Seeing Captain Marvel vanish into the distance, Tony shook his head wearily.
He honestly couldn't muster any concern about the fate of aliens across the universe right now.
New York was gone. Completely gone. Even the quantum tunnel research he was currently running relied on backup equipment salvaged from the Veronica space station.
For him, the priority was dealing with the casualties in New York, then reassuring and arming the people of Earth.
Reviving the Superhuman Registration Act, mass producing Iron Man armor and corresponding weaponry on a scale he'd always envisioned, giving Earth its own cosmic level defense force. That was what mattered.
Why could Wakanda equip every citizen with energy shields, but Tony Stark couldn't?
As for the dead aliens Captain Marvel kept harping about, or the possibility of alien retaliation against Earth...
Even if Earth kept its head down, Thanos still attacked, didn't he?
If Earth wasn't strong enough, another threat would come knocking sooner or later.
Tony Stark did not believe appeasing aliens would guarantee Earth's safety.
Even if it could, that wasn't the kind of safety Tony Stark would settle for.
...
Meanwhile, at the edge of the crater.
Groot, the young tree creature who wasn't particularly afraid of lightning, dragged Thor's unconscious, electrically sparking body onto a patch of relatively soft rock.
Once there, Groot and Rocket exchanged a helpless look.
"I am Groot," Groot said.
Hearing that, Rocket shook his head ruefully.
"No clue. I'm not an Asgardian god. How am I supposed to know when he'll wake up?"
"I am Groot!" Groot insisted.
Rocket sighed and nodded.
"Yeah, we just gotta wait here until he comes around. But don't worry. He's Thor. As long as he didn't die on the spot, I figure he'll pull through."
As soon as Rocket finished speaking, Groot's expression soured. He looked at Rocket with renewed concern.
"I am Groot?"
Now Rocket's face fell too.
He thought about it for a long moment before answering, his voice full of resignation.
"You're right. You're growing up, Groot. Like you said, if Thor wakes up and decides to go after that Superman guy again, then he really will be dead for sure. So if he wakes up and he's still that hot headed..."
"I am Groot!"
"That's right! We have to stop him!"
Rocket and Groot smacked their palms together with fierce determination.
Elsewhere around the crater, similar scenes were playing out.
Captain America stood beside Black Panther, discussing relocation plans with King T'Challa.
"T'Challa."
Rogers looked around and made his earnest request.
"America is currently dealing with the joy of loved ones returning and the chaos of New York sinking into the ground. As for our friends..."
He gestured toward the alien pirates and Ravagers.
"We'd like to request shelter in Wakanda for a few days, until we finish clearing out the scattered remnants of Thanos's forces from the open areas around New York."
"Of course."
T'Challa agreed without hesitation. This was a trivial matter for Wakanda.
As the wealthiest nation on Earth, a country where even common citizens wielded Vibranium weapons worth millions, Wakanda could easily provide food and shelter for a few thousand people.
Just then, Valkyrie wandered over.
Hearing Rogers's request, she considered it for a moment.
"Uh... actually, our Asgardian village in Norway could take in some folks too. At least we've got plenty of booze."
"No!"
Cap shut that idea down immediately. All he could picture was Thor's scatterbrained Asgardians mixing with Quill's rowdy band of cosmic pirates.
Especially with all that alcohol involved.
He could already see the disaster waiting to happen.
...
While the battle of New York had annihilated the city, Los Angeles remained stubbornly Los Angeles.
Take the Starlight Barbecue Club where Heisenberg was currently drinking, for example. This place was fantastic.
He lounged back on the sofa, an arm slung around two giggling girls, sipping his drink while watching the news on the big screen.
Nearby, a trembling server kept refilling his glass and brought out a clay pot of honey-glazed bear paw, specially procured from Chinatown.
Heisenberg lifted the lid with satisfaction. Inside, the bear paw was braised to perfection. He inhaled the aroma.
"Good job."
He clapped the server on the shoulder. The gesture made the poor man flinch in terror.
Seeing the server shaking like a leaf, Heisenberg waved dismissively.
"You scare way too easily. How much for the bear paw?"
"N-n-n-no!" The server looked ready to wet himself. "No charge!"
"Tch. You Americans aren't that generous. Name your price. Hey, you lot in the corner, someone come pay my tab."
Heisenberg called out toward a corner of the club.
In the next instant, over seventy people huddled in that corner scrambled to their feet.
"Let me!"
"I've got cash!"
"Nobody fight me on this! Paying for Mr. Heisenberg is my honor!"
"Back off, I'm the manager. I'll pay!"
"I'm LAPD! Los Angeles Police Department! Let me handle it!"
"Please, just let me pay! I need to pick up my daughter from school!"
Seventy people erupted into chaos over the right to settle the bill. In the end, the LAPD officer, young and fit, won the privilege.
He burst from the crowd and jogged up to Heisenberg, pulling out his wallet with a fawning grin.
After removing his badge and credit cards, he practically shoved the entire wallet, cash and all, into the server's hands.
"It's yours! Should cover it!"
Then the cop turned to face Heisenberg.
The hopeful, eager look in his eyes and his puppy-like posture made both girls beside Heisenberg giggle.
Heisenberg stared at the officer with a cold expression until sweat beaded on the man's forehead and the girls finally stopped laughing.
Then he spoke.
"Learn your lesson. Even if you're taking bribes to protect criminal enterprises, you don't have to be the first one charging in when they're in real danger. Knowing how to use your authority flexibly should be part of your basic training, right?"
"Yes, yes! You're absolutely right, sir!"
"Good. Now get lost."
Heisenberg flicked his fingers, dismissing him.
The LAPD officer nodded frantically in thanks and bolted toward the door like his life depended on it.
But then the massive flatscreen TV in the club aired a breaking news segment, and he froze mid-stride.
"The Los Angeles News Channel has just received the latest update from our Philadelphia affiliate regarding the situation in New York. Thanks to this information, we have now confirmed the true identity of the so-called 'suspect.' Approximately one hour and twenty-two minutes ago, an individual carried out an assault on a prominent club along the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This individual then occupied the club, took over fifty hostages, and neutralized two successive SWAT teams, adding them to the hostage count. That individual's true identity is... a superhero! Let's take a look at some incredible footage from his performance during the Battle of New York!"
The screen cut to satellite imagery of the New York battle.
And which part did they show?
Naturally, the part where Heisenberg conjured a titanic force field to block the warship barrage, sliced Thanos's flagship in half with his heat vision, and froze a colossal tidal wave with his frost breath.
That footage, of course, showed Heisenberg's face and physique in perfect clarity.
In the corner of the club, the group of hostages stared at the screen with bulging eyes, then slowly, trembling, turned their heads toward Heisenberg.
The figure on the screen, shirt torn but radiating power, was unmistakably the same young man now lounging shirtless in dress pants, enjoying a massage.
The news anchor continued.
"It seems we all recognize him now. This is absolutely incredible! The signature heat vision and frost breath, combined with a biological force field that exceeds anything depicted in the comics. Apparently, our comic book artists underestimated Superman's true capabilities. But why would Superman attack a club here in Los Angeles? We must admit, this private, members-only establishment catering exclusively to the ultra-wealthy must harbor some hidden darkness and criminal activity. Superman, sir, if you're watching this broadcast, please forgive the minor misunderstandings we may have broadcast earlier! We in the news business have a tough job. We didn't mean any of those things we said before..."
The anchor's voice cut off as the network abruptly killed the feed.
At that moment, the two stunned girls beside Heisenberg stared at him, their eyes wide with disbelief.
"Th-that was really...?"
"That was me. What, you don't think it's cool enough?"
Heisenberg grinned at them.
The girls' eyes lit up like stars.
"Ahhh! It's Superman! Superman saved us!"
"I knew the comics were real! I knew we had to believe in the light!"
Heisenberg blinked at the second girl's outburst and reached over to tousle her hair.
"Wrong franchise, kid. Believing in light is Ultraman's thing."
He turned away from the two women he'd just liberated, his attention caught by something at the club's entrance.
The LAPD officer, still frozen near the door, practically melted in terror when he noticed Heisenberg's gaze.
He stumbled out of the club.
The moment he stepped outside, the world seemed to snap back into focus. He didn't even register the strangely dressed woman walking right past him.
His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground.
More than three hundred SWAT officers outside immediately rushed forward to drag him away and onto an ambulance.
But Heisenberg wasn't looking at the cop.
He was watching Captain Marvel stride toward him, her expression a thundercloud of displeasure.
She looked absolutely livid. Before she even reached him, she jabbed a finger at the hostages still sweating in the corner.
"Your doing?"
"Who else?"
"You really are pathetic. Abusing your power like this is shameful."
"Heh. And what gives you the right to decide how I use my power?"
Heisenberg snorted and gestured at the sofa across from him.
"Sit down. I've got bear paw. I'll share."
"Tch."
Carol's frown deepened.
She stalked up to him, standing over him, chin raised imperiously.
"I originally came just to borrow two Infinity Stones to fix the mess you made. But now I see I have something else to deal with first."
She jerked her thumb toward the hostages.
"Release them. Now."
Heisenberg paused. Then a cold smile spread across his face.
Still smiling, he pointed firmly at the sofa beside him.
"I said... sit."
/-\
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