In a convenience store on Leon Boulevard in New York City, four figures in black robes drew curious stares from the citizens. But the four of them were still picking out snacks, completely unaware of the attention.
These four people were Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers, and Scott Lang. It had already been four hours since they traveled back to 2012, and they hadn't eaten much since arriving. Banner, in particular, was starving, and the other three were also feeling hungry.
So Tony told Veronica to keep monitoring the internet for information while he led everyone into the convenience store on Leon Boulevard.
Although what Tony wanted most right now was a hamburger, the four of them were far too eye-catching, and the burger joint was a long walk away. So they settled for some fries instead.
"Hey, Dr. Banner, I've got to say—you were a lot easier on the eyes before. But now that you can't shrink back to normal size, you're basically a humanoid monster."
Tony casually tore open a bag of chips while glancing at the people around them pointing and whispering. Honestly, if it wouldn't risk creating a new branch timeline, Tony seriously wanted to pull off his hood and announce, Hey, I'm billionaire Iron Man Tony Stark.
"Dr. Banner? Dr. Banner?"
Tony's sarcasm made Captain America and Scott Lang frown. They turned toward Banner—now the Hulk—and noticed his eyes were unfocused, as if he was lost in thought.
"Wait, guys, I think I—"
Banner snapped back to reality and started to speak, but before he could finish, Tony suddenly stood up and walked out of the store.
"Guys, Veronica found something interesting—a Quinjet is circling right above us."
Thanks to Veronica, Tony didn't need bulky equipment to gather data. One of the things he had uploaded into her system was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Quinjet flight signatures.
"S.H.I.E.L.D.? If it's really them, why didn't they send someone to pick us up?"
Steve frowned. He knew the Quinjets well, but what confused him was why S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't approached them directly.
"SIR, the Quinjet has not landed. Also, I detected a special encrypted transmission."
Veronica's calm female voice made Tony raise an eyebrow. He lifted his right wrist, and a holographic interface projected out.
"Coordinates? Veronica, calculate the location."
Tony's interest grew. With a wave of his hand, a 3D map appeared in front of the group. A red blinking dot marked the target.
"Well, would you look at that. A burger restaurant. I might finally get my burger."
Tony shrugged with a pleased grin.
"The burger joint is on Viken Avenue. It's not close. And we can't reveal our identities, so we can't take public transportation."
Steve glanced at Banner. With his current size, he'd probably collapse a car before even getting in.
Tony smiled confidently and snapped his fingers. Nanoparticles surged over the four of them, forming gold-and-red Iron Man–style armor.
"You're welcome. The whole world is thanking me. They're all shouting, 'Look! Iron Man Tony Stark has done it again—saved the Avengers, saved Captain America.'"
His shameless bragging made the other three smile helplessly.
"Veronica, activate stealth mode."
At Tony's command, their armor shifted into full invisibility, disappearing from sight. The surrounding customers stared at the empty space in disbelief.
Boom. Boom.
Four sonic booms erupted as they launched skyward, shattering the convenience store's glass.
Tony winced in apology, then instructed Veronica to compensate the store owner with a generous transfer.
"Money powers—Tony Stark's signature move."
Muttering to himself, Tony turned and flew toward the burger restaurant on Viken Avenue.
Click. Click. Click.
The suits dissolved into nano-streams and flowed back into Tony's body. After straightening his clothes, he pushed open the door to the burger shop.
"Hey, don't talk yet. Make me a Big Mac. Thanks."
He walked straight in, not even glancing at the one-eyed man sitting inside.
"All right then—ten Super Burgers for Mr. Tony Stark."
Nick Fury, in his familiar black trench coat, was giving orders to a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.
"Director Fury, since when does S.H.I.E.L.D. sneak around like this?"
Tony took the burger handed to him and walked over, his tone full of mockery.
"And since when do the Avengers need to travel from the future to the past just to fix a crisis?"
Nick Fury shot back, completely unfazed. His words shocked all four of them.
"Director Fury… how do you know we're from the future?"
Steve asked, face serious.
"Captain America. Steve Rogers. Good to see you again."
Nick gave him a complicated look before his expression shifted into something sincere.
"So something happened in the past that we don't know about?" Scott asked blankly. He had never worked with S.H.I.E.L.D. before—by the time he became Ant-Man, S.H.I.E.L.D. had already fallen apart.
"Let's talk about that later. First—how did you get here?"
A siren suddenly beeped from Fury's coat. His face tightened as he abruptly stood up.
"Of course we flew here with the suits. Otherwise our friend Banner would lose his mind trying to walk that far."
Tony took another bite of his burger and answered casually.
"F***… I have to say, gentlemen—Avengers from the future—"
Fury drew two strange, heavy-looking weapons from inside his coat.
"We're in big trouble."
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[Naruto: I Don't Want Recognition]
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