"Damn it! Where the hell is it?!"
Tony Stark had been combing through the warehouse for ages, but there wasn't even a glimmer of the Tesseract in sight.
"Huh? What's this?"
He immediately activated his smart glasses to scan the area—seemed like he'd picked up a faint trace of something.
Just as he was about to investigate further, a voice called out from nearby.
"Zola? Dr. Zola, are you there?"
Tony froze. His body stiffened as he recognized the voice.
Nope. Nope nope nope.
"Hey! The exit's that way, friend."
That voice belonged to none other than… his father.
Howard Stark.
No matter how old Tony got, no matter how much he'd seen—facing his father always knocked something loose in his heart.
Especially when that father had long since passed away.
"I'm looking for Dr. Zola. Have you seen him around?"
"Oh! No, no one. Haven't seen a soul."
As Tony awkwardly fumbled through the moment with his father, Steve Rogers was running into problems of his own.
After being kicked out of Dr. Pym's lab by Rory, Steve wandered the hall in a panic, debating whether to just barge back in and grab the Pym Particles by force.
That's when he turned a corner and spotted the Black woman from the elevator—this time flanked by two armed guards, clearly headed straight for him.
Steve ducked into a nearby office just in time, narrowly avoiding detection.
As he prepared to sneak back out, something on the desk caught his eye: a framed photo of a much younger him—back when he was still a scrawny recruit.
He picked it up, and memories surged back—moments he could never forget, no matter how many wars he'd fought.
Turning slightly, he saw the name etched on the door: Director Margaret Carter.
The woman he'd loved and longed for across decades.
A shadow moved behind the blinds. Steve turned toward the window—and found himself unable to look away.
Meanwhile, Rory had already stuffed the Pym Particles into his backpack—taking ten of the eleven vials—and slipped out of the lab before Dr. Pym returned.
By the time he resurfaced on ground level, the chaos in the base had settled and the fire in the mess hall had been extinguished.
Looking calm and casual, Rory walked over to a parked jeep, tossed both the briefcase and backpack into the passenger seat, and started the engine.
He was just about to drive off when he spotted someone familiar: Tony Stark, bidding farewell to Howard Stark.
Tony mumbled a few words, eyes clouded with emotion. After his father got into the car and left, Tony turned—and locked eyes with Rory.
Rory gave him a cheerful wave, then hit the gas and vanished down the road.
Tony frowned but didn't give it too much thought—at least, not yet.
He was about to return to the search when he bumped into Steve Rogers, who had just emerged from the underground facility.
"Hey, Cap. I didn't find the Tesseract. Did you get the Pym Particles?"
Steve shook his head grimly. "Nope. Remember the guy from the elevator? He kicked me out of Dr. Pym's office. By the time I got back, there was only one vial left. I got played."
"That guy…?"
Tony turned, pointing behind him. "He just left. Wait… are you saying he took the Tesseract too?!"
The realization hit Tony like a freight train.
He clenched his fists. "We're chasing him. Now!"
BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions rang out across the base—not deadly, but followed by thick green smoke that quickly engulfed the compound.
Soldiers and staff began collapsing one after another.
"Damn it, that punk's a saboteur!"
"Forget him! We need to help these people first!"
Steve couldn't ignore innocent lives in danger. As much as he hated to delay the mission, the Tesseract and Pym Particles would have to wait. Rory could run—but he couldn't hide forever.
Meanwhile, Rory calmly tossed the detonator into a roadside ditch and sped down the highway, heading toward Trenton, 27 kilometers away.
An hour later, Tony—now suited up in full Iron Man armor—tracked the signal to an abandoned barn on the outskirts of Trenton.
CLANG.
He dropped from the sky, landing with a heavy thud as his boots struck the ground.
He stood silently, visor locked onto the jeep parked outside the barn.
Rory sat leisurely on the hood, tossing pebbles into the air. As Iron Man approached, Rory smiled with a spark of admiration.
"For someone who built armor like that, you really are a genius."
CLANG. CLANG.
Tony stepped forward. "Yeah, I know I'm a genius. Look, sir—you took something you shouldn't have. I'd really appreciate it if you gave it back."
He added, voice darkening, "I'm not a fan of violence… but I will use it."
"Sure," Rory replied with a shrug. "As long as you meet my condition."
He hopped off the hood and walked up to Tony, gently brushing a hand across the Iron Man suit as if admiring a piece of artwork.
Tony instinctively took a step back. Okay, weird vibes here.
He lifted his faceplate. "Alright, what's the condition?"
"Simple," Rory said, just as another motorcycle pulled up.
Steve dismounted and joined Tony.
Rory continued, "Take me with you. To your timeline."
"WHAT?!"
"Impossible!"
"How do you even know?!"
Both heroes stared at him like he'd grown a second head.
Rory just shrugged. "Relax. This world has more than a few 'special' people. You two aren't the only ones."
Tony and Steve exchanged glances, then Tony shook his head. "No way. Bringing someone into our timeline could have catastrophic consequences. Honestly, taking back what you stole might be the safest option."
"Oh?" Rory raised a brow. "You want to try that? Well, good luck—because I already hid both the Tesseract and the Pym Particles. Without me, you'll never find them. And if you don't… you're stuck here. Forever."
He wasn't bluffing.
He had planned for this possibility from the beginning.
"Let's be real. This isn't worth the risk. I just want to see the future. I'm not here to hurt anyone."
Tony sighed. "We'll need to talk it over."
The two stepped aside and whispered in private.
Moments later, Tony returned. "Fine. We accept your terms. Now hand them over."
Rory gave Tony a look that could only be described as pure pity.
Tony winced. "Okay, yeah, that sounded dumb."
"I meant," he said quickly, "we'll need to verify the items are legit. For fairness and all that."
Rory rolled his eyes. "First, take off the armor. Then maybe we can have a civilized conversation."
Grumbling, Tony complied and retracted his armor.
Rory watched in awe. It was the first time he'd seen the nanotech suit up close. He couldn't begin to grasp the science behind it.
"Holy crap. That's… pure magic."
"If you want this tech," Tony said, "I'd rather stay here forever than give it to you."
"Relax."
Rory turned to Steve. "Sir, could you please hand me that device on your wrist?"
Both men froze.
Rory was asking for the Time-Space GPS—the only thing Steve needed to return to the future.
Tony quickly offered, "Hey, kid—take mine instead!"
Rory raised a hand. "Nice try. I know your suit can generate decoys. Don't take me for a fool."
Then, back to Steve: "Sir, give it to me, and our deal is done. You have three seconds. Three… two—"
"Fine!" Steve grunted, surrendering the device.
Cornered, both heroes had no choice but to play along.
Steve handed over the GPS. "Now tell us—where are the goods?"
"All in good time," Rory grinned. "First, I'm starving. Let's eat."
He slipped the device onto his wrist, hopped back into the jeep, and waved. "Come on. I know a great burger joint."
Until they got the Tesseract and Pym Particles back, Tony and Steve had no choice but to follow his lead.
They pulled up in front of a burger shop in Trenton.
After ordering, the trio sat at a booth. Tony was the first to speak.
"Kid. How did you know?"
"You mean, how did I know you were time travelers?" Rory sipped his soda and smiled.
Tony nodded seriously.
Rory's tone turned calm. "Because I'm not from this timeline either. I got pulled into this world after a lab accident. But it's too primitive here—I want to go back home."
Tony and Steve exchanged looks. Were they buying it? They weren't sure.
"You're Iron Man. Built the Mark I in a cave. You're Captain America. A seventy-year-old popsicle. You came here to reverse the Snap. I know everything. Now do you believe me?"
He wasn't lying. Every word was true.
Tony scanned him again—this time, letting FRIDAY run the analysis. The results checked out.
"So you stole the Tesseract and the Pym Particles… just to go home?"
Rory nodded. "That's one way to put it."
After they finished eating, the three walked outside.
Rory jumped back into the jeep and said, "I've still got things to prepare before I leave. Tony—if you don't want Steve stuck here forever, you'd better hurry up and build another wristband. See you tomorrow."
Then he turned to Steve.
"And please don't follow me. I've rigged the storage site with explosives. If I press this button, we all stay here—permanently."
"Hey! Easy with that thing, kid. I'm not trying to be your roommate for eternity!"
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200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter