Coughing up a bit of blood, Luka's grin remained untouched.
If he hadn't reflexively used his prosthetic to block the blast—out of habit rather than skill—his left arm might have been next.
A moment to celebrate, indeed.
Ignoring the spreading pain and weakness, Luka watched in the distance as only two Chitauri soldiers remained around Tony.
He tugged at his destroyed prosthetic limb—only about a third left—and unceremoniously tossed it forward.
Then, with a powered kick from his red-and‑white sneakers, electric sparks arced again.
BANG—
The broken prosthetic darted forward like a bullet, striking a Chitauri's head with a burst of electric arcs and flying debris.
By some twist—whether the system's rules or sheer force—it was a clean knockout. The alien didn't even grunt before falling unconscious.
Tony, having just taken out the other alien, stopped and simply stared as Luka, bloody but standing tall, smiled.
"This kid…" Tony thought, clearly astonished.
But before he could speak, his helmet radio crackled:
"Stark! Do you copy? A missile is heading toward Manhattan!"
Nick Fury's voice left Tony's expression grim. He glanced at Luka leaning against a wrecked car, covered in blood.
"How long until impact?"
"About three minutes. It's nuclear—could level downtown!"
Without hesitation, Tony yelled back:
"Kid! Get somewhere safe! Now!"
Firing his repulsors, he rocketed upward.
Watching him leave, Luka smirked bitterly—but didn't actually heed the warning.
Dragging himself up, he fixed his gaze on Stark Tower, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Missile's coming? Then I need to move too~"
Somewhere in him, the thrill of advancing toward his goal had eclipsed any fear of death.
He scooped up his backpack and pried a nearly intact folding beam rifle from a nearby Chitauri corpse.
No space gear… I'm really embarrassing myself as a time-traveler, he thought.
Minutes flashed by.
Luka avoided further fights, firing a stray shot now and then.
He watched Iron Man ascend to intercept the missile, saw the sky's portal close, and witnessed Chitauri collapse everywhere like powered-down drones.
Leviathan ships crashed to Earth. Remaining carriers crashed into buildings.
Civilians on the street went from stunned to cheering, to crying with relief.
They were celebrating victory.
Luka, however, sprinted toward Stark Tower's front.
So that's how those Avengers got up to the roof? he mused as he spotted Hulk carrying Iron Man and Captain America through the shattered front doors, with Thor and Hawkeye close behind.
How did they beat Loki to the punch before he woke? he wondered, shaking his head.
But Luka kept moving, scanning the tower's lobby through the windows.
Though the first-floor hall was still chaotic, with terrified employees and civilians scrambling, it was easy enough for a lone teen to slip inside.
Yet Luka knew it wouldn't be long before S.H.I.E.L.D. agents arrived. He didn't want to be spotted.
Besides—he might not need to go inside at all to intercept Loki.
He scouted a spot outside where he could see the entire lobby through the glass and waited.
After a while, agents and police arrived to restore order.
They focused on crowd control and first aid, not chasing civilians.
Above, the future-Tony Stark silently descended into a hidden corner near the entrance.
Soon, a fully armed S.H.I.E.L.D. operator exited that spot—his own white "core component" glow unmistakable under the tactical gear.
Nano-armor in disguise… clever!
Luka watched as Tony entered the building and then saw Loki being escorted down in an elevator into the lobby.
He dialed his [Power-Enhancing Sneakers] down to standby and took the partial [Monkey Bomb] from his bag.
But just as he lifted it—
Everything went silent. The sirens, the crowd noise—it all cut out abruptly.