Chapter 6: No stairs

Mark flew swiftly through the sky, heading towards Stark Tower. As he approached, he saw Iron Man flying through an open, floor-to-ceiling window, his suit looking newer and more advanced.

Curious, Mark adjusted his flight path and followed Iron Man inside.

Inside, he noticed Tony Stark, who appeared unusually sneaky, watching something intently in the corner . Mark silently descended, careful not to alert Tony.

He peeked over Tony's shoulder and saw Ant-Man, who was ant-sized, perched on Tony's shoulder. Both were focused on the Avengers apprehending Loki.

Recognizing the familiar scene and the heroes from the future, Mark decided not to intervene. He passed them by without a glance and approached the original Avengers. Ant-Man and Tony looked startled, with Tony now squatting in hiding.

"Yey! We won! Victory hug!" Mark exclaimed, approaching Natasha with open arms while removing his suited form. Natasha smiled and welcomed his embrace, then reciprocated warmly. He thought that being thick-skinned really pays off sometimes.

Mark took a deep breath and sighed. "Ohh. So relaxing."

Natasha patted him good-naturedly, and the other Avengers looked on with amusement.

"Finally, you're here. You're coming with us. We're going for shawarma later," Tony said.

"Sounds fun." As he pulled away from Natasha, Mark turned his attention to Loki, who looked bruised and haggard from the earlier beating.

"Who took him down?" Mark asked.

Hulk grunted in response.

"Oh, so it was Hulk. Nice job." Mark then turned to Tony.

"Tell me you got that on camera."

Tony's eyes lit up. He pulled out his phone, accessing a security camera feed.

After a few taps, he pulled up footage of Loki being repeatedly smashed. The group winced at the sight but remained cheerful.

Thor, however, looked on with a trace of concern, despite the event being well in the past. Loki, looked visibly annoyed.

In the corner.

"Who's that? Do you think he saw you?" Ant-Man asked.

"Unless he's blind. And I have no idea who that is," Future-Tony replied. "Friday, search for info about that guy."

"Just a moment," Friday responded.

"Do we need to change our plan?" Ant-Man asked anxiously. Tony thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No, we're good."

Mark found himself at the bar with Natasha and Clint, waiting for SHIELD agents to arrive. Clint offered drinks from the bar.

"Anyone up for a drink?" Clint asked, passing Natasha a glass of scotch whisky. He then turned to Mark. "You're of drinking age, right?"

Natasha raised an eyebrow, interested.

"Old enough to fight a war, old enough to drink," Mark replied with a grin. Clint shrugged and handed him a glass.

"Thanks. Though, I'd prefer if this were coke," Mark said, taking a sip.

"Not likely they Tony that here," Natasha chuckled. "So, how old are you, really?"

"I just turned 19," Mark answered. "And you?" He asked, turning the question back on her.

"You never ask a lady her age," Natasha replied with a smirk.

"Let me guess—18?" Mark teased.

"Smooth, kid," Clint said with a laugh, while Natasha chuckled.

Mark then glanced at the scepter Natasha was holding. "Mind if I borrow this for a moment?" he asked, extending his hand. Natasha handed it over with a nod.

He examined the scepter briefly, then extended a tendril of smoke toward the Tesseract and began absorbing energy from both artifacts.

He recharged his reserves while contemplating the potential uses of the Mind Stone's energy.

Tony, noticing what Mark was doing, raised an eyebrow. "Be careful with that. We don't want them blowing up in our faces."

He nodded in acknowledgment and encased the artifacts with a tube-like tendril, isolating them securely.

At that moment, SHIELD agents arrived, including Rumlow and Sitwell.

Sitwell stepped forward, gesturing toward the scepter. "Would you mind?"

Pretending not to hear, Mark ignored Sitwell. Sitwell's impatience was evident. Natasha nudged Mark on the shoulder, and with a sigh, he reluctantly handed the scepter over to him.

Sitwell took the scepter with a satisfied nod, then carefully secured it in a reinforced case. After a brief exchange of nods , the SHIELD agents, including Sitwell and Rumlow, filed out of the room.

"Okay, we're done here. Let's go for lunch," Tony said, giving Mark a nod. Mark stopped absorbing energy from the Tesseract as Tony closed the briefcase to secure it.

Clint, leaning against the bar, took a final swig of scotch before setting the glass down. Mark and Natasha rose from their seats, heading toward the elevator.

Tony carried the briefcase, while Thor held Loki firmly, securing a metal gag over his mouth. Captain America followed closely behind, and Hulk trailed last.

They gather in the elevator, but when Hulk attempts to join them, he finds the elevator already full. Thor stopped him, and Tony Stark explained, gesturing toward the full elevator and noting that the maximum occupancy has been reached.

Thor suggests taking the stairs. As the elevator doors closed, Hulk, clearly frustrated, drew his fist back and slammed it into the elevator door, creating a dent in the metal.

The group breathed a sigh of relief, seeing the situation resolved.

They arrived in the lobby, bustling with activity. Tony was discussing their lunch plans when Alexander Pierce, flanked by SHIELD agents, stepped into their path.

A tense confrontation unfolded between Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, and Thor. Pierce insisted on taking Loki and the Tesseract, but Tony, Steve, and Thor resisted.

They asserted their right to handle the situation themselves and questioned Pierce's authority.

Clint and Natasha, positioned as SHIELD agents themselves, watched from the sidelines, keeping a close eye on Loki. Mark, with a look of gusto, observed the exchange as if it were a spectacle, fully absorbed in the unfolding drama.

Suddenly, during the confrontation, Tony appeared to have a heart attack and dropped the case.

The Avengers, alarmed, rushed to his side as he struggled to breathe. Loki observed the scene with curiosity, while Mark, unfazed, remained calm, confident that Tony would be fine.

The case slid across the floor, catching both Mark and Loki's attention. Mark turned just in time to see future Tony, disguised, grab the case. Mark smirked and waited.

At that moment, the stairwell door flew open as Hulk stormed through, roaring, "No stairs!" and collided with future-Tony, sending him sprawling.