After leaving the restaurant, Hawk flagged down a cab. Sliding inside with Gwen, he tapped the driver's seat and pointed at the red sedan pulling away ahead of them. He slipped two crisp $100 bills over the seat.
"Follow that car."
The driver's eyes lit up at the sight of Benjamin Franklin. "You got it." With a sharp turn and a press on the accelerator, the taxi surged forward, tailing Jane Foster's car.
In the backseat, Gwen nudged Hawk. "So… what exactly are we doing?"
"That," Hawk replied with a faint smile, "is the key to hell."
If he wanted to reach Mephisto and take back Anya's soul, he needed power beyond his current cosmos projection. With only a fraction of his true strength reaching Earth through the Phoenix constellation, he could crush small threats, but against Mephisto—the very embodiment of a god—he was still far from enough.
But with the Reality Stone… once his cosmos was anchored into reality itself, he'd stand at the level of a Gold Saint. And a Gold Saint might just have a chance against Mephisto.
Thirty minutes later, Jane's car pulled into an abandoned shipping yard. The cab rolled to a stop behind it. Hawk and Gwen stepped out, spotting Jane, Darcy Lewis, and Ian unloading. Not far away, stacked shipping containers stood like makeshift walls.
Jane noticed them immediately. Darcy squinted. "Uh, are they… following us?"
Before Jane could answer, Hawk approached, smiling as he offered his hand. "Dr. Foster. A pleasure."
Jane frowned, shaking it cautiously. "And you are?"
"Hawk." His smile lingered, but his eyes were already fixed on the ruined building nearby. "There's something in there that belongs to me. I've come to take it."
Without waiting for her response, he glanced at Gwen. "Let's go."
Gwen nodded, and together they headed toward the derelict structure. Hawk didn't need Jane's guidance—the pulsing tug of his Sixth Sense was enough.
Behind them, Jane finally broke her silence. "Darcy… remind me. What's supposed to be here?"
Darcy swallowed. "Infinity Stone."
Inside, the impossible unfolded.
Children were tossing a bottle down the stairwell—but instead of shattering, it vanished midair, only to reappear above and fall again. A perpetual loop, reality folded in on itself.
Gwen gasped. Even Jane froze, her scientific mind struggling to process. Darcy, however, grinned. "Now you see why I dragged you out here."
Jane fumbled for her scanner, muttering data into it. Hawk, meanwhile, smirked at Gwen. "Hold tight."
"Wait—what do you—"
In a blur, Hawk swept her into his arms and vaulted past the group, flashing up to the fourth floor where the energy pulsed strongest. He set her down, but she staggered, clutching her head.
"Hawk!"
"Mm?"
"No more of that unless it's life or death. Got it?"
"Got it." He ruffled her hair lightly. "Stay here."
He moved forward, but then froze. His Sixth Sense flared.
Jane Foster was coming up the stairs.
Their eyes met. Hawk tilted his head. "Dr. Foster. Planning to look inside?"
She narrowed her eyes. "Are you going to stop me?"
Instead of blocking her path, Hawk smiled and stepped aside, gesturing courteously.
Because in truth, the Reality Stone hadn't been found by Jane in the original story—it had found her.
If that pattern held, then letting her take the lead was the surest way forward.
Jane hesitated. No one gives way for free. But with Darcy and Ian behind her and the readings spiking ahead, she pressed on.
Hawk leaned toward Gwen, whispering: "If I vanish, don't panic. I'll be back in about six hours."
Gwen's heart clenched, but she nodded. Hawk kissed her briefly, then followed Jane.
Moments later, the abandoned hallway shuddered with unstable energy. Reality twisted.
And then—
BOOM.
A singularity flared, collapsing the space around it. In the blink of an eye, Jane was swallowed whole.
Hawk, his hand clamped firmly on her shoulder at the last second, vanished with her.
Gwen's eyes widened, Hawk's parting words echoing in her ears.
"Don't worry. I'll be back soon."
(End of Chapter)
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