Deep in the quiet night, the Avengers facility by a New York reservoir was anything but peaceful.
Steve and Bucky walked through the brightly lit corridor, neither of them calm.
After a full month of preparation, tonight was the night they would act. The plan had been decided long ago.
Today was a scheduled duty day.
The Avengers had work every day. Coordination with SWORD was only part of it.
Now, the Avengers were tied directly to SWORD. Their responsibilities went beyond unpredictable civilian threats. They also handled aliens entering Earth through the cosmic passages Noah had opened.
That project was one of the core reasons SWORD existed.
Besides HYDRA destroying SHIELD, the biggest reason for SWORD's creation was those aliens.
It had to be said-while these aliens were not especially aggressive, that didn't mean they weren't dangerous.
Their technological level far exceeded anything Earth currently possessed.
Even though they disguised themselves after arriving, some were still exposed or clashed with Earthlings.
When that happened, the Avengers had to step in. Resolve the situation. Manage the memories of civilians who encountered them.
Honestly, even the Avengers didn't understand why it had to be this complicated.
But it was the result of high-level discussions.
The general consensus was simple. The public hadn't recovered from the shadow of the 2012 incident. This still had to remain secret.
The Avengers had no comment. Their job was to follow orders.
Today's patrol consisted of the newly joined Avenger, Ant-Man Scott Lang, paired with Hawkeye Barton.
The Avengers roster wasn't large.
Besides Tony and Rhodey, there were Steve, Bucky, Natasha, Barton, Dr. Banner, and Scott.
Tony wasn't at the facility tonight, but Rhodey had returned.
Strictly speaking, neither of them posed a problem for Steve and Bucky.
Even if Rhodey didn't know Tony's plan, once Tony spoke, Rhodey wouldn't question it.
Dr. Banner was nowhere to be found. He never disclosed his location and wouldn't return unless necessary.
That left only Natasha and the stationed soldiers.
The difficulty was reduced significantly.
Even so, neither of them relaxed.
They both knew how dangerous this was.
"Each camera shifts every ten seconds," Steve said quietly while observing the surveillance layout. "Overlap window is one second."
As an Avenger, he knew the camera positions by heart.
If Tony had helped, this would've been easy.
But Steve knew better.
This mission came from Tony. Help was never on the table.
Steve sighed inwardly and continued moving through blind spots.
Soon, they reached Scott's office.
Or rather, Hank Pym's office.
Scott mostly stared into space or ran errands. The actual research was done by Hank Pym.
Steve had prepared for this.
Before acting, he'd investigated thoroughly-right down to knowing Hank Pym had ordered several items.
Dangerous radioactive materials.
Information courtesy of Scott's big mouth.
Steve pulled out an unfamiliar phone and dialed the number inside the office.
The call connected quickly.
Steve lowered his voice. "Hello, may I speak to Dr. Scott Lang?"
This was Scott Lang's office. Steve was certain.
Very few people knew the truth. Aside from the Avengers, the stationed soldiers had no idea.
"Scott Lang is a doctor now?" Hank Pym's disdain came through clearly. "I'm Hank Pym. Dr. Lang is on duty today. Say what you need."
"Understood, Dr. Pym. I'm Captain Steve Carter, Second Squadron, Transportation Brigade."
Steve's voice was steady. Just anxious enough.
"We've delivered the items Dr. Lang ordered."
"Then bring them down."
"I'm afraid we can't do that."
Hank frowned at the data on his screen.
Can't do that?
His irritation rose. He was busy. This was pointless trouble.
"I don't understand. Isn't that your job?"
"Doctor... the box is glowing. And our transporter isn't feeling very well."
Steve was prepared.
As expected, Hank's expression changed instantly.
"Don't tell me you opened the box."
"I'm sorry. I think we did."
Steve hung up.
More accurately, Hank did.
Moments later, the office door burst open.
Hank Pym rushed out, moving with agility that didn't fit his age.
"Thirty seconds to find the Pym Particles," Steve said quietly, watching him leave. "Five minutes to get back."
"No. Six."
Bucky shook his head.
"I placed something near the power source. Power should go out soon. That gives us an extra minute."
"Let's move."
-
As Steve and Bucky began their operation, Strange was starting his day at the London Sanctum.
A full month of study had reshaped his worldview.
His knowledge reserves were still lacking, but overall, he wasn't worse than a first or second-year Hogwarts student.
That was knowledge alone.
He still couldn't cast a single spell.
It frustrated him deeply.
Half a month ago, Noah finally taught him meditation.
Strange learned it in two days.
Now he had magic.
But that didn't make him happy.
Having magic meant nothing if he couldn't use it.
Without spells, he couldn't become a sorcerer.
He couldn't heal his hands.
Sighing, Strange got out of bed and tidied himself.
Then he headed toward the library.
There was too much to learn. More than he ever imagined.
"Is he planning to make me a real sorcerer?" Strange thought as he walked.
He didn't understand Noah's intentions.
He was just a doctor. His hands destroyed in a car accident. A man dragged into despair.
He didn't know why someone like Noah would notice him.
Yet everything pointed to one thing.
Noah intended to train him completely.
Strange shook his head and stopped thinking about it.
Right now, studying was all that mattered.
As he approached the library, he noticed someone inside.
Wang.
The guardian's assistant was organizing books.
By hand.
No magic.
One book at a time.
Strange stopped, surprised.
It was the first time he'd seen a sorcerer do this manually.
"Surprising, isn't it?"
Wang didn't look at him.
He already knew what Strange was thinking.
"Every book here has value. These books have lives of their own. Respecting them is what a sorcerer should do."
"Is that so?"
Strange didn't know how to respond.
He nodded seriously.
"Understood, Mr. Wang."
Even if he didn't fully understand, he accepted it.
And he felt Wang was right.
Books held immense value.
Ordinary or magical.
They were companions. Teachers.
Everyone could find something within them.
"Here. This is for you."
Wang picked up a book and handed it over.
"Elementary Spells: Elemental Magic. Annotated by Noah. Useful for beginners."
"Spells?"
Strange froze.
Then his face lit up.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Wang."
"Don't thank me. You earned it. Also, after breakfast, Noah will take you somewhere."
"Somewhere? Where?"
"Somewhere interesting."
Wang paused.
"Before that, change your accent. He asked me to tell you that from now on, you must use a British accent."
"Otherwise, he'll get angry."
"..."
Find Advance chapters
And for More Fan fiction
👇
👇
[Support link: pat reon.com/RioRaRyu]
------------
More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 250 power stones = Bonus Chapter
Give me more Power Stones
------------