Liam had returned to New York along with Tony and his team which basically was Pepper, Happy and Yinsen. The Stark Tower was finally built and ready to provide clean energy to the city. And the great thing about this new technology was they didn't need to replace the old distribution and just needed to have a different source of energy.
Though Marvel didn't have any hands in this new project, because of Marvel's shares on Stark Industries, Marvel just got richer. Also Marvel had also received many orders on the shield technology and had started the production. Pepper was mostly responsible for this and had been spear heading.
Since Liam was back at home, his mother was very happy since he was in New York and could still do his internship or whatever it was. His parents were very proud of him, not knowing that their son had literally fought aliens a few days ago. SHIELD was able to keep it under wraps since they had evacuated the town before on the false news of gas leak.
So it was a win win situation for everyone.
-----
Few days later.
"The things you ordered are ready." Tony messaged Liam who was in his blacksmith warehouse hammering away.
"I will be there." Liam replied. It was early morning so Liam just drove towards the Stark Tower. As Liam pulled up near Stark Tower, the sleek, newly constructed skyscraper gleamed under the morning sun.
Liam parked his car and made his way inside, where Happy gave him a nod before letting him through.
Taking the elevator up, Liam stepped into the familiar workshop where Tony was already tinkering with something on his workbench. Yinsen stood nearby, reading data off a tablet, while Pepper was on a call, most likely handling business for both Stark Industries and Marvel.
"Ah, the man of mystery arrives. I was starting to think you'd gone all medieval on me, making swords and armor instead of showing up for your tech." Tony said.
"Hey, sometimes old-school craftsmanship beats your fancy gadgets."
"These are your little toys," Tony said, gesturing at them.
"Did you go through the blueprint?" Liam asked.
"Yeah. I have made specific items to block any kind of signal both wired and wireless."
"Then call Natasha." Liam said. "Off the grid. Not even SHIELD can know."
A moment later, Natasha's face appeared on the screen.
"Liam," she greeted. "This is unexpected."
"Yeah," Liam said. "But necessary. I need you, Barton, and Fury to meet me. Camp Lehigh. 10 pm sharp. And I need you to get there without anyone knowing. No SHIELD, no spouses. No one."
"That's a tall order."
"I know," Liam said. "But trust me—it's important."
"Alright. I'll let Barton know. Fury might be harder to convince."
"I know you will be able to convince him." Liam said.
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Nightfall – Camp Lehigh
The abandoned military base was shrouded in darkness, the only sounds coming from the rustling trees and the occasional distant cry of wildlife. The night sky stretched wide above them, clear and cold. Liam stood near an old watchtower.
One by one, they arrived. Natasha and Barton were the first to slip in, moving like ghosts through the ruins. They barely made a sound as they stepped into the designated meeting spot.
"Not bad," Liam muttered as they approached.
"Secrecy is kind of our thing," Natasha said
"Still feels weird sneaking away from SHIELD like this." Barton said
A few minutes later, a sleek black SUV rolled in with its lights off. It came to a stop a short distance away, and Nick Fury stepped out, his long coat flowing as he scanned the perimeter.
"If I get killed because of this stunt, I'm haunting you," he told Liam.
"Duly noted," Liam replied dryly. Liam didn't come alone though. Tony had also arrived though he took a different route, thanks to the paranoia of Liam.
"Not gonna lie, sneaking around in secret meetings makes me feel like I should be wearing a trench coat." Tony said as he emerged from the side of Liam.
"Please don't," Barton deadpanned.
A moment later, another vehicle approached - a very old Chevrolet. The doors opened, and out stepped someone no one expected.
Steve Rogers.
After the war against the Frost Giants, Fury had declared that Steve Rogers had been found and he was alive and well, and supposedly joining their team. This didn't exactly surprise Liam as he was supposed to be found, but it did shake the other team members as they never expected and old man to come back to life.
"You've got to be kidding me." Barton blinked.
"Well, this is a plot twist." Tony said.
"Fury, this little sneak move of yours might backfire." Liam said as he already guessed why Fury called Steve. Fury was also a paranoid man, and so he brought Steve Rogers as an extra security against an ambush. Though Liam hadn't said anything, Fury took precautions.
"You got a problem with Rogers being here?" Fury raised a brow.
"Not a problem. Just saying you might have just tipped your hand a little too soon."
Fury frowned at that, clearly not liking the idea that he might have miscalculated something. But before he could push the issue further, Tony stepped up, eyeing Steve with curiosity.
"So, you're the famous Capsicle," Tony said, smirking. "How's it feel waking up in the 21st century?"
"A bit overwhelming. Especially when I am back at the same place where I was trained." Steve said as he looked at the abandoned military base, which had nothing but thick bushes and uncountable insects.
By this time Tony had already done his magic and had isolated the place from the outside world. They looked at Liam for further instructions and though Rogers had read the reports on Liam after he was awake and found it unbelievable, only believing after he had seen the footage, he was not happy with the fact that a young kid, who was supposed to enjoy his childhood was carrying so much of a burden.
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