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Finding Tony Stark wasn't difficult.
Just like Batman, Bruce Wayne, could usually be found at Wayne Manor or Wayne Enterprises, Iron Man was most likely either at his mansion or Stark Tower.
Roger only needed to locate Stark Tower to find Iron Man and, by extension, the Avengers.
The distance from the retirement home to Stark Tower wasn't too far, and after flying through the air for less than a minute, Roger arrived near Stark Tower.
However, the scene he encountered there made him question if he had stumbled onto the wrong movie set.
Most of the buildings surrounding Stark Tower had turned into ruins.
Bruce Banner, transformed into the Hulk, was rampaging through the debris, smashing anything in his path.
Iron Man was darting between the wreckage, desperately trying to stop Banner and prevent him from causing further destruction to the city.
Several police officers nearby were evacuating civilians and pointing their weapons at the raging Hulk in the city's center. However, they hadn't fired, not just because Iron Man was within their line of sight, but also because their weapons probably wouldn't affect the Hulk, and might even draw his attention, further complicating things for Iron Man.
The area around Stark Tower was chaos. Yet, aside from Iron Man and the Hulk, Roger didn't see any other Avengers there to handle the situation.
"What on earth happened..."
Staring at this scene, one that had never occurred in the original story, Roger was utterly puzzled.
The world's events were supposed to be following the usual trajectory, so why would there be a fight between Iron Man and the Hulk now?
And considering the current Tony, it seemed he hadn't even finished the Hulkbuster armor yet. They really shouldn't be fighting.
"Never mind, let's save people first."
Ignoring the reason behind the Hulk's rampage in a bustling area, the most urgent task was to rescue the trapped civilians.
Roger could see many people pinned under the rubble of collapsed buildings and others cowering in corners, too afraid to move.
These people could be caught in the crossfire at any moment. And with the ongoing battle, they were too terrified to leave their hiding spots.
Roger hesitated only briefly before making his move. Wielding Loki's scepter, he dived swiftly toward Iron Man and the Hulk.
The only way to save the civilians was to stop the Hulk, so Iron Man and the authorities could carry out the rescue.
Roger descended rapidly, heading straight for the heart of the battle between Iron Man and the Hulk.
Iron Man, locked in a struggle with the Hulk, suddenly heard a warning from JARVIS:
"Sir, there is an unidentified humanoid figure approaching you."
"…Unidentified humanoid figure?"
Before Tony could process the information, there was a loud boom. The Hulk, who had been grappling with him, was sent flying like a ball, tumbling and bouncing across the ground until coming to a stop some distance away.
Tony was momentarily stunned by the sudden disappearance of the Hulk from his line of sight.
It took him a moment to realize that Roger had taken the Hulk's place in front of him.
"Who are you?" Tony asked, bewildered, as he examined Roger, who looked like a Superman knockoff.
Roger wasn't in the mood for small talk and replied curtly:
"I'm here to help."
With that, he gripped Loki's scepter and shot off toward the Hulk, who he had just sent flying.
Seeing Roger head directly for the Hulk, Tony stared at the scepter in his hand for a moment and asked JARVIS:
"That's... Loki's scepter, isn't it?"
"Yes, sir. Based on the energy signature, it's definitely Loki's scepter."
"Interesting" Tony murmured.
Given the current timeline, Loki's scepter was supposed to be in SHIELD's custody. Of course, no one knew that SHIELD was infiltrated by HYDRA or that HYDRA was already conducting human experiments using the scepter.
So seeing it now, in the hands of someone like Roger, piqued Tony's interest.
But with the scepter on hand, dealing with an out-of-control Hulk wasn't an insurmountable problem. Tony, therefore, decided to focus on guiding the military to evacuate the civilians rather than assist Roger.
Meanwhile, Roger swiftly closed the distance to the Hulk and pressed the scepter's tip against the Hulk's chest.
Using Loki's scepter wasn't complicated. One only had to hold it and project their intentions into the target's mind, and the target would come under the scepter's influence.
The Mind Stone's power wasn't typically so easily harnessed, but the scepter acted as a special conduit, making the Mind Stone's energy accessible even to someone like Roger, who had no experience with mind control.
Now, with the Mind Stone pressed against the Hulk's chest, Roger gave a simple command:
"Sleep."
The scepter's energy flowed instantly, and the Hulk's massive form collapsed to the ground. Roger watched warily until the Hulk transformed back into Bruce Banner, then exhaled in relief.
"Is it over?" Tony had returned after helping the civilians and landed beside Roger.
"Yeah, it's over. The big guy's out cold, so things should be quieter for a while..." Roger turned to Tony and asked, "By the way, what happened? Why did Banner lose it in the middle of the city? And where are the rest of your Avengers?"
Tony's helmet retracted, revealing his face. He scrutinized Roger for a moment before replying:
"A minor mishap. But from the way you talk, it seems like you know Banner and us well. I haven't gotten your name yet. Who are you?"
Roger introduced himself: "I'm Roger, but you can call me Superman."
"Superman? Like the comic book guy who flies around in tights?"
"Pretty much. Same abilities, except I'm not an alien."
Roger gave the simplest, most convenient explanation. Tony seemed to accept it, though he kept a close eye on the scepter in Roger's hand and asked:
"Okay, Superman. I don't care what you call yourself, but can you explain why Loki's scepter is in your possession?"
"This is a long story... but first, can we go somewhere to talk?"
…
Leaving the military and emergency services to rescue the remaining civilians, Roger and Tony carried the unconscious Banner to Stark Tower.
At the top floor, converted into a cozy bar, Roger casually set Loki's scepter aside before Tony could question him further and asked:
"Now, can you tell me what happened to Banner?"
"You know Banner?"
"It's complicated. Let's just say I know him from my side of things."
Roger had been friends with Banner from the zombie universe, but this was his first encounter with this world's Banner, so his explanation wasn't entirely inaccurate.
Tony didn't press for details on Roger's connection to Banner. He poured them both drinks and replied to Roger's earlier question:
"Banner ended up like that... because of a pair of siblings. Two kids."
"…Siblings?"
Roger's expression darkened slightly. He had a bad feeling about this. The twins Tony mentioned couldn't be…
"A silver-haired boy and a red-haired girl, dressed like rebellious teenagers. They came looking for me, saying they wanted revenge. Then…"
Tony shrugged.
"The girl has the ability to create illusions. The rest of us got hit, including Banner…"
It was Wanda and Pietro, no doubt.
Tony's description confirmed it: the siblings were Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.
Roger had rescued them from HYDRA's base, but apparently, something had happened afterward that drove them to seek revenge on Stark in New York, causing chaos and throwing the Avengers into disarray. This incident, which should have happened in Avengers: Age of Ultron, had arrived ahead of schedule.
Roger's face hardened as he stayed silent, considering this turn of events. Tony, not noticing Roger's expression, continued:
"Enough about our problems for now. You still haven't explained how you ended up with Loki's scepter, Superman."
Tony wanted answers about the scepter and Roger's identity.
But Roger wasn't in the mood for a lengthy conversation. Knowing that Wanda and Pietro were responsible for the chaos and feeling partially responsible, Roger stood up, leaving the scepter on the table.
"I'll explain later. For now, keep the scepter. I have something urgent to handle."
"Excuse me, what?" Tony's expression soured. Roger's abrupt departure made him suspect he was being evaded.
If Roger hadn't helped him earlier, Tony's tone would likely have been harsher. Given the Avengers' current disarray, dealing with Banner's mess already had Tony on edge. His patience was thin.
Roger looked at Tony and said seriously:
"I need to deal with those twins. I'm the one who saved them, and now that they've caused you so much trouble, it's my responsibility to bring them in. Give me a moment, and I'll be back soon."
With that, Roger stepped out onto the balcony and, under Tony's watchful eyes, soared away.
...
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