The Mind Stone

"I'm losing control, Steve," Natasha admitted. "I can't fight these urges much longer. It's only a matter of time before I give in completely. If it hadn't been for Deadpool, I already would have. He can't keep an eye on me 24/7."

"I understand. But we do need you out there, Nat. We'll have to figure something out," pondered Steve.

Deadpool was quick to offer a suggestion: "I could literally keep an eye on Natasha! By that, I mean I could gouge out one of my eyes and she could carry it around in her pocket. I mean, it wouldn't do anything, but I can grow a new eye. And I'm totally cool doing it too. Really, I've been through worse."

"She is at risk of becoming a liability," Doom pointed out. "It might be expedient to remove her from our plans completely."

"I know what you're suggesting, Doom, and the answer is absolutely not. We'll figure out a way to help Natasha without sacrificing our principles." Cap declined, the rest of the group quickly and emphatically agreeing with him.

"...And don't even think about trying anything... unless, y'know, you want to eat a repulsor beam," Tony added.

Doom grudgingly complied. "Very well. I will acquiesce to your wishes for now... But your unwillingness to sacrifice may end up costing us."

"You guys might not have a choice," Natasha chimed in. "I'm so close to breaking, and I don't see any alternatives..."

"No, Nat. Getting rid of you is not an option," Steve reiterated. "I'm sure you've all thought about it, but couldn't we use the Mind Stone to protect her mind? The Reality Stone is shielding us right now -- I would think the Mind Stone could do the same..."

"...If we could find it," Tony pointed out. "It was well hidden after our last dust-up with Thanos."

The gears in Reed's mind immediately started turning. "I could build a sensor to hone in on its energy signature. We can use the Reality Stone's own frequencies to..."

"Hey guys, is this it?" Wade asked, showing them a picture of the stone apparently taken from an online auction site. Apparently a seller from the Midwest was auctioning a "weird stone" they'd found in a field.

Tony looked at Deadpool in frustration. Who the hell would sell one of the most powerful items in the universe on freaking eBay? "No, Wade, that's not the Mind Stone--"

"--Actually, it could be," Dr. Strange corrected Tony immediately. "Scanning the seller's location, I can sense energy similar to that of an Infinity Stone in Indiana."

Tony facepalmed, trying to process what he was hearing. "OK, whose idea was it to leave the Mind Stone just lying there? Aren't these things supposed to be the most heavily guarded treasures in the universe?"

"Hey, we've all been through dumber stories, right? And not just fan fiction. So many horrible explanations, continuity errors, plotholes, and needless retcons..." Wade lamented.

"You're actually making sense, Wilson... if that's not proof reality isn't being warped beyond comprehension, I don't know what is," Tony remarked.

"In that case, it looks like we're headed for Indiana," Steve told the team.

The group prepared themselves to confront their mystery seller. As they left, Doom took Taskmaster aside to discuss the issue of the Black Widow's vulnerability to other women.

"Taskmaster. Black Widow is at risk of assimilating to this false reality... she risks jeopardizing this entire endeavor."

"I see where you're going with this, Doom... and trust me, I'd love to off her for you. But I don't work for free."

"You do not need to explain your line of work to me... I have employed more than my fair share of sellswords," Doom continued, using his armor's on board computer to wire a significant sum of money to Taskmaster's account. "I believe this upfront payment should convince you I still have the means to fairly compensate you."

"Huh. I'm impressed, Doom. You really do plan for everything," Taskmaster remarked as he looked over the transaction. "All right, we have a deal."