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Chapter 22 - Hearts and Strategies

On the open-air flight deck of the Helicarrier, twilight painted the clouds in hues of orange and purple. Carol Danvers, Starheart, found Tony Stark running a complex diagnostic on his new suit. Runes and energy fields swirled around him like a contained galaxy. Bored and restless, she approached.

"Figuring out how to save all of reality, or just admiring your handiwork?" she asked.

Without looking up, Tony gestured casually. The air shimmered, and a fully set dinner table materialized between them, complete with two glasses and a bottle of shimmering, starlit wine. Carol's eyebrows shot up.

"Okay, I'm impressed," she admitted, taking a seat. "But you know I can't get drunk, right?"

"This is a rare 'Celestial' vintage," Tony said, pouring two glasses. "It might do the trick." As they drank, the wine tasting of ozone and distant nebulae, Carol's expression grew serious. "Do you have any real idea what the Eidolon wants?"

Tony sighed, the weight of the question settling on him. "Jarvis is still analyzing the data," he admitted, referring to his own integrated consciousness. "But no, not a clear answer yet." He changed the subject, a familiar smirk returning. "How about dinner after we sort out all this chaos? A real one. On the ground."

She considered him for a moment. "Only if you're serious."

"That," he replied, his eyes meeting hers, "depends on you." Carol didn't answer, but as she walked away, a thoughtful smile touched her lips.

In their private quarters, the air was thick with a different kind of tension. Logan tested Mariko's swordsman stance, pushing against her resolve, searching for any hint of hesitation. He found none. Her determination was as unyielding as the ancient blade she now held. Defeated, he finally relented, pulling her into a fierce, desperate hug.

"You know," he whispered, his voice rough with emotion, "I never wanted to let the animal out again."

Mariko held him tightly, her strength a quiet match for his own. "If you must let your claws free to protect our family," she responded, her voice a steady anchor in his storm, "then why can I not lift this sword to do the same?"

He looked at her then, truly seeing the samurai she was, and kissed her deeply. It was a shared acceptance of the terrible sacrifices they were both willing to make.

Across the Helicarrier, others clung to their own connections, brief moments of normalcy in the face of annihilation.

Thor and Jane stood at a large viewport, looking out at the endless sea of stars. "A few days ago," Thor said quietly, "we were talking about our engagement. Now... this."

Jane took his hand, her expression full of love and unshakable confidence. "Everything will be normal again, Thor. I know it."

In a quiet corner of the ship, Peter Parker hid, his phone pressed to his ear. "I'm fine, Gwen, I promise," he said, but she could hear the stress cracking his voice.

"I'm so worried, Peter," she replied, her voice small and distant. "Just... come home." He promised he would, the weight of his double life heavier than ever.

Meanwhile, Wade Wilson was loudly reassuring Vanessa. "Baby, I did not forget your birthday! We will celebrate! I promise!" When she asked what his mysterious new job was, he proudly declared, "I fight intergalactic monsters for a living! It's great!" Vanessa was audibly stressed. Wade ended the call with a heartfelt, if characteristically crude, "I love you so much, bae. I wish you'd just sit on my face!"

The "brains" of the team were at a dead end. The main strategy room was littered with holographic models and discarded data slates. Loki paced, frustrated.

"My illusions are the only path!" he insisted.

"A path to failure!" Shuri countered, gesturing to a simulation where a phantom universe collapsed uselessly. "We need a technological solution, a nullifier!"

Bruce, Gamma Spectrum, shook his head, the rings on his fingers glowing with a discordant light. "I can't find a weakness in its emotional signature because it doesn't have one! It's just… empty."

They were stuck. Every simulation, every theory, every desperate plan had led to the same conclusion: defeat.

Just as a grim silence settled over the room, the doors slid open. Tony Stark walked in. He wasn't smiling or joking. His face was a mask of intense focus and grim certainty. He looked at the confused, exhausted faces of his teammates.

"I've got it," he said.

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