Luca spun around at the sound.
Behind the convenience store counter, two burly, bald Black men leaned out, their faces contorted with malice.
One of them was pointing a pistol of indeterminate make straight at Luca's chest.
"Ahole! What are you looking at! I said get out! Don't draw those monsters over here!!"
The other bald man, holding a dagger, leaned further out and hissed at Luca in a forced whisper, waving his knife for emphasis.
However, seeing how he didn't even dare to raise his voice, his attempt at intimidation fell flat.
It was only then that Luca noticed something else.
Next to the counter, a young woman in a store uniform lay in a pool of blood, stabbed multiple times.
A quick thought was all it took for Luca to piece it together.
Just two pieces of trash too scared to run for their lives, occupying the magpie's nest and waiting to die.
But noticing Luca's gaze, the gunman seemed to gain a bit of confidence, his voice growing louder.
"Get lost! If you don't leave now! This is going to be your..."
But before he could finish his sentence, Luca snapped his gun up.
A pale blue laser beam shot out, slamming squarely into the gunman's chest.
The guy, who had just started feeling tough, was instantly blasted backward, his chest scorched black. He crashed into the clutter behind the counter.
Before the other burly man could process what had happened, a second laser beam followed.
Boom~
The same scene repeated itself. The knife-wielding man was sent flying backward as well.
"Idiot. Didn't you see I have a gun too?"
Looking at the two men on the ground, Luca didn't care if they had a breath left in them. He walked up and put another shot into each of their heads to ensure these morons were thoroughly dead. Only then did he stretch his back, which was still aching from his earlier crash into the shop, and turn to leave.
But as he reached the door, he froze.
Whether it was the explosion upstairs or the commotion from killing the two thugs, several Chitauri soldiers were now slowly closing in on the shop, their beam rifles raised.
And just as Luca spotted them, the aliens spotted him.
No time to think.
Without a word, Luca hooked his right foot around a soda can on the floor and volleyed it into the air.
Simultaneously, he aimed his folding beam rifle and pulled the trigger rapidly.
The spinning soda can and several laser beams shot out in unison.
The soda can hit its mark perfectly, exploding against a Chitauri's head and knocking him out cold.
However, his hasty laser shots were less accurate—only one found its target.
The remaining Chitauri soldiers weren't about to let this enemy go. They raised their guns and aimed as one.
But before Luca could power up his legs to dodge behind cover—
A familiar gold-and-red figure spiraled out of the sky, crashing down hard.
Like a bowling ball, he plowed through four or five Chitauri soldiers—clang, bang, crash—before smashing into the ground.
The first unlucky soldier hit actually exploded on impact, his head rolling right to Luca's feet.
That's three times now... Was Tony this clumsy in the movies?
Watching Tony Stark land in front of him in almost the same pose as before, Luca felt a strange mix of amusement and exasperation.
Soccer Kid?
Struggling to his feet, Stark also noticed Luca inside the store.
But before he could wonder why the kid wasn't hiding at home like a sensible person, more Chitauri soldiers were swarming them.
Clearly, in the eyes of the Chitauri, killing an Avenger was a high-priority objective.
Laser beams peppered Tony's armor, preventing him from regaining his balance.
He could only return fire with weak repulsor blasts, struggling to hold them off.
Wait! Isn't this the scene right before Iron Man flies the nuke into the portal?!
Recognizing the familiarity of the moment, Luca realized he had to help Stark clear these enemies fast.
Otherwise, if Stark powered up and flew off to deal with the nuke, Luca would be left alone to face the Chitauri encirclement—and he definitely couldn't handle that many on his own.
The thought flashed through his mind, and Luca raised his gun.
With a few rapid bursts, he dropped two Chitauri attacking Tony.
However, this action obviously enraged the enemies who had been ignoring him.
Several Chitauri immediately turned their guns toward Luca.
Anticipating this, Luca dodged away from his spot just in time.
Meanwhile, in the middle of the street, Tony seized the moment of respite to blast three more Chitauri.
But as Luca scrambled up from a combat roll, ready to return fire...
He saw two alien rifles already aimed at him.
Bad news!
"Kid! Move!"
Stark lunged forward, tackling one Chitauri soldier while blasting another away with a repulsor beam from his right hand.
But the second attack was half a beat too slow.
The Chitauri he blasted back had already pulled the trigger.
A pale blue laser beam shot toward Luca instantly.
Damn it...
Even though Luca had started evasive maneuvers the moment he realized he was targeted, crouching after a roll meant he couldn't fully utilize the power boost from his [Kick-Enhancement Shoes]. His dodge wasn't nearly fast enough.
All he could do was try to move while throwing his arms up to protect his vitals.
Bang~
An explosion rang out.
Sparks erupted from Luca's arm, and he was flung backward, slamming heavily into a car behind him.
The massive impact sent a jolt of agonizing pain through his back. His vision went black for a second, nearly causing him to pass out.
The explosion and the dull thud of the impact filled his ears with a high-pitched ringing.
The thick taste of rust filled his mouth as blood trickled from his lips.
He slid slowly down the dented car door.
Fortunately, his right leg, still under "Level 1" electrical stimulation, held strong, keeping him from collapsing completely.
This body... really needs to work out more!
Luca opened his blurry eyes.
He "raised" his arm to look at his ruined prosthetic right arm, then suddenly grinned through bloodstained teeth, revealing a somewhat creepy smile.
"Hahaha, good thing I'm right-handed!"