"Karl, it looks like you need to go see Captain America."
Many things happened fueled by blind confidence.
From their perspective, Steve had taken Thor and the others simply to destroy Ultron's body. No matter how bad things got, he had let the others go.
Expectations often arise unintentionally.
Salva Giant Dock, Africa.
After five or six hours of flight, the Avengers arrived at Ultron's location.
What was expected to be an easy victory turned into a fierce, evenly matched battle.
Wanda used her powers to control all the Avengers, leaving only Barton unharmed—but even he was eventually defeated by Quicksilver.
In a panic, Barton contacted Tony at Avengers Headquarters.
Tony checked the surveillance footage and realized that the Hulk was already at work with the demolition team.
By the time he arrived, it was too late. The only people who could reach the site quickly were Di Wu and Karl.
But in Tony's eyes, Karl would never let Di Wan go there.
Tony frowned."Otherwise, I'd not only have to pay a fortune for the building but also cover all the injured's medical bills."
Karl nodded."Watch over the food for me. Don't let anyone steal it—I'll be back shortly."
Tony looked at the steaks on the table and spread his hands."Don't worry, but can I have a piece?"
Karl simply stared at him—just stared…
"Alright, alright, I won't touch them," Tony surrendered, raising his hands in defeat.
Karl gave Tony a serious look before flying out the window, disappearing in a flash of sound.
Tony glanced at the steaks, swallowed, and muttered,"A bite shouldn't hurt… I'll have Happy get another one later…"
Karl traversed the flow of time and vanished from New York… the team had already reached Africa.
Below, the Hulk was smashing objects, about to flip a car with a family of three inside.
"Raaah~!"
Roaring, ready to unleash his strength.
"Boom!!"
Next to the car was a massive crater…
The Hulk lay unconscious at the bottom.
Karl hovered above the crater.
"It's Superman!"
"Thank you for saving us, Superman!"
"Thanks, Superman!"
The surrounding crowd cheered, but Karl just smiled and nodded. Then he turned his attention to the Hulk, who transformed back into Banner, disappearing instantly from the street, reappearing aboard the Avengers' jet.
After securing Banner, Karl located the remaining Avengers, dodged around them, and ushered them onto the jet.
"Barton, fly them back—I'll go ahead."
Before Barton could respond, Karl disappeared again.
Barton rubbed his injured abdomen, staring at where Karl had been."Incredible speed… I don't know what could move that fast…"
Meanwhile, in New York, Tony opened the box and took out a steak.
He was starving; he hadn't eaten in hours. Seeing the thick, juicy steak, his mouth watered uncontrollably.
He lifted the steak to take a bite… only to find it had vanished.
In the blink of an eye, Karl had retrieved the steak he'd just returned to the box.
"I just wanted you to taste it. I've been in New York too long—I can recommend a great steakhouse; their steaks are amazing…"
He ignored Tony and headed to the elevator with the steak.
As the doors began to close, Karl said,"You nearly starved my girlfriend."
Tony spread his hands."I thought it was yours—I wouldn't take a lady's food! You never told me…"
The elevator doors shut. Tony stared at them, muttering,"Damn… that speed… I almost got eaten."
He pulled out his phone."Happy, get me a steak—you know which place."
Briefly saying this, he hung up, muttering to himself.
That night, the Avengers who had gone on the mission returned.
Everyone was injured; Banner had the worst injuries and hadn't yet awakened.
"Looks like my boy has quite the strength," Tony said, helping Steve tease Ultron. Indeed, Ultron could be called Tony's "son"—in every sense, he was Tony's creation.
Steve was exhausted. He gritted his teeth and took a deep breath."All this… it's your fault… if not for you, none of this would've happened…"
He accidentally touched his own injury while speaking.
"First, get them treated… this is really…"
Hill arrived. She had been handling other tasks but had rushed over after Barton's call a few hours prior.
Thor wasn't injured, though his mental state was strained. Only Banner couldn't come along.
Barton and Thor carried Banner into the medical room.
"You better hide for now. The news is reporting on Banner, the town suffered casualties and economic losses. Even if the authorities haven't issued orders, it's best if you stay out of sight."
Hill placed a hand on his shoulder, scanning the Avengers present. Karl and Di Wu stood to the side.
This matter didn't concern them—the only ones hiding were the Avengers.
Barton spoke,"I still have other places to go…"
Seeing everyone watching him, he continued,"Let's wait until Banner wakes up."
Tony could have solved this without hiding, but the Avengers were a collective. Over the years, they often acted together, tackling arms dealers and relatively powerful forces. Tony couldn't escape that responsibility, largely due to his own actions.
"What about your friend with the mechanical arm?" Di Wan suddenly asked, thinking of Bucky.
"I don't know. He left the last time he woke up. He's been through too much," Steve said, leaning back in his chair, pitying Bucky.
"Are you not worried he'll hurt others again?"
To Di Wan, Bucky was a lunatic. Letting him roam the streets, firing recklessly—how could they simply let him go?
Steve looked concerned."That was all Hydra's control. Bucky's fine—he would never intentionally hurt anyone."
Di Wu said nothing—she had no comment on the matter.
Afterward, everyone returned to their rooms to rest. They would leave Stark Manor the next day.
In a few days, official personnel would come for inspection, but they could avoid being found.
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