"So, what do you two want?"
"We told you, we want to see Captain America."
A 3D hologram of a black man with an eye patch appeared before Tony and Noah. The hologram was projected using nanotechnology embedded in the projection device.
Noah had just told Tony about Captain America, explaining that he hadn't died but had been rescued. Hearing this, Tony showed clear interest.
He always acted decisively, and as soon as this news piqued his interest, he decided to immediately go to Nick Fury. However, Noah stopped him, suggesting they ask Fury's permission first to avoid causing unnecessary trouble. To do this, he hacked Nick Fury's phone as usual – a task he had performed more than once. In such cases, Fury would just sigh and think, "Well, AI is certainly convenient."
At that moment, Fury was contemplating the Tesseract in his office when his phone suddenly displayed Noah's face. He just wearily covered his eyes with his hand, wondering when Noah would learn to call like a normal person. Then he noticed Tony on the screen as well and frowned, trying to understand what had brought the two of them together.
As soon as Tony spoke, he mentioned S.H.I.E.L.D.'s classified information about Captain America's awakening. He was initially confused – how did Stark know about this? But, glancing at Noah, he understood who had shared the information.
Fury knew how enigmatic Noah was. The information about Captain America had come directly from him. Perhaps he even knew exactly when Steve Rogers had been rescued and therefore informed Tony about his awakening. However, in his opinion, Captain America, having just emerged from a seventy-year slumber, was in a fragile state and needed rest. He decided it was best not to disturb Steve and refused their request, leading to the aforementioned dialogue.
"No, Tony, I told you: Captain America just woke up. His condition is unstable, he needs rest. No one should disturb him." Fury moved the phone away to free his hands, propping his chin up. This gesture was a favorite of his, as it made him look more imposing and exerted psychological pressure on the person he was talking to.
"Rest? Isn't he a super-soldier? He's not a baby who just woke up and needs his mommy to rock him back to sleep," Tony grumbled.
"Even super-soldiers are human, Tony. Besides, Captain America was a friend of your father, Howard. So you should be calling him 'Uncle Steve'," Fury replied. Steve Rogers and Howard Stark had indeed been good friends, and calling Captain America "uncle" would be perfectly appropriate. But Tony was unlikely to do so.
"My father's friends are none of my business."
He always resented his father for being constantly busy with work and not paying attention to him during his childhood. This led to estrangement between them. Therefore, Tony avoided everything related to his father, including Fury's words. Although, after finding the method for synthesizing the new element left by Howard, his attitude towards his father had softened slightly.
"Anyway, he needs time to adjust after a seventy-year sleep. You'll have a chance to meet later," Fury continued. In his plans, Tony and Noah were to become part of the Avengers project, just like Captain America. And the time for their meeting would come.
Tony wanted to object, but Noah spoke first.
"If it's inconvenient now, we'll come another time," Noah said. Tony was interested in Captain America merely out of curiosity – he was eager to see the man who had been frozen for 70 years.
After that, Noah paused for a moment, then, looking at Nick Fury's hologram, he said,
"The door swings both ways."
"What?" Fury asked, surprised. "What doors?"
"Nothing special, just a little advice. Alright, see you later," Noah said, then disconnected the call.
"What? Wait..."
Fury stared at the blank phone screen, lost in thought.
Noah could see the future, and his words surely held significance. But why speak in riddles?
"Enough with these cryptic messages!" Fury thought, wearily resting his hand on his forehead and drumming his fingers on the table, pondering what Noah meant by "door."
"Door… Door… Oh, shit!"
Noah had no idea that Fury was starting to panic at that moment. What he said was actually a hint about the Tesseract situation. However, Fury hadn't yet realized the cube could be used as a portal.
After S.H.I.E.L.D. acquired the Tesseract, they began studying it in secret. It constantly emitted energy waves, and those familiar with its nature could use these waves to pinpoint its location. Moreover, they could open a portal leading directly to it. In the original storyline of the first Avengers movie, Loki used this very method.
But the situation had changed: Loki was captured, and now he couldn't be the vanguard of Thanos's forces on Earth. But Thanos wasn't going to back down, and even without Loki, someone else would surely appear on Earth.
That morning, during his moment of mental clarity, Noah sensed the Tesseract on Earth emitting a strange energy. This meant the invasion was imminent.
However, he wasn't going to interfere. On the contrary, he saw this as an advantage: the system could update his difficult missions, and he could acquire high-tech Chitauri weaponry for research. In addition, he might be able to get his hands on an Infinity Stone or two.
When the battle began, he would try to evacuate the city's residents or move the fight away from the city. As for the secret S.H.I.E.L.D. laboratory where the Tesseract was kept, he could only hope that only Hydra agents were working there.
"What did you mean by 'door'?" Tony asked, brushing off crumbs from the fried food and wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"It doesn't matter. Didn't you want to see Captain America?" Noah returned to reality and distracted Tony by starting to draw a circle in the air.
Before Tony's astonished eyes, blue sparks flashed in the air, forming a blue portal. Noah was using his own magic, not the energy of the Vishanti, so the magic carried the hue of his personal power.
Tony peered into the portal and saw a small, cozy room decorated in a retro style. A blond, well-built man sat on the bed, gazing thoughtfully out the window. It was Captain America, recently placed in a room provided by Nick Fury. This time, it wasn't a temporary structure, but a proper room with vintage decor.
"What the...?"
Tony was stunned by what he saw and let out a sound of surprise. Noah, raising an eyebrow, quickly closed the portal.
Captain America, lost in thought, suddenly looked up at the ceiling. He thought he heard an unfamiliar voice. However, looking up, he saw only the ordinary ceiling, and this puzzled him.
Noah, having quickly closed the portal, noticed how surprised Tony was by the magic he witnessed.
"WTF?!"
"Just a normal magic portal."
Tony was intrigued and asked him to explain how it worked.
"It's a secret. I can't just teach this to others without permission. But if there's a chance, I can take you to where I learned magic myself. Then maybe you can learn a spell or two."
"I have some free time right now. Let's go there right away," Tony wiped his hands, showing he was ready.
Noah just sighed silently. It seemed a scientist's curiosity about the unknown was stronger than anything else.
"I think you should deal with the problem in your chest first, and then think about that."
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