POV: Third Person
Tony Stark had changed: he had gained weight and seemed to have aged significantly; the flame of life in his deep green eyes was slowly fading. Month after month, that incident had been destroying Tony Stark, altering Iron Man beyond recognition. Now, they were merely autonomous robots controlled by artificial intelligence—hollow shells performing social tasks: catching criminals, helping citizens, scouting the perimeter, and saving lives during natural disasters. Their "spark"—the billionaire inside the suit—had completely vanished. Such was the fate of this hero, and such it was meant to remain, if not for one "but."
— Yo, dude, what's with all this filth? Pizza boxes stacked on top of pizza boxes, building a damn tower. Tony, you literally have an army of robots; this would take two minutes to clean.
Spider-Man hadn't spoken to Tony for this long in ages. The last time they met was four years ago. Back then, Peter's more "intact" mind had asked the scientist for help; Tony helped him until, eventually, something broke, and Peter began transforming more and more into a living Swarm. But even then, Peter didn't possess the same cognitive abilities he had now.
— You want us to call a maid or something... to help you clear this out? Yes or no?
— Peter, you said you needed help. I'm listening.
— Well, long story short: I was teleported to a magic world where I met a guy who knows about our Universe. We tried to escape, but a demon attacked us, and he sent me back because the demon started turning me into... well, a walking vegetable.
— I see. Get the hell out of here.
— No, listen, Tony! This... it sounds like nonsense, and it is nonsense, but it's the truth. And over there, I realized that the time for joking hasn't come yet, and maybe it never will. But, you know, it's not often I manage to express my thoughts this clearly, you understand.
Throwing his hands up, Spider-Man tossed an energy crystal right onto the center of the table. Tianling had explained its function by saying it accumulates so-called "Qi" better than anything else. Truly, an incredible mineral.
— I bet your super-mega-robots have already analyzed this thing. It's like your reactor, but natural and magical.
Tony's gaze fell on the object before him. His unwashed, dark-chestnut hair was pulled back and tied with a hair tie. He wore a black shirt and black pants. Huge bags under his eyes and a severely worsened physique betrayed his condition. Typical depression. Of course, after losing the love of your life, getting back into the fray isn't easy—that's what everyone thought, Spider-Man included.
— You're a scientist, Tony. A scientist who's interested in everything. I knew you'd want to study this crystal. I'm sure you'll want to study something else, too.
Another object landed on the table—a ring. Tony immediately noticed its unusual engraving, unlike any language on the planet.
— This thing is called a "spatial ring." An artifact, as they call it in the place I came from, which creates a small separate space inside itself where you can store anything.
Spider-Man sat down on one of the small couches in the room. Robots began clearing away the trash scattered here and there around them. Finally, Tony looked at him. Thousands of spiders forming something resembling a face were chewing a piece of pizza that was simply drawn into and then swallowed by this inconceivable mass.
— Tell me everything.
***********
— That's about it, Tony.
Iron Man's gaze, like a super-powerful computer, analyzed the movement of the spiders. Honestly, even with his genius, it was hard to tell by the movement of tens of thousands of spiders whether the creature across from him was lying or not.
— So you're saying that the nonsense you were shouting like a madman at the beginning is mostly truthful information?
— Well, the part where two, uh, nine-tailed kitsune foxes tried to charm me—that might be a little bit untrue, but otherwise, everything is exactly as I said, Tony. I ended up in another world and, like... well, adventures and all that.
— And what do you want from me?
Finally, the most important question of their dialogue was asked. Spider-Man had been leading up to this.
— Listen, Tony. I need your help. I want you to open a portal to that dimension.
Stark's gaze became more guarded.
— You realize that as an Avenger, I must do everything to avoid opening portals to such dimensions?
— I understand, Tony. But I also understand that as a hero, you'll do the right thing. Hundreds of billions of innocent people live in that world. Tony, they aren't Skrulls—they are humans. I believe in your genius, and I believe you'll come up with something. Besides, the Qi energy and materials from that world might help you with your own task...
— Enough. I've heard everything I wanted. Leave...
— Tony, listen to me! Don't you want to understand what this "Qi" is? Don't you want to explore this world? Doesn't an endless curiosity burn inside you? I know you. I know what sets you apart from other people. Hundreds of thousands of your drones explore our entire Galaxy; you've embedded spies in every civilization. You know every language on the planet by heart. Every single day, even in such an unpleasant state, you continue to develop your suit and your technology. You're a scientist, Tony. You want this, I'm sure of it. That's why I came to you. If not now, then later, your curiosity will break your stubbornness. You know it yourself. Wouldn't it be better to do this with me?
Tony Stark looked at the spider—or rather, at this massive, shifting swarm. This wasn't Peter Parker; just tens of thousands of spiders trying to mimic Peter Parker. But for a second—just a second—something began to change. A faint, barely noticeable spark of life flickered in those eyes again.
— Jarvis, two pepperoni pizzas and a large Coke for me. Also, scan that crystal one more time.
Tony's heavy body rose from the chair. Turning his back to the Spider, he glanced at him over his shoulder.
— Let's go.
The gruff voice of one of the smartest people on the planet rang out.
***********
Cerebro felt these changes. This morning, it sensed the appearance of a new psychic trace—or rather, not a new one, but a long-forgotten old one.
Spider-Man, who had vanished for 34 hours, suddenly reappeared: the same signal as before, the same appearance.
But that wasn't what interested Xavier. He was interested in the similarity of the Spider's disappearance and the fact that Darwin vanished exactly two hours after Spider-Man's appearance.
Professor X's thoughts continued to drift in his head. He didn't dare probe Peter's mind—it would lead to a massive shock because his mind consisted literally of tens of thousands of individual fragments, each possessing a strong will. A backlash from the Swarm would be inevitable, leading to catastrophic consequences for Charles's own mind.
Therefore, he connected to Tony Stark's mind. It was dangerous, as Stark possessed technology that could harm Charles himself, but he felt far more certain that Tony would be less reckless than a Swarm of spiders.
And then he heard the conversation. He heard everything from the very beginning to the very end. Every word from the Spider and his incredibly powerful mental state caught Charles's attention. Cerebro was switched off.
Not far from Professor X, Mystique, Wolverine, Beast, Storm, Cyclops, and many other Marvel heroes stood in full formation, ready for any action. The Professor's gaze, incredibly heavy and full of resolve, swept over them all.
— What did Magneto find out? — Charles's incredibly serious voice asked, turning to Mystique. She was one of the few who could communicate directly with Magneto.
— Nothing. It's been almost nine hours since we contacted him, and he's found nothing. Darwin is nowhere to be found; it's been over ten hours, he's as if he vanished from this world.
Logan narrowed his eyes. Over the many years of his life, he had become good at seeing when people were holding something back, when they were trying to hide something.
— Tell us what you know, Professor, — Logan's gruff, raspy voice sounded. The others also sensed something and began to watch more intently, waiting for an answer.
— Darwin might be... in another Universe.