Years Ago...

The view observing the city skyline was quite breathtaking. As most of the rich and pompous he has met, the view would make them all feel much bigger. Superior, in a way - compared to the lowly men and women below. The high view sickens him. The city made him feel so small. A reminder of his past, and the reality that all life was insignificant. He was tired. He preferred the old ocean view of his mansion.

The emptiness of only water and sky was calming to his overbearing nerves. The only noise being that if his AI Butler and the occasional assistant or Stark Industries' staff. He missed that.

However, there was no going back. Too much time had passed, and he was running out of options.

"Ah," a voice called, "I see you've already let yourself in."

Clad in a black suit, and a white dress shirt brightened in contrast to the man's deep teal tie, the newcomer graciously stood a good distance between himself and the billionaire.

Tony once more looked down to the traffic below, then looked over to the other man through the window's reflection.

"Strange," he greeted. Turning to face the great doctor by the heels of his feet, Stark smiled knowingly as he was studied up and down.

"a pleasure to finally meet a man of intelligence that is also a distinguished pupil of Kamar-Taj."

The once studious and seemingly strong figure of the doctor had fallen. With speed and bravery that held even Tony impressed, the doctor's own well-pressed clothes had disappeared and were replaced with what he believed to be the formal robes of students of the mystic arts. Blue, he noted, so has he completed his training?

The billionaire had also noted that the doctor conjured two magic circles. More likely as shields, as Tony had not outright done anything yet that displayed power or weakness.

"How did you find out about that?"

"Well," the billionaire grinned, "a renowned surgeon survives a car accident that results in severe traumatic injury to both of his hands followed by multiple compound fractures and secondary neuropathy. Utterly disabling him, and forcing him to resign and halt his career as a neurosurgeon."

He backed away from the doctor's window, slowly walking towards him as continued to speak. He had stopped at the coffee table, less than six feet away from the possible attack that could come shooting from Strange's hands.

"Yet, not even two years later after being off-grid, the surgeon Dr Strange returns! Back to work, harder than ever before. Turned over a new leaf too, from what I've seen on the news! A better social life, friends, oh- and a fiancé! With healed hands no less! A surgery that was deemed too high a risk or simply impossible by even the best of doctors. Of course I would find out the truth, Stephen. I always do."

He sat himself down on his couch, picking up the glass of scotch he had poured himself. The doctor was late, after all. Made him wait nearly an hour for the man.

Watching him for a second longer, the doctor found a moment of realization that reflected through his eyes. He lowered his shields, and sighed.

"I know why you're here, even I thought of ways to fix it," he frowned, "but I've read enough books and have casted enough spells to know that there is nothing I can do. Not without sentencing myself to death or exile. We can do nothing but wait for the inevitable."

The fire was set ablaze in his eyes, the sorcerer could tell. He knew what he wanted; what he desired. It was as clear as day, and any rational person would know why. A desperate man would always call for desperate measures. How he found the knowledge of Kamar-Taj would have to wait, the poor billionaire'a sanity was at stake.

"Look, I... I can let you into Kamar-Taj," the man's head spiked up at the sudden offer, "we have other sorcerers and books that might help you. I am just one person, so many more may help."

• • •

Tony was not one to learn sorcery. He was still a man focused solely on the laws of science, but he was also a man of knowledge and understanding. Meeting the Ancient One, he agreed to swear to secrecy knowing well that he had no real intention of learning to master magic. He was there to learn if there was anyway to achieve his goal.

He did learn a few spells here and there. While he was particularly bad at that he tried, he did succeed in one. He was surprisingly good at turning into a ghost, and while he had indeed sworn that mastering magic was not his intention, he was proud to say that he had single-handedly mastered the art of astral projection. Even in his chaotic mess of a life, he had reached a calm enough state of mind to enter the astral dimension through an awkward moment of meditation in their library listening to heavy rock in his sleep.

In those moments when teachers taught and students learned, and when all were sound asleep, he would astral project and continue with his studies.

Another art he subconsciously mastered, yet knew to tell no one, was the ability to read tomes of the lost or forbidden languages. He was a quick study, a trait the Ancient One frequently joked about and brought up as much as she could. He and Strange shared an uncanny skill of being able to read and learn languages that usually took her other students months, or years to even comprehend. She stated that she herself had struggled a decade or two in her first century of life.

Tony had taken to reading these times while his living body slept. He studied magical spells and curses he would gamble not even the best of students knew. Yet, there was nothing yet he could find that would aid him.

One night, he had wandered too far. He passed the library, only to stumble upon a domed room with a black altar. The room was riddled with sigils and sealed pertaining to the other magical branches across the world. He had studied those seals, so he was familiar.

What he did not find familiar was what displayed at the centre of the room. A large eye shaped medallion, with what seemed to have something hidden, but glowing, behind the lids of the eye.

The light seeping from it's cracks almost over washed him. Drenching him in it's power - it could possibly choke him, if he went any closer.

"That, Stark," the billionaire in question was pulled from his trance, "is the Eye of Agamotto."

The Ancient One stood tall at the edge of the doorframe as Tony whipped his head around, a smile gracing her lips as she walked forward towards the altar.

"I suppose you don't know what this is, you haven't gotten to volume two yet." She pointed down at the book clutched in his hand. He flinched, his grip on the book squeezing it's spine as he remembered that the book he held was not one he was meant to have.

"I have studied a bit of history on the universe," his palms sweaty, "how that magic was pressurized at it's creation into six singularities. All were powerful in their own right, but even greater when together."

"How marvellous," her breathe ceasing, eyes widened in amazement, "you have translated that quote beautifully - directly from a nearly forgotten language. You are quite the scholar."

She made her way around the altar, the tip of her finger sliding across the rugged stone. Standing right before him, she corrected his gifted robes and dusted of his shoulders. Her hands resting and holding to both of his arms, she looked him in the eye.

"I have seen... many futures for you Anthony," she spoke sternly, "and if I, or even Strange gifts you the knowledge that you seek, this universe may fall. I, and the mind of my students will pass on to the next with proper preparations and training, but leaving this world to suffer a dark fate is not my duty."

"If this knowledge is so dangerous in my hands," he scoffed, but the pain was visible to the Ancient One through his eyes, "why am I here?"

A pained, but honest smile arose on her face. She wiped the forming tears from his eyes as she led him forward towards the altar, knowing well that she made her choice.

"Because," her hand reaches for the rope of the necklace, "your heart will lead this world down a darker path if it's not."

Present Day

With a StarkPad in hand while hunched over on his work bench, Tony stared needlessly at the screen with contempt. It shone bright and clearly, displaying all he wanted. He calculated all he could, and predicted all humanely possible outcomes. He studied mythology for two weeks straight just to narrow it all down.

Together, the infinity stones were virtually unstoppable. A winning ratio so grand that the decimals could never matter. However, those who found all stones likely died in the process of simply holding one in their bare hands unless stored accordingly.

While appealing, he had no interest in that power. While power he needed, great power he'd not wanted.

If his calculations were correct, as they should, the tesseract was not far from his grasp. With it, he'd have the power to travel wherever he pleased. Only then, would his true target be within arm's length.

The reality would be his to carry, and with the aid of the space stone, it's power would be enough.

[Sir.]

[One Mister... Doctor, a man by the name of Mr Doctor is currently occupying your helicopter pad awaiting your presence.]

[Is this company expected, or shall I send the drones?]

"No need, Jarvis," he laughed, remembering his type at Kamar-Taj and bullying the poor doctor with his own name. "Didn't expect the geezer to come here after all these years, but he is a welcome one."

Shutting off his StarkPad, he reluctantly made his way over to the nearby couch than the door.

"Let the man roam. I will be taking a quick nap."

[Let him roam, sir?]

[Do you think that to be wise, with your... extracurricular activities out in the open?]

"It'll be fine, J," Tony assured his AI.

"He probably already knows about it, anyway. Iron Man hasn't really been discreet in what he wants, and knowing the doctor, that's enough for him to connect the dots." Tony lied down comfortably on his couch, legs propped up against the arm rest as he watched his lab ceiling grow dark.

"Activate the Astral Protocol, will ya. I can't really have you try and wake me up when things start flying."

[Sir, what? I've never heard of this pr-]

A new voice. Harsher, colder. It had overtaken the coms. One he had created specifically for when he

[Protocol Activated. Artificial Intelligence: Just A Rather Very Intelligent System. Status: Suspended. Activating Secondary System: U-50TR0-1000. Codename: U-LTRO-m]

"Ultrom?" Tony scoffed, "Ultron sounds better."

[Ultron..?]

[Hm...]

[Sounds... better.]

"Perfect," he chimed, "Ultron, I'll be a bit occupied for a while. Make sure no physical being gets in or out of my penthouse until I wake up, and if you catch any objects moving around, leave them. It's part of the experience, I promise."

[I... suppose.]

[Yes, yes, of course.]

[Your will is my command... sir.]

"Good, good."

• • •

"What were you thinking Stark?!" It did not take long for Tony to emerge on the landing pad in his astral form, only to be thrown against the wall and held by the throat. "You seek the space stone, and for what?! I do not know what transpired that night between you and the Ancient One, but I don't think this was part of it!!"

Freeing himself from Strange's hold, he tossed the newly ranked Sorcerer Supreme over his shoulder and turned the tables, pinning him down to the landing pad with one arm.

"Not even as the new leader of your little wizard book club will you be able to incapacitate me here of all places, Stephen!" Tony's hands burned with rage as they held down the man's shoulder, "I am doing only what is necessary, and you will stay out of my way knowing that I do this with the Ancient One's aid. You think this is what I wanted?! I already have innocent blood on my hands! She told me about the stones, and it was she who showed me the path to getting what I want!"

"That doesn't fucking mean that's the only path, you dim-witted psychopath!" Strange roared, pushing Stark off of him and throwing him through the tower window, glass shattering as he hit the floor. Groaning, Tony stood back up and assessed the damage of his window. Dammit, and they were specially tinted too.

"You don't need the space stone, Tony!" Strange begged, "I can help you out of your madness. There is still time."

"No," he spat through ragged breath, but grins maliciously as he sees the stone around the doctor's neck, "there's not. Out respect for Kamar-Taj and it's people, the Eye will remain with you and I will tell you my mission. I don't want magic blood on my hands, or my conscience.

"I need the tesseract in order to find the reality stone. No one on Earth knows where it is, but with your late boss' help, and some research of my own, I know that it's on Asgard. Could you believe that? All that Norse mythology BS is real! I will use the stone to reach the other, and once that is complete, the tesseract will return to its cozy little home with the Avengers. If we get out of this peacefully, this whole thing will go over smoothly. No harm done!"

"Innocent of guilty, how many have died by your hand, Anthony?"

Now filled with nothing but sadness and pity Strange cried, "You really believe the reality stone will help you? It will corrupt you if it finds your will too weak to handle its power. If not, the power alone would be enough to kill you in the span of days! Humans were never meant for this sort of power, you are trying to change reality!"

Returning to his body, Strange still addresses him angrily throughout the walls of the astral dimension. Still in his ghostly form, he knew the wizard could see him. His once limp body stood back up on its two feet, looking him dead in the eye through the the realms. There was a true sadness in the sorcerer's eyes.

"You will many destroy lives at the cost of these stones, you know."

"I know."

"The hands of Time itself choose not to intervene. They do not see your actions as a threat to the multiverse, therefore you may continue your life."

"That's good to know," he laughed, "but you seem damn determined at stopping me. Why?"

"In the futures I see, if you continue... most will not end well. They either end with your demise, or Earth's destruction."

Tony pauses.

For a moment he thinks, but but a moment no less. He had made up his mind when he left the altar. His hard work and studies have paid off right then and there. In the end, he was human. He was selfish.

"I don't care about my death or this planet's end when it comes down to what I have to do, Strange. In the end, reality will be at my beck and call. I will have what I want. So, leave before I bash your head in against an actual helicopter and not it's child-padded parking spot."

The sorcerer reluctantly backed off, closing his communication with the astral dimension. When Tony could still see him through the frayed and fuzzy blurs, he heard clear as day the words he spoke before disappearing.

"Alternating this reality won't change what happened in the past, Tony. You can twist, turn, and stretch this world to anyway you want. It won't change anything. A rock you turn into a dolphin is still as stupid as a rock. A corpse you turn into a living being is still as dead as a corpse. Your son cannot return."