Chapter 3: Drama Queen

The city of New York still resembled a battlefield, with gunshots and occasional explosions echoing through the streets.

The other Avengers were scattered across the city, taking down enemies in their respective areas.

Mark fired energy blasts from his fingers, sometimes missing his targets. Beside him, Natasha, breathless from the ongoing fight, used her energy rifle to pick off Chitauri soldiers.

"You need to improve your accuracy. Your shooting's not great," she said, catching her breath.

Mark flashed a grin. "Yeah, I'm new to this." As he gathered fallen enemies and their energy weapons to replenish himself, he noticed a trickle of blood on the side of Natasha's head.

Seizing a brief moment of calm, he gently wiped it away and transferred some of his energy to her.

Feeling the absence of pain from her body and the renewed strength, Natasha sighed in relief. "Hmm~, that feels amazing. Thanks." She glanced at Mark, noting him using another kind of ability.

Noticing three incoming enemies on their flying vehicles, Natasha said wearily, "This is endless."

Mark looked up at the portal, where Chitauri continued to pour through. Following Natasha's gaze, he gathered energy in his palm and fired at the approaching Chitauri.

His shot struck the side of one vehicle, causing it to swerve and crash in a fiery explosion. He aimed again, hitting the pilot of another vehicle.

The last enemy, seeing the fate of its companions, maneuvered evasively while firing back. Mark's shots all missed.

Before he could react, Natasha pushed down on the back of his knee with her own, lowering him to a shorter stance. Mark was puzzled by her actions.

"I'll aim. You shoot," she said, grabbing his arm and positioning it, her eyes focused on the best moment to fire.

Feeling her softness against his back, Mark was momentarily distracted but quickly refocused.

"Now!" Natasha commanded.

Without hesitation, Mark fired, sending the flyer into a fiery explosion.

"Nice job!" Natasha said, smiling.

"It feels good," Mark replied. Seeing her amused look, he added, "I mean, it feels good having you as a teammate."

Natasha shook her head with a chuckle. "I'll help you train your accuracy next time we get the chance."

She glanced up at the portal and continued, "We can't do that, though, unless we close the damn portal." Mark nodded in agreement.

"Well, here's our ride. Let's get to Stark's tower and see what we can do." He recalled how Natasha had closed the portal in the original timeline.

Another flyer passed by, seemingly unaware of their presence. Mark extended a tendril of dark smoke from his suit to stop it, but instead, he was unexpectedly pulled along as the flyer continued its course.

He stumbled and was lifted off the ground, "Oops!" surprised by the sudden jolt. This was not what he had planned.

"Hey!" Natasha shouted at him. Mark responded with a thumbs up.

Watching Mark being pulled farther away, Natasha relayed the situation to the other Avengers through her comms.

"Guys, watch out for Mark. He's the one in the smoke suit, and he's currently on one of the alien flyers. Let's avoid any friendly fire."

"Copy that," Captain America replied, glancing up as Mark passed by.

"Does he need help?" Hawkeye asked, aiming his bow from a rooftop.

"No, he can handle himself," Natasha answered with a hint of amusement.

"Yep, saw him," Iron Man said, observing Mark being shot at without taking any damage.

"Jarvis, what's happening?" Iron Man asked his AI assistant.

"Sir, it appears his suit is absorbing energy from the enemy fire," Jarvis replied.

"I can see that. But how does it do that?"

"My scan isn't detecting the specifics of his suit, sir."

"Never mind." Iron Man spotted a leviathan and flew toward it, firing mini missiles to engage the massive threat.

Mark climbed onto the flying vehicle after disposing of the rider and took control of the headless pilot's body like it was a puppet.

"Hmm, where's the brake on this thing? And how does it slow down?" he muttered, searching for the controls until he got the gist of it.

As he looked around, he saw his reflection in the building mirrors—an imposing, unattractive humanoid silhouette. He focused on adjusting it, consciously modifying the appearance to be more appealing.

He removed the mouth part, retaining only the glowing eyes. "That's better," he said, satisfied with the change.

While maneuvering through the city, he noticed Chitauri crawling over several buildings in the distance.

He reached out, snatching them one by one and absorbing them as he passed by.

In the distance, he saw a rooftop where a bald sorcerer in yellow robes was warding off Chitauri flyers.

The sorcerer sensed his gaze and stood calmly with her hands behind her back, her eyes never leaving him.

'Hello there, robed baldy,' Mark thought, giving her a reluctant wave.

The sorcerer looked amused but didn't respond. Mark, distracted, noticed a group of flyers approaching and firing at him.

When he looked back at the rooftop, the sorcerer had already vanished.

"That's not a bad start. Looks like the Ancient One doesn't mind me being here in this universe," Mark muttered as he adjusted the controls and steered the vehicle to fly upwards, ensuring the damage caused by the flyers wouldn't impact the buildings below.

"Come to think of it, there should be future members of the Avengers coming through here later," Mark mused, glancing back at the Sanctum one last time.

He then turned his attention to his pursuers, firing back at them with a clear focus.

 After dispatching the remaining Chitauri flyers. He then noticed the chaotic battle below as he flew low. The city was a war zone, with soldiers fighting off the invasion.

The forces fighting back included military personnel and specialized units engaged in fierce combat against the Chitauri.

Seeing their struggle, Mark decided to assist. He swooped down, helping clear Chitauri soldiers from the battlefield.

His intervention was effective until a soldier fired a standard-issue rocket launcher at his flying vehicle.

The explosion destroyed the vehicle, throwing Mark off and leaving him dizzy. It was only then that he realized he was floating.

Without having the time to be surprised, a surge of rage overcame him as he looked down at the soldier with the smoking bazooka.

His suit reacted instinctively, expanding and becoming more menacing with burning eyes and a snarling, lava-like mouth. Mark flew down directly in front of the soldier.

The other soldiers around him tensed, aiming their weapons at him as sweat trickled down their brows.

"Just because I look like a goddamn monster doesn't mean I'm one!" Mark shouted angrily.

The commander, trying to deescalate the situation, stepped forward and spoke in a calming tone.

"It was an accident. We didn't mean to hit you."

Mark realized he was overreacting and felt that his rage was being amplified by his suit. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself, focusing on regaining control.

'What a drama queen.' He thought and shuddered in disgust.

He glanced around and saw some soldiers escorting civilians to safety.

Annoyed but understanding, he sighed and flew away to another part of the battlefield.

As he departed, the soldiers breathed a sigh of relief, wiping sweat from their brows, and resumed their efforts to defend the city.