Steve extended a polite handshake. "Mr. Stark. Doctor."
Tony returned it with a grin. "Big fan, Cap. My dad used to talk about you alot."
Bruce gave a small nod. "Nice to finally meet you."
The team had assembled, though none of them yet realized what the coming hours would demand of them. Around them, the wind turbines of the Helicarrier roared to life, lifting the ship skyward — and the age of heroes is about to begin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the command center of the Helicarrier, the hum of engines filled the air — low, steady, and powerful. The vast chamber gaved of an iridescent glow as operatives moved between stations to perform their respective duties.
James and Tony Stark had just removed their armor, walking side by side toward the circular conference table at the center of the deck.
As soon as James entered, Athena's voice rose through the speakers — smooth, resonant, and unmistakably personal.
{Welcome, Mr. Gibson. The command deck acknowledges your return.}
The phrasing caught several agents off guard. Heads turned. It wasn't the standard AI voice protocol — something they never expected Athena to announce in the Helicarrier system.
James didn't flinch. "As its creator, I figured I could give myself a few privileges," he said casually. "It's just a greeting."
Tony let out a laugh and clapped his shoulder. "Ha! I like it. You've got style, James — maybe too much of it. You really do sound like me sometimes."
Bruce Banner chuckled under his breath, while Steve Rogers' brow furrowed — not in disdain, but in mild disapproval.
"You like making an entrance," Steve said evenly. It wasn't a jab, more a statement of fact.
James smirked. "Comes with the job."
Steve crossed his arms, calm but grounded. "Just remember — the team doesn't need theatrics. We need trust."
James's smile faded, his tone cooling. "Trust is earned, Captain. And I've earned the right to stand where I do. Don't mistake confidence for arrogance."
The air shifted — not anger, but conviction clashing with conviction. Their first meeting still carried unspoken friction. James respected the man's integrity, but not his old fashioned restraint. He already knew where Rogers' path of absolute faith would lead — the collapse of S.H.I.E.L.D. in a future that didn't have to happen.
To James, it wasn't naivety so much as a dangerous kind of purity — noble, but blind to the gray that kept the world from burning.
Nick Fury's voice cut through the air, ending the moment. "That's enough. Both of you. We've got bigger problems."
He looked at Bruce. "Glad you came, Doctor."
Banner nodded. "James called me in. And judging by the urgency, it's not a false alarm. What's the current situation?"
Fury pointed toward Coulson, who stepped forward with a datapad. "Global surveillance network's online. Every wireless camera, computer, and cellphone connected to a signal — we're monitoring it. But we still can't locate the target."
Banner's brows furrowed. "Then we can only narrow it down. How many spectrometers do you have access to?"
Fury crossed his arms. "How many do you need?"
"Contact every lab you can reach," Banner said. "Set spectrometers up on the rooftops, and calibrate them to gamma-ray frequencies. I'll configure an algorithm to isolate the source. That should cut the noise to a manageable range. Once we have the spike, I'll need a workspace."
Fury gave a short nod. "Romanoff, escort the doctor and Stark — assist him however you can."
Tony grinned. "No problem. But seriously, Fury… this ship is a beast. You've been hiding a flying fortress under our noses."
Fury only smirked, turning back to the table.
As Tony and Banner left, James noticed something subtle: a small metallic flicker in Stark's palm as he tapped the console.
James's brow twitched. He caught up as they exited the command deck.
"Tony," he said quietly, "what did you just plant on Fury's console?"
Tony flashed a mischievous grin. "You saw that? Relax, it's just a little data bypass. J.A.R.V.I.S. is going to take a peek under the hood — see what secrets your Director's keeping."
James sighed. "You realize Athena's linked to every core system here, right? You'll trigger an alert. Terminate J.A.R.V.I.S.'s infiltration now, before she flags it."
"Come on," Tony said, dismissively. "Athena's just a simplified model of your AI, right? J.A.R.V.I.S. can handle that. I'm not saying your coding's bad — just… in a different league."
James's eyes narrowed. "He can get through, but not quietly. Athena's defense network is designed to trace intrusions in microseconds. Once it pings, every alarm on this ship will scream your name."
Tony smirked, unbothered. "Guess we'll find out, won't we?"
James opened his mouth to argue, but the loudspeaker cut through their conversation.
"Agent Gibson, prepare for immediate deployment. Loki's been sighted. You and Captain Rogers are to retrieve him." They recognized it to be Coulson's voice.
James closed his eyes briefly, suppressing the urge to curse. "Of course," he muttered, now getting busy to continue on warning Stark. "He never listens."
He turned on his heel and headed for the launch deck.
Minutes later, a Quinjet roared to life. James climbed aboard in full Umbra Sentinel armor, the black plating gleaming under dim cabin lights. Captain Rogers stood ready in his newly issued combat uniform, shield fixed to his back.
James actually wanted to try the power of his new Spinning Axes the Nexus Blades, but against the god of trickery, it would just hit nothing with how easy it could be dodged.
The engines built to a deafening pitch as the Quinjet lifted from the deck, cutting through the gray clouds toward the coordinates.
Neither man spoke for most of the flight, until Rogers finally broke the silence. "We'll need a plan before we drop."
James met his gaze through the visor. "Agreed, but I don't think you know much about me to come up with a proper plan, but I know a lot about you. You go confront him first. I'll take care of the rest. No problem?"
Rogers studied him for a moment, then nodded. "No problem. As you said, you know me, and I don't know you. You know what you're doing."
The ramp opened midair. Below, a city square — Loki stood before a terrified crowd, giving one of his theatrical speeches.
Without hesitation, Rogers leapt from the aircraft, shield in hand, landing with precision and challenging the Asgardian directly.
James watched from above, analyzing data streams. The readings confirmed what he suspected: Rogers was already at a disadvantage.
"Captain America," he murmured under his breath, "the only man brave enough to go toe-to-toe with a god, like it's just another mortal man and not a god"
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IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:
Chapters are now longer since im combining 2 chapters in 1, im also cutting update time from 5 chapters a week to 3, since 1 chapter was worth 2 chapters thats 6 chapters a week but longer wait time.
Please don't assume this is just me making an excuse to do less work (～o￣3￣)～.
enjoy your day! I am really not dodging more work.
You:( •_•) | Me:('⌐■-■)