Tony groaned as he pushed a half-broken pew off his chest, his suit's internal systems crackling from the mist's strange corrosive touch. "Okay… that was new."
"Yeah," Rhodey muttered, pulling himself free from the rubble. "We just got our asses handed to us by a guy in a leather jacket and a bad attitude."
"He's not just some punk, Rhodey," Tony grunted, bringing up his helmet's cracked HUD. "That was something else… Mist manipulation. That wasn't tech — it's a superpower. My sensors didn't detect a single piece of tech on him."
"Great," Rhodey groaned, shaking his head. "You know I hate those superpowered types. Why is it they always get powers and just use them for selfish reasons? Meanwhile, people like us actually want to use what we've got to protect people, and we get nothing."
Tony glanced at the scorch marks left behind, his HUD scanning the residual energy signatures.
"We're gonna need someone who can track him. And by the way — Fury looked especially pissed about this one. Even more so than when that White Sorcerer guy stole Loki's staff… and that cube, what was it? The Tesseract."
"I don't know," Rhodey muttered. "Fury only said if we don't get this sorted, our world might face another invasion."
Rhodey sighed, flexing his gauntlet and letting it power up again.
"So what's our next move?"
Before Tony could answer, the battered factory Walls crashed open with a sharp burst. Heavy footsteps approached, and moments later, Captain America and Black Widow stepped into the ruined chapel.
"You two look like hell," Natasha remarked dryly, taking in the wreckage and scorch marks.
"You're late," Tony grumbled, brushing debris off his shoulder.
"Traffic," Steve quipped, then his gaze hardened. "Where is he?"
"Gone," Rhodey muttered. "Left us in the dirt. Mist powers or something — nothing our scanners could lock onto."
Natasha's eyes narrowed as she scanned the lingering mist clinging to the corners of the ruined factory like dying smoke.
"Mist powers… there was no such thing in the SHIELD database," Natasha muttered.
"Must be a new guy," Rhodey grunted, shaking his head. The others nodded in grim agreement.
"You at least put a tracker on him, right?" Steve asked, glancing toward Tony.
"I did," Tony sighed. "But the guy pulled it off, threw it right back in my face, and vanished in that damn mist. Didn't even trigger the proximity alert."
Steve exhaled, frustrated. "We need to get a handle on this. We're supposed to be Earth's last line of defense — and first that White Sorcerer guy, now this… we're getting beat again and again." He clenched his fists, the sting of recent failures still fresh.
"Piece of work, that guy," Tony muttered.
"Anyway, speaking of that guy... did any of you get any qualifications to learn at Kamar-Taj?" Tony asked with a shrug, looking around the room. "I tried, but that bald old lady said I wasn't suitable for mystic arts."
"Me neither," Captain America replied, shaking his head.
Black Widow and Rhodey also shared a glance, both of them nodding in agreement.
"Tell me one of us is learning," Tony pressed, frustration rising in his voice. "I'm ready to get some answers, and if this is about mystical powers, we need someone who knows what the hell they're doing."
"Bri—Bri's learning, actually," Natasha said, her expression thoughtful. "But she's still in training. Can't expect her to pull any tricks yet."
"Who's Bri?" Rhodey asked, glancing at Natasha with a puzzled look.
Natasha nodded, her face serious. "She's... an agent. Mostly do Paper work, but she's got the qualifications for mystic arts. She's been training under some pretty intense conditions. Kamar-Taj sent her a message after she passed their trials. No one else was even considered."
Tony's eyes narrowed. "So, she's legit?"
Natasha nodded again. "I've seen her in action. She's getting powerful, but the problem is, she's not teaching us magic or whatever mystic arts this is. She's still working on mastering her skills."
" and she can't even teach us unless she got permission from Ancient one"
"Great," Tony muttered, glancing at the rest of the team. "So we're stuck with this... until then."
Tony clapped his hands together, breaking the tension in the room. "Alright, let's stop with the doom and gloom. We're Avengers for a reason. We've been through worse, and we'll get through this."
"He's right," Captain America added, giving a steady look to the rest of the team. "We have our strengths. We've taken down enemies far worse than a guy with a mist power. So, let's regroup and figure out what comes next."
Rhodey rolled his shoulders and gave a half-smile. "Yeah, that's more like it. No point getting stuck in the mud. Let's keep moving forward."
"Exactly," Natasha added, her tone much firmer now. "We'll sort this out one step at a time. And while Bri might be learning magic, we still have a lot of other resources at our disposal."
Tony grinned. "That's more like the spirit! Let's figure out what our next move is and keep the pressure on whoever's out there."
As the team started to gather their focus, the atmosphere lightened. Despite the unknowns and the challenges ahead, they knew one thing: they were in this together, and they wouldn't back down.
Tony returned to his home and sat on the edge of his chair, his mind racing. "JARVIS, bring up that guy we met in the old factory," he said as he leaned back, rubbing his eyes.
"Yes, sir," JARVIS replied.
The screen flickered to life, showing the image of Michael, his expression as cold as the mist he'd left behind. He was dressed in leather, his stance poised and ready for a fight.
"Interesting," Tony muttered to himself. "He looks like he's been trained, but... no. The way he used the mist—it's more than just some rogue. He's got a purpose. His whole vibe... it's like he's been groomed for something big."
He scrolled through more files, his fingers hovering over the data. "I don't know what's worse, though. That guy or the fact that Kingpin's connected to him somehow. It's like the same day Kingpin died, this guy's rise started. Could be a coincidence... but I doubt it."
He frowned as he looked at more data on the screen, focusing on the connections. "I've seen this kind of power before, and it's not just tech. We need to know more about the Darkhold. Whatever that book is, it's dangerous. And this guy—Michael—he's tied to it."
*******
Like it?
***
Join the Patreon for latest Marvel chaps
Read More at :- patreon.com/be_king