"Thank you." Her voice was soft, her tone alluring.
Yongye smiled and gave a slight nod. He put the Mind Stone back into System Space, brushed the bits of Mandarin Orange peel from his hands, and leaned back against the sofa. "All right. Next, I need to make arrangements for you..."
He had not finished speaking.
The television on the coffee table, which had been on the whole time, suddenly cut to a breaking news report.
The footage shook violently. Behind the reporter was a cordoned-off street in Lower Manhattan. Several burned-out cars lay overturned, the asphalt was cratered in several places, and the storefront windows along the street had shattered into a spray of white fragments.
At the center of the shot, two figures clashed fiercely.
One wore a blue-and-white suit patterned after the American flag. The Vibranium Shield spun in his hand as he precisely deflected a blast from his opponent's palm cannon.
The other wore red-and-gold metal armor. Half his faceplate had been smashed away, revealing a bloodshot face twisted with rage.
Captain America, Steve Rogers.
Iron Man, Tony Stark.
And half a step beside Steve stood another figure, striking even more ruthlessly than he did.
The man wore dark tactical gear. His left arm was a metal prosthetic that gleamed coldly, and its silver palm fired wave after wave of energy straight into Tony's palm cannon blasts.
Every block and counterattack from that metal arm carried a silent, brutal efficiency.
The Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes.
The three of them had reduced the nearby street to rubble. Panicked civilians and flashing police lights surrounded them.
The news anchor's voice burst from the speakers, trembling despite every effort to keep it steady:
"...A violent conflict has erupted within the Avengers Alliance! Captain America and Iron Man are fighting