Avengers

It all started when the team finally had a quiet morning at the Tower, trying to watch TV together after settling back into life post-Accords. Peter had insisted on tuning into the early news show his school was volunteering at to raise money. So here they were on a Monday morning, watching a report about a community event in a cornfield.

Tony does a double take when out of the corner of his eye, he sees people running around in Avengers costumes that are scarily accurate, and one of the repulsor gloves actually produces a five-foot spark. It is not harmful, but it is definitely not a store-bought effect.

As they observe more closely, the team notices a mini arc-reactor humming faintly, Captain America shields bouncing and returning with precise kinetic accuracy, wrist gauntlets with functioning electronics, working comms, trick arrows and collapsible bows, versions of Mjolnir that use magnetism and compressed air to simulate pull resistance with small chemical lightning effects, wearable patches that mimic Hulk’s physique, web slingers that function like Parker’s, and more.

They are speechless. The technology is fully operational, yet it is harmless. The precision, the timing, and the realism make it deeply disturbing.

Soon, they start noticing more advanced versions among older teens. These are still non-threatening but undeniably powerful. The public sees nothing unusual and assumes the attendees are just enthusiastic fans.

Tony starts visiting STEM programs and demonstrations, finding people with functioning arc reactors and repulsors that even FRIDAY cannot trace. Steve goes to a school demo in Maryland where someone tosses a shield that he instinctively catches. It fits better than his own.

Natasha observes a performance where a wrist gauntlet adds the finishing touch to a complex routine. Clint experiments with a collapsible bow, which snaps neatly into a baton on his wrist. Thor witnesses a toy hammer that sparks small lightning effects. The runes glow in an unfamiliar pattern. Bruce sees a demonstration of a Hulk costume giving slight strength amplification and subtle skin changes, and he is quietly terrified. Peter sees someone swinging between park trees with a functioning web-shooter. It is not just Avengers but other heroes as well.

When the team reconvenes, Peter mentions that he also saw someone dressed as Loki, the Winter Soldier, and even Ultron. The room goes quiet. Everyone is thinking, what the hell.

Then T’Challa calls. He has seen footage of someone in Black Panther gear, complete with synthetic vibranium claws and glowing necklaces. He demands to know what is happening and why he was not informed. The team cannot answer. They do not know either.

Bucky walks into the room during the call. He is shaken by the sight of familiar, painful memories replayed as costumes.

After hours of discussion, the team decides to investigate directly. Peter is sent out to acquire one of the costumes. Two days later, he returns with an Iron Man nanotech suit. It is fully functional and fully untraceable.

A week passes while the team searches in vain for the source. During a patrol, Peter finally encounters someone sitting quietly by a fountain, sketching the costumes from the photos he had seen and mapping out the schematics. The creator had never tried to hide. They had simply been in plain sight all along.

After a tense discussion, Tony approaches first, walking over before anyone else can stop him. He sits down beside the person in silence, fingers twitching over a small tech piece in his pocket, eyes scanning their work. Finally, he speaks.

“You created them, didn’t you?”