Maria Hill stood on the steps of 177A Bleecker Street, checking her watch.
Fury had informed her that some reclusive monastic organization was sending someone to assist with their Ultron problem; he sent her to this place to fetch that 'someone'. Though she's expecting that person to look the part, probably an old monk in robes.
She raised her hand to knock again when a voice spoke from right beside her.
"You don't need to do that. I'm here."
Hill flinched, her hand instinctively moving toward her holster as she spun around.
Leaning against the stone railing of the stairs was a teenager. He looked about sixteen to eighteen, wearing an expensive charcoal blazer and dark sunglasses and was looking at her with mild interest.
Hill stared at him, then looked back at the still-closed heavy doors of the Sanctum. She hadn't heard them open. She hadn't even heard footsteps.
"Who are you?" Hill asked, her hand still hovering over her firearm. She scanned the empty street, then looked back at the teenager. "I'm expecting someone at this place, is he inside?"
The teenager grinned. "You're looking at him, name's Satoru Gojo. You can just call me Gojo, though."
Hill stared at him, unimpressed. "Is this a joke? We're dealing with a global threat, kid. Go get whoever is actually in charge."
Satoru hopped off the railing, shoving his hands into his pockets. He was surprisingly tall, towering over her as he stood on the step below.
He didn't mind being called 'kid'; he was aware of his current appearance and age, and the woman calling him such was only appropriate.
"The person in charge sent me," Satoru said, his tone casual. "If you want someone who knows how to deal with a mess like Ultron, I'm the one you want."
He stepped closer, his height and presence forcing Hill to tilt her head back just to keep eye contact. Behind the dark lenses of his glasses, she felt like she was being dissected, even though she couldn't see his eyes.
"And just so we're clear," Satoru continued, a small, playful smirk tugging at his lips. "I'm not helping because I have to be. I'm helping because… let's say because of a promise. So, are we going, or are you going to keep staring at me like I'm a museum exhibit?"
Hill felt a vein in her temple throb. She had dealt with rogue gods, frozen super-soldiers, and eccentric billionaires, but there was something about this kid that was uniquely irritating.
Hill let out a sharp, impatient breath. She didn't have time to deal with this. Besides, Fury's orders were to bring whoever they provided. If they really sent a kid, then so be it.
"The car is at the curb," she said, her voice dropping into a flat, professional clip. "You can call me Agent Hill."
"Yes, ma'am!" Satoru chirped, strolling past her toward the waiting SUV. "By the way, Agent Hill, you should really do something about that backup glock on your left ankle that looks like it's pinching your skin. That can't be good for your circulation."
Hill froze with her hand on the car door handle. Her tactical trousers were designed specifically to hide the print of her ankle holster, and Satoru hadn't even glanced toward her feet since he appeared.
"How did you—"
"I see a lot of things," Satoru interrupted, sliding into the backseat and stretching his long legs out as if he were in a limousine. "Now, let's move. Don't we have a toaster to dismantle?"
…
The drive through Manhattan was mostly silent, save for the occasional tapping of Satoru's fingers against the window glass. Hill watched him through the rearview mirror. He was staring at the neon lights of Broadway with a distant look.
"We're three minutes out," Hill said, breaking the silence. "The Avengers are... on edge. We lost the Cradle in Seoul, and Stark is currently trying to reinforce an asset we have on NEXUS in Oslo, Norway. They'll fill you in on the agenda at hand after I introduce you to them."
Satoru hummed, his head leaning back against the leather seat. He could already see it, the massive spire of the Avengers Tower was dead ahead.
"You know," he said as he adjusted his glasses. "I've seen Stark on TV plenty of times. He always looks like he's trying too hard to prove he's the smartest guy in the room. Does he do that in person, too?"
"You're about to find out," Hill replied shortly.
Satoru didn't answer.
But then, his Six Eyes detected a violent spike of energy. He tilted his head back, his gaze cutting through the roof of the SUV and focused on the topmost wide windows of the Avengers Tower.
"Stop the car," Satoru said.
"What? We're almost—"
Before Hill could finish, a deafening crack of thunder drowned her out. High above, bolts of blue lightning shattered the wide glass windows of the Avengers Tower.
Clap!
Satoru didn't wait for Hill to react. One second he was sitting in the backseat, and the next, the seat was empty.
Hill slammed on the brakes, staring at the space where the teenager had been. She looked up at the tower, where more lightning was arcing through the shattered windows from the inside.
"Great," she muttered, grabbing her comms. "Stark, what's going on up there?"
…
[ Avengers Tower ]
Inside the lab, the tension had snapped. Thor had just arrived, but he wasn't there to help with strategizing in their course of action against Ultron; he was furious.
He stood in the center of the room, his cape billowing as sparks still danced off Mjolnir. He had just finished venting his rage on one of Tony's workstations, the lightning from his arrival having blown out the windows Satoru had seen from the SUV.
"I've had a vision!" Thor bellowed, his voice echoing through the ruined floor. "I have seen the end of all things! The Mind Stone is at the center of a whirlpool that will consume us all, and you fools let it slip through your fingers!"
Tony Stark stood amidst the wreckage of his equipment, looking more haggard than usual. Steve Rogers and Bruce Banner were nearby, weapons and gadgets half-raised, unsure if Thor was attacking them or the air.
"Little late for the weather report, Point Break," Tony snapped, though his hands were shaking. "We know we lost the Cradle. We're trying to stop Ultron from hitting Oslo before he turns the nuclear codes into a global Vengaboys concert."
"You do not understand!" Thor stepped toward him, shattering the shards of glass under his foot. "The Mind Stone is one of the six Infinity Stones. The greatest power in the universe, unparalleled in its destructive capabilities. In that synthetic shell is an engine of destruction. And since Ultron has fully integrated, he becomes a storm the Avengers cannot stop!"
Steve Rogers stepped forward, his shield held low but his stance ready. "Thor, we get it. We messed up in Seoul. But right now, Ultron is bound to head for the NEXUS. We need to plan, there's always going to be a solution for this."
Thor gripped Mjolnir until his knuckles turned white, holding back his fury. He looked from Steve to Tony, breathing heavily, before the tension finally left his shoulders. He took a deep breath, the lightning around his hammer fading into a dull hum.
"I hope you are right, Captain," Thor said, his voice now quiet and heavy with a weight the others couldn't see. "But I have walked the Water of Sight. I have seen the shadows of the future, and they are paved with the shards of this world. If we do not stop him at the NEXUS, there will be no second chances."
"He's right," Wanda Maximoff whispered.
The room went silent as everyone turned to look at her. She stood with her arms wrapped tightly around herself.
"I saw it," she continued, her voice trembling. "When I touched the Cradle in Seoul... I didn't just see Ultron's goal, I saw the aftermath. It wasn't war or a conquest, it was total annihilation."
Pietro stepped closer to his sister, his usual cocky expression replaced by a look of genuine concern.
"Wanda?" he asked softly.
"I'm fine, Pietro," she said, then looked at the people around her. "We need to stop him at all costs."
Tony Stark let out a sharp, jagged breath, turning back to his flickering holographic displays. "Okay, so Point Break and the Girl from Sokovia are both predicting the apocalypse. That's a great morale booster, really top-tier stuff. Bruce, tell me you've got something better than 'we're all going to die'."
Bruce Banner rubbed his face, looking exhausted. "Tony, if the Mind Stone is as powerful as they're saying, our conventional tracking is useless. We're blind."
The lab fell into a heavy, suffocating silence. The greatest heroes on Earth just stood there for a moment, facing a threat that had outgrown their ability to fight it.
"Man, you guys are a real bummer," a smooth, playful voice drifted in from the shattered window.
The group spun around instantly.
Sitting on the jagged edge of the broken window frame, one leg swinging over the thousand-foot drop into the Manhattan night, was Satoru.
"Who the hell are you?" Clint Barton was the first to react, as he nocked an arrow.
"Jesus Christ." Satoru quipped.