Stark's party after defeating the Chitauri.
The full moon illuminated the city with its light. From the penthouse of billionaire Tony Stark's tower, it was impossible to see what was happening below, although Alex knew the extent of the destruction, given that the main fighting had taken place in the area around the tower.
The party at Stark Tower was in full swing. A group of strangers who had truly met on the battlefield were sharing interesting stories—everything was calm. Everyone had had enough adrenaline from the fight for their lives.
Over the past few years, Alex had become accustomed to being the guest of wealthy and influential people. But there was always the chance that something would go wrong and some kind of conflict would arise, so he kept a low profile. He tried to get things done quickly and leave these people behind, out of harm's way.
Now everything was different.
Everyone was interested in him, his past, his abilities. For a man who tried not to show them off, this was a novelty. He wasn't afraid that after the job was done, they might set some idiot on him to kill him. People simply enjoyed the moment of peace after the job was done.
At one point, the tower's owner himself asked to find some time to talk to him.
Stepping out onto one of the balconies, he saw the billionaire himself exchanging words with his girlfriend.
Seeing that they were no longer alone, the couple separated, and Stark went to Alex.
"It's still nice that you agreed to attend this modest event, Dr. Ledov."
Tony put his arm around his guest and led him to the edge of the balcony.
— I hope everything is well? Drinks, snacks, ladies?
— The first two points are good, but the third one is not enough.
Tony agreed with the claim, considering that there were only two ladies at the party.
"Well, what can you do? It's hard to find women like that these days," their gaze turned to Pepper and Natasha, who were exchanging words. "No matter how I feel about Fury's guard dog, I can't help but acknowledge her fighting qualities and beauty."
Alex felt uncomfortable with all the attention and the lack of understanding of the reasons for the conversation.
- Mr. Stark, I enjoy your company, but this is clearly not what you wanted to talk to me about.
Tony looked Alex over.
"You seem a bit tense," he punched him on the shoulder, "relax. We're heroes now, the ones who saved the world. Why are you so tense?"
— Maybe because now there's a very high probability of ending up on an operating table somewhere in an underground bunker?
"Is this why you're working so hard as a nurse in the city?" Tony recalled the videos where patients were literally brought in, wounded, and carried away more or less healthy. "So they don't put you away?"
— Rather, I'm showing the whole world that I'm much more useful alive than dissected.
"I think you're very worried," they sat down on a small sofa, "if I understood correctly, then you are secretly using your abilities to make money."
Alex nodded carefully.
"So I don't think the people who previously associated with you will suddenly want to just get rid of you. Especially if you weren't a problem. What if their family needs more help, and they handed over the only person who could help them for experiments?"
"The problem is, a couple of weeks ago, if you asked them, they would have denied everything, but now that all this has happened," Alex waved his hand, pointing towards the destroyed part of the city, "I'm afraid they won't even ask me. And they might take me away."
"Then stay here," Tony looked as friendly as he could, "I've, of course, changed my mind about doing the operation you came for," Stark pointed his finger at his generator, "but a specialist of your level could be useful to me."
— Are you offering me a job?
"Why not? Good salary, the best equipment. You've already patented a lot of things yourself. Just imagine what would happen if you worked with the best equipment? If I don't try to hire you, as a businessman, I won't be able to forgive myself."
A sad smile appeared on Alex's face.
- I'm afraid I have to decline this offer.
The former arms dealer was not surprised by this answer, but was clearly expecting an explanation.
"I don't want to hide behind your back and create problems with it."
"Pfft, you're worrying about nothing. Who's an idiot who would attack a tower that houses an evil green troll?"
"I don't think anyone will attack you openly, but they already tried to frame you for something when you first created your first suit," Tony visibly grimaced, recalling the whole mess. "Besides, I'm not a US citizen, so I don't want you to start talking to the Russian government about me. I've even been told they want to award me an award."
"See, everything's fine! You're focusing too much on the bad," Tony pointed toward the common room. "There's a Russian woman sitting over there, enjoying life just fine."
Alex glanced again at the femme fatale, who was now talking to her friend, who was skilled in the use of a bow.
"Which, I might add," Alex turned his gaze to the inventor, "until recently would have been killed at the first opportunity. It's just that no one wants to spark a conflict with a group like the Avengers right now."
"That's exactly what I'm saying. Stay here. Together we're strong and we can accomplish a lot."
Alex closed his eyes to think for a moment; it all looked quite appealing. Tony let his guest make his decision. And after a couple of minutes, he finally received an answer.
"No," the answer was uncertain but decisive, "this whole situation with aliens opens many doors that were previously closed."
"I agree," the question of aliens became a sore subject for the former playboy, "we are not prepared for threats from space."
"Because of that, I don't think I should lock myself in your tower and sit quietly. What if they show up again? What will we do then?"
Stark's gaze was blank. Because he couldn't find answers to these questions.
- That's why we must be ready!
— You speak as if Dr. Ledov already has a plan.
- No, but I'm sure we can come up with something if we stick together.
- So far these are all just words, and they are of little use.
Tony waved his hand as if swatting away a fly.
— Everything always starts small.
"You're right about that, my young friend," Tony stood up, and Alex followed him. "Since you're turning down an employer like me, let's go have some fun. Let's get a little something strong in our systems, and I'm sure we'll come up with a few interesting ideas that will help save the world in the future."
After taking a few steps, Tony turned sharply and looked at Alex with a slightly intriguing look.
— We need to do something fun.
Alex's face looked thoughtful, and then his face showed insight as his gaze moved to the bar counter with a large amount of alcohol.
- Well, I have one idea.
"That's our method. We need to somehow entertain the guests, otherwise they're already getting bored without me."
- I don't even doubt it.
A Quinjet with Stark Industries markings landed on the runway of a tower emblazoned with a huge Avengers team emblem. A constant crowd of people gathered in front of the tower, hoping to meet one of the heroes, naively thinking they all lived there together, like one big, happy family.
When the gangway opened, Alex came down from it, talking on the phone.
"Just in case anything happens, Tony invited me to some event, so I'll be nearby. Drop by if you have time."
Alex lingered on the platform for a moment to listen to the answer.
— Okay, I get it. Until next time.
He hung up without listening to her answer, feeling a little sad, knowing what Natasha was doing now and, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't hide the sadness in her voice. But Alex did everything he could to cover her back in this new, dangerous mission, one she wouldn't even need. He could sadly imagine what their next meeting might be like.
Following Jarvis's directions, Alex walked through the corridors, his mind racing with thoughts of the events that had transpired when he first arrived here and how much had happened in such a short period of time. After walking through several corridors, he entered one of the laboratories, where he found the tower's master himself, immersed in work.
"You know," Alex began, stepping inside almost as if it were his own home, "I was hoping you were inviting me to some party. And what do I see?"
He spread his arms out to the sides, showing that there was nothing around except equipment.
"No drinks, no food, no girls. Looks like you've forgotten how to arrange good meetings."
"The first two can be arranged," Tony stood up to greet the guest, "but the last one will be a problem."
— Did they take all the girls out of New York?
- No. I just don't want to become an enemy of one spider.
Seeing Alex's questioning look, Tony decided to explain.
— I received several photos here.
Photos from security cameras from Alex's estate appeared on the screen, showing a kiss between Natasha and the owner of the estate himself.
- And how did this end up in your possession?
Alex knew only one person who would dare to do such a thing, so he asked the question just to make sure.
"You should check your network for viruses," the tower's owner said with a satisfied look. "There's some lazy program running all over the internet doing all sorts of things."
- So, everything is clean with you?
"Of course. It's me," Tony said confidently.
"Mr. Stark, I found something," Jarvis decided to intervene in the conversation, showing them a fragment of the recording where Tony hugs Natasha from behind at one of his birthday parties.
A smirk appeared on the guest's lips.
- Now I understand what you were talking about about her work as an assistant.
"It wasn't like that!" the AI's creator began to justify himself. "I was showing her how to use the repulsor glove."
But this wasn't visible in the photo, as if the frame had been cropped. So Stark's excuse didn't work.
"Looks like you could use a virus scan too," Alex replied smugly, raising a finger behind his back, which Jarvis' scanners definitely noticed.
"We'll talk about this later," Tony stared at one of the cameras, but the AI observing everything chose to remain silent. "That little girl is a bad influence on you. You used to be such a good person."
"Tony," Alex feigned sadness, placing a supportive hand on his shoulder, "the kids are growing up. And as a good father, you have to let him go."
"Very funny," Stark's displeasure wasn't just caused by his friend's insolent smile. "You're the one over there minding your own business. And those two here are like crazy, constantly discussing something, like little children."
"Yumiko found herself a friend who can at least understand her. Do you really want to separate them?" Alex clutched his head in feigned panic.
— Yeah. Of course. Jarvis looks after her like a little sister. And she started calling him "onni-chan."
- But now it's not so boring in this huge tower.
No matter how much Tony complained, Alex knew the former playboy was attracted to the teenage girl trapped in the network. At the very least, she could give him a head start in programming, which sparked a competitive spirit and a reluctance to admit defeat to the young woman.
So, after chatting for a bit about the dangers of having virtual little sisters, Alex decided to change the subject.
- You still haven't explained why you called me.
"I decided to tinker with the communications systems and found something." Various sounds resembling conversations began playing in the lab. "Not a single decoder could determine who was talking. And the signal isn't coming from Earth."
While Tony explained what he had learned, Alex began to listen carefully to the recording itself.
"It's negotiations," he said confidently, drawing Stark's suspicious gaze. "They're currently deciding who will hunt on Earth and when."
- How did you find out?
"Asgard provided me with some literature that helps with this," Alex said as if it was completely unimportant.
— And did they give you much more interesting reading material?
"A couple of interesting books, for sure," Alex began to recall. "I haven't read some of them yet because I haven't had time, and lately it's all gold and jewelry. By the way, how did you like the gift?"
Tony sighed heavily when he heard the last question.
— Next time you want to send a truckload of gold, let me know in advance.
— Something wrong?
— After your package, Pepper got a whole closet full of new jewelry.
- I don't see any problems.
"Just warn me," the inventor said insistently, which made Alex wonder: "What happened?"
"Well, that at least explains how you can speak different languages to everyone," Tony said, moving away from the previous topic.
"A very useful talent, by the way. Especially when your employees might not even know what you're talking about."
Alex, with a "kind" smile, recalled the scientists who worked for him, who didn't know either Russian or English at all.
"Well, well," Stark looked at his guest carefully. "Listen, maybe there's something else there."
Half an hour later, the unpaid translator was distracted by a screen that appeared, showing a broadcast of one of Tony's suits of armor approaching for landing, which seemed to be designed for a woman's figure.
Alex was shocked when he saw Pepper emerge from the armor, wearing a business suit and heels.
— How long has she been using them? She didn't seem to be particularly fond of them, did she?
Tony decided to take this moment for a break and went to meet his girlfriend, while answering questions.
"After meeting Killian, something clicked inside her when she saw my armor holding the passage, saving our lives. After a while, she started asking about it, looking at things," Tony clearly recalled it all with pleasure. "One day, we overslept, and she, not intending to be late for a meeting, took the armor and simply flew to the office in it."
Alex could only imagine the faces of his subordinates.
— But at least there are no traffic jams.
- Yeah, and the driver, who seems to be trying to retrain now, given his imminent job loss.
At that moment, the three of them met and exchanged greetings. The girl, somewhat pleased, hugged everyone and, before leaving to take a shower, whispered something to the former playboy, after which he languidly watched her departing figure.
— I can come in a couple of hours.
Ledov's offer was tempting, which made Stark think seriously, but, putting their thoughts aside, they headed back to the lab.
"You have no idea how much I enjoy seeing her flying in a suit when she couldn't stand them before."
Tony began explaining how using the armor saved her a lot of time, so she began spending more time in the tower with him and came home less tired. Meanwhile, Tony himself felt calmer knowing she had a copy nearby who would prevent her from being kidnapped. He shared his thoughts that her good mood was due to the armor standing behind her being a great help in negotiations.
"Are you okay after the surgeries?" Alex decided to recall their visit to his home.
"Pfft, you've found the right person to ask. If anything happens, our nanny," he pointed at the ceiling, hinting at Jarvis, "will tell you about our health first, and then tell us. So I'm not worried."
"Okay," Alex decided to bring the conversation back to the topic of aliens. "And what do we do with this information?"
- Well, I didn't know you were such a great translator, so I thought I'd call you for reconnaissance.
Tony just smirked at Alex's blank look.
- And how did you even manage to do this?
Alex couldn't believe his eyes. The spaceship, which had been parked in a hangar at one of Tony's complexes, was located outside the city.
"You're not the only one who can lure away the best scientists on earth. I can do something too."
And with a satisfied face he led him inside.
As they walked, Alex managed to get a good look at the ship itself. It was slightly larger than cargo planes.
An exquisite ship, unlike any of the pirate vessels captured after the Battle of London. Its overall shape resembled a blade drawn from its sheath. The engines at the rear looked very harmonious.
The SA logo could be seen on the side
When Tony saw Alex looking at the logo, he decided to explain that it was Star Avenger.
"Are you sure it's not Stark Avenger?" Tony's expression made it clear that this was his first choice, but he still decided to reject it.
Walking up the ramp at the side of the ship, they stepped inside, and Tony led him straight to the bow of his creation.
After taking a few steps, Alex found himself in a spacious room, more like a living room than a space shuttle cabin. Following the creator himself, Alex found himself in the pilot's cabin, with several chairs and numerous screens with sensors and large displays showing what lay ahead.
"Welcome back, Captain," an artificial female voice greeted Tony, and the ship's captain gave the command to take off.
- Tony, are you sure now is the best time to leave the planet?
Stark just waved his hand.
"Don't worry so much. Even if we're gone for a couple of months, everything's ready." Tony began checking the sensors as the flying ship began its smooth ascent through the ship's opening doors. "And according to my data, they have no reason to accelerate their plan yet."
"If you're so sure…" Alex, not knowing what to do with himself, simply sat down on one of the seats and decided to fasten his seat belt, but that turned out to be unnecessary now.
Having given another command, the ship, flying out of the hangar, turned on camouflage - both visual and sensory, so that no one would know about them.
Never in his life did Alex imagine he'd find himself in such a situation. In just a couple of minutes, the ship had reached Earth's orbit, and at the captain's command, the ship turned to reveal a view of the planet.
Tony looked at his only passenger with a grin and waited for his reaction.
"It's amazing..." The view of Earth from space was beautiful. It couldn't compare to any pictures or videos.
"Maybe we should fly past the ISS?" Alex suggested to the ship's captain with a satisfied look.
"Nope. If they see us, NASA and everyone else will be digging around to find out the truth about the ship tomorrow." Tony was also in a great mood. "We'll have fun later."
— The main thing is, don't forget about me.
- You're insulting me.
After observing the planet for a few minutes, Tony turned the ship around and sent it towards the Moon.
And then Alex realized it was a spaceship after all. The small gray ball, orbiting the planet, began to rapidly approach.
Alex didn't feel the speed, but his body still pressed into the chair when, after only ten minutes, they were in orbit around the Moon.
Stark's grin widened as he looked at Alex, who was looking at him in complete amazement.
"The ships that attacked London gave me some answers to my questions about space travel. I'm sure the British, who took their share, haven't even been able to disassemble their models yet. So they're still a long way from space travel."
Within fifteen minutes, the two of them were looking at the Earth from the Moon's orbit.
- Tony, I never cease to be amazed that you were able to create a real spaceship in such a short time.
- Oh, just a trifle.
Even though Stark didn't confess, Alex could see how important acknowledgment of his actions was to the inventor.
After chatting a bit more, they finally decided to begin their mission. A reconnaissance mission to find the source of the signals, which clearly didn't belong to humans.
Having circled the Moon, Tony set the goal for the ship to move towards the red planet.
— Have you already flown that far yourself?
"No," Tony was now carefully monitoring the sensors, "I launched the ship and, having reached the Moon, came back to finish some things. This is my first such long-distance flight."
"Thanks for taking me with you," Alex looked at Tony and grinned. "If anything happens, we'll die together."
- Well, you're here precisely because if something happens, you're the only one who can do anything to ensure we survive in space.
After some thought, Alex agreed. A few hundred liters of water on the ship would help them survive, even if the ship exploded. None of the Avengers had similar skills. That is, unless you count Tony's own suits, which were standing near the wall, ready to receive their owners.
- Okay, we have some time, let's go, I'll give you a tour.
A large living room they passed through, several bedrooms, a kitchen with a small food storage area, a hangar room that could fit a small tank, a generator room that provided everything, a small arsenal that contained a few more suits of armor and a small warehouse of various weapons.
He ended up with a small, bathroom-like room, with a small jacuzzi in the center, covered by a canopy to prevent water from leaking out if the ship suddenly started spinning. Alex concluded that this was more of a comfortable yacht than a spaceship.
- Well, now we can rest while we're on the road.
Satisfied, Stark pressed a few buttons and the water inside began to heat up.
— But it all started so well...
Now, sitting in the jacuzzi, they were enjoying moments of peace and sharing funny stories, but Alex had to end it by telling what he himself learned from Thor.
Alex considered keeping information about an impending danger a secret from a strategic partner to be the height of idiocy.
— It looks like we'll have to change some of our plans.
Alex agreed with him, and they even discussed some things, but they were tired of being in the water for more than a couple of hours, so they decided to change their location a little.
- Damn, I was already planning to blow up this crap in front of the whole world.
Tony was dissatisfied when he began to dry his body after soaking in hot water for several hours.
The flight continued as usual, while Alex gazed at the emptiness of space and couldn't believe they were so close to Mars. The most modern shuttles that had been launched before took about six months to reach the Red Planet. Just yesterday, Alex had been at Tony's house, and today he could begin to explore the planet's topography.
When the planet was already very close, the ship's sensors detected something.
"Those bastards," Tony began using commands on the holographic control panel. "They've really gotten brazen. They've set up camp right on the planet next to us."
Suddenly, a map of the planet appeared before Alex, complete with a single red dot. And the longer the scan went on, the more details emerged.
— Judging by the data, they placed an entire base there for the rapid transfer of ships and the storage of supplies and loot.
— Do they see us?
"I'm not sure," Tony said, his expression as serious as possible. "Earth's detection systems can't see this ship, and I don't know theirs, so we have to be careful."
After carefully approaching, a life-detection scanner was launched, revealing nearly a thousand units at the base. Nearly half of them were located in one spot.
"Well, shall we go?" the ship's captain began preparing for battle, checking his suit.
"I think it's best to hold off on this," Tony, clearly ready for battle, didn't understand his friend. "We don't know what exactly is there. If it's slavers, then there are probably a lot of kidnapped people there."
Alex ran his finger over the large cluster of living dots.
— If it weren't for them, I would have simply blown up this base.
"That's exactly what I mean. Now we know where they are. We'll assemble a sabotage squad to reconnoiter and secure the hostages. Then we'll be able to really get the drop on them."
"Damn!" Tony sat up, disappointed. "It's just annoying that they fly to us like it's their home."
— Destroying their base could also benefit us if we can present it correctly.
Tony nodded understandingly.
— The Pentagon will be pissing itself when we reveal all this to the public.
Given that no official news about the missing people has leaked out, the authorities are definitely involved, so uncovering this could play into the Avengers' hands.
After briefly discussing their future plan, they headed back. Since there wasn't much to do, they spent the day on the return journey playing various games, arranged by the ship's captain. After almost a day's flight from the red sphere, they began approaching Earth, when the ship's systems began picking up numerous signals from all over the planet. The ship's systems displayed to them what they might be interested in. And there was a lot of interesting stuff, especially on the news channels.
The hunt for Captain America. Carnage on the streets of Moscow. And the most interesting thing that caught the attention of the entire ship's crew: three helicopters currently hovering over Washington.
Looking at all this, Tony began to direct his ship, saying:
— It was only worth flying away from Earth for a couple of days, and complete chaos began.