"A curveball flew past the batter, the Dodgers tied the score at 4-4. The audience knew that with just a swing of the bat, the game could be over..."
The annoying commentary seemed to wake the man sleeping in bed. He stirred, his heavy eyelids twitching.
Then, he opened his eyes, staring blankly at the white ceiling above him.
After a moment, he suddenly sat up, bewildered as he took in his surroundings.
A white room, a metal bed, a spinning fan, and...
Was this a hospital room?
He thought to himself, but a strange sense of unease and fear began to rise in his heart.
Everything around him seemed ordinary, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Suddenly, he turned his head sharply toward the source of the sound and stared, momentarily speechless.
It was a radio.
At that moment, the door opened.
A woman, dressed in attire that wouldn't look out of place in the World War II era, walked in.
"Good morning."
The woman smiled and greeted him, glancing at her watch.
"Or should I say, good afternoon?"
"Where am I?"
The man asked quietly.
"In a hospital room in New York."
"...That game was incredible!..."
The radio continued playing a recording of a baseball game. The man frowned slightly as he glanced out the window, then repeated the question more forcefully:
"Where am I?"
The woman gave him a puzzled smile and replied, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"That game, I know it was in May 1941, because I was there."
The man's voice was low.
The woman's smile gradually faded.
She knew something had gone wrong with their setup.
The man had sensed something was off.
He stood up and took two steps toward the woman, his tone turning sharp:
"I'll ask you one more time—where am I?"
The woman calmly pressed a small button in her hand, speaking soothingly:
"Captain Rogers..."
"Who are you?"
The door burst open, and two heavily armed men dressed in black stormed in.
Captain America didn't hesitate. He kicked the two men away and charged out of the room.
Outside, there was a wide hallway.
The style and design of the hall made Captain America pause, the unease in his heart growing.
"Captain Rogers, wait!"
The woman called out loudly, but Captain America ignored her, picking a direction and running.
"All units, we have a situation..."
The woman lifted a pager, and her voice echoed throughout the building.
The man ran through the corridor outside, noticing that the people passing by were all wearing black suits, their appearance strange.
Hearing the woman's voice, they rushed toward Captain America the moment they saw him.
Filled with confusion and anxiety, Captain America kept running until he finally made it outside.
Standing in the street, he looked at the cars driving by and the towering skyscrapers around him. Bewildered and uneasy, he kept running.
Eventually, Captain America stopped at an intersection.
He looked up, his eyes scanning this unfamiliar world.
"Steve Rogers!"
He turned around and saw a young man descending from the sky.
"Hello!"
Several black cars pulled up just then, and a one-eyed, bald man stepped out.
"At ease, soldier!"
...
"Jarvis, create a digital model. I need an operational projection."
Tony Stark leaned on the Expo's 3D map left by his father and gave Jarvis the order.
A blue light swept over the entire map, forming a projection.
"1974 Stark Expo model scanned."
Jarvis's emotionless mechanical voice reported.
Tony lifted the projection in his hands and stepped aside.
"How many buildings are there in total?"
"Are you counting the Belgian waffle stands?"
Jarvis asked meticulously.
"I was just asking. Show me..."
Tony pushed the projection forward.
With a snap of his fingers, the entire projection spun and stood upright.
Tony studied it carefully, muttering to himself:
"What does this look like? Kind of like an atom. The nucleus should be right here..."
He pointed to a circular building at the center, thought for a moment, and said:
"Highlight the big sphere."
Then he grabbed the circular building with one hand and, with a motion from the other, a large sphere appeared.
"Remove the walkways, all of them!"
"What are you trying to create, sir?"
"I'm trying to discover... or rather, rediscover a new element."
As Tony continued to issue orders, the projection grew simpler and simpler.
"Use the pavilions as the framework for protons and neutrons."
The projection kept changing, eventually forming a perfect new element.
Tony stared at the newly formed element, suddenly clapping his hands. The projection of the element enlarged, surrounding him.
Looking at the star-like scenery before him, Tony slowly began to smile.
"You've been dead for twenty years, and you're still giving me lessons."
He clapped again, and the new element turned into a small ball in his hand.
"The element you discovered should be able to replace the palladium you're using..."
Jarvis reported timely.
"Thanks, Dad."
Tony murmured as he stared at the small ball.
"...The downside is that it can't be synthesized."
Jarvis doused him with cold water.
"Mmhmm..."
Tony hummed, unbothered, and then pulled out his phone.
"Lynch, I've solved it!"
...
"Really? Congratulations. We'll celebrate later—I've got something to handle right now."
After hanging up the phone, Lynch walked over to stand in front of Captain America.
"I told you, your tricks wouldn't fool Rogers."
Lynch said, slightly amused.
After all, seeing S.H.I.E.L.D. slip up on something so small was quite funny.
Fury remained composed as he addressed Captain America:
"Apologies for that terrible play, but we needed time to gather the full details for you."
"What details?"
Captain America was still slightly out of breath, the unease in his heart reaching its peak.
"You've been asleep, Captain. For nearly seventy years. The man next to me is the one who pulled you from the ice."
Fury said calmly.
Hearing this answer, Captain America wasn't too shocked.
He just looked around this future world with a complex expression, thinking of an old promise.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
Captain America looked off into the distance, finally showing a trace of sadness.
"I just... missed a date."
Finally, they were all here...
Lynch thought to himself.
Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Captain America.
The original Avengers were now ready!