"So you're saying you don't want to destroy the Stones?"
Steve stared hard at John. "This is dangerous, John."
"Destroying the weapons that could defeat your enemy is what's dangerous." John smiled faintly.
Steve said, "If Thanos gets the Stones, half the life in the universe will be wiped out."
"Oh?" John said calmly. "Then what do you think we should use against Thanos when he has the Stones? Your shield?"
John tapped the Stones. "The best way to deal with an enemy has never been to destroy your weapons, but to use them."
Steve took a deep breath. It seemed John had never intended to destroy the Stones in the first place.
Then he stared at the Space Stone and asked, "You have the Tesseract?"
"A friend gave it to me," John said, raising an eyebrow. "You seem to have forgotten that I lent the Mind Stone to S.H.I.E.L.D., too."
Yes, it had been the Steve from the future who had lost the Mind Stone.
When John had first acquired the Mind Stone, S.H.I.E.L.D. had been forced to take it on loan.
Later, the Stone had merged with Vision, and no one had brought the matter up again.
Deep down, they had all taken it for granted that it belonged to Vision, to the Avengers.
But now that John had pointed out who owned the Mind Stone, Steve remembered it too.
By any measure, John had the right to decide that Stone's fate.
Even with the Space Stone, the Avengers had no grounds to intervene.
After all, Asgard's reigning Queen, Hela, had personally given it to John.
"John, you're taking too much of a risk."
"You'll find that I'm right." John walked past Steve. "Or are you doubting me?"
Doubting him?
About what?
Steve knew in his heart.
He