American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

424. The Meeting at Stark Tower.

(T/N): Since it's Christmas there is mass release.

Merry Christmas

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"This marks the end of an era, doesn't it, Tony?"

In the Zombie Hero Universe, inside the highest office of Stark Tower, Tony Stark stood clad in a green suit of armor. Draped over his shoulders was a red cape, identical in design to the one worn by this universe's Doctor Strange.

"Of course, it is. The journey of the great Tony Stark is far from over. A brand-new path is slowly opening before him. Now, where's my drink?"

With a flick of his wrist, blue energy crackled at Tony's fingertips. Shortly after, from a cluttered corner stacked with books, an unopened bottle of whiskey flew into his hand.

"Aha! That's the one!"

Popping the bottle open, Tony Stark took a deep swig. The sharp burn of the liquor jolted his mind awake briefly, but soon a heavy drowsiness began to creep over him.

"Damn it, damn you, Alex, you %#$&…"

Rubbing his aching head, Tony Stark turned and headed toward his room. Passing by the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, the view outside had changed drastically over time. There were no zombies, no fires of war—just a city completely overgrown with dense vegetation.

Many years had passed since the battle when Galactus fell on Earth.

After the zombies gained cosmic power from Galactus, they abandoned the "food-poor" Earth and set their sights on the universe, spreading the zombie virus across countless galaxies. However, time had left no mark on Tony Stark. Ever since receiving energy from Alex, he showed no signs of aging. In fact, his body had grown even stronger than before.

Paying no mind to the scenery outside, Tony Stark strolled slowly to his room with the whiskey bottle in hand. The path from his office to his bedroom was one he had walked countless times.

Every time, about halfway down the hall, Tony would inevitably stop at the entrance of the research lab. This was the spot where Alex had last departed.

Countless times, he wished to see that familiar purple portal open again.

But, to his dismay, it seemed Alex had either forgotten him or this universe altogether. So much time had passed, and no one had come to Stark Tower.

Tony knew Alex wasn't dead. Thanks to the energy resonance within his body, he could sense that Alex had not perished somewhere—he just hadn't returned yet, likely occupied with something important.

Tony had considered sending out signals or messages to Alex, but all attempts had failed. The Watcher's blockade of these two universes was far tighter than he had imagined. It seemed no one but Alex could traverse freely between them.

Pausing for a moment, Tony Stark did not linger this time. Turning away, he headed in another direction.

He had grown tired of pinning his hopes on meaningless expectations. Standing there for days wouldn't make Alex return any sooner.

With a heavy sigh, Tony took another swig of whiskey, using a magnetic card to unlock the passage door. Just as he lifted his foot to leave the research area—

A faint noise came from behind him.

Ordinarily, such a sound wouldn't alarm Tony. But now, Tony Stark was no longer the carefree playboy he once was.

With a quick motion, his watch flipped open onto his wrist. Without hesitation, he fired a repulsor blast toward the source of the sound.

**Bang!**

A beam of energy shot forth, dispersing into faint blue starlight.

"What a grand welcome."

Within the fading starlight, Alex's figure gradually materialized. Behind him, a massive purple portal opened, and silhouettes of people began emerging one by one.

"Is that…"

Tony Stark froze, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

"Alex? Is it really you?"

"Yes, Tony, it's really—"

**Bang!**

Another repulsor blast exploded in front of Alex, but he raised a hand and blocked it effortlessly.

Only then did Alex finish his sentence.

"...me."

"That one wasn't for anything serious—just a personal grudge," Tony Stark grumbled indignantly. "You jerk! You left me stranded in this godforsaken place for all these years!"

"Uh, sorry. My bad."

In truth, Alex had intended to give Tony Stark more time for his research. After all, whether it was magic or science, both required plenty of time for refinement.

But it seemed like he might have given Tony too much time.

"Don't think a simple apology will cut it. I've got plenty of emotional damages for you to compensate me for," Tony growled, taking another drink. Suddenly, his attention shifted to the peculiar figures stepping through the portal. To his shock, he realized he recognized them.

"Wait a minute—is that Clark? The Kryptonian farm boy?"

"You know me?" Clark asked, surprised. He hadn't expected to be so famous.

"Uh…"

Tony Stark opened his mouth, but for a long moment, he couldn't think of anything to say. After a pause, he suddenly smacked his forehead and muttered to himself.

"Oh, Tony, Tony, Tony… I told you not to pull all-nighters or try any mushrooms you're not familiar with. Now look at you—your mind's playing tricks on you."

With that, Tony turned and headed toward his bedroom, convinced the people he had just seen were hallucinations. After all, how could comic book characters possibly appear in real life?

Superman, Batman—they were nothing more than creations of unscrupulous comic companies trying to capture market share with children's stories. All Tony wanted now was a good night's sleep.

"Tony."

At this, Reed Richards, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.

"We're not a figment of your imagination."

Tony Stark froze. His body tensed slightly before he turned sharply to look at the gray-templed Reed Richards in the group. A cold smile spread across his face.

"Not my imagination, you say? Are you sure about that, Reed? The last time we met, you were ready to rip me apart. Oh, wait, I forgot—you succeeded. There's another zombie version of me out there now, ruining life in the universe."

"Well, okay… Maybe the version of me in this universe is a bit of a jerk. But you've got to trust me—I'm not the Reed Richards you remember. I'm from the Wastelands. Didn't Alex explain this to you?" Reed said earnestly.

Having understood how this universe had developed, Reed Richards now knew that in some alternate universes, not every version of himself was a "hero." Sometimes, an out-of-control Reed Richards could be far more dangerous than any villain.

Tony stared at Reed for a long while before shifting his gaze to Alex. Seeing Alex nod at him, Tony finally set aside some of his skepticism.

But as soon as his eyes turned to the Justice League heroes, his wariness returned.

"Alright, even if you're real, someone better explain to me how these characters from comic books ended up here. Don't tell me they're real too."

"You guessed it, Tony. They're very much real," Alex said, stepping forward and speaking softly.

"You need to understand, Tony, the world is far bigger and more wondrous than you imagine. The rules of the multiverse are far more magical than you've ever dreamed."

"You're saying that in their universe, I'm just…" Tony's quick mind pieced it together.

"Uh-huh. In any case, it's a complicated matter to explain quickly. You're a smart guy, Tony. For now, we should focus on more pressing issues," Alex replied.

Hearing Alex's words, Tony pressed his lips together and then shook his head.

"Every time I see you, Alex, you always bring some new craziness into my life. Fine, I'll go wash up and get changed."

Having entered a new universe, the group was both excited and tense. This place was nothing like the previous universe ruled by dark forces. Here, they faced the ever-dangerous zombie virus.

Some members of the group, who previously enjoyed zombie movies, found their enthusiasm waned considerably when confronted with the virus's grim reality.

The thought of turning into a zombie made Pietro shudder.

After settling the group into rooms at Stark Tower, Alex gathered Clark, Bruce Wayne, Diana, Reed Richards, and Logan in the meeting room. Their next objective was the Z Universe, which was connected to the zombie universe. Before taking action, they needed to strategize carefully.

As the meeting room doors slowly opened, a refreshed Tony Stark walked in and took a seat to Alex's right.

"This might not compare to your 'Hall of Justice,' but it's the best I can do. I don't exactly have zombies volunteering to help maintain the tower."

"Frankly, our universe wasn't much better than this, Mr. Stark," Clark said with a quiet sigh. "If not for Alex's help, we'd have long been reduced to cosmic dust."

Hearing this, Stark spread his hands.

"Yeah, I should have guessed. After all, that lovely lady over there was already quite the 'hint.' In my memory, Wonder Woman wasn't a Terminator… Oh, no offense."

Wonder Woman shook her head, saying nothing. She had gradually come to accept her status as a cyborg. After all, as Alex had assured her before, the multiverse was infinite, and somewhere out there was a world where they could be restored. That was her hope.

"Alright, enough small talk," Alex said, tapping the table to gather everyone's attention. He then began to speak.

"The primary purpose of this meeting is to discuss how we'll handle the zombie crisis in the Z Universe. After removing the contamination, the timelines of these two universes have returned to 'safe' levels.

But to truly liberate them, we must contain the creatures carrying the zombie virus. At the very least, we cannot allow them to threaten other multiverses."

.....

30 advanced chapters on p@treaon
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