Pietro wasn't bothering with any kind of superhero costume—just ordinary athletic wear and sneakers that allowed him maximum mobility during his crime-fighting activities. While his outfit lacked the dramatic flair typically associated with costumed heroes, he was undeniably performing superhero work throughout Los Angeles.
More notably, Pietro made no effort whatsoever to conceal his identity or maintain any kind of secret persona.
At this particular moment, he was using his superhuman speed to pursue a group of bank robbers who had just completed their heist. The criminals' getaway car had managed to shake off the pursuing LAPD vehicles, but Pietro remained effortlessly alongside them despite their high-speed escape attempt.
Although the driver had floored the accelerator and was pushing the vehicle to its mechanical limits, Pietro's enhanced speed made their frantic escape look like slow motion. To his perspective, they might as well have been crawling.
Within minutes, Pietro had shattered the car's front windshield with a precisely aimed punch, causing the driver to lose control and crash into a fire hydrant on the sidewalk.
As the dazed robbers stumbled from their wrecked vehicle, Pietro systematically knocked each one unconscious before using their own belts to bind them securely.
Standing over his defeated opponents with obvious satisfaction, Pietro admired his handiwork while waiting for the authorities to arrive.
Several minutes later, the LAPD units that had been left behind finally caught up to the scene. Along with the police officers came news reporters who had been monitoring police communications for exactly this kind of story.
The subsequent events followed a predictable pattern: the police took custody of the belt-bound criminals while Pietro cheerfully provided an interview for the television cameras, describing his methods and motivations with the enthusiasm of someone who genuinely enjoyed the spotlight.
Once he had finished explaining his heroic actions to the press, Pietro activated his speed powers and vanished from sight, leaving behind only impressed witnesses and excellent footage for the evening news.
Richard observed the entire sequence from his aerial vantage point, his enhanced vision allowing him to track Pietro's movements even when the speedster became invisible to normal human perception.
After departing the crime scene, Pietro didn't return to their downtown apartment as expected. Instead, he continued patrolling the city streets, clearly hoping to encounter additional criminal activity before the day ended.
Seeing that Pietro had no immediate intention of going home, Richard redirected his attention and teleported back to ground level.
Downtown Los Angeles - Luxury Apartment
Richard materialized in the living room to find Wanda in her usual position on the sofa, simultaneously watching American television and practicing her chaos magic abilities.
Various household objects—cups, remote controls, pillows, fruit knives, pieces of fruit—orbited around her in defiance of gravity, forming complex patterns that demonstrated her increasing control over her supernatural abilities.
"Are you finished with everything in Virginia?" Wanda asked with obvious pleasure upon seeing his return.
"More or less," Richard replied as he settled onto the adjacent sofa.
"How long will you be staying this time?" she continued.
"Not very long," Richard admitted. While Banner's situation had been resolved, his relationship with Betty remained an ongoing commitment that would require attention.
Before Wanda could respond, Richard continued with an unexpected question. "I'm actually here to ask if you'd be interested in moving to New York."
Wanda's eyes widened with surprise. "New York?"
After a few seconds of consideration, she replied thoughtfully, "I don't have any objections. From my perspective, living in Los Angeles or New York makes little difference."
She paused before adding, "However, Pietro might be reluctant to leave. He's become quite the local celebrity here."
Wanda had no problem with Pietro's crime-fighting activities, but she was growing concerned about his increasingly high public profile. What had started as occasional media interviews had evolved into daily press conferences and public appearances.
Moreover, as his fame had grown, Pietro had been spending less time at their apartment and more nights in expensive hotels around the city.
"If he prefers to stay in Los Angeles, he can remain here," Richard said with a casual shrug. "He's an adult now. Even living alone, he should be perfectly capable of taking care of himself."
While Pietro wasn't particularly powerful by superhuman standards, ordinary criminals posed virtually no threat to someone with his speed. As long as he didn't become overconfident, even the combined criminal organizations of Los Angeles couldn't present a serious challenge.
Wanda frowned slightly at this suggestion. While she understood that Pietro was now capable of independent living, she preferred not to be separated from her brother if possible. They had been inseparable since childhood, having never lived apart even during their most difficult years as orphans.
"When he comes home, I'll discuss it with him first," she said finally.
Richard nodded his agreement and let the subject drop.
After spending several hours with Wanda in Los Angeles, Richard teleported back to Virginia to rejoin Betty.
Virginia - Betty's House
Almost immediately upon his return, Richard's phone began ringing with an incoming call from Betty.
"I've finished my classes for today," she said without preamble. "Would you and Banner like to have lunch somewhere, or should I pick up groceries and cook at home?"
"Banner has left," Richard informed her simply.
The line went silent for several seconds as Betty processed this information.
"Where did he go?" she finally asked.
"New York."
"But he doesn't have any money or resources..." Betty began, her voice carrying notes of concern.
"Don't worry about that," Richard assured her. "I provided him with sufficient funds to live comfortably in New York for quite some time."
"Alright then, I'll head home now," Betty said with obvious relief.
"I'll come pick you up," Richard offered before ending the call.
He immediately teleported to Betty's office, where she was just finishing her preparations to leave for the day. She approached him and took his arm, and in the next instant, they both vanished from the university.
One Week Later
Time continued to flow with the peaceful regularity that Richard had come to appreciate during his extended stay in this universe.
The primary change in his routine had been the purchase of a luxurious 300-square-meter apartment in Manhattan—a strategic acquisition that would serve as his base of operations for upcoming events in New York.
The day after completing the real estate transaction, Richard had returned to Los Angeles to discuss the relocation with Pietro and Wanda.
Contrary to expectations, Pietro had shown no reluctance about leaving his newfound fame behind. Despite having become something of a local celebrity, he was perfectly willing to relocate to New York with his sister.
Richard had used the Cosmic Cube to create a dimensional gateway directly to their new Manhattan apartment, making the move as simple as walking through a doorway with their packed belongings.
Stark Mansion - Workshop
In addition to facilitating the twins' relocation, Richard had also paid a visit to Tony Stark to assess the inventor's current progress.
Tony had successfully completed development of the Mark V armor—his portable suitcase design that sacrificed weapons and protection in favor of rapid deployment capability. More importantly, he had begun addressing the critical issue of arc reactor upgrades.
While the symptoms of palladium poisoning weren't yet obvious, Tony had wisely recognized the long-term threat and temporarily suspended work on new armor designs to focus on developing a safer power source.
Observing Tony's proactive approach to solving this potentially fatal problem, Richard decided to provide a subtle hint that could accelerate the process.
"Have you considered examining your father's research archives?" Richard suggested casually during their conversation. "Howard Stark was working on some interesting energy projects before his death. You might find his legacy more valuable than you realize."
The comment was deliberately vague, but Richard was confident that Tony's curiosity and intellect would lead him to investigate his father's classified work—ultimately pointing him toward the new element that would solve his palladium poisoning crisis.