The American President's Airbus One suddenly lost all external signals mid-flight. Although the Pentagon and the White House were momentarily in the dark about the situation, reports indicated that Tony Stark was on board; consequently, officials at all levels of the White House were not particularly worried.
How big of a deal could it be? Was there anything the Avengers couldn't handle?
Thus, while they mobilized satellites to see what was happening, they sent inquiries to the Avengers' side to ask for details—yet, at this very moment, they hadn't even grasped the conflict between the American Avengers and the main Avengers group, as the intelligence had not yet reached that level of the hierarchy.
Meanwhile, reporters in Pittsburgh were ecstatic, preparing to interrogate the local government and drafting articles sufficient to make the White House the laughingstock of the world for an entire year.
For President Ellis, the media was currently the least of his concerns. As Airbus One gradually lost altitude, he could not help but worry for his own safety. Though the Tony Stark before him appeared leisurely and seemed to have everything under control, it was not enough to fully dispel the panic in the President's heart.
For reasons he couldn't name, he felt a sense of dread, as if something terrible was about to occur.
Internal communications across the entirety of Airbus One were completely blocked. It seemed even Tony Stark had no way of contacting the outside world, as he had lapsed into silence for some time.
"It looks like we're almost there, Mr. President."
Sensing the change in the aircraft's altitude, Tony stood up with a smile. "Pardon me, I need to use the restroom. The Iron Man armor will protect you, Mr. President."
As Tony spoke and rose, the nervous President Ellis suddenly noticed something amiss.
Wait, if Tony Stark left the armor here with him, wouldn't Stark himself be left without any protection?
Thinking of this, President Ellis hurriedly stood up, then hesitated, and sat back down. He wasn't sure what would happen, but what if—just what if—Tony Stark was truly defenseless and was assassinated in the restroom by an A.I.M. employee controlling the flight crew? Wouldn't he be doomed as well?
Tony entered the restroom unceremoniously to relieve the pressure. Just as he was pulling up his trousers and fastening his belt, he first heard a knock on the door, followed by President Ellis's voice: "Sorry, Stark, I'm just a bit nervous..."
"It's alright, Mr. President. I'll be out in a second."
Tony left the plane's lavatory with a smile. Surveying his surroundings, he realized Ellis was currently outside the protection of his All-New, All-Different armor. He nodded understandingly to the President and turned to leave. At that exact moment, President Ellis, who had plucked up the courage to approach the restroom, found himself face-to-face with the exiting Tony.
Almost simultaneously, President Ellis saw another version of himself appear behind Tony. This second Ellis held a gun, aiming it at Tony Stark's back with a sinister smile before pulling the trigger.
In an unknown location, Nimrod watched this unfold. His calculations were precise; it required only a tiny bit of inducement to guide history back toward its proper course. These foolish humans would try to change destiny because they understood it, but that very attempt would only trap them in an unalterable fate.
For instance, to prevent the birth of the Nimrod of this timeline, Tony Stark would move to acquire Trask Industries. This action itself was a new piece of information. Once Nimrod timely transmitted this to Mystique, she would conclude that Tony Stark was the most pivotal existence—the one who would develop new Sentinels for the slaughter of mutants.
Therefore, guided by her own abilities and Nimrod's direction, Mystique would infiltrate Avengers Tower to investigate their ongoing plans. She would easily discover the friction between A.I.M. and Tony Stark, shifting her entire focus toward the assassination of Stark.
Thus, at this moment, history returned to its original form: Tony Stark and President Matthew Ellis would die in the A.I.M. conspiracy. Subsequently, Nimrod would ensure that even if A.I.M. collapsed and the Vice President was arrested, the newly inaugurated government would still discover that Mystique had assassinated the President and Tony Stark. They would then re-arrange the acquisition of Trask Industries, bringing everything back on track.
It all happened in a lightning-fast instant. Bright sparks flashed across the surface of Tony's body as an All-New, All-Different armor manifested, blocking the bullet. Tony spun around instantly, pinning the Ellis-disguised Mystique to the ground as a full suit of armor materialized over his body.
"No one ever said a person could only wear one suit of armor, lady." Tony, holding Mystique down, flashed a grin. "Surprised?"
Surprised was an understatement for both Mystique and Nimrod. Nimrod reacted swiftly. Suddenly, President Ellis felt a powerful sensation of weightlessness and couldn't help but shout, "What's happening?! Stark!"
"It seems the mastermind behind all this intends to drop us to our deaths. He's slaved the Airbus One into a freefall toward the ground."
Tony remained entirely unperturbed; everything was within his expectations. "Given our altitude, the freefall should last at least a minute, though the plane will likely disintegrate before then."
"Then what do we do?"
"Why don't we sit down and have a nice cup of coffee?"
Tony laughed nonchalantly. Then, following a bout of shaking, the plane seemed to stabilize and resume level flight. President Ellis looked at Tony in bewilderment, unsure of what trick he had pulled. He followed Tony back into the main cabin, where the other All-New, All-Different armor still stood perfectly intact.
He looked out the porthole in confusion and saw the Avengers' Quinjet flying alongside Airbus One. Below them, Thor was hoisting the entire aircraft, flying steadily and descending slowly toward the ground.
"We'll get you to a safe place first, Your Excellency, and then we'll deal with A.I.M.," Tony said to the President with a smile. "However, I do have a small personal request I hope you can fulfill."
"Go ahead, Mr. Stark."
"Regarding Stark Industries' acquisition of Trask Industries, I hope that Stark Industries will not face any political pressure or antitrust investigations. Is that acceptable?"