The quinjet's hatch closed, and the roar of its massive engines filled the air.
Inside the cabin, the atmosphere was so heavy it felt like it could be wrung out.
Tony Stark sat in his seat, a dark expression on his face, his fingers tapping irritably on the armrest.
Steve Rogers held his shield, his eyes closed, but his brow remained furrowed.
Clint and Natasha, in their respective seats, methodically checked their weapons and gear, their movements practiced, their gazes focused.
In the entire space, only one person was an exception.
Tel-Rol, like a husky just released from its cage, was full of curiosity about everything in the quinjet.
He first ran to the cockpit door, pointing and gesturing at the dense array of buttons and screens.
"Hey, Tin Man, how fast can this thing go? Can it smash a planet?"
Tony didn't even lift an eyelid.
"Get lost."
Tel-Rol pouted, then sidled over to Clint's quiver, reaching out to touch it.
"This thing of yours doesn't look like much, can it shoot through the Tin Man's armor?"
Clint raised his hand, deftly avoiding his paw, not even bothering to give him a glance.
Tel-Rol, having been rebuffed, was not discouraged; he turned his attention to the last person.
He plopped down in the empty seat opposite Natasha, his legs spread wide, elbows on his knees, leaning forward, watching her with great interest.
Natasha was replacing the power cells in her "Widow's Sting" gauntlets; her fingers were slender and strong, her movements fluid.
Tel-Rol just stared intently.
His gaze slid from her focused profile, down to the slight rise and fall of her chest beneath her combat suit, then to her taut waistline.
"Hey..."
Natasha's movements didn't stop.
"Natasha..."
Natasha clicked the power cell into place.
"You..."
"Grrrrrrrr—"
A thunderous rumble interrupted Tel-Rol's impending suggestive remark.
He clutched his stomach, his expression instantly falling, the flirtatious demeanor from moments ago completely gone.
"Tin Man!"
He whipped his head around, shouting in Tony's direction.
"I'm starving to death! Where's the nutritious meal you promised! If you don't feed me, I'm going to eat you!"
Tony finally opened his eyes; he pointed to a storage locker at the rear of the cabin.
"Over there, help yourself, and shut up when you're done eating."
Tel-Rol's eyes lit up; he rushed over in a few strides and pulled open the locker door.
Inside, dozens of silver sealed pouches were neatly stacked.
He took one out, tore open a small corner, and an indescribable smell, a mix of oats, protein powder, and some chemical additive, wafted out.
He sniffed at the opening of the pouch, his brows furrowing into a frown.
"What is this stuff?"
He tentatively squeezed a bit of the gray paste into his mouth.
The next second, his expression froze.
"Pah! Pah, pah, pah!"
He spat out everything in his mouth, his face a picture of utter despair.
"Tony Stark! You want to poison me to inherit my... no, you want to poison me so you don't have to pay me back, don't you?!"
"Is this something a person eats?!"
He held up the nutrition pouch, accusing him indignantly.
"I'm telling you, I'm not eating this snot-like stuff!"
Tony finally couldn't take it anymore; he stood up from his seat and walked over to Tel-Rol.
"This is a high-energy nutritional meal; one pouch provides all the energy a soldier needs for twenty-four hours."
"This is science! It's efficiency! It's not a five-star feast for your enjoyment!"
Tel-Rol threw the nutrition pouch back into the locker with a look of disgust.
"I don't care, I want to eat meat! Steak! Roast chicken! Without these, I won't have the strength to fight."
"Don't expect me to go help you beat up that Ultron fellow on an empty stomach."
Tony felt his blood pressure rising again.
"You..."
"Alright."
Steve spoke up, stopping both of them.
He walked over, first looking at Tony, then his gaze fell on Tel-Rol.
"Tel-Rol, this is an emergency. We don't have time to prepare a big meal. Make do for now, and after the mission, you can eat whatever you want."
His tone was steady, carrying a persuasive power that was hard to refuse.
Tel-Rol looked at Steve's serious face and finally compromised.
"Alright, Old Man, for your sake."
He walked back to his seat, coincidentally sitting across from Natasha again.
But because he was too hungry, he could only force down those mushy energy bars; it was the most uncomfortable meal he had ever eaten.
The flight was monotonous.
Steve began to use this time to brief everyone on the mission.
A holographic projection unfolded in the center of the cabin, displaying a map of Seoul and Dr. Helen Cho's information.
"Our primary objective is to protect Dr. Cho, and secondarily, to prevent Ultron from acquiring a new body using the cradle."
Steve's voice echoed in the cabin.
"Ultron is in the network; we can't completely eliminate him, but we absolutely cannot let him get that vibranium body."
"Otherwise, the consequences will be unimaginable."
Clint wiped his arrowheads, asking without looking up.
"How many troops did he bring?"
"According to f.r.i.d.a.y.'s report, he's taken control of some military drones, and he also has some robots he modified himself," Tony interjected. "There are quite a few, but they should all be cannon fodder."
"The key is Ultron himself," Steve emphasized. "If he successfully transfers into a new body, his combat power will be devastating."
Tel-Rol was listening, drowsy.
He yawned, once again turning his gaze to Natasha across from him.
Natasha had finished checking her gear and was leaning back in her seat, eyes closed, resting.
Her breathing was steady, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow beneath her eyes, and that face, usually marked by vigilance and aloofness, now held a rare tranquility.
It had to be said, this woman was quite beautiful when she was quiet.
Her black, form-fitting combat suit perfectly accentuated every curve of her body.
Tel-Rol's gaze uncontrollably traveled from her slender neck, all the way down.
He suddenly sat up straight again and leaned closer.
"Hey."
Natasha's eyes snapped open, the tranquility gone, replaced by an alert wariness.
"I've noticed a problem with you," Tel-Rol said, deadpan.
Natasha didn't speak, just looked at him, her eyes as if she were looking at an idiot.
"When you fight, you rely too much on leverage and tools."
Tel-Rol began to analyze, unprompted.
"Your body is very flexible, but your core strength is insufficient. Especially your legs, they're so long, yet your explosive power is quite average."
As he spoke, he stretched out his hand, seemingly intending to gesture in the air.
"Look, when you kick, the power is transmitted from your waist, but it loses half its force by the time it reaches your thigh, and by your calf, there's hardly any left. You should..."
His hand got closer and closer.
Natasha finally spoke, her voice soft, and very cold.
"Your hand, if it moves one more centimeter."
She slowly raised her own hand, displaying the black Widow's Sting bracelet on her wrist.
"I will activate its highest power and then personally shove it into your crotch."
"I'm very curious to experiment and see if a Kryptonian's balls are also invincible."
"..."
Tel-Rol's hand froze in mid-air.
He slowly withdrew his hand, raising both hands in a gesture of surrender.
"Just kidding, trying to lighten the mood."
He chuckled dryly, sat back in his seat, and muttered under his breath.
"So fierce, no wonder she can't find a boyfriend."
His voice was low, but in the quiet cabin, everyone heard it clearly.
Clint's shoulders shook as he desperately tried to suppress his laughter, his face turning red.
Tony wore an expression of "you're dead," even tinged with a bit of schadenfreude.
Steve held his forehead; he now seriously doubted whether bringing this guy along was the right decision after all.
Just then, the screen at the front of the cabin lit up.
"Sir, we are about to arrive over Seoul."
f.r.i.d.a.y.'s voice rang out.
On the screen, a real-time view of downtown Seoul appeared.
On the roads, countless cars were crashed together, burning fiercely.
Panicked crowds fled in all directions.
In the sky, a group of grotesque robot soldiers were wantonly sweeping the ground with lasers.
The entire city was in chaos.
Everyone in the cabin stood up, their expressions grave.
Except for Tel-Rol.
He pressed his face against the porthole, his eyes wide and gleaming with excitement.
"Woah! Is it this lively?"
"So many targets! This is much more fun than fighting that green fat guy!"
Steve issued the final command.
"Prepare for aerial deployment! Remember, civilians first!"
"Understood."
"Understood."
Everyone responded in unison.
"Wait, sir."
f.r.i.d.a.y.'s voice suddenly rang out again.
"I detect an anomalous energy source at Dr. Cho's laboratory location."
Tony immediately pressed for more information.
"Is it Ultron?"
"No, sir," f.r.i.d.a.y. replied. "This energy signature is biological, and... its movement speed is unusually fast."
"It just arrived and is currently engaging Ultron's robot forces."
Everyone in the cabin was stunned.
Engaging Ultron?
An ally?
Or... something else?
Tony stared intently at the data on the screen.
"Who exactly is it?"