An Alternate Tony Stark

Moonstone didn't like to think about alternate timelines, infinite parallel dimensions, or temporal variants of herself. While she was consciously aware of the possibilities inherent in the idea that every choice she had made might have spawned another timeline, she was also intelligent enough not to want to dwell on the implications. Too many possibilities tended to lead to paralysis, a fear of making any decision at all. Or worse, soul-searching about what decisions she had made, what might have been. The paths not taken.

She could have been a hero. Or ruled the world. Or destroyed it. Yet there was nothing to do with that information, for the most part. Moonstone knew there was no way to kill her alternate self and step into their life—and didn't want to. Whatever decisions she had made, whatever life she made for herself, she would live in this timeline.

Besides which, it was expensive and difficult. Few people had any means to even access other timelines. Doctor Doom with his time machine was the best-known of them, though Moonstone had also heard of a handful of time-travelers. Those who came here from some alternate future to ensure their timeline did or didn't happen. Thundra and one of the She-Hulks, from an alternate feminist future. Superia, who wanted to make Femizonia happen. Zarko, the Tomorrow Man. That Spider-Man from 2099. That other Spider-Man, the young one.

None of whom would be much help. Karla Sofen knew she couldn't trust Doom, dared not pay whatever price Superia might offer. But there was one...

The address was a car park in Brooklyn. Moonstone went to the elevator in the far corner, the one that smelled like it had been used as a lavatory. Which was either a very good bit of olfactory camouflage, or a hundred homeless men had marked their territory here until the smell had sunk into the very cement surrounding the metal door.

There was only one button glowing inside, for up. The down button was dark. She hit it.

The doors closed. The elevator didn't move.

Then the voice came out of the speakers.

"What do you want?"

Synthetic. Impossible to judge gender.

"I'm looking for Toni," she said. "I need help. I can pay. Quid pro quo."

A pause. Moonstone imagined invisible sensors scanning her.

"What kind of help?" the voice said at last.

So Moonstone explained. Her partnership with Doctor Doom. The implants that enhanced her powers. How she thought the implants were affecting her. She left out what the actual point of the partnership was: the targeting of the Invisible Woman. Those were details that Toni didn't need to know.

The elevator began to descend. Moonstone felt an odd flip in her stomach, a sudden nausea and loss of balance...and realized, belatedly, that she was weightless. Floating free of the floor. Instinctively, she tried to fly...and nothing happened.

"I've temporarily negated your gravity powers," the voice came in over the speakers. "So we can talk."

The elevator came to a stop. The doors opened. Moonstone's eyes went wide as she saw what looked like a junk shop for the detritus of a superhero's life. The shells of broken androids. Pieces of alien spacecraft. Disassembled ray guns. What looked like a half-complete version of Captain America's shield. Plastic bins holding glowing scrap. In the middle of it was a figure in a bathrobe, panties, and an armored breastplate, subtly tailored to suggest tits, with a glowing circle nestled between them. There was a bottle in her hand as she shuffled forward in fuzzy pink bunny slippers. Short, dark hair greasy and unkempt. Eyes tired. Body too thin, as if she hadn't been eating. Skin too pale, as if she hadn't been in the sun for a long time.

There were, Moonstone knew, worlds where Tony Stark had been born a woman. Worlds where Tony Stark had remained an alcoholic. Worlds where Tony Stark had not been a hero.

And she had heard the rumor of at least one where all three were true. A disgraced Toni Stark, who had failed as hero and villain, and in shame had fled across the bleed between dimensions to hide out in some backwater timeline and drink herself to ****.

"Interesting problem," Toni said, and took a pull from the bottle of Old Crow. "But what do I get out of it?"

"Whatever you want," Moonstone said, simply. She met Toni Stark's eyes. "There must be something you want. I might not have your intellect, but I know this world. I have connections. You help me, I help you."

Toni Stark took another sip. Her dark eyes focused on the floating villain in the elevator. Licked her thin lips. And it did not occur to Moonstone, just then, that she had no idea if this Toni Stark liked women or not.