Afterparty Breach
The journalist who had earlier thrown those annoying words at the heroes walked into a nearby alley. He looked both ways, making sure no one was following him, then pulled out his phone to write a message.
["I managed to get close to Tony Stark and that guy Nicholas, but I wasn't as lucky with Owen Colt. Were you able to get in?"]
The reply came almost immediately.
["Tony Stark's security is impressive—he blocked me instantly. Same with the other one. But don't worry; his companions don't have the same level of protection on their phones. Just in case, try getting close to other members of VITAE. The more devices we track, the better our chances."]
Reading those words, the journalist allowed himself a dark smile. He lifted his gaze toward the far end of the alley, where a door guarded by two men marked the club's back entrance.
…
Meanwhile, inside the bar, the music pounded with force. Colored lights crossed through the room amid laughter, clinking glasses, and dancing steps. It was a loud and lively celebration.
Members of VITAE, the Avengers, and even a few X-Men were scattered throughout the place. There were several reasons—or rather, excuses—for the party, but the main one was the final destruction of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the purge of Hydra within its ranks, a battle in which all of them had taken part.
Even Thor had come all the way from Asgard to join the festivities. Though he hadn't joined the fight until the very end, his love for alcohol had made him the first to arrive.
Beside him sat Bruce Banner, visibly uncomfortable amid all the noise.
"Hey, if you're not enjoying yourself, why don't you let the big green guy out?" Thor joked, flashing his trademark grin.
"Ha. You really think this would be a good place for Hulk to have fun?" Banner replied dryly. It wasn't that Hulk lost control without reason, but just imagining him "dancing" among tables and glasses was enough to know how it would end.
"Ha! Hel would be full of wails if that happened," Thor laughed heartily. But when he noticed Banner's serious stare—as if to say "Really?"—he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Though, well, not the wails of the dead… perhaps just the wounded. Wails of pain."
"Better if he stays put then," Banner said, shaking his head.
"Doctor Banner, it's a pleasure to see you again," a female voice called out through the music.
Banner turned, and a woman with delicate Asian features approached, wearing a light green dress and an elegant updo. Her smile was warm and graceful.
"Doctor Cho," Banner said, standing up immediately. "It's good to see you again. I thought your flight was scheduled for tomorrow."
"Yes, but Mr. Stark told me about the party and sent a jet for me. I couldn't miss it," she said with a soft smile, glancing sideways at Thor, who was already looking at her with growing interest.
Banner noticed the exchange and, anticipating what would follow, tried to step in quickly.
"Ah, right, Doctor Cho. This is—"
Before he could finish, Thor was already on his feet, smiling charmingly.
"Thor, son of Odin, prince and heir to the throne of Asgard," he said proudly, his deep voice full of confidence.
Helen's eyes seemed to sparkle faintly, clearly intrigued. For a moment, she appeared almost speechless.
Banner, feeling like the obvious third wheel—though he'd been the one talking with Thor moments earlier—sighed inwardly.
"Sorry, I think Owen's calling me. You two go ahead," he said quickly before slipping away into the crowd.
…
Meanwhile, Tony was entertaining a small group, making them laugh when his phone buzzed with an incoming call.
"Jarvis, what's up?" he asked as he brought the phone to his ear.
"Mr. Stark, someone has attempted to hack into your phone, as well as Mr. Hawthorne's. According to the encryption and protection protocols for VITAE members, the defense system has been activated across all linked devices," Jarvis reported in his perfectly composed tone.
"How many times has this happened this week? Ten? Twenty?" Tony asked, sounding only mildly interested.
"One hundred thirty-two times, sir."
"Wow… someone's got too much free time," Tony muttered with dry humor. "You still haven't tracked them?"
"No, sir. They are quite elusive. However, I have deployed the strongest countermeasures in case they attempt to access your device physically," Jarvis replied.
"Here? In the middle of all the heroes who've saved the world multiple times? I doubt anyone would dare steal anything," Tony said casually. "Still, update the security on everyone else's devices—the ones I didn't personally design."
"Understood, Mr. Stark," Jarvis replied before the line disconnected.
…
"Fun, isn't it? It's been a while since I've felt this relaxed in our own universe," Owen said, taking a sip from his glass while Wanda, seated beside him, watched him with a serious expression.
"Don't start," she warned in a calm but firm tone.
"What? I just said it's nice not to have much to do," Owen replied defensively, flashing a faint grin.
"The last time you said that, you ended up fighting Superman," Wanda said, narrowing her eyes.
"Hey, I was enjoying my vacation. You have no idea how exhausting it is to live constantly wondering what new crisis will hit us every time I take a step," he said, downing his drink in one go.
"I do know. That's why you stopped Tony from creating that artificial intelligence to control the Iron Legion and build a shield to 'protect' the world. You even threatened to take Hulk and his favorite mansion to play soccer," Wanda said, smiling faintly.
"It's better if they behave for a while. We don't need another stupid fight over who's right after they break half the planet," Owen said, swirling the olives in his glass.
"Mind if I join you two? I needed an excuse to get away from those two," said Banner as he approached, glancing toward Thor and Doctor Cho, who were laughing together, completely absorbed in conversation.
Owen looked for a moment toward where Thor and Helen were standing, and a thought crossed his mind with growing curiosity. He remembered something he had overlooked until that very instant. Thor didn't know Jane Foster.
Now that he thought about it, something had happened to the files and records related to her—something that had prevented that encounter from ever taking place.
He raised a hand to his head, thoughtful.
"Wait... then what happened to the Aether?" he murmured with slight concern.
"Aether?" Banner repeated, having overheard him. "Oh, you heard Thor's story? It's good they managed to stop that dark elf or whatever he was. Though apparently Loki gave his life to help. I don't know how to feel about that."
Owen turned toward him with a serious expression.
"Explain that to me in detail," he said, in such a firm tone that Banner didn't doubt he meant it.
…
A couple of hours later, the music had gone silent. The party was winding down, with everyone heading back to their homes or bases. Still, some heroes seemed to have other plans.
In particular, Nicholas—who, by the end of the night, had taken two of his companions with him to show them the VITAE base.
"And this, as you can see, is my room. Pretty great, right? Although I don't usually use it; I've got plenty of other places to stay," he said with a smug grin as he walked ahead of them.
"You can plug your phones in there, use the dressing rooms at the back... and, well, warm up a bit under the sheets," he added playfully, his tone dripping with mischief as he looked them over.
The two women laughed, moving closer with a flirty attitude.
But before he could say or do anything else, a loud noise echoed from the main hall.
Nicholas flinched for a second, then raised a hand for them to stop.
"Wait here. Don't come out," he said before hurrying out of the room.
When he reached the living area, a dozen pairs of eyes turned toward him at once.
Everyone was there—not just his VITAE teammates, but the Avengers as well. Natasha, Barton, Steve, Thor, Owen, Tony, Pepper, Banner, Maria Hill, Doctor Cho, Wanda, Pietro, Rhodey, and Sam; all gathered on the sofas with glasses in hand, continuing the celebration as if the bar had just been the warm-up.
"What are you all doing here?" Nicholas asked, trying to stay calm as if nothing were happening.
"What are you talking about? We told you we'd be coming here afterward," Owen replied coolly, his gaze steady.
"Oh, right, right, sorry. I was kind of half-asleep—I went to rest for a bit," Nicholas said, forcing a laugh.
"Strange. That early, my friend?" Tony said teasingly, though he immediately stopped when he felt Pepper's sharp gaze on him. He cleared his throat and added with a sly grin, "Ex-party buddy. I'm sure he went to sleep... with company."
Nicholas's eyes widened.
"Ha, ha! It's just that they had things to do, so I sent them home," he blurted out nervously, laughing awkwardly.
But everyone kept staring at him—especially the women.
"Nicholas," Owen said evenly, his voice firm without rising. "Send them home."
Nicholas met his eyes for a moment, then sighed in frustration.
"What's the point of being in an elite group if I can't enjoy it a little?" he muttered irritably before turning and heading back to his room.
From the sofa, Tony discreetly gave him a thumbs-up, earning several disapproving looks from the women present.
Nicholas entered his room wearing a long, defeated expression. The two girls were lying on his bed waiting for him, which only made him feel more miserable.
"Sorry, ladies, but you have to leave. We've got a very important team meeting right now. Probably have to save the world from some intergalactic king or something," he said quickly, trying to sound serious as he approached the nightstand to gather their things.
He grabbed the phone still plugged into the charger and handed it to one of them, then picked up a bag and gave it to the other.
"Don't worry, we'll have another chance... next time when no one's around. I'll send a driver for you," he added hastily, ushering them toward the door almost by force.
Both looked disappointed, but when they passed through the living room and saw all those famous figures—the most powerful heroes on the planet—their faces lit up with awe and excitement. Still, Nicholas pushed them out discreetly before they could say anything.
He shut the door behind them with a sigh, only to find Owen staring directly at him.
"I did it, okay? Stop looking at me like you're my father," Nicholas said irritably, moving to sit beside Pietro, who was smirking at him.
"Do you even know what this place is? We keep dangerous stuff here, and you're treating it like a cheap hotel," Owen said firmly. "Tony, revoke all his access to the lower floors, just in case."
"Okay," Tony said with a grin as he tapped at his holographic display.
The others looked at Nicholas with weary expressions. It wasn't the first time something like this had happened. It wasn't as if he lacked money or charm to impress women, but he seemed to enjoy using the VITAE name a little too much. The general had already punished him for it before, warning that bringing civilians into the facility was dangerous.
But this time, his carelessness would have consequences.
In the now-empty room, one of the women had forgotten her phone still plugged into the charger. The screen lit up by itself, showing a progress bar that slowly began to fill.
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