Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1

It was a normal day in New York. The sun was shining, people were going about their business. Everything was fine until a blue beam shot into the sky from Stark Tower, which moments later opened a large hole in the sky, through which people could see the blackness of space.

Within a few minutes, unknown creatures began to pass through this hole. No one was prepared for this, neither the citizens of New York, nor the army of the nearby military bases, nor the group of people whom the tower's owner himself named "Avengers".

The first person to decide to go and "greet" the guests on earth was none other than Iron Man. The guests did not expect to be greeted so quickly, so the first salvo of small technological missiles hit the first wave of targets. After such a greeting, many aliens decided to respond, and a large group went after the man in the red and gold state-of-the-art suit.

While the chase began in the sky, panic began on the ground. Many people who saw what began in the sky began to take cover and hide. But no matter how scary it was, many began to film what was happening and send it to the Internet.

Panic was increasingly taking over the city. While Iron Man was fighting in the sky, and local police units were attracting more attention from the aliens, two serious points began to appear on the streets, where the aliens were being destroyed.

There were three people at the first point. The brightest one was in a blue suit and had a shield with a star on his chest, the other two were less eye-catching: a girl with bright red hair and a man with a bow. Together, as a squad, they took up a position and held it, making sorties to help civilians.

At the second point there was a man in a light black jacket with a hood up and jeans. The strangest thing was that there were many dead aliens around him, and they all had large ice blocks stuck in different parts of their bodies. Many people looked at him with fear, but still followed his instructions.

Only after finishing the destruction of the squad near a small restaurant on the street, the young man began to move to another point. Large blocks of ice that had previously stuck out from the bodies of the invaders began to melt rapidly, and water from them began to flow behind the young man and collect into a large ball. During the next confrontation, with the help of gestures, streams of water began to fly out of the ball, freezing along the way and piercing their targets.

The longer the battle went on, the more people joined both sides.

A large number of flying chariots and an iron flying beast resembling a whale on one side.

On the other hand, there is a blond man with a red cloak and a hammer in his hands, as well as a large green man acting like a berserker.

With such reinforcements, the battle became more fierce.

The first of the local defense forces to arrive were dozens of fighters. The first salvo of missiles destroyed many targets, the second salvo destroyed a large alien "whale". With fewer enemy targets in the sky, the battle on the ground became a little easier.

A young man used the power of water to lift a car that had trapped a young couple. Without thinking twice, he misused the vehicle, launching it at alien foot soldiers who were trying to get to him.

Having built a wall of ice out of the water, he reliably blocked the passage behind which many people were hiding.

His actions did not go unnoticed by those desperately trying to defend the city from the invading army.

During a brief lull in the battle, people hiding in various corners noticed Tony Stark fly up to a young man and start a conversation with him. The young man pointed to the crowd of people hiding around him. Iron Man looked around, handed him something, and wasted no time in rushing back into the fight.

The battle for the city had been going on for over an hour, and more and more defenders were starting to arrive. Helicopters and infantry in lightly armored transport had arrived.

Many air forces were quickly destroyed, and infantry could not reach the battle zone for a long time due to traffic jams in Manhattan.

Many saw Thor and Hulk destroying a large "whale" that was dropping troops. At that moment, the master of water sat next to the body of a dying young woman, with a child crying next to her. Using his abilities, he healed the mother. The young woman saw how right before her eyes he used water to restore the wound from the alien weapon. Even hugging her child and sitting with other people, she did not believe everything that was happening to her.

When the National Guard arrived and began to protect the people, he was about to go to the site of a big battle, but such a number of troops attracted the attention of one of the whales that were not destroyed by the troops.

Seeing him approaching, many began to panic. At this time, few noticed how the water surrounding the hooded guy began to gather in one place. He also began to collect water from nearby sources that he could quickly reach. After waiting for the monster to open its mouth, all this water was directed at the alien giant. A large block of ice passed through the entire monster. Tons of frozen water stopped the monster's advance.

Everyone saw how the monster began to hang on a large layer of ice, pierced by many ice fragments. After looking around and making sure that everything was okay, the hero went to another place where there were more aliens...

"""

Steve Rogers never thought he'd find himself in this situation: fighting alongside a god against aliens. If he'd told anyone this story from his time, no one would have believed it. But it was all true.

Their entire squad was scattered. Stark was in the sky, Hulk was smashing somewhere, Clint was on the roof, Natasha went to look for a way to close the portal. Now it was just her and Thor fighting on the street.

He no longer knew how long they fought. But no matter how many they killed, new ones came to take their place. The army, of course, took some of the aliens on itself, but there were still many of them.

Stark said that there was also resistance in several blocks...

"Rogers, you have backup coming," Stark's voice echoed in his ear.

"The army came from the other side?"

"No, it's one person."

"And how does that help us?" Captain America replied, catching the shield he threw at the alien.

"If my eyesight doesn't fail me, it's big. At least he knows how to work with water."

"This is no time for jokes, Stark," Captain America replied, catching the shield he threw at the alien.

He didn't hear the answer, but he saw perfectly how Iron Man dealt with several chariots.

After joining Thor in battle, he saw a large wave of water moving in his direction within a couple of minutes.

Not having much time to find cover, he covered Thor with his shield and waited for the water to wash them away.

Imagine his surprise when the water passed them by and washed away several dozen aliens who were standing along the road.

"Roast them!"

"Thor, lightning!" - instantly understanding the plan, he transmitted the order to his companion.

Thor, without hesitation, used his hammer to summon lightning and send it through the washed enemies.

"Hahahaha!" The thunder god's loud laughter could be heard. "This is teamwork."

Turning around, the newly-minted avengers saw a man in a hood and glasses that did not allow them to see his facial features.

"It looks like you're the backup Stark was talking about."

"With our forces, we'll quickly dispose of them," Thor was more encouraged by the small tactical victory.

"Yes, I hope you have a plan?" The young water lord kept himself hidden behind the cars to avoid being an additional target.

"Yes, we have a plan, but we need to hold the perimeter."

"Okay, I'll take care of those above us," he showed by sending several ice arrows at the enemies on the walls.

Simply nodding to him, they all continued their battle, covering each other.

Steve was amazed by the abilities of the guy who was next to them. The ability to control water was something he could not understand. There were thoughts that maybe he was the same as Thor.

The three of them were able to hold the line more easily. The next moment of calm, he was already in shock when this guy healed several wounds before his eyes using his abilities.

"How did you do that?"

"Is there really time to discuss this now?" the gaze behind the glasses pierced Steve.

"Boy, Seidr and healer, if you were in Asgard, legends would already be made about you," Thor, who had recovered from his wound, was also in shock and, inspired, began to destroy enemies with renewed vigor.

Having recovered from his wounds, Steve did not continue to fight for long before things quickly began to spin.

Natasha was ready to close the portal, but Tony informed her of a nuclear missile heading their way and he had a plan.

Launching a nuclear missile into the portal, then all the aliens seemed to switch off and cease to pose a threat. Flying out of it at the last moment, Stark watched as he fell, but the Hulk caught him.

And now, an unknown guy was leaning over the non-breathing Stark lying on the ground, who, with the help of his abilities, restored his breathing.

"Bhau, bhau... God, what was that?" Stark showed signs of life, spitting out some water. "What did you do to me?"

"You were saved, Stark, it's over," the fatigue from the battle was taking its toll on Steve.

"Okay, it's okay, I guess we deserve a day off, and a day off and something to eat. Does anyone know what shawarma is? I've heard something about it."

Even though Stark was talking more nonsense, it helped distract me from everything that had happened for a second.

"Not everyone is finished yet," Thor's serious voice reminded almost everyone of unfinished business.

"Yeah, the day off can wait," Stark said, standing up carefully.

Steve was about to leave when he noticed that their new comrade was not going with them.

He slowly walked up to the guy and offered his hand.

"Thank you very much for what you did. We are now in your debt forever."

"It's okay, I did it because I knew that if I didn't, it could be much worse," - taking off his hood and glasses, Steve saw a young guy of about twenty-five years old with black hair and blue eyes.

"Whatever your reasons, you still helped many. And this will not be forgotten. What is your name?"

"Call me Alex."

"My name is Steve," they shook hands.

The young man already wanted to leave their company, and Steve wanted to keep him with them, but he didn't know how.

"Okay, stop, stop, stop. Where are you going?" - fortunately, Tony came to his aid. "You're coming with us, I'll show you my tower, see it over there," - his hand pointed to the Stark Tower, which was not in the best condition.

"We've just won a victory that no one has ever won before, and we need to celebrate. I won't hold you back, you're free as a bird, but only after the victory party..." he continued speaking, gently pushing Alex along with him.

Never before had Steve been so pleased with Tony's talkativeness.

Chapter Text

In one of the laboratories in the damaged Stark Tower. The owner of the laboratory was sitting in a chair assembling a professional Rubik's Cube. Having lined up all the sides by colors, he threw it into a basketball hoop hanging on the wall. Flying just a couple of centimeters from the ring, the cube hit the wall and fell to the floor.

"So what about Jarvis?" Tony Stark asked loudly, disappointed with his mistake.

- Alexander Dmitrievich Ledov. Born on December 30, 1987 in Yekaterinburg. Studied at school number 147 until he was 12. The next entry about him is in 2005, 6 years later. He entered a higher educational institution in St. Petersburg. He graduated as an external student in 2 years. He has patents for several medical drugs. He has a doctorate in genetics. And received a Nobel Prize for his contribution to medicine. His parents died in 1999. - The artificial intelligence reported his data by scrolling through photographs on a holo monitor.

- So it was him I was supposed to meet, but Coulson gave me something more important.

- Yes, Mister Stark. Dr. Ledov had been in Stark Tower for several days. When the portal opened. He looked out the window for a while. Then he used his powers to knock it out and jumped from the 15th floor. The cameras recorded many of his actions.

- So he is one of the mutants?

- The probability of this is 97.6%.

- How interesting. Many people discuss people with paranormal abilities behind closed doors. And at this moment, gods and aliens appear in our lives. The world is really going crazy. - Tony shared his thoughts with the "butler", taking a sip of whiskey.

- I informed Miss Potts that you drink alcohol.

- You can't do that when I have such a doctor at my side.

- Doctor Ledov is currently at the aid station. And he is not your attending physician. Your attending ..

- I know. That's not the point. He's been there for almost 3 days now. We can't even really talk. It's good that he didn't run away right after his people arrived.

- Many Russian agents are now around the tower and are watching him and every member of the "Avengers". After the demonstrative freezing of one of the agents who tried to take Doctor Ledov away by force, no one from the special services has contacted him anymore.

- Are they following? - A small smile appeared on Tony's face.

- They are trying, Mr. Stark. They can't get anywhere. There are enough agents of various special services around now, who pass on everything they can to their handlers.

- Okay. Is there anything else interesting?

- Yes. - there was another row of photos of the young man with different people. - Dr. Ledov has quite a large financial portfolio. Much of this money came to him from different figures from all over the world. Politicians, businessmen, celebrities, they all handed over significant sums after meeting him.

- No wonder. A person with such talents can earn money very easily. The ability to heal people is like magic. - The excitement was heard in the billionaire's voice - It's a pity I didn't know him earlier. Maybe I wouldn't have to suffer from palladium.

- According to my calculations, Dr. Ledov would be able to completely cure you of palladium infection with a probability of 14.35%. But if he were to conduct regular treatment, it would not encourage you to look for a permanent solution.

- What about the shield on him? - Stark interrogated his electronic assistant, trying to understand with whom he would have to do business.

- The shield tried to get to him. But it seems they weren't very successful. The doctor himself kept his distance, and there was silence to the questions of everyone he came into contact with.

- It's obvious. If a person with such capabilities helped you, then you will keep it a secret at least so that you can contact them again. Especially at a time like this.

- I came to the same conclusions, sir.

- That's right. Good. Let me know when he's free. We still haven't had a meeting.

Yes sir, Mr. Stark. - The AI said, watching as its creator went on about his business.

Most of Manhattan was affected in one way or another. Many victims. Damage that will take a long time to clean up. Rescuers are working all over the city. Many people have left the city for the near future. But there are also brave souls who have arrived in the city. Volunteers, various scientists. During the invasion, the world froze. This event was called the "Battle of New York".

When it became known to everyone that those people who had contributed most to containing the aliens were called "Avengers" (nobody knows where the name came from) there were many statements from everyone. Many presidents, various media personalities, ordinary citizens all over the world, they all said what they thought was necessary, but they all had something in common. They all thanked the Avengers for their fight against threats that the world was not yet ready to fight.

If the madness on the Internet was simply people showing their vision of the situation, then in New York itself things took a completely crazy turn. All the services that helped in clearing the city, searching for the wounded and providing first aid had to work on average 12-16 hours a day. And then people who realized that they were already safe began to interfere with them, trying to snatch something alien, get into the protected area or just interfere, trying to get some news to put on the Internet or pass to the news agency.

In one of these places there were a lot of people - it was an aid station for the wounded. It was always busy there. A small tent city was organized right in the middle of the city streets. Dozens of soldiers and special service agents were on duty to protect and calm the wounded. In one of the largest tents, the wounded were periodically brought in. Less often, healthy people came out of there or people were carried out whose lives were no longer in danger. Also, bottles of water were constantly brought into this tent.

In this tent, many doctors were trying to help the wounded. A young man was constantly moving between them, followed by a soldier with a container of water. Having run up to one of the doctors, a man of forty who was trying to stabilize a woman, the young man makes several passes with his hand and the water begins to move towards her, covering many areas. Having stabilized the woman's condition, the doctor who performed the operation nods, thanking her for her help, and quickly finishes the operation. Several dozen minutes later, the doctors, having finished with the girl, exhale.

Having looked around and realized that their help was not needed now, the doctors began to get themselves in order while their assistants began to take the girl away and remove the used equipment.

- Thank you for being with us now, - said the doctor washing his hands after the seventh operation of the day. - I'm afraid to imagine how much we would have lost if it weren't for your help.

- You're welcome, but it's nice to hear gratitude from professionals, especially if it's deserved. As far as I know, our work will soon be over for the time being. The government has attracted many people from all over the country who are now working in shifts.

- Yes, that's true, but I don't think you'll have even a little free time. - A sad smile appeared on the doctor's face as he sat down on the nearest chair. - If nothing happens , I'll be replaced in an hour and I'll be able to rest and sleep a little.

- Yes, there are reporters all around just waiting to come by and take an interview.

At this time, a person entered the tent who had gained no less popularity in the last few days, and in some circles even more. Red-haired with bright blue eyes, her gaze was sharp and penetrating, and her body was fit and strong. She was dressed in a light black jacket and jeans. Seeing the doctors, she immediately went to them.

"Alexander Dmitrievich," she greeted, nodding to the doctor sitting next to her, "I hope everything is okay with you?"

- Miss Romanoff, nice to see you - he looked her up and down - glad you're feeling well. If you're talking about that conversation, I'm busy right now.

- That's exactly what I'm talking about. A group has arrived now to replace you. There are enough of them so that they can help people and give you a window in your "very busy schedule," the spy immediately stopped the attempts to avoid contact. - That's why I ask you to come with me. I can guarantee that there will be no interrogations, and you can leave if you think it's necessary.

"Okay, let's go," he agreed with a heavy sigh, afraid to imagine what would await him.

After saying goodbye, they headed for the exit. As soon as they left, the vigorous activity around the camp was noticeable.

"It seems she wasn't lying, there are a lot of people here" - there were people constantly walking around them, carrying something or setting something up. This activity had been going on all the time he was here, but now there were just too many people. There were a lot of cars parked around the camp, but the hardest part was still ahead.

A lot of people were standing around the fenced area. As soon as the "heroes" showed up, the bacchanalia began.

"I'm like a popular rock star." - people were just going crazy, many cameras were pointed at them, different people like fans who came to a concert of their favorite star. Trying to hide his irritation, he moved after Natasha. "It would be better to go do something useful than to sit here and look out for people who don't care about you . "

The path to the car was short, but even there there were people who rushed at them. It was not even clear for what purpose, whether to hug or kill.

As soon as they sat down, Natasha immediately directed them away from this place.

- It must be hard to become so popular so suddenly? - there was a slight smile on his face.

- I was already famous, though not so widely, just like you, Miss Romanov , - he answered, looking out the window at the destroyed city, - but I can continue to work with such fame, but now it will be harder for you, when your job is to stay in the shadows.

- I agree - a shadow of discontent appeared on her face - but I can change the assignments and continue to work with this fame just like you, Mr. Ledov. - This time they both smiled.

The car stopped near the Stark Tower. They got out of the car and went inside. The tower itself was in the epicenter of the fighting and suffered greatly from it. So it was amazing to see how many functions of the building continued to work even with such damage.

- What happens next? - The silence in the elevator haunted him.

- A lot has happened lately, this is just a little party to relax a bit. We'll all have a lot of work to do, and you're not the only one who was practically forced here.

- And who else is so "hardworking"? - There was no answer, only a mysterious smile painted her face. - Then I warn you, if someone suddenly wants to get me drunk, I will not be responsible for the consequences.

- I have no intention of doing this...

- I was just warning you, I'm sure there are a few umm ... humanoids out there who like to drink and argue. - Their eyes met and Alex read in her eyes that this thought had already occurred to her.

Alex's fears were premature. The meeting that was needed more by Thor, so he celebrated more. The next day, Loki was scheduled to return to Asgard with the Tesseract . Because of this, the god of thunder wanted to meet his comrades in arms once again. The "Party" itself was very calm, Thor, as the initiator, tried to get everyone drunk. Tony played along with him as best he could. But the people they were on the team with were tough nuts. Everyone had their own reasons not to lose their heads, so their attempts were not very successful. There was also an opportunity to discuss with Stark the issues that interested them, and while they were talking away from everyone, one spy closely followed the conversation and tried to understand what it was about.

The most memorable moment was when Thor again reminded about his "divinity" telling about his adventures in the form of fights and feasts after them. So Alex decided to joke on him. Using his abilities, he pulled out all the alcohol that was nearby and created an " alcoholic" statue of Thor who stood in a victory stance. Everyone watched in fascination as he used his abilities and how several streams of water transformed into a statue. Everything would have been fine, only this statue looked strange, it was not the personification of strength and masculinity , but rather laziness. Because the belly was very big. Thor's indignation was explained by the fact that in some legends he was remembered and described exactly like that. After the explanation, the face of the God of Thunder was very red and this is clearly not related to intoxication.

The next day, Alex watched as Thor and Loki used a strange device to travel back to Asgard . After assessing the work that the scientists had done, everyone began to disperse. Everyone had a lot of work to do.

- Good afternoon - this is the program "secrets and facts" today with us is ufologist and candidate for a doctorate, Dr. Mazov. Thank you for coming. Our viewers would like to know as much as possible of your opinion on recent events.

"Of course, now we will educate the common people on how to live," Alex reasoned, listening more than watching, frying potatoes in his two-story modern house.

- Two weeks have passed since the event that turned the public worldview upside down - a man unknown until recently tried to take full advantage of his moment of fame. - religious communities began to develop seriously all over the world. People who were previously considered, roughly speaking, crazy suddenly became very popular. Of course, it couldn't have happened without people who believed in something and began to propagate their view of the world. The mere fact of proving their existence turns the world upside down...

" Well , yes, now the thought that something will hit them from space should worry the world's elites more than people who can bend a spoon with the power of their minds, " - having finished cooking, he turned his attention to the helicopter that was beginning to land - " It looks like they didn't drag it out with me ."

Having turned off the sound, Alex began to prepare for the arrival of the guests.

A couple of minutes later, while sitting and having lunch, several well-armed soldiers practically burst into his door, followed by an elderly man of about 60 who had lost all his combat uniform, sitting and shuffling papers.

- HAVE YOU F* LOST ANY FEAR, YOU LITTLE * , FORGOT WHO YOU NEED TO OBEY, I'LL QUICKLY KNOCK ALL THIS CRAP OUT OF YOU.

The emotionality of the soldier who entered did not affect the owner of the house in any way; he sat and ate calmly, and his grin showed how this situation amused him.

- Dear General Volkov. Of course, I do a lot. Could you please explain what exactly caused such an emotional reaction? - The general's face turned even redder from such impudence.

- YOU STILL NEED TO EXPLAIN, YOU LEFT THE COUNTRY WITHOUT PERMISSION, REVEALED YOUR ABILITIES, RESISTANCE WHEN THEY TRIED TO TAKE YOU. YOU DID NOT MAKE CONTACT. - the general's face bared its teeth - I can also add conspiracy, espionage and a dozen more articles, with which you will definitely be locked up and you will no longer be able to ask anyone for help.

- How interesting, but I have completely different information - the calmness with which Alex sat made the general think. - For example , Mr. President was VERY pleased with my work and asked me to come to the Kremlin in a few days for a personal conversation and presentation of the award.

The blow to the table was strong , showing that there was still power inside the large body – I don't care about him. You're still alive because we allow you to live.

- Comrade General - the seriousness in his voice made the soldiers in the room grip their weapons more tightly - you've probably forgotten what happened the last time I was threatened like that.

The general's face quickly turned pale, and the memories of the many dead people quickly sobered him up.

- Alexander - it was hard for him to calm down - you were supposed to keep us informed, that was the deal.

- Plans have changed - at that moment, recordings of battles with aliens from eyewitnesses appeared on the TV. - Everything has changed, now nothing will be like before. I will not be your dog anymore.

- It doesn't change anything, everything...

- This changes everything! - The master of water control looked at the master of shouting at his subordinates - I am now a public figure. Now if you want my services, you will have to negotiate with me, I will no longer be an errand boy.

- You understand who you're dealing with, right? They won't leave you alone. - The general had his orders and he had to carry them out.

- They will leave it - Alex answered, looking confidently at Volkov - or do you want to report that you had a person with such potential working for you, and you didn't tell anyone about it? Do you know that this smacks of treason?

Volkov immediately imagined the consequences of such a revelation, imagining the storm that could be caused. His face became serious, and he slowly shook his head.

And this - Ledov put a flash drive on the table - is my insurance, if you interfere with me , this data will go online.

- What's going on there... - connecting the flash drive to the portable reader, the General looked at the data, then turned his hard gaze to Ledov - where did you get this?

- What difference does it make, just know that if we don't come to an agreement, no one will get off easy. - The soldiers felt the tension hanging in the air and understood that if a fight started and they couldn't stop it in the first moments, then they wouldn't leave here.

- Hmmmm . Okay, if this information doesn't go anywhere, then we won't flatter you, but if you...

- Sooner or later our interests will intersect anyway. Then we will have a shootout. - The look of the blue eyes became even brighter, showing readiness for battle.

The general nodded and headed out. The soldiers, keeping an eye on the owner of the house, went after their boss. A few minutes later, Alexander was standing by the window and watching the helicopter fly away.

- Bastards. When it comes to breaking in, knocking down doors, they are the first, but when it comes to putting things in order, that is not up to them. - the objections were justified, seeing the door knocked off its hinges.

- Trinh trinh - an unidentified subscriber was displayed on the screen. - Hello... Yes... Yes, it's true... Thank you, now we're even... I have no doubt... until next time.

Alex stood for some time near the window, thinking about his plans.

In one of the best clinics in the country, where there were always a lot of people with complex diseases, Grigory Albertovich Solovyov sat in the head doctor's office. Sitting and sorting through papers, he analyzed the statistics of the use of new drugs that came into use with the help of Doctor Ledov. Thanks to his drugs, the chance of curing some diseases after completing courses increased by 30-40% of what it was before.

"But recent events give at least hints of understanding of how he was able to come to such decisions," glancing at the TV where the creator of the drugs himself was receiving an award from the president and this was shown on the news. "Now these drugs will become even more expensive, I hope this will not affect us so much."

His thoughts were interrupted when a letter arrived on his computer. "Lyuda, urgently gather all the managers at my place." Without listening to the answer, he leaned back in his chair, realizing that they would have a lot of work in the coming days.

A few days later the head doctor was sitting in the same way, but he was not alone. In the room were a beautiful girl reporter who could not stop the jitters on her body, a cameraman who was sitting near the entrance with a desire to smoke and the culprit of the meeting himself, Alexander Ledov.

- I hope you have everything prepared for my operation? - Ledov was determined.

- Of course, the patient agreed as soon as we offered it to him. - "Although he had little choice, either to give consent or he did not last even a few months, and so if what is on the video is true, he will have a chance ."

- Is something bothering you, Grigory Albertovich? - the reporter drove him out of his thoughts.

- I don't even know. What you want to do has never been done before , and if you don't succeed... -

" That would be the end of his career as a doctor" - this thought was clear to everyone.

Don't worry, I've done something similar many times before. The only difference is that now the whole world will know about it. - The smile on the faces slightly eased the doctor's fears.

- Okay, let's go, there is a lot of work and little time.

Within minutes, preparations for the operation were underway in a separate room with the help of extraordinary abilities. Several cameras were set up, ready to film the entire process from different angles. A container with clean water stood near the walls. The patient was ready for the operation. He was under anesthesia.

There is already a full video of the operation on the Internet. But the news only showed what they considered necessary. The footage showed the Avenger from Russia manipulating water and introducing it into the patient's body. The patient himself simply lay as if asleep, the manipulations continued for ten minutes, the water that entered the person's body was clean and came out with various impurities. When the dirt began to end, the manipulations continued to remove the remains and confirm that there was nothing left inside. All the world news talked about this sensation.

While all the scientists in the world were discussing this news, the atmosphere in the Oval Office of the White House, which serves as a symbol of power and important decisions, was tense. The US President was sitting at his massive desk, with portraits of previous presidents hanging on the walls and windows overlooking manicured lawns and a garden. In front of him sat his vice president. On the agenda was news of a new type of treatment.

- How much could this affect us? - "This would be good news if it was in America, but when it happens in the rest of the country that has been in a cold war for over forty years. This is news that raises serious concerns." -

- There are those who have already approached him with some problems. They have already tried to buy him out. If it weren't for some idiots, it might even have worked out. Now hundreds of millions from the US alone are pouring into his company. It is unknown how much from the rest of the world. Matt, in a few years, has provided several medical solutions that no one else could provide. At the same time, he didn't have much money. And what will he do if he has it... - 45th US President Matthew Ellis looked at his prime minister, trying to come to some conclusions that only he could understand.

- Is there a way to get him over to us now? He seems to be on good terms with Stark. Is it really impossible to bribe him and bring him over to us?

- The last time they were seen together was when the aliens Thor and Loki left Earth. We know that they maintain contact and have some kind of agreement, but we don't know what exactly, and we don't have the right equipment to monitor it.

- The shield has a way to hack Stark, right? - the simple discussion slowly began to flow into a serious discussion - Or not?

- As far as I know, before the incident we had a way to somehow fight Stark, on his field, but now we can't do anything. - The impossibility of tracking this "hero in iron armor" irritated many in the American government.

- Okay with Stark. And what about this mutant? I don't think the Russians give the go-ahead for their systems to be tampered with like that.

- We can't listen to Ledov either.

- So Stark is involved after all. If this is...

"No. Someone is protecting Ledov," the vice president continued, checking the data on the tablet. "We don't know who exactly: maybe the Russians themselves, or maybe someone else. But as soon as our people got into his systems, a real cyber attack began on our networks.

"What do you mean?" Ellis asked, raising his eyebrows. "An attack from them?"

- Yes, that's right. We got an alarm and lost access to the data in just a few minutes. This is not just protection - this is a targeted intervention. Someone clearly does not want us to poke around where we shouldn't.

"That means he has powerful allies , " a fact that was alarming . "And that could be dangerous for us. If they're willing to protect his information like that, then he's a serious threat."

"We need to find out who is behind this defense and what their intentions are. If we cannot access information about Ledov, we risk being at a disadvantage." The silence of such high-ranking people spoke volumes.

- If you give him time, then with the support of his government, he can do a lot and take over a good sector of medical technologies in the world. This will hit our income hard.

- But we can't go against him openly. At the very least, your political opponents will eat you up right away.

- Damn... how I'm sick of them, they just want to get their hands on power - he didn't get any protection in this matter from his subordinate, the look they threw at the president said "and how did you end up here?"

- I have a lot of things to do after the incident, can I ask you to sort this matter out? - The head of the country simply wanted to deal with this annoying Russian.

"I have someone in mind," the president motioned to continue. "A company that, with a little help, could solve this issue for us. They have technology that could change the rules of the game in our favor."

"They promised to help your daughter?" the president asked, his gaze becoming more wary. A small nod from his interlocutor confirmed his suspicions.

"Okay. Do you need anything from me?" he continued, trying to remain calm.

- No, I'm already working with them. But since we have this situation, a little more injection wouldn't hurt. It will help strengthen our position and convince them to act more actively.

The President thought about it. He understood that cooperation with AIM could be risky.

- Okay, I'll give the funding instructions. But be careful. We can't afford to lose control of this situation. If they start acting too independently, it could backfire on us.

- What about the Shield?

- Okay, I'll also call Fury , let it be his headache too. - leaving one more matter for the evening, the president looked at his interlocutor - is there anything else?

He was shown a certain document.

- Damn. What's wrong with that? - the president grumbled about another problem that had appeared out of nowhere.

Chapter Text

Jotunheim is a world of ice giants, where the only constants were darkness, stone and ice. A man was moving through this icy wasteland on a sled. Everything was strange in this situation, in a world where people had never been, a man appeared. In a world where the temperature was so low that nothing could grow, he felt at ease. The sled he was riding on moved without any animal, as if following the will of its owner.

Through the snowstorm and icy whirlwinds, the man on the sled moved forward confidently. He knew that Jotunheim was not just a world of ice giants, but also a place full of ancient secrets and dangers. - "at least Thor gave a good description of this world while telling about the battle with the Jotuns."

The sleds creaked through the snow, leaving tracks that were quickly covered by the falling snow. The wind howled around, as if warning the intruder that his presence was not welcome here. But he was not going to retreat. He had a goal - to find a way out of this icy world.

He had been heading towards his goal for several hours. The only source of light that was visible to the horizon. The light from which water flowed in a continuous stream.

A few days earlier:

Recently, Internet broadcasts have begun to develop. And now the administrator of one of the leading video streaming services noticed a strange influx of people, which was unusual for this time in San Francisco. Taking it simply for unscheduled actions of his clients, he continued his work. But after thirty minutes he had to return to this problem again, considering that the growth of users was increasing very sharply. Having started to check what was happening, he could not believe what he saw.

"The Avenger is streaming" - this kind of thought made him drop everything he was doing and take care of this issue.

Literally in an hour of the stream, the number of current views increased by hundreds of thousands every couple of minutes.

The avenger himself, not paying attention to anything, simply played one of the popular newly released games.

Even the fact that he constantly spoke Russian did not stop people from all over the world from connecting to be closer to the hero.

Of course, it couldn't go on like that for long; the servers weren't designed for such a load and simply shut down from overvoltage.

Having raised his superiors, this administrator began to try to correct the situation.

Literally 10 minutes after the failure, more than ten thousand complaints arrived in the company's mail. The employees themselves quickly tried to restore access to their service.

When they finally managed to restore the service. The man for whom many decided to change their plans and log in was no longer online. In place of his channel was a letter apologizing for such a sudden departure and promising to post about his next inclusion in advance, so that everyone who wanted could prepare. Literally in a week, the channel with just one broadcast earned more than ten million subscribers.

For a long time now, a whole complex of buildings has been under construction in the small town where the Russian superhero settled. They should soon be delivered to the customer.

Three expensive cars drove up to the entrance of one of them. Several tall, healthy men got out of the outer cars and began to take positions that only they understood. The hero of the occasion himself came out of the central one, giving his hand, followed by a tall, beautiful blonde dressed in a business suit that highlighted her feminine qualities, and together they headed towards the entrance.

- Good afternoon – the manager of these facilities was very excited – I want to say right away that everything is going…

- Dmitry Mikhalych. It is possible to do this - having received a nod, Alex began to calm down - say hello to Anna Sycheva, she will be in charge here. - the look of cold blue eyes made it clear to the builder that this was not just a girl for escort.

I want to say right away, the superhero continued peacefully, I am not here to accept the object. I am just here to inspect it and give a short tour. Other people will arrive here for a thorough inspection and you need to prepare for them. If you don't mind, we will just take a look around in person for now.

- Of course - the builder walked away from his customer and his companion - if you need anything, I'll be nearby.

Having gone a little further, they began to examine the premises. Somewhere, builders were working.

- I can't believe you're not lying to me - the woman began, looking around another room. - Of course, you said you wanted to do something grand, but I didn't expect it to be a hospital.

- Me too - looking from the woman to the room he continued - I didn't know what exactly it would be, but it will definitely be related to medicine. In short, many operations that are online with me will be performed here. I have no desire to travel around the world, so everyone will be brought here, there is a whole complex of buildings that service the hospital. Several buildings for staff accommodation, warehouses. It will be more like a small town. My laboratory is not far from here, which I will expand over time.

- You've thought through a lot - the interlocutor was impressed by such scope - but where do you get the money for all this?

- Sometimes it's good to be a monopolist - the grin on his face brought the same grin on her face - Well, if we're being more serious. Money from all over the world is now coming into the fund that's opened in my name. Both from debtors and from people who want to get help from me.

- When you are the only one who can offer this kind of service, then it is expected. - His satisfied face began to irritate her too much - but why am I here?

- You will be in charge of everything here, I am not an expert in management, but we need to make sure that the hospital works, people are brought in and taken away, and there is a lot of other things connected with this, I think you know better.

- It will cost a lot.

- How can I help my friend? - a skeptically raised eyebrow showed her assessment of everything that was happening. - Well, of course, a good fee.

After the last phrase, a smile appeared on her face: "Because of our good relationship, I'm here, but I won't do anything for free."

- I know. You're here because you can sell. I'll find a way to spend the money that comes to us, I need it to bring in profit.

Anna looked forward to the rain of money as she imagined the scope of opportunities that working with such a person would provide. "I hope you won't limit yourself to just the hospital."

- Of course not – Alex himself was looking out the window, thinking about something – of course, everything depends on many factors, but if everything goes according to plan, then in ten years we will have a corporation that will be impossible not to reckon with.

- That's good. - Her insistence on having more money scared many people - and what about the local authorities, won't there be problems with them?

- It shouldn't. I specifically chose a place away from the capital so that I could do my business without anyone interfering. And as soon as the locals imagined how much money they would get from taxes, they immediately became cute.

- They will steal it. Of course, I like to have a lot of zeros in my accounts, but definitely not in such ways. So much money at once, they won't be able to hold on.

- That's exactly why you're here, to earn money. And don't worry about them, I hope they do something stupid. Then I'll be able to put my people in...

- Who will do whatever we tell them to do.

- I'm so glad we understand each other - at that moment they entered one of the rooms on the top floor. - Well, this will be your office for the near future. - If you need to change anything, tell Mikhalych.

The room was just an empty white box. As Alex watched his companion inspect and imagine the future office, a text message came to his phone.

"Very interesting," he concluded on the information he had received. "As much as it would be nice for me to talk to you, I have some important business to attend to."

- The hero is going to save the world? - the tone of the question was more sarcastic.

- I don't know yet, but if what I see is true, it will be very interesting – in the footage that was taken on the phone, it was visible how people took a step to the side and disappeared from the screen – "I doubt that they would have sent me something like that if it was just editing."

- Gather a team and look for specialists. - He gave his last order as he left.

- Don't tell a scientist what to do - the answer only confirmed that he had chosen the right candidate.

Foggy Albion did not greet its guests any differently. The sky above London was covered with grey clouds, and a fine rain, like tears, fell on the pavements.

Driving around the city in his car, Alex tried to figure out what was going on.

- "Incomprehensible ruptures, cars simply lose their weight, people film them on cameras as they simply disappear, on some they return, on others they don't." - the video sequence shifted to the bright rays that were in the city - "Most likely it was Thor, if you believe the news about a man in a red cloak and a hammer in his hands."

The car Alex was driving was followed by a discreet black SUV. "They're definitely agents, they've been following me since I landed."

The car was moving to one of the city police stations where there were the witnesses he needed.

Having got out near the entrance and having released the car, the Avenger did not hurry to go in, it was worth waiting for the pursuers. The agents did not keep us waiting long.

- Good afternoon, Mr. Ledov. My name is Agent Green. Can I talk to you? - the pretty woman greeted.

- Good afternoon, how can I help you?

"I would like to know what brought such a famous person to our country," she began the conversation in English without even trying to speak Russian.

- Are you interested in this? Or your management? - trying not to create unnecessary conflicts, he continued the conversation in her language.

- My boss - the irritation was clearly visible in her eyes. - You still haven't answered.

- Agent Green, what can you tell me about the portals and people disappearing over the last few days? - Her expression was laughable - I thought so. There are people I need in this building, they may be important witnesses and know something

- If they are arrested, then you cannot take them.

- So you will take them for me.

- And why should I do this?

- Look, when all the agents turned their gaze to the sky, they saw a flock of birds simply disappear in flight.

- Where did they go? Did you do something? ANSWER - the agents' guns were pointed at the avenger. In response to their actions, he simply raised an eyebrow.

- I'm here to sort this out. So either help me or don't interfere.

Green thought for a few dozen seconds and then began to put away the gun. At that very moment, a flock of birds that had disappeared without a trace began to appear right from the wall and frighten passersby.

- I'll help, who do you need? - what he saw made the agent understand that they couldn't figure this out on their own.

A few hours later, three people were sitting at a table in a cafe near the police station. Alex, along with Darcy and Ian, the latter two were connected by their work for the scientist Jane Foster, well-known in narrow circles.

- Let me see if I understood you correctly. The three of you were investigating these anomalies, then Jane disappeared, and when she returned she started throwing red energy, scattering the police, at that moment Thor appeared and took her.

- In short, yes - Jane's pretty assistant was glad to be taken away from the police station. And the fact that it was the avenger who did it only spurred her on to be more useful.

Agent Green, who returned after calling her superiors, finished the minute of reflection.

"So what did they say?" another assistant asked the agent, afraid that she would be told to return them back.

After looking sternly at the guy, the agent finally decided to answer, but the answer was not for him - I was told to provide you with maximum assistance and any resources

- Of course. People are disappearing in their capital, and they can't find an answer, and then I show up, looking so handsome - only a pleased Darcy smiled at his phrase. - Let's start with you bringing Doctor Selvig here and you'll all help him with everything he needs.

- Dr. Selvig is currently under arrest for vandalism...

- It doesn't matter, he definitely knows something about all this. Darcy, I need everything you've got on this phenomenon.

- Yes, of course, I will now.

- Didn't Dr. Foster forbid us from spreading...

- Ian - the young man turned to his boss - shut up, adults are talking now.

The satisfied woman immediately returned to the previous topic: "Doctor Ledov, just tell me and I will do whatever you say…"

- First, pass on the data, and then we can talk about the rest - the others just rolled their eyes at their smiles.

Now the group stood where it all began, near the old buildings. The area was fenced off. There were police officers around, Darcy was cursing at the fact that some idiots could break the equipment.

BOOM - All people stopped their activities when a boulder fell on one of the cars. People began to panic and disperse. The elders tried to restore order.

Only one person looked at this calmly and with interest.

Approaching the boulder, he touched it and felt the cold from the stone.

- And how big can it grow? - Agent Green carefully approached Alex, examining the boulder.

- If we are lucky, these phenomena will pass by themselves after some time.

- And if you're unlucky?

- Then it would be better to start evacuating the city. - Such a statement did not add confidence to the agent of the English secret services.

- What will you do?

We need to understand what is on the other side, maybe there is an answer there.

No no no, it's dangerous, if something happens to you here while I'm around it would be a disaster. I don't want to be jailed.

- Don't worry Agent Green, I'm just going on a five minute there and back adventure.

- Then it's better…

- No, this stone is very cold, which means the temperature on the other side is very low, and you don't have the right equipment.

- So you have it? - The skeptical agent couldn't let things get out of control.

Her question was not answered. All the water in the area began to move towards its master like snakes swimming on the grass. The water climbed higher and higher, enveloping the entire body like a suit. When the process was over, Alex felt like he was in a small air bubble.

- This is certainly not Tony Stark's suit, but if it's that bad there, I can stay there long enough to assess the situation.

- I do not give permission for this.

"I'm not asking," he took a few steps and disappeared from everyone's sight.

Having entered this anomaly. It became clear that it was impossible to take anyone with us now. Anyone who entered would not survive even a couple of minutes, and there was no suitable equipment at the moment.

Having looked at himself and found no damage to his water armor, the adventurer looked around - ice and stone, well, not much - there was no answer, but no one was expecting one.

After walking around the area and examining the surroundings, Alex decided to return back to the rift, but there was nothing in its place.

- * * you're * kidding me * - as if hearing his "indignation" the ice nearby began to crack.

Having released all the negativity from the current situation, the water lord began to look for a way out. Once again he walked around the area hoping that when one rift closed, another one could appear nearby.

There was no miracle, there was no rift nearby. But all these actions attracted the attention of the inhabitants of this world.

The Jotuns are ice giants who have called this world their home for millennia.

Three-meter ice giants, with blue skin and red eyes, who were watching their guest. Several of these giants came out of

their hiding place and quietly looked at their guest.

Trying to figure out where to go next, he climbed a small ice cliff. Having looked around and not finding anything remarkable, he continued to peer into the distance.

At that moment the attack began. One of these giants turned his hand into an ice blade and rushed at the traveler.

While Alex stood with his back to them, he felt an unfriendly gaze on himself and was able to prepare several ice shards, one of which he sent straight into the attacker's chest.

The splinter hit the jotun's chest, throwing him back and getting stuck in him.

The smile of victory left the face of the water lord when the jotun with the ice shard pierced his chest began to rise. He immediately sent a second shard, but this time aiming for the head, but the jotun blocked this shard with his frozen hand.

While this skirmish was taking place, the other jotuns were watching it and did not quite understand what to do, because they had never seen anyone who could control the ice besides them.

A cry of rage from the wounded jotun prompted the others to begin attacking the otherworlder.

Realizing that things were going badly, Alex rushed down from the other side of the cliff to create some distance between them. As he descended, he tried to gather the water mass around him, but the ice underneath him did not want to change its state, so he had to tear out a whole piece to cover himself with it from the attack of the running jotuns.

The blow that broke through the ice shield stopped a few centimeters from Alex's head. A second later, this piece of ice went somewhere far away in one frightened movement along with the jotun whose hand was still inside the piece of ice. As soon as he was left without protection, his hand was hit by a shard of ice thrown by another jotun. The cold that formed from the wound was unnatural, but from receiving such a wound, Alex himself began to fall, which saved his life from several more hits.

Without thinking twice, Alex began to raise a wall of ice several meters thick. This gave him time to get himself in order. The water he had enveloped himself in again covered his entire body and began to remove the effects of the injury. When the pain went away, it was time to answer the attackers. From the wall that the Jotuns were hitting trying to break through, fragments began to shoot out, which began to injure the Jotuns. Several managed to avoid the attack and now they were looking at the wall of ice that resembled a hedgehog and killed several of their comrades. The last two Jotuns looked at each other and began to agree on something, when part of the ice wall simply sank down.

From this wall came out a completely healthy, but angry inhabitant of Midgard. Although there was calm on his face, anger burned inside him.

Without waiting long for the attack, he simply launched the entire ice wall at his enemies. One of them managed to dodge and avoid being flattened, but his comrade was less fortunate. The last Jotun turned to see how the wall of ice simply crashed completely into the rock.

With a furious cry, the last attacker rushed at the alien. Transforming his hands into pieces of ice, he was literally a meter short of avenging his brothers. A large spike that appeared right in front of the Midgardian stopped any aggressive activity of the last attacker.

The winner was given the opportunity to live a little longer in this icy wasteland if he did not find a way out of it.

After spending some time at the battle site, Alex collected some trophies. Humanoids that could work with ice were of particular interest to him, a hand covered in ice, the head of one of the dead, and something that functioned as a heart were thrown into a bag made of ice. Not having any clear reason to leave the place, the avenger sat on a hill waiting for some changes. After an hour and a half, his expectations were justified.

Somewhere on the horizon, a flicker of light appeared. Realizing that even if it was a rupture, it might not bring him back to earth, but there were not many options. Having made himself a small sled from ice, he went to the place of the flicker.

For several hours he used his powers to drive his transport towards this shimmer. The continuous use of powers for such a long time made itself felt. But he could not allow himself to rest. The water that surrounded him could lose its shape and then he would freeze here in a couple of minutes.

As he headed towards the shimmer, he saw several groups of Jotuns simply looking at the transport that was moving through their lands. Some of the Jotuns were moving in the same direction as him, which spurred Alex to get there much faster. As he approached, Alex noticed that the shimmer was created by water that was flowing out of the rift.

The rift itself was about 100 meters above the ground. Looking around, there were several jotuns under the rift who were freezing the water that was falling and trying to create a tower out of it to get to the rift.

For many, it would be a problem to reach the rift. But fatigue and the hope that it was the earth pushed him to speed up and get out of here. Stopping just pushing with his strength, he concentrated and directed the sleigh itself into the rift as if he were Santa Claus only without reindeer. The Oituns who were below tried to stop him. But the ice fragments could do nothing with the ice sleigh.

One second. That's all it takes to leave the dark, icy world and find yourself in a mountainous area on the banks of a river.

Throwing off the water he was carrying, he took a long-awaited breath that was saturated with oxygen.

"It's so good that I'm home again" - the thoughts of a person who simply visited another aggressive planet and by evening had already gotten out of it.

After lying there for a while, just breathing and catching his breath, the thought came to him that he needed to get ready and find civilization. Taking out his phone, fear pierced him. The fear that many people have when their phone gets so wet that it stops working. Having calmed down a bit, it was decided to leave the phone to try to get the data out of it.

Realizing that we urgently needed to look for people. Moving along the river was the best solution. Having sat on the sled again and checked our trophies, it was decided to go against the current.

After swimming for about ten minutes and going around the mountainous area, Alex saw something he never expected to see.

The large golden city that opened up before his eyes was mesmerizing in its beauty. The many golden buildings reflected the light, creating dazzling reflections that danced on the surface of the water.

- Looks like I'll have to be an unexpected guest, I hope Thor can help me get home. - It turns out the assumption about returning home was wrong, which means that the journey is still ongoing.

Chapter Text

In London, the situation was becoming more serious with each passing hour. The emergency services were working at full capacity, people began to record strange creatures all over the city. In some places they could simply pass by, and in others they would only find the remains of bodies… if they found any.

While the authorities were making speeches asking for calm. Two objects were flying over the city. One of which matched the description of Iron Man. While Tony Stark himself went to land, his companion flew on.

- Whoa whoa whoa guys, calm down, I'm here to help - he raised his hands peacefully, trying to calm the agents and the police - has anyone seen a guy who can work as a fire hose?

The agent was just looking over himself - okay, I understood, someone...

- Hahaha TONY STARK - a young black-haired girl ran to the super and began to tell how much she admired him.

- Okay, that's all nice, but I'm here on business…

- Are you here because of Alex?

- Alexa? - Tony realized that this woman knew about the location of his target, but to call him that.

- Well, Dr. Ledov, - the girl tried to justify herself, - he simply allowed us to call him that and...

- I see, so where is he? - Tony's patience with the fan girl had long since run out.

- He's over there - the girl pointed to an empty fenced area where a rock had crushed the car - he went in there and disappeared, and then the passage behind him closed. By the way, my name is...

But Tony was no longer listening, approaching the fenced area. His suit recorded strange activity, which is all over the city in different places.

So why did you get involved in this? - Tony's questions only continued to accumulate.

The ice sleds floating down the river quickly attracted the attention of the guards patrolling the area. Noticing each other, Alex simply stopped the sleds in the middle of the river and waited for the flying boat used by the guards of Asgard.

- Who are you and what are you doing here? - the guards did not stand on ceremony with the uninvited guests.

- My name is Alexander Ledov, I came from Midgard and I am looking for Thor, son of Odin, I am his friend - the answer alarmed the guard, it had never happened before that people from Midgard got to Asgard themselves.

- How did you get here, Alexander from Midgard? - the guards were not yet ready to let go of their weapons.

- Through Jothuheim, the world of the ice giants, and into it through the rift in Midgard - all the skeptical looks of the guards disappeared when they were shown the head of the jotun that Alex carried with him.

- If this is really what you want from our prince? - Alex relaxed a little, because now there was no weapon pointed at him.

- I just want to get home, the rifts through which I got here are unstable and I had no other way. - The answer satisfied the guard for a while.

- We will take you to Thor, but if you are lying...

"I'm not lying," the Asgardian liked the firm answer.

The beauty of Asgard was astounding. An entire golden city, as if it came out of ancient legends, shone in the sun with its majestic towers. Each building seemed like a work of art, decorated with exquisite carvings. The air was clear, as if you were in the heart of an untouched forest. Alex looked at all this, slowly moving along the airboat.

Already anticipating a quick return, not far from the largest palace, an explosion occurred, and a large alien invasion ship appeared on the outskirts of Asgard.

Well of course, what could go wrong?

Asgard had not hosted a battle on its territory for a long time. All the soldiers knew for hundreds of years who and where to go. Many of these people were already sitting in the towers and shooting back at the invaders. Hundreds of warriors were moving throughout the city to repel the enemy landing.

While the whole city came alive like an anthill that had been stepped on. The small boat in which the guards were carrying the stranger turned away from the palace.

- No, no, I need to go to Thor. - The guards, of course, didn't care about the Midgardian's wishes. The guards themselves were preparing to join the battle with their brothers. Realizing that no one would listen to him, they forced Alex to take everything into his own hands. And now, a couple of seconds later, three guards are trying to get rid of the water that is getting into their lungs - it was in vain that you didn't take me there.

It wasn't difficult to tilt the lever, small stray shots were not far away, but that didn't stop the boat from heading towards the palace. Even with active military actions that were nearby, Alex managed to get the boat to the palace. But the question was how to stop it. The only possible way was to send the boat through the window and jump off while it was flying in. No sooner said than done. Not forgetting about the guards, who were now coughing up water, Alex began to move in search of Thor.

Hit, hit, hit.

The beautiful black-haired woman was now fighting three enemies at once. Using her shield as cover and counterattacking with her sword, she took turns killing her enemies. The last of her opponents was distracted from his opponent by a shield strike to the face, for which he received a proven sword strike to the eye.

Everyone is alive - looking around, the warrior saw her companions Fandral - a tall blond man who immediately after the battle began to examine himself for possible deterioration of the image and Volstagg - a man with a body, from whose face it was clear that he would not mind having a bite to eat after such a fight. Seeing that they were okay, the warrior looked that along with them, a dozen guards remained alive.

- Hahaha, that's a fight, I need to find someone else to fight with.

- Don't get excited, my bloodthirsty friend, we must first understand what is happening -

Sif was also worried about what was happening in Asgard. Having agreed and set off to find Thor, who rushed to find his girlfriend. As they got closer to the throne room, they had to fight several more times. The enemies they fought were unfamiliar to them, so they had to move with extreme caution. The higher they climbed out of the prison cell, the more enemies there were. Having joined up with the guards, they all carefully moved along the corridor, but what she saw next amazed her and all her brothers in arms.

The invaders who had previously fought them without fear of death were now running out of the corridor from the side and running at them as if a monster was chasing them. Maybe there was no monster chasing them, but the stream of water transformed into a huge shark that moved along the floor as if it was swimming. It caught up with the one lagging behind and began to bite its target, tearing it apart. Many who were running from this watery death tried to help. Laser weapons did not help much. And from gravity grenades, the shark simply restored itself to its previous size.

The invaders, seeing that the guards of Asgard were standing in front of them ready to meet them, and behind them a water monster to whom they could do nothing, the choice of where to go was obvious. After a minute, all the enemies in this corridor were killed, but a huge monster consisting of water remained. The guards wanted to attack him, but the blond of the three stopped them, as he noticed that the monster was not showing aggression towards them.

At that moment, Sif noticed a man who was simply standing and looking at them from around the corner. His clothes showed that this man was definitely not a local. Assessing the situation, Sif remembered what Thor had told her about a powerful wizard with whom he fought in Midgard against the Chitauri army. The water master himself calmly approached and stroked this monster as if he were a domestic cat. Looking at each other and realizing the tension of the situation, the shark simply spilled into a puddle of water.

- Good afternoon, gentlemen of Asgard, my name is Alexander Ledov, I am here looking for Thor, son of Odin, and I am ready to help you if you can deliver me to him. - Of course, if you asked Sif four hundred years ago that she would stand and look at a person and could not find the words, then it would not have ended with one challenge, but the fact is the fact.

- Welcome to Asgard, Alexander. Thor told us about your bravery - Fandral was always strong in negotiations and this time Sif was glad of it - but where are you from?

- Do you really want to talk about this now? - the guest expressed his point of view, paying attention to the surrounding environment.

- Indeed, then let's find Thor and help him. - Although there was no trust, now was not the time for talking.

- How you all pissed me off - the man's comment was addressed to another person and dozens more who had visited him in recent months.

The head of the Federal Security Service was already tired of receiving "guests", each of whom asked different questions, but the essence was the same: "how can you put pressure on Ledov?" a question that had a dozen solutions, but if you do any of them, the situation will become ten times worse.

Almost a year has passed since the first contact between the public and alien life forms. During this time, citizens around the world have gradually come to their senses and continued their lives. But the highest echelons of power around the world are buzzing like ants. Deals that used to last for decades were broken in a few days, but those with whom you were not ready to cooperate a week ago should become your best friend yesterday. The first such transfer of power occurred back in the tenth year, when Tony Stark showed himself to the world as an iron man.

Everyone who even slightly understood what was coming began to curry favor with the United States. Even the fact that Stark himself refused to provide the technology for creating the suit did not prevent politicians from concluding profitable deals for themselves with practically no costs. The United States began to put pressure on almost all countries that could pose a threat to them. The only thing that held them back was the large number of nuclear weapons of their opponents.

But then came the twelfth year and another redistribution of power in the world began. If earlier countries, finding a mutant, at best simply hid him from the public, then now after the demonstrated capabilities that the Russian mutant demonstrated, the role of mutants began to change for everyone. If you had the ability to be useful to your country, then they began to fight for you. Everyone understood that mutants are a nuclear bomb that can move on its own. Videos about people with superpowers began to appear all over the Internet.

It was enough for one person to show that it is possible to become successful, rich and loved by everyone without being afraid to use your powers, then everyone wanted it. Of course, not everything was so smooth, someone just wanted to achieve power with the help of these abilities. And here we come to the heart of the matter.

During the time that Ledov began to work openly, he was able to find both friends and enemies. Many of the top echelons did not like the fact that with his arrival their power diminished. After all, if earlier one of their words was law, now there is a person who can send them to hell, nothing will happen to him for this, but they themselves can end up under investigation (it is unpleasant when you are on this side). The support of some elites, if not love, then the unconditional support of the common people gave freedom of action in many matters. Of course, this was not for nothing. Ledov himself could save the country's budget billions of rubles in a couple of days. It is necessary to help an icebreaker in the Arctic, it is not difficult. Helping citizens during floods is no problem, what was the cost of helping with the wreck of an oil tanker. Of course, this was not for nothing, everything had a price. And this is not even taking into account the ability to treat patients. Therefore, raising a reputation and making money on this was possible not only for the master of water manipulation. After all, unlike the USA where Tony Stark was, they did not have such an opportunity to interact with their superhero. Even the warrior - the suit in which Tony's friend was was taken from him almost by force. So it turned out that the USA began to lose its positions, and the countries themselves began to look for ways out of unfavorable deals for them.

But what was most infuriating was that recently some hostile terrorist groups had appeared on the territory of the country, fighting all over the country, causing chaos. All forces were thrown into the fight against them. But these were not just bandits who decided to divide a few streets. The people who caused chaos were professionals, the most striking character was a soldier with an iron hand and a red star on that hand. The country had enough problems. And some politicians only cared about regaining their immunity.

- "Right now, Ledov is an asset that cannot be lost, it is very important for the country" - the attempt to calm down was interrupted when one of the deputies almost ran into the office.

- We lost Ledov - one short phrase drove the man crazy and he started swearing right in the office.

The battle in Asgard began to fade away. No one could understand what the invaders were trying to achieve. Yes, their attack was unexpected. But the forces were too unequal. As soon as the guards regrouped, the attack petered out. The king of Asgard himself, destroying dozens of enemies with his spear, inspired the soldiers.

While the remnants of the invading forces were being defeated in one part of the palace, another battle was taking place in another part.

The Dark Elf Lord Malekith had his own goal for which this entire battle was started. The only one who stood before him now and his goal was Queen Frigga. Of course, she failed to defeat Malekith, but that was not her goal.

The current goal was to save Jane Foster. Lying and bleeding, the queen knew that she had accomplished her task, if not completely. Her only regret was that she had not been able to reconcile her children, but perhaps grief for their mother could unite them.

Anger and helplessness, that's what Odin's eldest son felt now.

Realizing that the purpose of this attack was to kidnap Jane, Thor immediately rushed to search for his beloved. Of course, not only that, while he was fighting, his mother took Jane to a safer place. But he was not allowed to search, moving from one corridor to another, he dealt with his enemies with such fury as he had never fought before. Having cleared the corridor, his friends caught up with him along with someone he definitely did not expect to see here. Of course, there would be time for greetings and a feast later, now a battle awaited them.

Continuing his search, Thor could not imagine that while searching for Jane he would find his mother lying on the floor and bleeding. The face of Malekith, who was running away from them under the cover of his bodyguard, the god of thunder will remember forever.

retreat . Then he felt anger and helplessness. Anger for what Malekith had brought to Asgard, and helplessness for not being able to do anything while seeing his mother dying. That's why he didn't even realize that he was watching his comrade-in-arms sitting next to his mother and calling him.

-…or. Thor Thor. Wake up. Quickly here. - looking at Thor's empty gaze Vlex leaned down to cheer him up with a punch to the face - wake up you * do what I say

A moment of confusion from the blow and the thunder god himself seemed to wake up.

- Listen to me carefully, on my command you will send a lightning bolt into your mother-

- But but -

- Do as I f*ck told. One, two, come on. - as soon as lightning passed through Frigga's body and her heart beat a few times, which was enough for Alex to hook onto it with his abilities and artificially maintain her heartbeat while trying to heal the wound from the sword strike.

- WHAT'S GOING ON HERE - at that moment, while everyone was distracted, the king of Asgard himself entered the room, seeing his beloved lying on the floor in a pool of blood, he immediately rushed to her. But he was stopped by his own son - Thor, what happened here.

- Father. Malekith attacked mother. Now my friend is trying to help her, please don't interfere.

Having carefully examined his beloved and realizing that she could still be saved, the king of Asgard called for doctors. Giving orders to his commanders, Odin began to collect information about the battle, occasionally glancing at the Midgardian who was restoring his wife's wounded body with water. The battle may have ended, but the damage that Asgard suffered will still have to be repaired for a long time.

In one of London's cheap bars, a woman in a good business suit stood out among the local drunks. And the way she poured one drink after another into herself gave some brave souls a small hope for the possibility of a good night.

- "Damn you, Ledov, damn you, Jones, how I hate you," Elizaveta Green, throwing another glass into herself, cursed the culprits of her situation.

After Ledov's disappearance, her handler Jones informed her that she would have to take full responsibility for Russia. So she was removed from the case. Having "sent" Jones back to her mother's womb, she went to the nearest bar.

Elizabeth was lost in her thoughts again. She knew that solace in alcohol was a temporary solution. But right now it was important for her to simply disconnect from reality and forget about her problems, even for a few hours.

As she was bringing another glass, she stopped as the noise in the bar suddenly died down. Starting to look where everything was, she saw a bright beam of light in the window, which broke the usual darkness of evening London. Realizing that something extraordinary was happening, she went outside. All the people who were nearby were looking at this beam. When the light disappeared, people began to whisper in fear.

Remembering that it was no longer her problem, Green went to continue her unfinished business. Hypnotizing the glass for several minutes, she finally brought it to her mouth again. But this time, she did not pour the high-proof liquid into herself. One of the culprits of her situation entered the bar along with several other agents.

- "Green, consider yourself lucky. That conversation never happened," said a man of about forty, completely fitting the description of a special services agent.

She looked at him in bewilderment. "What do you mean?" she asked with obvious displeasure.

- Ledov is back. And he is not alone. Let's just say he didn't like that you were simply dismissed. That's why I ask you to come with me and help - the words were very difficult for the man, who was not used to asking his subordinates.

The girl looked at her boss for half a minute, drank the lonely glass and went forward without waiting for the others.

Ten minutes later, Elizaveta returned to the special control area. It had become much noisier since her last visit.

She saw Ledov who was now talking to Stark and next to them stood Thor who was holding a girl who matched the description of Jane Foster.

She tried to remain confident as she approached the group, but the alcohol she had drunk was taking its toll.

- How nice that you are with us, Agent Green - a sly smile adorned the water manipulator - I have two pieces of news for you.

- Let's start with the bad one - even though her body didn't obey her well, she had enough courage.

- London will soon become the site of a battle with a hostile alien faction.

- Is it good? - the question was voiced rather reflexively.

- We have a plan. - The girl thought about the information for about ten seconds. - WHAT? - And now it looks like the information has reached her.

Chapter Text

Standing in front of one of the business centers, a middle-aged brunette wondered whether it was worth doing what she had planned. After thinking a little more, she finally decided and took the first step toward the entrance to the building.

Having given her information at the entrance, she was escorted to the required floor. Almost immediately, the secretary let her inside. A luxuriously arranged office with well-equipped equipment and furniture was waiting for her. A blonde in a business suit was sitting at an expensively made table. Who was working with documents.

The man she saw was not the one she had planned to meet, which left her confused.

- Good afternoon, Miss Hanson. Please sit down. My name is Anna Sycheva. You were looking for a meeting, the office owner greeted her in a friendly manner.

- I thought there would be a meeting with Dr. Ice here. I don't think...

- Alexander is currently unavailable. - she tried to calm her guest down before he left the office. - At the moment, everything related to his assets goes through me. He entrusted me to develop the company while he is busy. In addition, for several days now, instead of Alexander, you have been corresponding with me - Anna took out her phone and showed this very correspondence.

Knowing that in front of her was not just some employee, Maya was still afraid to act openly with a person she was wiggling for the first time. Sighing, she decided to take this step. Taking a small folder out of her bag, she silently handed it to the owner of the office. Anna tried to absorb the information after looking through the folder for several minutes and glancing at her guest.

- What do you want for this information? - In the folder there was a very promising project that Ledov would have liked. Even if he didn't fully understand all the terms, the information was written so that it could be understood.

- I need protection and guarantees on some issues. - Realizing that there would be no way back, Maya decided to continue the conversation, despite her internal doubts.

- what you brought can change the world, why did you decide to betray your employer?

- I'll tell you everything when I talk to Alexander.

Okay, then I'll start preparing the documents and let him know that we need to hold a meeting.

While in one place business negotiations were taking place . In another place preparations for the battle were taking place. Many did not understand what was happening and two police officers who were assigned not to let anyone through.

- Steve, do you think London will become the second New York? - asked the first, taking a sip of coffee.

- I don't know Dave, but what's happening doesn't do much good. - They were put in place and told not to let anyone from the civilians through.

- and those guys in golden armor, like knights. Could it really be that Thor brought them - many saw how the beam of light passed several more times and each time more people in armor appeared.

- I hope that they won't send us to decide what everyone is gathering for.

- Well, yes, Iron Man, Thor, Aquaman (title in the works) and a bunch of other military guys and these guys are like role-players. I'd rather stand somewhere further away. - Everything that was happening was kept secret, but civilians were taken away from the possible battle zone.

- I agree that whatever is planned there will be a big mess.

The next day, several blocks of London were evacuated. There were no people in sight except for a large man in a red coat and the girl he was supporting.

- Thor seems to me to be getting worse, are you sure that Malekith will come - it was scary to look at Jane, the bruises under her eyes. Veins were visible all over her body. The ether that was in her would soon kill her completely.

- Yes. We made sure that Malekith knows that we are here. If he does not respond now, then everything he did will be pointless. Therefore, he will definitely come for you.

- I believe but I'm scared - in response the man simply hugged her, giving her warmth and confidence.

While the couple were passing the time in an embrace. A ship of dark elves flew up to them in camouflage mode. Having shown himself, Thor got into a fighting pose. He knew that they would not attack with the help of the ship's weapons, but there could be other tricks.

After watching for a couple of minutes, the invaders themselves began to descend from the ship. At the head of their delegation was Malekti himself. Seeing the enemy's face, the desire to throw a hammer at his face grew stronger with each passing second.

- And here we are, you do not want to give her to us, but are ready to sacrifice all the worlds just to let her live a little longer. - Malekith stood on the dais, his voice confident and menacing, as if he were not just a leader, but the very essence of darkness. His followers gathered around him, their eyes burning with greed and hatred. They awaited his command, ready to fulfill his every desire.

- Yes, I am ready to do it, but if you think that you can take over worlds with this power, you are deeply mistaken. - Thor was holding the hammer threateningly all this time, hinting at how exactly it would interfere - I propose a deal: you take the ether, and then I will kick your ass.

- How vulgar, I expected more from the prince of Asgard, but I agree to take the ether for this. Kill him. - At that moment, Malekith's soldiers attacked Thor. Malekith himself went to the girl.

The fear on her face pleased the leader of the dark elves. While Thor was fighting off the attack, he decided not to stand on ceremony and snatch the ether. Jane's scream was heard throughout the area. Thor, who had sent the elf flying with his hammer, looked at Jane and paid for it with several blows.

Hahahahaha - Jane's body fell limply to the ground and Malekith did not hesitate and began to absorb the ether.

Seeing Jane's body lying on the ground and not moving, Thor did not hesitate and flew away from the meeting place, taking the former vessel of ether.

Having flown several hundred meters, the couple simply disappeared. But in place of the king of the dark elves, an explosion appeared.

In a remote place from the earth stood a small group of people. Tony Stark in his battle armor, Alex with several doctors and equipment for receiving patients and Fendral with several guardians of Asgard. They all waited for Thor to do his part of the job. At the moment, all nine worlds had rifts that allowed you to move between them as if you were entering another command.

- Commander, order to kill the goats - the frivolous attitude towards the ongoing actions was stressful for everyone except Alex.

Thanks to his equipment, he was able to see what was happening on the other side of the fault and understand when to expect the bait.

- and here is Superman together with Lois - Thor himself without thinking put his girlfriend on the couch where Alex immediately took hold of her and several doctors assisted him. Thor himself did not take his eyes off.

Big guy, don't get distracted, we're acting according to plan - after all, Tony has some kind of core - trust Alex, he helped your mother and will help her.

- Thor, don't look at me like that. She'll be fine, she's just in pain shock. I'll restore her a little and hand her over to Fandrel.

- Thank you, friend - Thor exhaled heavily and cheered up - I am in your debt.

- then start by making them regret that they even thought of attacking your house - Looking at Tony, Thor turned his gaze to Fendrel, receiving a nod and from him Thor went through the rift to the battle.

If you look at the sensors of Iron Man, you can see a map of London on it, where there were many green and red dots. With some manipulations in some places on the map, there were more red dots, which allowed the green dots to be in the majority.

- Dear warrior, please explain to me what is happening, because Thor was not stingy with explanations after I became the guardian of his lady.

Stark looked at the curious Asgardian and ate a map of London with many dots.

- After I got access to the research on the rifts and a little help from Jane, we were able to create equipment that can be used to manipulate these rifts. - After doing a couple more manipulations, the number of marks changed, in some places there were more red ones, in others there were fewer - thanks to this, I am now separating the soldiers of this Malekith so that our people can deal with him with fewer losses.

- What is this? - Fandral pointed to the new red dots that appeared in the sky.

- And these look like new guests - after examining the camera it was visible as several dozen spaceships enter the airspace of the earth - roadie, I'm sending you the coordinates. Hey, water one, are you there for long?

- A couple of minutes, don't rush me - Tony wanted to join the battle, but according to the plan, he was waiting for Alex to be free and they would go to help together.

If a British military officer had been told a week ago that he would be fighting aliens, he would not have believed it.

Of course the battle in New York showed that we are not alone in the universe. But it was already as if it was a little forgotten. But now firing at creatures not from this planet. He feared for his future.

Command put them all in their places and said that the battle would begin at any moment. Sitting for half a day in some jungle, a second later he found himself back in London and a shootout began.

Many of his comrades had already been killed. The aliens' weapons pierced any armor that the British soldier was wearing. Some were less fortunate when they were captured by some gravity grenades . Watching his friends turn into minced meat only caused anger and a desire to shoot everyone. The warriors in golden armor sent from another world fought well and with the help of their shields covered the earthlings as best they could.

Now, sitting behind the wall, several people were preparing for the final attack before they were called upon.

But suddenly the enemies who were pressing them simply disappeared. All participants were briefly explained what it was. But to see how people could simply appear and disappear was like magic for many. This gave time to regroup to another position. Moving, he looked at the sky and saw ten more small ships, each of which was like a pile of iron trash that somehow managed to fly. Realizing that reinforcements had arrived for the enemy, the only thing he could do was move towards his own.

Ten small frigates of various space riffraff appeared within range of the destroyers.

Having received the order, a squadron of ten units that circled around the city headed towards the unidentified objects that entered the atmosphere. The order was simple: destroy them all. If possible, do it outside the city.

Trying to intercept, the pilots fired the first salvo. Missiles launched at the alien ships hit only two of them, one of which took a hit on the energy shield. But even a direct hit on the spacecraft did not give much result, the ship itself was able to continue the battle. Such a number of misses was due to superior weapons and good maneuverability of the ships themselves. Half of the pirate fleet that entered space went to intercept the British Air Force, the rest went to the ground. Realizing that the battle would not end quickly, the pilots requested support. Due to less maneuverability, the hunters became victims and they began to pursue. The warrior joined the chase. Using a salvo of missiles from his shoulder, he could hit the vulnerable points of one of the ships. Which began to fall rapidly after such a blow. The small size of the warrior helped him avoid many attacks and allowed him to set the battle. By drawing attention to himself, the warrior could free the fighter pilots who began to go into a new circle to give another salvo. In 10 minutes of battle, only four fighters against three ships remained alive. Missiles did not penetrate shields very well. Fortunately for the defenders, one pirate captain did not consider all this disadvantageous, so he left the space and flew into space. Continuation of the battle could have cost the lives of all the pilots and even the warrior who was clad in excellent armor. Having received a signal from the command, all the remaining fighters in the sky began to leave the combat zone, because in a few seconds the sky over London was painted with dozens of explosions of air defense missiles of varying strength. The damage that was inflicted on all the pirates remaining in the battle was fatal. The power of the shields could not withstand and therefore many fragments fell on the streets of London.

After handing Jane over to Fandral's care, Alex left the rift where they had been hiding all this time. There was no battle where they came out, but gunshots were clearly heard everywhere.

- We need to hold out for another 5 minutes and then that Snow White won't be so dangerous -

- Tony here is the Hudson River I can help those who are here and you check those ships that flew to the city -

- Okay, take care of yourself, icicle –

Alex sighed heavily and wanted to come up with a clever answer, but he had more important things to do. Getting to the river was not difficult. In this area, the problem was caused by a large T-shaped spaceship. The weapons were powerful. And even though it was hanging in one place, it did not reduce the danger.

When he reached the river, he began to concentrate. The dirty river, which seemed lifeless and useless, suddenly came to life. The water began to rise, turning into a powerful tsunami, which hung over the river, as if ready to strike.

The sounds of battle died down for a moment as a huge wave caught the attention of all involved. Some fighters and invaders stopped to watch this natural wonder. In some areas, the battle stopped completely as all eyes were drawn to the water element hanging over the city.

- Show-off -

Alex ignored the voice in his earpiece, but felt his body tense. He began to slowly direct the flow of water through the streets and squares. The wave moved with incredible force, passing through crowds of enemies and destroying everything in its path. Many earthlings tried to hide or run away, but the flow of water passed them by - it was as controlled and precise as it was possible for a person to control such a scale for the first time.

It was incredibly difficult to control such a mass of water, especially for a novice on such a scale. Alex felt his muscles tense, his mind struggling to control every movement of the flow.

Eventually, the tsunami swept across the entire area, sweeping away the enemies and destroying their fortifications.

- Doctor Ledov time the process of convergence passed the line. –

- Thanks, Jarvis. All that's left to do is deal with the main bastard.

Everyone who was directly or indirectly preparing for the battle tried to make sure that all events took place in a certain place so as not to affect the local population. Even after informing the city authorities about the imminent alien attack, the city authorities treated everything with skepticism. Civilians suffered for this. Information about the attack was not widely spread among citizens and ordinary law enforcement officers, so when space pirates began to land on the streets of the city, this quickly caused panic. Of course, the ships were just pirate rabble that could quickly assemble a malekith. Their only goal was to sow chaos while their employer did his job. And even though there were armed people on combat alert all over the city, they were not prepared for the fact that a ship could land in the middle of the street and a battle in the middle of the city would begin. Civilians were forbidden to leave their homes on this day. Therefore, there were not very many victims among the civilian population.

Steve and Dave were standing and driving people away from the closed territory yesterday, and today they were shooting at space pirates on the city streets.

- but someone suggested dismantling the armory so that everyone would be armed - Steve decided to reload while hiding behind a column.

- "You won't get anything because there won't be anything" - Dave was clearly quoting one of their bosses quite well, considering how this phrase caused irritation.

The situation in this area was not rosy: having a more quantitative and qualitative advantage, the pirates suppressed one policeman after another.

Many of the aliens were humanoid in shape, so fighting them was like fighting a regular shootout with painted clowns.

- FLARE GUN - Seeing how one of these pirates took out a bigger weapon, Steve did not hesitate and warned his own.

The plasma charge that hit the column caused an explosion that concussed everyone. And Steve himself was pushed by something.

When Steve came to, he discovered that he was covered by a man with whom he had spent most of his time for several years.

Dave - he shook him a little - Dave. Dave. DAVE. BITCHES. I'LL KILL YOU. - the rage simply overwhelmed him, from which he thoughtlessly began to shoot at the intruders.

Of course, it didn't bring any results. The cartridges ran out earlier. And now he is the only one left on this street, several of his comrades are lying wounded and waiting for help that may not arrive in time.

But the music from above distracted the robbers from ending his life. As if death itself, the iron man descended from the sky. Beam weapon mini rockets or just a blow from a power suit. One minute and those who could not resist the guards of order were destroyed by one superhero from the ground.

- help will come to you soon, help them as much as you can, but I have to go, there are still many Martians on earth -

Steve himself simply watched silently as Iron Man flew away from him.

Thor stood in front of Malekith with his hammer in his hands and his enemy on his knees. The blood that flowed down his body did not bother the god of thunder.

- This is what your thirst for power has led to. The last survivors who followed you are now dead. Most likely, you are the last survivor -

The battle was much harder for Thor. He had never had such an enemy before. The chase across several worlds, the damage from the red ether storm took its toll.

- No... you can't whitewash me. YOU WILL ALL DIE...

In a last desperate attack, Malekith tried to release all the power of the Aether in order to take as much as possible with him. Thor tried to stop Malekith from doing this, but the blast wave threw Thor back. But a second later, there was nothing in Malekith's place.

- How are you there, Superman? Are you alive? - The scarlet metal armor landed next to the thunder god.

- he is not defeated yet we must finish

Wait, wait - Tony managed to stop Thor, turned to the place where Malekith was and a small rocket flew out of his shoulder and disappeared into the rift - if after this he survives, then your father will finish the job.

My king the battle is over - Heimdall stood and watched the battle all this time. The king of Asgard with his guards were waiting nearby and he kept them informed of the main events.

- And Malekith? - Heimdall found Malekith in his own world with his sight. He was terribly wounded. The great explosion that the knight in scarlet armor caused had dealt terrible damage to the elven lord, but had not killed him.

- He is wounded, but not killed, my king.

Then launch the beaver and destroy it, then we'll go get the ether.

- it will be done - Heimdal immediately began to carry out the order and the bivrest engine came to life again.

Chapter Text

- The world is in panic, a new invasion... -

Click

- During the battle in London the damage was done….

Click

- I call for this mutant to be punished for his actions with our landmark...

Click

There was no need to listen to this any further, so Nick Fury turned off the TV and turned his gaze to his only agent in the room, who was standing and waiting for orders.

- Looks like the Avengers saved the world again –

Fatigue was clearly visible in the eyes of the shield director. Every day there was some kind of devilry that made the spy's brain work despite the fact that he learned a lot simply from reports.

- You planned it that way and now your plan is working –

The shield director looked at his subordinate with his one good eye and handed him the folder.

- Agent Romanov, how well do you know Ledov?

Before answering, the agent opens the folder and sees the shield's dossier on the voiced object.

- It depends on what the purpose is – the short professional answer did not surprise the director of the shield

- During the time that Ledov became known to the world, he began to act to expand his influence. The city where he settled was practically bought, considering how much money is spent on development. He is building a whole complex of buildings. He works with media services. He even broadcast several times, where he communicated with people. He donates a lot of money to charity. At the same time, he is a monopolist of services that no one else can provide. -

All this time Natasha just sat and calmly listened to her boss; the dossier had not changed since the last time she read it.

- He is gaining strength and this gives the Russians a lot of maneuvers in the political arena, the higher-ups don't like this, but they are already putting pressure on me, although the fucking assholes themselves can't really do anything.

- What do you want from me?

Fury's face remained calm, but his eyes were deeply thoughtful. He spoke slowly:

- Ledov is no longer just a mutant, but a strategic player. His influence is growing, and he is using his popularity and money to expand his control. This poses a threat not only at the local level, but also on the international stage.

He paused, then added:

— We need to understand his true goals. If he is acting for power or influence, that is one story. But if there is something more behind it, we must be prepared for the worst.

Agent Romanoff carefully closed the folder and looked at her boss:

- And what do you suggest? We have several options: try to negotiate with him, or prepare a neutralization operation. But both options require precise data and very careful actions.

Fury nodded:

"I want to find out his plans and understand how dangerous he is to us. So far, he seems more interested in strengthening his position than in open conflict. But that could change at any moment.

He looked up at Natasha:

- You will do this. Use all your contacts and resources. We need to know everything - from his financial flows to his connections with politicians.

- But why me? - Natasha looked at Fury , her face remained calm, but in her eyes there was a slight note of bewilderment and question. Fury slowly turned to her, his gaze was penetrating and calm.

— Because you are one of the few who already knows Ledov. You have already dealt with him directly, you can better understand his motivations and weaknesses. Your knowledge and experience are our main trump card in this game. In addition, you know how to act discreetly and effectively — exactly what we need now.

He paused, then added:

- I trust you. And I know that you will cope better than anyone. It is important for us to understand what his ultimate goals are, and for this we need a person who knows his language and style of behavior.

Natasha sighed, softening a little:

- Okay. Then I'll take care of it. But I want to know: what will happen if he finds out about our intentions?

Fury replied calmly:

- Then we will have to act very carefully. But while he does not suspect our plans, we have a chance to get the necessary information without unnecessary risks.

- What about Steve? I'm his supervisor now.

Fury waved his hand casually - I'll assign another agent to Rogers. Right now it's more important to understand Ledov's plans and you're the only one I can send to him who can get something useful.

- Okay sir, the order is clear. Permission to carry it out?

- I give permission, Agent Romanov .

With one of his best agents gone, Fury could only hope it didn't cause any conflict that would hit America in the future.

Sunshine, a quiet lake and some sand. What could be better to spend a day away from everyone? Helping the wounded, working with the press. Russian secret services, who tried to get me out of London faster. It was worth dividing up several spaceships between countries. The British wanted to take everything for themselves as victims, but there was just a little pressure and out of the five that survived the battle, they got only one. Of course, they didn't like it, but they couldn't do anything.

After returning and checking the current projects, it was decided to take a short vacation for myself, where there were fewer people, in order to relax and put my thoughts in order.

The house for living was specially chosen and built on the shore of the lake. Such a place was chosen specifically to always be fully armed, but at the same time it does not prevent sometimes having a good time in the sun. But even just lounging was not the purpose of this vacation. The book that was in his hands now was much more important than many textbooks, it was a gift from an extraterrestrial queen. When the conflict with the elves ended, many problems were solved and the flow of wounded ended. Thor came up and began to ask and be interested in what he could repay for helping his people. Of course, the first thought was to tell Thor that some kind of alien weapon like his hammer was needed, but such thoughts had to be suppressed, it was necessary to maintain good relations with the future king and such requests could spoil the impressions, and the ships that were transported could give a big leap in technological development, so Thor heard a refusal of his offer, which prompted the prince of Asgard to insist on his offer even more strongly. Of course, in the end the prince insisted on his own, of course my thoughts did not fail me and Thor began to express options for weapons or treasures, but to receive a request for books was a little shock for him, of course this made him think and even not knowing how to approach this reward, he turned to his mother for help who was able to help and reward his savior and solve the problem of his son. One of the books was a textbook on all languages with some notes to simplify the study. It was funny to watch the reaction of the guards when Sif appeared from the beam not far from the house and handed over several books and went back, oh how much noise it raised. It is one thing when there are military actions and Asgard uses bivrest for tactical maneuvers, another when aliens just come and give gifts to a citizen from the ruling family. Therefore, everyone who began to call and gently ask what it was all about was sent on a long journey using diplomatic language.

Time seemed to fly by while studying such important gifts. It was in this state that the guard post reported the arrival of a shield agent. Having realized who it was, it was clear that even one day to spend for oneself was too much.

- Good afternoon Natasha, it's a pleasure to meet you again. - It would be rude to continue reading when such a woman visited you, so when Natasha was escorted, the book was put aside and the spy herself was warmly greeted . Having glanced at her guest, it was difficult to tear your eyes away: leather boots, jeans that hugged her athletic legs. A leather jacket and a dark T-shirt. Fiery red hair framed her beautiful face. - Although meeting you is not a surprise, it is still pleasant.

- Hello, - Natasha greeted happily, sitting down on the chair that was brought and placed next to her, - am I disturbing you?

- It depends on why you came.

- Well, we haven't seen each other for a long time, so I decided to check on you.

- You know, you have very good qualities. But lying... Oh, no, you can lie very well too. - the voice sounded soft, but with a hint of irony. - As much as I would like to spend the company of a woman like you. We both know that this is not true. Therefore, I would like to quickly resolve our affairs, and then we can unwind.

Leaning back and taking a bottle of soda from the ice cube next to her, Natasha didn't even try to hide her goals. "Why don't you want to believe that I just came to visit you?"

- because Fury sent you to spy on me - leaning back in his chair and continuing to look straight into her eyes. - I know that your task is my re-recruitment , but unfortunately your mission will fail.

- Do you mind if I find out why? - Natasha sat and sipped her drink, it was unclear on her face whether it was important for her to talk about anything at all or whether she was simply enjoying the view of the lake.

- For me to want to re-enlist , it must be profitable for me, but as far as I know, your management cannot offer me anything useful. - oh, that female look "really" - well, look, here I can afford almost everything, but if I'm in America , they'll immediately take me into circulation, if they don't put me on the table purely for the sake of scientific interest.

- What an interesting fantasy you have. But I think you're exaggerating. Nothing happened to me.

- Well, there are several reasons for that. The first is your espionage skills, which this black pirate likes. And secondly... even though you were injected with serums to improve your body, you are not a mutant, so there is little point in gutting you on the table.

The mask on Natasha's face disappeared for literally a second, which made it clear that such a possibility existed.

- But since you were sent to join my circle, you will have to earn it by doing what I say.

- And what will I have to do? - a little coquetry was added to her voice.

It was difficult to resist, so moving a little closer to her, the words were spoken with the most obvious subtext in her ear - Whatever I want.

Natasha still didn't fully understand what to expect from this task.

After the battle in London, the world began to stir again. Aliens in spaceships, holes in the sky, constant unexplained phenomena gave a new surge of anxiety among all echelons of power. Fortunately, thanks to the avengers and the military, the earthlings got off with little bloodshed - several thousand people dead.

This time, the focus was on Thor, Tony and Alex. If the first disappeared after the battle, then the others were busy. Stark was confiscating spaceships while Ledov himself was helping the wounded. Although Natasha herself did not take part in this, she kept her finger on the pulse and studied the reports.

Of course, working for Ledov won't be like working for Stark, if she had to work undercover hiding her identity , then Ledov already knew who she was. So a different approach is needed.

Much has changed since their last meeting. If earlier Ledov was just a mutant with certain connections, now he is becoming more and more involved in global politics every day. With the reports of the shield, almost an entire city begins to live at his personal expense. He is also gathering his own personal army, although according to all documents it is simply a security service. The shield, sorting out the personal files of these employees, revealed that all of them are former military personnel and all of them have relatives who once passed through Ledov's hands, this showed that it will cost a lot to find an informant among these people, and the information itself cannot be trusted very much.

Of course, Natasha wasn't particularly worried about these people. The most important goal was to gain Alex's trust. The most obvious way to do this would be through bed. But there are several nuances here.

Firstly, Alex himself only has to wave and any women will spread out around him. Which was proven by the agents who followed him. They recorded how different women of model appearance arrived and left at different times and it is unlikely that they were business partners.

Secondly, this method worked well when her target did not know about her. Even if it worked, the information she would receive would be much less than under other circumstances.

Therefore, she had to become useful to him. But knowing that she was here to spy on him, he wouldn't let her in on anything important. And if she started sniffing around secretly, she would quickly end up at the bottom of the lake. Natasha understood that no matter how Alex treated her, spying or sabotaging would end badly for her.

all this over as they walked from the lake shore to the house. Entering a large living room, where in the center of the room stood several sofas, and between them a coffee table. On one of the walls hung a large TV where a video series was playing with a young girl in glasses with long brown hair tied in a ponytail who was throwing a basketball into the hoop.

Moving her eyes from the screen, she looked at Alex , who sat down on one of the sofas like he owned the place, indicating for her to sit on the other. On the table next to where she sat there were several folders with documents.

- And what do you plan to do to win my favor?

- I could help resolve the issue with the groups that are causing unrest throughout the country - Natasha received messages that one of those she once met, nicknamed "the winter soldier", showed up in the country and it would be a good idea to kill two birds with one stone.

- You don't have to worry about them. They're just two gangs who didn't share the street. Of course, you'll take part in this, but not in the position you might think. But before we begin, I want you to know that everything you learn today must not leave you without my permission.

- And what is this secrecy?

- You know, Natasha , when you arrived in Russia, I wasn't entirely sure why you were here, but I prepared myself anyway. You are a woman with many talents. You have already discovered some, and some you haven't. But our work together would be more useful if you finished with the shield and started working for me.

Such statements did not surprise the former Russian spy - many wanted to get her into their service, but by working for the shield she believed that she could at least partially erase her past, and she had too many enemies not to have protection, and who could provide more protection than the American spy agency.

-And why should I do this?

Alex simply nodded at one of the folders. Opening it, she was not surprised by its personal file. In this file there was a lot about her past, about her biological and adopted parents, about her younger sister. past in the red room, many of her cases in the shield. Of course, it was not everything , but a lot. Having finished studying, she looked at Alex.

- As you can see, I didn't sit idle and also got to know you better. - Having finished studying, she looked at her interlocutor, not fully understanding what he meant.

- Now you know that I can collect a lot of information, open another folder.

Looking at him suspiciously, Natasha carefully opened another folder, and her gaze immediately stopped on a photograph that turned out to be very familiar. A young girl of about twenty years old with light hair and expressive eyes was looking at her, Natasha immediately realized that it was Elena Belova, her sister. Not paying attention to what was happening around her, she began to study this folder in detail, various information and photos confirmed that her sister, whom she had lost, was alive.

- Where did you get this?

While Natasha was studying the case, Alex took out a tray with a bottle of vodka and several glasses, and lemon wedges.

- Before we begin, what do you know about the red room?

Of course, the conversation with Natasha was not easy. The spy herself did not know much about the red room. As a person undergoing training, she was not told anything except about her goals. Therefore, after the transition to the shield and the "murder of General Dreykov ", the leader of the project, she decided to discard this stage of her life.

It was personal for her, so she didn't really share the information. So I had to tell her part of my erased biography. That after the disaster with my parents in the hospital, I was diagnosed with a mutant genome, although little was known about it at that time. This information came to Dreykov . Of course, he didn't throw away potential opportunities. Several years of study and training revealed many talents, including a talent for healing. Of course, the general tried to brainwash him so that he could control such a resource, but after the death of several dozen of his scientists who died even when they put their test subject under anesthesia, he stopped this and offered a deal. His desire was due to the fact that at that moment Natasha decided to visit him and after the explosion, his daughter was very badly injured, which pushed Dreykov to do this. After several weeks of work, no one could say that the mutant in the service did not make enough attempts to bring the little girl back to normal life. Dreykov's little daughter was injured not only physically but also mentally. It took a lot of work, but she could not be completely cured. The external wounds were not so difficult to remove, but she would always remain a little girl in her growing body. Watching his little daughter having fun in his arms again, Dreykov kept his promise and released his captive, of course, not just like that and they periodically kept in touch.

The news that Dreykov was alive, and the red room was alive with him. That her sister was now working for the general under suggestion really pissed Natasha off. Holding the gun pointed at me, she tried to find out more information, but it didn't make an impression, it only caused a grin. After holding the gun pointed at me for a minute, Natasha lowered it, took a few sips straight from the bottle. And made a decisive offer "give me back my sister and do with me whatever you want."

Of course, there is no point in rushing things in such matters, so the best course of action was to send her to a room to think a little about everything she had learned. Of course, after checking that there was no connection in that room.

Right now I'm sitting and thinking about how best to use the talents of a fatal beauty for my own benefit until I was distracted by a voice from the screen

- What's so special about her that all the men fuss over her? - the young girl who used to throw the ball into the hoop now looked at the owner of the house with a displeased face, which only caused a fit of laughter.

- You already know many of her talents, you're just jealous of her appearance Yumiko - the girl of Asian descent did not answer, but simply turned her head to the side with displeasure, which made it even more funny - you better tell me what is known about our "patriot" now?

Silently and discontentedly, but the girl on the screen simply waved her hand and the image itself changed. The screen now showed a recording of a man in a suit similar to Captain America, only in the tricolor of the Russian flag. Using a shield and a pistol, he gets to one of the armed men and simply throws him into the wall. The recording itself was made from a phone in the city where clashes between the groups had broken out again. The guard himself was covered by a detachment of soldiers in modern uniforms. In ten minutes, with the help of the superior force of the guard, both groups were neutralized.

- Are you sure he will do what you say? I think he is enjoying his power - the voice of the girl Yumiko was already heard from the speaker of the phone.

- Let him rejoice, these are his enemies for now, it will be interesting to see how he will calm mutants with different abilities. Besides, he needs to build up a reputation. Otherwise, it turns out somehow ugly that America has its own super soldier, and why are we worse?

Chapter Text

A few months before the events in London:
Sitting in the helicopter, Alex watched as it landed on the helipad of one of the most strictly guarded prisons in Russia for people who were sentenced to life imprisonment, which was built back in the Soviet Union. The mountainous terrain in which the prison was located did not allow prisoners to even plan an escape, since it would be impossible to escape without outside help.
When the helicopter landed, Alex left the cabin and a welcoming officer came out to meet him. The warden was asked to provide all possible assistance for Alex , but it seemed he didn't really want to do it, so he sent one of his deputies instead.
- Doctor Ledov, allow me to introduce myself, Captain Gavrilin, today I am here to help you in your case. - the already middle-aged man introduced himself.
Did the captain bring you up to speed?
- Yes sir, you are here to meet with prisoner Shestakov.
- Okay then, let's not waste time, lead me.
The captain did not hesitate and led him to the right zone. After passing several floors, they reached the general Zone, where the prisoners were now. The captain offered to take Shestakov to a special room for interrogation, but Alex refused and simply walked forward.
A loud door opening signal informed all prisoners that the passage was open. Many prisoners paid attention to the person who entered. A young man in a good suit stood out against the general background, which attracted everyone's attention. Having looked around, he went to the person he needed who was sitting at a table surrounded by several other prisoners.
There were whispers all over the hall about who it could be. Since there was no security to move around the hall, some individuals went along with it to check their guest for lice, even if they knew that they could get hurt by the guards later. Of course, the check quickly ended when the water from the glass flew out and turned into an ice shard that went into the eye of one of the thugs. The fall of this thug on the floor attracted everyone's attention, and the fact that the guards did not react to such actions calmed everyone down and freed the passage to their target.
A man in his forties with a good build for a man who had spent more than fifteen years in prison. With a flowing beard, many tattoos all over his body and a strong gaze, he looked at the approaching guest with a searching and even slightly challenging look.
- Good afternoon, Mr. Shestakov, my name is Alexander Ledov. I am here to talk to you and offer you a job if you pass the interview. - The former red guard looked at Alex seriously, and then looked at the corpse he left lying on the floor.
- What exactly do you want, Mr. Ledov? - this was said more with mockery than with respect, Shestakov understood that playing with such a person was dangerous, but he had nothing to lose and here was such entertainment.
- I need information and your skills that can be useful to the country.
- HAHAHA, look around - the prisoner showed his surroundings with sweeping movements - this is where working for the government brought me. I ended up here in this hole. And now you, young suit, want something. What can you offer me?
- I can offer you everything you lost and even more. - a calm and confident voice made the former guard calm down and think, and at that moment a photograph appeared in front of him.
This photo showed Steve Rogers in the Captain America costume.
- Here's a quick reference. Captain America, the likeness of which you are, is alive now. He is becoming the new symbol of America. Of course , their scientists cannot yet reproduce the super soldier serum, but who knows, maybe at some point they will succeed.
- So I'm needed only as a counterweight. And if he hadn't appeared, I would have stayed here. Well then, I'd rather stay here, and you give your jacket to your superiors that you won't be able to use me. - Having finished his speech, Alexey was about to get up and end the conversation.
- Before you go, I want to clarify. I do not work for the government and am here on my own initiative. Up there, no one cares about you and what you do, but you can be useful, and I have something else for you.
Two more photographs appeared in front of Alexey. One was of Natasha when one of the reporters managed to get a full-length photo of her, the other was of Elena, who was captured by one of the surveillance cameras.
No one could call Alexey a decent family man, but he was able to recognize two grown-up little girls.
- And what does that mean? - the guard's look said that he didn't care about the consequences and he could pounce on his interlocutor no matter what the result would be.
- It means that if you do what I say, I can make sure that the next time you meet them, they won't kill you, and if you're lucky, maybe you'll be able to go to a bar and pour out your soul to them. How's that for a deal?
Alexey looked at the photographs in front of him for a long time. The two little girls he tried to be a father to have now grown up and become beauties, and judging by the photographs, they certainly did not go on to live a quiet civilian life, which is partly his fault.
- You can really do what you say - Alexey's whole demeanor instantly changed from confident to excited, thoughts of family reunification and many missed opportunities flooded his mind.
- Here everything depends not only on me, a lot will depend on you too - there was not much time to watch the former super soldier think, so it was decided to push him - unfortunately I do not have time to tell about all the pros and cons of our future work, so we will do it this way. The next two minutes after I leave, the guards will not touch you, you can follow me or stay here, it is up to you.
After which Alex stood up and calmly went straight to the exit. Alexey Shestakov himself , realizing that the moment he had thought about a lot earlier while sitting in prison could run away, went after him.
Alexey, hastily following, left the photographs on the table , to which other prisoners quickly began to gather.
- Uhhhhh what birds today I'm bukhpvro - before one of them even had time to touch the photos, Alexey simply connected his face to the table of this person. After which he took the photos and quickly went out.
****
A week later, tests were being conducted in one of the laboratories that was under Alex's control. Alex ran, jumped, moved heavy things. Many of these actions were connected not only to check how much stronger he was than an ordinary person thanks to the serum, but also to get him into shape. Over the course of several decades, Alex had lost most of his shape. But thanks to the serum and following all the doctors' rules, the belly he walked with had already begun to noticeably decrease, and muscles began to appear on his arms.
Of course, getting back into shape is important, but to make a competitor to Steve, Alexey also needed to get his thoughts in order. During the helicopter flight, they discussed what exactly would happen and the Soviet super didn't like much of it. On the first day of working with a psychologist, he had a breakdown and the doctors who were talking to him were able to save him at the last moment by snatching him from the super soldier's hands. After that, the measures were tightened.
Work was also done on everyday life skills. It was necessary to renew his knowledge of history, new weapons that had appeared recently, the political situation, new military tactics. Taking him to some films or just walking around the city was also useful, so that he understood that he had not exchanged one prison for another.
All this had to be done against the backdrop of news of constant fighting between factions on the country's territory, which only encouraged the guard to put on a suit and go into battle, or sometimes even without a suit.
- Let me go to the field, I'll roll over them like a steamroller, and they won't even understand what hit them - of course, Alexey watched the news, and they couldn't ignore the fighting in the country, so having gotten himself into shape a little, he thought that he could already start doing what he was pulled out of prison for.
- Alexey, calm down - the conversation took place in the gym of the laboratory where Shestakov was hitting a specially weighted punching bag - I understand everything, but you are not ready, now you need to bring your mind into at least a semblance of order. No matter how much you want to, you will not be able to help everyone. But the way you show yourself can change the situation much more. Look at me, I do not run after criminals every day, but as soon as I appear somewhere, all conflicts cease, because they understand that I am not the police and will not arrest, a small compaction of water and a stream of water works no worse than a saw.
Of course, many people didn't like this characteristic. But it was very helpful when Alex had to participate in battles against firearms. Once, when there was a call to help free a ship from pirates, those who came to accept the ship after the water manipulator were shocked by the bloody massacre that took place on the ship. Of course, this got into the media, but no one was too worried about it as long as they were pirates or criminals. But these same pirates or criminals remembered what could happen to them.
When the former red guard calmed down, Alex, considering his mission accomplished, decided to leave. But before leaving, he left some last instructions.
- Your eldest daughter is working with Captain America now. When you appear in her field of vision, she will have someone to compare you to, so you must be better than him in everything.
****
Alex was preparing equipment to conduct a stream for the audience and since there was an opportunity to attract a sex symbol for a decent part of the planet's population who was now in his house, then such an opportunity could not be refused.
Alex was in one of the rooms of his house that had been re-equipped specifically for this. The most sophisticated holographic technology allowed him to do unimaginable things with its computing power, and Yumiko helped with the processing, and all of this was delivered from Stark Industries .
Streaming was never Alex's plan, but it is a good way to work with an audience to build his name and present an opinion that can influence the masses.
Of course, it's not that simple, but this kind of interaction with the audience has a positive effect on presenting the characters as ordinary people with their own dreams and problems.
Recently, all sorts of heroes have started to appear all over the world. Some of them were mutants and thanks to their abilities they helped the residents of their cities. One of the broadcasts touched on the issue that these people could be dangerous and no one knows who they are , considering that they have all sorts of masks.
"such abilities that appear in people will excite the public for a long time. And not all of these people will be happy to know that such people live next to them. It is good when there are those who want to help the people around them, but it is better to do this together with the authorities, so I ask all those who decided to engage in such activities to try to contact the local authorities and try to find a compromise. This will at least be useful in that you will not be declared an outlaw and will not start shooting as soon as you are discovered.
After waiting a bit, he added: “And for those who decide to use their abilities for personal gain or criminal purposes, know this: for your bad behavior, the Hulk will come for you.”
These statements caused a storm in society: after some time, news channels began to show footage of people in masks who worked with the police and rescue services. Discussion of the issues of responsibility and safety of heroes became one of the main topics in the media and public debate.
Such broadcasts had their use in order to be able to smooth things over between supers and ordinary people, and the next broadcast also had its purpose.
Almost finished with the setup, his future companion Natasha came into the room and spent several hours separately getting herself and her thoughts in order.
- There you are, we still haven't discussed what needs to be done. - stretching, the black T-shirt she was wearing stretched out on her, showing her athletic figure that was mesmerizing to the eye.
- Of course, we'll start right now. The first task will be to earn a few million and kill a few dozen people - Natasha's raised eyebrow demanded an explanation.
Without giving time for explanations, Alexander started the broadcast.
- Good day to all. - Deciding not to waste time, Alex called Natasha and continued - I know that you are all already waiting for what we will do today, but before we begin I want you to greet our guest today. This is a woman athlete, Komsomol member and simply a beauty Natasha Romanov .
At that moment Natasha appeared in the frame and the whole audience exploded. Alex himself did not read the comments because there were too many people and there was no opportunity to view them, so he just left everything as it was and occasionally glanced at the chat.
Natasha was not prepared for such a confession, but thanks to her preparation, she did not lose her head and greeted everyone on camera with a charming smile. She saw the statistics of people who were connected to this broadcast and was amazed at how many people were now sitting and watching the two of them and with each passing minute the number of viewers was increasing.
- I know that Natasha is our interrogation specialist, but today we will interrogate her together. You know how to ask questions. I want to remind you that all donations that come here go to charity, so don't worry, your money will go to a good cause. - Of course, due to the large number of people who wanted to talk to the avengers, we had to raise the bar higher, but on some broadcasts, other streamers collected money so that a question could be asked collectively. - I also want to say that we have our own secrets and some signed documents, so we will not be able to answer some questions, so we ask for understanding and forgiveness.
Thanks to the help of Tony and Jarvis, the broadcast that was being conducted was translated into many languages very quickly, which allowed people around the world to understand what the conversation was about. And the conversation was conducted on various topics, almost all of them were addressed to today's guest. There were very different questions, starting from the date of birth, ending with favorite poses or a request to reveal some state secret. Although Natasha herself did not show it , she was clearly shocked by the people who wrote such questions.
- Well, that's how it happened. I'm sitting on a chair tied up. This general was interrogating me, and then one of his subordinates gets a call - this "interrogation" has been going on for almost an hour now. I gave many answers to questions, and to many she simply smiled sweetly into the camera and was silent - they tell me that I'm urgently needed in another place, so I had to quickly finish with him and his guys and go on the next mission.
- Wait, wait, that is, what kind of fruits you like is secret information, but this mission does not fall into this section - of course, the question about fruits was one of the most innocent that were voiced.
- At the moment, this is not secret information, but what I like is tangerines or - a small play of the eyes and a change of intonation for the audience - bananas, of course, is secret information.
- Okay , I think we'll finish the interview for today, but we have a sequel. Natasha, how well do you rate yourself as a killer?
Such questions are not usually asked to a multi-million audience, and the super spy understood that this was not just for fun.
- There are many factors in my work that cannot be properly taken into account, so it is difficult to evaluate myself without bias.
- I understand you, so you can show us your skills right here and right now.
Even though they were not reading the messages sent to the general chat while sitting in front of the monitor, special programs showed the general mood of the people who sent the messages. So it was not surprising when the graph showed a surge in interest.
- I hope you know what video games are and how they work - seeing Natasha's skeptical look, he continued - if not, then consider it just an unexpected difficulty. Your goal is to do what you are told.
After launching the game, everyone saw the main screen on the monitor, where a bald man in a suit with a gun was shown.
- Now you see one of the most professional killers on the screen. - Natasha only snorted at this , but did it with a smile. - Your main task is to eliminate the target as unnoticeably as possible, which I'm sure you can do, and not to attract attention to yourself, which you can't do.
- Ha ha, no need to flatter, but now I understand better what you meant before the broadcast, well, let's try.
It all started with the training, the gamepad in Natasha's hands lay uncertainly and the actions themselves were unusual for her, but after completing the training mission twice in different ways, simply because it was possible to do so, and to get used to the controls.
After training, the spy entered her combat mode and began to show a master class, of course, not everything went according to her plan and sometimes missions had to be restarted, but the comments "oh Enrique, your greed ruined you" when she drowned one of the guards in the toilet or "Samantha, I'm so sorry" when she poured poison to one of the thugs were priceless, as if she was remembering some of her goals or just playing to the crowd. Of course, the spy went through the missions twice, once dirty and noisy, and the second time quietly and without attracting attention to herself. During the game, as a professional in her field, she gave an expert opinion on certain issues, but without going into it too much, since she understood that this was fiction and fantasy. In general, it was interesting and people were delighted with all of this.
- You know, that's not bad, I would never have thought that I could learn something new from the game.
- For many, games have become the biggest problem in the world, although there are wars and alien invasions all around, but this is the number one problem - Natasha listened to Alex express his opinion for the audience and noticed that this question somehow really touched him - I think that games are a new form of entertainment like books or films, because they can be evaluated in the same way...
This went on for a couple more hours. Natasha played, in between missions they just talked, sometimes answering incoming questions.
- Thank you to everyone who was with us today, because we will answer one more question and then finish for today.
The last question that came to them was very specific and made Natasha and Alex look at each other trying to figure out what to answer.
"Natalie kiss on camera" - the audience that watched them was large and among them were people who have a lot of money and are fans of the Avengers and in particular Natasha.
- It was n't me - Alex quickly raised his hands, making it clear that it wasn't his doing, responding to Natasha's serious look - but before you make a decision, I want to remind you that all the money goes to charity, and now this user has already sent ten thousand dollars, so think about your answer.
- Let's do it this way - after a short thought, the spy began, looking straight into the camera - in order to fulfill your request, I want you to make a generous reward and if it satisfies me, then I will satisfy your request.
After a few minutes of waiting, the answer that came amazed Natasha.
- Dear viewers, we received a donation of ten million dollars from this user. Natasha, what do you say?
- Will this money definitely go to charity? - What was happening now did not fit any of the patterns of action known to her, so she needed to find time to think.
- I give you my word - but Alex didn’t give her that time.
- Then there's only one thing left for me to do - Natasha stood up from her chair, turned Alex's chair around so that people could see it better and sat on his lap - then I want to take part in this - after which she kissed him in front of an audience of millions.
For several dozen seconds, the kissers did not pay attention to the world around them. Alex did not resist much, simply putting his hands on her waist and enjoying the kiss with a beautiful girl. The spy herself, although she was working off an unsigned contract, could not say that all this caused any bad feelings in her. The whole day was very emotional and she also needed an emotional release.
What should have ended quickly lasted about a minute, because both participants got carried away. They finished it when they were already out of breath.
a small sly smile appeared on Natasha's face, which she showed to the camera.
- Yes, but they still didn’t see it – to Natasha’s questioning look, Alex simply showed that his account was blocked for inappropriate content – I was even wondering if they would do it or not.
Still sitting on her partner's lap , Natasha smiled mysteriously before leaning over and whispering her proposal into Alex's ear.
- I don't see any reason to refuse - people who very often live for today and who can die tomorrow have no time for long flirting, so Alex didn't see anything wrong with spending the night with a beautiful woman, even if she is a spy for another country. Grabbing her by the hips, they continued the kiss and went to his room.

Chapter Text

In a large well-appointed room on the bed There was a woman lying with bright red hair that was caught by the sun's rays. One of these rays hit her and caught her eye, causing two blue eyes to appear to the world.
The tension in the spy's body disappeared after a few moments of examining the room and memories surfaced in her head. The information that her sister was alive and was with a man she thought was dead, conducting a broadcast to entertain a million-strong audience, all these emotions required an outlet, which led to a well-spent night with a man who knew much more about her than the people she had been friends with for years. One day in life can change everything a person did before. One day and she lost her family. One day and she left the red room, one day and she found her way in the shield and one day when her path with the shield will be interrupted, possibly forever. Now she has a new goal to get her sister back and make sure that Dreykov dies for good this time and all this is connected with one person. Ledov turned out to be much more dangerous than she could have imagined. During their last meeting, he gained allies, resources and knowledge, which only added to his danger. Natasha understood that no matter how he treated her, if she went directly against him, he would end her at that very moment.
After lying down for a while and thinking on the big soft bed about her future actions, Natasha reluctantly and with a little pain got out of bed. Finding her clothes folded on a chair, she got dressed and went to look for the owner of the house.
The search didn't take long, she found him having breakfast at the table and watching the news.
- Good morning, Alex called to her without turning around, - Come in and join us.
Approaching the table, she once again assessed his appearance while he was sitting in a T-shirt and shorts and noted that he was in the same excellent physical shape as Steve and that during the battle in New York he was much less physically developed. Already on the approach to the table, the smell of pancakes with different fillings made it clear how hungry she was and so she quickly joined in.
Having eaten the first pancake and realizing that it was very tasty, she ate another ten with different fillings while Alex consumed them like a black hole, which was also very similar to one of her charges.
- I didn’t think you could cook like that – she began the conversation, having eaten her fill, licking her finger from a small piece of sour cream – you don’t look much like a cook .
- Unfortunately, it's not me, my culinary skills are enough to keep me from starving to death , but I can't make pancakes like that. I ordered all this, I have my own cooks here who feed me and security who stands on the perimeter - the area in which they live Alex was fenced off to avoid any misunderstandings and it was easier to hire security and other workers to keep order in his absence than to rely on the fact that all people are decent and no one would want to break into his house - so I ordered for both of us, so eat up because we will have a lot of work.
- As for that, I think I got a little carried away yesterday ... - Natasha hadn't felt such a feeling of embarrassment for a long time
- Whatever you think about me, just know that you are, of course , smart and beautiful, but if you are not useful to me, then our deal is over. - the serious tone only confirmed many of her thoughts - I can give you something that no one else can. The question is whether I should do it.
- I can now return to the shield with this information and then...
- And what will you do with her? Tell her Fure, yes please. He will immediately rush to send you to solve his problems? But even if he does, where to start? You will still come back to me for answers , but I will not be so kind.
- You don’t understand, I can’t just take and abandon them, I owe them a lot.
- Are you sure? - Taking the remote control, he brought up a photo of several people on the screen, one of whom she knew very well, a man in his forties in a suit with a bald head and a permanent small smile on his lips.
- Coulson . But... but he's dead. Where did this come from?
- this photo was taken from one of the com after the battle in London . His squad arrived right after me, Tony and Thor left the city. - there was a hurricane of emotions inside Natasha , but it wasn't visible on her face - as if he knew when he needed to appear.
- How can I know that this is true?
- Why should I lie to you if you can check what I tell you ?
Determined to find out the truth, she picked up the phone and went to find out from her boss the truth about her friend whom she thought was dead.
"Too many people who should be dead are actually alive , that's not good," the spy thought as the phone rang.
****
What started as a project for a modern hospital grew into a project for a small town. Many scientists and various technologies were subordinate to a famous Russian mutant, all of this had to be protected, which forced them to look for decent security, after which another one appeared and another one, all of this resulted in the organization of a small town that worked entirely for Ledov and followed the path he had chosen. In order for people to work and not worry, they had to build houses, schools and other institutions that were ordered not to save on, which allowed expensive and useful personnel to be distracted from work as little as possible and be sure that their families would be taken care of. Having a virtually unlimited flow of money, this town was built at a rapid pace and soon the first houses could be moved into.
This is exactly the kind of construction picture that Anna Sycheva, CEO of Icestorm, considered. corporation . Occupying this position, it was necessary to solve many issues and to ensure that everything worked, it was necessary to be in working mode almost around the clock . But the opportunities that were provided outweighed any risks. As a child, she did not really understand what kind of work her father had, but over time she realized that he was one of the oligarchs who, through deception and threats, made capital for themselves in difficult times for people. After that, she went to build her own path, but over time, life showed that not everything is done as easily as she initially thought, but this prevented her from trying to prove that you can earn money without deceiving ordinary people.
- Miss Sycheva, Miss Romanov has arrived to see you - the secretary distracted her from her work - let her in.
A few seconds later, the American spy entered the office and stood in front of the desk as if in front of her boss's desk. Looking at the widow, Anna could understand why Alex wanted to take her for himself.
- Well, Miss Romanov, welcome to our team. - Anna said, not paying much attention to the guest. - I hope we can work together. -
After standing for a few seconds and assessing the situation, Natasha changed her behavior and calmly walked over and sat down on the chair that stood in front of Anna's table like she owned the place . The blonde didn't like this behavior and a visual duel between them began.
The two women looked at each other intently and it was clear that neither would refuse to win even in such a competition. Such a competition could have gone on for a long time if not for the notification that distracted both of them.
- I was told to come up to you when I finished the examination - upon arrival at the building, Alex sent her to conduct a medical examination, and he himself went to work.
- If you work with us, you need to know some things. - Anna's voice conveyed the seriousness of the situation - since our mutual friend handed over the management of the company to me, he is no longer the boss here, so now I decide who does what here, so you will do what I say and what you will talk about with him. - After which she added with a grin - If my memory serves me right, you have already had a similar experience.
Natasha sat and listened to all this calmly while the office owner continued. Since you will be his personal assistant, your range of responsibilities will be wide and first of all you will be running his blog - at this moment Natasha received a tablet with data - after your broadcast yesterday, everyone is talking about it on the Internet.
- And what should I post? - the question came from Natasha as she scrolled through the news feed. There was a photo of their kiss on many websites, and while some simply relayed the events, some claimed that they simply started taking off their clothes during the broadcast. All these exaggerations caused a grin on the faces of the audience . red-haired .
- anything that will bring a positive reputation. You were trained to win over people from the upper classes, so you should be able to handle ordinary people. Is that clear?
- Yes.
- Then you're free, take the tablet with you, there's a lot you need to get acquainted with there. - After which she simply continued working.
Natasha had no choice but to get up and go look for Alex .
****
Sometimes you have to pay for rest. The clinic , which should be officially opened soon, was already working. There, the ultra-modern equipment that was made for the purposes that Alex wanted to do was being tested and patients were being treated. Having visited several places of interest to him, his main goal for today was to check what would drive all corporations associated with medicine crazy.
Entering a large office in which there were about a dozen people, some were in white coats, and several more were in suits that showed that they were engineers. The most notable thing was the transparent pool that could accommodate an adult and still have some space left. Many wires were connected to this chamber that displayed various information on monitors nearby.
- So, are we all ready? - Alex practically burst into the lab and didn't delay greeting everyone.
- Yes, Doctor Ledov , we were just waiting for you – a man of about forty answered while many were busy preparing for the operation – I can’t believe that I will be taking part in this. If…
- I understand your feelings , but let's first make sure that it works and then we'll celebrate.
- Yes, of course. Take the patient.
While the patient was being taken to Alex , who took a seat to watch the progress of the entire operation, another woman approached.
- even if it doesn't work out, it will still be a breakthrough - Maya Hendson , who after her first visit was skeptical and felt fear of her actions, but after she and Alex talked, she was given a tour of the complex where the work was being done. Alex liked the files she brought so much that for a few moments his face turned into the face of a mad scientist who created a monster. Having given her an entire department at her disposal , she immediately began developing the serum, information about which she brought from her previous employer.
- I hope so. Of course, I'm not against helping people by healing their illnesses. But it seems to me that if I didn't have the opportunity to protect myself, I would now spend all my time locked in some bunker and work without seeing the light. - Although he smiled at her, Maya understood that he was serious.
At that moment, a person who looked more like a living corpse was brought to the laboratory. The hospital gown on the woman's body did not hide the lack of a fat layer, which was visible from the bones that protruded. Bruises under the eyes and pale skin. There was no hair on her head. The patient had been struggling with the disease for a long time and agreed to become a test subject for testing the equipment. The conditions were such that if the machine could not help , then Ledov himself would cure her, so the joy that this fight would soon end in any case gave her energy.
The woman was put in front of the explanation and the specialist once again began to explain what would happen to her during this time , many sensors were connected to her. When the woman finished listening, she agreed with everything, drank what she was given, and went to lie down in the cell. Before lying down in it, the woman looked at Alex and he nodded confidently to her.
Alex was here only as an outside observer and a person who, if necessary, could provide assistance to the test subject . All this work was connected with the sole purpose of making it so that the capabilities that he uses to treat people could be recreated with the help of equipment and he did not have to participate in each case.
- I wasn't sure at first that I could trust you, but looking at this I know for sure that you're better than Killian - Watching as the operation began and the pool lid closed, Maya decided to continue the conversation. - What he's planning... I... I just can't take part in this.
- Unfortunately, I can't accept such gratitude from you - Maya looked at Alex with interest while one of the most modern operations in the world began - what I do is more connected with my personal benefit. Believe me, wars have started for less. And I don't have the opportunity to wage war yet.
- a monopoly on such equipment will not please many people - the operation began and after turning on the equipment, the liquid that filled the pool began to react with the patient's body, causing her to have many muscle cramps.
- Exactly. That's why you'll have to pay well for access to this equipment. - Many doctors started to fuss, because the girl's convulsions were only getting worse. - After all, if a corporation has technologies that everyone wants, but no one can get to, everyone who wants them will go and take them by force. Stark won't let me lie.
At this point their conversation stopped. Alex watched the woman suffer, but did not seek to end it, because the goal itself was being accomplished. From all the data that the monitors gave, the doctors could judge that the pain was gradually beginning to subside. Ten tense minutes ended with the joy of the entire group. Many doctors understood that they would go down in the history of the development of medicine, because the woman who entered the laboratory barely alive would leave it already healthy, albeit physically exhausted.
- You are all great - he began to congratulate Alex to everyone present when the girl was taken out and the workers began to take care of her - today we all performed a unique operation in the world and we will all go down in history, but we still have a lot of work to do, we need to make sure that the people who will undergo the procedures do not remember this as a nightmare, so as soon as you are sure that the patient is alive, you can take a day off, and then think about how to make all this comfortable.
After which he left the laboratory.
****
Already on the way out of the building after a hard day's work, Alex just wanted to go home and rest. Although he felt good physically, he felt terrible mentally. Solving many problems where they couldn't do without him takes a lot of time.
- Congratulations - the already familiar voice of Natasha, who was standing leaning against the building, interrupted him. - I heard you achieved something big in your experiments.
be hidden from you.–
Natasha shrugged lightly.
- It wasn't difficult, - she continued with inexplicable satisfaction, - It's hard to hide something when everyone is talking about it.
- Maybe this is disinformation? You are a spy for a foreign country, maybe I am feeding it to you on purpose. - You haven't thought about it? - and although the intonation was playful, Natasha could not deny this version of events.
- If what I heard is not true, then I don’t understand why you need me at all? - after a successful operation, everyone was telling and sharing information, so it was hard to believe that it was all a setup, but that didn’t stop them from playing along.
- but that's where you're wrong. Anna told you that you'll be running my blog. Is that not enough for you?
-yes yes Yes . And what should I write there? What did you have for breakfast – she put her finger to her chin – or this: “Today is a terrible day, it started raining, so I took a blanket and am sitting by the window thinking about life”
He smiled and they laughed together - well, here you are already throwing out material, but seriously. I want to tell people about what really happened in London .
- Are you talking about the second alien invasion?
- Yes, I had one of the cameras that Tony gave me. A small camera that was on my chest and recorded the whole time.
- So what? You just have a recording of the battle in London , what's so special about that?
A sly smile on Alex's face made her doubt her words.
- the camera recorded my journey through Jotunhem , the battle in Asgard and the battle in London .
As she understood, the spy's blue eyes grew larger.
- And... and many people know about this? - Now Natasha understood why Fury sent her here . There was no information about Alex being on other planets in his dossier. It was unknown what he could have seen or received there or what information he might still have.
- not much for now, and if you promise not to pass this recording on to anyone, you will be able to get acquainted with it before everyone else does.
Natasha's face showed excitement. She had seen a lot in this life, but to be one of the first to see other planets really excited her.
- Okay, I'm ready - she stood in a pose with her hand outstretched - give me the recording, I promise that no one will dodge it .
whole pose reflected her innocence as a teenage girl, and her eyes blinked innocently and trustingly - as if to say: "You can trust me." - Don't rush, I have another task for you. I need to send a message.
- Do I look like a courier? -
- Recently, the money that was sent to the tax office has disappeared somewhere . Therefore, you need to send a message to those people who are behind this thief. -
- Do you have any wishes for the parcel? - It is nice for Alex to have such a professional who does not think that he cannot cope.
- we need to make sure that everyone understands who it is from, and at the same time understands why it happened.
- and then you will show me that video?
To which Alex simply smiled and went home.
- By the way, tell your headmistress to practice some more. She's playing implausibly. - The spy had the last word with a satisfied smile.
****
In another part of the world:
- We are waiting for Tony Stark and hope to find out the reaction. His reaction to this terrorist attack - a pretty reporter spoke on camera. In addition to her, there were more than a dozen reporters with various equipment standing near the hospital.
A few seconds later, the person in question came out of the main entrance. Tony, dressed in a simple but not cheap suit and with his trademark glasses, tried to walk to his car, but he was not allowed to do so so easily.
All the reporters blocked the passage and started asking questions. In the general noise, you could distinguish a few words: "terrorist attack," "explosion," "mandarin."
Having almost made his way to his car, one reporter with a phone that was recording began asking questions very persistently.
- Mr. Stark , when will they shoot this guy? - At Tony's intent look, he added - it's time already.
- Do you need it? - No one dared interrupt him. - I have a Christmas wish for the Mandarin. I finally got it out. I am Tony Stark and I am not afraid of you. I know you are a coward. That is why I have decided that you must die. I will help you. No politics, just old-fashioned revenge. No Pentagon. Come to me alone and then we will settle this matter. If you think you can handle me, here is my address. 10660 Malibu Point 90210. The door is always open.
After which he turned to the reporter with a phone number: is this what you wanted?
Without giving her time to think, he took the phone and the reporter and threw her into the column behind him.
- Send the bill! - and quickly got into his white sports car while other reporters began shouting their questions.
- Jarvis, call Aibolit-
Having driven a little, Tony, holding the steering wheel tightly, began to go over various ideas in his head.
- I'm listening, - a voice came from the speaker.
- Brother, I need your help.

Chapter Text

- I'LL GIVE IT TO MY HUSBAND AND YOU'LL LOSE EVERYTHING, DAMN MUTANT - a pretty good-looking woman in her early forties quickly left Alex's office after he refused her a skin rejuvenation procedure. It's not like he was eager to do it now, but he'd been making money off of it since before his superhero career began. But women always want to look good and many rich men pay well to get themselves in order, and they don't mind having their wives look good either, even if they have one or two younger mistresses. This particular woman had simply angered him with her behavior. She could have just come in and done everything politely and quickly. But her husband's money and power hit the woman in the face, and she'd already forgotten what polite communication was, so Alex calmly sent her back to her husband. The millions he gets paid for what plastic surgeons do, but better faster and without surgery, are not worth putting up with. So, morally satisfied, he answered an unexpected call from Tony Stark.
The call changed his plans for the next few days. After just a couple of hours on the plane, he learned in general terms what was going on. It turns out that terrorist attacks are happening not only in Russia. A certain terrorist who calls himself the Mandarin is carrying out a series of terrorist attacks in the United States or in the Middle East countries where American bases are located, and with each such act, he sends a recording on the air in which he publicly criticizes the government and intimidates people. Therefore, while studying the data, he was a little amused by the recording where Stark calls for a meeting with this Mandarin. As if they were simple martial artists. The thought of Tony and the Mandarin fighting in the boxing ring appeared in his head, and the audience shared and cheered for their representative.
Having reached the city, Alex did not hesitate and went straight to the hospital where Happy was lying. Hoggan is Tony's bodyguard. There was no point in calling Tony, he provided all the information that was needed and it could be done without the unnecessary noise that Stark could create.
One call from the billionaire and the passage to the hospital to the patient was ensured. It would have been possible to go through the main entrance , but there were several reporters there, and the extra noise was not needed.
Happy himself was not in the best condition. Multiple injuries from the explosion covered most of his body, and the patient himself was in a coma. Having access to the patient, it was possible to immediately begin treatment. Many nurses and doctors watched as Alex manipulated the water he brought from one limb to another. Having checked that there were no serious problems inside the body, Alex began to manipulate the water to speed up tissue regeneration. Some even filmed on their phones as a layer of water slowly moved over the patient's body and where there used to be red spots from burns and traces of the explosion , after a while there was clean white skin. The hematomas that were all over the body also passed after a minute of treatment. Literally twenty minutes of work and the head of security at Stark Industries began to look like a sleeping person. When the work here was finished and there was no point in being here, Alex wanted to leave the hospital just as quietly, but the fact that he was here did not go unnoticed, the people from the security service that Tony had put in place were holding back the reporters who desperately wanted to get inside to take an interview.
Not really keen on talking to the press, Alex left the medical facility the same way he got in, through the back door. The next stop should be at the billionaire's own home.
- He built himself a nice house - driving up in his car, he looked at the modern mansion built for the former head of Stark Industries and was able to appreciate the sense of taste. A beautiful house built according to the latest design innovations along with a view of the ocean was beautiful. Alex could easily imagine himself living with such a view, and for an Internet star it is also very convenient to have so much water nearby that it would allow him to use his abilities very effectively.
After looking out of the car a little and showing his face to the camera, the gate opened and the car drove inside. There were cameras everywhere that tracked the movement of the car and the journalists' helicopters that flew over the house. The loud statement of such a person as Tony Stark caused a great stir and many were ready to take risks to get a good story. Jarvis kept a close eye on all the guests who arrived to his creator or who wanted to get into the house without permission.
As soon as he passed through the glass doors of the entrance, he was met by the owner himself, already in an iron man suit with an open visor. The suit was somewhat different from those in which he had been seen before, but with his unprofessional eye, Alex found it difficult to notice the difference, only the different coloring was clearly expressed , expressed in a slightly different shade of gold.
- You can't even imagine how grateful I am to you for your help - the owner of the mansion began immediately. For an iron man who had thought only about himself all his life, it was awkward to forgive others for help, so it was surprising to see him like this - thank you, I am in your debt.
- Don't worry, everything is fine, you arrive when I call you. - Alex was getting the information that Tony had destroyed his house together with his friend when they were fighting in suits, but now the mansion looked like brand new.
- Well, you're comparing slightly different things, there was a very interesting situation with aliens - waving his hand, Tony led his guest to the bar where he began pouring alcohol from an expensive bottle into glasses - passages between worlds, the potential destruction of a bunch of worlds in case of failure, not inviting anyone to such fun is very stupid.
- That's why you were here alone now when you called the terrorist to your house - Tony's raised right eyebrow let him know that Alex appreciated the irony in the fact that he decided to deal with this problem personally without calling anyone. - I'm honestly surprised that there aren't a bunch of shield agents here right now who will monitor the situation and help in case of an attack.
To which Stark just waved his hand, “ Fury called me a couple of times, but I don’t want to talk to him about this, and I called you to help Happy , I can handle a gang of guys who had weapons myself just fine.”
- Aaa, you have turrets with machine guns hidden all over the house - while examining the house, Alex paid too much attention to the walls and columns that were in plain sight.
- No - and here Tony thought - but it’s a good idea, I’ll have to do something about it somehow.
- So that's why you decided to pack your things for the trip? - pointing to several bags that were lying near the aisle.
- It's not mine , it's Pepper's - Tony's mood worsened a little - she didn't like how I wanted to solve this issue and she decided to live somewhere else for a while.
- I can understand her, few people will like it if military actions are planned in your house, she is doing the right thing by deciding to be somewhere else - a few seconds of thought during which a sip was taken from the glass that was in her hand - But where is she?
- They called her and said that CIA agents had arrived at the office and wanted to talk to her, - he said calmly, as if there was nothing wrong with that.
- And you just let her go? I hope there's a whole army moving with her now?
- Why? Jarvis is keeping an eye on her.
- Wait , wait , so you let one of the people closest to you go, alone, without security, when you yourself called the terrorists to your place? - A little intense gaze and the gears in the man's head started turning. - And you didn't think that she might suffer the same fate as Happy just to piss you off?
A few seconds of reflection and Tony's eyes widen sharply - Jarvis, what's up with Pepper ?
- She's fine, Mister Stark, she just started a conversation in her office with CIA agents. - In addition to what was said, an image of a beautiful red-haired woman in a business suit sitting at a table appeared on one of the mirrors in the large living room, and in front of her were two men in jackets, and on another screen a waiting room appeared where, in addition to the secretary and the security guard, there were four more people sitting and waiting - six people arrived at the Stark Industries building .
- Jarvis, give the order to security to increase Pepper's security - not paying any further attention to his personal assistant, Tony returned his gaze to his interlocutor, satisfied - you see, everything is fine.
- You know better, just don’t say later that…
- Yes, yes. Yes, I understand everything. You better tell me, what kind of business do you have there that you spend so much time with that red-haired assistant of Fury ?
- Do you have some kind of work or personal interest?
- Considering the fuss you've caused online, there are few people who don't talk about you. And the footage of your passion isn't destroyed as quickly as it is copied and uploaded to the web again.
- And you seem to be following this issue very closely. - A slightly intent look was directed at the owner of the house.
- Well, she was my personal assistant for some time. And there we had - Tony began to play with his eyebrows, clearly making it clear the meaning of the unspoken words.
- Even so . - Neither the owner of the house nor his butler believed the surprise that sounded from the guest's lips. - Does Pepper know about this? I'll have to ask her what exactly Natasha was doing with you.
Tony showed his mastery of the suit when he pulled the phone out of Alex's hands without breaking it with his glove.
- I was joking, no need to call - returning the phone to the owner - but seriously, what is she doing with you?
- It tempts you to go over to the right side, of course.
- To the right one?
-Well, yes, to become, like her, a defender of freedom and democracy in the world. - to which both people laughed silently.
- And how are her successes? - Tony even had a purely professional interest in keeping such a person close by, and not in another part of the world, formally in a hostile state.
- Let's just say that the likelihood that she will complete the task that was set before her is very small - a sly smile appeared on his face - but that doesn't mean that she shouldn't try.
Tony finally got a picture of what was happening. Politics, Alex is not to the liking of almost all the high officials who sit in Washington ( basically, like Tony himself) and are trying to somehow influence him. If you can’t lure him to your side, then you need to look for weaknesses and they set a task for Fury , and the bald pirate himself is only happy to find out a couple more secrets. In this perspective, he even felt a little sorry for Natalie because she is just a puppet in their hands, while the iron man himself has freedom of action and the opportunity to defend his interests.
- Be careful with her anyway, you never know what this pirate will order her to do - Tony took a sip from his glass - By the way, I have good news for you, what we were talking about...
“Sir, you need to see this,” Jarvis may have been just an electronic assistant, but even his electronic voice was panicked.
And there was something to see. On the camera that Jarvis had shown earlier, there was a fight between people in Stark Industries security uniforms. against several people in suits who had previously been identified as CIA agents. But these agents did not look much like people, their skin burned, and their touch set people on fire who tried to stop them. The superior number of guards did not give an advantage, because any means that were at hand could not help. On the cameras, it was seen how several dozen shots were fired at one fake agent, and he just kept walking. But the most important thing is that their goal was not to arrange a massacre, but to kidnap the CEO of Stark industries who is Tony Stark's girlfriend. Jarvis changed the camera to show her body being carried and put in a car and then leaving the Stark Industries office when they try to stop them.
The emotions on the face of the man in the iron suit did not bode well for the people who kidnapped his girlfriend.
Jarvis be prepared.
-Sir, they are trying to bypass my systems.
After that, the inscription “ Danger ;-)” appeared on the TV screen, glass and any surface that Tony connected to the Internet .
- Tony, what's going on around here? - Seeing what was happening on the screen, Alex also began to prepare for battle, but the hacking of the system changed his plans
- Now is not the time for this Pepper ... - the man in armor no longer cared, his eyes seemed to be burning with anger.
- Is this a warning to me, what is happening around?
- What do you mean for you?
- Tony. Hurry up, we're about to be attacked.
- Sir, we have detected a heat signal that is rapidly approaching us.
Both people who were in the house just turned their heads and saw a rocket approaching them.
- Oh shit. - the thought that appeared in their heads simultaneously before the explosion.

Chapter Text

A whole flight of eight helicopters approached their target. Their task was simple: to destroy everyone who would be on the object.
The bald man who was now the leader of this group was in one of the helicopters and was not at all worried about the possibility of failure. The flying transport was completely filled with weapons and people who knew how to use them. Right before the operation began, he was told that there could be changes, so he was given certain instructions on this matter.
- The target is in the house, there is another person with her . - The mercenary who was sitting behind passed on the screen, which showed that two targets were marked inside the building.
- Begin the attack - after a short phrase, one missile flew out of each helicopter in the direction of the modern mansion.
****
The missile that flew into Tony's mansion caught them both by surprise. But if Stark took the full impact on his armor, then Alex had to take all the damage on his body.
Tony watched with bated breath as Alex's body went flying and hit the wall, after which it stopped moving from the injuries it had received.
- Jarvis. - Tony was ready to tear and destroy, his beloved was kidnapped, his friend was killed, and if he himself did nothing, then he would be next.
- Working, sir. - Jarvis' scanners scanned the area and prepared the suit for combat. - They are targeting you for another attack.
Tony raised his arms to fire his repulsors at one of the helicopters, but the building beneath him began to collapse, throwing off his aim and forcing him to take a few steps to gain firmer ground.
- Damn - besides the fact that the attack failed, one of the helicopters hit him with several shots from a large-caliber machine gun, judging by the noticeable pain, most likely the shots were armor-piercing, but they were unable to penetrate the armor.
Having regained his footing, Tony once again aimed at one of the helicopters and this time nothing stopped him from striking with his repulsors .
- There is one . - the helicopter that received such a charge in the windshield killed the pilot, which caused the helicopter itself to rapidly fall into the water - Jarvis, what about Alex?
- He's alive, sir - Tony's heart skipped a beat of relief - but he's still unconscious. My scanners are picking up a strange anomaly.
- Not now, he's already alive and well. We need to finish them off quickly and get him out of here . - The next helicopter that went to the bottom was blown up with a rocket fired from a glove.
Assessing the situation and the amount of destruction in the house forced Tony to change tactics.
-That won't work, Jarvis watch Alex and I'll take to the air. - The repulsors in the suit's limbs lifted him off the ground and sent him flying. The remaining helicopters in the air switched from the mansion to a living and visible target.
As soon as the battle location changed, everything took on a different color. The helicopters with all their weapons could not compare with the maneuverability and weapons of the iron man. Bullets and missiles fired almost continuously, but this did not give any result. Several helicopters were shot down simply from friendly fire during the maneuvers of the technological suit. Several minutes of air combat led to the complete defeat of the attackers and the battle was over. The enhanced repulsor beam into the pilot's cabin did its job and blew up all the helicopters that remained after the crossfire. The attackers' equipment and weapons were good, but against Stark's technological superiority this was very little.
Realizing that there were no more targets, Tony already wanted to go and save his guest from his own house, which was now starting to fall into the water. But this was not necessary, the master of water manipulation himself appeared in one of the openings of the building, where there used to be a wall. Tony was not surprised that he himself was fine, thanks to his abilities, Alex could heal his injuries and the only thing that spoke of what he had experienced was his torn clothes.
Sir, my scanners have detected several F16s heading our way.
- As always, just in time - Tony was already a little glad that these soldiers were doing something , and the situation with the military would not be a relief for him.
- Sir, I don't want to spoil your triumph, but it looks like these fighters are not flying to save you. -
Jarvis' scans showed that the planes were ready to attack and were aiming towards the owner of the iron armor.
Accelerating his suit, he went to meet the fighters. An attempt was made on his life. His girlfriend was kidnapped, and his friend was tried to be killed. Even if Jarvis was wrong and this is help for him. It will be easier to pay for new fighters that he will blow up than to allow another attack.
Unfortunately, Stark's hopes for a mistake were dashed, as two of the three fighters fired missiles when they came into range.
Shooting down some of the missiles and dodging the rest wasn't hard, but it gave them a few seconds to split up for a new maneuver. But fighting an engineering genius in the air with such technology was simply not reasonable. Tony had experience with this kind of plan, but if there he tried not to harm the pilots, then here there was no such goal. So two small missiles went in pursuit of one fighter, while Tony went after the other.
- Sir – Jarvis didn't have time to finish before a recording from one of the surviving cameras appeared on his screen. The picture was bad and the angle of view was unclear after the fall, but it was able to convey the meaning.
The third pilot did not attack Tony because he had another goal. The camera showed Alex trying to form a shield around himself from the surrounding water, but he did not have time. The explosion that occurred literally a few meters away from him completely destroyed the remains of a billionaire's mansion.
- No - Tony understood that Alex would not survive such an explosion. He could heal himself if there was time. But the powerful explosion of a missile designed to blow up bunkers left no chance for survival.
While the billionaire was grieving, the other pilots wasted no time in firing a second salvo of missiles. The bright red lights that flashed in front of his face caught his attention, and he noticed more missiles approaching him, but the suit's owner didn't have to deal with that problem. Jarvis , seeing the state of his creator, took over the suit and made a sharp maneuver to the side, which allowed him to avoid danger and shake the man inside the suit a little.
- Sir, your emotions will not help your survival now, I suggest... -
- Shut up - Jarvis did not dare to contradict his creator, but tried to help as much as he could, but thanks to the shake-up, Tony went for new goals, since he needed to check his house, and the planes would not leave him alone.
Having taken control from Jarvis, the suit's pilot made a sharp 180-degree maneuver and flew towards the nearest target straight into the breach.
Several missiles and a burst of machine gun fire did not stop the billionaire, and he simply flew straight, avoiding dangerous damage. When the fighter pilot realized that a collision was unavoidable, he tried to change the route, but this did not save him. Before the collision itself, Tony positioned his suit so that he was facing under the fighter and another missile fired from the glove simply blew up the plane's engine. Of course, Tony did not stop there and continued flying in the direction of two more targets. Seeing that one was already lost, the two remaining pilots tried to change tactics so that while one attacked, the other covered him, but the pilots had no experience in fighting small, armed and maneuverable targets, so the result was two more downed planes on Stark's account.
It took the winner literally a minute to come to his senses after the battle. Seeing how the parachute of the surviving pilot, whose wing the iron man had simply pierced, was slowly descending into the ocean, Tony suddenly had a great desire to talk, so he went to this pilot.
****
The office door opened. A spectacular blonde in a short black dress that hugged her entire body and showed off her beautiful legs in long heels walked in. Putting her hand in the small bag she had with her, she pressed the button on the device, and the bag began to vibrate quietly. Entering the room , she closed the door behind her and the noise of the party died down, looking around the office, the furnishings inside did not surprise her. A large wooden table, which was custom-made, had a computer on it and a few other things for work. A bookcase with books and a TV opposite the table, where an information channel was working. The office reflected a wealthy person who liked to spend money on his whims.
Without wasting time, the girl went to the computer and connected another device to it. While the device was cracking the password, the blonde looked through the desk drawers; apart from several bundles of money and folders of documents, there was nothing interesting for her. When the password was cracked, the girl began to look for what she had come to this party for. It is not a big problem for a beautiful woman to get to a meeting with rich men. A few minutes of searching on the computer yielded results, and she found the documents she was looking for. Having started downloading them, her gaze was drawn to a working TV. On the screen, she saw the already familiar mansion, only now it was shown in a ruined state, and on the screen were two photographs with the caption missing and both faces depicted were familiar to her.
- Fury will kill me. - Natasha checked that she now had the necessary information and began to urgently get ready before anyone noticed her.

Chapter Text

Pain. Alex had never experienced such pain. Now, lying on the bottom, crushed by something heavy, his thoughts were confused. The last memory was of a rocket explosion and an attempt to close himself off from it with a water shield. He partially succeeded, first of all, his head was protected, everything else was residual. Therefore, the pain from the fact that his arm and both legs were now regenerating, practically creating a new limb, due to many wounds, almost his entire body glowed blue. Thanks to his abilities, manipulating water, he could buy himself time so as not to suffocate while his body restores lost limbs. Alex promised himself to thank Maya for coming to him with her developments and for the two of them being able to finalize this technology. Of course, after they finished, the technology was tested and sent back for revision. Not all testing ended well, but the technology of healing in this way itself was not ready for use by the general public, and also major players around the world will do everything possible to make all the drawings and witnesses "disappear". Maya Hansen is a brilliant scientist, but she is naive in her vision of the world, so she had to be convinced not to divulge any information. That is why the next person who received these abilities was himself and it has already brought him benefit. Alex, coming to the mansion, assumed that there would be an attack on Tony, but he himself was not ready for it so immediately.
After waiting for his body to recover, Alex began using water to move objects that could prevent him from getting out and sent himself to the surface with one push.
Having risen to the surface, he stuck his head out and took a big gulp of air. Having looked around, he did not see any battle. There was silence and a lot of debris of different equipment around. Realizing that there was no need to prepare for battle immediately upon surfacing, he wanted to go look for Stark if he was somewhere nearby, but then his gaze was attracted by a scarlet glow near the shore. The glow turned out to be a man who seemed to be burning from the inside. Alex could compare what was happening to him and who it could be. This was a mercenary from the former employer of Dr. Henson Aldrich Killian.
Standing on the water, he looked at the mercenary, or rather at the work of regeneration. Before the serum's work ended, he decided to make himself known.
A huge icicle appeared in the mercenary's chest, piercing his chest and causing another attack of pain.
- Look, we have a survivor here - having found a target for releasing all the negative emotions, Alex was very pleased - will you tell me what I want to know yourself or shall we test the limits of your regeneration?
The mercenary realized that his abilities are nothing new to him and he knows what will happen to him if he regenerates forever. If he heals a lot, his body will not withstand it and he will simply become a living bomb.
- Looks like your answer is no. - after which he dispersed several liters of water so quickly that the water acquired the function of a saw - well, patient, get ready for an autopsy.
Realizing that even if he survived this encounter, it would not end well, the involuntary patient bit a specially designed capsule that was in his teeth. This capsule would cause him to overload, and he would explode. He had already given such capsules to some people, so he knew that the effect would be 100%.
The mercenary's body began to heat up sharply and melt the block of ice in his chest, and a triumphant smile made Alex understand that there would probably be no interrogation. Deciding not to play the mad scientist and watch the process live, Alex moved away so as not to be in the affected area.
A bright scarlet glow and a loud sound unlike any explosive resounded throughout the area. After which steam rose from the heating of nearby water. According to Maya Hensen's description , a person raised his temperature to 2500 degrees, after which the body could not withstand it and lost stability. Watching this process from the side, Alex's thoughts were spinning, making plans on how to prevent this from happening to himself.
While he was thinking about how to avoid accidentally becoming a walking bomb even after the serum had been improved, he didn't notice how Tony, who had returned, began to hover above him.
-You're alive, I can't believe it. - A satisfied Tony looked at the very healthy member of the Avengers team, on whom hung scraps of fabric that used to be his clothes.
****
- Damn, I just want to become the Hulk and go smash everything - sitting on the shore, the two of them looked at the remains of the mansion, the debris of which fell into the ocean. Alex was disappointed with the situation. And the situation was really ugly. One of the surviving pilots did not resist much when Tony asked him questions and told him everything he knew. An order came to the aircraft carrier on which he served to begin the attack, the pilots did not know who they were going to attack, and when they realized it was too late and the command ordered them to eliminate the target and they had nothing to do but obey, which cost the lives of two other pilots. Having learned everything he needed about the ship and its command, Tony went to look for Alex's "body", but then an explosion of a mercenary was heard, which attracted his attention. Alex himself told Tony about AIM, Aldrich Killian and that he had a grudge against Stark. And when Tony asked where he got this information from, he had to mention Maya Hansen and that she used to work for Killian, whose work he was not very happy with, even though it was her project " Extremis " with the help of which he managed to survive the explosion. Tony wanted to ask about this project in detail , but now was not the time, so Alex promised that he would be one of the first to know when the serum was ready and tested to the end.
Having discussed what had happened, they realized that their only direct lead was the aircraft carrier from which the planes had flown, and that they could find out who had given the order to attack. There was no point in going to Killian now, because the head of AIM himself could not order an attack from an aircraft carrier, so they had to look for someone who was covering for him and who might benefit from it.
- Before we go and smash expensive American equipment, can you let me make a phone call? - gesturing at his clothes, or rather their scraps, and the fact that his phone clearly didn't survive the adventure.
****
The ship was on alert, the entire crew was at their combat stations. The control team was deciding how to deal with the coming problem, but they had never encountered anything like this before.
A huge whirlpool formed right in the path of the small American fleet. The command tried to avoid it, but found itself in a stalemate. The destroyers that were covering the aircraft carrier were able to move aside and avoid danger, but the aircraft carrier itself had to drop anchor with its reverse engines running so that the ship would not be sucked into the funnel.
The team was on edge because they were afraid for their future, and the command was afraid because they could guess the reasons for their current situation. The admiral did not like the situation from the very beginning. The order to attack the national hero came from the very top and it was impossible not to obey, but the fact that the Water Man would also end up with the Iron Man ( Water man ) was not specified. The admiral was not a fool and was glad that his pilots could not carry out the order, even if he felt sorry for his people. He did not want to start the third world war, and the murder of a Russian hero would certainly not please another nuclear state.
While the admiral stood on the deck and looked at the whirlpool, a small flying object appeared on the radar. Realizing who was approaching them, he ordered no matter what happened not to open fire and went to the flight deck.
Iron Man was supposed to please the entire crew, but where the three planes went and did not return became known to everyone on the ship, so many were afraid of possible wrath.
The red and gold suit approached the runway and began to land. The look on the Iron Man's helmet was always blue, but it seemed to the admiral that right now the look was much harsher and did not encourage peaceful communication.
- What, you won't even shoot once? - the sarcasm in Tony's voice was very audible - because I'm not in the mood right now because of the attempt to kill me.
Some sensors in the suit increased the glow of the eyes, which alarmed the sailors even more, and some even began to reach for their weapons.
- Mister Stark, I am ready to fully accept responsibility for what happened, these people were just following orders, they are not guilty.
The glow of the eyes weakened a little, and the admiral also relaxed a little, realizing that they would not destroy them all right now.
- I hope that when I leave this ship I will be happy, otherwise my friend will intensify what is happening now - pointing to a whirlpool nearby.
- Of course I'll tell you everything. - Not only his life is at stake, but the lives of hundreds of his subordinates.
****
The wait was driving Natasha crazy. Sitting in the spacious office of the company, she scolded herself for agreeing to do anything for Alex at all. Her goal was to keep an eye on him, and while she went to get information, he flew to America, where now he and Stark were listed as missing after a well-armed attack. As soon as she appeared on the cameras in the city, a few minutes later an armored premium car drove up to her, in which important people usually travel, and a man got out and politely asked to go with him, introducing himself as a security officer who was ordered to pick her up after completing the mission. There was no point in refusing, so she sat down.
Initially, her and Alex's plan was for her to steal the data he needed and show up in a couple of places, and then people would wonder what she was doing there and go looking for her, where they would meet him and intercept them for a conversation, but now the situation has changed, at any moment people with weapons could arrive here with orders to eliminate her as a spy. Of course, even in her thoughts, Natasha did not expect such an outcome where they would succeed, but the situation would not be very good for international relations.
- Miss Romanov, please follow me - the secretary who came for her did not surprise Natasha much, because she heard her approaching steps. Walking along the corridors, she was led into the conference room, where Anna was already sitting with her assistants on one side of a large table and several people on the other side. She identified the main watch of the guests as a man in glasses who was sitting opposite Anna, some were in civilian clothes and two were in uniform, which confirmed part of her thoughts. Natasha sat down in one free seat next to the head of the company, which for the people who were sitting opposite made it clear that nothing good would happen for them.
- Natasha, these people have arrived today to talk to you about the theft that took place in the governor's house when he was receiving guests - Anna was behaving in a businesslike manner - so I ask you to help these gentlemen and answer their questions " only the truth ", but in order not to drag things out, let's get straight to the point. - The last was said to the law enforcement officers.
- Major Zaitsev, the guest introduced himself, - I understand you and I also want to finish this as quickly as possible, so let's get started. What did you do the night before from one to five in the morning?
- I was at the governor's house when he was receiving guests. - This answer caused a stir among the investigators; no one expected such an answer, but Anna's tone clearly made it clear what was needed from her.
- What were you doing there? - the investigator was a little worried by her answer.
- I walked around, looked at collectibles, watched TV - with each answer Zaitsev's tension only increased because all this was said casually, as if it should be that way - and also rummaged through documents and downloaded a lot of interesting information.
Silence hung in the office. The investigators did not expect such answers, and Anna's assistants were instructed not to interfere in what was happening and were there more as extras.
Hmm hmh – the major cleared his throat – then I will have to arrest you for…
-Wait, - Anna intervened, - what exactly were you looking for there?
- Data on the disappearance of more than 600 million rubles that "did not reach" the tax office. - the answer that was heard forced all the investigators to review with each other.
- So, Major Zaitsev, - Anna took the floor, - out of more than 1 billion in money that we paid in taxes, more than 600 million were "lost", and considering that this is only a small part after all the deductions that the company has. Do you understand what I'm talking about?
I'm sorry but we are here...
I asked if you understood what I was talking about – you could feel a strong tension in the room.
Yes, I can understand...
I hope – the owner of this office was clearly trying to crush these investigators – I didn’t like this situation, so Doctor Ledov and I asked Natasha to find them. You found them, right? – to which she received an affirmative nod from the spy – so we will pass on the data we received to the right people.
understand everything , but it’s not within my competence…
- Of course, you can take her now and arrest her - Anna interrupted the major, nodding at Natasha - but what will happen tomorrow? And I will tell you what will happen, the common people will simply destroy you all when they understand that it is much easier for American agents to find corrupt officials, and your fate will be even more unenviable, because to everyone you will look like someone who protects people who rob the common people.
The situation could really backfire on the police if they acted rashly, it would be impossible to hide the arrest of a member of the avengers team that most of the world knows. In any case, the situation is bad for Zaitsev and his people, if he doesn't detain her when she confesses, his superiors won't pat him on the head, and if he does detain her, it will reflect on everyone and not in the best way.
Almost a minute of waiting and the major, as the senior, made the only decision in his case.
-Until further notice, I would ask Miss Romanoff not to leave the city, we may have questions for you.
And Zaitsev began to get ready, and after him all his other subordinates, some with condemnation that the arrest had not taken place, and some with hope for a peaceful outcome.
-Before you go, know that you will be better off dealing with me. - A bright smile could be seen on the business lady . - Because if Alexey were here, you would leave this building through the window.
The investigator did not know whether to believe or not believe what had just been said, but he certainly had no desire to find out.
I hope to see you soon - Zaitsev looked at the satisfied blonde and wanted to express himself, but did not - because if you do not come to us, then we will come to you.
A clear hint that if the money is not found, they will post their information and then it will be too late to do anything.
Nodding in confirmation, the police officers left, causing all the assistants to relax and also begin to get ready.
- At some point, I already started planning how to escape from here - left alone in the office, Natasha and Anna could start a conversation a little more friendly - but I don’t quite understand why this was necessary.
- It was just a test - Anna's gaze burned with determination - if we hadn't passed it, they would have started to pressure us even more brazenly, but this will shake up a little everyone who is mired in their own swamp and will be an answer that we cannot be ignored.
- So what now?
And now you can't leave the city, - to which the blonde winked at the redhead, - so I'll find you some things to do.
****
Large windows opened up a beautiful view of the center of Moscow. An adult man with a small bald spot on his head, which he tries to hide with glasses, stood and watched the flow of cars located not far from the reception area. A phone ring distracted the observer.
- Hello - a small phone without a touch screen was placed to the ear.
It was impossible to hear what the other person was saying over the phone.
- It’s a pity of course, but it’s not critical, she can tell a lot of things.
Again the speaker interrupted his interlocutor.
- It doesn't matter anymore. They can't do anything to us yet. We'll follow the plan.
And again silence. Until a phrase was spoken quietly enough that no one but the person on the other end could hear.
"Heil Hydra"
After which the call was interrupted. And the office was again in silence until one of the assistants entered.
- Mr. Minister, here you are, the President is waiting for you, he quickly said and began to wait to escort him to the office, which he had already been in more than once.
Of course I'm ready.

Chapter Text

Not far from a large metropolis there is a large and prestigious village, where only very rich people can live, who pay good money to ensure that paparazzi or other people who could disturb the peace of these people could not enter this territory. To start living here, it is not enough to have money, you need to have a sufficient number of connections, acquaintance with which will allow you to not have neighbors with whom conflicts may arise. Usually, local residents here do not allow themselves to be seen on the street in any inappropriate clothing, and all strangers who end up here are quickly twisted by security, but now there was an exception. Two men who were defiantly poorly dressed for this place calmly walked and talked. One in a red T-shirt and shorts, and the second in light pants and a hoodie several sizes larger now calmly moved along the street and behind them was a security car that did not bother the uninvited guests.
- Tell me, what actually happened when the attack on us began? Do you have your own network of hackers who were able to get past Jarvis? - for Tony Stark, this was a very important question, because very few people can bypass his assistant's updated systems, which means such personnel cannot be wasted.
- You didn't guess, but I'll give you another try. -
- Hmmm, are these Russian secret services that work for you? -
- What a platitude, Tony. Think about it carefully. -
They were both unfazed by the car of armed men who had been following them since they had arrived here. If the guards could, they would have driven them around and shown them everything.
- Are you creating a semblance of artificial intelligence because you envy me?
- Pfff no, you will never believe me - Alex made a short theatrical pause - but she's just a teenage girl.
What do you mean? - obvious disbelief was written on his face - you mean to say that one teenage girl was able to do something that no one else can do?
Alex himself looked at his interlocutor without believing it. After all, he himself can do what no one else can, but he himself cannot believe in something similar.
Actually sir - the voice from the billionaire's watch distracted them both a little - I am constantly fending off her attacks now, if it were possible I would ask her to stop.
At that moment they came to the door of the right house and knocked. The whole house was decorated, because today was a holiday here. Of course, the house already knew about their imminent arrival, so the two heroes just stood and waited.
Yumiko, leave Jarvis alone, be a good girl - Alex said this phrase into the clock.
Thank you sir….. – Tony watched all this action silently, but the look he cast demanded answers.
Alex had no choice but to tell a short story. Yumiko was a genius hacker who was able to hack many systems that were considered safe even before finishing school. Everything was fine and fun for her until a power surge sent her body into a coma and her consciousness into the network. This is how her mutant gene was awakened. Everything was fun for her until she discovered that she could not return to her body, and her father, being the only living relative, had a heart attack when he found his daughter unconscious. She tried to help her father, with her ability to find money and buy the necessary medicine was not difficult, but without living relatives, he was not given proper help, and the medicine did not give the desired effect. Yumiko desperately looked for a way out of the situation until she came across several large transfers for doctor's services online. After checking, she contacted This mysterious doctor and then made a deal with him.
- That's why now she is my guardian angel in the digital world, there is no hacker that she cannot track and no system that she cannot bypass.
Tony was about to say something sarcastic, but the door of the private house opened, and a man who looked like a typical CIA agent in a suit led them both behind him. There was a lot of noise in the other rooms, where a party was taking place. The agent led them to the office where the current US Vice President Jonathan Rodriguez was already sitting at an expensive desk.
-I didn't expect to see you here, how can I help you? - The vice president tried to be friendly, but his whole body screamed that he was nervous.
Mr. Vice President, my friend and I are here to figure out what's going on? - Tony began as he comfortably sat down in the seat opposite the owner of the office. The second chair was occupied by Alex. - As you should know, I was attacked and we need to figure it out.
What do you want from me?
The truth is, Alex turned the water from the carafe into an icy blade that approached the man's neck. - and we don't have much time or desire for unnecessary conversations.
Are you threatening me? - The vice president pressed the button after which two agents who had been knocked out by the water whip burst into the office and introduced them to the wall.
Rodriguez looked at Tony hoping that he would help, but he did not see in his compatriot's eyes the desire to stop all this.
- We found out that several fighters took off on your order and that thanks to you terrorists appeared in the CIA - the blade at the throat forced him to press his head to the back of the chair - these same people kidnapped the director of Stark Industries whose life is very important and if something happens to her then my friend - Tony's look after mentioning Pepper would have already killed if he could - will be very unhappy and may do something stupid. For example, an uncontrollable suit will drop a bomb on your house where you, your wife and your daughter are.
Rodriguez loved his family and could do a lot for them, especially for his little daughter, who was crippled and he had to make a deal that could heal her. A deal with Aldrich Killian that raised his corporation in a very short time and everything was fine, the technology of limb restoration developed until aliens appeared and Alex himself who could do a lot. In order to speed up research, reduce Alex's influence on the world stage and put shelves in the wheels of the Russians, Rodriguez was able to get additional funding and opportunities that turned Killian's head and he began to go beyond the limits. Also, under the pressure of the ice blade, it became known that the terrorist attacks were also his business and Tony did not like that American citizens paid taxes so that the government sponsored terrorism.
It was also revealed that there were future plans to remove the President by using the Patriot so that Rodriguez could take the vacant position. This explained why there was no contact with Rhodey , who was piloting the suit, and why Tony was unable to contact him.
If you care about your daughter, I advise you to send her to me, where I can help her in time, because in a couple of days you won't be able to do anything for her. - Alex's serious voice clearly implied that the vice president's political career had come to an end - it would be sad if because of you she lost the opportunity to live a normal life.
- And I don’t advise you to do anything stupid, otherwise I might actually have faulty armor.
And so the two “heroes” left the residence of the future prisoner, who sat in his office and literally did not know what to do.
- Then we'll split up, you go get the president, and I'll go to Killian's mansion in Malibu that Rodriguez told me about. - Standing on the sidewalk, they both discussed their plans.
- Let me do it. Pepper might be there - Tony didn't like what was happening after hearing this, his body was seething with energy for action.
-Yeah, and I went and flew after the plane - the look that was thrown at Tony showed what a stupid idea it was.
-Okay, I'm going after the president, and you...
And I'll go to the mansion and figure out what's going on there that's so interesting. - and he added to the unspoken question - and if Pepper is there , I'll make sure she's safe.
****
Miami has always been famous for its warm weather, sandy beaches and beautiful girls who relax in beach outfits. All this has always worked well to attract people.
Today was not a special day for most people, but the armed guards who guarded the large and old mansion, which was more than a century old and stood far from the city, were in for a surprise.
The head appeared from the water near the mansion itself. Having assessed the situation, it was decided to act more quietly, so as not to attract much attention, otherwise the tsunami formed in a couple of seconds would immediately show that he was here.
Having emerged unscathed from the water, Alex was surrounded by a solid water sphere that was constantly moving and a small amount of water that flowed under him. This entire structure moved at his will, so from the outside it looked like he was floating. Until the cleanup of the object began, one thought came to him.
- Ehhh, it's a pity Natasha isn't here now, she's a super spy . - The first shots were fired by the guards on the roof who were inspecting the area with snipers. Watching how the bullet simply slows down in a layer of water and is carried away, the smile on the face became predatory.
- She could have quietly gotten inside. - Then other members of the guard began to join the snipers. Shots were heard from everywhere, grenades exploded somewhere nearby, but nothing could penetrate the thickness of the water.
- For her, getting past the guards without anyone finding out is a simple matter. - The first casualties of the defenders began when several people were pierced by many small frozen drops. Considering that all the guards were mostly unprepared for heavy clashes, only those who took cover behind strong shelters like walls were able to survive. One of the snipers who was lying on the roof saw a clot of water fly onto the roof. Having rolled several times, he dodged a direct hit, but was doused with splashing water, he only managed to exhale, as the water that caught on him pulled him off the roof.
- And even if he disturbs someone, he will be able to quietly get rid of him without raising a threat - people ran out of a small building that was allocated for barracks, but literally a second later a flurry of ice fragments stopped them running in position. The man who was lucky enough not to run to the exit saw how those with whom he drank beer a minute ago were simply torn to pieces as if from a minigun .
When the huge mass of water reached the main entrance, there was no one to stop it. Having assessed the result, Alex came to the conclusion - "in principle, everything turned out pretty well."
Since there was nothing else to do in the yard, the only way forward was inside. The first thing he saw when he entered was a large front hall with a staircase leading to the second floor right in the middle of a small estate. After taking a few steps inside, new problems appeared.
an extremis was waiting above the main entrance and it was worth taking a few steps inside as he, already fired up, rushed straight down. The instinctive action from a sudden attack was to simply send all the water to the attacker, which Alex did. All the water that was not used on the water shield went up and collided with the attacker. When the water collided with a person whose body temperature was above a thousand degrees, a small explosion occurred, forming a large cloud of steam that covered everything inside this hall.
The mercenary who rushed to attack managed to hide in the resulting cloud of steam. Because of this, a small moment of silence arose. No one saw anyone, so there was no hurry to attack. Standing and watching the white canvas, Alex felt a strong change. He always honored all water as an extension of himself, so manipulations with it were simple. Ice that could be frozen from water was no longer so controllable, but no complex actions had ever been done with it. Steam or fog were a little different, there was not enough water there to control
The moving empty space in the large wall of steam caught him by surprise and, having lost a couple of seconds to comprehend what was happening, it was only worth realizing that the empty space was occupied by a person that an ice blade began to form.
Already aiming for the attack, he was distracted by a furious scream behind him. A red woman, almost burning in the sunlight, was running into the building where he was. Near Stark's house, such a shade of a person preparing for an explosion was already visible.
Sending even more water under his control to wash the woman away, and using the rest to block the passage from the explosion by erecting a wall there.
The explosion of an angry woman thundered a few seconds later and shook the nearby walls.
There was only one left and he immediately reminded of himself. Realizing that the enemy was distracted, the remaining mercenary ran towards the water lord and wanted to end this fight with one blow in a jump, but he failed - his blow was printed right into the wall, and Alex himself managed to lie down on the floor.
A powerful blow from the already burning blue hand burst out from the mercenary's chest.
The mercenary's red glowing eyes widened as he looked into the equally glowing, but blue eyes, and then his head simply sank.
A giant tentacle from the water grabbed his head and began to swing wildly throughout the hall, hitting him against the walls.
After watching his opponent choke and hit the walls, he separated his head from his body with a light squeeze of his hand.
Having looked around and realized that there was no longer any threat, more water from the ocean was called in as a precaution.
No one interfered with moving further around the building, the rare people who were encountered either ran or hid. Anyone who even slightly resembled a guard received a sharp blow from a water whip that knocked them out or killed them, depending on who was lucky.
After passing the building on the second floor, he entered a room that had many amenities and entertainment. A large bed behind which were hiding two women of easy virtue and a bald man very similar to the one who was in the videos and called himself "Mandarin".
After kicking the women out, Alex made an angry face and walked towards the only person left in the room and he began to sing like a bird. The so-called terrorist "Mandarin" was just an actor. Trevor Slattery lived the life of a failed actor who was addicted to drugs until he was hired by AIM and wanted to be responsible for many explosions, and in return they gave him money, drugs and entertainment.
Listening to the story of a drug addict-actor who, before his “death”, decided to relax one last time and stuff himself with more white powder, he received several water treatments so as not to be distracted from the interesting story.
Having finished the conversation and learned everything I could from this actor, it was decided to move on; there was still a basement that was worth checking.
Under the building was more of a dungeon than a simple basement or cellar. Walking through the cells, Alex found the only prisoner, who turned out to be James Rhodes, Tony's friend and the Patriot pilot, but he didn't have his suit on him.
-Alive? - waking up the prisoner who had previously been hanging on chains, exhausted and set on fire in several places.
- Where's Tony? - panic was visible in the eyes of the Air Force colonel - they took my suit to kidnap the president.
- How did they take it? - Stark built the best exoskeleton the world had ever seen, and no one in the world could show anything even remotely good. - They just took it?
“They smoked me out,” Rhodes tried to justify himself by telling how they started heating up his suit.
- What were you doing here anyway?
- Well, I was on an operation to capture ten rings in the Middle East...
- Wait, do you know where we are? - to which he received a negative nod - we are in Miami. So they captured you there, delivered you to the other end of the world and only here "opened" you? Although they used the same methods when they captured you. They have some strange logic.
Rhodes himself thought about this and nodded in agreement, accepting this oddity.
- Well, look. There's a very interesting person up there, talk to her, and then decide what to do.
- What about Tony?
- Tony is trying to save your president right now, so do what you can.
- Okay - even though the colonel agreed to do this, he was clearly unhappy that Alex ordered him what to do.
After going through the rest of the house, we discovered another small laboratory and a film studio where videos with the participation of "Mandarin" were filmed, but unfortunately there was nothing interesting there.
Already leaving the explored mansion, a thought flashed through Alex’s mind: “Tony will clearly be in a bad mood that Pepper is not here.”
*****
P.s. I hope those in the know understood the reference. I don't know why I decided to do it this way, but when I was writing it, it seemed a little funny to me.

P.s.s. I also want to thank everyone for the fact that this work resonates with people.

Chapter Text

In a small town of several dozen different buildings that formed on a highway for truckers. The heroes sat in the only eatery and slowly ate burgers and potatoes that were brought to them.
- Breaking news The terrorist who calls himself "Mandarin" has been captured. The person responsible for the capture is Colonel James Rhodes who was able to find and capture him in Miami. Yes, yes, dear viewers. Everyone was shocked when the most wanted terrorist was on the territory of the United States. He was found in a mansion that belonged to the head of the AIM company, Aldrich Killian. Now all efforts are thrown into finding the head of AIM himself, and his company has launched a massive investigation ...
The quietly working television was of no interest to anyone now.
There were no other customers in the establishment except the two of them, although it was clear that the kitchen was working at full capacity.
"Is he still there?" Tony checked the screen on his watch.
- Yes, as soon as Rhodey's suit with the president landed, he did not take any action, it looks like the hostage is still inside and they did not even let him out.
- I still don’t understand how they hacked it?
“Me too,” Stark was unhappy with the current situation and it was evident in his voice.
All because with the help of his technology they were able to kidnap the first person of the country. On board they did not expect that the warrior suit was captured, thanks to this the mercenary Killian was able to get inside and already inside the kidnapping was committed. When Stark himself showed up to save the first person of the country it was already too late in addition they had to be distracted by the people who were thrown out of the plane by the explosion.
- Are you sure your plan will work? - and this was already a question for his partner who was playing a little with the cola on their table, making figures out of them and forcing them to fight each other.
- No, but if you haven't noticed we're in the middle of the desert now, my abilities don't work very well here without a large source of water. If you have other options... - Tony was about to say - that aren't as time-consuming.
Stark himself only smiled mysteriously: “Actually, there is, but I’m more interested in your option for now.”
Tony may have been in control, but he didn't like the situation. After the president was kidnapped, he was able to track where the suit had flown. It led them to a military base that a legally recognized terrorist had been able to get after increasing the amount of money he was receiving. Previously, he had one ship where he conducted experiments, but now he had moved all his equipment there. Scanning the footage from his satellites, he determined that the suit and Pepper were there, as well as many tanks and missile launchers whose purpose was to shoot down any target that would begin to approach the base.
- The son of a bitch was clearly preparing to meet me. - Tony thought about what he saw in the pictures. As soon as he appeared on the radar near the base in a suit, dozens of missiles would fly at him, some of which would definitely hit the target.
- I'll tell you this - lounging languidly on the cheap chair that was here - if you and I agree on a business meeting, and you dump me by going to spend time with a hottie, then don't be offended if I suddenly get angry at you
The billionaire himself looked intently at his interlocutor, recalling the only meeting that had taken place between them, because he definitely did not tell about this part of his acquaintance with Aldrich.
-What? Hansen told me. - and calmly continued drinking the cola that flew into his mouth in the form of various spaceships.
- Sir, your "guest" will be arriving soon, estimated time one minute - Jarvis' voice distracted them from another conversation.
- Finally – I didn’t think the journey from New York would be so long – Stark was indignant, but was the first to head out.
As soon as they both left the establishment, many eyes turned to them. People stood watching from the windows on the other side of the street. Even the biker gang that liked to eat here stood quietly to the side and did not interfere after their Mark 42 "politely" asked them not to come in.
The sound of the suit descending caught everyone's attention. As soon as the suit firmly secured itself to the ground, it opened and Dr. Bruce Banner practically flew out.
- You... you two - Bruce, gasping for breath and trying to come to his senses, tried to say something while standing on all fours and pointing his finger at the people because of whom he was here.
- Everything is fine, maybe you would like some water or a massage to calm down? - Bruce waved away the bottle of water, as well as everything else that these two bullies offered.
- Maybe you could explain what's going on? - Having recovered a bit, he finally accepted the offer to have a drink - you just said that you needed me, and then he grabbed me, put me inside and brought me here.
Bruce told all this while taking small steps away from his flying prison.
- Nothing personal, big guy, but it was his idea - Tony threw off all responsibility and began to slowly move away.
- I'm sorry, Bruce, but we couldn't get you there any other way, and we need a big guy to save Pepper and the President.
- What? - Of course Bruce understood why he was being brought here, there were objectively no other reasons, but that doesn’t mean he liked it - what do you want?
- We need Hulk to tank damage in the dungeon . - A bit of gaming slang confused the scientist.
- Are you sure? - Bruce looked around at the people around him - there are just so many people here, I'm not sure...
- Bruce, everything is fine - Alex looked into his eyes, holding him by the shoulders - trust me!
- Well, as you know - not believing that he was doing it himself, the scientist moved a little to the center of the street and stopped maintaining control over the monster who had already felt the taste of freedom.
Many people had become very familiar with what the Hulk could do thanks to numerous recordings during the Battle of New York. But seeing an ordinary person start to grow and turn green, tearing almost all of his clothes off and turning into a big green man who acted like a wild animal was unusual for many. People from the streets began to quickly run away, acting more on reflexes than consciously, because many had phones in their hands and the entire transformation process was recorded on hundreds of cameras.
When the process was over, only two people and the big guy himself were visible on the street. The anger was on the face of the monster of rage, one thrown stone from some idiot would have been enough for the Hulk to destroy the entire town and no one would have been able to stop him, but fortunately this did not happen, so he stood patiently and waited.
- Hello big guy - Alex greeted him peacefully, hitting him on the chest with his fist as a greeting - it must be nice to get out when you don’t have to kill anyone to save your life?
Rrrrr – the Hulk's roar could reflect either agreement or disagreement.
- Oooooo , I see you're a guy who doesn't like to waste time, so to stop you from growling so angrily, I have something for you - and he gave a sign to the establishment's employees to start acting.
- Literally a minute later, workers started coming out of the establishment with a huge tray on which more than a hundred of the largest burgers that could be made there were piled up in a pyramid. Hulk watched attentively as a pyramid of food was formed in front of him.
Help yourself, this is especially for you, the quality is average, but it satisfies hunger very well - and as an example he came up, took one of this pyramid and bit it. It was very funny to look at Hulk's slightly confused face. Alex's example influenced him, so without waiting any longer he grabbed several burgers and threw them into his mouth.
It was a shock for many to watch as the green brute pulled the pickup truck towards him, sat on the back and began throwing even more burgers into himself. All the food was gone very quickly and Hulk was about to go inside for more.
- MORE - a voice more like a roar was directed at Alex who stood in front of him on the way.
- Do you want more? - affirmative nod - then come with us, do we need your strength?
- A FIGHT?
- Fight.
- NOW A FIGHT. THEN FOOD. - although it was angrily, but in all his encounters with the green beast, Tony was in shock, the first time he saw him so happy.
- Well, you see, everything is fine, now we can go visit - pleased that his idea had worked, he went to collect some water, because there was little of it at the base in the desert.
- Follow us - to which Hulk nodded affirmatively and began to make large jumps after the people who flew forward.
****
At the abandoned military base, which Aldrich Killian had recently equipped for his personal needs, the alarm was turned on and many people began to urgently take up combat posts. Almost no one understood what was happening except for the people who were currently in the headquarters.
The sound of destruction was heard in the headquarters itself. It was the head of the AIM company himself destroying the equipment in a fit of rage when three figures were shown on the big screen. Tony Stark himself in his favorite brainchild. Alexey Ledov around whom water was swirling and the Hulk who needs no introduction.
- So much preparation and all for nothing - having released all his anger and extinguished the extremis in a fiery glow , Aldrich sat down in a chair, already in a slightly shabby suit, but he didn’t care much about that now.
- Sir, we can open fire on them now - with the increased funding and new capabilities, Aldrich was able to transfer his developments from the ship to this facility, also taking with him a lot of weapons to deal with Stark.
- Even if we start now, it won’t give results, they’ll just go off course – Aldrich answered his subordinate – the question is why are they standing there?
Possible versions began to be quietly voiced throughout the room.
- The President - everyone looked at another screen where the President of the United States, clad in patriot armor, was located right in the middle of a military base in an open space.
- Yes, turn on the controls I want our valuable hostage to be out of reach and hidden from them.
The operator began entering commands into the system, and began to take control into his own hands and direct the suit to the bunker where the headquarters was located.
After taking a few steps, the suit stopped.
- What's going on, why did he stand up?
- I don't know sir, I'm trying - while he began to panic and enter new commands to avoid becoming the next target of wrath, the monitor began to ripple and an image of a robot rabbit appeared, pointing at the operator with a finger and the caption "ha-ha".
While all this was happening, the suit itself awkwardly took a few steps, then stood up and began to fly into the sky.
- KNOCK IT DOWN, IT MUSTN'T FLY AWAY. - but there was no time for that now they had a higher priority target in the form of a green monster that was rushing towards the base.
- Son of a bitch, kill them all - realizing the approaching danger, he gave the command and began to leave the headquarters and go for his last trump card for survival.
****
Before starting an attack on the military base, it was necessary to resolve one issue: how to get to the country's top official?
- Are you sure we should stop here now? We are in the kill zone.
- I wouldn't want to take risks while they have such a hostage, and the fact that they left him on display for everyone to see is only their problem.
- FIGHT - Hulk started to get a little angry because he was expecting a fight, and then he was told to stop and now he watched as two people with whom Banner was talking looked at the picture that appeared from the light from the red suit.
- Calm down, big guy, everything will be fine, now we will solve one little issue and you will go have fun.
At that moment, Tony's scanners showed helicopters flying in their direction.
- Yumiko, if you can hear me, we need to act now - Alex spoke into the phone that he bought from a passerby, because his was destroyed in the techogenia house - let me know that everything is ready.
The plan was simple. They had to get the hostage out of the base, it would have been harder if they had hidden him somewhere inside the base, but it seemed like Aldrich was planning on making a good show of killing the US President in his protector's suit, so Alex asked his personal hacker to bypass their systems, penetrate the suit's systems, take over the controls and get away.
A short text message that came to her phone confirmed that she was ready and advised to start right away.
- Hulk, there's a military base over there, no friends there, have fun.
A satisfied smile appeared on his big green face, with all his teeth, and without stopping he set off with his big leaps towards the military base.
- Actually, Pepper is there too ! - Tony watched from the satellite as the warrior suit left the military base, avoiding the few shells that were flying at it - no matter what he did.
- Pepper is the only reason why we are going there now. If it weren't for her, I would rather stay here and watch them run around in panic, not knowing what to do with the Hulk.
There was no point in imagining this, because you could see it in person, which made them smile.
- Okay, go ahead - the old man couldn't wait to get his girl back.

Chapter Text

The first helicopter was destroyed by Hulk when he simply crashed into it in a jump and pierced it through. The remaining few pilots did not expect that he would reach them with his jumps, so seeing this, they decided to rise higher so that the same would not happen to them.
The military base had tanks, artillery, and air defense systems that were used to target ground and air targets. Many people sitting behind the equipment were trying to target one target that was rapidly approaching the base with its large jumps.
Many started shooting just to shoot, hoping for at least some kind of hit, and some even succeeded.
A tank shell hit the leg of a three-meter-tall brute that was preparing for a new jump, causing it to roll on the ground for several dozen meters. Taking advantage of this opportunity, everyone started shooting in that direction, since there was no time for precise aiming, but it was enough for dozens of shells to hit the green monster that was approaching them.
The fire stopped briefly after this as a curtain of sand covered the site of the explosions.
- RRRRRRRAAAAAAA - a loud cry of rage was heard inside the sand cloud. A second later, Hulk flew out of it. Now he did not move with big jumps, but began to run and sometimes make small jumps to the side when he saw that many missiles were flying at him.
Explosions were everywhere. The last thing the helicopter pilot saw, who was close enough to the Hulk, was the monster catching a missile and how he simply threw it into the pilot's cabin.
A minute. That was all the defenders had to stop the attack on them and it wasn't enough. Having reached the first tank, he simply knocked it out of his way and the tank flew on for tens of meters and turned over several times before it stopped with its tracks up.
The next tank, which was nearby, tried to drive away and at the same time tried to point the barrel in the right direction to shoot, but was grabbed by the same barrel and sent flying into one of the air defense installations, which led to the destruction of both.
Once the Hulk was able to reach the base itself, most of its weapons were no longer suitable for fighting such an enemy, so many people, especially those who had recently joined the organization, began simply trying to leave the combat zone, some simply running away from the base, and some trying to get into the interior of the complex, which was built into the mountain and was behind large steel walls. Unfortunately for them, no one planned to open the steel doors to let them in.
Having dealt with another enemy, Hulk felt small bites all over his back. Turning around, he saw that it was another helicopter that was trying to get him using its machine guns. Already holding a piece of iron in his hand that he could throw at this enemy that was disturbing his fun, he watched as the helicopter was blown up before it could do anything.
- You're falling behind, big guy.
Tony and Alex reached the scene of the fight. The two men began to pass through all the remaining defenses and headed straight for the doors inside the base.
Using his powers, Alex simply washed away all the people who were near the doors and collected everyone into a large ball, where they all drowned.
At the same time, Tony flew up to the entrance panel near the door, tore it out and began to connect to the system.
- Jarvis...
- Please wait sir, the end time of the action... is finished - Tony didn't quite understand whether this was a joke or whether Jarvis simply finished the work faster than he planned, but the gates that began to open didn't give him time to think this thought through to the end.
The opening large iron walls caught the Hulk's attention and he went to meet new opponents.
Watching as the big green carcass quickly ran towards the gate, both avengers did not stand in his way, so the fact that a second after he ran inside he was thrown out of there by a big red beam was shocking for both of them.
Having flown several dozen meters, the Hulk simply fell and was in no hurry to get up.
Without thinking twice, Stark flew up to the very ceiling and looked inside.
In the very center of the passage stood a large installation, behind which stood two people. One stood at the control panel, and the second, loaded with extremis , stood to the side and was like a battery for the weapon.
After examining the device, the engineer came to the conclusion that the installation was more of a prototype, since there was no talk of any mobility, the fact that they were able to hit the Hulk was rather luck that he was running towards them along the trajectory they needed. Therefore, from the chest repulsor , he destroyed the installation, causing an explosion that caught everyone who stood there on guard and built a line of defense.
While Tony dealt with the threats inside, Alex approached their prostrate companion. There was chaos everywhere, so many were only glad that the Hulk left them for this time, which gave those who did not escape a moment to regroup. A quick examination showed that the patient was more alive than dead, but it seemed that this energy attack was much stronger than many that the green big guy received. In the upper half of the body, the green skin turned red, as if the green giant in these places was burned by the sun.
- Tony is wounded, we need cover.
- And I thought it wouldn't be necessary anymore. - A very pleased Stark, who began to enter the bunker, gave the command - Jarvis, now it's our turn
- Yes, sir.
As soon as the team passed, it started raining from the sky. A rain of Iron Man suits of different versions. The entire military defense was built just to repel such an attack, but the intervention of the green rage forced all the defenders to abruptly change their plans, so now they were not ready for an attack from the sky. Only pitiful crumbs tried to strike. Thanks to this, four dozen well-armored exoskeletons were able to land on the ground to continue the chaos that had been here a minute earlier.
While Alex was trying to move his patient into a more closed room, a blue suit with containers all over the body landed behind him, outwardly it resembled Tony's blue suit but with scuba gear, and opened, inviting him to enter.
- It looks like it’s for me – I didn’t think twice and immediately went inside, - now it’s clear why you spend a lot of time inside.
Enjoy - the answer came through the speaker, showing that the creator of the suit heard everything.
On the display in front of him, various data appeared, but the most important were the percentages near each tank on his hand and back.
- This liquid is a chemical that increases the amount of liquid it produces when released from a container, Mr. Stark hoped that you would be able to use it wisely.
- I am generally grateful that he thought about me - at that moment a burst of machine gun fire sounded on his back - well, we'll check it out.
Raising his right hand, the chemical process started and a huge stream of water flew out of the small hose on his hands , which simply blew away the soldier who continued to shoot.
Until the water appeared, Alex did not feel it in his suit with his abilities, but as soon as the soldier flew away, all the liquid that appeared easily came under his control and began to flow back.
- Hohoho this will be cool - the satisfied water lord began to simply release many liters of liquid into the area, creating a small lake under himself. Hundreds of liters of water appeared in the area, and the reserve did not even drop to 90% - this is a very cool thing.
“I’m glad you like it,” Jarvis continued, forcing the suit to move here and there so that its wearer wouldn’t start falling just when using it. “Mr. Stark was developing a model for extinguishing wildfires and therefore made some adjustments so that you could use it.”
- I understand everything, but let's not do it now - covering himself with a dome, Alex began to create huge tentacles, which began to grab everyone they could reach.
The appearance of the "kraken" at a military base in the desert and the invasion of a small army of robots undermined the remnants of morale of almost all of the hundreds of combat-ready people; only a few dozen fighters remained, and even they continued to fight because they were all under the serum and could therefore regenerate their injuries.
Several of these soldiers were able to capture one of the armors that flew too close to them and using high temperatures were able to burn through it.
The brave soldiers couldn't enjoy their victory because a new problem was already waiting for them in the form of a water tentacle that grabbed one by the head. The remaining two wanted to help, but they didn't have time, another tentacle arrived and grabbed him by the legs. The ability to heal injuries doesn't help when you are torn in two and left without a brain in your body. The survivors tried to escape, but their fate was sealed.
While Alex was distracted by the soldiers and the extremist, one of the surviving tanks aimed its barrel at the target under the water and shield and fired.
Agggh - the blow to the back was unexpected. Dividing its concentration into many things, the water dome could not withstand the blow, fortunately, the armor took the rest of the blow.
The unfamiliar controls made themselves felt when getting up and standing on your feet was much more difficult than it might have seemed before. Not knowing the capabilities of the suit pilot, it was decided to simply envelop yourself in water and lift yourself up.
As soon as I did this and turned around, the tank that had recently fired a shot decided to ram and try to crush the mutant.
This turned out to be an impossible goal for them, because in order to get there they had to drive through the solution that was around.
Like a powerful geyser, the thickness of the water threw the tank into the air for tens of meters, and landing on several trucks that exploded took the tank's crew out of the battle.
- Looks like the battle is won here - after losing a few armors, the rest went into flight mode and started shooting with everything they had at the remaining soldiers.
Alex was distracted from contemplating the battlefield by the rumble inside the base. And the fact that his patient had come to and run away somewhere. It wasn't hard to put these facts together.
****
Iron Man moved along the corridor of the complex.
Right behind the doors, near the cannon that was able to throw the Hulk back, a line of defense was built where everyone who could hold a weapon ran. That's why they all died there in the explosion.
By gaining access to the gate, Jarvis was able to break into the network and gain access to cameras and maps. One of the cameras shows Killian, his eyes glowing, leading Pepper down a hallway.
It was worth understanding where to go as the Mark42 accelerated and began to jerk move from turn to turn.
It wasn't long before Tony found them both. With his hand on Pepper's head , threatening to "warm her up" if she didn't listen, Killian led them to a secret exit.
- PEPPER - seeing his beloved, he could not resist and drew attention to himself.
the beginnings of joy that had not been there for several days appeared in her voice .
- Ahhhhh Tony Stark himself decided to visit us - turning around and in the same position but already taking slow steps back, Killian took a small remote control out of his pocket.
- Everything will be fine now that I'm here.
- I wouldn't be so sure that everything will be fine. - showing the remote control in his hand - take a few steps and check if you can survive under the rubble.
- Let her go and we'll figure this out one on one.
Bringing his face closer to the girl's neck, Killian took a deep breath - Ahh, what words, you're a real American hero, what do you think?
- Go to hell - she clearly didn't like what was happening - I'd rather die than be with you.
- Aaa, how do you like it? Just like in a cheap action movie! - Both of them didn't like the answer and anger began to cloud their eyes, and hatred for Stark made them abandon their escape plans.
With one sharp movement of his hand, he threw the girl into the wall, causing her to hit the wall and lose consciousness.
Sstark , now even more angry , did not waste time and began charging the generator in his chest while Killian was quickly approaching him.
The shot was fired when it was ready, but by dropping to the ground and rolling across the floor, Killian was able to get close to the stark.
The red hand swung, but by pulling his leg back Tony was able to avoid a direct hit. Jarvis had already shown footage where a direct hit could easily burn through titanium alloy, so the first priority was to prevent a direct hit.
And so the game between them began. Several attacks led to several steps back, with each step there was a repulsor shot , not all hit, and those that did did not give the desired effect, only delaying the head of AIM.
- That Stark - the madness was visible even without the scanners on the mask - now you are mine, and then she will be mine.
- Sorry, but you're not my type. - Darts were released from the shoulder pads that extended, specifically for neutralizing people, and considering that it was not the time to save, all the ammunition was used at once.
This trick slightly reduced the ardor with which the attack was conducted. Although " extremis " made it possible to survive fatal wounds, the pain from any blow was transmitted completely.
One projectile was enough to knock a man out, and Killian received more than a dozen of them, but was still standing. Confident in his victory, Stark did not expect such resilience from his opponent, so he missed the stream of flame that his opponent released from his mouth.
The stream of fire burned out some of the vision sensors on the suit, which made it possible to knock him to the ground.
The distant rumble began to increase as they clashed. Trying to reach the enemy that was pressing on him, Stark screamed in pain when a fiery hand simply entered his leg, cutting through the metal.
- How long have I waited for this - he pulled out his hand and pointed it at the helmet - not a day went by that I didn’t remember that humiliation.
And I... didn't even think about you... until you appeared hahahahaha - the rumble was getting closer and closer.
- Yes, yes, laugh before you die - he raised his hand for a finishing blow - this is the last thing you will do.
Literally a few meters away from the fight in the corridor, the wall was simply destroyed . The big green monster simply smashed the wall that was in the bunker. Each crash was a breach of one of the walls while the Hulk rushed inside the complex in a fit of rage.
Having broken through this wall, he went on to destroy obstacles in order to reach a goal known only to him.
The fight was interrupted for a few seconds until the uninvited guest walked through the corridor, making doors for himself where the builders' plans did not provide.
At that moment, two gloves separated from Stark's suit and grabbed the enemy who was sitting on top and began to lift him up to the ceiling.
- Jarvis, destroy the gloves.
Two small explosions and a new cry of rage were heard in the corridor. The madman who had just lost his arms looked angrily at his opponent who himself could barely get up after the wound. Even having lost his arms, such an opponent was dangerous, and looking at the regeneration process that had already begun, Tony did not hesitate and used a uni- beam from his chest and made another large hole right in the center of his opponent.
Killian's expression froze in disbelief at his defeat as his body fell to the floor. Taking careful steps to avoid damaging his leg which was more on the side due to his armor, Tony checked and looked down and couldn't believe it. The hole in his chest was already starting to heal but his body wasn't making any movement.
- When will you die? - Stark took off his helmet and placed it on the head of the defeated man.
Taking a few steps towards his girlfriend, another explosion was heard and helmet fragments flew in different directions.
- Pepper , pepper - through the pain he tried to wake her up and was able to achieve results.
- Tony what... - they were distracted from the solemn reunion by the fact that the complex began to collapse, a quick thought about the Hulk who was frolicking here ran through the genius's head.
- We're not leaving now.
The attempt to get out through the wall that their green friend had entered was partially successful. Since it was difficult to fly away in an incomplete suit, they did not have time to leave the complex before the destruction began.
Pepper's back causing red spots on her body that healed her. Seeing Tony's condition and that he couldn't move fast she tried to help as much as she could, but there was little time.
A large slab broke off from the ceiling and threatened to bury them both. Until help arrived at the last moment.
Mark 7 hovered above them and tried to hold the slab.
Two more suits quickly flew towards them, grabbed both of them and began to pull them out of the rapidly collapsing building.
While they were being pulled out before Pepper came out I saw how several dozen suits, occupying different points along the corridor of broken walls, stood and kept the passage open and not literally blocked by their bodies.
It was only worth getting out of the held corridor, as a few seconds later the passage behind them collapsed, burying under it many suits that had been created since the arrival of Iron Man.
Taking a few sips of fresh air, she immediately rushed to Tony, who had lost consciousness and was bleeding from his head.
Before they could do anything, another suit of armor appeared next to them , from which Alex emerged and began to help his friend.
- Will he be okay? - Pepper was very worried , but seeing the nod and smile in response, she calmed down a little.

Chapter Text

- After the shocking kidnapping of the president, we learned the names of those responsible for this terrorist act….
Click
- The company "Agency for Innovative Mechanics" (AIM) was subjected to a full search of employees of all departments...
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- The Avengers have once again proven their usefulness to the world.
Click
Due to recent events, countries that had put their troops on combat alert have reversed their decision and their armies…
Click
- If you want to know, this whole situation is bad, the only thing that could go better is if those damn "superheroes" died.
The TV in the VIP ward of the hospital turned off.
- Hey, leave it, I was watching.
Happy Hogan, head of security for Stark Industries, couldn't stand watching this nonsense any longer and turned to look at the patient in the room.
- Tony, how can you watch this?
The patient himself was feeling quite well. There were no signs of injury on him, the only reason he was there was a personal threat from his CEO that if he left the room, there would be punishment.
- That's the only thing here. Watching all these people go crazy.
- Tony, this is not funny people... - they were distracted by Bruce's banner entering the room
- Oh Bruce, tell me I can leave this place? Or at least give me something to work with, I'm dying of boredom here.
- Tony, only a couple of days have passed since Alexey performed the operation, plus you were exhausted from constant work, you need to rest.
- And where is he himself? He's probably resting somewhere already.
- Actually, according to my information - Happy checked his tablet - he has now returned to Russia and is calming his politicians down so that they don’t take any serious action.
- You know, you're all in cahoots - in feigned anger, the patient stood up and began to pace the ward - I'll remember this to all of you.
No one took the billionaire's "threats" seriously.
- How are you doing Bruce? - Tony looked out the window trying to find something - you look refreshed.
A small smile appeared on the scientist’s face – You know, everything is fine now, I can’t believe it, after so many years I finally feel calm and don’t feel the anger that was constantly inside me.
After Hulk fought his way through the destroyed complex, he screamed and returned control to Bruce.
- It looks like our "little" friend ate, played and decided to go to bed.
- Tony, this is not a game, Hulk has killed a lot of people.
- I know it's not a game, but you feel better because of it, right?
- Yes, but I wouldn’t want to…
- Well then this is a solvable issue, if Hulk makes himself known again, let me know, we’ll come up with something.
After the inner beast appeared for the first time, Bruce's life changed forever, as soon as his pulse went over 200 beats per minute, the Hulk appeared in its place. Stress, danger, even intimacy, all this and much more awakened the green guy. For many years he tried to fight it, but right now his body felt light and there was no pressure that if he relaxed, the Hulk would come into his life again.
- Bruce, I don't know much about you, but maybe while you have the opportunity you can relax.
Great idea Happy, we need to arrange a trip to Vegas for him: alcohol, women, he will need to undergo a full course of "Relaxotherapy".
- What "Relaxotherapy" in Vegas are you talking about, Tony?
While the conversation was going on, the men did not notice how the general director herself entered the room, and the look she cast at the patient did not bode well.
“And how can we get out of this when she holds all the cards?”
*****
Several vans were driving through the city's night streets. Driving through most of the city, he entered the industrial area and stopped near one of the warehouses.
Well-armed men with machine guns and masks through which only their eyes were visible began to emerge from the vans, and at their head was a large man with clean-shaven skin under a helmet in a white, blue and red suit and a shield in his hands.
- You all know what to do! We get there and hack everyone who's there.
- Yes, captain! - the soldiers' quiet voices responded.
This was already the thirteenth or nineteenth mission for Alexei Shestakov, who began to be called the guardian of Russia or the government dog, depending on who was talking. But he did not consider himself either one or the other.
For many months after his release from Ledov's laboratory, he carried out missions across the country with a group of operatives consisting of government soldiers and the doctor's own small but personal army.
Preventing terrorism, rescuing hostages, attacking hostile cells. He did it all with great pleasure. The only thing he missed was more freedom between missions, but even that was better than sitting in jail.
Now there was a new mission, the goal of which was the complete destruction of the supply base used by the terrorists.
The squad, led by the super soldier, moved as quietly as possible to reach the warehouse that intelligence had pointed out to them.
Without saying a word and using only gestures, they began to get closer and closer to their target, some soldiers fell behind and began to disperse to take positions on the roofs and at the exit from the territory of future military operations.
Near the entrance to the building there were two people standing and talking, they could have been mistaken for ordinary workers who work the night shift, but the weapons sticking out from under their clothes showed that they were not just workers.
In order to make less noise, two soldiers went to eliminate them quietly. If one was taken out with a good blow from the butt of a machine gun, then the woman who was sent to them several missions ago made a good undercut and finished off this man with one blow.
The Guardian was not the leader of the group, but was considered more of a symbol and a shock force, so he did not know all those with whom he worked. This person appeared in their squad several missions ago and showed herself to be a professional in her field. If it were not for the certainty that all the widows are now in Dreykov's service, he would have taken her for one of them.
Having removed the two bodies from the passage, the assault began very quickly; there was no time to waste because the cameras could alert everyone inside.
The guard himself was the first to enter through the broken door, covering himself with a round shield and shooting from a pistol at those who were in the access zone. Then, several people with shields, but with more modern models, followed him.
A shootout began, the people inside the warehouse quickly grabbed their weapons and began shooting back. While they were distracted, other soldiers began to penetrate through the windows, covered by snipers.
Almost overwhelming everyone who was here with firepower, the warehouse was cleared quickly. All those who managed to survive the beginning of the assault began to descend into the basement.
Having made sure that the area was safe, a search began. Opening the boxes revealed the presence of many different types of weapons and equipment.
- Good catch guys, now we need to smoke these rats out of there. - Alexey was in high spirits, from a well-done operation.
- We have a problem - the commander in charge of the mission approached Shestakov. - On our maps there are no rooms down here.
- So they could have anything there.
Similar problems were common during missions and never brought anything good for the group, most often there were many traps and ambushes to be set up.
- We have no choice but to finish them off completely anyway. - The guard, a little inspired, began to prepare to be a target for the enemies again.
Approaching the stairs that led down and were being watched by several people, the super soldier raised his shield and began a slow descent.
As we got closer to the end, grenades were thrown down which were supposed to distract if there was anyone there, but there was no one there.
A poorly lit corridor with no end in sight met a former prisoner and seven other people. It was very strange that they were not met on the approach, so it was very alarming and an attack was expected at any moment.
Moving carefully and looking ahead, his heightened hearing made him turn around. But there was only silence.
The only thing that caught my attention was that there were six of them besides him.
- We lost a fighter.
- Where is the diesel fuel? - One of the fighters at the end of the column was confused, because he was definitely not the last one.
Realizing that there was someone here, everyone dispersed and began throwing light sticks. One of the thrown sticks ended up near the boot of the so-called "solary" who was lying with and bleeding.
- Your mother - a clearly unrestrained soldier attracted attention to himself and received a direct hit from a knife right in the eye slit of the mask.
With the loss of another one, it was decided to call in more people, but a shootout began where they came from.
At that moment, an enemy appeared from the ceiling, covered by the light of a lamp, who had already been classified as especially dangerous. His most striking attribute was a metal arm with a bright red star on his shoulder.
Falling on two more and instantly killing one with his hand. And the second with another knife.
- This is a winter soldier bitch - at the moment of his identification one of the soldiers started shooting at him, but he dodged, covered himself with his body and was able to survive the hail of bullets.
The slight confusion from using their brother's body gave the terrorist the opportunity to attack. He threw the corpse aside, took out a pistol and ran to another one and fired a shot, and then another and another.
The last shot should have hit the woman, but the guard's shield was able to cover her.
A few seconds later, there were only three of them left in the corridor.
- Don't interfere, I can handle it myself.
The Guardian versus the Winter Soldier, like two fighters in a ring, stood and prepared to fight each other.
A quick dash with a shield was met with a blow from an iron hand. Strike, strike, dodge, shoot. Strike from above with the shield, jump back, block the blow to the legs.
Never before had the guard fought such a strong opponent in a combat situation, the soldier was not inferior in strength to the guard, and the iron hand gave him an advantage. Now Alexey was grateful that he had completed a training course, if not for this, he would have already lost.
The two super soldiers tried to kill each other by any means necessary. At one point, the winter soldier made a feint and was able to grab the shield with his hand and throw the guardian into the wall that was trying to hold him.
Throwing his shield aside, the winter soldier quickly walked towards the rising guard and began to strike.
Left punch block block punch right.
It was difficult to hold back the terrorist, especially when he had you pinned against the wall.
One missed blow to the side was enough for the first to be followed by a second to the leg and a third to the head.
Looking at the defeated enemy, the super terrorist raised his hand for a control blow, but then the girl forgotten in the battle made her move.
A blow to the back of the knee and a grab on the arm allowed him to maneuver and throw the soldier over himself, which created distance between them.
Bang bang bang
The soldier was able to protect himself from the bullets flying at his head with his hand and relentlessly walked towards the new enemy.
The new fight was completely different, the opponent was now smaller and faster. The blows were exchanged with grabs and throws until they managed to grab the woman's mask.
In order to escape, I had to leave the mask and the woman’s identity became visible.
A young, beautiful woman with short platinum hair looked at her target, her face devoid of any emotion.
Before the next round began, they started shooting at the masked man from the corridor. Realizing that they wouldn't let him finish here, he started running away, and the blonde went in pursuit of him.
Having come to his senses a little, Alexey could not believe what he saw.
- Lena, is it really you? - old memories that he had not appreciated before began to weigh on him. He had no desire to leave her to fight the winter soldier alone, so the negotiations pain Guardian stood up and went after them. Having run through several corridors and not finding anyone, he headed in a random direction. Entering a large room, he saw something he had never been prepared for.
- Your mother.
*****
Boom
There were only two people working out in the gym at the moment, and one of them was now roughly sent down on the mat on his back.
- Ohhhh, can you be gentler, Natasha? I didn't think you'd beat me like that.
To which his opponent only smiled contentedly and called him over to her for a new round.
- Come on, come on, Alex, if I'm gentler with you, you'll relax.
After a light training session, sparring was suggested and here she is, sending him to the mat for the umpteenth time.
- If I wanted to relax with you, I would have chosen another place.
To which the girl made several blows and a sweep, after which her opponent again went flying.
With a satisfied smile, she stood and watched as one of the strongest heroes of the earth rose up only to fall again in the future.
“You know, it’s not fair,” the redhead’s eyebrow rose, “I’m getting distracted.”
And there was plenty to distract herself with. The sports top and tight pants served more as a skin cover than as a concealment of her athletic body.
- And you consider this another training session.
After which she made a maneuver and his head ended up between her thighs and using inertia sent him into a new flight.
You know if I ever die, it's better like this. Between your legs.
The comment she heard clearly excited her, but she was unable to start a new series because water bonds appeared around her arms and legs.
- This is unfair.
- Who would say, but to use your spy gadgets honestly?
- What kind of things are these?
As the girl hung in the air, Alex raised his hands to the level of her chest and began to bring them closer with the clear intention of what he wanted to do.
But at the last moment he directs them to her waist and begins to tickle.
The girl endures for a while, but then clearly begins to resist and try to break free, although it is clear from her face that she is holding back her laughter as best she can.
- Okay, that's enough for today - and having slapped her on the soft spot, he quickly went to the shower before the killer decided to take revenge on him.
****
The door to the office of the best, albeit unrecognized, doctor opened.
- And so I hold them all while they reach for the red button - Alex was telling an amazing story about saving the world after he returned from America, while the spy also pretended to admire this story - and then I still had to persuade everyone not to do stupid things.
“You’re a real hero,” the smile from such a false and made-up story never left her face, “and you saved the world, and you weren’t even awarded.”
- Yes, life is thankless, you have to be happy with what you have.
- Well, if you want – she came very close to him and began to speak in a seductive tone – we can spend the evening together, maybe we can find the right way….
He was already starting to have flashbacks to their previous night, but he forced himself to stop it and the smile disappeared from his face.
- Natasha, this is a very tempting offer, but I'm afraid you won't be in such a good mood by the evening. - Her eyebrow rose, clearly asking why. - I think you won't be in such a good mood this evening.
He took her by the shoulders and pushed her to sit down on the chair, and he went to his desk.
“I know we have an agreement, that’s why you’re here,” all the lightness in her demeanor was gone, “and I’m going to keep it, so I ask you to sit here and be quiet.
Alex liked her professionalism and the fact that she understood when to do what she was told and when to take action.
Literally a minute later, a video conversation began from the computer.
- Good afternoon, General, how are you?
- Ahhh it's you, I didn't expect you to call me. - a large, elderly man with gray hair and glasses was sitting at a table against the backdrop of a bookcase. - My affairs don't really concern you. What do you want?
Hearing the voice of the man Natasha hated with all her soul brought back memories of the red room and her childhood. Ledov said that he had previously been connected with Dreykov, but the fact that he could call and talk to him like that was a big revelation for her.
- When we agreed that one of your widows would join the cleanup team, you didn't mention that it would be her.
- Does this matter? We agreed that I would provide you with information and ask for my agent to be in the group.
- It so happened that this particular widow is of some importance to me.
- Well, that's good, it means you're interested in her not dying.
Natasha listened to their conversation and anger boiled inside her. Dreykov spoke of her sister as if she were a consumable that could be thrown away if she became unnecessary. And even if she grew up the same way. It only showed how much she didn't like it.
- Maybe so, but you should guess that I am not doing this for myself, but if you give her to me, then believe me, I will not be greedy and will compensate you for the loss of such an asset.
Natasha could hear laughter on the screen, but she could not see the general's face from her position.
- I'm sure you can offer me something, but even if I agree and hand her over. That red-haired beast will immediately go looking for me. So tell her that if she appears anywhere near me, her little sister will be in a very bad way.
At that moment, this beast jumped up from her chair and stood next to the owner of the office, looking at the face of the man she hated so much.
- This beast heard everything, don't worry, I'm sure we'll meet soon and then you'll regret that you didn't agree to do everything the good way.
After which she pressed the button and the session was interrupted. So many bad memories needed to be released, but the only person who was there was trying to help her, so he definitely didn't deserve to be taken out on.
- Let's go - seeing her state, Alex understood that she needed to take a little break, so he put his arm around her waist and led her out of the office - we have something to talk about.

Chapter Text

Having brought a beautiful woman to the restaurant, the two of them sat in a private area so they could discuss business undisturbed while Alex explained the situation. Although it would have been better to simply have dinner with her than discuss business, not everything goes as planned. Several plates of various desserts were placed in front of them.
- A few days ago, Alexey and his squad stormed a facility - Natasha studied the data on the tablet very carefully - a secret laboratory for mutant research was discovered there.
Listening to all this, she scrolled further, and the photos that were taken clearly weren't appetizing to the average person. Numerous dissected bodies lay either on tables or elsewhere, ready for cremation, and those who survived were caged like animals.
"According to the information we obtained, some of those in the photo demonstrated their abilities and then disappeared. Relatives reported them missing, but the authorities were unable to help."
- And where did the survivors go?
- They have been transported to a place where they can be taken care of.
"They traded one cell for another," a bitter smile crossed her face, but even so, she couldn't immediately come up with an alternative for the survivors. After all, if people who've been through this were simply let go, it wouldn't be better for anyone.
- Whatever you think, there are those who have difficulty acquiring these abilities, and some are too dangerous, so they contact me online and specialists try to help these people so they can return to normal life.
- So you yourself have a laboratory with mutants?
Alex looked calmly into her gaze.
"It's more of a shelter for those in need, for those who need help. Believe me, if you see it, you'll understand."
It seems she decided to trust him and put this issue off until later.
"I didn't think you and Dreykov were so close," she said, deciding to change the subject and try the desserts they'd brought them.
"I wouldn't say we're close. If we were left in a room together, only one would come out. But we have common interests on certain issues, so we're willing to tolerate each other for the sake of our mutual benefit. You, more than anyone, should understand that."
And she understood that her job involved frequently circulating in criminal circles to find a specific target, but at the same time ensuring that informants and accomplices did not end up behind bars or killed.
"He's difficult to deal with," he continued, helping himself to a piece of dessert. "He may call himself a communist, but he'll never give up power. If he had his way, he'd bring back the Soviet Union, because he used to be an important figure, respected by everyone, but now he hides and tries to act discreetly to avoid attracting attention."
"So what now?" Alex's raised eyebrow indicated he didn't understand the question. "What's not Elena's account?"
“I don’t think the general will send her to me again now. Most likely, he will really keep her close to him, at least so that you don’t act against him so openly.”
- So it looks like it's time for me to return to the shield.
"That's your right, of course, but do you really want to come back?" Her expression clearly showed she was very interested in what he had to say. "As you can see, for some, mutants are simply opportunities and a resource, but I don't want to end up on that table in the future if I suddenly become an inconvenience, so I'd feel more at ease if you were nearby and had my back."
She understood his feelings. She'd been dependent on someone her whole life, and if she made a mistake somewhere , they could easily send a squad to eliminate her, and she didn't have many friends who could truly protect her.
"Just to cover your back?" Her gaze teased the man sitting opposite her.
"Your fame is no less than mine, and in some circles, even greater. I want to get people on our side. You can even guess why I do these streams; I work for the good of society."
- If intrigues are started against you, then the general masses will be on your side.
"Yes, and they're already underway. We're in the same boat, just like Tony and Bruce and even Steve. There are people who don't need us here, and they'll do anything to maintain power. I'm sure you'll be fine as long as you're under Fury's protection , but he has superiors too, and he follows orders, too."
The clear hint that they could get rid of her too did not escape her.
"You know, I could have kept hiding and operating on the rich and famous, who would have paid me and kept quiet after that," he continued, looking sadly and thoughtfully at the glass, "but the moment the Chitauri invaded Earth through the portal, I realized this was my chance to make a name for myself and not have to hide. If I do it right, I can live without fear of them coming for me tomorrow. I don't plan on spending the rest of my life proving my usefulness. I plan to start a family someday, and with such a legacy, I need to make sure people don't even think of using them against me."
Memories of the experiments Dreykov's people had conducted on him stirred a storm in his soul. For some people, starting a family and simply living without fear is a normal thing, but not for the people sitting at this table.
-What do you want from me?
"Right now, you're the most desirable woman in the world," her smile widened slightly as she recalled what she sometimes read online. "If you position yourself correctly, many will follow you. But if you return, Dreykov will let your sister go on missions again, and then who knows where or what she'll do. Unfortunately, I'm currently in a stalemate; I don't have enough influence to pressure his people in the Kremlin, and he can't do the same to me because of my actions as a national hero."
- There should be a but here!
"But you can help me increase that influence if you join my camp. I'm short on personnel with your expertise, and what happened in the governor's house was just a test." His gaze grew a little dreamy. "Just imagine my potential combined with your beauty and people-management skills. We could build the future we want."
"That's all very flattering of you, of course, but you're probably forgetting that I work for a foreign intelligence agency, and they won't let me go that easily. They already called me and said the director isn't happy with my work, and the only reason they haven't brought me back is because there's so much chaos going on with AIM and the former vice president that they simply don't have time for me right now."
They looked into each other's eyes, clearly thinking about their own things.
- What if I can come to an agreement with Fury ?
- And what will you offer him?
- That's my problem. But I can't do anything if you don't agree, so it's up to you to decide.
And then Natasha realized that for the first time in her life, after the red room and the shield, she had a choice of which path to take next.
****
The door to Stark Tower opened and a black man walked in, walking confidently until he found his target working in his lab.
- Tony
Applause broke out in the room.
- Our national hero decided to honor us with his presence.
Having broken away from his work, the genius stood up and they greeted each other.
-What do I owe to your arrival? Have they really finished presenting your awards?
Rowdy's cheerful mood disappeared.
- Tony, where is my suit?
"What do you mean?" The colonel had known his friend for a long time and understood when he was blatantly lying to him, but the question remained: why was he doing it?
"You know what I'm talking about! After the president was released, the Patriot suit departed for an unknown destination. It's appeared in several parts of the world since then, and many people think it's me flying around and trespassing."
Crossing airspace with such an armed object could lead to many problems, so he was sent to the only person who could help with this issue.
- What do you want from me, Rowdy ?
- So that you can help find him and return him?
“I’m sorry, but I can’t,” he said, throwing up his hands innocently.
- How can you not?
- You probably forgot that when you were given the prototype armor, you wanted me to be unable to influence it in any way, and therefore Stark Industries could only carry out repairs and nothing more.
- Tony is a completely different case, without a suit we will have problems.
- We? Personally, I'm doing fine in this regard, except for the fact that a rocket I designed landed on my house.
Rhodey looked at his friend, confused. After all that had happened, he'd completely forgotten how it all started. Now everything had fallen into place. If the government had done it once, what was stopping them from doing it again? So his inaction was due to him leaving them to deal with the problem themselves. And when they exhausted their options, Stark himself would set his own terms and take as much as he could from the government, and then some.
- I understand you Tony, I just hope that you don’t overdo it with what you do.
- Don't worry, I have a vacation planned for the near future. So I'll be full of energy and ready for whatever comes next.
After talking a little more and finding out about the planned vacation and resolving other issues, the colonel left his friend’s laboratory.
Returning to his desk, Strak decided to continue his work.
- Jarvis, contact Yumiko and tell her she's doing a great job and to keep up the good work.
- Yes sir.
*****
In a small settlement where cell towers had not yet been installed, several hundred people lived their lives.
The men of this tribe went hunting very often and had just returned with a good catch, which is why the tribe had a feast.
The sun was already setting below the horizon; some fires were being lit to cook the carcasses caught during the hunt , while the rest were being lit to provide light for the tribe.
Predators had not come to this area for a long time, so people felt at ease, at least if they watched what was under their feet.
The tribal chief sat and enjoyed life, clearly enjoying his position surrounded by women.
Everything was fine until an unknown sound began to grow louder from somewhere above.
At first, no one heard it, but over time it began to get louder and then people began to look for a possible source.
- Buk bak chik pak - noticing something in the sky, one of the tribe members pointed his finger up and everyone paid attention.
A flying machine was descending from the sky towards them.
Seeing something strange but dangerous, the leader began shouting commands. Everyone who had been watching before began to act.
The women began to grab their children and run to hide in all the secluded places that were in the settlement, and the men grabbed their weapons and went with the leader to a meeting or, most likely, to a battle.
When the leader and his entourage came out into the open, the bright light from the ship blinded them and it was difficult for them to understand how such a beast ended up on the ground.
Everyone shuddered when this iron monster, unknown to many, began to open its mouth and people unfamiliar to the tribe began to emerge from it; they were all wearing different shabby clothes and their faces were not visible behind the masks.
The leader understood that if a battle began , they would not win, but there was a chance to come to an agreement due to ignorance of what all these guests wanted.
But before he could say anything, all the guests began to raise their weapons, and a moment later the leader and his entourage began to fall and their bodies began to convulse.
The only child who was able to distance himself from the tribe watched as his tribe was thrown into cages and sent inside this iron monster, after which it took off and left nothing behind but empty huts.
*****
- I can't believe I agreed to take part in this.
- You talk as if I sent you to hard labor. I think you look great.
The traditional red dress with white sleeves and a red headscarf created a completely new image for the femme fatale that the whole world knew.
- You'll owe me for this.
"I have no doubt about it." Dressing the Black Widow in such clothes was clearly worth it, judging by the Russian hero's smile.
Besides the two of them, there were several other girls in similar outfits and several men holding a balalaika, button accordion, and wooden spoons.
Industries private jet landed at the airport. When the plane pulled into the hangar, a greeter was already waiting for them inside.
Stark was in complete shock as he exited the plane . Aside from Alex, who was there to greet him, the billionaire wasn't prepared for such a welcoming party, so as he and his girlfriend descended the steps, they encountered several pretty women in red sundresses holding a large loaf of bread with a small space in the center for salt.
- Welcome to Russia, my American friends. This is for your future well-being.
The American guests watched this with a bit of shock, while nearby music began to play. After greeting each other, they were both forced to observe tradition and eat a piece of the loaf as a greeting. Of course, this wasn't exactly the right place for the loaf, but then, that wasn't its purpose. Just a few meters away, a shield spy stood, trying to blend in, taking photos of everything that was happening.
- It's quite cold here now, so this is for you.
Out of nowhere, Alex suddenly appeared with an ushanka hat, which he quickly placed on the billionaire's head. The guest also found a bottle of vodka. Pepper was given a nice hat and a stylish coat.
The American guests were shocked by what was happening; they had just gotten off the plane and were already showered with gifts, albeit strange ones, for which neither of them were prepared.
As soon as Alex walked away from them, Natasha came up and took a good photo.
A billionaire in an expensive suit with an earflaps hat and a bottle of vodka, with a woman in a coat and a large fur hat.
- Ledov, if this photo turns out to be...
- Believe me, this photo will end up all over the world.
Pepper suddenly ran up to Natasha and started looking at what had happened, and then they started editing something.
Looking at this, Tony could only ask one question: Are you kidding me?
- Just a little bit - and then he put his arm around his shoulders and led him towards the limousine - you Americans imagine Russians exactly like this, well, all that's left is to pick up the bear that's waiting at the exit and we'll close several topics at once.
Before they left the meeting place, a group photo was taken, and already leaving the airport, Iron Man was afraid that he would actually meet a bear waiting for them, otherwise after such a greeting, one could expect anything.
Literally a couple of minutes after the car was posted, the photos taken on social media were flying like hot cakes.

Chapter Text

News of the American billionaire hero's arrival spread quickly thanks to photos posted online. Some were perplexed by his arrival, others were delighted, but everyone could only speculate, and no one knew what was going on.
Of course, there was no point in just flying in, but resolving a few issues and relaxing at the same time sounded much better.
After the ceremonial arrival, the guests were transported to the house, where a table with a variety of prepared dishes was already set up and where they could sit quietly and chat, as well as check the health of the director of one of the leading American companies before the operation to remove from the body the Extremis serum that Killian had injected into her.
"I actually think Bruce will be with you," Tony and Alex said, leaving the girls to chat and going about their business.
- He found a reason not to go after Hulk calmed down a bit.
- Is he still sleeping?
- No, our green friend made himself known, but he was acting calmly, so Bruce went to sort this out with a certain Betty Ross.
- Wasn't that his ex? He definitely went to see her to sort things out?
- He didn’t specify, but it became clear to both of them why he went to see his ex-girlfriend, with whom they had a lot in common.
- Well, let him figure it out, he needs to take care of his health.
They settled in at the workstation where Alex broadcasts and communicates with people. After a quick setup, the broadcast began.
- Hello everyone, today we will have another member of the Avengers with us...
another broadcast began , which attracted a lot of public attention, considering that one of the most beloved heroes in the world found himself in an awkward situation when communicating with so many people, even Jarvis, filtering messages, did not help.
- Yes, I'm in Russia now.
- No, the communists are not holding me captive.
- We are not having a party here, I was simply offered to communicate with people directly, so I agreed.
- I don't have a super suit with me right now.
Considering that just recently photos of Tony in a slightly different outfit have been circulating online, the Soviet ushanka hat ended up on his head more for the sake of attracting attention than for the sake of keeping him warm.
"We have a little gift for you – at some point in the broadcast, when Stark was already tired of answering questions, the owner of the house attached virtual reality devices that had been installed in advance to himself – after the Battle of New York, people all over the world wrote that they should have done this, or that, when fighting alien threats, so Tony and I will give you this opportunity.
The camera turned slightly and the frame captured an installation that held the man in place but at the same time allowed him to move freely. After putting on gloves and boots, he put on a helmet and started the device.
A first-person broadcast of the Battle of New York appeared on screens around the world. Explosions, wounded soldiers, and civilians falling and not rising were everywhere. Somewhere in the distance, the images of the Avengers could be seen.
a beam hit him and he died.
The character's quick death confused the player himself.
"Well, let's try again," but even that didn't help them get even a few steps further. Wherever the character went, a trap or a new wave of enemies awaited them.
"Let me show you how it's done." While the small playful beating was going on, the former playboy donned another set and stepped into another nearby setup , but even that didn't produce much of a result. Between the two of them, they couldn't achieve anything significant. The only difference was that the first one to be "killed" watched the other suffer.
- What? It doesn't work as well without a suit?
"Ha, watch and learn!" After Tony entered the access code, his character unlocked and a first-person Iron Man battle began on screen, watched by millions. Of course, it couldn't completely replicate the original, but it was enough to impress everyone.
- As you can see, we've prepared, this is an exact replica of what happened that day, so everyone who is ready can join us and take part in this, gather groups, develop strategies, over time your characters will acquire new powers and you will be able to show off your skills.
While the game was being explained, the action continued on the screens, with Iron Man failing and only the Hulk remaining alive. For a moment, everything froze, and then a huge explosion was heard as a nuclear missile landed in midtown Manhattan.
- And here's what will happen if you can't handle it? Show us everything you can. See you all.
And then the broadcast ended.
- Bravo bravo Bravo - with a small round of applause from the girls who had previously been sitting and chatting quietly and without disturbing them, they watched the show to the end. - Tony, I'm surprised, I didn't think you were also involved in games.
- I am a man of many talents, Miss Potts, you have probably forgotten that.
- I just don’t understand why you need all this?
Alex began to explain, getting out of the equipment. “The first is that it will shut up many people who say that if he had the same suit as Tony, he would have managed it himself.”
- Oh yes, this is very important - the red-haired spy’s sarcasm brought a smile to everyone’s faces.
"But seriously, in five to ten years, there will be a lot of squads with superpowers like the Avengers. And the people who play these games will approach the issue with imagination. Imagine if a group of people could develop a strategy for ordinary soldiers in such combat conditions. If something similar happens again, people will be prepared to face such an enemy and won't die not knowing what to do."
At that moment, the girls looked at each other, unsure what to say. They both wanted to say that these were just toys, but they couldn't say that right now, because creating tactics was just the tip of the iceberg, and how much more could eventually be added as software under the guise of a game.
- Now that explains what kind of consoles you created for all of this - and then it dawned on her - they are coming out today.
The CEO of Stark Industries immediately began calling her assistants and adjusting their actions.
"It all looks and sounds very complicated," Natasha thought about how these opportunities could be applied in practice, since any conditions could be created that could have a positive effect on the preparation of agents .
"Yes, it took some effort," Stark boasted a little proudly. "
Advanced Level Technology for Real-time Online Navigation (ALTRON)" (ALTRON for short) . We had to create another AI that will process everything that happens there and give us the best possible tactics and strategies that people around the world will come up with. For example, right now it's just a battle in the city, and later we'll add scenarios where people around the world will bring us ready-made strategies and tactics with the most possible and impossible scenarios.
The only woman left in the room examined the installation, and then her gaze became very cunning.
- Show me how it works?
****
Good afternoon, Anatoly Lyapin again, and today we'll be following the grand opening of the hospital founded by Alexey Ledov, a Russian superhero and a man who broadcasts live gaming content to the world. Just the other day, he and fellow businessman Tony Stark launched virtual reality consoles worldwide. According to our data, millions of copies have already been sold in just a few days, with even more awaiting delivery. This was a shock for many people, as there was no advertising or preparation; no one knew about them until they were put up for sale. Some footage online now shows people scrambling to buy one. Stark Industries has already announced that there are still plenty of units in stock, so additional deliveries will be made in the coming days. They're asking people to wait and remain calm.
The presenter took a short break to check the information.
"But all this is a matter for the near future. Right now, preparations are underway for the grand opening of the establishment of the man who, they say, can cure any disease. We have our correspondent, Tatyana, with us at the ceremony, right in the center of the action. Tatyana, what's going on there right now?"
A window appeared next to the presenter , where the correspondent herself stood facing the camera. Several other correspondents could be seen next to her, and in the background stood a modern medical complex.
"Good afternoon, Anatoly. As far as we all know, there will be a short speech before the opening from Dr. Ledov himself, and then everyone interested will be taken in small groups to a separate, fenced-off wing, where we'll be shown and told what's there and what they'll be doing there."
- And what's the situation there?
"Honestly, it feels like we're all on a military base here, not a civilian facility. We had to go through several levels of security to get in. I even saw someone trying to bring a weapon in, but they grabbed him and led him away.
- It looks like all these precautions are not for nothing.
- I think so too, so I’m very interested in what today will bring.
They talked for a few more minutes until the doors opened and people started coming out. Many journalists had already started filming, as the hero of the occasion himself was walking with Tony Stark , and they were chatting cheerfully about something, but no one could hear them. Pepper followed behind them, also carefully exchanging words. Potts and Daria Sycheva, the general managers of the two companies and also having common topics of discussion, were present. Security guards were visible everywhere, inspecting the surroundings and following their targets.
Approaching the podium, Ledov stood behind it while Tony and the principals stood slightly behind him. Looking around the square and seeing hundreds of people standing and watching him, and even more watching him on their televisions, he didn't say a word, but simply looked up at the sky for a moment before lowering his head, a move that many found baffling.
- Hello everyone and please wait another minute, we are expecting another guest without whom we cannot begin.
Literally half a minute later, the answer came in the form of a bright, multi-colored beam that struck a specially fenced-off area.
"Oh my god, it's Thor!" It was a shock for Tatiana and many others there to see the alien god arrive and greet everyone as if they were old friends. Many people around the world had mostly seen him waving his hammer in battle, but to see him standing there in his armor, his bright red cloak, his small crown, and his hammer in his hands. People had never seen him like this before.
Not only did the Norse god descend to earth, but several Asgardians also descended with him , carrying chests that remained locked and were quickly carried inside, something the reporters couldn't help but notice. The young king himself called it "a gift from Asgard ." After such events, all those who had decided not to attend the event bitterly regretted it. After all, such news would not be reported from their sources.
When the solemn greeting ended, Alex finally began his speech.
"Today we've gathered here to ceremoniously open the first complex to help people with particularly severe illnesses. It houses cutting-edge equipment, and the best specialists from around the world will help those who can't do it themselves." While the conversation was going on, there was complete silence, only a slight breeze could be heard. The inspiration for this center was a video of parents raising money for expensive medications for their child. My capabilities—a little water swirled around Alex, giving everyone present a small reminder—are not the only way I can help these children. I don't want to see anything like this in the world again, so such cases will be considered separately, and all expenses will be covered by my company.
a Russian spy with red hair appeared a little to the side of the podium, to whom no one paid any attention yet.
This place isn't just a building; it's hope, it's a light for those who struggle with every minute of their lives. Thanks to the resources I have and the help of friends with various problems, this has all become possible for those who can't cope on their own—for those who need our support and care.
"Let's work together to make this world a better, kinder, and brighter place for those who need our help. Let this center become a symbol of our love, our strength, and our faith in a better future."
Many people already wanted to start applauding, but the speech was not yet completely finished.
“I also want to thank these warriors,” he turned his body slightly and pointed at Thor and Stark, “thanks to whom all of this became possible and will facilitate the process of the enormous work that lies ahead of us.”
This loud statement broke through the dam of questions that journalists began asking in a huge wave, and the speaker himself wanted to continue, but was not allowed to.
BAM.
Dozens of cameras captured the moment one of the Avengers team members, who had just given a speech, lay motionless behind the podium. Meanwhile, civilians began to panic and scatter, with the exception of a few camera operators, who began scanning their cameras for the possible shooter.
As soon as the shot rang out, Tony grabbed Pepper and threw her to the ground, and one of his suits of armor began to move from the roof of the complex. Natasha grabbed Anna and hid her behind the podium, and the next moment she rushed toward Alex's body to pull him out of the shooter's line of sight, while Thor swung his hammer and flew toward the sniper's probable location.
"Tatiana, are you all right?" The TV presenter was in shock at what was happening. He had witnessed the murder of one of the most famous people in the country and the world.
- Yes, I'm fine, it looks like this is an attempt on Dr. Ledov's life... my God... how could this be? As soon as the operator turned the camera, its perfect appearance disappeared and traces of grass were visible on the clothes.
As panic and alarm spread throughout the area, the operator pointed to a strange phenomenon happening in the stands. To everyone's shock, Alexey Ledov, who should now be lying and bleeding, was now standing, leaning on the black widow who was supporting him and who couldn't believe the bullet hole in his head was healing with a bright blue light, returning him to his normal appearance.
"Oh my God... this is impossible!" everyone in the studio agreed with this statement.

Chapter Text

"You unqualified vegetables, what have you been doing here all this time? Not only did you miss the sniper, you even let him escape—there was a debriefing going on in the security office right now. Many of the employees were clearly worried about their futures, as their boss had never been so vicious, and who knew what he might do to them?"
While Alex was debriefing his subordinates, while Tony and Natasha were checking the cameras where the possible killer might be, Thor simply stood there, lost in his thoughts, his face alternately thoughtful and frowning.
"Hey, water carrier, leave the guys alone and go take a look... you see here," Alex watched the minute-long recording, in which a sniper in closed clothing simply appeared on the roof and was captured on camera, aimed his sniper rifle, fired, and disappeared. "Don't look at me like that, I checked it wasn't a malfunction and the recording isn't faked."
- Oh f*** - everyone in the room was clearly looking strangely at the only doctor - it would have been better if it was a fake.
"Maybe this is some kind of camouflage device?" Natasha played the recording back, trying to find any possible clues or errors that might provide answers.
- No, such technologies require a lot of energy if they are done incorrectly, and Jarvis's scanners did not show any surges of energy before the shot itself.
“ What if these are the abilities of another mutant?” the voice of one of the security guards was heard .
- Then he had to somehow bring in the weapon, but in the video he appeared and disappeared as if...
- Teleported – Alex’s American friend finished his speech.
Everyone perceived the information that passed through them differently, but everyone agreed with the statement or no one had any other ideas.
"That explains a lot..." Tkachev, the head of security, instantly transformed when he realized there was a way to leave this room while still in office. "We need to look into this issue, find out everything you can about strange deaths or similar cases."
So far, no people with such abilities have been officially registered, but even an understanding of who it could be was better than if there were no answers at all.
consider yourself lucky this time , but don't expect such generosity from me again." Having given the order, Alex left the office, followed by the remaining Avengers, accompanied by a chorus of "I have some work to do."
The clearly wound-up scientist moved in a direction known to him through several rooms and climbed the stairs to the roof, from where the scene was clearly visible, and the shot was fired.
-I want to apologize to you for this incident...
- Wow. wow wow no one expected this...
"Yes, my friend, such moments are very dangerous; dying in battle is no big deal. But getting a treacherous dagger in the back—that's what a leader should be wary of."
- Thank you, but I have been expecting an attack on me for a long time, I just didn’t think it would be like this.
Everything Alex did was frowned upon in some circles, and one of the reasons he injected himself with Extremis was that someone would definitely try to kill him soon, someone hired to kill him. That's exactly what happened, and fortunately, he survived.
- Look at it this way - everyone looked curiously at the only woman present - you don’t need to give any interviews now.
- Yes, indeed. This is really good news – their gaze met, and they smiled at each other.
After the incident, many journalists were in a panic, but once they were calmed down, they decided to continue the program with a tour to settle some questions and distract people from the assassination attempt. Although this was hard to believe, since some had already left the scene not because they were afraid, but because they needed to work on the material and publish it quickly.
Determined not to miss the opportunity, Alex decided to give his teammates a similar tour. While the journalists were taken through the empty wing, the group of heroes toured the special children's wing. While Alex was explaining the good equipment he had been able to obtain, he decided to play a joke and quietly approached a spy who was looking out the window of a ward where a little girl of about five was staying, drawing something.
- You know, sometimes good emotions help better than any treatment.
- What do you have...
Before she could finish her question, two hands on her waist steered her into the ward. She resisted, of course , but mostly for show; trying to force such a woman to do something she doesn't want to do is very difficult.
And so it happened that in the ward there was an avenger and a little girl whose eyes widened greatly from recognition of the one who had come to her.
It wasn't difficult for Natasha to connect with the small child, although the first few seconds of realization didn't foreshadow anything positive for the clinic owner who had placed her in this situation. Just a few minutes later, she was sitting on the bed behind a little girl of about nine, tying her hair and listening to words of admiration for herself and how her friends would envy her when she returned home. At one point, they noticed they were being filmed from the window of the hospital room, and they made cheerful faces, pressing their cheeks together for a group photo.
" Such photos and stories can have a positive impact on the reputation of all team members, which will increase public support, " - realizing this, the water manipulator's gaze turned to the other team members.
The former playboy was a little more difficult to drag into the same room, but losing at rock-paper-scissors is sacred to a forty-year-old man. So, just a couple of minutes after his loss, he was sitting and listening to the joyful voice of a six-year-old Russian child. This was difficult for an American who didn't speak any other languages. Even the small earpiece Jarvis translated into wasn't much help. He wasn't very good at communicating with children, so he did the only thing he could. He headed for the exit.
He opened the door and waited a few seconds before two gloves from his suit flew into the room and gave one of them for temporary use to the boy, who looked in disbelief at the metal glove that was now on his hand, and small drops of tears were visible in his eyes, because thoughts flashed through the boy's head that one of the heroes could simply up and simply leave him.
“When I get better, I’ll become an engineer like you, Mr. Stark,” the boy rattled off in a slightly hoarse but joyful voice.
Having slightly tousled the boy's hair, Tony looked at him.
- You can get ready now, I'm sure that soon you will be healthy and strong, so I will expect great achievements from you.
Thor decided not to lag too far behind his comrades in arms, so when he entered the room, he did not expect to see a small child without hair who was connected to wires and slowly turned his head from the window and looked at his guest with an unblinking gaze.
"Hello, young warrior," the future king, who could drive enormous creatures into the ground, said, not knowing what to say. This had never happened in Asgard before. "How are you?"
Seeing the patient's condition, the thought occurred to the blond that this was not the best question.
*****
Watching one of his most critically ill patients smile, Alex felt a little better. Behind the glass, Thor was telling a story about one of his battles, vigorously swinging a hammer across the room. Of course, he could have performed a personal operation to help the child long ago, but he couldn't work around the clock, so he had to look for alternatives. And if something went wrong, there was always the option of stepping in and doing it himself.
“You know, that was a dirty move,” while Alex was tormented by his thoughts, the only avenger approached him. “Before pushing me into the ward, you could have warned me.”
- Just in case, a bullet hit me in the head a couple of hours ago - he smiled at his companion - and besides, from what I saw, you didn’t seem to mind too much.
“I would still have appreciated a warning in advance,” but even so, she couldn’t hide a slight smile.
Alex stood and watched to take another photo, but the story of the thunder god's military exploits seemed nowhere near ending.
“When you fell after the shot,” the quiet female voice of his interlocutor interrupted the silence between them, “it was difficult to accept that you were dead, but the moment when you started to heal scared me even a little more.”
He didn't say anything, but simply began to look questioningly, asking for me to continue.
- I thought you were going to explode from that glow.
“I knew they would come for me sooner or later, so I was prepared for it, but that’s not what worries me,” he was now given a questioning look. “If this really is teleportation , then because of idiots like these, everything can go to hell.”
- There are always idiots because of whom others suffer.
"Yes, but if we don't find a way to deal with them, soon there will be protests with signs saying 'Mutant Lives Matter,' or even worse, protests against people like me," he continued, taking a deep sigh. "Everything I'm doing now could go to hell if such idiots appear , causing governments to round up everyone indiscriminately and, fortunately, not kill them in the process."
Suddenly a woman's hand fell on his chest, and in front of his face was a head of red hair and calm blue eyes that looked at him intently and even with a little tenderness.
"It's all right, the issue with that shooter will be resolved and he'll answer for what he did. I'll help you and find him. Leave this matter to me, and you better take care of this . " She pointed to the room where, with one careless swing, Thor had simply broken a cabinet, causing the child to giggle.
Even if this wasn't yet an answer to his proposal about what she planned to do in the future, he'd brought them here specifically to show them what he was doing and to sway the existing Avengers more to his side. Her working relationship with Tony was now strong, and it would be nice if the future king of Asgard considered you a friend, not just a comrade. Of course , you shouldn't underestimate a woman who could even deceive the god of deceit and cunning, but it was even easier to get lost in her beautiful eyes.
After looking at each other for a while, their gazes began to move closer...
- I hope I'm not disturbing you?
The billionaire's voice rang out in the hallway, where the staff had no intention of disturbing their boss. As soon as they realized what they were doing, they blushed slightly, but there was no sudden leaping apart like in Japanese anime, and they didn't try to convince everyone they were just friends.
"Tony... buddy... I'm not mad at you... don't worry." Seeing the right moment, Alex went to take a photo of the third avenger, who was spending time with his patients and not looking at the inventor's pale face.
- Tony Where's Pepper ?
- She and Daria - Stark had a hard time pronouncing Russian names - are working on contracts between our companies now.
- Then I'll go sit with the girls, and you boys have fun.
Tony didn't pay any attention to it at first, but then he realized that he was now alone with Alex, not counting the staff, who were pretending to work, but were listening very intently and trying not to look at what was happening in front of them.
- Well? It's time for your operation! Time to fulfill one of the goals of your trip and get that thing out of your chest.
The smile on the face of the head of this institution did not please the future patient.
- You know, I’ve somehow gotten used to her, I think… - the generator that was in the chest attracted attention.
"Don't worry so much," he said, putting his arm around him and leading him in the right direction. "Everything will be fine. We'll use a tried-and-true European method called flugegenheimen . "
"I thought you were going to do the whole operation." Stark tried to break free, but to his surprise he was held tightly and not allowed to escape.
- Of course I will, we'll just do something else to improve your health. Don't worry, it's a very well-known procedure in Europe.
*****
The light clink of wine glasses from the directors of the two companies was interrupted by the opening of the door.
- And I was told that you are currently working on contracts.
The sight didn't surprise the spy. A bottle of wine and some snacks sat on a small table.
"We decided to combine business with pleasure," the CEO of Stark Industries took a sip of expensive wine. "Join us, it's a very busy day today."
A minute later, the sound of glasses clinking was heard again in the office , but this time there were three of them.
"Dasha, did you know Alexey could restore himself like this?" The spy's question wasn't unusual; Pepper was already curious about it.
- No. Don't even ask, I barely know what he does in his lab. He keeps me informed of any problems that might arise, but if he's injecting himself with anything , I'll find out about it later.
- As I understand you, Tony also disappears into his workshop, and then he has to be pushed out by force.
The conversation was now more for the sake of conversation. The recent situation had left them all feeling a bit uneasy. Meanwhile, the glasses continued to empty and refill.
- Pepper, how are you feeling after being on our great doctor’s table?
- You know, Dash, it's pretty good, they got that serum that Killian pumped into me out of me - she added after taking a sip - but after today I'm already thinking about getting what Alex developed.
The two women looked at her carefully, demanding an answer.
"Life has become very dangerous lately. Stane, Vanko , Killian. I've always been in danger to some degree or another. So now I've started thinking about my personal safety."
- You've been cleansed of one serum, and you want to take another?
- Natasha, something can always go wrong and I don’t want Tony to constantly worry about me.
- Each of those present in the room knew to one degree or another that life is a fragile thing and that some random factor could always occur that no one would like.
injected himself with . At the very least, we won't have to worry about such attacks."
- Let's drink to this.
And so went the first, then the second, and then the third bottle. The conversation intensified, as it was difficult to find someone to have a heart-to -heart talk with without worrying about the consequences. At this point, no one considered that their potential conflict could cost both companies billions of dollars in losses.
- Dasha, how did you even meet him? I don't think you would have gotten your job as general director just for your pretty eyes.
- Oh, girls. I'm here, just like a third of the people who work here. I'm working for his services.
- Ooooooh, - the two redheads babbled together, - I wonder how often you work on them? Heehee
- Unlike you, Miss Potts, I didn't spend almost all my time around my boss.
- I actually didn't sleep with him until we started dating officially.
- Yeah, and she killed with her eyes everyone she saw in Tony's bed.
- You should have definitely kept quiet about this, if you hadn’t ended up in the shield...
- Tony and I didn't have anything, I just needed to find out some information.
- Haaaah - the bottle fell to the floor from the blonde’s sudden movement - oh.
Then there was an additional order of a couple more bottles and the ladies wanted something meaty.

*****
- You know that I will take revenge on you.
- Of course, Tony, I know, but it was funny, you twitched so cheerfully when you saw this device.
- Oh , you don't even know what fun is. I'll never forget this.
Aside from Stark's panicked attempt to leave the operating table, the operation went relatively smoothly. Prepared instructions for removing the magnet helped remove it quickly. Afterward, the fragments of bone fragments pulled by the magnet were removed from the chest. The longest part was repairing the massive hole in the man's chest lying on the operating table. A couple of hours, and the thing that had kept the former arms dealer awake for years became just a small souvenir. Under normal circumstances, such an operation could have been performed by regular doctors with good equipment. True, the risks were high and the treatment and recovery process lengthy, but why risk it when there was a living regeneration "machine" nearby who could heal you and get you back on your feet in a day?
Returning to the office, Alex and his patient found one of the wooden boxes that had been brought here after the Asgard servants had handed them over.
Inside this box there were special holders in which there were six bottles.
"Is this what I think it is?" Tony carefully examined the bottle that was now in the hands of his attending physician.
-Yes, Asgardian alcohol, a gift from Odin himself.
"Since when do the gods send you gifts?" Of course, Stark hadn't really believed in gods before meeting Thor, and now that he'd learned they were just aliens, he'd stopped believing that, but that was the simplest way to put it.
- Since then, when wounded warriors who could not participate in battles learned from the stories of their prince that there was one Midgardian who could help them return to the ranks and go to Valhalla when their time comes, and not die in their beds.
- So they're just trying to appease you?
- Yes, but I'm not against it, I have a lot of plans for the Asgardians to appear here.
"And what are your plans for the Asgardians ?" the thunder god entered, watching intently as they began pouring from one bottle into glasses.
"And then, my long-time friend, everyone will be very kind and good-natured to me. After all, no one wants to anger the evil 'gods' who could appear here at any moment and punish those who want to harm me." That's why Thor's arrival, along with the gifts, was captured by hundreds of cameras.
"You don't have to worry about that, I'll personally make sure nothing happens to this place. You're doing a good deed helping these little ones , and I'd be a bad king if I didn't make sure your work doesn't go to waste even after your death."
- Then a toast: to the legacy! And what we leave behind!
- Agree.
After which all the glasses hit each other, but the inspired god could not restrain himself, and with his power he broke all the glasses after hitting them against each other.
- Ooooh , forgive me my friend, I'm not used to such weak...
- It's okay, just try to control yourself.
While the liquid was being poured into new glasses, the man who had recently emerged from the operating table began to think about his legacy, something the two people present did not notice.
"Are you sure I can drink now?" He was distracted from his reverie by a glass being shoved towards him. "I just got over surgery, right?"
Standing with a new glass, the billionaire suddenly decided to take care of his health.
- I'm your doctor now and I guarantee you that nothing bad will happen from a couple of sips.
****
The sun was shining brightly and illuminating the vast sand sea with its warm light.
All along the horizon line, only tons of sand were visible.
The only structure that had not yet been covered by sand was a small clay building in the shape of a box.
In a small room that had no cement, there was a huge hole in the ceiling into which bright sunlight was directed.
Just out of the bright light, three grown men lay on the empty floor, one of them wearing a bright red cloak. They were practically dead, if not for the breath visible on each man's chest.

Chapter Text

A small animated program somewhere on the Internet.
- Enter from the left.
- Damn, they're everywhere.
- We can't merge and lose.
- Agggghhhh
- Damn the ranger, they killed him.
- Let's go with plan B.
Chitauri army in New York. While that battle had long since passed in reality, the chance for regular players to relive it was enticing.
black, tight-fitting suit with a cloak thrown over it and a sniper rifle that was larger than herself, watched all this action with interest.
It's been a week since the game, console, and accompanying immersion equipment from Stark Industries came out , and a little less than a week since all the news was filled with the attempted assassination of Alexander Ledov during his speech.
Certainly Yumiko knew he was fine, but she hadn't been able to contact him for over a week, which raised a lot of questions. Honestly, Ledov and Stark have become almost the center of much news right now, considering they've been nowhere to be seen since the assassination attempt, save for a few photos of the Avengers spending time with their children, which suggested everything was fine.
But they can be dealt with later after they appear in her line of sight, but a squad of players who are progressing quite well, even with losses, will not take long to appear.
The game itself created a sensation across the entire gaming market. "Buy a console and play" was the main slogan. Good advertising, good quality, and a reasonable price meant that all stocks were sold out within the first half of the day, and then everyone started complaining about not being able to buy them. Naturally, this rush created a black market for consoles, which were sold at, at best, several times the price.
She aimed her huge rifle at one of the players in military uniform, who was sitting behind cover and shooting back at the alien infantry, and fired from one of the skyscraper's windows. The player who was supposed to hold the flank left the game session and could only watch the rest of the team.
- The devil shot the young man.
- Fuck, it looks like we have her.
- Now I will definitely deal with her.
- No, we must retreat.
- It looks like she's against us this time.
The idea of having influence in such a game really appealed to the teenager who found herself in the digital world, so going into a session and deciding who exactly she would play for was a lot of fun.
Alex explained to her exactly why he wanted to create the game, and Yumiko herself asked to make it so that she could also participate, and the introduction of an unaccounted element into some battles that could both help and hinder only helped achieve the goals of this game. It is not surprising that in the end, her programming skills made her one of the leading developers whom no one saw, and for everyone, she worked remotely, which in this industry was normal and did not raise questions.
From the moment players began hosting their first battles, many complained about the difficulty, but as some groups began to achieve success, such complaints began to fade. Communities began to emerge where groups gathered as if for a boss raid. Various tasks and various Avengers who appeared kept the game from getting boring and added variety. So far, there have been two such maps, New York and London, but we haven't yet been able to complete either. Besides the fact that the group had to complete the objectives , the process was further complicated by the fact that the tasks were timed. Therefore, teams that ran behind time saw either a bright explosion or complete darkness at the end of the session, depending on the map.
Of course, after firing a few more shots and eliminating several key group members, the entire team began to lose ground and ultimately lost. This wasn't surprising, as the squad was simply struggling to get through the alien army, and then a new enemy appeared. But over time, even Yumiko herself would find it more difficult to carry out such executions. Just the day before, the first player to obtain a perk that enhanced their gameplay had been reported on the forums. Over time, such perks will appear more frequently and in greater variety. All these perks will be considered superpowers by the system, which will only further attract players eager for rewards and add more work for Ultron's analytics system .
- Well, just one more ride and we can rest. Otherwise, I need to fly in this Stark suit again.
Of course, it wasn't limited to just one tub.
*****
The scorching sun warmed the endless sand. No matter which way you looked, all you could see was sand. The only thing that stood out was a small stone shack , miraculously not yet buried beneath the sand. The entrance was no longer visible; only the roof and a few walls remained exposed to the desert. A hole had now formed in that roof, and in it were visible the three motionless bodies that had created it.
- Agghhhh – a heavy groan escaped from the throat of the long-haired blond – water, give me water.
The unusual sensations beneath him made him check what he was lying on.
Having fallen onto the stones and broken through the ceiling, Thor took the brunt of the blow. Waking up, he stood up abruptly and fell over dizzy.
The second attempt went better, but this time he was in no hurry to get up , instead surveying his surroundings from a sitting position. His two comrades were now sound asleep, and there was nothing around but sand and the sun shining into the hole that had formed.
The thirst began to torment me more, and there were no nearby sources of water in sight.
Unable to see his hammer, he tried to summon it, but there was no response, which clearly worried him. Several more attempts didn't change the result; his favorite weapon was still missing.
Leaving this question aside for the time being, it was decided to inspect where it was, hoping that this would provide an answer to why there was no response from Mjolnir .
Having climbed out of the hole, he looked around and saw nothing but sand, but something bothered him.
- It looks like I'm not in Midgard - looking at the sky he saw three stars that warmed this planet with their warmth - where are we now?
Hoping that his brothers in arms would have the answers, he went back inside and started waking Alex and Tony up, which was quite difficult considering they didn't want to wake up, but a few good nudges did the trick.
- Oyyy my head/what are you doing – both were unhappy with such a sudden awakening.
"My friends, we have problems." This attracted the attention of both of them, although their appearance was not much better than his.
*****
- So what we have is that we started drinking and found ourselves on another planet without communication, abilities and without reinforcements.
The Thunder God screamed into the sky for his gatekeeper, but the Rainbow Bridge never showed up to take them.
Does anyone remember what actually happened?
Finding himself in the desert and unable to find any water sources, Alex lost most of his combat arsenal. Just like Tony, he couldn't do anything without his suit.
-I remember how we started drinking what my father sent, and then moved to another place.
- We found ourselves in some kind of house.
Now Stark was watching the recording on his glasses, which he almost never parted with, without access to the network and Jarvis, these glasses could serve well as a camera.
Everyone started watching a fast-forward recording where the glasses had been lying in one place for several days and recording.
- How long did we drink there? Several days?
- Oh , we went to harden ourselves.
- And I remember this, we ran out of what I brought and you went for... - here Thor thought for a moment, remembering - for grandfather's tincture.
- Exactly! You said it would go away like water and there wouldn't be any consequences.
The glasses' owner continued watching the recording. Meanwhile, the water lord began to recall what had happened and began to feel embarrassed by what he had done.
"Wait, is that a bear?" The camera showed a close-up of the bear's skin, as if they were hugging it, and then, just like with their brown friend, everyone started chatting and pouring him drinks. "What were we even doing there?"
- I remembered. We went for fish.
- What the hell fish?
- Well, for fish to Alfheim - two intent glances were directed at the blond - at that moment we decided that we needed to feed him some good fish and so I suggested it.
The last thing the camera recorded was the bright light of the rainbow bridge.
It took everyone a moment to realize this.
- That is, we got so drunk that we found ourselves not just in another country, but on another planet!
- Don't worry Stark, I'm sure Heimdall is already looking for us , and when he finds us, he'll take us away. We somehow got here through the rainbow bridge.
"If Heimdall could, he would have taken us already. If he hasn't, then something is stopping him."
“Maybe this is another test from your father, like in New Mexico .” Tony put his glasses back on and checked that they still had charge.
- I don't think that's true, if it was a test, he would have left a message or let people know about it.
- All this is of course fun, but what are we going to do, comrades?
- Let's wait until night, maybe I'll recognize some familiar stars in the sky.
The prince's education, costing over a thousand litas, was comprehensive. Astrology was also studied. This could be especially relevant when traveling among the stars.
Fortunately, all three stars had moved away, allowing the night to take hold. The unfamiliar moonless sky made everything gloomy and dark, but at least it lowered the temperature. Unfortunately, it didn't produce the desired results.
Thor didn't recognize any of the constellations. Somewhere else, there were similar star positions, but that made it clear he definitely hadn't been in that part of the galaxy.
So the only option left was to move in some direction. The likelihood of not finding anyone was just as likely as meeting someone .
While Thor was looking at the stars, Tony's glasses detected some energy in one direction , so it was decided to go in that direction.
Walking without food and water was difficult. Luckily, there were a couple of hours when all the suns disappeared from view, and before the first sun rose, they were able to collect some of the condensation from the suns before it evaporated. This quenched their thirst somewhat, but it also gave them time to avoid dying of thirst.
Unfortunately, a new day arrived quickly, and with it came the heat.
"I'm not even going to sit at the table with you again, you damn alcoholics. " Covered by a small piece of red cloak that had been divided between them, they moved in a direction known only to them: one god of thunder can't summon a little rain. The other controls water and can't properly collect it.
- Hahaha , but when we get out of here there will be something to remember and tell our grandchildren.
- Yes, you're right - even the Asgardian was affected by the intense heat, not to mention the others - all that's left is to figure out how to get out of here.
Their journey lasted several days. They waited out the intense heat in the shade, if there was any, and tried to move around when it wasn't so hot. Of course, water was scarce, but there was one way to get a little, which they agreed never to mention again.
Small bugs or other creatures that crawled out of the sand on an empty stomach also went down well, especially after Thor tried them with pleasure first.
One day, the now practically wandering dead, crossing one of the dunes, noticed something else besides sand.
"Look, there's a chariot there— a simple chariot pulled by horses. And around it, digging in the ground, were humanoids."
Several days of such travel had forced them to be grateful for any form of life, as they were likely to have a source of water. So the group sped up to reach them, but as they approached, a problem arose.
As they approached, they noticed something was wrong with the humanoids. They weren't wearing their usual clothing. Their entire bodies were wrapped in bandages, but in some places these bandages had already torn or slipped, revealing patches of withered flesh. This didn't hinder their movement or work .
- Wait, these are draugrs .
- To be more precise , these are mummies.
- Thank you, Captain Icicle, we have other problems now.
As the travelers noticed them, several mummies also noticed them and dropped what they were doing to check. Grabbing their cleavers, they set off to greet the guests.
There was no greeting or any gestures, the inhabitants of the sands simply rushed into battle.
Thor took on the first mummy, intercepted the blow, drew his cleaver, and severed the attacker's head. Mummies weren't particularly difficult opponents for the thunder god, but fatigue was taking its toll, and even several of them could catch him and strike him if he wasn't paying attention.
While several mummies decided to settle on the largest member of their group, Alex, using his version of Extremis , dodged one blow and ran his heated hands through the body of one of the mummies, splitting it into two parts.
In just a couple of minutes the fight was over with a score of avengers/mummies 1:0.
- Damn, there is no water, no food, where are they all coming from?
- Perhaps their city is located on some fertile land.
- Either there is nothing there at all, but maybe there is an answer there as to why Heimdall can’t find us?
- But we have transport, OOO. yeah , the chariot was big and could easily accommodate ten people standing there, so it was pleasant for the only person who hadn't been improved in any way to lie down on the hard surface.
Time was against them, so having made a decision, they took this chariot and the horse-like zombies carried them back while the traces of the transport's former owners' movements were not yet covered up.

Chapter Text

A few hours of riding with a light breeze provided a pleasant coolness, but the greatest joy came later, when the water lord urgently stopped the chariot and sat in one place for almost an hour, holding his hands in the sand, explaining that he felt a little water somewhere deep. The others waited and let him go. The wait paid off when a small trickle of water began to seep through the sand. Watching the desired liquid break through the sand and being so close to it only increased his thirst, but he had to wait until the drawing was complete, lest he wait even longer.
Is five liters of water a lot or a little? For a modern person, this amount can be drunk discreetly throughout the day while standing and chatting at the water cooler. But for someone who hasn't had a drink in several days, it's literally a gift from God that should be treasured and cherished.
Now, sitting in the shade of the chariot, taking small sips from the bowl of cold water that hung in front of them and snacking on small bugs, they felt good for the first time in several days.
- When we return we will have to arrange a feast, because such an adventure requires that it be told about.
- Thor, I don’t want to choke you , but it was because of uncontrolled drunkenness that we ended up here, so I’ll stick to the juices for now.
- What does " suffocate" mean ? Your Russian words again?
- Ah, my American friend. There's so much you still don't know about the strong and powerful Russian language!
- Ah ha ah
Thor's loud laughter echoed throughout the area and attracted the attention of the others, who began to look at him closely.
"That's what I needed. A simple adventure with friends, where you can just travel, fight, and laugh." His voice dropped slightly. "Because after Malekith was defeated , my father made me regent of Asgard ."
- Are you already fed up with everything after just a couple of months?
And then Thor shared his concerns that ruling wasn't quite what he'd imagined. Although he was a prince, diplomacy was his weak point. After what had happened, his parents felt they'd made several mistakes in grooming their heir and were now trying hard to correct this shortcoming. So, he'd been socializing a lot lately, and hadn't had much of an excuse to swing his hammer. When the opportunity arose to rest a bit, he was glad to go to Midgard and take a break from everything that had accumulated over that time. Of course, there was a purpose there, too, but it could be called combining business with pleasure.
The two earthlings, after the heir's outpourings had finished, merely glanced at each other and began to laugh.
- What? - Thor’s voice was clearly uncomprehending.
- Thor, you need to find those who will help you with the government.
- Sitting on the throne is certainly interesting, but constantly listening and solving problems is not my thing , for that I have Pepper .
For a being with over 1,500 years of life experience, hearing about governance from those who are not even a century old was humiliating, but what is more frightening was educational.
- So you put women in charge of solving issues that you don’t want them to?
"I was dying at that moment, and then somehow everything just happened," Tony said, recalling with a tender smile the moments when they were lying in bed, deciding company matters.
"I'm not good at paperwork, so I put her in charge of those issues. Besides, I think Tony would agree with me, but our talents are better applied in other areas than boring meetings and reviewing piles of reports."
To which Stark himself merely nodded, which made the warrior without a hammer think.
Having quenched their thirst and rested a little, the journey became a little easier, and then, crossing one of the dunes, they saw something different from the sand.
Several pyramids appeared before their eyes. Around them, a flurry of movement of various mummies could be seen. Slaves carried stones from one side to the other, overseers whipped, and there was constant movement. If you looked closely, you could see that this place had once been an oasis, on which all this had been built, but now there was no sign of any vegetation.
- It seems to me that these pyramids could somehow be connected with those that stand here in Egypt?
"You're right, son of Stark. At different times, Midgard was divided into different regions, ruled by different pantheons. It could be their ancestors or followers who ended up here."
- Where are all these gods now?
- Many moved to the city of omnipotence for various reasons, but on Midgard , as far as I know, none of the pantheons have conducted any open activity recently .
- Let's hope we don't meet a whole pantheon of zombies here who will try to turn us into their own kind.
- Tony, these aren't American movies. You might as well suggest dressing like them and walking past them. - At that moment, two pairs of eyes looked closely at Alex. - No, no. No , you're not serious, are you?
*****
“Next time I’ll keep quiet,” the Slav, wrapped in ancient bandages, quietly relented.
Throughout the city, there were enough small groups of the undead that could be hunted down, disarmed, and dressed to resemble them at least minimally. Of course, the fact that these mummies had been working for hundreds of years at best and hadn't changed their clothes made a difference. The mummification technique seemed to be hereditary, and thanks to magic, when the avengers removed the bandages from those they had managed to bind, human features could be discerned in some places, but any admiration was dampened by the smell that permeated the unchangeable garments for centuries.
Three mummies, not attracting any attention to themselves, carefully moved towards the only pyramid, the top of which was covered in gold and had a slight glow, which showed that there was something there that could help them attract the attention of Heimdall , who could take them away from here.
Of course, the plan wasn't perfect, but there weren't many ways to sneak in quietly with their limited arsenal.
There was noise everywhere, zombie slaves were hauling things, building, their drivers generously motivating them to work harder, so it seemed no one was paying attention to the trio. Walking through some blocks, one could see traces of previous human presence, not yet completely covered by the sand.
The further they went, the fewer local residents there were around.
Approaching the pyramid, they carefully examined the two statues of Anubis, which stood like guards, at that moment the native earthlings looked at each other as if they were thinking the same thing.
of Asgard looked questioningly and was given a short explanation of the similarity of these statues to those that can be found in some places on earth.
After walking a little further, the travelers reached their destination, but another problem arose: none of them knew where exactly to go except through the main entrance, which was located right behind the stone stairs that they had to go through first.
Having no other options, they began to climb it to get inside and everything seemed to be going well until they reached the very top, where they were already waiting for them.
Dry, dead skin, covered in places with bandages and a multitude of gold jewels, and his entire face was covered by a golden mask. This pharaoh , seated on his throne, looked down upon the intruders, surrounded by dozens of his loyal undead soldiers, ready to attack at any possible threat to their master.
The Avengers weren't exactly thrilled with this welcoming company. If they'd had all the tools they needed for a confrontation, it would have been a simple battle, but now Thor was without his hammer, Tony without his suit, and Alex's only weaponry was the liter of water he'd managed to conserve after the source dried up. To avoid a confrontation, they considered running back, but as soon as they looked back, a huge crowd had gathered in front of the pyramid below, a crowd that hadn't been there just a few minutes earlier.
- This It's a trap .
- Looks like it, Stark.
The inhabitants of the earth simply looked at each other and smiled at the ignorance of the classics from the Scandinavian god.
Before anything could happen, Thor, being a natural diplomat and a raging king, decided to talk to the other ruler.
"Oh, great lord of this land, I am Thor, crown prince of Asgard . My companions and I found ourselves here by chance and are simply trying to get home; we didn't want to disturb you. Therefore, I ask you to assist us in this difficult matter. Of course, after this is over, I will generously thank you for your assistance and the inconvenience."
During the entire time Thor was delivering his speech, no movement was noticeable behind the golden mask that hid the face of the living dead, but one could hope for a positive result, because Thor had been to many worlds and possessed various skills.
Unfortunately, this time all his skills were useless. With a slight bow of his head, the local pharaoh gave his guards an order. The entire guard, standing in a semicircle, drew their curved swords ( khopesh ) and began to advance menacingly, step by step, narrowing the area and reducing their maneuverability. If nothing was done, the only remaining path would be down, where hundreds, if not thousands, of mummies, armed with whatever they could find, stood and waited patiently.
- Does anyone have any ideas?
While his other companions had at least some advantages, for an ordinary person this was a downright unpleasant situation.
- Yes, there is a plan.
And then, the thunder god, in all his recklessness, rushed at the nearest guards and felled them. Quickly avoiding the closest attack, he tried to snatch the weapon, tearing it away along with its owner's hand. In just a few seconds, he was standing with the weapon, fending off hordes of armed zombies. Thanks to Asgardian blood and the physical weakness of his opponents, parity had been established. Anyone who attacked lost several limbs, but the superior numbers prevented the blond from attacking.
- I'll hold them off, find a way to contact my home.
Of course, it was noble, and no one tried to dissuade him from this idea. While the guards were distracted, Alex used the remaining water and spun it into a saw, literally cutting a passage for two to try to get inside.
At the moment when Thor switched to aggressive negotiations, several things happened: firstly, the pharaoh himself began to urgently leave the scene of the battle with several guards through the nearest secret passage, and secondly, all those who were standing near the ascent to the pyramid began to quickly climb the steps to stop the said guests.
There was no time to waste, so after going inside the pyramid through a large passage and their pupils got used to the room after the light, they saw something they definitely didn’t expect.
A huge space inside the pyramid was occupied by a complex technological structure of slightly glowing pipes, which from all ends of the pyramid led to a console, which was located a little higher on a pedestal on the other side of the pyramid . On the walls were depicted statues of deities whose gaze was directed directly at the console.
There was no direct route to the console, so they had to choose one of two directions that would lead them straight there.
Before they could decide between the two paths, guards began running out, clearly in no hurry to gently restrain them or politely question them. Fortunately, the water saw was helpful. The withered bodies cut through easily, leaving behind only a pile of severed arms and legs.
Even a billionaire and philanthropist never took anything from the hands of other people, but he did not hesitate to snatch a sword from a dead, severed hand for his own protection.
Turning off the equipment that was located here could not guarantee that their goal would be accomplished, but there were no other options at the moment.
***
Several bodies were now falling down the large staircase, dragging even more down with them, forming a massive mass of bodies. Realizing that if nothing was done, in a couple of minutes there would be hundreds of enemies instead of just a few dozen, Thor made the only decision and began throwing the injured enemies, who took it all in their stride. Had it been anyone else, such a tactic wouldn't have worked, but the fragile bodies, which broke when they hit the stone, couldn't withstand the fast-moving body.
It was only a matter of momentary distraction before another stinking carcass pounced from behind and hung there , attempting to stab him in the neck with a dagger. Unfortunately for the defenders, the attack had no effect and left only a scratch on the tall blond man's body.
Without hesitation, he grabbed the body hanging on him and began spinning it around, throwing back those who came close. In a sense, it even worked, until at one point the body simply flew off to the side, leaving only one leg in the Asgardian's hands.
This maneuver gave him some space to follow his friends, for whom he was buying time.
Keeping his enemies at bay, the warrior used all the experience he had gained over hundreds of years, although now he began to understand how much he relied on the hammer's power in battle. This had become noticeable to him even in the battle with Malekith , when Mjolnir , jumping between portals, did not have time to fly into the hand of its owner, and now, although the enemies were weak, even he would not be able to stop them if they fell upon him in a crowd.
Carefully retreating and simultaneously cutting down the dead, he took step after step into the pyramid, hoping that he could buy enough time before he was buried under bodies.
And while he was distracted by one of the attacks, a body literally flew at him from above and tried to bite his neck with the remains of its teeth.
Before he could strike the insolent man on the head, one of the guards managed to wrap his whip around his hand, which caused him to lose additional moments, which were enough for everyone to pounce on him in a crowd.
***
- Will you be there again soon?
A swing of the water saw and several more mummies were divided into several parts.
- Am I an expert on ancient Egyptian technology to you? I don't understand anything about it.
Getting to the control panel wasn't particularly difficult. The most puzzling aspect was the dead-ends built into the pyramid's corridors, forcing us to backtrack a couple of times. There were virtually no guards along the way, but as soon as anyone appeared near the control panel, everyone who could began throwing themselves at the intruders, simply to drive them away from their sacred relic.
Now the engineering genius stood over an unfamiliar device, trying to figure out what to do with it. The multitude of animal-shaped symbols on the panel, reminiscent of early typewriters, made it impossible to figure out what to press to get the desired result. After pressing one of the symbols, Tony waited for some response from the control panel within the first few seconds. Staring ahead , the engineer didn't notice how the eyes of one of the bird-headed statues behind him lit up and fired an energy beam at a target standing with its back to it.
A powerful stream of energy hit Alex's back and sent him flying into the wall. By the time the stream stopped, most of his body was already glowing blue, but even Extremis couldn't heal the damage so quickly , even exposing his ribs.
- Damn it.
Realizing that this blow had come because of him, Tony began to worry greatly about his friend, but seeing how the body was gradually healing, relief came, and in addition to relief, two more guards ran up to them.
Quickly returning to the console, he picked up the sword he had thrown away when they arrived and held it out, clearly trying to threaten them, but even the dead zombie mummies showed no fear and began to advance.
Before they had even taken a couple of steps, a loud explosion came from the direction of the pyramid, distracting all three from the fight that had not yet begun.
Taking advantage of the moment, a swift blow was struck, separating the head from the body of one of the locals, but the second one reacted to the loss of his brother in arms and began striking back. On the third strike, the sword flew out of the earthling's hands and a kick sent him flying toward the panel.
Confident of victory, the opponent did not notice how the bird key was pressed again and the smile on Stark's face made him sense a catch, but it was too late, jumping away from the likely target, Stark watched as the energy beam crashed into the already dead sand zombie and pierced through him and hit the control panel.
The subtle hum of the machines below grew quieter and quieter. As the equipment stopped, the light emanating from the very top of the pyramid ceased to spread.
While the skirmish was going on, Alex was able to heal his wounds and, coughing up blood, looked displeasedly at his comrade.
- Don't look at me like that, I told you I don't know what I'm doing.
It was clear that now was not the time for showdowns and grievances , but Tony took note that he would have to somehow apologize for this incident, because everything could have gone much worse.
- We need to find Thor if the car...
Alex was interrupted by another crash coming from the entrance. They exchanged glances and rushed to the scene of the fight to render aid, but the sight of a dead body being driven into the wall shocked them.
Thor stood near the wall, surrounded by charred bodies that gave off a rather unpleasant smell. But for the first time since they'd met, he exuded divine power.
Lightning coursed through his entire body, and with each strike, electrical discharges coursed through him, amplifying the blows , which were quite capable of breaking through walls. Numerous wounds dripped blood, literally cauterized by the lightning, and the remnants of the red liquid didn't prevent his electrified hair from rising slightly as he exerted his power.
- Thor?
Both voices rang out simultaneously. Hearing his name, the thunder god looked back and smiled contentedly, yet bloodthirstily.
- Yes, it's me, my friends.
" You mean all of them?" Tony surveyed the obvious carnage that had taken place here.
- Yes, they knocked me down and tried to stab me, and they would have succeeded if I hadn’t shown my strength.
Alex had already approached to treat his wounds, but the thunder god stopped him.
- I want to return home like this.
- No problem, I'll just check to make sure there are no particularly dangerous injuries that will cause you to die within a day.
He didn't refuse such a thing, but returning from the battle victorious and covered in blood was an honor in Asgard , and he wanted to show everyone who doubted him that even without the hammer he posed a serious threat.
Having finished their inspection, the trio went out into the open space and looked down as many of those who had recently attacked them were now running in fear.
The god, heated up by the battle, even had to be stopped so that he would not rush into battle; first they had to return home, and there was a possibility that their entire journey would have been in vain.
- HEIMDAL.
A second, two, three, and then a beam of light engulfed them all.