It was a cloudless night, more stars visible than anyone could count. Inside candles were burning and champagne was waiting in elegant glasses.

Pepper was sitting on the red sofa in the Stark Tower, waiting for Tony to return. Today they had turned on the power in the Stark Tower and she wanted to celebrate this moment with champagne and the finest sushi you could get outside of Japan. In the background Jamie Cullum was singing. It was very romantic. This would bet he perfect evening. JARVIS had been ordered to keep everyone out and let no phone calls through. Nothing would disturb them.

She knew Tony had arrived, when she heard metal crashing on stone. Sparks were lighting up the balcony.

„Honey you are home. What an entrance. Lovely. Maybe you should work a little on the landing, don't you think?"

„Everyone can knock on doors. I don't do boring."

Once Tony Stark, genius, multi-billionaire and super-hero, had gotten out of his suit, Pepper took control of the evening.

Everything was perfect. Until Tony's cellphone rang.

„Sir, it is agent Couslon. He is insisting on speaking to you." JARVIS obviously had lost the battle against the agent.

„Tell him I'm not available!" Tony really did not want to spend his evening talking to that guy in his suit, when he had a beautiful woman in his arm and a glass of champagne in his hand.

„Sir, he is insisting."

With a sigh, Tony answered his cellphone. „Coulson, I don't have time right now. I'm actually not even at home."

„Oh, and I thought I had heard voices." Even as Phil was saying these words, the elevator doors opened, revealing the agent. Tony and Pepper turned around, looking at the suit-wearing man with astonishment.

„How did you get past JARVIS. What? How?"

„Mr. Stark, we don't have time to lose. We need Ironman to help us with a little crisis."

„Oh Phil, what happened?" Pepper's face got a sympathetic look. Tony did not like that at all.

„Oh Phil?", he said with a sour look in her direction.

„I really don't want to know anything about any crisis anywhere."

„Tony, I am here to assemble a team of extraordinary people."

„And I thought the Avenger Initiative was history! And didn't that file say I was an egoistic smart-ass, not able to work in a team?" Tony was still mad at the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. He was not egoistic. He was just a little more important than other people.

„Just look at these files, please?" SOme demi-god from another planet has stolen very dangerous technology and is just about ready to rule the world. We need to Stop him before that happens."

Tony was not planning on simply following Coulson like a puppet. Unfortunately for him, Pepper decided differently.

„He'll look at the file. Can you drop me off at the airport in the meantime?

Pepper and Phil had left the apartment so quickly after that, that Tony did not even manage to object. Not that it would have done him any good.

Once Pepper had set her minds on something, there was no way out.

Natasha Romanoff didn't have champagne but was still enjoying her evening. She didn't lie on a couch, but being tied to a chair was not that bad either. Everything was going according to her plan. Until a cellphone rang. Her fat opponent answered it, but quickly passed it on to the fragile-looking woman in front of him.

„You need to come in!"

The Black Widow recognized Coulson's voice immediately.

„I'm busy. This guy is giving me everything!"

„I do not ... give ... everything?" That fat guy was beginning to be really irritated. This was not how his interrogations normally went down.

Very far away Coulson knew exactly how to bring his agent in.

„Barton's been compromised!"

„Give me one minute.", was all Natasha replied. It really did not take much longer for her to knock out the two bullies standing between her and her „captor", and to tie him up.

Just a few hours later, Natasha was no longer in Russia, but in India. She was waiting impatiently fort he little girl leading Dr. Bruce Banner to a little shack in the slums. When he finally arrived she had to threaten him into staying. She had absolutely no problem with that. Dr. Banner obviously did not want to be anywhere near a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Given how said agency had tried to kill him several times, she could understand him.

„I'm not here to kill you Dr. Banner. We just need your help." Natasha liked this guy. He had a gentle face and a soothing voice.

„I don't think I want to help you."

„I think you will want to. There's an alien god named Loki, who wants to take over the world." Natasha thought, that was a pretty good argument. Bruce did not.

I will not let the Hulk out, no matter what you say."

„We don't want the Hulk. We want you. This Loki-guy stole technology that is giving off gamma radiation and there is no one as familiar with this radiation as you are."

It took Natasha some more threats, but finally she got Dr. Banner to come with her. He liked that woman, there was something about her face.

On the other side of the ocean, the director himself approached a very angry man. Captain Steve Rogers was beating the crap out off a sandbag.

„Angry?", Fury asked.

„Who are you?" Steve was not in the mood for a heart to heart.

„Someone with a job."

„You want me to do a job?"

„ More like a mission", the man with the eyepatch said throwing a file to the tall, blonde Captain.

Steve Rogers so far was the only one who did not need to be convinced. He felt useless. He had slept for 70 years and was eager to prove himself to this new world. But it seemed like this world did not want his help. Now was his chance to prove that he was not just some relic. Now was his time!