a dimension isn't accurate. It's like a replica of Earth, an extension, but opposite. A zone… yeah, that: a zone where all power is nullified, a..."
"Negative zone?"
"Yeah, that. But if anyone asks, we'll say I came up with it."
Tony and Bruce laughed, unaware that they had just laid the foundation for what would become the most powerful mutant prison in the world.
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80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)