The moment Rin collapsed, Tony didn't hesitate. He was at her side in an instant, his face tight with concern. Without wasting another second, he scooped her up and activated his thrusters.
"I'm taking her home," he announced, his voice uncharacteristically serious. "You guys handle the rest."
Steve gave a quick nod. "Go. We've got this."
With that, Tony shot into the sky, cradling Rin securely in his arms. The wind howled around them as he pushed his suit to its limits, heading straight for Avengers Tower. His usual bravado was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a rare expression of worry settled on his face.
Meanwhile, back at the HYDRA base, the rest of the Avengers didn't face much resistance. With the Maximoff twins gone, the fight was more of a cleanup than a battle. HYDRA agents scattered in panic as the team pressed forward, clearing out any remaining threats.
Natasha made her way through the corridors, efficiently taking down the last few guards in her path. "You know, I was expecting a bit more of a fight," she quipped.
Clint pulled an arrow from his quiver and knocked out a fleeing scientist with a well-placed shot. "Yeah, well, without their secret weapons, these guys are about as threatening as a wet paper bag."
Thor, who had just smashed through a reinforced door, strode forward and picked up Loki's scepter from its containment unit. He examined it briefly before securing it. "At least we have retrieved the scepter. Let us return before Stark does something… reckless."
Bruce sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Too late for that."
With their mission accomplished, the team swiftly extracted from the base and regrouped. They had won this battle, but something told them the real trouble was just beginning.
........
Back at the tower, Tony landed hard on the rooftop, immediately rushing Rin inside. JARVIS had already prepared the medical bay. As he carefully set her down, he took a deep breath, trying to push down the rising panic.
"Alright, kid," he muttered under his breath. "Let's figure out what's going on with you."
JARVIS ran a full-body scan, his mechanical voice cutting through the tense silence. "Sir, there are no abnormalities detected. Her vital signs are stable. She appears to be in a state of unconsciousness, but there is no physical or neurological damage."
Tony frowned, running a hand through his hair. "So, what? She just passed out for no reason?"
"I cannot determine the cause at this time," JARVIS replied. "Her brain activity suggests she is in a deep, unresponsive state, but there are no indicators of external interference."
Tony exhaled sharply, gripping the edge of the medical table. He hated not having answers. "Then wake her up."
"I am afraid that is beyond my capabilities, sir."
Frustration gnawed at Tony as he stared down at Rin's still form. Something had happened—something they didn't understand yet. And if there was one thing he hated, it was being left in the dark.
A short while later, the Avengers returned to the tower, the scepter in hand. Steve was the first to step forward, his eyes flickering to Rin before settling on Tony. "Any updates?"
Tony crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. "According to the scans, she's just unconscious. No injuries, no brain damage, nothing. All we can do is wait."
Natasha exchanged a glance with Bruce before stepping closer to Rin. "This doesn't feel right. You really think it's nothing?"
Tony scoffed, though the frustration in his voice was evident. "I don't think anything right now, Romanoff. I just know that for the first time in a long time, I don't have a damn clue what's happening."
Clint exhaled through his nose, looking at Rin with an unusual softness in his expression. "Then I guess we wait."
As the team settled in, the air in the tower remained thick with tension.
.........
They all gathered together in the dimly lit meeting room, the air heavy with the scent of coffee and exhaustion. The tension was palpable, a mix of lingering adrenaline and the weight of what they had uncovered. The faint hum of the monitors displaying classified HYDRA files was the only sound for a moment before Steve finally spoke.
"Baron Strucker is dead," he said grimly, his voice cutting through the silence. "And most of his research was focused on human modification—using Loki's scepter."
Natasha leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. "That explains the twins."
Bruce rubbed his temples. "HYDRA really went all in on this. The energy signature from the scepter must have acted as some sort of catalyst for their abilities. But the exact mechanics behind it are still unclear."
Clint scoffed, shaking his head. "Great. More people with glowing hands. Just what we needed."
Despite the attempt at humor, the weight of their discoveries hung over them. The Maximoff twins weren't just accidents—they were deliberate experiments, another dark stain on HYDRA's legacy.
Tony had been uncharacteristically silent, his fingers tapping restlessly against the table as the discussion unfolded around him. The weight of the situation was evident in the furrow of his brows, the way his usually sharp retorts never left his lips. The room was tense, filled with the low hum of monitors displaying classified HYDRA files and the occasional creak of a shifting chair.
Then, without warning, he stood up, his chair scraping against the floor. "I want the scepter." His voice, though firm, carried an undercurrent of urgency that immediately put the others on edge.
His statement was met with immediate opposition from the entire team. The air in the room grew thick with tension, unspoken doubts filling the space like an unseen force. Though they hadn't witnessed the original timeline firsthand, they had heard Rin recount the events in vivid detail—the chaos, the destruction, the near end of everything they had fought for. The weight of those words clung to them, skepticism brewing as silent glances were exchanged, each of them wrestling with the implications of Tony's request.
Steve narrowed his eyes. "Absolutely not."
Bruce looked conflicted. "Tony… we talked about this."
Tony raised his hands in frustration. "Just hear me out! We all know I figured out Rin's magic tricks, but the reason I was able to do it so easily is that the basic theories behind this so-called magic energy are eerily similar to the arc reactor technology." He paused, pacing. "And guess what? The arc reactor tech is based on the Tesseract."
Natasha folded her arms. "Get to the point."
"The energy signature of the Tesseract is almost identical to Loki's scepter." Tony's voice grew more urgent. "And since Maximoff got her powers from that scepter, if I analyze it, I might be able to figure out what's wrong with Rin."
A heavy silence settled over the room as the Avengers exchanged uncertain glances. The weight of Tony's request lingered in the air, unspoken yet impossible to ignore. He wasn't proposing another ambitious project, nor was he attempting to create a new AI or defense system—this time, he was simply searching for answers, driven by something far more personal than any of them had ever seen before.
Steve still didn't like it, but even he could see the logic. "And you swear you won't do anything beyond analyzing it?"
Tony met his gaze, and for once, there was no sarcasm, no bravado—just determination. "I just want to help her."
Steve exhaled through his nose. "Fine. But we're watching you."
Tony gave a small smirk. "Wouldn't expect anything less."