John walked out of the workshop with a huge grin plastered across his face, his steps light with satisfaction. Behind him, the door remained slightly ajar, revealing a sight that would have made anyone do a double take—Tony Stark, slumped in his chair, head tilted back, eyes blank and devoid of their usual sharpness. It was as if his soul had left his body, leaving behind only the empty shell of a genius billionaire.
The reason? Simple.
John had just assigned him the monumental task of inscribing runes on the floating island, a process that would take at least a month or two at best. Even with all his brilliance, Tony couldn't find a shortcut.
There were no pre-made blueprints, no AI assistance that could speed things up. It was all meticulous, hands-on work. Every single rune had to be inscribed manually with precision, requiring a depth of focus Tony had only ever needed when designing new suits.
"This is hell," Tony had muttered before sinking into his chair, staring at the ceiling in despair as John walked away, grinning like he had just won the lottery.
---
While Tony was having one of the worst days of his life, elsewhere, in a silent alley, a disturbance in the air heralded the arrival of four mysterious figures.
A soft hum resonated as four people materialized out of nowhere, clad in white, technologically advanced suits that seemed far beyond the current era. Their attire was sleek yet functional, with no unnecessary bulk.
Leading the group was Tony Stark—an older, slightly wearier version of himself. His suit bore the same streamlined design as the others but with subtle modifications unique to him, such as an arc reactor embedded into the chest piece.
Beside him stood Steve Rogers, his expression calm and composed, clad in a similar suit designed for efficiency rather than battle.
The third figure was Bruce Banner, whose larger frame was comfortably encased in the time-travel suit. The last was Scott Lang, glancing around curiously, adjusting the controls on his wrist.
The four exchanged glances before Tony let out a deep breath. "Alright… let's hope this works as planned."
For a moment, silence stretched between them as they took in their surroundings. The city was both familiar and unfamiliar. The skyline was largely unchanged, but something felt off.
Scott was the first to break the silence. "Okay, I know I'm not exactly an expert on time travel, but isn't it suppose to be an alian invasion happaning right about now… are we sure we're in the right year?" He tapped the device on his wrist, frowning. "I mean, what if we overshot? Or undershot? Or worse—what if we're in a completely different timeline?"
Steve folded his arms, his blue eyes narrowing slightly. "Banner, what do you think? Any signs of deviation?"
Bruce's brows furrowed as he checked the readings on his wrist device. "It's… complicated. The coordinates were set to bring us to the exact moment we needed, but—"
"But?" Tony interjected impatiently, raising an eyebrow.
Bruce hesitated before sighing. "There's a margin of error. Time isn't exactly a straight line; it's more like a river with different currents. We could have landed a few days early, or late… or maybe something else caused a shift."
Scott's eyes widened. "Something else? Like what? Like, I don't know, someone screwing with the timeline?" He pointed a finger at Tony. "Did you do something?"
Tony rolled his eyes. "Oh, sure, let's just blame me. Because I obviously had nothing better to do than come back here and mess with time for fun."
Steve exhaled sharply. "Let's focus. We need to confirm the exact time period and make sure nothing critical has changed. Banner, can you recalibrate?"
Bruce nodded, fingers moving swiftly over the holographic interface on his wrist device. "Give me a minute."
Scott huffed. "You know, considering how precise this was supposed to be, a 'minute' is not very reassuring."
Tony shot him a deadpan look. "Welcome to time travel. It's all one big headache."
As Bruce worked, the group's tension remained palpable. Steve scanned the alleyway, his instincts sharp, always on guard. Scott, unable to keep still, shifted on his feet, glancing between Tony and Bruce like a student waiting for an overdue test result.
After a long moment, Bruce exhaled and looked up. "Okay… we're close, but there's a discrepancy. We're in the right general timeframe, but I'm detecting some fluctuations. Something might have already been altered."
Steve's jaw tightened. "Then we need to find out what. Fast."
Tony ran a hand through his hair. "Great. Just what we needed. A time-travel side quest."
Scott groaned. "I knew it! This never goes smoothly."
Steve's gaze hardened. "We move carefully. No unnecessary interactions, no drawing attention. We figure out what's wrong and fix it before it spirals. Agreed?"
The others nodded, their expressions grim. The mission had just become a lot more complicated than they had anticipated.
Just as they were about to decide their next move, a voice suddenly interrupted their conversation. "Have you guys lost something?"
All four of them tensed, their bodies snapping to attention as they scanned their surroundings. But there was no one in sight.
"Up here."
Their heads shot upward in unison.
Above them, floating effortlessly in midair, was a figure clad in a flowing black robe with intricate silver threading woven throughout. The hooded figure's face was completely obscured by a mask, rendering them utterly unrecognizable.
The sight sent an immediate wave of tension through the team. A person defying gravity without any visible support was unsettling enough. But the fact that they couldn't determine who—or what—this figure was made them even more alert.
Tony's eyes narrowed as he instinctively shifted into a defensive stance. "Well, that's not ominous at all."
Steve tightened his fists, his instincts screaming danger. "Who are you?"
The figure remained motionless for a moment before tilting its head slightly. "Now that… is the real question."
The masked stranger's voice was calm, almost amused.
Bruce whispered under his breath, "I don't like this."
Scott took a cautious step back. "Yeah, uh… can we all agree that mysterious floating guys in masks are never a good sign?"
The figure chuckled softly, the sound echoing unnaturally in the empty alley. "Oh, but I think you'll find that I'm not the biggest problem you should be worried about."
A chill ran through the air.
The four Avengers exchanged tense glances.
And just like that, they knew—whatever was going on, their mission had just become far more dangerous than they had anticipated.