The evening of the next day had come, the sun was slowly sinking below the horizon, forcing the city to light itself up. Kira was near the Avengers' headquarters, and when he decided the time was right, he easily infiltrated the building. Fortunately, there were far fewer people inside now, which significantly simplified the task. The main problem was the cameras, but thanks to his caution, Kira managed to avoid them by using blind spots or bypassing them through walls.
"Taking the stairs up isn't an option…" thought Kira, carefully peeking through a slit in the wall's zipper. "I need to find an elevator shaft — it'll be much easier to get to the right floor that way. Luckily, the closer I get, the better I can sense the arrow, which helps me know which floor to look on."
Getting to the elevator wasn't much of a problem. Kira slipped inside simply by unzipping the door. Already in the shaft, he began climbing upward using threads.
"Glad there are lightbulbs in here. It would've been a lot harder if I were in total darkness," Kira sighed with relief.
Once he felt he was on the right floor, Kira made a slit and carefully peeked out, checking for people and cameras. As soon as he found himself in what looked like a lab, he heard clear footsteps approaching, followed by the doors opening and letting in two people.
"I'll say it again," a dissatisfied voice said, "this is dangerous. Very dangerous."
"And I'll repeat — it's fine," came the calmer reply.
Kira immediately erased time to find a hiding spot — luckily, in such a huge lab, there were plenty of separate rooms, devices, and just stuff that made it easy to stay hidden.
"Just like in the movies…" Kira noted as he saw Tony, wearing a black shirt through which his arc reactor showed, and Steve, in an old button-up, walking through the lab toward the arrow, which sat on a special pedestal. He didn't have time to be surprised that he was seeing two Marvel legends in person. He had more important matters at hand. "And there it is."
"Look, I get that you mean well, but still…" Steve said, leaning on a table while Tony sighed and sat in a chair.
"Aren't you even a little curious what Red Skull wanted to do with this?" Tony asked seriously, glancing at the arrow. "Even Thor doesn't know about it — and he's a god, for crying out loud."
Steve shook his head disapprovingly and crossed his arms. "I don't want to know what that psycho had in mind... He knew things we don't, and that's probably not good. I think some things are better left untouched."
Tony only nodded irritably. "If you don't touch it, you won't know if it's dangerous or not. I'm sure someone like Loki is going to visit our little planet sooner or later with his army. Red Skull said it's 'a key to domination'? Great — we'll use it to protect Earth, and no psycho will dare to mess with us."
"Tony, this arrow might lead to consequences worse than the Chitauri. And if that happens, it won't just be your fault. We'll all be guilty for letting it happen," Steve said with a weak smile, patting his friend on the shoulder. "We'll manage without it — together."
Listening to his friend, Tony fell silent, rubbing the bridge of his nose and thinking it over. There was a real internal struggle going on inside him. After the Chitauri and Loki's attack, Tony had been haunted by anxiety. He hadn't slept well since being out in open space, launching the nuke at the alien ships. Until then, he couldn't even imagine that life existed out there. After that, the thoughts and nightmares never left him — what if there was an even greater threat somewhere in the vast darkness of space? If that day ever came, he hoped he'd have a plan.
Tony was about to respond when everything around began to tremble.
"There was no earthquake in today's forecast…" Tony said worriedly, as did Steve.
Before Tony could get up, the far wall was torn apart by steel beams, and Magneto gently landed inside while his cape flowed dramatically in the wind.
"Unexpected visit," Steve muttered, extending his arm so his iconic shield could fly to him.
"Vision?" Tony whispered a moment later, hearing a calm voice in his earpiece. "Understood, sir."
"What brings you here?" Tony asked, stepping forward a little. "I'd offer you tea, but we're out of bags."
"I won't be long," Erik replied, walking through the lab, scanning everything with his gaze. "I just need one thing."
Seeing what he had come for, Magneto moved toward the arrow, but Steve stepped in his way.
"You'd better stop."
"Or what?" Erik asked, staring into Rogers' eyes. "Just step aside, and I'll take what I want and leave peacefully."
"How about you leave peacefully and I pretend I didn't see you destroy our wall?" Tony said irritably, stepping up beside Rogers. These two seemed entirely unfazed by Magneto's pressure. They were ready to stand their ground to the end.
Erik was growing angrier, and everything metallic, except for the arrow, began to float into the air. It seemed like the whole building was starting to shake.
"Why is he here?! Kira panicked, pressing his back to the wall in another room, his Stand beside him. He's after the arrow too?! Why?! Damn it, nothing can ever go according to plan! I can't even grab it now!"
"I refuse," Erik said sharply, flicking his hand.
"Tony!" Steve shouted, raising his shield just as Tony's body was quickly encased in his armor, which shot out from a large capsule in the corner of the lab.
With a flick of his finger, Erik unleashed a pulse that sent all the nearby metal from several floors flying. An incredibly powerful wave destroyed everything in its path, including walls, throwing the two Avengers aside as the ceiling above them collapsed under the force.