Prologue

10 years in the future, current timeline

"Listen closely, please." The man said, his thick glasses shone from each flash of light coming from the outside. The blasts were getting bigger with each second. He cursed under his breath the trembling of his hands and the stagger in his words, he exhaled sharply, licking moist on his lips., trying and failing to get the words through his mouth-finally he spoke, rushed, quickly and dammit he had to make sense! "This is an alpha decode message. The line should be heard only by the Avengers' frequency." he stammered, slamming his eyes shut when more dusk fell over him, smearing his glasses and clothing. He didn't spare a second glance as he placed the glasses over his head, his tawny eyes brimming with unshed tears in the dark of the site. More shaking, more breaths and less time. At last, he directed his gaze-a piercing stare he needed to make clear through the maze of time and space.

"My name is Wilson Morales. I repeat Wilson Morales. I'm a doctor—" The cave bumbled with the nearness of upcoming attackers. Walls shook and rocks cracked this time. The white-face freckled man inhaled deeply, his eyes tightly closed IN MILD FEAR. The numbers from one to ten resounded on his head. "-Physicist. An important physicist—I know you'll probably deemed me as a stranger if — when, when this recording arrives to your hands, Avengers." Morales stated. Hands clenching and unclenching.

He knew they'll find it, the frequency was given to him for this same reason, if anything was to happen... "when the world's on danger again, Tony had said, his hand extended with the codes. "Somebody else is due to know this, I'm a little eccentric but not that much to risk an entire world for my selfishness."

Morales had blinked, gaping in disbelief. "But... what if I lost it? I'm sorry but I can't accept it. There's no way...! It's...it's too valuable, Tony. What...what If they capture me, held me hostage or any other thing? What would happen then, I won't even stand a chance in hell to protect it! I-I can't accept it." He had bellowed, enraged for the risk they were going to take and at the end he had down pleaded, unsure of his worthiness.

"Then," Tony had smiled. Embalming the material in his sweating fist without hesitation. "You'll know what to do. Call us, whomever answers, and so you know...there's always faith in the end somehow, Wilson. Hope"

"There's always faith in the end...somehow." Doctor Morales mused out loud. His eyes flew open and with renewed vigor he adjusted his eyeglasses. "You are that faith, heroes. I don't know when would you see this or even if it will succeed at all, but I have to try, my only friend died in name of this future, and . . . I'll do just that." he shook his head, eyes on the red dot blinking back at him, glaring.

He swallowed the lump on his throat. "Avengers, the earth's on danger... you're used to that, this time though the situation it's worse, bigger and so much dangerous. . .t-the patient zero came from you. Within your team." he clarified. "The person was-oh God no, no, no." The video shook wildly, static filled the small screen, dread sank on his stomach, a bail rose on his throat, if the camera broke before he end the message they were doom, far from doomed, they would be slaughtered to die in hell over and over again. Out of nowhere, God heard his plea because the utensil halted, the screen blinking normally at him, still rolling. His heart skipped a beat and he drew a shaky breath to control the pounding on his chest.

Debris fell from the top of the cave he was hiding. Minutes ticked by, he was losing time. BREAKING, he had to finish, he had to end this once and for all, in name for everyone who sacrificed their chance at living for him to be there. He spoke faster, words colliding together. "Months ago, a warning message was send to us. It warn us from the upcoming of a foe many thought was forever defeated. I beg you, take note of this name, Kang the conqueror. Tony Stark, the Iron Man and the Golden Avenger, is there with you, I'm sure of it. He can tell you the story."

A sudden whirling sound came from behind him. He froze on the spot, his heart skidded across his chest, his breath hitched, the camera reflected his sudden fear so clearly he nearly cried from the humiliation and his upcoming death. A drone was there. There was no way out of it. And the doctor knew, so be it machine. In a swift movement he fished a circular object—a freezing sphere—from his pocket, straight toward the mechanic killer. The machine was faster, in a split second it was aiming at him at the same time a second laser targeted the briefcase where the camera lied. Sparks flying from the weapon as it charged, in a blink, he fired.

Morales gasped in dread. "No!" he yelled. Without thinking he bolted, one breath was needed for the laser's aim to be moved, and a breath later for the white pain to fill his mind, overlaying his senses. The doctor crash landed against the wall. Instantly, he was spiting a mixture of dirt and blood from his mouth, death fell down his throat tasting like a bitter copper sensation. He didn't need to but he did it anyway - a glance below told him what he knew midst the jump. He was dying. I'm not going to die senselessly.

The drone's body buzzed, his large arms swiveled above his metallic head. Morales clench his wound in a dead grip, and with expert fingers he pressed the memorized keys on the keyboard. The machine declared in a monotone voice. "Halt your movement and your life will be spare. Halt your movement and your life will be spare. Halt..." Another hit was received to his back, followed by other and other. Each monotone statement was punctuated with the unmistakable sound of decaying flesh. His vision blurred, his head felt dizzy and metal and more metal overwhelmed his senses. A last, a potent blast connected with his spine, from experience he discern out of custom the results - it was broken beyond repair. The man howled in pain, arching his back. His skin burning alive. "T-Time's the k-key! D-don't forget that, t-tim-me's the key! U-use it w-wisel-l-y!" he jabbed the SEND button multiple times frenziedly just in time for his body to convulse to the side. Eerily, a voice chirped from the computer. "Message sent successfully. Have a nice day Doctor Morales." It appeared right before a count down began in white bold numbers. "10-9-8-7-6..."

Blood was spat from his mouth. "What are you waiting for?" Doctor Morales questioned coolly to the emotionless moving-weapon. A whirling was heard but before the machine could stepped forward another monotone voice chimed in cheerily.

"-3-2-1. Engage auto destruction."

Morales grinned, blood sipping from his gums. "Go to hell." he spat right before everything became bloody white.

Hazardous debris shot from the sky as the buildings in the desolate area began to quiver without obvious explanation. Rocks jiggled in all directions above the ground. Machines from all sizes angled their humongous heads, and before their systems could compute, a shrill thundered and blasted, their metallic entities quavered and a light glistered below them, later their leader would angrily realize their error, but in that second a blast resounded followed by a two-mile radius explosion that left nothing behind its path. Obliterating every single non-living object. There were no humans alive. Hence the reason no lives were spared.

At the end, among the uproar of destruction with the exploding of hundreds of drones, one last cry reverberated in the melee - one from the man who save the future...or doomed us all.

Time's the key.

Time shall name the end.

Will it be worth?