Universe: Earth-199999. Time: autumn 2023. Location: Avengers Compound.
After learning of Agent Natasha's death, the Avengers stood by the lake in silence for a long time. But they could not let her sacrifice go to waste. To bring back the half of all life Thanos had erased, they had to mourn her, then pull themselves together.
They could not betray everything that had brought them here. They had to succeed.
The Infinity Stones were being set into a specially made mechanical gauntlet, one by one. They were nearing the final stage.
"Something's strange, Tony." Banner, in his Smart Hulk form, scratched his head as he looked at the model of the tunnel built to "return the Stones."
"According to the particle signatures and spectral analysis, we didn't cross into a parallel universe. The timeline is normal."
"You mean I've been pretending all these years, and six years ago I didn't punch Thanos in the face over a hundred times in one second?" Tony Stark, gray showing at his temples, spread his hands.
Scott looked as though he had seen a ghost. Without a word, he edged farther away from White-Templed Tony.
"What happened?" asked the overweight Thor, hammer and axe in hand.
Captain America chose his words carefully. "It seems we entered the time and space of a parallel universe. The Tony Stark over there is superhuman."
"Just superhuman?!" Scott raised a hand in protest. "I nearly died at your hands twice in a row, Stark!"
Scott had developed something of a Stark-related post-traumatic stress response.
Especially after the others had instructed him to enter the Quantum Realm again that night and sneak into Stark Tower, only for him to nearly die inside.
There was a whole new world in the Quantum Realm, and a gang of miniature Iron Men