…
"What's up?!"
"Who the hell are you, handsome?!"
Nick Fury stared at the screen, utterly baffled.
It wasn't entirely his fault.
The man on the other end—Tony Stark—looked nothing like the Tony Fury remembered.
His skin appeared almost rejuvenated, years shaved off his face. His physique had transformed as well—muscle definition approaching the sculpted perfection of a classical Greek statue… suspiciously reminiscent of Leon.
"I'm obviously me," Tony replied with a meaningful raise of his brow. "The 'bastard Tony' you just mentioned."
He emphasized the word.
"Ah… ha ha…"
Fury scratched the back of his head awkwardly, offering no defense.
Stark Tower – Upper Level
Inside the Avengers conference floor.
With Leon (currently masquerading as Ebony Maw) absent, and Thor still in Asgard, the remaining members gathered:
Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow)
Dr. Bruce Banner
Nick Fury
Steve Rogers (Captain America)
Clint Barton (Hawkeye)
Tony Stark (Iron Man)
Phil Coulson
Seven people.
Seven chairs.
Fury instinctively moved toward the nearest seat—only for Tony to curl a finger slightly.
The chair slid away mid-step.
Fury sat straight onto the floor.
Thud.
"Hey," Tony smirked, "that seat's not for you, Fury."
"My—my back!"
Steve helped him up.
"How did you do that?" Fury demanded.
"Science," Tony replied smoothly.
He then turned to Banner and extended a hand.
"Dr. Banner. I've followed your work in positron collision research—brilliant stuff. I'm a fan."
"And the big green guy? Extremely impressive. We should spar sometime."
Tony snapped his fingers lightly.
The ring display flickered to life, showing archival footage of Hulk battling the Abomination.
Banner forced a polite smile.
"Thank you… but you really don't want to meet Hulk. He tends to ruin everything."
"No!"
"Hulk good!"
"Things… fragile!"
Suddenly, half of Banner's face shifted green.
Five pairs of eyes widened instantly.
Only Tony remained calm.
"Okay, okay," Tony said evenly. "We all know Hulk's a good guy. But per your agreement, this is supposed to be his nap time."
Banner clenched his jaw, negotiating with himself.
"Yes… but Hulk can't sleep…"
Fury muttered under his breath.
"Oh hell."
He subtly stepped back—positioning Natasha and Clint between himself and Banner.
The two agents exchanged synchronized eye-rolls.
Then—
J.A.R.V.I.S.' voice echoed throughout the room.
"Sir, I believe you should observe the situation currently unfolding in Manhattan."
Tony arched a brow.
The circular display shifted.
Manhattan – Public Square
Floating roughly ten inches above the ground—
Hands folded gracefully before him—
Ebony Maw hovered in eerie stillness.
Beside him, Loki stood planted with the Mind Stone Scepter, addressing the terrified civilians gathered in the plaza.
His voice rang across the square.
And he began with a single word.
"KNEEL!!!"
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