Assembly

Tony, freshly groomed and humming a cheerful tune, was about to head out on a date. He had meticulously prepared a romantic candlelit dinner. Lately, he had been busy designing the Ultron Program and had somewhat neglected Pepper, who managed the company.

As New York’s number-one playboy, Stark had spent years among beautiful women. Of course, unlike the hopelessly unromantic bookworm Reed, he would not ignore a girlfriend full of resentment and devote himself entirely to research. Honestly, it was a miracle Susan had not kicked Mister Fantastic to the curb yet.

"Sean really has no sense of responsibility. He actually went off to Japan to have fun… I’m not jealous at all. Compared to my old life of drinking and partying, I prefer this fulfilling feeling now—okay! I miss the bikini girls in Hawaii!"

Tony stood before the mirror tying his tie. A burgundy shirt paired with an expensive custom-tailored suit, along with a pair of sunglasses, restored his former flair.

"Sir, Agent Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D. is calling." Jarvis’s distinctly British voice rang out.

"Tell him I’m not here… What perfect timing. Even if the president wanted to see me, he’d have to wait until tomorrow." Tony curled his lip. He had no desire to deal with those people from S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Sky Carrier and antigravity technology had already been handed over to S.H.I.E.L.D. His duties as a scientific consultant were fully complete; as for any other missions, that depended on his mood.

"I’m not one of Fury’s errand boys. Unless it’s the end of the world, nobody is ruining my romantic date." Tony muttered under his breath.

"Sir, Miss Potts is calling." Jarvis’s voice sounded again.

"Wow, Little Pepper can’t wait to go on a date with me?" Tony eagerly accepted the call. "Pepper, I’ll be there soon. The sky garden in Manhattan—there’ll even be fireworks tonight… Did that bastard Coulson call you?"

"Hello, Mr. Stark." The call was transferred, and a warm middle-aged man spoke. "Sorry to do this, but I had to reach you. S.H.I.E.L.D. needs Iron Man."

"Does Fury never give you people vacations? Or do you never have any private time? Coulson, I don’t need S.H.I.E.L.D.! This is my personal time! Has the world ended? Can’t I even have dinner with my girlfriend?"

Tony fired off a string of questions. He hated being ordered around, especially since, as a free-spirited rogue by nature, Stark had never liked S.H.I.E.L.D.’s rigid way of doing things.

That black director always kept countless secrets and never shared them with anyone, yet he expected everyone else to open their hearts and trust him completely.

"I’m afraid the end of the world really may be coming, Mr. Stark," Coulson said gravely.

Just four hours earlier, Nick Fury had used the Tesseract’s energy transmission to destroy one of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s top-secret bases. Unfortunately, he still failed to stop the intruder from taking the cube. Even Hawkeye Barton and Dr. Selvig had fallen under control, and the three of them vanished without a trace.

After hearing Coulson’s explanation, Tony was silent for a long while. He sent Pepper a message, then walked down the metal spiral staircase.

Not long afterward, a blaze shot into the sky.

Baxter Building. Natasha sat curled up on the sofa, lost in thought.

The flames in the fireplace flickered, radiating comforting warmth. She had been getting close to Sean Sipes for some time, but he had not revealed a single flaw, even though they had shared the most intimate exchanges.

Apart from his womanizing ways and insatiable demands, that young man could be called the perfect lover. He always seemed able to guess what you were thinking and spring unexpected surprises on you. For example, making a simple, heartfelt breakfast on the morning after sharing a bed, or playing a self-composed piece just for you at a restaurant during a date…

Natasha had to admit that if she were not a senior S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, but Miss Scarlett from Los Angeles chasing her dream of becoming a star, she likely would have fallen in love long ago and immersed herself in sweet romance.

Unfortunately, this was not a beautiful fairy tale. Natasha’s dazed eyes turned clear. She had received the most professional agent training in the Former Soviet Union; suppressing emotion and remaining rational were the most basic requirements.

The female agent known as the "Black Widow" was not some innocent girl easily swept off her feet. She had seen the darkness and cruelty of this world and possessed an extremely strong psychological defense.

The phone on the table buzzed. It was a message through S.H.I.E.L.D.’s encrypted channel, and only Nick Fury knew this contact method.

"The Tesseract has been taken by the enemy. Barton is under control. Return to headquarters immediately."

Natasha’s expression hardened. Hawkeye Barton was one of the few partners she had within S.H.I.E.L.D. She sprang up from the sofa, her bare feet touching the floor.

She slipped out of her floral dress and changed into casual clothes. With a toss of her burgundy curls, Miss Scarlett’s identity came to an end, and she returned to being Agent Romanoff.

Glancing at the warmly decorated bedroom, Natasha sighed, then closed the door and left.

S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters by the Potomac River.

Inside the spacious training room, a tall, strong, handsome man hammered a punching bag. Every punch was powerful, his muscles tensed as they displayed a masculine beauty of strength.

As his punches quickened, distant memories flashed through his mind. On a battlefield filled with artillery fire, he fought alongside a group of comrades, battering Hydra soldiers until they collapsed in defeat.

He remembered fighting Red Skull Schmidt. He remembered the plane crashing into the glacier. He remembered that dance delayed by seventy years…

When he opened his eyes again, the world had long since changed. His old comrades had passed away one after another, and his former lover had grown old and frail. An invisible wall separated him from the world.

He was like an old soldier returning from the battlefield covered in scars, able only to stroke his mottled, rusted weapons and recall the glory days filled with flowers and honor.

With a fierce punch, he sent the heavy bag flying. It slammed into the wall with a bang, producing a tremendous crash.

After taking several breaths to calm his turbulent emotions, Steve lifted another punching bag from the floor and continued venting the abundant energy in his body.

"Can’t sleep?" Nick Fury appeared at the doorway.

"I slept for seventy years, sir. I think I’ve had enough."

Steve kept punching. Some time had passed since he awoke from his long slumber, but he rarely went out. Usually, he stayed at S.H.I.E.L.D., or occasionally returned to his old home in Brooklyn.

That place had become an old district. His old friend Howard Stark, long dead, had bought the entire neighborhood. It was said Peggy had lived in that old house for a time as well.

"When I passed out, this world was at war. When I woke up, I heard we won. I wonder what price was paid for that victory?"

Steve untied the white cloth strips around his hands. He knew Nick Fury would not come looking for him without reason.

He was a soldier who strictly adhered to military discipline and morality, while this one-eyed black man was an agent who never cared what methods he used. The differences between them were obvious.

"You have a mission for me, sir?" Steve asked.

"Captain, you’re going to save this world once again." Fury handed him a folder. It contained S.H.I.E.L.D. Level Seven classified files, the core secrets regarding the Tesseract. "Howard Stark found this in the ocean while searching for you. He and I both believed it was the key to extracting infinite energy."

"Four hours ago, someone took it."

Steve handed the folder back. He recognized the cube in the files. Red Skull Schmidt had been obsessed with it, and Hydra had used it to develop energy weapons capable of blasting a human body into ash with a single shot.

"I’m a soldier. I’m only responsible for carrying out missions."

The war hero of the last century picked up his backpack and headed for the door. He had not refused Nick Fury’s invitation.

"Do you have any specific suggestions for recovering the cube?" the black director asked from behind him.

He could not allow the Tesseract to fall into an outsider’s hands. It was a precious item S.H.I.E.L.D. had safeguarded for many years and could not afford to lose.

"You should have left it in the ocean," the captain answered without looking back.