Chapter 6

"Clint," Natasha stood side by side her best friend and Bobbi, having stayed together while the others split up and scattered across to search for children "Who is that?"

"Judging by my luck, I'd say that's the real Mandarin," the archer assumed as he loaded his bow, "You two go find the kids. I'll try to keep him busy."

"There is no way we are letting you fight that thing alone," Bobbi refused almost instantly.

"And there is no way I am letting my best friend and the pregnant love of life try to stay here and back me up after seeing what that guy did to Stark. We need to get the kids out of here before,"

BOOM!

Clint's words were cut short as an explosion rang through engulfing the Mandarin in a burst of fire. "Where did that come from?"

"Mike, what are you doing?"

Mike Peterson stood on the elevator with Daisy Johnson, his smoking rocket launcher aim at the Mandarin through the now shattered glass. "Getting payback," he answered.

The cyborg's eyes widened as the smoke cleared, revealing that the Mandarin had been completely unharmed. The Mandarin simply clenched his right fist, causing the emerald-like ring on his third finger to glow as green electrical sparks burst off his knuckles.

KOOM!

Mike and Daisy shielded their eyes as the Mandarin turned into a bolt of green lighting, disappearing as quickly as he appeared. "Where did he?"

KOOM!

The two SHIELD agents staggered back as the Mandarin appeared right in front of them, grabbing Mike by his throat and tossing him out of the elevator and crashing down into the second court.

"Mike!" Daisy shouted.

The female Inhuman thrust her good arm forward and unleashed a massive seismic blast, knocking the Mandarin out of the elevator and crashing into the floor below, only to rise to his feet a second later.

BANG!

The Mandarin turned around slowing as a bullet bounced off the back of his armor, turning around to see Mack and Hunter firing away with their pistols. The Mandarin pointed his left fist at the SHIELD agents, the ring on his index finger glowing bright red.

FWOOSH!

Mack and Hunter's eyes nearly fell out of their heads as a stream of fire burst from the Mandarin's ring, causing them to dive for the ground as the flames nearly missed their faces, screaming in agony as the fire scorched Mack's arm and Hunter's back.

VOOM!

The Mandarin fell down on one knee as Daisy jumped down from the elevator, blasting him with as much power as she could muster, causing tiny dents to form in his armor.

The Mandarin slowly raised his left hand and made a fist, causing the amber stone of his pinky ring to glow.

POW!

The hacker turned spy was sent flying across the mall as a beam light erupted from the Mandarin's ring, striking her in the stomach and knocking her to the ground. Daisy coughed up a mouthful of blood as she struggled to raise her head, pressing her good hand firmly against her now bleeding stomach. The super-powered spy attempted to crawl away as The Mandarin stood up, slowly stalking after her.

"I've heard many stories about you, Daisy Johnson," he said in a dark digitized voice "Seems that's all they were."

ZAP!

The Mandarin screamed in pain as a volt of electricity struck him in the back, his hands locking up in half-clenched fists as green volts of electric current arced up and down his formarms.

"Get away from her!" Lincoln shouted, marching towards the villain with both hands raised, firing as much electric power as he could.

The Mandarin reached out and grabbed the blonde agent's arm once he was in reach, squeezing tight and causing Inhuman to end his attack. "I've never heard of you."

Lincoln screamed in agony as the Mandarin slammed his fist into the Inhuman's restrained arm, breaking in half with a deafening crack.

"And I can see why," The Mandarin commented, right before a wisp of red light wrapped around his arm.

WHAM!

The Mandarin groaned as he was yanked down to the bottom floor of the mall, looking up to see Wanda Maximoff and Melinda May standing over him. The second female Avenger moved her finger but an inch in the air, sending the Mandarin flying into all, cracking the plaster she held him in place. "You ever hear of me?"

"Indeed I have," the Mandarin confirmed with a groan, slowing raising his arm and making a fist once the green lighting stopped.

Wanda's eyes widened in horror as a beam of amber light raced past her head, blasting a massive hole in the floor above, leaving countless lives in mortal danger. The second female Avenger released the Mandarin from her grasp as she held the floor together with her powers, urging the civilians both above and below to hurry to safety as May lead them to the exits.

As far as the Mandarin was concerned, only a fool would try to fight the Scarlet Witch. "Morgan," he called in a singsong voice as he rose into the air, "where are you?"

"How does he know Morgan?" Pepper Potts stood on the second floor near the exit with Jane Foster and Maria Hill, her heart racing at the sound of the Mandarin's voice. "How does he know my daughter?"

"I don't know. I don't know," Hill repeated "But you and Jane are no good her or the other kids if you put yourselves in harm's way."

"Morgan," The Mandarin repeated "Come out to play."

"No," Pepper's heart raced as she watched the villain float through the air across the mall, the thought of leaving her little girl alone with that monster making her sick to her stomach. "No, I can't leave her!"

"Pepper!" Hill shouted as the businesswoman ran straight into the fray "Go," she told Jane as she pointed to the exit "get help. I'll get Pepper."

"I know you're here Morgan. You and your little friends," The Mandarin's snapped his head up to the clouds as he heard the low rumble of thunder, his entire body becoming tense as he continued his search.

"Come on. Come on." Torunn Foster sat crouched behind the window display at Nordstrom with James, the daughter of Thor reaching up towards the clouds above, a tiny current of lightning arcing across her trembling fingers. The princess of Asgard let out a deep breath as she dropped her arm, her heart racing and head pounding. "I can't do it."

James placed a hand on his best friend's shoulder as she gasped for breath. "It's okay."

"It's not okay. How am I supposed to be the goddess of thunder I can't summon one bloody bolt of lightning?"

"It took your dad fifteen hundred years to make lightning without using a hammer," James reminded "Besides, trying to fight that guy was a bad idea anyway."

"We have to do something. If Mandarin finds Morgan he's going to,"

"I know," James interrupted, pulling up the Find my friends app on his smartwatch "Which is why need to find Morgan before he does."

"Morgan," the Mandarin repeated "Come out, come out wherever you are."

"Please tell me it's ready." Frankie Barton stood with back pressed against a large display of laptops in the Microsoft store, a vibranium arrow loaded in his bow.

"Working on it," Morgan answered, the daughter of Iron Man working furiously with Lillian Fitz-Simmons as they prepared a sample of gravitonium, using a half dozen tablets and laptops "We don't exactly have the best resources here, you know."

"We're going to die," Jack whispered, the son of the Calvary standing next to Frankie behind the laptops, his fingers trembling in fear as he held the ICr in his hand.

"We are not going to die," Frankie promised "We are going to hit that guy with the gravity arrow, he's going to drop like a rock in a lake and then we're getting the heck out of here."

"And go where?" Jack asked.

"Wakanda. No way that guy follows us to Wakanda," Frankie insisted.

"You want to go to Wakanda in a SHIELD plane while it still has closed borders?" Morgan questioned.

"Good point. Greenwich Village?" Frankie suggested after a moment of thinking.

"Greenwich Village," Morgan agreed, not looking up from her work "First we need to teach the Mandarin a lesson."

BOOM!

The children jumped as another explosion rang through the air, looking out the window to see another arrow explode in the villain's face.

BOOM!

"Clint," Bobbi gave her boyfriend a look of dread as she watched her boyfriend ready another shot "What are you dong?"

"Giving the kids time to make a break for it. Now you two need to go find them before,"

KOOM!

The three spies jumped back as The Mandarin appeared before them with a crack of lightning, grabbing Bobbi and Clint by their throats and raising him high. "You'll do."

Natasha jumped to her feet and ran to the aid of her friends, only for them and the Mandarin disappear with the crack of lightning.

"I got a text from James," Morgan informed as she and Lillian continued to work "He and Torunn are on their way here now."

"Good. Once we make this guy's suit weigh a thousand pounds, Torunn can go Ragnarok on his," Frankie's voice trailed off as he felt his stomach twist up in knots, dropping his bow to the ground as his body began to turn to dust "Not again."

"Morgan!" The Mandarin shouted as he reappeared in the middle of the air "Look who I found."

"Sweet Christmas," James' blood turned cold as he recognized the Mandarin's newest hostages: Bobbi Morse and Clint Barton.

"We've gotta get up there," Torunn insisted.

"No." James quickly grabbed his best friend's arm as she attempted to fly into battle "You could end up hitting them. Or he could use them as human shields or something. Morgan texted me that she and Frankie were working on something to take him down. We need to get to Microsoft and set it off."

"You have five seconds to come out or I break their necks," the Mandarin threatened "One...two…,"

"STOP!"

The Mandarin tossed Bobbi and Cint to floor in front of the Macy's store, teleporting across the mall and appearing in front of an eleven year-old girl standing out in the open. "Hello Morgan."

Pepper's heart nearly snapped in two as she spotted her daughter across the mall floor, standing helpless in front of the villain before her.

"Where is he?" The daughter of Iron Man's body trembled as she stared up at the Mandarin, her eyes filled with terror and anger. "Where's my daddy?"

"I was hoping you could tell me. Did the king leave his little princess all alone and unprotected?"

The Mandarin glanced over his shoulder as he felt something bounce off his back, reaching out and catching James Rogers by the collar of his jacket as he came flying in on his hoverboard, once again wearing the helmet given to him by the captain of the Guardians of the Galaxy.

"What do we have here?" the Mandarin asked, ripping the hoverboard off the boy's feet, leaving him in his socks "A little knight of the USA."

"Clint," Natasha's heart nearly jumped out of her chest as she watched the Mandarin raise her son high, his feet dangling in the air as he punched at the Mandarin's face with his shield. "Clint!" she repeated.

The archer groaned as he sat up on the floor, having used his body to shield Bobbi from harm, his eyes widening in disbelief as he saw the crisis at hand. "Oh, that stupid kid." Clint quickly scrambled around to find his bow, only to realize he and Bobbi landed on it when they fell, snapping the string.

"Let him go!" Morgan shouted.

"It's James, isn't?" the Mandarin recalled "Tell me James, did you really think you could stop me all by yourself?"

"Not really. That's why I brought her."

WHAM!

The Mandarin dropped James to the floor as Torunn Foster came flying in at high speeds, slamming her fist into his helmet, the force of her super strength causing him to stagger back in shock.

"For the glory of Asgard!" The daughter of Thor shouted, drawing her sword and slashing across the Mandarin's chest, causing sparks to fly through the air as the metals collided.

The Mandarin raised his arm in self-defense as Torunn lunged her sword at his throat, the blade bouncing harmlessly off his gauntlet.

THWIP!

The Mandarin's head whipped to the side as an arrow collided with the middle of his helmet, clouding his vision with synthetic webbing.

"Morgan."

The daughter of Iron Man turned around at the sound of Frankie's voice, the young archer preparing to take another shot.

"Lillian needs you to help finish the gravity arrow."

"Gravity arrow?" James repeated as he put his shoes back on, his hoverboard retracting back into the soles. "What's a gravity arrow?"

"Guys?" Torunn ducked as the Mandarin swung blindly, slashing her sword across his chest "A little help would be greatly appreciated." The daughter of Thor's eyes widened in shock as he ripped off the webbing covering his face, grabbing her by the shirt and slamming her into the wall, causing her drop her sword.

Morgan quickly pressed a button on her smartwatch, causing the drones in her backpack to fly out of the store as she ran back in.

The Mandarin staggered back as drones opened fire, the paintballs burning away at the metal of his suit.

"Frankie!" James shouted "His rings work like the Infinity Gauntlet! Don't let him close his fists!"

"On it!" The young archer quickly fired a pair of web arrows, covering the Mandarin's hands in synthetic webs.

The son of Captain America jumped to his feet and summoned his hoverboard, flying up to the Mandarin and leaning back, using the thrusters to scorch his helmet and blind him.

Torunn grabbed her sword off the ground and slashed across his face, cracking his helmet and sending shards flying.

The Mandarin staggered back with a hand covering the exposed side of his face, bringing it back down to reveal a dark, rage filled eye. The villain growled in fury as he raised his web-covered fists in the air, ready to crush James and Torunn with one blow. The children of the Avengers threw up their weapons to block the attack, their feet sliding across the mall floor as they fought to keep the Mandarin back.

"Morgan!" Frankie shouted as he fired two web arrows at the Mandarin's feet, only or him to tear through the web as he kept moving closer as the RC drones melted a hole through his armor. "I need that arrow!"

"Working on it!"

James and Torunn's eyes widened in dread as the webs around the Mandarin's hands finally snapped through the webs, grabbing the villain's hands and attempting to claw the rings off his fingers. The Mandarin grabbed both children and threw them aside, raising hand to use the power of his rings.

THUNK!

The Mandarin stumbled back as an arrow struck his shoulder through a chink in his armor, his now wounded arm becoming heavy.

CRUNCH!

He screamed out in pain the metal around his arm crumpled up like a car in a compactor, breaking his arm in two as he fell to the floor, his arm cracking the tile on impact, his feet kicking about as he tried to get up.

James took a steadying breath as he approached the Mandarin with Torunn and Frankie by his side, ready to fight again at a moment's notice. "Gravity arrow. Good plan, West Coast."

"Thanks East Coast," Frankie said as he fired a set of web arrows into Mandarin's limbs, pinning them down.

Morgan's heart raced as she walked out of the store, her hands shaking as she stood over the Mandarin, remembering what happened the last time they were this close.

"Morgan!" James grabbed his best friend as she attempted to attack the villain, her eyes on the brink of tears as her chest heaved for breath "It's okay," he whispered "He can't hurt anybody else."

"Morgan!"

"Mom?" The young genius' eyes widened as Pepper as came running into view with Hill by her side, grabbing her daughter and pulling her into a tight hug. "Mom, I can't breathe."

"Hello Pepper," the Mandarin greeted darkly, causing the children of the Avengers to gather around the businesswoman "So nice to see you again."

Pepper's heart stopped as she stared into the villain's one visible eye, a chill running down her back "Killian?"

"No. Aldrich Killian was my father."

"Uh guys?" Maria aimed her gun at the Mandarin's head as his skin turned a glowing amber, the sound of bones snapping and moving under skin making her stomach churn "What is he doing?"

"It's Extremis. It must be trying to fix the arm the gravity arrow broke," Morgan theorized.

"But it won't do him any good, right?" Frankie asked nervously "He still can't move his arm, right?"

"Morgan," Lillian called anxiously as she hurried out of the store "Can you look at this?"

The daughter of Iron Man frowned as her new science partner handed her one of the tablets they used to complete the equations to create the gravity arrow. Morgan's eyes widened as she found what Lillian wanted her to see. "I am Groot."

"Language," James scolded "What's the problem?"

"We forgot to carry the one."

After living in Avengers' Tower with Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, Pepper knew that the slightest miscalculation could have disastrous results. "What does that mean?"

"It means that instead of lasting for ten minutes, the gravity arrow's going to wear off in less than,"

FOOSH!

Morgan's words were cut off as the Mandarin thrust his right arm straight up and made a fist, causing the pearl-like stone on his pinky ring to glow as massive gust of wind that sent everyone around him flying.

Pepper's heart stopped she watched her daughter go over the mall railing, her fingers barely brushing Morgan's as she fell out of sight.

WOOSH!

A blur of gold burst through the roof of the mall, zooming after Morgan she went tumbling towards the first floor. Pepper felt the air return to lungs as Tony Stark floated into view holding their daughter, wearing a black and gold rendition of the Iron Man armor, with extra arc reactors implanted in the shoulders, arms and hips of the suit.

Morgan buried her face into her father's chest as he fired a powerful repulsor blast, sending the Mandarin plummeting to the ground floor below.

"You okay, Monkey?" The Iron Avenger asked, gently setting daughter down on the floor next to her friends.

"Uh-huh." Morgan's eyes widened as she noticed the crack in her father's chestpiece.

"Tony?"

The Armored Avenger looked up as Pepper Potts approached him with a mystified stare. "Hi honey."

The businesswoman tilted her head as she asked. "Are you my Tony, or?"

"I'm from the future. Now, be honest," he requested as his helmet collapsed into his suit, revealing his aged hair and face "Is the grey too much? I know it's better than having it all fall out, but I've been starting to notice more salt than pepper and,"

"I like the grey," Pepper interrupted, smiling at the fact that Tony was still Tony in any era "Makes you look distinguished."

"Then the grey stays. Now before you say anything, I know you're upset that I let our future daughter travel through time and get chased by a supervillain," Tony acknowledged "But I promise I have everything under control. Now, I need you, Hill and the kids to get as many people out of here while I give Killian Jr. a spanking. I'll be back in a minute. Love you three thousand."

Pepper blinked as Iron Man regained his helmet and flew off into battle "Love you three thousand?"

"It's a family expression," Morgan explained "Go get him, Daddy!"

Tony Stark felt his heart race as he flew through the air, heading into battle as his daughter and her friends cheered him on. He'd been lying if he said he didn't miss this. The rumble of the turbulence, the light of his digital display, the rapid beating of heart. But this was not adrenaline. This was anger. A rage-fueled grief. Iron Man fired a repulsor from both hands, the Mandarin returning fire with a laser from his ring. The beams of light colliding in the middle of the air as the two armored warriors flew towards each other. The armored Avenger leapt out of the way as the Mandarin lunged at him, grabbing his hands and keeping him from using his rings.

"Never seen you in a black suit before," the Mandarin commented "Still in mourning for the loss of your bodyguard?"

BLAM!

The second he heard those words, Iron Man attacked the Mandarin with a powerful pair of repulsor blasts, sending the Mandarin crashing back down to the first floor, with the Iron Avenger close behind him.

"His name was Happy," Tony snarled, blasting the Mandarin in the back as he attempted to stand. The Golden Avenger slammed his fist in the Mandarin's face, sending shards of his damaged helmet flying as he remembered the advice Thor gave him at Happy's funeral: "Aim for the head."

The future Iron Man of the future shielded his eyes as the Mandarin disappeared in a bolt of green lightning, leaving the Golden Avenger alone on the first floor of the mall.

KOOM!

The Mandarin appeared behind billionaire genius with the crack of lightning, only for his eyes to widen in disbelief as Iron Man spun around swinging, his arm covered in a nanite-crafted hammer.

WHAM!

The Armored Avenger sent the Mandarin flying with one swing, shattering what remained of his helmet, the son of Aldrich Killian landing flat on his back from the force of the blow.

That's when Tony's lungs started to burn. When his muscles started to ache. When his heart reminded him that he was getting too old for this.

FWOOSH!

Iron Man quickly threw up his energy shield as the Mandarin unleashed a massive blast of fire from his ring, the blunt force of the flames pushing Tony back before his suit anchored him to the floor. "I could use a hand down here Barton."

"Feel free to jump in anytime."

"Tony, none of our attacks work," the archer insisted, watching the battle below with Bobbi and Natasha by his side "We'd just get in the way."

"Not with the suits I gave you."

"Suits? What suits?"

"The smart bands, Barton!" Tony snapped "Now put them on and get down here!"

"Old man strength doesn't last forever, you know." Iron Man grit his teeth as he activated the compact missile launcher in the back of his suit, bombarding the Mandarin with a barrage of explosives, causing the villain to end his attack just as Tony's shields started to waver.

The Iron Avenger gasped for air as the Mandarin became buried in a raging fire, giving the billionaire a moment to catch his breath as his knees started to give.

"Is that all you got?" The Mandarin shouted, flying out of the smoke as he prepared to attack.

WHAM!

The Mandarin was sent flying as a glowing red chunk of concrete was hurled through the air like a meteor, slamming him back into the ground before he could even attempt to attack the recovering Iron Man.

Tony smiled under his helmet as Wanda Maximoff came charging into battle, using her powers to levitate a dozen food court tables and hurl them at the Mandarin.

The Mandarin screamed in anger as he fired a laser from his amber ring, the beam cutting through the tables like a knife through butter as it raced straight towards Wanda's head.

WHOOSH!

Iron Man directed all available power to the thrusters in his suit, rocketing over to Wanda and carrying her to safety just in the nick of time, the Mandarin's laser whizzing past them and destroying the Burger King.

Wanda gasped. "Thanks."

"No problem," Tony managed through rapid breaths, leaning against the wall as his wounds started to flare up.

"Are you alright?"

"Getting old sucks."

"Stark."

The Iron Avenger looked up as Melinda May came running over. "Mind telling me just what exactly we're dealing with here?"

"Meet Gene Kahn," Tony introduced, staring at the Mandarin as he marched towards them "His father was Aldrich Killian. His mother was from the founding family of the Ten Rings terrorist group, the same people Stane hired to abduct and kill me back in 2008. He calls those fancy rings of his the Makulan; says one of his ancestors used them to take care of Ancient China's dragon problem. Needless to say, he doesn't like me very much.

"We noticed. Can you still fight?" Wanda asked, as the original Avenger struggled to stand upright.

"Yeah," Tony groaned "I just need a minute."

"I don't think he's going to give you one."

BOOM!

The Mandarin staggered back as an arrow landed at his feet and exploded, the force of the blast knocking him back and cracking the chestplate of his armor.

"Got to hand it to you, Stark."

Clint Barton smiled as he stood on the third floor of the mall, now wearing a jet black tactical suit with a large purple arrowhead on the chest, his arms covered by lightweight yet durable bracers. The arrow-slinging Avenger quickly prepared to fire another explosive arrow, with ten times the explosive power than he'd ever used before today at only half the weight. "You always give the best presents."

"Just my own special way of showing how much I care." Tony smiled as Bobbi Morse came into view, wearing a black and white version of her battlesuit with gold accents, soaring across in the air with the aid of her built-in glider, striking across the back with her batons and rolling across the floor after she finished her descent, getting out of the way just before her boyfriend's latest arrow hit its mark.

The Mandarin attempted to bash the spy's head in with a mighty fist, only for Bobbi to catch the blow between her batons and push him back, knocking the Mandarin off balance. The Mandarin cried out in pain as a barrage of bullets bombarded his back, the Black Widow firing mercilessly with a pair of pistols with the speed and ammunition of assault rifles, wearing lightweight, gold-accented version of her suit that was ten times more durable than anything she'd worn before.

"Keep the pressure on him," Tony told them "Don't give him a chance to use the rings. Wanda, don't let him fly away. We can't let this fight spread to the other floors."

"On it," the second female Avenger agreed, blasting the Mandarin away he attempted to attack Natasha from behind.

"May, take these," Iron Man instructed, handing the Calvary a syringe and a Stark smart band. "Get them to Johnson. Then hold her hand until it runs its course. It's going to hurt. Once she's back on her feet, give her the smart band and tell her to head for the Quinjet on the roof while you get the rest of the team to the Zephyr."

"What?"

"Just do it!" Tony snapped "I don't have time to explain. JOCASTA, redirect power for a level three unibeam."

"Anthony, in your current condition."

"I know that math! Do it!" Iron Man took a deep breath as he flew back into battle, willing the nanites constructing his suit to turn his right gauntlet into a sword and cover the knuckles of his left hand with spikes.

"Daddy, what are you doing?" Morgan Stark stood on the third floor of the mall as her mother and her friends directed the civilians towards the exits, the daughter of Iron Man watching her father and the Avengers do battle with the Mandarin down below.

On the one hand, Iron Man seemed to be fighting like he was still in his prime. Not a single attack from the Mandarin ever hit its mark, the Armored Avenger dodging each one effortlessly, almost as if he was psychic. That's when Morgan remembered that this was the past. The Tony Stark of this era must've gotten a copy of the security footage, allowing Morgan's Tony to memorize every move the Mandarin was destined to make and anticipate them. But Tony still wasn't fighting Tony. The Mark 101 was designed to end fights quickly due to its multiple arc reactors, allowing the wearer to fly almost as fast as Quicksilver could run and devastating repulsor blasts that eclipsed the original Hulkbuster armor. But Tony was fighting the Mandarin hand-to-hand. Why? To keep the Mandarin focused on him and not the other Avengers?

That's when Morgan saw it, the intensifying glow coming from Tony's chest.

"Morgan?" James and Torunn frowned as they noticed the worried look on his best friend's face "What's wrong?"

"Daddy's getting ready to use the unibeam."

"So?"

"So, his main reactor is damaged," Morgan revealed "if he uses the unibeam, he could hurt himself."

Torunn didn't like the sound of that. "Plan G?"

"Plan G," James confirmed "Come on."

"Where are they going?" Jack asked he drew his friends' attention to the children heading back into the mall.

"I don't know. But there's only one way to find out," Frankie decided, chasing after them.

"Wait for me!" Lillian called.

Jack groaned as he found himself once again running into danger "This. Is. Crazy!"

"Daisy!" May's heart nearly jumped out of her chest as she found the younger agent on the floor, surrounded by a pool of her own blood. The Calvary quickly took her formal pupil's head into her lap, gently rocking her shoulder to make sure she was still conscious. "Daisy wake up. Wake up!" May repeated.

The female Inhuman stayed silent as she struggled to open her eyes, her dark brown irises distant and glassy.

"Take my hand," May instructed in a frightened voice, linking Daisy's fingers with hers as she prepared Tony's mysterious injection "This might hurt."

Daisy's eyes snapped wide open as the injection hit her bloodstream, her insides feeling as they were infested with countless scurrying bugs. The hacker turned field agent screamed out in pain as the bugs settled in her stomach, clawing at her wounds from the inside out, triggering her powers and causing the entire mall to shake.

"Daisy." Bobbi felt her stomach sink as the entire Mall of America became enveloped in an earthquake. "Clint, where's Daisy? Do you have eyes on Daisy?"

As the blonde SHIELD agent became distracted, the Mandarin to the opportunity to unleash a fire attack that Bobbi had no time to evade.

SWOOSH!

Iron Man came rocketing in at the last minute, carry Bobbi out of harm's way as the flames turned the back of his suit red hot.

Truth be told, Bobbi was amazed Tony was still standing. This morning he crashed into Clint's backyard, and now he was doing most of the fighting despite all of his injuries. Not to mention there was no telling how long he'd been fighting before he traveled through time. She could see why they called him the Invincible Iron Man. "Johnson will be fine," Tony assured, failing to hide the pain in his voice, "Right now, I need you to full mama bear on the maniac that turned your little boy's birthday into a fight for his life."

"Hold on Daisy," May became more and more worried as the younger agent continued to scream, the walls of the mall starting to crack under the force of Daisy's power "Just hold on."

Daisy gasped for air as the pain in her stomach suddenly stopped, her heart racing and chest heaving as she wiped away the blood covering her stomach, the once gushing hole now reduced to a simple scrap that barely broke the skin. Even her arm was healed. "What just happened?"

"Stark just save your life," May realized, slapping the smart band on Daisy's wrist "He wants you to head for the roof."

"What for?"

"I think I can answer that," Clint chimed in through the comms. "Pepper called. The kids gave her the slip."

"I got eyes on them They're heading for the roof."

"That's where they parked their borrowed Quinjet," Iron Man delivered a massive uppercut to the Mandarin's jaw, leaving him wide open for a slash from his nanite sword "May, get your inured to Zephyr. Nat and I will deal Kahn. The rest of you get the kids out of here."

"Maybe you should take the cushy babysitting job." Clint suggested.

It was no secret that Tony was reaching the end of his rope. True he was still avoiding all of the Mandarin's attacks, but the close calls were getting more and more frequent. His breathing was ragged. And he kept gripping his left arm.

Tony shook his head. "I'm the one Kahn wants. As long as he's fighting with me, you and the kids have a chance to get out of here. Go now," he insisted "before the kids do something reckless." The unibeam was almost ready. He just needed a little more time.

KOOM!

Iron Man whipped his head around as he heard the sound of the Mandarin's lighting, villain preparing to fire his lazer ring at point blank range.

ZIP!

The Black Widow quickly launched a grappling hook around the Mandarin's arm and gave it a sharp yank, redirecting the blast into the floor instead of Tony's head.

"I'll take care of Stark," Natasha promised, opening fire with her pistols as soon Tony leapt out of the way. "Just get the kids out of here. And Clint, if anything happens to my babies,"

"You'll kill me," the archer finished "I know."

"Actually, I'll just break your arms. Now go."

Bobbi and Wanda reluctantly followed their orders and headed off, leaving Tony and Natasha alone with the Mandarin. The son of Aldrich Killian came charging at the Black Widow at high speeds, only for Iron Man to swoop in and knock him away, right before blasting him with another bundle of missiles. Everytime Kahn got close to one of them, Tony always put himself in between the Avengers. One of the many reasons why he was running on empty.

"He sucks at hand-to-hand. We should switch roles," Natasha strategized "I'll get in close. You hang back and cover me."

"Bad idea," Tony argued.

"I've got the better technique and you've got the bigger guns." The Black Widow insisted as she attempted to jump into battle, only for Iron Man to grab her arm and pull her back.

"I have already lost a brother to that maniac. I'm not losing my sister too."

Natasha didn't know what surprised her more. The fact that Tony called her sister or that he just spoke in perfect Russian.

"His rings are burning through his suit's insulation. Use the Widow's bite," Tony instructed "It'll short out his suit long enough for me to land some heavy blows. We just need to buy Clint enough time to get the kids out of here."

"What's taking them so long?" Yelena Rogers huffed as she sat on the Quintjet with Amadeus, waiting impatiently for her brother and their friends to return "My ice cream's going to melt."

"Plan G!" James shouted as he came barreling in with the rest of the children behind him.

"Where's my ice cream?" Yelena asked.

"Didn't get any. Mandarin showed up. Fighting our parents. Plan G now!" James repeated urgently.

"Finally!" Amadeus hopped out of his seat and grinned from ear to ear "Let me at him."

At that moment, Bobbi, Clint, Daisy and Wanda walked onto the jet.

"Oh, come on!" Amadeus groaned "It's my turn to fight the bad guys!"

"Sorry kids," Clint apologized "But mall time's over. Time to go."

"What about my daddy?" Morgan asked.

"He's going to keep the bad guy busy so we can, whoa!" Clint's eyes widened as the daughter of Iron Man made a mad rush for the exit. "Easy, Iron Diva."

"Let me go!" Morgan demanded, as Frankie's parents held her away from the hangar doors "My daddy can't fight the Mandarin alone!"

"He's not alone," Bobbi insisted "Natasha's with him."

"What?" James looked as if he'd told his mother was fighting an alien army "Out of my way!"

Clint groaned as the thirteen year old super soldier rammed into him with his shield. "And here I thought babysitting would be the easy job."

"Stand down, kids."

The son of Captain America and the daughter of Iron Man halted their escape attempt when they heard a familiar voice. "Uncle Stephen?"

"Before you ask, no. This is not a magic spell," the disembodied voice assured "Just a prerecorded message being played for JOCASTA through the Quinjet speakers. Now for a quick introduction for the grown-ups. Hello, my name is Dr. Stephen Strange," the recording introduced "Neurosurgeon turned sorcerer and proud member of the Avengers since the year 2023. Kahn didn't know that his vendetta with Stark would take him through time, but the Avengers did. Which is why I've been helping Tony prepare for this day since I officially joined the team, crafting a plan that would ensure zero casualties and get everyone to their proper time period safely. Now kids, I know that you two are worried about Tony and Natasha," Stephen acknowledged "Especially James and Morgan. But right now, their chances of success are at about eighty-four percent. But if any of you kids get involved, their chances drop down forty-five percent. Which means the best thing you can do to help right now is to sit down, buckle up and let them do what they do best."

James sighed as he Morgan obeyed, prompting the other kids to do the same. "For the record, I hate this plan."

"Same," Morgan agreed.

"Clint, Bobbi, take the controls," Stephen instructed "The designated rendezvous is Jane Foster's East London flat. Wanda, hand Johnson an airsick bag."

"Okay, I don't know where Dr. Magic is getting his info from, but I do not get," Daisy's words were cut short as her stomach suddenly twisted up like a pretzel as the plane began to rise, snatching the bag out of Wanda's hand and burying her face in as she started to hurl.

"The nanite injection that saved your life was designed to deliver Cradle level medical treatment in band aid level time," Stephen explained "Unfortunately, Tony had to finish them after he time traveled. Which meant that the only way to keep you from getting metal poisoning was to get those out of you was to figure out a way to your body to reject them. And Quinjets don't have bathrooms."

Daisy groaned as she pulled her head out of the bag. "How come Bobbi gets pregnant and I end up with the morning sickness?"

Clint sure hoped this Doctor Strange guy did his math right. Because if anything happened to Natasha and Tony, Pepper and Steve were going to kill him.

Tony was getting too old for this. The shift in the battle after Clint and the others left made it obvious. At least to Natasha. Without the extra cover fire, Kahn was getting closer and closer to landing a blow, the Armored Avenger now resorting to blocks and last second dodges.

And she wasn't the only one to notice. "What's the matter Stark?" Kahn asked. "Too old to keep this up?"

"I might be old," Tony acknowledged, trying to ignore the intense burning in his chest "But I still got more than enough to send you crying home to daddy. Oh that's right, I killed your daddy."

Kahn screamed in rage as Iron Man flew in for another attack, only for the Mandarin to blast with a massive laser from one of his rings, knocking the Iron Avenger out of the sky and crashing back into the floor.

Tony groaned as he sat up and gripping his still wounded ribs, the nanites that constructed his armor struggling to repair themselves after the attack. Idiot. Strange told him not to use Stark-brand snarkiness unless the others were in trouble.

ZAP!

The Mandarin staggered back as an electric disc struck him in the back, sending thousands of powerful volts coursing through his body and causing his hands to lock up half-clenched as green lightning coursed up and down his forearms.

The Black Widow came swooping in and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to the Mandarin's face right before firing two more of the Widow's bit into his chest. Natasha quickly brandished her electric batons, unleashing a barrage of brutally, carefully placed attacks. The Black Widow smirked victoriously as the Mandarin lay beaten and battered at her feet. "And Stark said I couldn't take you head on."

KOOM!

As the Black Widow prepared to deliver the final blow, the Mandarin disappeared in a bolt in a green lightning, leaving her confused and bewildered until reappeared on her left and smacked her away with one punch. "He was right."

"Get up, Anthony."

Tony Stark lay on his hands and knees on the floor, chest burning, head spinning, lungs bursting, listening to the sound of his long dead godmother's voice through the ringing in his ears.

"Anthony Edward Stark, get up," JOCASTA repeated "Your family needs you."

Tony's eyes locked onto the battle between Natasha and Kahn, the Mandarin repeatedly teleporting around the Black Widow and landing devastating blows. "Status update on the unibeam."

"Fully charged and ready to fire."

Tony grit his teeth and growled as he forced himself up to one knee, the power of three arc reactors coursing through his chest as the world became engulfed in piercing blue light.

Natasha's eyes widened in disbelief as the light faded away and the dust settled, revealing a massive cone-shaped crater in front of her, starting at Tony and widening until it reached Kahn at the other end of the food court.

Iron Man took a steadying breath and started to walk across the crater, transforming his right arm into a massive cannon as he aimed it at the Mandarin, his suit scratched, scorched and cracked as massive volts of green lightning arc up and down his arms.

"Make a move," Tony dared, causing the Mandarin to disappear in a bolt of green lighting. "Good move," he gasped as the pain in his chest became unbearable.

"Tony!" Natasha ran over to her friend's side as he fell to his knees, desperately gripping his chest as he gasped for air. "Tony what's wrong? What's wrong?"

"My heart," he managed between breaths "It's my heart."

Natasha's stomach sank to her knees as she realized that his arc reactor had gone dark "Tony hang on. Hang on," she repeated in a trembling voice as she activated her comms "This is Natasha Romanoff to SHIELD. I need med-evac. Stark is down. I repeat, Stark is down! Does anyone copy?" she asked, getting only silence as he answer "I repeat, Stark is down! Does anybody copy?" Still nothing. "Tony, stay with me. Stay with me," Natasha pleaded.

"Bite me," he said in a breath that was barely a whisper.

"What?"

Tony wrapped a weak hand around the gold plated weapon around Natasha's wrist. "Bite me."

Realizing what he meant, Natasha looked away as she activated the Widow's Bite at full power.

Tony screamed out in pain as she thrust the weapon into his chest, causing a thousand volts into his body and restarting his arc reactor. "Thanks," he gasped as his heart started beating again "I needed a jump start."

"No problem," Natasha sighed as she sat down next to her friend. "It's not over, is it?"

"No," Tony confirmed "That attack just sent him off licking his wounds."

"So what's the plan?"

"First, we team up with SHIELD at their mini-helicarrier. Think you can help me get there?" Tony asked "All my muscles hurt."

Coulson groaned as his woke up from his drug-induced sleep, his mind clouded and foggy as he tried to remember how he got to the Zephyr bunks. And why Fitz-Simmons was spooning in the cot next to his.

"Rise and shine," May commented as she walked in.

"What happened?"

"You got Iced."

Fitz yawned as he and Simmons woke up from their sleep, their cheeks turning bright red at the realization of the situation they were in.

"It's uh, it's too soon for that," Fitz stammered, clearing his throat as he and Simmons jumped to the opposite sides of the cot.

"Much too soon," Simmons agreed.

"Hunter and Peterson are in serious condition," May informed "If we want them to survive until make back to base, they need medical treatment, now," she emphasized, prompting the SHIELD scientists to hurry off to work "And that's not our only problem."

"Ow."

From the second May to him that Natasha was on the Zephyr, Coulson knew he was in trouble. But before he could even begin to explain, she slugged him.

"That's for letting me think you were dead," Natasha told him, staring at him with rage-filled eyes on the bridge of the Zephyr with May.

"I deserve that," Coulson confessed, rubbing his sore jaw.

"Yeah, you do. Now where's Fury?" Natasha demanded "I need to talk to him about some of his recent director decisions."

"Fury's not the director anymore. I am."

POW!

Coulson groaned as Natasha gave him another blow across the face. "That's for keeping in the dark about my kids," Natasha took a deadly step toward her former handler "You don't want to know what happens if we lose them again."

"We?"

Coulson shrunk back as Natasha gave him a the Russian Death glare. "We."

"You're not the only with a child in danger," May reminded "if we want to be of any help to them, we need to remain calm."

"I just found out that the second most honest man I have ever known kept me in the dark regarding the safety of my kids and allowed me to think he was dead for three years. Do you think he would still be conscious if I wasn't calm?" Natasha asked "Clint and Bobbi took the kids in a Quinjet. Find it."

"If it's the same jet the kids stole when they broke out of our base, then we can't. They uploaded an A.I. to our system that keeping us from tracking them or reaching them on comms. Two of our men were severely injured. Which means our best course of action right now is get our injured medical treatment."

"So you're just fine with your son running to God knows where with a psychopath on his trail?" Natasha asked.

"Watch what you say," May warned.

As the two women became locked in a silent battle of wills, Natasha's phone went off, the sudden sound causing Coulson to jump in surprise.

Natasha's eyes widened silently as she checked her phone, right before turned around and left the hanger.

"Mr. Stark, please sit down!"

Tony failed to hold in a wince as Simmons forced him onto the edge of a gurney in the Zephyr's med lab. "How many times do I have to tell you kids? I. Am. Fine," he emphasized "Peterson and Hunter are the ones you should be worried about, not me."

"In the past twenty four hours you have crash-landed in the American heartland and experienced some sort of heart failure less than an hour ago," Simmons reminded as she flashed a medical light in the billionaire's eyes "At the very least, you may have a concussion."

"But I don't," Tony insisted as he hoped to his feet, stumbling slightly "I have been through far worse than this, trust me. All I need is some fresh clothes, clean bandages and quiet place to nap."

"You're going to need far more than that." Simmons eyes widened as she watched Iron Man take off his tattered shirt, revealing a massive burn on his chest and a jagged scar along his ribs that was partly covered the blood-stained medical tape around his stomach "What happened to you?"

"Twenty years of avenging happened. If you think I look bad, wait 'till you see Thor."

"Tony," Natasha called as she walked in, pausing when she noticed the battle scars on the billionaire's body.

"Enjoy the view while you can ladies," Tony teased as he put on a SHIELD sweatshirt "Because it's all you're going to get. My playboy days are over."

"Nice to know domestic life agrees with you," Natasha bantered "I need your help."

"You want to talk to James," Tony presumed, causing Natasha to give him a look of confusion.

"How could you possibly know that?"

"Because I know everything that's going to happen today. Right now as we speak, my younger self how she a future Iron Man got into a fight with Killian's demon spawn. And by nine thirty-three eastern standard time, you and Clint will tell my younger self everything he needs to do to make sure the kids get back home in piece, which sets in motion fifteen years of planning of preparation that turns him into me. That's how I knew to aim for Laura's farm when I crashed. That's why I knew how to stay on top of Kahn when he kept teleporting at the mall. And that's how I know James has been texting you nonstop since he left the mall, trying to make sure you're okay."

"But I can't text him back," Natasha finished, her heart twisting up as she received a message from her son, this one questioning if she was even alive.

"I made each of the Mini-Avengers' smart devices myself," Tony explained, stretching out on a medical bed to take a nap "your phone's not up to 2030 security standards. Which is why I put a smartwatch in left wrist of your suit. You have sixty seconds before Kahn can trace the call." the billionaire reached up and took the spy's hand before dialed her son's number "James is about five minutes from jumping out that plane and coming after you. If you want to him to stay safe for as long as possible, say exactly what I tell you."

James Rogers checked his smartwatch as he flew on the Quinjet, waiting anxiously for Natasha to call. To text. Anything. Tony had already told Morgan that he was okay, why hadn't Natasha told James anything? He knew he shouldn't be so worried. He wasn't six anymore and he had watched his mother come home from countless missions. But those rings. Those stupid, stupid rings. They reminded James too much the stones.

The son of Captain America nearly jumped out of his seat as his Bluetooth started to ring in his ear, quickly pressing a button and answering the call. "Hello?"

"Hi baby."

"Mom," James let out a breath of relief "Mom, are you okay? I've been texting you."

"I know. I know. I'm okay," Natasha confirmed "I'm sorry I made you worry. James, where are you? Is your sister alright? I haven't heard from her."

"Planes make Yelena sleepy."

"I'll keep that in mind when she's a newborn," Natasha chuckled. "Was she worried about me?"

"Not as much as I was. She wasn't born when you fought the Mad Titan."

"Who?"

James paled as he almost revealed the secrets of the future. "Nevermind. We're on our way to Aunt Jane's house," he said, quickly changing the subject.

"I'll be there as soon as I can. Listen baby, I don't have a lot of time to talk. So I need you to do something until I find you," Natasha requested "I need you to protect Yelena for me, okay? You're her big brother, so you have to protect her, whatever it takes. That's your job. Baby, I need you to promise me. Promise me," she repeated "that you will do whatever it takes to protect your baby sister."

"I promise."

"I'll see you as soon as I can," Natasha vowed "I love you."

"I love you too." James glanced over his left as he hung up the phone, his little sister sleeping soundly in Wanda's lap near the front of the plane. The son of Captain America opened up one of the group chats in his smartwatch and sent a simple text. "Need a plan in case the Mandarin comes back."

Amadeus, who was sitting in the back of the plane, was the first one of the children to respond. "Plan G?"

Frankie, who was sitting on the opposite side of the plane with Jack and Lillain, rolled his eyes. "Smashing isn't the answer to everything, dude."

"He must have a weakness," Torunn insisted, sitting on the right side of James as she sent another text "Morgan, can you get us a copy of the security camera footage from the mall?"

The daughter of Iron Man scoffed as she sat in between James and Wanda. "I'm offended you had to ask."

"The kids are heading to London. Tell Coulson to get us Quinjet," Natasha ordered "Now."

"Yes ma'am," Fitz squeaked, running off as fast as he could. That woman was almost as scary as May.

And Simmons knew it too. "I'm...going to go check on the rest of my patients."

"You do that. Now what's the plan, Tony?" The Black Widow asked as she turned around, only to find out that the time traveling Avenger fast asleep on the gurney. Natasha sighed as she picked up a blanket and draped it over her friend's sleeping form. "This plan better work, brother."

"Sirs?"

Mallick gave Giyera an annoyed glared as he interrupted the dinner between him and the legendary Hydra god

"There appears to be a...security break in sector 14."

Mallick clenched his jaw. "SHIELD?"

"No sir. But, he wishes to speak to you," Giyera, glanced nervously at the being known as Hive "and him."

Mallick and Hive followed Giyera into a battered hallway, the floor covered with dead bodies and debris. One man did all this?

"Gentleman." The two leaders of Hydra found themselves in the presence of a young Asian man with long dark hair and matching dark eyes, wearing green suit of armor with multicolored rings on each finger "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Gene Kahn. But you may call me the Mandarin."

Mallick tilted his head as he took a small step forwards. "I was told the Mandarin was nothing more than the product of Aldrich Killian's imagination."

"What began as my father's fantasy I have made reality."

Hive studied the young man curiously as he asked. "Why are you here? And how did you find this facility?"

"The how is not important," Kahn assured him "as for the why, that's an easy question: A business proposition. One that will benefit all parties. The world believes that the Avengers and SHIELD have cut ties, but they have been connected since the beginning. It was the heroics of the First Avenger that inspired the birth of SHIELD. And it was SHIELD that united the Avengers. They are one and the same. Even now."

"The Avengers broke all ties with SHIELD," Mallick insisted.

"No, they are not." Hive disputed "When Grant Ward was building his new Hydra, he was attacked by a group of SHIELD agents. Led by Clint Barton."

"Why would Clint Barton care about Grant Ward?"

"Bobbi Morse. Ward tortured Morse and left her for dead. Barton didn't seem to take too kindly to that."

Mallick's brow furrowed as he remembered. "Barton was briefly married to Morse."

"And the connections don't stop there," Kahn assured. The Mandarin made a fist with his left hand, the blue-stoned ring on his middle finger to glow, drawing the attention of the leaders of Hydra to a once blank television, where images of the blueprint for SHIELD's signature vessel flashed across the screen.

"Who do you think supplied the Avengers with the helicarrier they used to evacuate Sokovia?" Kahn asked, right before the screen shifted to a photo of Maria Hill, displaying a long list of text conversations between her and Coulson "Who do you think told the Avengers where to find Strucker and Loki's scepter? Tell me Mallick, can your base withstand the force of a Hulk? Because that's what you'll be dealing with once Coulson feels the slightest bit overwhelmed," The Mandarin promised "SHIELD. Avengers. They are two sides of the same coin. One cannot exist without the other."

Malick stared at Kahn through narrowed eyes. "What are you suggesting?"

"That we apply an age old tactic: the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Together we can bring SHIELD and the Avengers to their knees."

"How?"

"As an old friend of mine once said, first we attack the heart," Kahn tightened his fist and faced the screen, revealing the image of a small auburn haired girl "This is Morgan. She's eleven years old, a technological science prodigy and the daughter of Tony Stark."

Mallick chuckled. "So that's it. You just want another shot at Stark. I'm sorry son, but we have no interest in your proposition."

"Not even for the price of a new Winter Soldier?" Kahn asked as the leaders of Hydra attempted to walk away, giving them a dark smile when they turned around "I believe Wanda Maximoff will fill that role very nicely."