Xcalibur Xc

[Ironman] Ch: 139 [Rogue and Tony]

AN: Slightly unedited. Let me know if you find any mistakes.

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Tony used the Mind Stone's power to extract information from Magneto's consciousness. He saw memories from Magneto's past. He witnessed the war, the pain, the loss, and the desire for power. All these experiences came together to shape a man who believed that mutants must rise above humanity or be crushed by it. However, Tony was unprepared for what happened next.

Magneto rescued many mutants from facilities around the world where experiments were being conducted on them. He became their savior, and they chose to follow him. Some mutants joined him on their own. Well, it was basic information.

However, what came next surprised even Tony.

Magneto had staged many events like these "rescues." Attacks, riots, and acts of human aggression toward mutants had been fabricated, manipulated by his own hand to create chaos, fear, and hatred. And in the aftermath, Magneto would always be there, swooping in like a savior. He had turned himself into a symbol, a messiah of mutantkind, by orchestrating the very crises that needed him to "save" them.

Next was about Wanda and Pietro. He wasn't their biological father. 

Magneto found them in one of those research facilities during one of his missions to rescue a group of mutants. There, he found the files on them about how they were born as humans, but the experiment awakened their power. So, he decided to take them in and raise them as his own children and mold them according to his vision.

After that, Tony extracted all the information on the mutants in the Brotherhood, their other bases, and their mission. In short, he extracted every bit of information.

"Stop..." Magneto's voice was hoarse and strained. 

Tony's jaw clenched, his fist tightening at his side as he stood over the man who had once been a symbol of hope to so many.

"You've been lying to them... all along," Tony said, his voice low, trembling with the weight of the truth. "You made them think you were their hero. You created the very danger they were running from so you could swoop in and save them. You made them your pawns."

Magneto's gaze hardened. "You think you understand? You think you know what it's like to see your people hunted, to see your family butchered, to feel that hunger gnawing at your soul?" He punched his fist on the ground.

"Now that your secrets are out, all you can do is make excuses," Tony said as he grabbed Magneto by his hair and pulled him up on his feet. "I want to kill you right now, but you must live and see me expose your fake ideology and end this unnecessary hate that you planted in their hearts. I wonder, how are they gonna react after learning the truth?"

...

[SHIELD BASE – HOLDING CELL]

The heavy steel doors of the holding cells slammed shut, sealing tightly after Tony threw Magneto, Azazel, Pyro, and Sabretooth inside. Disoriented and confused, the mutants slumped to the ground, realizing that without their powers, they were just like any other human.

Magneto, his face bruised and bloodied, glared at Tony through the bars. Despite his current powerless state, the years of conviction still burned in his eyes. But his body was shaking from the shock and pain.

Azazel pressed himself against the wall of his cell, his eyes flickering nervously and he looked like a normal human being without red skin and a tail. Pyro sat motionless in a corner, his hands hanging limp. Sabretooth's appearance changed back to his original form when he looked human.

Tony stood outside the cells. He had already taken samples of their blood before turning them into humans. He had deployed security strong enough to ensure that no rescue attempt could succeed. Robots patrolled the facility, and mutant suppressors were embedded around the base, casting a dampening field across the base to prevent anyone from breaking in or out. 

"See ya all soon," He said before walking toward the elevator.

...

[Tony's office]

Tony’s gaze immediately landed on Rogue, sitting in one of the chairs near the desk when he entered the room. She was staring out the window, her arms crossed, and she looked tired. The nanite armor has now transformed into a bracelet around her wrist.

He walked toward the desk, dropping into the chair across from her. For a moment, neither of them spoke. He wanted to say something, to offer some sort of comfort or reassurance, but he couldn’t find the words. Instead, he just let the silence hang between them, heavy with the aftermath of everything that had transpired.

Rogue was the first to break it. “What happens now?”

Tony leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing slightly as he considered the question. "I expose Magneto for what he truly is," he said, his voice steady but tinged with frustration. "All those lies, all that manipulation—it’s all going public. The world deserves to know the truth about him and what he’s been doing to mutants. It's time to bring another chance to this world and end these endless conflicts between us."

Rogue’s fingers tightened around the edge of her seat. “And what about the others?” she asked quietly, glancing at him. “The ones who followed him? What happens to them?”

Tony exhaled slowly before replying, “They’ll be handled. Magneto, Pyro, Sabretooth, and Azazel are human now. They’ll have to face the consequences of their actions through trials like regular humans. But from what I've seen in Magneto's memories, many were led to the dark path through manipulation. I'll give them a chance to turn their life around and use their gifts to do something better instead of wasting them on more hatred and conflicts. But those with serious crimes will pay."

"What about me? Can you cure me?" Rogue asked with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"I can," He answered. "But do you want to become a human, or do you want me to stabilize your power? I can remove the negative aspect of your power."

Rogue’s eyes widened as she stood up, a mix of disbelief and hope flickering in her expression. “Is that… really possible?” she asked, her voice almost a whisper. "To touch someone and not..." She trailed off, her gaze dropping to her gloved hands, as if they were both a gift and a curse.

Tony understood her burden. He knew about her and what she went through in her life thanks to his past memories. For someone like Rogue, the idea of intimacy, of connection, was a distant dream—one that, for her, had always felt out of reach.

“Yeah,” Tony replied. “I can stabilize your mutation. You won’t lose your powers, and you’ll be able to touch someone without hurting them. Then once you master your power, you'll be able to control it like a switch, turning it on and off at will. All you need to do is give me a week to work on the stabilizing serum."

She blinked, processing the enormity of what he was offering. “A week?” she repeated, her heart racing. "But... a serum? Just like that?"

"Sounds like a dream. I know. But yup! Just like that," He said with a warm smile. 

Rogue looked at him then, a mixture of gratitude and uncertainty in her eyes. She was quiet for a long moment, processing his words. Finally, she spoke again, "Okay. Let’s do it. I want to try."

Tony’s lips curled into a small but genuine smile. "Good. I’ll get started on it as soon as I can. And Rogue..." He paused, then leaned back in his chair. He looked serious. "You’re not alone in this. I’ve got your back. Always. Oh, by the way..."

He extended his hand toward her.

"I think I got an idea of how to make you feel normal till I work on the cure. Take your gloves off."

"What are you..." 

"C'mon, now. Trust me."

Rogue took her gloves off. The nanite bracelet on her wrist glowed with a little red hue for five seconds.

Then Tony extended his hand toward her. "Touch my hand."

Rogue hesitated, staring at Tony’s outstretched hand. Her fingers trembled slightly, uncertainty written all over her face. She had spent her entire life with the fear that a single touch could steal someone's memories, their strength, their life force. The thought of doing that to Tony, of losing control and hurting him, terrified her.

"I... I can’t," she said, her voice soft but firm. "I don’t want to hurt you."

Tony’s expression softened. He leaned forward, his eyes locking with hers. "Rogue, trust me. I’ve got a way to make sure nothing happens. I wouldn’t ask you if I wasn’t sure."

She opened her mouth to argue but paused, catching the sincerity in his eyes. Maybe, just this once, she could let herself believe it.

She slowly raised her hand and took a deep a deep breath. Then she quickly touched his open palm and pulled back. She immediately flinched, waiting for the familiar rush of energy to invade her, the spark that would send waves of chaos through both her and her victim. But to her shock, nothing happened.

She pulled her hand back, staring at him, her heart pounding. "What... what just happened?"

Tony grinned proudly. "I told you nothing would happen. It’s a power suppressor." He pointed at the nanite bracelet on her wrist. "This little beauty on your arm is syncing with your mutation, keeping it in check."

Rogue's eyes widened. She looked at the bracelet again, still not fully understanding what she was experiencing. But she was glad she didn't hurt him. And just to make sure, she asked, "So... it just... stops me from absorbing powers?"

"Exactly," Tony said, leaning back in his chair. "Just think of it as a temporary solution until we get the serum stabilized."

Rogue swallowed, still processing the relief, the unfamiliar sense of control that came with it. It felt like the first time she could breathe freely without fear of herself.

"Try again. Shake my hand," He extended his hand toward her again.

"Are you sure?" she asked, voice trembling slightly.

"C'mon. Just a handshake," He said with a smile.

So, they shook hands and nothing happened. 

 "This is... this is unreal."

"It’s a start," Tony said as he stood up and stretched his body. He was hungry after that fight. Then, he heard Rogue's stomach grumbling. She quickly wrapped her arms around her tummy with a blushed face. 

"Sorry about that..." She mumbled.

"Shall we get some food? I'm hungry as hell."

[Ironman] Ch: 138 [Iron Man vs Magneto]

Tony's repulsor blast struck Magneto with staggering force, knocking him backward across the cracked pavement. His magnetic shield absorbed the worst of the blow, but the impact still sent a ripple of pressure through the air. Dust and metal fragments scattered, and the surrounding lights flickered.

Before Magneto could recover, the plating on the back of Tony's Model 51 suit shifted with a mechanical hiss. Segmented panels peeled open, releasing two swarms of nanites that shimmered for a moment before vanishing from sight. One swarm moved like a cloud, invisible to the naked eye, darting forward with surgical precision.

Within seconds, they infiltrated Azazel, Toad, the still-healing Sabretooth, and the still-unconscious Pyro. None of them noticed. The nanites slid beneath skin and muscle, latching onto nerves and crawling through tissue like living sensors.

Overhead, the drones split apart with mechanical precision, each segment rotating and reconfiguring in midair. Panels folded, joints clicked into place, and internal cores aligned as the components magnetized and locked together. Nanite strands snapped between them, forming a dense internal frame.

In seconds, the swarm became a humanoid armor, behind Tony like a transformer come to life. Bladed appendages extended from its arms, reactor vents flared along its back, and glowing circuits lit up across its chest as it activated. The mecha dropped behind Tony with a ground-shaking thud, as it synced with his neural interface and entered combat standby.

At the same time, a separate wave of nanites surged toward Rogue. She staggered back instinctively, one hand raised as if to shield herself, but the swarm reached her before she could react. They spiraled around her body in a tight formation, weaving a full-body suit over her frame. The suit formed in seconds, adapting to her physiology without causing pain or discomfort.

Azazel saw what was happening and moved to act. His eyes flashed, and his body began to dematerialize in a burst of red energy. He reached for Rogue, intending to teleport both of them away from the chaos.

The moment he activated his power, his body convulsed. A burst of energy erupted across his skin, and he crashed to the pavement with a thud. The impact left cracked ground beneath him. He twitched once and then went completely still.

The anti-mutant nanites inside him had activated.

His teleportation ability was completely suppressed.

Toad lunged toward Rogue, tongue flicking out, but his limbs locked mid-stride. He collapsed, writhing, unable to move properly. Sabretooth roared and charged Tony, only to crumple to one knee before he got close. His regeneration stopped. Muscles lost coordination, and old wounds started to open up. Pyro tried to lift his head, but sparks flickered in his neural pathways as the nanites triggered another shutdown.

Tony turned his head slightly, voice calm and direct through the suit's speaker.

"Don't be afraid, Rogue. You're safe. I've got you covered."

She stood frozen in the armored nanite suit, heart racing, eyes wide as she looked down at her gloved hands now wrapped in high-tech material. But for some reason, she felt a rush that she hadn't felt in years. 'Cool. Tony Stark's armor!'

He took a step forward, eyes still locked on Magneto, who now floated cautiously just above the ground, metal swirling around him in tight formation. His expression had shifted. He was no longer focused on Rogue. He was focused on Tony.

Tony looked at Magneto and said, "C'mon, man. You pull this shit, just when the people started to accept mutants... You stupid? Why the hell would you do that? I heard from Wanda and Pietro about your mission to ensure the survival of the mutant kind, no matter the cost. Yet, just when I provided that chance and things were getting better, you just had to fuck up, huh? What is it with you? Superiority complex? Or, just outright retarded?"

Magneto's gaze didn't waver from Tony's, but a new expression passed over his face. It wasn't rage, or even contempt. It was conviction.

"You think I did this because I'm afraid of your progress?" Magneto said, his voice deep and resonant, echoing slightly in the broken space around them. "Because I'm threatened by your vision of peace?"

Tony didn't respond. He knew that magneto will now give him a long monologue about his vision. So, he used this time to set up anti mutant field around that area to counter Blink and any other nasty unnecessary surprises. The nanites are already in position. 

Magneto drifted a few inches higher. His hands rose at his sides, fingers splayed slightly, and the air around him shimmered as if the very atoms were shifting under his command. Metal fragments lifted again, but this time they hovered gently, not as weapons but as silent markers of his presence.

"I've spent decades fighting for mutant survival. I've buried friends. I've held children as they died in my arms because humans feared their abilities. Because governments hunted them. Because society branded them monsters."

Tony's visor flared as it processed the heat rising from Magneto's hands. But he made no move. He let the man speak.

"I once thought domination and genocide were the answer," Magneto continued. "That mutants must rise by force, by fire. But I've realized something far more effective than genocide."

His eyes burned with certainty now.

"I don't need to kill humanity. I just need to end it."

Tony understood what he meant by that.

"Not by blood. By biology."

Magneto's fingers curled slightly, and the hovering metal shards formed a complex molecular model in midair—atoms, DNA strands, twisted double helices constructed from scrap and steel.

"I am building a machine. Powered by Rogue, amplified through the chaos fields, and triggered by my own magnetic resonance. It will release a radiation pulse that alters human DNA. Everyone on Earth will become a mutant."

Magneto's voice lowered, but the intensity remained. "The same people who burned our homes. The same governments that hunted us for years. They will wake up in mutant bodies, terrified of the very thing they once despised. There will be no war. No need for violence. Just... evolution."

"That will kill her," Tony said.

"Yes. But sacrifices must be made to achieve something great," Magneto replied. "Who other than you would know that? The true meaning of sacrifice and the burden that comes after that."

Rogue inhaled sharply behind Tony, still standing inside the armor he'd gifted her. Her heartbeat quickened.

Tony's expression didn't change, but the suit's lights began to pulse more rapidly.

"And what if they can't handle it?" he asked. "What if they die from the transformation? Or go insane?"

"They had no problem doing that to us," Magneto replied. "I'm merely giving them a taste of their own destiny."

"So, if I turn you into a human right now, the plan fails, right?" Tony said as he smirked under his helmet. He noticed a little flinch in Magento's expression. "I'll turn you into what you hate most... A normal human."

Magneto's eyes narrowed, his moment of self-control breaking like a dam. His hands snapped outward, and the air exploded with energy. Every piece of metal within a five-block radius responded to his command. Storm drains tore from the pavement. Lamp posts twisted and bent. Vehicles in the nearby streets screeched as their frames folded inward, pulled off the ground, and dragged through the air like toys.

A massive wave of sharpened steel and iron spiraled above him in a chaotic vortex. It spun faster and faster until the roar of friction and magnetism became deafening. The storm of metal hung in the sky, waiting for a single gesture to strike.

Magneto's voice rose over the roar, furious and full of power. He flew up into the sky.

"You think your toys can stop evolution? You believe you can stand in the way of destiny with clever suits and smart words?"

He thrust both hands forward. The entire metal storm surged toward Tony in a crushing avalanche. Blades, beams, twisted doors, railings, shattered construction girders—thousands of jagged pieces converged at once. The force behind it could level a skyscraper.

Tony raised one hand, and the mecha responded instantly, charging into the incoming barrage of steel.

The ground cracked beneath its feet as it launched upward with violent force, smashing through the center of the metallic vortex like a battering ram. Thousands of steel fragments collided against the mecha's adaptive armor, but none could pierce its surface. The mecha spun midair, deflecting larger debris with bladed arms, its defense algorithms evolving in real-time to counter every angle of attack.

Magneto watched from above, arms outstretched, his face etched with fierce concentration. He pulled deeper from the Earth's crust, drawing raw iron and steel from beneath the city. Sewer pipes cracked open. Power lines tore loose. Subterranean foundations lifted into the air, feeding the storm with endless fuel. The sky turned silver with fragments, the streets below hollowed and trembling from the pull.

But Tony had already anticipated this.

He activated the magnetic counter-field. The mecha extended its wings, each blade segment unfolding into a high-frequency polarity disruptor. The whirling magnetic storm lost cohesion. Particles clashed against each other, destabilizing the mass of debris. In seconds, what had once been a weaponized hurricane began to collapse into itself.

Tony took off from the street, thrusters flaring. He soared upward at blinding speed, catching up to the mecha in midair. It reconfigured around him, panels sliding into place as the exo-frame locked onto his suit. The two merged, Tony at the core of a fully-armored titan, now hurtling toward Magneto like a living warhead.

Magneto's eyes widened as he launched backward, but Tony was faster.

He struck Magneto with a clean uppercut that sent the master of magnetism spinning across the sky. Even though he had his shield up, the disruptor on Tony's suit kept sending pulses that made it harder for him to maintain it.

Magneto stabilized midair. He raised a hand to summon more metal, to rebuild his field, to fight back. But Tony did not give him the chance.

A barrage of micro-missiles launched from Tony's shoulders, streaking through the sky with perfect precision. Each one detonated on contact, surrounding Magneto in a symphony of concussive explosions. The sky lit up with fire and shockwaves.

Tony dove through the smoke, his repulsors flaring. He fired twin beams straight into Magneto's shield, forcing the field to flicker and crack under the pressure. Magneto roared in anger and pushed forward, trying to reestablish control over the magnetic environment. But the pulses from Tony's suit kept scrambling the local field, interfering with the very essence of Magneto's power.

Then came another wave of missiles.

Magneto barely dodged the wave, only to be caught by the next wave. The blast threw him sideways, armor cracking at the shoulder, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.

Before he could recover, Tony appeared above him. "Plasma 24%" He aimed his right fist and shot a bright blue plasma beam. The beam struck Magneto's chest and sent him crashing to the ground below.

Baaam!

Dust rose around his broken form. He rolled over, coughing violently, struggling to pull himself upright. His helmet was cracked, his fingers twitching as he tried to summon anything—metal, magnetic feedback, the iron in the soil. 

Nothing responded.

He gasped for air. The nanites had already entered his bloodstream during the battle, and right now, they released the cure. He reached for the sky, hoping to lift a shard of metal, but his hand shook, and nothing moved. 

He couldn't feel it anymore. The field was gone. He collapsed to one knee, gasping once more. The realization hit him harder than the blows: he was powerless.

Above him, Tony flew down slowly, the massive exo-frame peeling away and returning to aerial standby as he touched down a few feet from Magneto’s broken form. The mask retracted from Tony’s face. He looked down, expression cold.

“I didn’t want it to come to this,” Tony said, voice steady. “But you forced my hand.”

Magneto coughed, blood on his lips. “You... turned me into one of them.”

“No,” Tony replied. “I gave you exactly what you were planning to give the world. A taste of their own medicine, remember?”

[Ironman] Ch: 137 [Rogue and Magneto]

AN: Slightly unedited.

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[1 week ago] [Temporary NY base]

The room was illuminated only by the glow of overlapping holographic projections. A dozen feeds ran simultaneously across the large screen on the wall, each tracking enhanced individuals throughout the country. Tony stood alone, arms crossed, his eyes fixed on a single file.

Rogue.

Her location pinged from the Xavier School every few hours. Tony knew everything about her thanks to his past life's memories. Rogue's power was OP, but dangerous. And if he isn't wrong, she'll come for the cure, and Magneto won't let that chance go to waste. He'll try to get her on the way.

Magneto wouldn't risk himself to power the mutation pulse. He'd make Rogue absorb his power and then use her to power up the machine. 

Tony turned to the terminal and activated a secondary surveillance net and placed enough clocked drones around her to protect her from all harm. 

[Present time] [Bus to NY]

Rogue sat by the window, her gloved hands resting in her lap, her backpack tucked at her feet. Her reflection drifted across the glass, soft and uncertain, just like her thoughts. She had told no one where she was going. It wasn’t betrayal, she told herself. It was survival. She needed this.

She had memorized every step: arrive tonight, check into a hotel, show up at the S.H.I.E.L.D. base first thing in the morning, take the cure, and walk away with her life finally unlocked.

The idea was intoxicating.

Rogue had spent years isolated by her own skin. She watched the world from the edges, unable to reach out for fear of taking too much. No hugs, no accidental touches, no kisses, no fun... just distance and regret.

But now, everything might change.

The cure meant more than a medical fix. It meant finally living. She could be normal—whatever that meant. Go on dates without fear. Hold someone’s hand without gloves. Splash around in a crowded waterpark without watching people flinch away in fear.

She smiled faintly at the thought, pressing her forehead against the cool glass. Her breath fogged the window a little, blurring the skyline ahead. For the first time in a long time, she wasn’t afraid. She was hopeful.

The lights of the outer boroughs flickered below as the bus rolled on, half an hour out from the city center. Rogue adjusted in her seat and pulled her jacket tighter around her. 

She didn’t know she was being watched.

High above the clouds, just outside human sight, a cluster of cloaked drones followed her movement in perfect silence, feeding her exact location back to Tony Stark. 

Suddenly, the bus jolted violently, tires screeching as the vehicle came to a sudden, grinding stop. Rogue lurched forward in her seat, catching herself just before her head hit the seat in front of her. Around her, passengers screamed and shouted, chaos erupting in an instant. A child began to cry as smoke and dust spilled into the cabin.

The front of the bus was gone. It had been pulled away—ripped open like the lid of a tin can.

Through the smoke and mangled metal, a figure hovered just above the wreckage. His cape billowed gently in the cold night wind, his helmet gleaming with soft reflections of the street lights. His expression was as calm as it was unreadable.

Magneto.

Rogue’s stomach twisted as she locked eyes with him. He didn’t say anything at first. His presence was enough. The metal debris from the front of the bus hovered behind him, suspended mid-air, warped and twisted in perfect balance as if held by invisible strings. 

Passengers scrambled toward the rear exit, some stumbling over seats, others helping each other up. Magneto paid them no mind. His gaze remained fixed on her.

"Anna Marie," he said, his voice smooth, carrying easily over the rising panic.

She froze. No one had called her that in years.

"You don’t need to run anymore," he continued, lowering himself slowly toward the torn-open bus. “You don’t have to hide. You were born with something extraordinary. And they’ve made you hate it.”

Rogue stood slowly. Her knees felt stiff and heavy. Her heart was pounding, and part of her wanted to bolt, to vanish into the smoke and disappear into the night. But something in his voice held her there.

"I’m not here to fight," he said, stepping inside what remained of the bus. "I’m here to offer you the truth. The cure isn’t salvation, it’s erasure. They want to fix what isn’t broken. You are powerful, Rogue. And you’re afraid of that power because they taught you to be."

She took a step back, keeping a hand on the seat in front of her. "I didn’t ask for this. I never wanted to hurt anyone."

"You've never harmed one of our kind," he said calmly. "You have limitless potential, Anna. If you take the cure, you will never find out what you could become."

Rogue shook her head. “And if I don’t? What then? I keep living like a prisoner in my own skin?”

Magneto raised a hand slightly. Not to threaten, but to motion toward the open air behind him. "Come with me. I can help you understand your ability, not suppress it. You’re not broken, Anna. You’re incomplete.”

She hesitated. The smoke in the air made her eyes sting. Behind her, she could hear distant sirens, far off but approaching.

Magneto took another step closer. “You’re afraid now, but imagine never having to be afraid again. I can show you how.”

Before Rogue could answer, the sharp buzz of energy filled the air. A shimmer cut through the clouds above as three cloaked drones uncloaked in midair, hovering silently. Red targeting lasers flickered briefly across Magneto’s chest.

'Drones?' He extended his hand and reached out with his power, searching for metal, for circuits, for any trace of something he could bend or crush. There was no magnetic signature. Those drones weren't made of metal. 

He turned toward the wreckage, lifting the torn metal from the front of the bus into the air. Crushed panels, pipes, steel beams—all of it spiraled upward around him like shards of a weaponized cyclone. He launched the mass of twisted debris toward the drones.

The drones reacted instantly. Shields activated, protecting them. The incoming metal struck and scattered with violent force, clanging and shattering against the barriers. The drones didn’t suffer any damage. Their targeting systems remained locked on Magneto, and within seconds, they fired.

Bolts of plasma shot through the smoke, heading straight for him. Magneto raised his hands and created a magnetic shield. The shield hummed with energy as the plasma bursts hit it, causing ripples of energy with each impact. He gritted his teeth and kept the shield steady.

A sudden roar of fire erupted from the side of the street. Pyro stepped out from the shadows. He swung his arms forward and threw large waves of flame at the drones. The heat hit immediately, creating waves in the air.

But the drones responded faster.

They fired cryo charges directly into the incoming flame, neutralizing it mid-air before it could reach their positions. The next charge hit Pyro squarely in the chest, knocking him off his feet and sending him skidding across the pavement in a smoking trail. "FUCKKK!" His screams echoed briefly before he passed out in a crumpled heap.

A pink portal opened and Sabretooth leapt into the air with a feral growl, claws extended, ready to tear into one of the hovering machines. The nearest drone responded immediately, spinning mid-air and opening fire. A barrage of plasma rounds struck Sabretooth mid-leap, tearing through his side and shoulder. He dropped to the ground in a heap, snarling, his regeneration barely keeping up with the damage.

Inside the ruined bus, Rogue took a shaky breath and looked toward the back exit. The chaos outside was her only chance. While Magneto was occupied, while the drones were distracted, she could make a break for it. She grabbed her backpack and moved quickly down the rear exit. [Just to be clear, there were a few civilians in the bus at that time and they all ran away from the back exit, the moment Magneto arrived.]

But as she pushed the emergency door open, she stopped cold.

Azazel stood just beyond the steps, dressed in black with crimson skin glowing faintly under the streetlights. His yellow eyes locked onto hers. Beside him, Toad crouched low, tongue flicking and body coiled.

“Going somewhere?” Azazel asked, his voice low and amused.

Rogue took a step back, but Azazel didn’t follow. He simply raised his hand in a casual wave and a slight nod, as if inviting her to try to run. Behind him, Toad leaned forward, grinning.

“Just come with us,” Toad said. "Don't make this hard for us and for you."

Behind them...

Magneto focused intently, raising both arms. With a strong pull, he lifted the entire remains of the bus from the ground. Screws came loose, beams broke, and glass shattered as the frame creaked and rose into the air like a giant skeleton. He twisted his hands, causing the wreckage to break apart, and turned them into sharp shards. He aimed hundreds of sharp fragments directly at the hovering drones.

The shards shot forward in a deadly barrage, but before they hit their targets, a blinding streak of light streaked across the sky. It crashed into the battlefield, scattering energy and metal in a shockwave that deflected Magneto’s projectiles and sent dust and debris flying, temporarily blinding everyone nearby.

As the dust settled, the remaining street light fell on the figure standing in the crater, steam rising from the ground beneath his boots.

Iron Man.

The Model 51 suit was ready for its first field test.

"That’s enough," Tony said through the suit’s speaker.

Azazel tensed. Toad stopped moving entirely, the grin on his face twitching into something closer to wariness. Magneto, still floating above the ground, slowly lowered himself to the cracked pavement, his cape billowing behind him. Shards of metal hovered protectively around him in orbit, waiting for a command. 

'Darn it! My power won't reach him!' Magneto cursed in his head.

Tony’s helmet retracted with a hiss, revealing his face. He looked angry.

"You are dead." His helmet retracted back as he shot a repulsor blast at Magneto.

[Ironman] Ch: 136 [Start at the Bottom]

[Restaurant]

Pietro slurped down the last of his ramen and dropped the bowl with a satisfied sigh. In front of him sat a stack of empty bowls, six high, and he was now focused on tearing through a roasted chicken. His fingers moved fast, stripping the meat clean.

Wanda sat across from him, eating her jumbo burger with precise bites. She chewed quietly, eyes calm.

Tony sat beside them, working through a cheeseburger and a plate of fish and chips. He didn't say much, just observed. His internal system was still analyzing Wanda’s chaotic energy signature in the background, but for now, he listened.

Wanda swallowed and set her burger down on the plate. She looked directly at Tony.

"We left the Brotherhood."

Tony raised an eyebrow but didn’t interrupt.

"Magneto has lost the line between protection and domination. He wants to control the outcome of every battle, even after death. He’s using Howard Stark to create clones. They’re being built as backups. If any of his inner circle dies, their memories and powers will be transferred into cloned bodies and reactivated."

Tony leaned back slightly, processing. "Backup memory upload and body duplication. He's trying to cheat death."

"That’s just the start," Wanda said. "His bigger plan is worse."

Tony paused mid-bite.

"He is building a machine that harnesses his magnetic field to generate a type of radiation. It is designed to alter human DNA. If successful, it will trigger mutations in everyone it touches."

Pietro grunted and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Whole planet. One pulse. No choice."

Wanda’s voice stayed steady. "He thinks he’s fixing the future. We think he’s about to start a war that will never end."

Tony set his food down. "And you two just decided to walk away from all that."

Wanda nodded. "Because we saw what you’re building and we think we can do some good if we join you."

Tony looked at her for a long moment. Then he glanced at Pietro, who was already back to chewing a drumstick.

"Well, I can't just let someone from Brotherhood enter the main team, just because you want to. You have to start at the bottom, earn my trust, and work your way up. There won't be any shortcuts," Tony said as he took a sip of water.

He put the glass down, took a card out of his pocket, and placed it in front of Wanda.

"Take it. It has enough money to help you during your early days. Buy or rent a place to live, get some clothes, and buy a car if you want. Then there's your food expenses. Just show up at Shield Base 1, at 9 AM sharp starting tomorrow."

Wanda picked up the card without a word and slid it into her pocket. Pietro glanced at it but said nothing, busy finishing the last of the chicken.

Tony stood up from his seat.

"You want to help? Prove it," He said. "This isn't a place for redemption arcs or half-truths. If you’re here to help, then start showing up. As for Magneto and the Brotherhood, leave it to me for the moment."

Pietro leaned back in his seat, eyes narrowing. "You’re real confident for someone who hasn’t seen what he's capable of."

Tony looked at him without flinching. "Kid, you haven't seen what I am capable of."

Wanda watched him carefully, then gave a small nod.

Tony stepped away from the table and walked toward the counter and paid the bills. He then turned to exit. Just before pushing the door open, he stopped and looked over his shoulder.

"Nine AM. Don’t be late."

The door swung shut behind Tony with a soft chime. Wanda sat in silence for a few seconds, eyes fixed on the table. Pietro leaned back in his chair, balancing it on two legs, still chewing the last bite of chicken with a thoughtful look.

“Well,” he finally said, wiping his fingers with a napkin, “he didn’t throw us out a window. That’s progress.”

Wanda didn’t smile, but her posture eased slightly. She glanced at the card in her pocket, then back at the empty seat where Tony had been.

“He’s not what I expected.”

Pietro let the chair drop forward with a thud and stood up, stretching his arms behind his head. “I like him. He’s fast.”

Wanda raised an eyebrow.

“He moves like he’s ten seconds ahead of everyone else. I don’t trust him,” Pietro said, pulling on his jacket, “but I respect it.”

Wanda stood as well, adjusting her jacket and brushing off a few crumbs from her shirt. She didn’t say anything, but her expression was thoughtful.

They left the restaurant and stepped into the cool night air. The city was quieter than usual, the streets mostly empty, except for a few police cars patrolling the area. 

As they walked, Pietro shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. 

"Do you think he was serious about letting us in?" he asked. 

Wanda kept her eyes forward. "Only time will tell," she replied. 

"Are you okay with starting at the bottom?" 

"I’ve faced worse beginnings," she answered.

...

[1 week later]

[XAVIER’S SCHOOL FOR GIFTED YOUNGSTERS – WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NEW YORK]

The grand halls of the mansion were quiet. Fewer footsteps echoed through the corridors than usual. Classrooms stood half-empty. The laughter and clamor of mutant youth had thinned, replaced by a somber silence.

In the main office, four figures sat around a round table inside.

Charles Xavier sat in his wheelchair at the head. He was dressed in a dark blue suit, fingers interlaced as he listened. His expression was calm, but his eyes revealed concern.

Across from him, Ororo Munroe stood by the window, arms folded. Hank McCoy, in his usual lab coat, stood beside a digital projection on the wall, scrolling through data with a flick of his clawed hand. Logan leaned against the far wall with his arms crossed, silent but clearly on edge.

“The numbers are solid,” Hank said without turning around. “Over one-third of our student body has left in the past week. Some are going for evaluation. Others are hoping for a full cure.”

“They want normal lives,” Ororo said, her voice quiet but firm. “And who can blame them?”

Logan scoffed lightly. “Depends what you call normal.”

Charles sighed and turned toward Hank. “Have there been any complications?”

“None reported,” Hank replied. “The serum works, at least from the data we have. It stabilizes powers, in some cases removes them entirely. No side effects yet.”

“Yet,” Logan muttered. 

“He’s also offering stability,” Ororo said, turning to face the group. “That’s more than some of our students ever had. When the world hunted them, we protected them. But now? Stark’s giving them the option to walk into society without fear.”

Charles was quiet for a moment. He looked toward the projection. Images flickered of former students—some smiling, others in deep conversation with medical staff. Then came news headlines: "Mutant crime plummets." "Susan Storm offers miracle cure."

“Many of them were never trained to fight,” Charles said slowly. “They never asked for their abilities. They only wanted peace. We gave them refuge. But now they’re being given a cure. And some... see that as a way out.”

Logan pushed off the wall and stepped forward.

“And you do know that Magneto won't stay still for much longer?”

Everyone turned to him.

“He’s not going to like it,” Logan continued. “He'll probably try to kill Stark and his people before this goes any further."

Ororo moved away from the window and faced the Professor.

“We need to speak to him,” she said. “We need to warn him about Erik.”

Charles shook his head slowly. “It’s not Stark who needs the warning,” he said. “It’s Erik who should be afraid. We've all seen what he can do, not to mention his team."

Hank adjusted the projection, folding his arms as he stepped away from the console. His expression was thoughtful, but there was a tension behind his eyes that didn’t go unnoticed. “At this point,” he said, “the best course of action is to remain neutral. The school has always stood as a sanctuary, not a faction in a war.”

Logan narrowed his eyes, clearly unsatisfied. “That neutrality won’t last long when Erik comes knocking.”

Hank turned to face him fully. “If we get involved now, we could endanger our students. Stark is capable of defending himself. He has the resources, the technology, and superhuman allies. Our priority should remain here, with the young people who rely on us.”

Ororo stepped in, her gaze steady. “What happens when those students are caught between two storms? We trained some of them, yes. But most aren’t ready for what’s coming. They’re walking into a battlefield disguised as a clinic.”

There was a moment of pause before Charles spoke with a heavy sigh.

"Then, we'd better stop Eric before he could disrupt the peace."

Right then, Kitty phased through the door. He was huffing. Charles noticed the panic in her eyes and instantly read her mind.

"Rogue," Charles muttered.

"Yeah," Kitty said while huffing. "She left, saying she'd get the cure."

Slight delay

Still on road. Too much traffic. So, the new chapter is slightly delayed. I'll upload it around 2.

[Ironman] Ch: 135 [Wanda & Pietro]

[S.H.I.E.L.D. BASE 1 – NEW YORK CITY]

The crowd of mutant and superhumans waited outside, stretching down the block. Some were excited to become a hero, while others clung to hope of getting a cure. Security drones hovered above, looking for signs of danger.

Inside, the mood was tense. Everyone looked nervous.

The agents moved around the place wearing the Aegis suit. Tony stood at the command center, surrounded by holographic screens. Sue moved between patients in the medical wing, adjusting dosage levels and scanning test results on her wrist display. She was wearing a cloaked nanite suit.

The first wave of applicants had already been processed. One young woman with translucent skin sat quietly in an isolated glass chamber. Her body emitted a soft radiation pulse every few seconds. She looked terrified, knees drawn up, but when Sue walked in with the serum and gave her a gentle nod, she nodded back. Moments later, the radiation levels dropped. The girl exhaled for the first time without fear.

"Thank you," She nearly cried, holding Sue's hand.

"I'm sorry for the pain you had to go through. But it's all right now. Go home and hug your loved ones. And no more crying. I want to see a smile as you walk out of that door," Sue said with a reassuring smile.

Tony watched her vital signs stabilize on a screen. He switched to another feed. A man in his late twenties, eyes glowing with kinetic pressure, stood in a containment room reinforced with graviton fields. He wanted training instead of a cure. His powers had caused significant damage to his family’s home. Now, he wanted to be helpful. Tony marked him for recruitment into S.H.I.E.L.D.’s enhanced operations unit.

“Bring him into Tier-2 testing. Let him run the drills,” Tony instructed. An agent beside him nodded and passed on the order.

By mid-afternoon, the number of applicants had doubled.

At Base 2, Natasha and Ben managed the overflow. Natasha worked efficiently, checking the backgrounds of potential recruits. She filtered out those with bad intentions and flagged any possible threats. Meanwhile, Ben calmed younger applicants with his jokes and transformation. Well, he wasn't that good with jokes, but that alone was enough to make them laugh. 

One boy could change his molecular weight. He accidentally sank through the floor when he got nervous. Ben rescued him from the concrete and patted his shoulder. “We’ll figure it out, kid.”

At Base 3, Yelena and Johnny worked in parallel. Yelena was reviewing files, while Johnny floated midair as he answered questions for curious teens excited to see a superhero in person. He was in his suit and not using his power.

One girl, skin crackling with electricity, stood nervously until Johnny approached and asked her if she had ever flown. She shook her head. Johnny held out a hand and grinned. “Well, let's go for a spin."

The medical wing was active as the Widows were providing cure and treatment with Bio-Nanites.

Tony received updates from all bases in real-time.

Many applicants were not dangerous. They simply wanted a chance. Some had mutations that caused physical deformities, others had unpredictable powers that had made them outcasts. All of them were here because Tony Stark had promised something no one else had: stability.

Sue’s serum had cured over fifteen mutants in the past hour. Each one had walked away with tears in their eyes, some not even fully understanding what life without their mutation would feel like. A man with stone fists had looked at his hands in awe after the serum reverted him to normal. A young woman who had once melted metal and caused burns just by touching now reached out and held her mother’s hand for the first time in years.

In a private corridor, Sue approached Tony, wiping her hands on a sterile cloth. “Three more stabilized. Two still in observation. We’ll need a new batch of serum soon if this pace keeps up.”

Tony nodded. “Already generating. Hermes is routing backups to Bases 2 and 3. Our batch will arrive in a couple of hours.”

Sue leaned against the wall beside him. “Thank you for everything. I can now help so many people."

Tony didn’t respond immediately. He watched a teenager in one of the observation rooms use her power to levitate a pen and then gently let it fall. She smiled when she realized she could finally control it.

He finally said, “They aren't helpless anymore. Let's guide them together and create a new era together."

...

[ONE WEEK LATER] [NIGHT] [S.H.I.E.L.D. BASE 1 – STARK’S OFFICE]

Everything had gone smoother than even Tony had predicted.

Across the world, reports poured in confirming a dramatic shift. Crime rates linked to mutant activity had dropped by nearly 62 percent in seven days. Rogue incidents were at an all-time low. Hundreds of former outcasts were now walking the streets free of fear. Cities once haunted by unknown power surges and collateral damage were experiencing peace.

The media didn’t know how to spin it. Governments were cautiously optimistic. The mutant community was split down the middle, but public support was rising. Some still called Tony a control freak playing god. Others called him the savior of the century. He didn’t care either way.

Inside his private office, the lights were dim. Holographic panels hovered in a soft blue glow, projecting vitals, incident reports, tech diagnostics, and a few open personnel files. Tony stood by the large panoramic window, sipping from a glass of wine and reviewing the last batch of reports.

He was tired, but the good kind. The kind of tired that came with knowing your plan was working.

Then the door opened.

Tony turned as a quiet breeze swept into the room. The hallway behind the visitor shimmered faintly, red reflections dancing against the steel.

A girl stepped inside with a calm and unreadable expression. She appeared to be in her early twenties. Long brown hair framed her focused face. She wore a crimson red jacket over a darker red shirt, accompanied by black jeans and boots that echoed softly against the floor. Her eyes scanned the room as if she could see through it.

Behind her came a young man in a blue and white tracksuit. His silver hair glinted under the ceiling lights. He moved with casual ease, but his eyes darted constantly, measuring everything in the room in less than a second.

Tony identified them at a single glace. 

He scanned them. In less than a second, he had full biometric reads. Both individuals were mutants. The male showed signs of superhuman velocity. The girl was different. The moment the scan hit her neural center, a surge of red static glitched his interface for half a second.

Wanda was using a power source not aligned with any known spectrum. The energy signature was fragmented, interdimensional, and riddled with quantum irregularities. But the label finally crystallized.

Chaos Magic.

'I wonder, how strong they are at this moment... Humm... Should I test them a bit?' Tony wondered.

The girl stepped forward. “Wanda Maximoff,” she said calmly. “This is my brother, Pietro.”

Pietro gave a lazy wave. “Yo.”

Tony took a sip before setting the glass down on the table. 

Tony blinked.

Before Pietro could react, Tony had already closed the distance. His fist came flying toward Pietro’s jaw. Pietro vanished in a streak of silver and wind, reappearing behind Tony with a smug grin.

But the grin dropped.

In his eyes, Tony appeared as if he was a blur.

Pietro ducked instinctively as Tony’s punch narrowly missed his head, crashing into the reinforced steel wall behind him with a deafening crunch. The metal bent inward like paper.

"What the—" Pietro zipped to the far side of the room.

Tony followed again. He was faster than Pietro.

Every time Pietro shifted his position, every time he zigzagged across the room, Tony’s fist was already halfway there. It was as if Tony wasn’t reacting to his movements, but predicting them.

Pietro circled behind him and launched a strike at Tony’s side.

Tony twisted at the last second, grabbed Pietro’s wrist mid-strike, and flipped him into the wall with a thud that rattled the windows.

Pietro crashed to the floor, rolling twice before scrambling back to his feet.

"What the hell are you?" he snapped, breathing hard.

Tony stepped forward, calm and unbothered. “So, you are fast, but you are just stuck at 35% at best. You need more training."

Pietro stood up and ran forward again, this time trying to sweep Tony’s legs.

Tony hopped back a fraction of a second before the sweep connected, then brought his knee into Pietro’s stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

Pietro collapsed to one knee, gasping.

Tony crouched in front of him. “Fast is good. Smarter is better.”

Behind them, Wanda hadn’t moved. Her eyes glowed faint red, and for a moment, Tony felt pressure in the air. But he didn’t turn. He just raised one finger.

“Try it, and I’ll show you the difference between chaos and control.”

Wanda didn’t blink. But her power eased, just a little. Her voice was calm.

“You were testing us.”

Tony stood, brushing dust from his palm. “Yup! You two passed."

Pietro grunted and got to his feet, still breathing hard. "You ain't gonna test her?" 

"Nope. I don't want this entire block to vaporize and considering how you two entered despite the mutant jammers and all the security measures without raising a single alarm, she can manipulate reality. So, nope. No thank you. By the way, you hungry?" Tony asked as he stretched his arms.

[Ironman] Ch: 134 [Model 51]

[HORIZON ISLAND] [NOON – R&D CORE FACILITY]

Banner was unconscious, lying on a reinforced medical bed inside a secure room lined with adamantium. Tony had made sure the sedation levels were calibrated to Banner’s unique metabolism. And if the Hulk woke up again and went on another rampage, the walls wouldn't budge. 

Outside, Tony stood in the lab, eyes locked on the data streaming across the transparent display walls: Vital signs, adrenal output, Gamma flux, neural irregularities. All of it poured in from the nanites now embedded in Banner’s bloodstream. The bio-tagging had worked perfectly. The nanites mapped his regenerative patterns, his mutation rhythms, and even his cortical shifts when Hulk took over. It was everything Tony needed to create a serum to help Banner control his transformation.

But right now Tony's attention was on something else.

He turned away from Banner’s feed and pulled up the combat diagnostics from the earlier fight. His Model 50 armor’s new generation of nanites had performed nearly flawlessly. The kinetic energy dampeners had absorbed and rerouted 93% of Hulk’s total offensive force. That number would have been impossible by every known law of physics.

He hated that. Ninety-three percent meant inefficiency. Somewhere in the system, there was friction, waste, drag. Somewhere, there was still loss.

Tony closed his eyes and focused on the power of the Mind Stone. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. His eyes glowed yellow for a moment. He finally decided to use his technopathy ability to connect to his suit's interface. The hologram of his suit popped up before his eyes.

For a second, the Mind Stone’s network overlaid his perception like an invisible grid. Equations, formulas, theoretical structures, raw atomic behavior, quantum memory loops, all unfolded around him in symmetrical precision.

Tony spoke quietly to himself.

“Theory says no machine can hit a perfect hundred percent.”

He blinked. “Theory never had a Mind Stone.”

He dove into the simulation, inputting the raw combat footage. Every moment of impact, every pulse of energy, every change in Hulk’s muscle mass was recalculated in quantum scale. He also threw in the data from the battle with Captain Marvel.

Tony ran thirty million variations on his kinetic dampener framework in six seconds.

He called up the power diffusion curve. The armor absorbed incoming force and redirected it to the capacitor array, then sent any excess to the environmental stabilizer grid. However, that grid had a flaw: it vented heat to maintain the core temperature, resulting in wasted energy. This was avoidable.

He rewritten the loop in real-time, configuring the system to circulate the redirected energy into micro-actuator reinforcement layers. It would recycle the force, not dump it, but store it. Weaponize it. Turn every hit into a battery charge.

Then he looked deeper.

The Mind Stone offered more than raw calculation. It allowed his mind to grasp concepts in parallel. It could see flaws in design before they happened. It predicted not just performance, but entropy.

Tony locked in a new schematic featuring a nanite restructure. The design included armor filament density modulation, subdermal reinforcements, and internalized failsafe stabilizers. The neural response delay had been trimmed down to below sub-Planck sensitivity. This machine wouldn't just operate at 100 percent efficiency; it would redefine what 100 percent even meant, ensuring it exceeded all expectations.

He spent a few hours perfecting the new technology.

Finally, the new design was ready. [Sorry for the info dump below. Many readers on WN keep asking what his suit can do, what its abilities are, and all that. So, I decided to add enough info for everyone to get an idea without Google search.]

The Mind Stone dimmed, leaving only the sound of his own breathing in the room. He looked at the render before his eyes: The Model 51 "Model-Prime Armor." 

This armor is capable of transforming into every single armor Tony created so far, depending on the situation. And it can also transform into a Hulk Buster within 5 seconds.

Apart from that, Tony also added more improvements.

Prime Armor can reach the speed of sound right from lift-off, and additional thrusters can be formed from the suit's scales to reach higher speeds. Flight while in stealth mode won't leave any repulsor energy trail anymore.

As for weaponry. He added everything he had. Plus, he made some upgrades using Ghost's suit's data. The repulsors have multi-vibrational capabilities, being able to damage beings with phasing powers. The armor can also create a "zero-point energy bubble" which drains an excessive amount of energy. This energy bubble can be used to attack enemies with a shockwave energy blast or as a force-field to contain them.

As for defensive powers:

In addition to the extra-durable shell protecting its user, the Model-Prime Armor is completely immune to different types of powerful attacks with such efficiency that its wearer might not even react to them. The suit can also resist powerful blasts of energy that can destroy entire buildings, and now can take repeated blows from the likes of Captain Marvel. The armor also protects against intangibility, preventing objects and individuals from phasing through it.

The division of the suit's surface into individual tiles allows for fast repairing of damaged areas, as the scales simply realign themselves. The extent of this ability allows the armor to rapidly rebuild itself even after being broken down in its entirety. He also added magnetic forcefield, just because... Why not?

Finally, in case the wearer's life is in extreme risk during battle, the Model-Prime Armor possesses an emergency protocol that causes the suit to burst and separate from its user while the device on their wrist flies them away to safety. The armor then realigns itself and continues fighting in automatic control until its user accesses a remote interface and gets hold of the armor.

"Hermes," Tony said, looking at the new model. "Start production. Make three suits: one for me, one for Nat, and one for Yelena."

...

[4:03 PM]

The landing struts locked with a metallic click. Yelena stepped out of the jet first, and walked straight toward the reinforced bay doors.

Behind her, Janet followed. She wore a clean dark suit jacket, hair pulled back tight. She looked around in excitement and didn’t look like someone who had survived a near-murder half an hour ago. She looked like someone who had already moved on.

Two Widows dragged Hank Pym down the ramp. He looked like a sack of broken limbs. His arms were cuffed, his body slumped between them. His face was swollen, and his left eye had closed completely. A trail of dried blood ran down from his nose. One of the widows had clearly used his face to test the deck plating. Repeatedly. Well, the bio-nanites kept him alive.

Tony stood just inside the landing bay, arms crossed.

Yelena gave him a quick nod and jerked her thumb toward Pym.

"Problem solved. Mostly."

Tony didn’t look at her and pointed down the hall.

"Basement cell. Throw him in. Let the nanites keep him alive. I’ll deal with him later."

The Widows dragged Hank away. He groaned once as they vanished from sight.

Yelena and Janet walked to him.

“Tony Stark." He extended his hand toward Janet.

Janet looked at Tony's outstretched hand for a moment. Then she shook it firmly.

“Janet Van Dyne,” she said. Her grip was steady, her voice even. “I suppose this is the part where I thank you for saving my life.”

Tony shook his head. “Yelena saved your life. I just gave her clearance.”

Janet glanced over at Yelena and nodded once. A silent, grateful gesture. Yelena didn’t smile, but there was something lighter in her eyes.

Tony turned, gesturing for them to follow as he walked toward the main corridor.

The sliding doors opened with a quiet hiss as he walked Janet and Yelena into the Ultimates' main living area. The room was large and modern, filled with science and comfort. The walls showed live updates on global weather, news, and alerts. The ceiling glowed softly, mimicking daylight. The furniture was adjustable, made from special materials that changed shape to fit whoever sat in them for ultimate comfort.

A floating tray glided silently across the room, carrying a set of steaming mugs and fresh fruit. It avoided the furniture and settled on a nearby table before hovering idle. Three spider-like maintenance drones crawled across the far wall, inspecting panel junctions. In the corner, a tall humanoid bot was just standing still.

Janet’s eyes were wide.

She turned slowly, taking it all in. “I’ve seen advanced tech,” she said, voice calm but awed. “I’ve been inside twenty classified facilities. I’ve seen tech that people swore was fifty years ahead of its time. But I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Tony kept walking toward the large seating area in the center of the room. "Don't be surprised yet, because this is nothing. Yelena can give you a tour around the place." 

"Yeah, leave it to me," Yelena said with a smile.

Janet reached out and brushed her fingers along a floating translucent screen displaying holograms of the Earth’s magnetosphere. The image responded to her touch, rotating fluidly beneath her fingertips. “And you built all this?” she asked. 

"Yup! Everything," He replied.

Tony gestured to the couch as he walked toward it, then sat down and leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. Janet and Yelena followed and took seats across from him. He picked up one of the mugs from the tray and took a sip. He set it back down and looked directly at Janet.

"I've prepped a long, same old boring speech, but I think we should skip that part." He paused for a moment before saying, "Janet, I want you in my team. Join the Ultimates." 

---

AN: Next Chapter: Wanda meets Tony Stark

[Ironman] Ch: 133 [Hulk vs Iron Man]

AN: Slightly smaller than the previous chapter.

---

The heavy boots of the agents echoed as they left the corridor. Once the final door sealed shut behind them, only two men remained in the long, sterile hallway: one on the outside of the glass, and one within it.

Tony stood there facing the reinforced glass. He didn’t rush. He scanned the room’s sterile layout, its too-clean walls, the vents tucked carefully into the ceiling, the faint buzz of power humming through the suppression field.

Inside, Bruce Banner lay curled in the far corner, knees drawn up to his chest. His frame was lean but worn, marked by years of confinement. The containment suit he wore clung to him like a second skin, woven with dull-blue circuitry that pulsed gently in sync with his vitals.

Tony noted the twitch of Banner’s fingers, the shallow rise of his breathing, the quiet tremor in his left hand. The readings on the glass’s display showed stable vitals, suppressed adrenal activity, and a neural lockdown protocol still engaged.

After a long moment, Tony cleared his throat.

“Bruce Banner,” He said calmly, hands in his coat pockets.

No response.

“I know you’re awake.”

Bruce shifted slowly and opened his bloodshot eyes. He looked weak and tired.

“I’m Tony Stark,” he said. “And before you say you’ve never heard of me, I know. That was the point.”

Bruce blinked.

Tony continued, “You’ve been off the books for thirteen years. SHIELD scrubbed you out of existence, so it took a while to find you.”

Bruce sat up slowly. He looked cautious. “Are you here to shut me down?” His voice was hoarse from disuse, barely above a whisper.

“No,” Tony replied. “I’m here to offer you a job. A chance to redeem yourself.”

Bruce let out a dry, humorless laugh. It turned into a cough. “You serious?”

“You broke the serum code. You stabilized something no one else could during your era. The rage, the transformation, the regenerative factor. You created a controlled transmutation engine inside a human body.” Tony gestured with one hand. “Then you messed up. Got greedy, stole the serum, and injected yourself like a fool."

“For years, I thought I wanted to be a hero like Captain America, but there was a part of me who was just... greedy. And that greed turned me into a monster. But in the end, it was me who took so many lives. There is no redemption for me.”

“Yeah. You fucked up. But staying curled up here doesn’t erase what you are, or what you could do now."

Bruce’s eyes flicked toward the floor. “What I could do? You mean what the other guy could do. You don’t want me. You want him.”

Tony’s face didn’t change. “I want you both.”

Silence stretched.

“Stark,” Bruce said, dragging the name out like something sour. “You think you understand, but you don’t. You weren’t there. You didn’t see what I did. You don’t know what it feels like to wake up covered in someone else's blood. Letting me out is like letting a monster out of the cage after years of starvation. The moment you open that door, that monster will kill you."

"Ah! Is that so?" Tony said with his usual arrogant smile as he unlocked the door and disabled Bruce's containment suit.

The containment door hissed open.

The moment the final locking mechanism disengaged, Bruce clutched his head, and his spine arched. A guttural scream tore from his throat as the containment suit’s dampening protocols failed. Muscles bulged, and veins turned green. Then his skin flushed green, stretching as his bones cracked and reformed. His breathing transformed into snarls.

Within seconds, Bruce Banner was gone. In his place stood the Hulk.

The transformation was instant and violent.

With a roar that shook the hallway, Hulk lunged forward and slammed both fists into the reinforced glass wall. It shattered like cheap plastic. The shockwave buckled the metal floor beneath his feet. "HULK SMASH!" Hulk raised one massive fist and drove it toward Tony’s face.

The punch never landed.

Tony stopped it with a single finger. The nanites in his body absorbed the kinetic energy.

His nanite armor shimmered across his body, latching into place with perfect precision. Model 50, the Endo Sym armor activated. After his fight with Carol, Tony had upgraded the armor even further, and now was the perfect time to test it out. He looked up at Hulk and smiled.

"Cute," Tony said.

Hulk’s eyes widened.

Then Tony’s fist came up.

One uppercut connected clean under Hulk’s jaw with a burst of kinetic energy. The air cracked. Hulk shot straight up like a missile, smashing through the ceiling of the facility, tearing through concrete and steel and emerging into open sky. The shockwave from his departure rippled out for miles.

Tony looked up. "I'm gonna beat the shit out of you just to test out my suit."

He flew into the air, trailing white light behind him as he rocketed after Hulk. The HUD in his visor flared to life. Wind speed, gravitational pull, impact angles—all calculated in real-time. Tony caught up in seconds.

He hit Hulk in midair.

The impact sent both Tony and Hulk falling downward. Tony turned in the air and punched Hulk again, sending him toward the ocean. Hulk crashed into an abandoned island, creating a deep mark in the ground as he broke through trees, stone, and dirt.

Tony landed a few hundred feet away, dust kicking up around his boots.

The island was silent for two seconds.

Then Hulk exploded from the crater, mouth wide, roaring louder than thunder. He leapt toward Tony, fists swinging in a brutal arc. Tony blocked the first punch with a forearm brace, absorbed the second with a kinetic redirector, then responded with a spinning kick to Hulk’s ribcage that launched him through a boulder.

Hulk tore out of the rubble and charged again.

Tony grinned inside his helmet. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Hulk slammed into him with full force, driving him back through the jungle. Trees splintered and rocks shattered. The ground itself cracked beneath them. Hulk pounded Tony’s armor with relentless fury, each blow creating shockwaves that carved trenches into the landscape.

But the armor didn’t break.

Tony locked Hulk’s wrist in mid-swing and activated the endosym tether, liquefying the nanites on his arm into a coiled brace. The metal snaked up Hulk’s forearm and around his shoulder like a python, binding him in place.

Tony pulled him forward and fired a repulsor burst straight into Hulk’s face.

The explosion sent Hulk tumbling backward. He skidded across the ground, leaving a crater in his wake. He shook it off and slammed his fists into the earth, sending a tidal wave of dirt and debris at Tony. The dust cloud swallowed everything.

Then a beam of white-hot energy tore through the dust and struck Hulk in the chest, pinning him to the mountain wall at the edge of the island.

Tony hovered forward, his nanites returned and fused with his suit. He got Hulk's blood sample and left a swarm of nanites in his body. 

“C'mon, you are hitting like a child,” he mocked.

Hulk growled, ripping the rocky chunks apart as he pulled free. He roared and launched himself again, this time faster and wilder. He clapped his hands mid-air, sending a sonic shockwave that ripped through the valley.

Tony flew low and fast, dodging boulders and debris, before slamming into Hulk shoulder-first and driving him into the ground. Hulk flipped them over, pinning Tony and throwing punch after punch, trying to crush his helmet.

Each hit slammed into the armor, cracking the stone beneath them, but the Model 50 held strong. Tony’s palm lit up, and he fired a pulse cannon point-blank into Hulk’s stomach, launching him into the sky once again.

Tony followed, this time weaving around Hulk in a spiral. The armor responded with inhuman speed, forming blade-like extensions from his wrists. He sliced across Hulk’s back, sparking green blood into the air, then spun and kicked Hulk back down toward the beach.

Hulk hit the ground hard.

Tony landed in front of him and powered up both gauntlets.

“You done?” he asked.

Hulk’s chest heaved. His eyes burned with rage. He tried to rise, but stumbled, dropping to one knee. His body trembled. The rage hadn’t left, but the damage was catching up and thanks to the nanites infiltrating his body, his wounds weren't healing anymore.

Tony stepped closer.

“So,” he said. “You still there, Banner?”

Hulk snarled, then froze.

The anger flickered. His chest rose and fell slower now. The glow in his eyes faded, replaced by confusion. "No Banner. Only Hulk."

Tony knelt beside him.

"I need both of you. Hulk can smash monsters and become a hero, while puny Banner can sit behind computers and create something nice. So, you are either in or out. But if you ever go on a rampage, remember this punch," Tony said as his mask retracted, clenched his fist and smashed Hulk's face hard enough to knock him out.

--

[Ironman] Ch: 132 [RAGE]

Hank's body slammed against the far wall, crashing down into a mess of overturned furniture and broken glass. Blood dripped from his mouth, his jaw clearly fractured, and one eye already beginning to swell shut. He coughed and wheezed, trying to push himself up with trembling arms.

Yelena stepped through the shattered doorway. Her white tactical suit shimmered with kinetic pulse marks, fresh from impact. She looked down at him in disgust. 

Janet, still on the floor and fighting for air, looked up in confusion before recognition settled in. Relief mixed with pain crossed her face.

Yelena raised one hand, signaling for Janet to stay down. She stepped toward Hank as he rolled onto his side and activated a small device on his wrist. A sharp buzz filled the room, and in an instant, his body shrank to the size of an insect, vanishing from view.

“Coward,” Yelena muttered. Her smart lenses were already tracking the sudden burst of energy. The system locked onto Hank’s signature immediately, even in his miniaturized form. Red outlines flashed across her vision, targeting his exact coordinates. She noticed that Hank got an AI in his suit, which was even better for her.

“Hermes,” she said with an angry expression, “disable his suit. Now.”

There was a soft chime in her ear as Hermes responded. “Override complete. AI RED shutting down. Pym suit disabled.”

A split second later, a sickening thud echoed across the room as Hank's tiny form suddenly reverted to full size mid-fall. He landed awkwardly on the floor, groaning in pain. His limbs flailed uselessly, the shock of the sudden shift leaving him stunned.

Yelena didn’t wait. She ran and grabbed him by the collar, and yanked him halfway to his feet before slamming him down again.

“You disgusting piece of shit,” she spat.

She kicked him once in the ribs, then again in the stomach.

"Argg! Cough!" Hank cried out, curling in on himself, but Yelena didn’t stop. She kicked his shoulder next, then his thigh, each blow made a cracking sound of bones breaking.

“That’s for hitting her. That’s for the lies. And that,” she said, her foot driving into his chest one more time, “is for thinking you could get away with it. Fucking piece of shit! If not for Tony's order, I'd have hanged you naked in the forest and let the hyenas tear you apart.”

Hank moaned, barely conscious, blood smeared across his face.

Yelena finally stepped back. She looked over at Janet, who had managed to pull herself into a sitting position against the wall. “You’re safe now,” she said softly with a sad smile. She could see multiple scars on her body and knew what she had gone through. “Stark sent me. He wanted to offer you a spot with the Ultimates. But first, let me heal you..."

She released the bio-nanites, healing Janet and removing every single wound on her body. 

"Second," Yelena controlled the nanites into Hank's body. Now, no matter how many times his bones break, he won't die, and the bio-nanites will keep healing him. "Beat the shit out of this fucker. No, worries, he won't..." 

Before she could finish, Janet grabbed the wooden chair on her right, ran over to Hank, and smashed it on his head. The chair shattered into pieces.

She grabbed the broken chair leg with both hands and brought it down across Hank’s ribs. The wood cracked against his side with a deep, ugly thud. Hank coughed blood onto the floor, his body convulsing as the pain hit. But even as he gasped, the nanites went to work, stitching broken tissue, sealing fractured bones, forcing him to breathe again.

Janet brought the leg down again. And again. She smashed him in rage. Her arms swung wildly. The blunt edge caught Hank’s collarbone. Then his shoulder. Then his face.

"You used me," she shouted in a ragged voice. She struck him again. "You stole my blood." Another hit. "You broke me down. You made me feel small. You made me feel like a test tube." She slammed the wood across his legs, then drove it into his stomach with a two-handed blow that made him seize.

Yelena stood by the wall, silent, eyes hard but respectful. She knew this wasn’t about violence. This was about release. This was about justice. 'Get it all out, girl.'

Janet tossed the broken chair leg aside and hauled Hank up by the lapels. His eyes were glazed over, his face covered in blood and swelling. He muttered something, too soft to hear, but she didn’t care.

She drove her knee into his groin. He howled and bent forward. She hit his head with her elbow. He fell to the floor again, gasping like a drowning man.

"You drugged me to get what you wanted." She kicked him in the back. "You lied to everyone, but most of all, to me." She kicked again, this time at his hip. A crack echoed off the walls.

Hank’s body spasmed and reset itself again. The nanites kept repairing every injury. Janet didn’t stop.

She grabbed one of the metal rods from his lab kit. She jammed it into his shoulder, then twisted. He screamed. Blood gushed down his side. He reached for her arm out of reflex. She slapped his hand away and struck him across the face with the back of her palm.

"You broke the trust we built. You poisoned your own work. You said you loved me, but all I ever was to you... was a blood bank."

She slammed her foot on his ankle. It snapped. He shrieked. A second later, it popped back into place.

Over and over, she let the fury pour out of her.

She delivered a blow to his ribs, followed by a punch to his eye. A stomp to his chest came next, and then she kicked the side of his head. Dragging him a few feet, she kicked him in the spine. Finally, she turned him over and hit him in the face until her knuckles bled.

Yelena remained still. 

Janet’s breathing became ragged. She screamed and hit him again. Screamed and hit. Screamed and hit. Her fists were bleeding, her voice hoarse, but she didn’t stop. 

Hank didn’t get to pass out. The nanites made sure he stayed awake through every single moment.

Janet stood over him, soaked in sweat, arms trembling, hair matted to her face. Her voice dropped to a whisper now.

“You don’t own me. You never did. And you never will again. AND I'M NOT A MONSTER!" She yelled before kicking his groin again.

She dropped to her knees beside him. She looked into his swollen, nearly unrecognizable face. Then she whispered, “I'm not a fucking monster. All this time... It was you. You were the real monster wearing a human skin. I hope you rot in hell.”

Hank groaned, barely able to lift his head.

Janet stood up slowly. Yelena stepped beside her and offered her a cloth for her hands. Janet took it and wiped the blood off her knuckles.

“You good?” Yelena asked quietly.

Janet looked down at Hank one last time.

“Yeah,” she said. “I am now.”

Yelena nodded and slightly looked back. She said, “Take him to the Vault."

Three widows came out from their invisible mode and dragged the meat slop with them. 

Janet didn’t watch them leave.

She just walked to the bathroom, turned on the sink, and began to wash the blood off her hands.

Yelena waited by the doorway, arms crossed, watching her with something close to admiration.

...

...

[Recruit 2] 

Let's go for a little flashback.

[FLASHBACK – 13 YEARS AGO] [S.H.I.E.L.D. HOLDING FACILITY – UNDISCLOSED LOCATION]

The cell was cold.

Bruce sat alone, hunched over in the corner, wearing a gray containment suit lined with faint blue circuitry. It was an early S.H.I.E.L.D. invention designed to monitor his vitals and suppress spikes in adrenaline. It wasn’t foolproof. But it had kept him from transforming... for now.

Across the room, a reinforced glass wall separated him from the observation booth. Agents stood on the other side, whispering. No one had spoken to him since the incident.

Bruce's eyes were bloodshot, not from rage but from guilt. His knuckles were bandaged where he had pounded the walls in a fit of panic after the transformation wore off. His mind replayed the event in shattered pieces: Mary Parker's scream. Richard's hand reaching for her. Blood on the tile. The scorched remnants of the lab bench. The sound of bones breaking.

And then nothing but green and rage... So much rage.

He didn’t know how long he'd blacked out. He only remembered waking up to the horror. Flames still burned along the edges of the room. Steel beams twisted like paper. Mary was unconscious beneath a collapsed support beam. Richard had dragged her halfway out before collapsing himself, ribs crushed. Banner had crawled out of the wreckage, barefoot and shivering.

They had sedated him on the spot.

Footsteps echoed now in the hallway.

He looked up.

The door to the observation booth hissed open, and Nick Fury stepped inside. He stopped and looked at Bruce with his arms crossed.

“You don’t look like the guy who wanted to be Captain America,” Fury said flatly.

Bruce didn’t reply.

Fury approached the glass, expression unreadable. “You know what I got in the other room? Twenty dead agents, thirty critically injured, and right now, they are fighting for their lives. And two bleeding scientists, one of whom might never walk again. And a billion-dollar facility in ruins. We were working on that serum for ten years. Ten years, Banner.”

Bruce raised his head slowly. “I fixed it.”

Fury scoffed. “You broke it.”

“I perfected it,” Bruce insisted, voice low, cracked. “I just didn’t understand the... threshold. The transformation rate. The cellular variance under stress.”

“You turned yourself into a walking weapon of mass destruction. You made a nuke with legs, Bruce. And worse—you didn’t tell anybody.”

“I didn’t want to be weak anymore,” he whispered.

Fury stared at him for a long moment. Then he walked to the console, tapped a control, and the glass wall dissolved with a low hum. He stepped into the containment cell.

Banner tensed.

Fury stood in front of him, hands still behind his back. “Let me tell you what’s going to happen next. You’re not getting a trial or going to jail. You’re going into a box. A deep, dark one. And you’re going to stay there until we figure out what the hell to do with you. Because the second your heart rate spikes, we’ve got a green nightmare that doesn’t answer to anyone.”

Banner looked up at him. “So I’m a prisoner.”

“You’re a time bomb,” Fury said. “You made that choice.”

He turned to leave, then paused.

“Mary and Richard are alive. Barely. Your cousin Jennifer was scheduled to visit that day. She didn’t. Lucky her.”

Fury walked to the door.

Before he left, he glanced back once.

“Just remember, Bruce... Captain America didn’t need rage to be strong. He needed conviction. You? You built a monster with your name on it.”

The door closed tightly behind him. Bruce sat in silence once more, the only sound being his ragged breathing. He wasn’t angry; he was broken. And in the depths of his mind, beneath layers of guilt and fear, the Hulk whispered, “Weak no more.”

[Present time]

After Fury's death and the changes within SHIELD, it was time to decide what to do with the monster.

Tony read Fury's mind before his death, so he knew the location of this secured facility. So, he simply flew there and walked into the facility. The agents opened the doors and led him inside the containment facility.

After going through multiple reinforced doors and force fields, they finally reached Banner's cell.

Tony looked at the agents. "Leave."

[Ironman] Ch: 131 [Hank Pym & Janet]

Janet Van Dyne was more than she seemed. Her mutation, which allowed her to manipulate molecular density and emit bioelectric bursts, showed up early in her life. Later, her abilities were enhanced by Pym Particles, which were actually extracted and refined from her DNA, not just a scientific invention.

Hank Pym, a once-brilliant scientist with high ideals, discovered the unique quantum fluctuations in Janet's blood. He studied them obsessively, delving deeper until he uncovered the foundation for size manipulation within her cellular structure. Back then, the world didn't treat Mutants kindly, so he had sworn to protect her secret. More than that, he had built their careers on it.

With the creation of the Pym Particles and the Wasp Suit, Janet became SHIELD's covert asset. Code name: Wasp. She was quick, tactical, and nearly invisible when necessary. Her missions were precise and effective, and with Hank at her side managing the tech and occasionally joining the field missions, the two became a near-legendary pair within SHIELD. They rose quickly through the ranks.

Yet behind the closed doors of their lab and the shadows of their success, a more painful reality took root. Back when Tony helped him with the Hydra missile situation, the only reason Hank helped was because he didn't want to lose his only source of Pym Particles, and he knew that without it, he was nothing. And he maintained a fake persona outside his personal life.

[PRESENT TIME] [HANK PYM'S PRIVATE LAB] [NORTHERN CALIFORNIA]

In the lab, glowing screens showed unfinished code and incomplete equations. Test tubes cluttered the counters, and empty vials with red residue were lost under broken glass. 

Hank sat at his workstation with slumped shoulders and tired eyes. His hand shook slightly as he reached for the bottle of pills next to him.

The failures had piled high over the years. Every variation of the Pym Particles he tried to engineer fell apart. They were unstable, lethal, and impossible to control. He wanted to expand their use, to scale them for defense, for medicine, and maybe join the Ultimates and gain more fame. But his own genius had turned against him.

The truth was clear: he no longer understood the particles the way he once did, because he was no longer studying science. Now, he was feeding an addiction. This addiction wasn't just to the substances on his desk, but also to the control he once had.

Janet had noticed the warning signs long before anyone else. She had warned him repeatedly and pleaded with him to stop. At first, he dismissed her concerns. When she refused to let him take more of her blood, his anger shifted to desperation. As his desperation grew into frustration, it began to turn violent.

She had endured it quietly for months, afraid of what would happen if the truth behind the particles came out. If the world discovered that Pym Particles were biologically sourced from a mutant, the consequences would be devastating. She will become a glowing target for the people who would stop at nothing to get her blood. Heck, they might capture and experiment on her. All in all, it'd be another hell.

So Janet remained silent. But each time Hank pushed for more, each time he grabbed her arm with just a little more force, each time the vials came out without her consent, that silence broke further.

The bruises weren't always visible. Hank knew better than to leave them on the surface. But the emotional damage had carved deep canyons through what was once a partnership. He no longer looked at her like an equal. He looked at her like a resource.

And she was done being one because things have changed. 

[Later that evening] [Janet's apartment]

Janet sat on the edge of her bed, looking down at a sealed envelope. Inside were classified files: backups of Hank's research, blood draw records, biochemical models, and audio logs of their last three private lab sessions. She had recorded everything. 

She planned to send them to Howard, who was now the new Director of SHIELD.

The sound of the front door slamming open shattered the silence.

Janet jumped to her feet, the sealed envelope slipping to the floor. Heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway. Moments later, Hank Pym leaned in the doorway, his lab coat slipping from one shoulder. His bloodshot eyes reflected sleeplessness and desperation, reeking of chemicals.

"Janet," he rasped, voice slurred but purposeful. "We need to talk."

She didn't move.

Hank stepped into the room, swaying slightly. His expression twitched between fury and pleading.

"I need more. Just a few samples. I almost cracked it. I'm this close." He pressed his thumb and index finger together, as if that physical gesture would convince her. "You don't understand. This isn't just about us anymore. This is about the future."

Her face tightened.

"You need to leave."

"Janet," he said, louder this time, taking another step forward. "I gave everything for this. I built our name, our lab, your suit, your legacy! And now you're just going to cut me off?"

She didn't answer. Her gaze flicked toward the sealed envelope near the floor.

Hank saw it too.

His jaw clenched. "You're sending it to Stark, aren't you? You're going to ruin everything because you're feeling what? Betrayed?"

She moved slowly toward the envelope, but Hank stepped in her way, breathing harder. "Just give me what I need," he said, his hand already reaching for the kit inside his coat. "Don't make this harder than it has to be."

Janet didn't flinch. Instead, her hand shot to the nearby table, where she grabbed a ceramic lamp and hurled it across the room. The lamp struck Hank in the chest, shattering on impact and scattering shards across the floor.

He staggered back, more shocked than hurt.

"You're out of your mind!" she snapped. "You don't get to play the victim, Hank. You used me and crossed every line we ever agreed on, and now you're begging for more? No. We're done!"

Hank's expression twisted. The fury finally surfaced.

"Fine. I tried asking."

Hank suddenly lunged forward and hit Janet in the face. The blow pushed her back into the dresser, causing her to cry out in pain as she hit the edge. Dazed, she instinctively raised her hands to protect herself. But Hank was already on her, gripping her throat tightly.

“Know your place, bitch!” he yelled. He pushed her against the wall, squeezing harder. His eyes were wild, and his face showed both anger and madness.

"Kuggg!" Janet clawed at his forearm, struggling to breathe as his fingers crushed into her windpipe. "Aakkk!"

Her vision blurred, and for a terrifying second, she feared he would actually kill her.

She acted on her instinct and twisted her body sharply to the side, using the leverage of her shoulder and knee to unbalance him. Then she bit down on his arm. Her teeth sank into the skin just above his wrist, tearing through flesh.

"Gaaahh! Motherfucker!" Hank screamed and slapped her before stumbling backward, blood trailing from the bite.

Janet dropped to her knees, gasping for air. "Cough! Cough! You mad man. Cough!" Her throat burned as she coughed and gasped. Then she activated her mutation, shrinking down to the size of a palm. In her miniaturized form, her wings extended from her back and buzzed, lifting her into the air. Her bioelectric cells surged, charging faster now that adrenaline was pumping through her system.

"Damn it! Fucking mutant," Hank cursed.

She released a barrage of electro blasts. Yellow pulses of concentrated energy struck Hank in the chest, shoulders, and thighs. Sparks flew from his clothing, and he stumbled again, trying to shield his face.

“You don’t get to hurt me anymore!” her voice rang out, small but sharp, like a needle through the air.

Hank growled in frustration and reached for his coat. He activated the failsafe hidden inside the collar. A wave of violet energy spread across his body, forming a lightweight, skin-tight mesh suit lined with reflective tech.

The electro blasts hit him again, but this time they fizzled out before making contact.

Janet halted mid-air, startled. She had never seen this suit before. The energy from her next blast crackled around him harmlessly, absorbed into the layered fabric.

"I knew you’d try that," Hank said as he pulled a small canister from his belt. It looked like a can of bug spray. His eyes gleamed with cruel satisfaction.

“You really thought I’d come unprepared?”

He pressed the trigger.

A cloud of greenish vapor exploded toward her, and Janet felt it hit her body like acid. Her wings stuttered in the air, spasming wildly. Her skin burned with a chemical sting. The vapor disrupted her balance, her flight, and even her control over her mutation. She began to descend rapidly, body twisting mid-air as the particles clung to her like glue.

She landed hard on the floor and reverted to her full size, coughing violently. Her body shook, eyes watering as she struggled to expel the chemical from her lungs.

Hank stood over her, still clutching the canister.

“It’s a custom compound,” he said, voice cold. “Made from trace elements of your own blood. Laced with disruptors keyed to your bioelectric output. And something to scramble your nervous system. Just a little gift I’ve been working on.”

Janet rolled onto her side, choking on each breath, her limbs sluggish.

Hank knelt beside her and picked up the sealed envelope that had fallen earlier. He slid it into his coat pocket and leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper.

“I built this life. I made you. Don’t think for a second that anyone will believe your version over mine.”

Then the door blasted open as splinters of wood flew everywhere.

"What the-" Hank jumped up in surprise. 

"Surprise, motherfucker!" 

Before Hank could respond, a hard punch shattered his lower jaw, and his body flew like a ragdoll, crashing into the wall.

[Vol-4] [Ironman] Ch: 130 [Wanda's choice]

[CLASSIFIED LOCATION – UNKNOWN ISLAND]

[MAGNETO'S BASE – MEETING HALL]

The chamber was silent, lit only by flickering light cast from a dozen tall screens. Each one replayed footage from different angles: Tony Stark's speech at the U.N., the final punch that dropped Carol Danvers, and the coordinated rescue of Flight 472. 

Magneto sat at the head of a long metal table, fingers steepled beneath his chin. His helmet sat beside him. Around him, the Brotherhood gathered, each one watching the screens with a different shade of unease.

Mystique leaned against the wall, arms crossed, her expression unreadable. Her eyes shifted slowly between the screens. "This is a problem," she said at last. "A very big one."

"No," Pyro muttered, flames dancing across his fingertips, "this is the beginning of the end."

"The Skrulls are gone," Mastermind said, arms folded. "We should be grateful. They were parasites, and Stark did what the rest of the world lacked the nerve to do."

"Don't confuse gratitude with safety," Magneto said, voice low but sharp. "Stark may have removed them, but it also revealed what kind of future he envisions." He stood slowly and turned toward the main screen, which now displayed a still image of Stark's final words at the podium.

"He promised a cure," Magneto continued. "He offered a solution to people 'who didn't ask for their powers.' He called it compassion. I call it the first step toward erasure."

Wanda's eyes glowed red as she looked at him. She sat across from him, silent until now.

"You believe he'll make a weapon."

"I believe he already has," Magneto answered. "The man who created a system that vaporized an entire race in thirty seconds does not wait to build contingencies. He builds them in secret, and he activates them when the world's back is turned."

Azazel flicked his tail once, then leaned forward.

"He is powerful. That is true. But I've seen what fear does to powerful men. It rots them from the inside."

"He's not afraid," Quicksilver cut in. "That's what makes him dangerous. Stark knows what he's doing. He calculated every risk. He let the world see what he was willing to do."

"And they cheered," Mystique added. "That's what haunts me. He has the majority on his side. And soon, he'll be making rules."

Magneto nodded. "Today it was Skrulls. Tomorrow it is mutants. He offers comfort with one hand and extermination with the other. And now the world follows him. Even the U.N. bends to his presence."

Mastermind leaned forward with a grim expression, "What's our next move?"

"We halt the current plan. All of it," Magneto said. "The initiative to expose the mutant suppression projects, the liberation strike in Prague, the lab attack in Jakarta... everything is frozen until further notice. From this moment forward, we focus on one objective. Stark. He said any enhanced individual who wishes to train or seek help is welcome. He threw the door wide open, thinking he controls the threshold. We will walk through it."

"Infiltration? I'll go," Mystique was ready.

"No. He'll never trust someone who can shapeshift on will. He'll always be on guard," Magneto said as he looked toward Pietro, who stood leaning near one of the tall columns, arms folded. "Speed will be critical. And discretion more so. You're going in."

He turned then to Wanda. Her gaze met his, still calm but unreadable.

"And you're going with him."

Wanda didn't react and kept her calm expression.

"You will infiltrate the Ultimates as new recruits. No one has seen you two before with us, and you two have a normal life in the outside world, so it'll be easier to avoid suspicions. Get inside. Find out what Stark is building. Learn what he's hiding. And when the time is right, we pull him apart from the inside."

Wanda's red eyes flared gently, and her voice broke the silence.

"Stark has a point."

Everyone turned to her at once. Magneto's eyes narrowed. "Explain."

Wanda stood from her seat, her fingers brushing the edge of the metal table as she stepped forward. Her presence was calm, but the glow building around her hands hinted at something restless beneath the surface.

"You talk about him as if he were a tyrant," she said. "But he provided mutants and enhanced humans with something no one else has offered: a place, a chance, a future." She glanced around at the faces of the Brotherhood. "And what have we offered? What have you offered, Father?"

Magneto straightened, his tone sharper now. "I have offered purpose. I've fought for our survival."

Wanda shook her head slowly. "Survival is not enough. You told us the world feared us. That they would destroy us if given the chance. But you never spoke of what some of our own have done. The chaos and deaths. So many innocent lives caught in the crossfire of our war. So many rogue mutants running around creating chaos."

"You think Stark will forgive those crimes?" Magneto asked. "He will use them to justify control."

"He already forgave them," she replied, her voice rising not in anger but in clarity. "He didn't name names or point fingers. He opened his doors, not just to us, but to anyone with the power to make things better. Even someone like Ghost. He could have left him to rot, but instead, he gave him a second chance. Don't you think this is the chance to improve our image instead of continuing to walk down the path with no future?"

Magneto looked toward her with a stern expression. "You trust him too easily."

"And you see enemies in everyone," Wanda said. Her magic pulsed slightly now, invisible currents lifting strands of her hair. "I joined you because I believed in your dream. A better world. One where people like us were not hunted or broken. But this... this is not that dream. This is fear wearing conviction as armor."

Pyro stepped forward, a flicker of flame dancing in his palm. "Careful, Witch. You sound like you're switching sides."

Wanda turned her eyes toward him, her power curling around her like crimson wildfire. Pyro instantly felt an insane pressure on his body. He fell to his knees. "Sides? We all know Tony and the others are similar to us. They have superpowers. So, if they can use their powers to do some good in this rotten world, why can't we? If they can become a beacon of hope for humanity, why can't we? Why must we hide and destroy everything and everyone you want gone, father?"

Magneto stared at Wanda. His hands had curled into fists without him realizing it. Around the room, metal creaked softly in response. The Brotherhood had seen him angry before. They had seen him cold. But now he looked torn.

"You would kneel before a man who believes power should be registered and managed like inventory?" Magneto's voice was steady, but it carried weight. "You would praise someone who built a system that can kill us in a flicker second?"

Wanda didn't flinch. "You think I admire him because he is powerful. But that is not it. I respect that he chose to shoulder the burden of leadership. He made the hard choices you always talked about. The ones you said no one else would make. And when it was over, he didn't hide. He stood before the world and said it was him. That takes courage and guts."

Magneto shook his head. "So you see strength and mistake it for integrity."

"I see accountability," she said. "Something this room has not shown in years."

Mystique spoke up, her voice smooth but firm. "You're angry. I get it. But we have to stay focused. Stark may be acting like a hero, but we all know what happens when the world begins to adore people with power. The moment we stop fitting into their image of salvation, they will turn on us. That's why we need leverage."

"We have leverage," Wanda replied. "It's just not the kind you're used to. Right now, they're building something new. They're creating a place where powered individuals are given choices. If we step in early, we help shape what comes next. If we wait, if we attack, we become the reason people fear us. Again."

Pietro stepped forward, arms folded across his chest. "So we just join them? That we blend in, drink coffee, play nice, and wait to be trusted?"

"No. We'll earn it, just like they did," Wanda said, turning to face him directly. 

Quicksilver narrowed his eyes. "That was not the plan."

"The plan changes," Wanda said. "If you want to keep pretending that the world has no place for us, then fine. Stay here. But I'm done hiding behind your anger, Father."

There was a long silence.

Magneto finally reached down and picked up his helmet. He held it loosely, staring at the familiar shape in his palm.

"You believe you can enter Stark's world and not lose yourself in it. You think you can influence it from within, shift the tide, or steer the future. Maybe you're right." He lifted his gaze and met hers. "But don't forget who he is, Wanda. If the moment comes when he turns on you, if you stand in the way of his design, he will not hesitate. He will not stop. He will do what needs to be done."

Wanda's expression softened slightly. "Then I hope you'll remember this conversation before you do the same."

Quicksilver stepped beside her. "I'm going with her."

[Vol-3 END] [Ironman] Ch: 129 [The Ultimates]

[TWO DAYS LATER – UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK]

[12:00 PM – GENERAL ASSEMBLY HALL]

The world was watching. Again.

Every major news network was broadcasting live. Inside the U.N. General Assembly, the hall was filled to capacity. Heads of state, military generals, scientists, ambassadors, and reporters filled the space. Hundreds of cameras were focused on the stage in the center of the massive room. Behind the stage was a backdrop made of gleaming white metal, featuring the Ultimates emblem.

People murmured, and phones buzzed. The tension was thick. Everyone had one question on their minds.

Would Stark speak again?

At exactly noon, the lights dimmed. The crowd quieted.

A soft hum rolled through the air as seven figures stepped onto the stage from behind. They stood side by side in perfect formation.

Tony Stark led the group, wearing what appeared to be a black tailored suit. But every inch of it was nanite armor in disguise.

Susan wore an elegant pantsuit, her blonde hair tied back, and she was wearing her glasses.

Johnny wore a casual blazer over a white tee.

Ben wore a dark long coat over a custom tactical vest that hugged his massive frame.

Natasha stood still as stone in a charcoal-gray suit.

Yelena Belova wore all white, with a loose scarf that moved with every subtle breeze.

And finally, Ghost, aka Owen Lane, wearing a white suit.

Tony walked up to the podium with the weight of the world on his shoulders. He looked out over the sea of faces, saw diplomats, presidents, journalists, generals and other important figures. Then he glanced directly at the camera lens broadcasting to billions.

“Good afternoon.”

Silence.

Tony placed both hands on the podium. “Let’s not waste time. The world changed. You saw it. You lived through it. No one needs a recap of the last few weeks, and I won’t insult your intelligence by sugarcoating what happened.”

He paused.

“I won’t apologize for that choice. I gave them a way out. They didn’t take it. I defended this planet the only way I could. I acted when compromise failed. It's as simple as that.”

He didn’t blink.

“But this isn’t about the Skrulls. That chapter is closed. This is about what comes next.”

Tony stepped back from the mic. The projection screen behind them activated, displaying real-time satellite footage of the Earth surrounded by dozens of glowing blue satellites in perfect orbit.

He turned back to the audience.

“This is the Stark WorldNet defense array. It scans for orbital threats, analyzes energy fluctuations, tracks unidentified space-bound activity, and deploys countermeasures in seconds. It is operational. It is global. And as we talk, my people are working on upgrading the space defences and building space stations. I want humanity to be ready next time."

Another pause.

Tony continued, "It’s just the beginning.”

The screen shifted, now displaying visuals of massive asteroid paths, atmospheric breach logs, and charts of increasing superhuman activity over the past five years.

“Here’s the reality. The invasion wasn’t the first. It won’t be the last. This world is no longer isolated. We are no longer unknown. And right now, humanity is on the path of evolution. You all saw it: mutants, enhanced individuals, humans who are not mutants, but have powers. It’s happening already. And if we don’t get ahead of it, it will bury us.”

Tony let that sit for a second.

“That’s why I formed this team. The Ultimates.”

The screen flashed with 'The Ultimates' emblem again.

"We’re not just here to fight aliens. We’re here to protect Earth from all threats. From outside. From inside. And from within ourselves."

Some murmurs began. He raised his voice slightly.

"We’ve already witnessed the dangers of unchecked power. It’s not just about aliens; we also face threats from humans. There are rogue states reverse-engineering alien technology, black market enhancement drugs, private militaries constructing mech armies, gene hacking, illegal cloning, and underground labs creating weapons out of children. You think these are just rumors? They’re not."

The room fell back into silence.

Tony continued.

“The Ultimates exist to protect this planet from threats. We do not serve any one country, nor are we involved in politics. While we respect the law, we operate beyond national borders. Our mission is about survival, maintaining order, and restoring balance. We aren't here to exert control.”

Tony took a moment, letting the weight of that final sentence settle across the room. He stepped back slightly and nodded to Sue, who stepped forward to the podium with calm precision.

“People are afraid,” she said. “They’ve seen things they don’t understand. Powers that seem impossible. Battles that crack the sky open. And for a lot of you sitting here today, the fear isn’t about what happened. It’s about what happens next. Who controls it. Who decides.”

She looked directly at the ambassadors seated closest to the stage.

“The answer isn’t governments or weapons or bureaucracy. The answer is transparency, Responsibility, and trust. That’s why we’re standing here in front of you and not hiding behind a satellite feed. You’ve seen our faces. You’ve seen how we operate. We’re not ghosts. We’re accountable.”

Sue stepped back, and Ben took her place.

He adjusted the microphone a bit lower, then looked out over the crowd. His tone was steady, not polished, but honest.

“I’m not a politician. I never wanted to be in front of cameras. But I believe in what we’re doing. I was changed. Not by choice. But I’ve seen what happens when people like me have no guidance. When they get scared. When the world turns its back on them.”

He looked toward the rows of reporters and lawmakers.

“We don’t need more prisons for people who are different. We need people who understand what they’re going through. We need protection for them, and from them, when it matters. That’s why I’m here. And for the record, I know what it means to be different and what people call a freak.”

Ben transformed into his rock form just to let the others know he experienced it firsthand. Then, he stepped back and gave the mic to Johnny, who adjusted his jacket and grinned at the crowd.

“Hi. I’m the guy who caught fire on live television.”

A few chuckles rolled through the room, breaking the tension slightly.

“I know I look like the fun one, and yeah, I am. But when we pulled that plane out of the sky two days ago, that wasn’t a special event. That’s the kind of stuff we’re going to keep doing. Every single day.”

He pointed at the screen above them.

“That plane went down because someone wanted to test us. And I don’t care who it was. They failed. We’re not here to burn things down. We’re here to keep people alive. Period. Oh, by the way, we'll find you, whoever you are.”

Johnny stepped back and nodded to Natasha. She approached the mic without adjusting it, hands behind her back.

She didn’t smile.

“Most of you know who I am.”

Silence again.

“I’ve been on both sides of this line. I know what it means to be an operative, and I know what happens when people like us go unsupervised. But let me make one thing very clear. We do not work in the shadows anymore. We are not another SHIELD. There will be no Hydra, no hidden agendas. We operate in the open. And when we act, it will be because there is no other option.”

She paused and looked directly into the cameras.

“And when someone threatens this world, we don’t negotiate with them. We stop them.”

Yelena moved up beside her. She wore the same calm expression as always, but her eyes were sharp.

“We're not weapons. We're guardians. And while I may not have grown up with the same kind of freedom you did, I understand now what it’s worth. I will protect that freedom. We all will.”

She gestured to the rest of the team behind her.

“We aren’t here to rule. We’re here to make sure no one else does either.”

Finally, Owen Ghost stepped forward. He said nothing at first. The silence hung long enough for the audience to shift slightly. When he spoke, it was low, even.

“I am what happens when no one’s watching. When people with power are left to rot in cages and laboratories, then unleashed.”

He stared down at the ground for a moment, then looked up.

"I did many bad things to survive after a freak accident gave me my powers. This made me lose my sanity over time. I wanted to see my family, hug them, and tell them I was alive, but my powers stopped me from doing that. Mr. Stark helped me; he healed me and taught me a better way to use my gift. Now, I have a second chance, and I will never waste it."

Then he stepped back, saying nothing more.

Tony returned to the podium, hands now relaxed at his sides.

“This world is bigger than any of us,” he said. “Bigger than any one team, or country, or system. We’ve entered a new era, and pretending it’s not happening won’t make it go away. There are more of us out there. People with powers. People waking up one day different, stronger, confused, and afraid. Some of them want to help. Some want to hide. Some don’t know what they want yet.”

He paused and let that land. Every word was being broadcast to billions.

“I’m speaking to them now. All of them. If you can fly, if you can lift a car, if you hear things others can’t, or move faster than light, if you’ve ever wondered what you are... join us. You’re not alone. You’re not a freak. You’re not broken. You are part of the future, and this is your chance to choose what kind of future that’s going to be.”

He paced a little, slowly. 

“You want to help people? Good. We’ll train you. We’ll give you the tools to make a difference. And yes, you’ll get paid. You’ll have a stable income, plus housing, food, and medical. All the benefits that any damn job should give. We’re offering careers in heroism. And for those of you who didn’t ask for your powers, who feel like they’ve lost their life because of what they’ve become, come to me. I’m not promising miracles. I’m not claiming to fix everything. But I’ll try. If you want to be a normal human again, I will do everything I can to make that happen.”

Tony looked back at his team and then at the crowd. “And for those who view us as threats, obstacles, or something to be controlled or destroyed?” He locked eyes with several world leaders. “Go ahead, try it.”

Harem poll result

1st: Polaris

2nd: Raven

3rd Rogue [Only 1 vote difference]

---

Well, in the next arc, Polaris and Raven will be the main focus.

As for Rogue, she will play a crucial role, and I will make her OP.

---

Next Chapter: Hopefully tonight or tomorrow noon.

[Shazam] Ch: 16 [End of chaos]

John's uppercut collided with Giganta's chin like a thunderclap, and the force launched her straight into the sky. Her massive body shot upward like a bullet fired from a giant cannon, limbs flailing as she broke through clouds and vanished for a second into the storm-torn sky.

Before gravity could claim her, John blinked behind her in a crackle of lightning. He raised his leg and slammed his boot into the center of her spine. The sound of her back breaking echoed through the sky like a snapping tree in a hurricane. Her mouth opened in a silent scream as her limbs stiffened mid-air.

John appeared again in front of her falling form, fist cocked.

One punch. Straight to her face.

The blow cracked through her skull with an explosion of blood. Her eyes rolled back. Blood burst from her nose, mouth, and ears. She lost consciousness mid-air. Her body plummeted back to the earth like a meteor. She slammed into the center of the street, collapsing a city block into a fresh crater. Dust and debris flew in every direction. A shockwave rippled through the surrounding buildings.

By the time the rubble settled, she had returned to her normal size. Her giantess form vanished, leaving a badly beaten woman twitching at the bottom of the pit. Her body was broken, her limbs bent at unnatural angles. She was barely breathing.

John didn't stop.

In a blink, he was in front of Metallo.

The cybernetic villain raised his arm to fire, but it never reached full extension.

John drove both hands straight into Metallo's chest. Metal shrieked. Sparks exploded. Circuits burst like blood vessels. Metallo screamed as John ripped him apart. His body split clean in two with a horrible screech of tearing alloy and wires. The green kryptonite core pulsed wildly as it broke free.

John caught the core in one hand and squeezed.

The crystal cracked. Green light flared once. Then it shattered.

The pieces fell to the ground and hissed into nothing, smoke curling into the air.

A scream cut through the aftermath.

Silver Banshee flew toward him, mouth wide, her voice tearing through the wind. The sonic wave reached John in seconds, but he was gone before it struck.

He blinked to her side, leaving only a spark of lightning where he had stood.

Before she could react, John grabbed her jaw with one hand.

The bones in her face crunched. Her scream stopped mid-note, cut off by the crushing grip. Her eyes went wide with panic. She tried to claw at his arm, but he didn't flinch, and her nails broke with blood frizzling out.

He drove her downward, slamming her into the pavement with enough force to crater the ground beneath her. Her body bounced, then hit again. He threw her like a bug. She skipped across the street like a stone over water before slamming into a wrecked van and collapsing to the ground, unconscious and bleeding.

The street fell silent.

John landed near Wonder Woman in a burst of wind and crackling light. His boots hit the broken concrete with enough force to send dust swirling. She was leaning against the remnants of a crushed support pillar, blood streaking down her brow, her shield cracked at the edge.

He stepped toward her. "Are you alright?"

Diana exhaled through gritted teeth and nodded. "I've had worse. Thank you."

"Just protecting my home," John said, then added, "Rest. I'll handle the rest."

Without waiting for a reply, he took off again, streaking through the ruined skyline.

A few blocks away, Superman and Cyclone were in the middle of a partially evacuated street. Cyclone was crouched beside Superman, who was kneeling, catching his breath beneath the partial shade of a tilted building. His arms were trembling from the Kryptonite exposure and exhaustion, and for some reason, his body wasn't healing. Probably because of the cloudy sky, or the extensive exposure to Kryptonite. 

John landed beside them with another crack of wind.

"I'm taking him up," he said.

Cyclone looked up, strands of her red hair plastered to her forehead from the rain. "There are snipers. High-altitude."

"I know," John said, reaching down and gripping Superman's arm.

Clark looked up at him. "You're sure about this?"

"No."

John launched into the air with Superman held tight in his grip.

They broke through the upper floors of a half-collapsed building and soared into the sky.

Almost instantly, sharp hisses cut through the air.

Sniper fire.

Dozens of high-velocity rounds sliced toward them from the rooftops and clouds, glints of silver and green flashing between bursts of lightning. The rounds were tipped with Kryptonite, aimed with precision. But they didn't touch them.

John's body ignited with electricity. Sparks crackled across his skin. A storm of lightning burst around him, expanding in every direction like a shield. The air snapped with unstable energy. Each bullet hit the lightning barrier and either disintegrated mid-flight or was knocked aside, spinning harmlessly.

The barrier wasn't perfect, since John hadn't used this power in years. So, yeah, a little rusty. He used the Wisdom of Zehuti on the go to learn more about his power. When they reached enough height, he twisted in the air, using every ounce of strength he had left, and hurled Superman upward.

"Heal up, Blues."

Superman looked down at John and said, "Thank you."

The Man of Steel shot like a missile through the clouds. Within seconds, he pierced the stratosphere, his cape trailing behind him. He flew free of the atmosphere, above the range of any weapon. There, sunlight poured down without a filter, washing over his battered body. He began to heal.

...

Below, in the heart of Fawcett City, the battle had ended.

Wonder Woman stood in the wreckage, her shield lowered, her sword sheathed. Cyclone floated above the ruins of the courthouse, watching over the last of the evacuees. Hal Jordan hovered in the sky, forming barriers as emergency crews moved in.

Flash stood near a crumpled statue, winded and covered in soot, beside Batman.

“Twenty bombs. All disabled,” Flash said, panting. “You were right. Joker didn’t care about symbols. He used patterns. Rotating time codes, synced through power lines. I followed the pulse. Boom. Ten extra bombs hiding in the sewers and power grid.”

Batman didn’t look up from the device in his hand. “They weren’t meant to detonate. Not until someone like Superman got close. Joker built them as a trap. A political one.”

“What? You mean all this was just...”

“A stage,” Batman said flatly. “To frame Superman and paint him as a lunatic. Joker was never aiming to destroy the city. He wanted the world to think Superman could.”

"This is Lex Luthor written all over it," Flash said, cracking his knuckles.

A gust of wind signaled Superman’s arrival. He landed beside them.

“Everyone safe?” he asked.

Flash nodded, catching his breath. “Barely.”

Batman looked up. “Where’s the other one? The lightning-powered man.”

Superman’s face tensed. “Gone. I searched from the sky but couldn't trace him. It’s like he disappeared.”

Flash rubbed the back of his neck. “He’s the reason half this city is still standing. Took down Metallo, Banshee, and Giganta like they were made of foam. And Flamingo? Let’s just say... cleanup on aisle ‘Oh God What Is That.’”

Batman was silent for a moment, then pulled out a small black device. He tapped into satellite feeds. But found nothing. 

"Let him be," Diana said as she walked toward them. 

"So, you want a metahuman or god knows what he was, just roam free without a tag?" Hawkgirl flew down and asked with a concerned expression. "Don't get me wrong, everyone is glad he helped fight off those criminals, but still..."

Batman caught Diana's worried expression. 

"No. Wonder Woman is correct. As long as he doesn't create any problems for us, let him be. We have enough problems on our hands as it is," Batman said as he tapped a few buttons on his gauntlet, and a holographic screen popped up. "Someone broke into Waller's underwater metahuman prison and released almost every criminal we captured so far. They took advantage of this chaos. Right now, let's focus on them before things get out of hand."

...

[1 Month Later – Dakota City]

The midday sun burned overhead as a familiar speeding pizza delivery scooter weaved through heavy traffic. The vehicle buzzed between cars, barely missing side mirrors and bumpers, as the blonde girl riding it leaned into every turn like a professional racer. Her long twin pigtails flared behind her helmet like two golden streamers caught in the wind. A tiny speaker strapped to the handlebars blasted pop music at a disrespectful volume, drawing a few annoyed glares from nearby drivers.

“Move it or lose it, crust chompers!” Harley Quinn yelled as she zipped between a garbage truck and a convertible. She honked the little clown horn strapped to the side of the scooter for good measure. The logo painted on the back of her pink-and-white delivery jacket read J&H Pizza: We Knead You, and her insulated pizza bag was bouncing dangerously close to falling off the back.

She had already gotten caught in traffic twice that day thanks to an overturned truck carrying fish. The stench had made her gag into her helmet, and she had to drive through a storm of flopping, dying tuna while a half-dozen city workers yelled at her to slow down. She hadn’t, of course. Harley Quinn didn’t slow down for anything unless it was chocolate cake or a well-mannered hyena.

Now she was cutting through a back alley, skidding past a man with a pushcart who yelled something in Spanish that Harley probably deserved. The shortcut saved her twenty seconds. The pizza wasn’t getting any warmer, and the customer had ordered double meatball, which Harley respected deeply. She took her job seriously. Most days.

She burst back onto the main road and swerved to avoid a parked police cruiser. Her front tire hit a pothole the size of a baby pool, but she recovered smoothly, spinning the handlebars with one hand while the other adjusted her helmet.

The building she was aiming for finally came into view. It was a high-rise apartment block in the western sector of Dakota City, the kind with half-renovated balconies and flower pots sitting next to rusting AC units. Harley pulled the scooter onto the curb and killed the engine, the silence hitting like a slap. She hopped off, grabbed the pizza bag, and skipped to the front door with a bounce in her step.

The security guard sitting behind the desk raised an eyebrow as she entered.

“Delivery,” she sang, holding up the bag. “Unit 1205. A Mr. R... oh wait, no, Ralf McStabYou or something LetmeStabY. Arg! Weird names.”

The guard just sighed and buzzed her through.

She took the elevator, drumming her fingers against the warm box and humming along to the tune in her head. When the doors opened, she strolled out, walked to the door, and knocked with her usual flair.

“Pizza’s here! I hope you're ready for a mouthful of heaven!”

The door creaked open, revealing a middle-aged man in a bathrobe and socks that had definitely seen better days. His hair was wild, like he'd been electrocuted or woken from a nap involving questionable dreams and cheap wine. He blinked at Harley, eyes slowly adjusting to the sight of her.

She beamed, holding the pizza box like a holy relic.

“Double meatball with extra cheese and a sprinkle of joy, sir,” she announced. “Delivered hot, fresh, and four whole minutes ahead of schedule.”

The man rubbed his eyes. “You serious?”

Harley leaned in slightly, lowering her voice like she was sharing a secret. “Sir, I am so serious I wore a helmet and survived a tuna apocalypse to get this here.”

He stared at her for a long second, then chuckled and pulled a folded bill from his robe pocket. “You’re a riot.”

“Only on weekends,” she said with a wink.

He handed her the cash. She glanced at it and smiled even wider. “A tip? Look at you, sir, making dreams come true.”

“You earned it.”

“Have a meatball miracle of a day!” Harley added, handing over the pizza and giving him a jaunty salute before turning on her heel and heading back to the elevator.

She didn’t even wait until the doors closed before she checked the tip.

“Fifteen bucks,” she whispered. “Oh, hot dog money.”

As soon as she reached the street again, she kicked the scooter into gear and zipped toward her favorite hot dog stand three blocks away. The guy who ran it, Hector, always gave her extra mustard when she asked nicely. And today, she had cash, time, and an appetite.

By the time she pulled up, Hector was already waving.

“Miss Quinn!” he called. “Been a while.”

She skidded to a stop with a dramatic swerve and jumped off the scooter. “Hector, my man, give me two of your finest sidewalk sausages. One with chili and pickles, one with everything. Bag ‘em. One's for me, and the other’s for my partner-in-pizza.”

“Still working together?”

She nodded, leaning against the cart. “Yup. He makes ‘em, I race ‘em across town, and we make enough to not die. Plus, he’s got these arms that could punch a satellite. Gotta feed the man.”

Hector handed over the dogs, wrapped and bagged. Harley handed him the cash with a little dance. “Keep the change, my spicy weenie wizard.”

He laughed. “Stay outta trouble.”

“I promise nothing,” she said, hopping back on the scooter. She stashed the hot dog bag carefully behind her seat, revved the engine, and pulled back into traffic like a missile covered in glitter.

...[Oh, yeah. Both of them opened their own pizza joint.]...

Rewatching Static Shock... But I promise nothing.

[Shazam] Ch: 15 [Wonder Woman: The last stand]

AN: I know it's been a while. Finally, found some time to write this one. And sorry for the cliffhanger. But the good news is, the next chapter will end this ongoing conflict. I'll release it tomorrow.

===

The ground quaked beneath their feet as Giganta took another step forward. Her boots crushed asphalt and sent debris flying into nearby burning cars and ruined walls. Sirens wailed in the distance. The city was already bleeding.

Cyclone turned to Superman, worry in her voice. "Clark, you're hurt. You need to get up high and heal. Let the sun do the work. Diana said she can hold them off until backup gets here."

Superman shook his head, his jaw clenched. He winced as he stood straighter, his hand pressed against his side where Metallo's blast had scorched through his suit.

"If they are targeting me," he said through gritted teeth, "then they have more than just brute force. There could be snipers in the air, or other metahumans positioned above the city. I go up there, and I might be giving them exactly what they want."

Cyclone's brow furrowed. Her voice softened. "But you're not even at fifty percent. One more direct hit, and..."

"Maxine," he interrupted, but not unkindly. "The best thing you can do now is help the people. Get the civilians out. Evacuate the area. If they can't hurt me directly, they’ll take hostages or cause more chaos. We can't let that happen."

Cyclone hesitated. A gust of wind swirled around her as her hands flexed with uncertainty. Then she gave a firm nod and shot into the air, trailing green and silver ribbons of wind behind her as she flew toward the denser parts of downtown.

Superman turned his eyes to the battlefield. Metallo was recharging, his chest core humming louder with each second. Banshee was on her feet again, already gathering another scream in her throat. And Giganta stood tall, looming over them all, her fists clenched and ready.

She grinned when she saw Superman still standing. Her voice echoed across the block.

"I thought you’d be gone by now, Boy Scout. Guess I’ll just squish you myself."

She raised one foot and slammed it down toward him with a mocking laugh.

But she didn’t reach him.

Wonder Woman flew between them, shield raised, her sword gleaming in the rain. She caught Giganta's giant fist mid-strike, and the impact sent a shockwave across the block. The ground cracked beneath her feet as she held her position.

"You will not touch him," Diana said with an angry expression.

Giganta sneered and pulled back, only to swing again. Diana met the blow with her shield, pushing up with both arms. The two forces collided like titans, steel against strength.

"Superman," Diana said without turning her head, "stay clear. You're their target. You're not helping anyone if they break you in half."

He started to protest, but she cut him off sharply.

"Let me handle them. Until the League gets here, I can keep them at bay."

Superman clenched his fists, every instinct telling him to stay and fight, but he knew she was right. Every second he stayed increased the risk, not just for him but for everyone caught in the crossfire. He gave her a nod, even as frustration burned in his eyes, and started walking away from the area.

Giganta swung again, this time with her other hand. Diana soared higher, flipped in mid-air, and brought her sword down onto Giganta’s wrist. Sparks flew from the enchanted blade, and Giganta howled, pulling back her arm. It didn't even hurt her, but the sting made her flinch.

"You're going to regret that, princess."

"No," Diana said, settling in for the next strike. "You're going to regret threatening my people."

...

The air was thick with smoke and the acrid stench of scorched metal. Flames flickered from the wrecks of overturned cars. Chunks of pavement and shattered concrete littered the street. What had once been a bustling downtown block was now reduced to a flattened battlefield.

Cyclone flew above the destruction, her arms sweeping in elegant arcs. Wind obeyed her every motion, lifting dust and smoke away from the retreating crowd. She used controlled gusts to carry the wounded, guiding clusters of civilians through the broken streets. Her eyes never left the ruined skyline.

Below her, Wonder Woman gritted her teeth as she locked swords with Giganta once more. The Amazon's blade clashed against the giant woman's bracer with a metallic shriek. Sparks sprayed across the ruined street. Diana rolled to the side, avoiding a crushing heel that shattered a fire hydrant.

She flipped up and unleashed a flurry of strikes, but got kicked by Giganta again. She crashed on the ground, but quickly recovered.

Giganta laughed, brushing aside Diana’s next strike with a swipe of her arm. "Is that all, princess? That little pig sticker barely scratches."

Diana circled her warily, her shield raised, her breathing steady. She had already scored multiple slashes across Giganta’s legs and arms, but they looked more like shallow cuts than serious wounds. The giantess kept coming, shrugging off damage with a cruel grin.

Diana leapt, spun, and drove her sword into Giganta’s shoulder.

The blade pierced the skin but did not go deep.

"Damn you, BITCH!" Giganta roared and swatted her away like a fly. Diana slammed into the side of a crumbling wall and dropped into a crouch, her shield absorbing most of the impact. But she still felt the insane crushing pressure. Had it not been for her armor and the shield, her bones would have been crushed from that blow.

Before she could recover, a piercing wail tore through the air.

Silver Banshee descended from the smoke above, her white hair streaming behind her. She let out a focused scream that shattered the remains of a streetlamp. The sound cracked through the concrete beneath Diana’s feet, forcing her to leap aside as a sinkhole opened beneath her.

Banshee’s voice lashed across the battlefield, a violent, invisible blade. Diana raised her shield just in time to absorb the brunt of it. The force pushed her backward, her boots dragging twin lines in the ash-coated ground.

Giganta charged. Her massive fist smashed into the pavement where Diana had just stood. The explosion of debris masked Banshee’s second scream, which chased Diana through the smoke. Diana tumbled, then rose quickly, shield up.

The two enemies flanked her now. Giganta stood tall, looming over a ruined pharmacy, her fists clenched and ready. Banshee hovered to her left, mouth open and glowing with that ghostly light. Diana tightened her grip on her sword.

“You will not pass,” she said.

Banshee shrieked. The wave of sonic energy struck like a hammer. Diana held her shield up, but this scream was sharper. It chipped the shield’s edge and rang inside her skull. Her vision blurred. Blood trickled from her ears.

Giganta rushed forward while the scream continued. She swung both fists down like hammers. Diana rolled to the side, but not fast enough. One fist clipped her shoulder and sent her flying across the broken street. She crashed into a burning taxi.

Diana groaned and pushed herself up. Her body was screaming. Her lip bled. Her shield arm trembled. But she gritted her teeth and stood up.

She stepped over the wreckage and faced them.

"Is that all you have?" she called, voice clear and strong. 'Darn it! The others must be busy fighting... I must take care of them at any cost.'

Banshee’s glow brightened, readying another scream. Giganta growled, storming forward again.

Diana moved first. She sprinted toward them, shield raised. Dust trailed behind her like smoke from a comet. She leapt at Banshee, closed the gap, and drove her shoulder into the wailing spirit's chest before the scream could finish.

Banshee was knocked back. She slammed into a wall that immediately crumbled under her weight.

Giganta swung from the side.

Diana ducked, slid between the giantess’s legs, and slashed upward across the back of her calf. The blade opened a deeper cut this time, enough to make Giganta stumble. The towering villain roared, turned too fast, and crashed into a burning car. Flames washed across her arm, but she did not flinch.

Diana steadied herself. Blood dripped from her chin. Blood trickled down her sword. She raised her shield again.

"You will not pass me," she whispered to herself.

While everyone was focused on Diana, Cyclone came back and flew Superman away from there.

...

[Back to Harley and John]

Harley stood in the middle of the ruined street, her boots crunching on broken glass. The pink remains of Flamingo still steamed nearby, though she did her best not to look directly at it. Her hand was pressed to her side where the shrapnel had scraped her ribs. Blood soaked through her shirt. Her face was dirty, streaked with dried blood and ash, but her eyes stayed locked on John.

He was standing over her, his suit still humming with residual lightning. The storm overhead pulsed in rhythm with the bolt emblem on his chest. Rain continued to fall, plastering his hair to his head and washing the grime from his jawline.

John looked at her, then glanced up toward the skyline. The battle between the heroes and villains roared in the distance. More tremors shook the earth. Smoke curled high into the clouds.

"Harley," he said quietly. "Go home."

Harley raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You heard me." His voice remained calm, but it carried weight. "Get out of here. Get back to the apartment. Lock the door. Stay inside until it’s over."

She took a slow step toward him. Her expression shifted, less amused and more serious. "Are you trying to be all noble now? 'Cause that sounds like something a guy says before he does something stupid and heroic."

John looked at the chaos beyond the street. The glow from Giganta’s presence cast massive shadows that flickered like monsters across the smoke.

"If I don’t stop them," he said, "they will come this way. And when they do, they’ll level everything in their path. Including our place."

Harley hesitated. Her lips pressed into a thin line.

"You better not die, Big John," she said.

He turned back to her. There was a softness in his expression now. Just a flicker. Barely noticeable through the divine armor and stormlight.

"I won’t," He said. "I'm strong. Now, go."

She opened her mouth to argue, but then closed it. Her shoulders dropped slightly.

"Alright," she whispered. "But you come back. If you die, I’ll drag your soul back from wherever it ends up and yell at it."

John nodded once. Then he looked to the sky.

Harley stepped back as he rose from the pavement, the wind whipping around him. Electricity sparked across his shoulders. The rain parted around his body as he lifted higher and higher, his cape snapping in the wind.

Harley cupped her hands around her mouth.

"Go get 'em, Captain Thunder Thighs!"

John rocketed into the air, a streak of black and gold shooting across the storm. The sonic boom of his ascent shook windows for blocks.

Harley stood alone in the street, wind tugging at her coat.

She looked toward the sky and whispered, "Smack that giant bitch." Then she ran away.

Above the city, John soared higher, passing through the smoke like a blade through fog. Below, Giganta roared again, swinging her fist toward Wonder Woman. Her size made her nearly invincible to physical force, and she was already pushing Diana back step by step.

John narrowed his eyes and flew before her with a flash of lightning and...

Booom!

He threw an uppercut.

[Ironman] Ch: 128 [The Thing Is…]

The wind roared like a freight train as the team descended toward the crippled airliner. Smoke poured from the right side of the fuselage, w

The wind roared like a freight train as the team descended toward the crippled airliner. Smoke poured from the right side of the fuselage, where the engine had all but disintegrated. Panels flapped loose, oxygen masks danced wildly behind shattered windows, and sparks sprayed from the exposed undercarriage. The plane was tilting, nose-heavy, caught in a death spiral.

Tony flew in, slowing the plane with controlled bursts from his boots as his HUD scanned the structure again. His eyes locked on a bright cluster of warning signals. The central stabilizer was about to snap, and the forward landing gear bay was aflame from hydraulic leaks. The plane had just over sixty seconds before a full structural collapse.

“All right,” Tony called out. “Positions. Now.”

Natasha flew inside the plane.

Johnny flew off to the right, his body already glowing with a steady, controlled flame. The suit adapted to his power. He moved fast, flying along the side of the aircraft. The heat sensors in his visor guided his path. When he reached the engine, he extended both arms, fingers spread wide. The flame that erupted was not meant to destroy, but to absorb. He pulled the fire into himself, feeding on it like a solar battery, cooling the overheating engine block with rapid thermal regulation. The flames weakened, then vanished.

“Fire’s out on my side,” Johnny said, his voice calm through the comms. “Cooling the hull now. Metal’s buckling, but holding.”

Sue reached the left side of the aircraft, keeping pace with the tumbling descent. She raised both hands, her forcefields shimmering into existence. She focused, breathing evenly, and projected a precise barrier across the open section of the fuselage where a panel had ripped away. The shield curved perfectly, matching the contours of the hull and sealing the cabin from further depressurization.

“Section secured,” she said, her voice steady. “Internal pressure’s stabilizing. I’ve got a bubble around the passengers in rows eighteen through twenty-four.”

Inside the plane, panicked passengers suddenly found themselves cocooned in silence. The wind and howling pressure disappeared. Some gasped. Others cried in relief. A few just stared at the strange, translucent wall holding back death.

Ben flew in low and fast, powered by a single booster pack mounted to his back. As he reached the left wing, he twisted mid-air and caught the flailing structure with both hands. His muscles flared, skin hardening with a shimmer of purple energy as he braced the wing from beneath. The moment he made contact, the wing’s wild vibration stopped.

“I’ve got the wing,” he grunted. “She’s shaking, but I’ve got her.”

The nanite swarms Tony had released moments earlier now descended like a cloud of silver insects. They moved fast, coating the tail section, creeping into the damaged wing joints, and repairing microfractures across the engine housing. The swarms were so dense that they formed a temporary exoskeleton, reinforcing the weak points while internal cooling agents neutralized the risk of explosion.

Inside the plane, Natasha rerouted power to the core interface. She moved fast without glancing at the terrified flight crew as she bypassed the controls and tapped directly into the plane’s black box. Her visor displayed real-time telemetry. It confirmed Tony’s earlier suspicion.

“This wasn’t an accident,” she said flatly into the comms. “Sabotage confirmed. Engine controls were spliced mid-flight. There’s a device hidden inside the primary drive that looks like an old model bomb.”

Tony’s voice was tight. “Deactivate it.”

“Already on it,” Natasha replied.

She dropped into a crouch beside the panel, her right gauntlet reshaping into a surgical tool. A thin cable snaked into the circuitry. She narrowed her eyes and initiated a pulse.

A few long seconds passed.

“Bomb disarmed,” she confirmed.

Back outside, Tony dropped beneath the nose of the plane. The engines were cooled, the wings were braced, and the internal structure was stable. He extended both arms, palms facing upward. Nanite energy poured from his hands as a gravitational field bloomed outward. The field latched onto the undercarriage, slowing the descent with a ripple of golden light. His armor was doing great, and everything was within his calculation. The power draw was insane, given the size of the gravitational field, but the Arc Reactor has enough juice. 

“Stabilizing descent,” he muttered through clenched teeth. “I’ve got them.”

The plane slowed.

First imperceptibly, then visibly. The shriek of atmospheric friction eased. The nose lifted. Altitude loss tapered. Johnny flew beneath the engines and continued cooling their output. Sue reinforced the forward bulkhead with a secondary shield. Ben remained locked beneath the wing, keeping the frame aligned. Natasha guided the autopilot override through her wristband, rerouting power back to the flight systems.

The aircraft leveled.

Tony exhaled, sweat beading on his brow inside the helmet. His HUD flashed green.

“Flight 472, you are stable,” he said over the open channel. "We'll take you to the nearest airport. So, no worries, just enjoy the ride."

...

[ATLANTIC CITY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT] [RUNWAY 03]

Emergency crews stood in tight lines beside fire trucks, medical vans, and police escorts. Yellow-vested medics held stretchers and trauma kits, their eyes were on the horizon. Red lights pulsed across the tarmac. Cameras from half a dozen media outlets were locked in, broadcasting live. Reporters stood just beyond the safety cordon, mics in hand, already live reporting.

The aircraft emerged from the clouds, descending on a soft trail of glowing blue light. 

Tony guided the aircraft, hovering just beneath the nose with both palms up. His gravitational anchors held it level while Natasha remained in the cockpit, carefully managing pitch control and flaps through her digital tether.

Johnny and Sue hovered on either side of the plane, controlling airflow, maintaining balance, and reinforcing weakened areas as the wind picked up during final descent.

Ben kept to the underside of the left wing, his legs locked into the bracing exoskeleton of his nanite suit, still bearing the full weight of the half-broken structure.

At one hundred feet above the ground, Tony gently reduced thrust. 

The aircraft touched down with a low groan, rubber tires skidding against the tarmac. It bounced once, then settled. Thanks to the gravity field, it stopped quickly without any further damage.

The entire emergency team sprang into motion. Fire engines approached from either side, flanking the aircraft with foam sprayers at the ready. Paramedics rushed forward. As soon as the doors opened and the inflatable evacuation slides deployed, the crew guided passengers down two at a time.

The crowd on the tarmac erupted into cheers the moment the first passengers reached the ground safely. Emergency lights flashed in rhythm, creating a surreal glow across the runway as medics and airline staff moved quickly, helping shaken passengers to safety. Some hugged the paramedics. Others dropped to their knees in quiet relief. Many turned their heads toward the sky, watching the team of heroes descend from the air one by one.

As the nanite armor retracted, revealing their faces, a wave of recognition rippled through the gathering crowd. Phones were already out. Camera flashes fired from every direction. Applause broke out again, louder this time, mingled with shouts of thanks and disbelief.

A young girl clutched her mother’s hand as she looked up at Sue Storm, her eyes wide with wonder. A boy no older than seven pointed at Johnny Storm, shouting, “That’s the fire guy! The real one!” Johnny grinned and gave the kid a salute, letting a harmless flame flicker briefly in his palm before closing his fist.

Reporters pushed forward the moment the perimeter tape was lifted. Dozens of microphones were shoved toward the group, all at once. The flood of voices rose instantly.

“Mr. Stark, were you tracking the flight before the malfunction?”

“Was this an attack or an accident?”

“How did you do it?"

“Johnny, how do you use fire like that?”

“Who’s leading this team?”

Tony raised a hand and stepped forward, his expression calm and composed. He took a single microphone from the nearest reporter, glanced once toward the cameras, then turned slightly so the whole crowd could hear him.

“I know everyone has questions,” he said, voice carrying clearly across the runway. “And I promise you’ll get answers. Two days from now, at noon, we’ll be holding a full press conference. You’ll have every opportunity to ask what you want. Until then, please let our emergency teams do their job, and let these people...” he gestured toward the passengers and flight crew now being loaded into shuttles and medical tents “...get the help and rest they need.”

He handed the microphone back to the stunned reporter and took a step back.

“See you in forty-eight hours.”

With that, the nanites swept back, reforming their masks. 

One by one, they lifted off.

Johnny ignited like a flare, streaking upward with a trail of golden flame. Sue and Ben followed just behind. Natasha gave one final glance at the scene below before rising into the air.

Tony remained still for a few more seconds, scanning the crowd. His eyes locked on a small group of passengers near the ambulance, each of them waving. One of them mouthed “Thank you.”

He nodded once, then lifted off.

...

[HORIZON ISLAND] [COMMON LOUNGE – 5:15 PM]

Screens embedded in the walls played muted news broadcasts from around the world.

All of them were showing the same thing.

Footage of the dramatic mid-air rescue had already looped on every major network. Aerial shots from drones. Cell phone clips from passengers. Commentary from aviation experts. The media couldn’t get enough of it.

Johnny sprawled out on a long couch with his feet up, a bowl of popcorn in his lap. He stared at the screen with a mix of pride and thoughtfulness as a slow-motion replay showed him absorbing the fire from the plane’s engine.

“Okay, come on,” he said, nudging the bowl aside. “We need names.”

Ben looked up from his mango smoothie, seated nearby in a reinforced chair built specifically for his alternate forms. “Names?”

“Yeah,” Johnny said, sitting up straighter. “Team names. We’ve been flying around saving people, punching cosmic threats in the face, stopping explosions, and dealing with intergalactic shapeshifter invasions. I mean, we didn't do that many things, but think of it as the long run... People are starting to call us Earth’s defenders. But it sounds... generic.”

Sue was seated cross-legged on one of the lounge chairs, reading a digital tablet. She didn't look up. “You want branding.”

“I want identity,” Johnny said. “Come on. Tony’s not going to name us himself. He’s too busy building satellites and fusion shields and probably creating a city on Mars. But we’ve got momentum now. The people need something to rally behind. Something better than ‘Earth's defenders’ or ‘the supers’ or ‘the miracle bunch.’”

Ben raised an eyebrow. “The miracle bunch? Someone really said that?”

“It was on a podcast,” Johnny muttered. “A bad one.”

Sue sighed, setting her tablet aside. “Fine. What are you thinking?”

Johnny quickly stood up and ran to his room, then came back with his tablet. 

"Tony: Iron Man, Natasha: Black Widow, Yelena: White Widow. They already have their Hero name. So, it's about time we get ours." He pulled up his social media page. "I've already posted little GIFs of us, using our power. And rounded up the best-liked comments. Me: The Human Torch. You going invisible, so... Invisible Girl, and..." He said with a large grin, looking at Ben.

"You didn't!" Ben stood up with a grumble.

"Yup!" Johnny flipped the picture, and he posted Ben's rocky form. "Look at the comments, Ben. You got more comments and shares than we got, and everyone is asking... What is that Thing?"

He grinned and was ready to run.

"So, I was like... That's it," He raised both his hands toward Ben as if he were some photographer, mapping out the scene. "The Thing."

Ben shifted to his rocky form, "That's it. I'm gonna kill you."

[Ironman] Ch: 127 [Two Minutes to Impact]

[ONE WEEK LATER]

[HORIZON ISLAND – MIDDAY]

The sun hung high over Horizon Island, with clear, quiet skies and a calm, warm wind. A rare stillness enveloped the landscape, broken only by the rhythmic waves lapping against the cliffs and the distant hum of drones gliding above the treetops. From the main courtyard, laughter echoed. It was something rare but becoming more common again.

Sue stood near the central gardens, hovering a tray of water glasses through the air with absolute control. Her eyes remained closed as the tray passed through tight gaps between tree trunks and narrow railings. She was controlling it like a puppet on an invisible platform. A subtle smile touched her lips. She opened her eyes as the tray came to a gentle stop beside Johnny, who sat sprawled on a sun lounger, shades perched low on his nose.

“Show off,” he said, sipping one of the glasses.

“You’re one to talk,” Sue replied, folding her arms as the tray floated back to her hand and settled neatly on the table. “Didn’t you fly through a fireworks show last night?”

“Technically, I was lighting the fireworks.” Johnny grinned, fire flickering harmlessly over his knuckles. “Jane's birthday party needed some spark.”

A loud thud shook the ground nearby.

Ben dropped to the courtyard from a forty-foot leap, landing in a crouch, knees bent, a thin ripple of purple light spreading out from his feet and fading into the stone. His rocky form shimmered, and in the next breath, he was human again.

“I didn’t break anything, right?” he asked, brushing dust off his arms.

“Not this time,” Sue replied, raising an eyebrow. “You’re getting better.”

“Tony’s been pushing me hard,” Ben said, glancing toward the cliffs. “Makes sense now. I can finally shift between my three forms within seconds now.”

“He said something similar to me yesterday,” Sue added. “That precision means power. And power without control is just a liability.”

Johnny rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Zen Master Stark and his metaphors. Meanwhile, he’s flying around in space.”

They all looked up instinctively, as if trying to spot him streaking across the atmosphere.

But Tony hadn’t returned today.

...

[SPACE – ORBITAL RANGE BETWEEN MARS AND THE MOON]

Tony hovered silently in the vacuum of space, his cosmic form glowing with layers of gold and white energy that shimmered like a nebula compressed into a man-shaped vessel. Below him, the vast, red curve of Mars loomed, its barren surface slowly rotating beneath his feet. Surrounding him, dozens of projection beacons floated, mapping gravitational pulls, tectonic movements, and mineral signatures.

He had been here for hours.

He had already visited the Moon the day before, walking across its surface without a suit, in zero gravity, with no pressurization. He didn’t need it anymore. His body absorbed every particle of solar radiation that touched him, converting it seamlessly into energy. Heat, light, vacuum, pressure, none of it meant anything now. His cosmic form no longer flickered or surged unpredictably. It was calm and in control. 

Tony was running parallel calculations while his own mind focused on terrain analysis, structural designs, and energy flow.

The holograms floating before him displayed outlines of what would soon become the first Stark-class deep space station. A fully independent orbital habitat. Shielded, sustainable, and equipped with defensive arrays that rivaled anything Earth had ever conceived.

He zoomed in on the data, studying mineral deposits near Mars’s northern crater. He needed a launch anchor there. A clean zone for a secondary build. The foundation of what would be humanity’s foothold beyond Earth.

After leaving enough bots in Mars' orbit and a few drones to map out the perfect layout and atmospheric changes, he shifted his attention toward the Moon. 

He turned and accelerated, trailing light across the stars.

[MOON – TYCHO CRATER]

Tony landed without a sound, feet brushing the silver-white dust. The Moon’s surface glowed beneath his feet as the energy bled softly from his body, keeping him anchored. He stood at the edge of a carved shelf overlooking a black, untouched plain.

He marked coordinates with a flick of his fingers. The nanites emerged from his body. The projection shimmered to life. A skeleton of steel, transparent force fields, and gravity wells took shape in light.

“Looks good,” he said. 

Tony spent a couple of hours working on an outline and layout for his lunar base. He knew there were too many enemies lurking in space, and he had no idea when one might appear. The best course of action was to enhance Earth's defenses and weaponry. He planned to create multiple space stations and orbital weapon systems around Earth, and a shield capable of covering the entire Earth in a defensive dome. It won't be easy and time-consuming, but not impossible.

Back on Earth, his team was growing stronger every day. Sue’s powers had begun to reflect her will, subtle but absolute. Ben had unlocked control over his transformation, managing density shifts on command. Johnny had learned to regulate temperature and energy output down to precise molecular thresholds.

They were ready to handle the world.

...

[THE NEXT DAY – 7:00 AM]

Sunlight spilled across the polished white stone of Horizon Island’s central dining hall. Fresh fruit lined the long table beside pitchers of water, smoothies, and scrambled eggs. Plates clinked. Coffee brewed. The team sat in relative calm, a rhythm slowly building since the end of the war.

Sue was scrolling through her holopad while Johnny was already on his second plate of waffles. Ben was nursing a protein shake that was the size of a cement bucket, and Natasha quietly sipped her black coffee as she read a digital report projected from her wristband. Meanwhile, Yelana and Melina accompanied Howard to the White House, serving as his guards for an important meeting.

Tony entered last, towel still draped over his shoulders from an early swim, hair damp, his usual half-smirk in place.

“You know,” he said, grabbing a croissant and looking toward Nat, “this is the first morning no one’s tried to throw something at me, threaten to train until collapse, or mention aliens. I almost forgot what domestic peace looked like.”

“It’s weird,” Ben muttered, “but not bad weird.”

“That’s because Johnny hasn’t spoken yet,” Natasha said without looking up.

“Excuse you,” Johnny replied, raising his fork. “Some of us are in digestion mode. You wouldn’t like me when I’m digesting.”

Sue shot him a look. “Please never say that again.”

Before he could respond, the lights in the room dimmed. A soft chime echoed through the hall as the emergency broadcast panel lowered from the ceiling. A red pulse framed the edges of the screen.

Hermes's voice came through the speakers.

“Emergency report: Commercial flight 472 en route from London to Mumbai has suffered a mechanical failure. The right turbine lost at 40,000 feet. Elevation is declining rapidly. Cockpit electronics are offline. Visual confirmation from orbital drone indicates structural instability on the rear hull.”

Tony didn’t hesitate.

He stood instantly, the towel dropping to the floor. “Everyone suit up.”

The room shifted, and breakfast was forgotten. Plates were pushed aside, and chairs scraped against the floor. Without a word, the team activated their nanite cores. 

In a seamless burst, the nanites swarmed over their bodies, assembling armor in smooth, clean layers. The suits locked into place, and visors flicked down. 

Tony’s HUD activated, and information poured in.

“Flight is descending over the North Atlantic. Altitude at 33,000 feet and dropping. Passenger count: two hundred and six.”

Johnny flared his palms and floated a few feet off the ground.

“Can I just fly there with my flames? I’ve been training for this.”

Tony glanced at him. “No. Your flame mode eats too much power, and we still haven’t fine-tuned your long-range stamina. I need you to be precise, not flashy.”

Johnny frowned, but nodded.

“What about you?” Ben asked. “You can fly without the suit.”

Tony smiled under his visor. “Yeah, but this is cooler.”

Natasha smirked slightly. “Classic.”

"Enough, chit chat, let's go."

They flew out of the balcony into the sky. 

...

[IN THE SKY – ABOVE THE ATLANTIC – 27,000 FEET AND DROPPING]

The air roared past them as the team flew at hypersonic speed. Tony was in the lead, his HUD feeding live telemetry from the drone network. The plane was tumbling, one engine shredded, the fuselage groaning under pressure. Panels had been ripped off by wind shear. Sparks trailed behind it.

“Visual acquired,” Tony said. “Two rear stabilizers failing. Hull integrity at sixty percent. The engines are overheated." He scanned properly. "Ah! Would you look at that? Someone tampered with the engine. The plane will explode in less than 2 minutes. Dang!”

"Tell me you've got a flashy plan, Tony," Johnny said, looking at the burning section.

"Yup!" Tony said as he activated his nanite swarms into the air. "Legion. Fix the engines and stop the explosion. Johnny, extinguish the flames and lower the temperature of the overheated parts. Follow the HUD. Nat, get in and check the system and deploy the energy shield. Sue, block off the damaged hull. Ben, hold up that wing still till the nanites fix it. And, I'll stop the descent. MOVE!"

...

AN: Sorry for the cliffhanger. Electricity went off, and the chapter was big enough, so I decided to post it without holding it. See ya tomorrow, hopefully without another cliff.

[Ironman] Ch: 126 [Camp sex with Yelena]

AN: Only segs. --- Inside the camp, Tony lay on his back naked as Yelena was sitting on his face and rocking her hips. Her pussy was drippin

AN: Only segs.

---

Inside the camp, Tony lay on his back naked as Yelena was sitting on his face and rocking her hips. Her pussy was dripping wet as he licked her clit eagerly. Her hands were stroking his cock, and she moaned as she felt Tony's tongue expertly flicking against her, Yelena decided to return the favor. She leaned forward, her long hair cascading down, and took his throbbing cock into her mouth.

"Ohh~" Tony groaned against her pussy, the vibrations sending waves of pleasure through her. She could feel him growing harder, his cock pulsing against her tongue.

Meanwhile, his hands gripped her ass, pulling her closer, his tongue delving deeper into her. They fell into a rhythm, each lost in the pleasure they were giving and receiving. The tent filled with the sounds of their moans and the wet, sucking noises of their oral exploration.

Her juices coated Tony's face as she ground against it. The taste of her pussy on his tongue only fueled his desire, causing him to lick and suck with more fervor. The feeling of Yelena's warm mouth enveloping his cock made Tony's body tremble. Their moans grew louder, their bodies slick with perspiration despite the cold outside. Yelena's movements on his cock were deliberate, her lips sliding up and down, her tongue teasing the underside. Tony's skilled tongue flicked at her clit, sending shivers through her body.

"All hard and big," Yelena mumbled while sucking on the tip before pulling it out with a loud pop, but her hand never stopped. "Mmm, you taste so good," she moaned, her fingers continuing to stroke his cock as she licked her lips before taking it all the way into her throat and held it there, contracting her throat muscles.

Tony couldn't help but move his hip as her throat enveloped his cock, her muscles working against him. The sudden tightness brought him to the brink of release. He knew he couldn't hold on much longer. Yelena felt the veins on his cock throb, and she knew she had him. The moment she wanted had arrived. She wanted him to cum deep into her throat, make her gag. Her eyes gleamed with desire, her lips wrapped tightly around the base of Tony's cock as she began to bob her head in a slow, steady rhythm.

"God!" Tony's moans grew louder, his hips bucking involuntarily, his body arching in response to her skilled actions. Sensing his imminent climax, Yelena's pace quickened, her throat muscles contracting rhythmically, milking him for every drop.

Suddenly, Tony's entire body tensed, his face contorted in ecstasy. A guttural roar echoed through the tent as he came, his hot seed erupting into Yelena's mouth. Her throat worked tirelessly to accept every last drop, her gag reflex triggered, but she refused to let go.

His orgasmic release lasted what felt like an eternity, the warm jets of cum filling Yelena's mouth. Her eyes watered as she swallowed, the taste of him strong on her tongue. When Tony finally subsided, she released his cock with a wet pop, a satisfied grin on her face.

"Mmm," she purred, licking her lips, savoring the taste of Tony's seed. "That was delicious," she said, before standing up to face him. She admired his now-spent body, a devious grin still on her face. "I'm gonna ride you like there is no tomorrow."

Tony's cock was still hard, all thanks to his enhanced body. His eyes were fixed on Yelena's dripping pussy. Before she could move, he grabbed her leg and pushed her down, then quickly went between her legs, pushing his face between her wet folds. As she let out a surprised gasp, he began licking her once again, his tongue swirling around her clit. Yelena's eyes widened with surprise and pleasure.

Her hand reached for his head, holding him in place as she rocked her hips in unison with his movements.

"No sex till I get my energy drink. So, you better squirt," He mumbled between sucking on her clit. He increased his licking speed.

"Shit! Yeah~ Keep eating my pussy," Yelena's body trembled as Tony's tongue continued to work wonders on her soaking pussy. She could feel her climax approaching, her breaths becoming ragged, her hips bucking involuntarily. Her fingers clenched into fists, her nails digging into her palms as she tried to prolong her pleasure.

But, Tony pushed two fingers into her pussy and it was enough to push her to her limits.

"Oh, fuck!" Yelena screamed as the orgasm hit her, her body shuddering. Her pussy convulsed around Tony's fingers, her juices gushing out. He quickly opened his mouth and increased his fingers' thrusting, hitting her sweet spot while she was squirting. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuckkkk~" She moaned loudly, while rocking her hips wildly. Tony drank her squirt as much as he could and the rest splashed his face.

After that, she stopped. Her chest was heaving, and her body still quivered from the aftershocks of her orgasm.

Tony pulled out his fingers and licked them clean as she watched him with a blushed smile.

"Was it tasty?" She asked.

Tony grinned, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Oh, sweeter than honey, my dear Yelena." He replied, licking his lips as he placed his cock on her pussy and began to rub it against her wet slit. Yelena's eyes widened in anticipation, her body arching in invitation. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer, as Tony started to slide his cock into her. He entered her slowly, savoring the warmth and tightness of her pussy.

Yelena moaned, her hands wrapped around his neck. She could feel his thick cock filling her up, stretching her in all the right ways. Once fully inside, Tony stopped and looked at her face for a moment.

There was a brief pause.

As Tony's eyes met Yelena's, he saw a mixture of desire and need. The intensity of their gaze held them in a momentary stillness. She bit her lower lip, her eyes pleading for more. With a slow nod, he began to thrust, their hips syncing in a rhythm that seemed to have a life of its own.

Yelena's moans filled the tent as Tony's cock thrust in and out of her. Her eyes were locked onto his as he was going slow and deep, pulling his cock all the way out before thrusting it all the way in, hitting her ends. She liked it very much.

Her back arched, her nails digging into Tony's shoulders, leaving faint red marks, but it was all healed instantly. Her moans grew louder, her body responding to each powerful thrust.

Tony's pace quickened, his breathing heavy as he leaned down to kiss her neck, nipping at her skin, leaving a trail of hickey. Then he moved down and took her left nipple into his mouth.

"Mumm~ Shhhsss~" The sensation of his mouth on her sensitive nipple combined with the deep, powerful thrusts sent shivers down her spine. She cried out as a second wave of pleasure began to build within her, her body tensing.

Tony, knowing she was close, increased the intensity of his mouth on her nipple and the speed of his thrusts. She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, her hips bucking to meet each thrust. Her breaths became more erratic, her back arching higher off the ground as she felt her climax approaching.

"Tony... I'm so close..." Yelena panted, her voice trembling.

"Cum on my cock," He whispered.

He continued his assault on her nipple and increased the speed of his thrusts, eager to push her over the edge. In response, Yelena's body convulsed, her pussy clenching tightly around his cock as her orgasm took over. Her eyes rolled back, and she let out a loud, primal scream.

Tony continued to thrust into her, the sight of her pleasure driving him towards his own climax. Sweat dripped down their intertwined bodies as his thrusts became more erratic, his own desire nearing its peak. Her legs trembled, still locked around his waist. He couldn't hold back any longer, his breathing ragged as he leaned down to kiss her neck. Yelena felt the heat of his body, the evidence of his impending release. His thrusts grew more frantic, each one driving him closer to the edge.

But he held on for five more minutes...

After that he pulled out, his seed shooting onto her stomach and chest. Yelena's breath hitched, her eyes widening at the sight of his release.

Panting, Tony watched how he marked her, his seed glistening on her chest. The warm sensation and the sight of his cum on her skin caused a surge of possessive pride within him.

"You like marking your possessions?" She smirked.

Tony chuckled, a devious glint in his eyes. "You could say that."

"Well, I'm not just any possession, am I?" Yelena retorted playfully, running her finger through the puddle of his cum on her chest. Her tongue darted out to taste it, her eyes locked on his. The mischievous glint in hers mirrored his.

"Nope," Tony agreed, his voice low and sultry. "You're my most prized possession. Now, get on your knees and clean my cock."

"Why don't you make me?" She said with a naughty smile.

Tony grabbed a fistful of her hair. "You want a challenge, do you?" He growled, pulling her hair gently to urge her forward. Yelena grinned, the fire in her eyes undiminished. She fell to her knees, her body arching as she leaned in, her lips parting.

With a slow, deliberate motion, Tony pushed the head of his cock against Yelena's lips. "Open it." She opened her mouth wide, taking him in with a wet, warm, and inviting suction. Her tongue flicked against the underside of his cock, making him groan. She sucked and licked with a satisfying humm. She glanced up at him with a wicked smile, enjoying the way he responded to her ministrations. His hands tightened in her hair, guiding her movements, as she took him deeper, her throat accepting his full length.

Tony's hips twitched, aching for more. He wanted to be rough, to assert his dominance, but he couldn't deny the pleasure Yelena's mouth brought him. The mixture of her seductive gaze, the wet warmth of her mouth, and the way she swallowed him whole was driving him wild.

He grabbed her head and began to fuck her mouth hard, without any mercy.

"Gaggg! Gwakakkk! Gaaggg!"

She gagged. Her eyes watered, and her cheeks swelled with each brutal invasion, but the fire in her eyes never dimmed. It only served to fuel Tony's own desire.

"Good girl," he growled, his grip on her hair unyielding. Her throat convulsed around him, and he knew that she was near her limit. He wanted to push her to the brink. "Take it all, like the good little slut you are."

Yelena's eyes flashed with a mix of defiance and desire. She responded by taking Tony's cock even deeper, her throat muscles flexing in response to his words.

"Fuck," He was close to cumming again and picked up the pace. His hips bucked wildly, his balls tightening as he felt the impending release. Her throat continued to convulse around his shaft, pushing him closer to the edge. The sensation of her warm, wet mouth, coupled with the defiance in her eyes, was enough to send him over the brink.

With a guttural growl, he pulled out and splattered her face with a torrent of hot cum. Her eyes widened as she was coated in his release, her face now a messy canvas of his passion.

"Phew!" Tony sighed in relief.

"How do I look?" She asked before licking her lips clean.

"Like a piece of art, painted by my lust," Tony replied, his voice thick with desire.

"So, are you done or..." She smirked as she went on her fours.

"Shit! You nympho. I'll show you what's 'done' looks like," Tony grabbed her hips and slammed his cock back into her pussy.

That night they fucked and fucked till the morning. At the end, Yelena could barely move her muscles and her pussy was dripping with cum, plus she was covered in cum. And Tony lay beside her, satisfied.

[Ironman] Ch: 125 [A moment with Yelena]

[HORIZON ISLAND – 9:00 AM]

After weeks of war, blood, and global tension, Tony finally gave the order no one expected.

“Everyone gets 24 hours. No calls, no alerts, no suits. If something goes wrong, Hermes and Elena will handle it. Let the bots earn their upgrades.”

There were no arguments. Not even from Natasha.

With that, the core team scattered, leaving the battlefield behind for something far more rare... rest.

[NEW YORK CITY – LATE MORNING]

Sue stood at the corner of 56th and Lexington, coffee in hand, sunglasses on. She wore jeans and a hoodie, hair pulled into a loose ponytail. 

The city felt... slower. Like it knew what had just happened. Everyone walked a little lighter, spoke a little softer. The massive screens that had replayed the Stark-Skrull War now displayed news montages of survivors being reunited with their families.

She wandered through Central Park, watching kids play, couples walk hand in hand, and street musicians sing about the stars. She stopped at a food cart and bought a pretzel. No one recognized her. Or maybe they did, but respected the space she clearly carved out with her body language.

It felt good to blend in again.

She sat on a bench for almost an hour, doing nothing. Just breathing. The way normal people do.

[SOMEWHERE IN BROOKLYN]

Johnny Storm had found what he called a “perfectly normal date.” Jane, one of the Widows, had agreed after threatening to dislocate his knee if he made a single flirtatious comment during training.

Now, they were walking side by side down a quiet street, sharing a bottle of mango soda and talking about things that had nothing to do with war.

“I’ve never dated a human flamethrower before,” Jane said with a smirk.

“Technically, I’m a controlled thermonuclear miracle,” Johnny replied.

“You’re lucky I find that funny.”

He laughed, and for once, it wasn’t for show. It was light. Honest.

They found themselves at a rooftop bar in Queens, sharing sliders and watching the skyline come alive with the colors of the setting sun. He didn't mention his powers, and she didn't bring up her missions. Instead, they simply talked and shared a single, careful kiss.

[DOWNTOWN – STADIUM DISTRICT]

Ben Grimm sat in the front row of a packed stadium, arms crossed over his chest, sunglasses and a hat. He was in his normal human form, which not many people had seen. So, he blended in perfectly.

He chewed a hot dog, nodded along with the chants of fans around him, and let the energy wash over him. No reporters or flying cosmic girl throwing energy blasts. Just football.

When his team scored, he stood up with the rest of them and roared. 

[HORIZON ISLAND – NATURAL SPRING]

Natasha floated on her back in the warm mineral pool, arms spread out, eyes closed, letting the water cradle her. She was naked. A soft towel rested nearby. Birds chirped overhead. The waterfall in the distance created a steady hum that drowned out the last week of hell.

Several Widows lounged on the flat rocks nearby. Some read, some napped, some swam and surfed, and others dipped their feet in the spring. A few were playing volleyball on the other end of the beach.

Melina sat at the edge, eyes closed, meditating in complete stillness. 

...

[SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS – 2:13 PM]

Tony Stark was not a man who feared war, death, or cosmic firestorms. But staring up at the narrow mountain trail, carrying a full pack of gear, and realizing there was no internet and he wasn't allowed to use his gadgets? That got a very specific groan out of him.

Yelena turned back and smirked.

“Keep up, Stark. This is your idea of a date, remember?”

He adjusted the straps on his pack. “I said dinner. Somewhere with chairs. And maybe a bottle of wine not filtered through a sock.”

“Boring. Save that for Nat.”

They continued upward. The wind was cold and clean. Snow still clung to the higher peaks, but here, it was just rocky trails, stubborn trees, and long silence. 

Tony could barely remember the last time he went more than two minutes without checking his HUD.

Yelena noticed.

“Don’t even think about pinging Hermes. He’ll survive without you for one day.”

He sighed. “You sure this isn’t some elaborate Widow punishment? Drag the billionaire up a mountain and break his legs?”

Yelena looked over her shoulder with a crooked grin. “Don't worry. The punishment hasn't started yet, and you are lucky, it doesn't involve breaking legs. Just kisses, tongues, and hours of riding.”

Tony's imagination ran wild as he vividly imagined Yelena riding him wildly as he squeezed her boobs. He quickly pulled himself back to reality and cleared his throat. 

"I guess I deserve that," He walked closer and whispered beside her, "I'll make it you with my tongue."

Yelena blushed slightly and picked up her pace without a word.

By the time they reached the plateau, the sun was dipping low behind the ridge. The view stretched forever. Miles of untouched land. A horizon so quiet it felt like another planet.

They dropped their packs beside a flat outcrop. Yelena started setting up the tent. Tony also helped her.

“Do you do this often?” 

“Every month. Or I used to. Then things got messy.” She paused, then looked at him. “This clears the head. Forces you to feel small. In a good way.”

After setting up the camp and a little fireplace...

Tony sat on the edge of the plateau, legs hanging off the side, wind tugging gently at his shirt. The sun was a slow-burning disk behind the ridgeline, casting gold across the landscape. He watched the horizon in silence for a long moment before speaking. 

"I forgot what this felt like," he said, almost to himself. "Just being… still."

Yelena stood beside him, arms crossed, eyes scanning the view.

"Most people forget. That’s why they lose themselves."

He glanced at her. "You think I’ve lost myself?"

She shrugged. "I think you walked through hell and came out the other side. But parts of you didn’t walk out with you."

Tony looked back at the valley below. "You saw it. All of it. What I did."

Yelena stepped closer. "I did. And I was there with you."

"You don’t think I went too far?"

She knelt beside him, resting her elbows on her knees. "You went far. Maybe too far. Maybe not far enough. That’s the curse of people like us. There’s no clean line. There’s only what you’re willing to live with when the dust settles."

Tony breathed in the cold mountain air, then slowly exhaled.

"I keep seeing their faces," he said. "Even the ones I never met. The kids, families, ones who never had a choice. I gave them 24 hours, then... Well... But it doesn’t feel like a victory. It feels... unfinished."

Yelena’s voice softened. "Because it is. Justice and war don’t end at the same time."

They sat like that for a while, the sun finally vanishing behind the peaks. A few stars started poking through.

She leaned against him. Her shoulder touched his. Her warmth matched the fading heat in the sky.

"You saved this world, Tony. You did what no one else would. That doesn’t make you a monster."

Tony turned to her, his voice quieter. "It doesn't make me a hero either."

"No," she said. "But it makes you human."

He looked at her for a long second. Then leaned in and kissed her, slow and steady, not out of fire or impulse, but out of something much rarer: peace.

She didn’t pull back.

When they finally parted, she smiled.

"Now help me start the fire. I’m not freezing my ass off because the genius forgot how to strike flint."

Tony stood, rubbing his hands. "Please. I’m about to ignite the best campfire this mountain’s ever seen."

"And if you cheat with your repulsors..."

"No tech. I know the rules."

Soon, the fire crackled between them, casting orange light across their faces.

"So, tea or coffee?" She asked as she brought out two boxes.

"I'll go with tea tonight."

..[A few hours later]..

The fire snapped and hissed, throwing up tiny embers that danced into the night. Cold air, warm firelight, and the scent of pine mixed with smoke filled the air.

Tony crouched beside the fire pit, hands working with surprising care as he laid out skewers over the flame. Thin rods of metal held cubes of marinated meat glazed with oil, sprinkled with dried herbs, and bright flecks of seasoning.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he said as he turned one of the skewers. “Genius billionaire cooking meat over a fire like some glorified caveman.”

Yelena sat across from him, legs stretched out, her blanket draped around her shoulders. She held a tin cup of tea in one hand and raised an eyebrow.

“I was thinking if you burn it, I’m throwing you off the cliff.”

Tony grinned. “So supportive.”

“I’m Russian. We don’t hand out gold stars for half-cooked pork.”

“It’s lamb, actually.”

She sniffed theatrically. “Still smells like meat.”

The flames popped as the juices sizzled and dripped onto the embers. Tony leaned back slightly, watching them sear.

“You know,” he said after a pause, “when I was a kid, I used to watch my father work late. Lab full of smoke, radio static humming, scotch in one hand, soldering iron in the other. And sometimes, after midnight, he’d cook something. Late-night cravings.”

Yelena took a sip of tea. “Let me guess. You learned from him.”

Tony shook his head. “Oh, hell no. The kitchen smelled like hell after he was done. Once, Mom got so angry that she kicked him out of the main house. Still, he didn't give up and tried to grill meat with his custom-made grill that night. He burned down those nice meat slices. That's when I decided to learn how to cook properly just in case." 

Tony flipped the skewers, checked the sear, and gave a satisfied nod.

“Alright. Moment of truth.”

He passed her one of the skewers on a flat metal tray. She took it, blew on the edge, then took a bite.

Her eyes narrowed as she chewed. Then, slowly, she nodded.

“…You get to stay on the mountain.”

Tony laughed quietly, took a bite of his own, and made a face.

“Not bad, huh?”

“It’s actually good. I hate that it’s good.”

“I accept your reluctant approval.”

They ate in silence for a few minutes, the fire crackling between them. The cold air made the meat taste sharper, more grounded. Yelena leaned forward to adjust her blanket and caught Tony watching her.

“What?”

He didn’t look away. “Just... this. It feels right.”

Yelena shrugged, but there was a faint softness behind her eyes.

“Moments like this don’t come often. Doesn’t mean they last forever. But it means they matter.”

Tony set his skewer down, wiping his hands.

“I don’t know what’s coming next. I’ve built suits, systems, networks... armies. I’ve vaporized threats from space and stood toe-to-toe with gods. But the unknowns out there... It scares me sometimes."

Yelena leaned back on her hands and looked at the sky.

"Don't shoulder everything alone. You've got people behind you. Me, Nat, Melina, Widows, Sue, Ben, Johnny, your dad. Whatever comes next, we'll face it together, like a team." She looked down at him with a smile.

Tony stared at the fire for a moment longer. Then he looked up at the stars. He took a deep breath before looking toward her, "Yeah. Together." He moved his hand and placed it over hers.

---

EXCLUSIVE POLL FOR PLATINUM & ABOVE

I'll be adding Sue soon to the Harem. And since the next arc will be Mutant War. It has to be a mutant girl.

So, who should be the next one or two? Choose any 2.

[Ironman] Ch: 124 [What We Become]

[HORIZON ISLAND – 11:34 AM] [Reinforced Combat Room B]

The air inside the training room shimmered faintly with residual energy. The walls, reinforced with layered adamantium and layered kinetic absorption plates, bore scuff marks and burn patterns. 

Ben stood near the far corner, shoulders hunched slightly, arms flexed. He took a slow breath and rolled his neck.

"Alright, you two. Just don't go easy on me this time."

Johnny bounced on his heels, arms glowing with soft orange embers. His t-shirt had burn holes, and the tips of his hair were slightly singed. Tony gave them new clothes that can sustain their power, but Johnny just wants to show off his body. There were so many girls on that island, and he was yet to get lucky.

"Don't worry, big guy. I already cleared my schedule for a rematch."

Sue stood between them, her hair tied back in a tight braid. Her hands were raised, fingers subtly twitching. A transparent shimmer surrounded her like a second skin.

"This isn't a contest. It's control. We're not burning down another room."

Johnny gave her a sidelong grin. "You say that like it was my fault last time."

"It was your fault," Ben said, crouching into a fighting stance. "You literally sneezed and blew a hole through the wall. Tony had to build this new room just for us. So, control."

"Still counts as flair."

"Let's move." Sue cut them off, pushing a lightwave pulse across the room to mark the start.

Johnny reacted first. He flared, his arms lighting up as he dashed left. Ben went right, his steps heavy but precise. Sue stayed back, building a dome of force around her body while controlling two small discs of compressed energy in her palms.

Johnny blasted a stream of controlled fire at Ben's feet. Ben jumped over it and landed with a fist that cracked the ground, but missed.

Sue launched one disc at Johnny. It curved mid-flight, chasing his movement. He created a heat wall to block it. The disc pushed through the flames and clipped his side.

"Ow! Friendly fire, Sue."

"You dodged like a toddler."

Ben spun toward her and threw a mock punch. She caught it with a shield, redirected the momentum, and used it to vault herself backward. She landed without a sound.

"Better," she said.

Johnny fired a focused flame blast at Ben's back. Ben didn't flinch. He took it head-on, and his body glowed faint purple for a second. He grinned and turned.

"New trick."

Then he clapped his hands, releasing a shockwave, catching Johnny off guard and slamming him into the padded far wall. Smoke rose.

Sue raised both hands and forced an invisible wall between them.

"Reset. You're getting sloppy, Johnny."

Johnny groaned and slid down the wall. "I thought this was a spar, not a punishment."

"That was light." Ben cracked his knuckles.

Johnny got up slowly. "Okay. Now I'm mad."

He exploded forward, heat bursting from his body as he took to the air. His fists burned white-hot as he spun, creating a ring of fire that hovered above Ben before crashing it down like a meteor. Ben raised his arms and took the full hit, purple energy flaring across his shoulders as the heat spread over his skin.

He didn't fall.

Ben shoved upward, bursting through the flames and grabbing Johnny mid-air. With a grunt, he threw him across the room like a cannonball. Johnny twisted, fired a blast under him, and slowed just enough to avoid embedding himself in the wall again.

Sue dropped low, rolling behind a column. Her forcefields shimmered in place, creating a zig-zag path of shields between her and the boys. She flicked her wrist and sent three pulse discs flying: two at Johnny and one at Ben.

Johnny twisted, dodging one, letting the second graze his thigh with a sizzling hiss. He fired back with a flamethrower burst that lit up the ceiling.

Ben took his disc on the chest and charged through it.

"You hit like a snowflake, Sue."

"That's because I haven't hit you yet."

She raised her left hand and compressed a wide arc of force into a flat plane.

Johnny flared up again. “Come on, Sis, you really think you can block this?”

He fired a wide wave of heat.

Sue gritted her teeth and caught it with the plane. The flame curved around her, caught in the invisible barrier. She twisted her hand and sent the wave back, redirected like a mirror. The heat crashed into Johnny’s side and spun him around.

“Okay!” Johnny shouted. “Maybe I deserved that.”

Ben was already moving. He slammed his foot down, launching forward like a missile. Sue vanished from his view.

“Where’d she go?” he muttered, stopping mid-charge.

Johnny paused, still smoldering. “Wait... Sue?”

The room was quiet.

No shimmer. No flicker. Nothing.

“Where the hell is...”

A solid wall of force slammed into Johnny from the side, sending him cartwheeling into the crater that Ben made during the previous round.

Sue reappeared a second later, eyes wide, panting. Her body flickered in and out, like a glitching reflection.

Ben stared. “Was that... were you invisible?”

Sue blinked, then looked down at her hands. They flickered and faded again, then returned.

“I... I think so.”

Johnny coughed. “You think so? You punched me while invisible. That's ambushing.”

She held her breath, trying to feel it again. The space around her rippled. For a moment, she vanished entirely. Then she popped back into sight.

Ben let out a low whistle. “Damn. That’s new.”

“I didn’t even try,” Sue said, her voice quieter now. “It just... happened. My body felt like it bent with the light.”

Johnny raised a hand from the floor. “So you can go invisible now and still punch people? Great. That’s fair.”

“Looks like your powers are still evolving,” Ben said. “You’re the strongest one in the room right now.”

Sue looked between them, a little dazed. “No. Not the strongest. Just... more precise.”

“Semantics,” Johnny muttered. “Still cheating.”

Sue cracked a grin. “Then learn how to dodge.”

Ben chuckled, walking over to help Johnny up.

"Alright," he said. "Back to round three. Let’s see what else we’re hiding."

Johnny groaned. “Yeah, yeah. But I’m checking my room for Sue every night from now on. No more sneak attacks. Dang! Why not me? If I were invisible, I could have easily escaped Melina after busting her bike.”

Sue lifted her hands again, energy pulsing from her palms. “She would've still found you. No one escapes her eyes."

...

[SIBERIA] [Unmarked Forest Sector – Frost Line Ridge]

The wind howled through the dead trees, carrying sharp flakes of snow that bit like glass. The ground was packed white, broken only by a blood-soaked trail leading to the base of a twisted pine tree.

Nick Fury sat slumped against it, his back stiff, his coat torn and frozen to the bark. His left arm was gone. Torn off at the shoulder. The wound had been cauterized, but not cleanly. Blood had frozen in a jagged pattern across his chest and side. His breath came slow and visible in the air.

Tony stood five feet away, fully armored. The Arc Reactor pulsed a low, steady blue in the mist. His visor was open, face unreadable.

Fury chuckled once, low and bitter.

“You know, it didn’t have to end like this.”

Tony didn’t speak.

Fury stared at him, one eye filled with pain and defiance.

“If you had just tried to understand. Just for one damn minute. We were close. You could’ve helped. You could’ve saved them... or at least spared the innocent.”

Tony’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Fury leaned his head back against the tree, wincing.

“But no. You had to make it personal. Had to play god with orbital death rays. You saw green skin and made the call. No trial. No evidence. Just execution. A whole race... gone. So many families just gone...” He reached for his wallet and opened it. Inside was a picture of his wife. He just looked at it once before closing.

Tony stepped forward, boots crunching in the snow.

“They replaced my people,” he said coldly. “They kidnapped my friends, attempted to kill me and my team, infiltrated governments, and killed civilians. You let them in.”

“I was trying to buy time,” Fury rasped. “Trying to keep Earth safe without setting the world on fire. You think people would’ve handled it better if I told them the truth ten years ago? They’d have burned their neighbors alive.”

He coughed, blood dark against his lips.

“I made hard choices, Stark. You made worse.”

Tony didn’t move.

Fury looked up at him again, his voice quieter now.

“So. Tell me. Since you’re the new god of Earth now... have you slept? At all? Since you pushed that button?”

Tony’s jaw tightened. His eyes, glowing yellow for a moment before going back to normal, stayed fixed on Fury.

“I sleep fine,” he said.

Fury huffed out a humorless, painful laugh. “Yeah, right. You can't even lie properly.”

Tony stepped closer, one hand at his side, twitching with built-up tension.

“You think I don’t feel it? Every face. Every possibility. I counted every last one of them before I acted. And I gave them a chance. You took it away.”

Fury didn’t respond right away. The wind blew between them, tugging at Fury’s coat. He sighed, looking at the sky for a moment before looking back at Tony.

“Maybe I did,” he said. “Maybe I lost my way. No. I did lost my way somewhere along the way. Ha! I didn't even realize that. I guess, when you are close to death, everything comes back with clarity. But you... you lost something bigger. You crossed a line that doesn’t uncross.”

Tony leaned down slightly, getting close enough to meet his eye. “I crossed it to make sure that no one else has to. I did this to protect Earth and my family; you have no idea how far I would go.”

Fury looked up at him, his voice low and steady.

“Then I hope whatever comes next makes that true. Now, do what you have to do. End it and create a new world. I hope you won't be lost like me on your journey."

"Despite our difference, I'll end this painlessly," Tony pressed his hand on Fury's head and extracted all the information he had, then painlessly shut down his brain before burning his body. 

Update

Tomorrow's chs might get delayed. My pc's CPU cooler got glitchy. Out of 3 fans, only 2 are spinning, and the other one is just spinning and stopping. So, it's getting pretty overheated. I called the service guy, and tomorrow he'll come to check on it. Still got warranty. Like, only 2 years and it's busted. Technology these days. So, let's see.

Right now, writing the next chapter. So, hopefully, I'll be able to upload it in an hour.

[Ironman] Ch: 123 [Aftermath]

AN: I did my best to cover most of the parts. Let me know if I missed something. I'll add it. And nope, not going to include anything about finance situation of the world. I am not good with that and numbers.

---

[ONE WEEK LATER]

The world had not yet recovered from what would forever be known as The Great Reveal.

Cities were quieter than usual. Streets that once buzzed with activity now moved in slow, uncertain rhythms. Flags flew at half-mast in several countries. Screens that had previously displayed the chaos of the Skrull purge now showcased memorials and debates. News anchors wore black attire, and the air felt heavy with an overwhelming weight.

All in all, Earth won't be the same again.

It wasn't just the revelation of Skrulls or the sight of Tony Stark erasing them from the planet with a command. It was what came after. The powers. The fire. The forcefields. The light. The punches that cracked the sky and the battles that shifted the atmosphere. Humanity had just witnessed, for the first time in its history, real superhumans.

And it watched it all live.

Every screen on Earth had streamed the battle. From small towns in Siberia to megacities like Shanghai and New York, people saw it. They saw Johnny Storm burst into flame and fly like a living rocket. They saw Sue Storm generate walls of invisible force. They saw Ben Grimm transform into something beyond human, glowing purple with every punch that created massive craters. They saw Yelena, Natasha, and Melina in armor that moved faster than thought. And above all, they saw Tony Stark and Carol, burning gold, defying space itself.

The reactions were mixed.

In Times Square, people had gathered daily since the event. The giant screens replayed clips on a loop. Tony's resurrection. Carol's defeat. The satellite activation. And the final moment when the last of the Skrulls turned to ash.

Street vendors now sold shirts with Stark's face. Muralists painted the skyline with silhouettes of the new heroes. New hashtags were trending.

#StarkSavedUs

#SuperheroesRules

#EarthFirst

#NeverAgain

Some people rejoiced. For them, it was proof that humanity was no longer helpless. That finally, Earth had defenders who could stand toe-to-toe with anything the stars threw at them.

Others weren't celebrating.

Protesters gathered near federal buildings, holding signs that read "NO GODS ON EARTH" and "WHO WATCHES STARK?" They didn't care that Tony had saved the planet. They feared what came next.

One protester, a young woman in Chicago, said it clearly. "What if the next threat isn't alien? What if it's them?"

In Berlin, banners hung from overpasses demanding regulation.

"We Need Accountability"

The EU called an emergency session to discuss how to handle the rise of powered individuals. Several nations had already begun drafting proposals to register, monitor, or limit the influence of the heroes. A leaked internal memo from Brussels called Tony Stark "a strategic threat to global order."

In cities like Rio de Janeiro and Santo Domingo, churches were packed. Priests and preachers spoke of prophecy and judgment. Some called Tony a false messiah. Others said he was chosen. There was division in every sermon.

One church leader declared, "If a man can return from death and burn the sky, then perhaps we have entered the final age."

Tech companies were already moving.

In Tokyo, R&D firms scrambled to dissect every frame of the battle. They studied Tony's movements, scanned satellite feeds for energy signatures, and tried to model his armor's behavior. Rumors spread that Japanese tech giants were attempting to replicate elements of his systems. Quietly, the race for powered defense began.

Back in Washington, the press waited. Reporters lined the room. Cameras flashed. The podium was empty.

[WASHINGTON D.C.]

The new President, George Walker Bush, stood at a press podium outside the Capitol. American flags lined the stage behind him. His tone was firm, his expression grim.

"Good evening, citizens of Earth."

That opening caught a few off guard. He didn't say America. He didn't say allies. He said Earth. Everyone noticed.

"A week ago, we confronted a reality that no one expected. The human race had been infiltrated by alien shapeshifters intent on replacing us. Quietly, efficiently, and permanently."

He let those words sink in.

"We lost good people. Brave people. Families were torn apart. Lives were stolen. But thanks to the actions of a few, the invasion did not succeed. Today, I want to address not just the threat… but the ones who stood between us and extinction."

He paused.

"Tony Stark. Ben Grimm. Sue Storm. Johnny Storm. Yelena Belova. Melina Vostokoff. Natasha Romanoff. Howard Stark."

He said each name with clarity.

"You didn't ask for this war, but you stood up and faced it. You fought when our systems failed. You fought when our satellites were blind. You fought when even our own defenses had been compromised."

The silence in the room was now absolute.

"You are not just heroes. You are a new line of defense. A new kind of protector. And as President of the United States, I say this clearly, and without hesitation..."

He leaned slightly forward.

"The world needs you."

The cameras zoomed closer.

"I am formally requesting that Tony Stark establish a global defense initiative. A coalition not bound by borders, but united by purpose. A team dedicated to the protection of Earth from threats beyond our understanding."

There were no gasps, but the weight of his words pulled the room tighter.

"I will give you the full support of this administration. Resources. Access. International authority, wherever possible. We will work through the U.N., through NATO, through whoever wants peace and survival, and if they won't come to the table, then we will build one ourselves."

He looked into the lens now, speaking to Tony directly.

"Mr. Stark. You have done more in the last ten days than most governments have in ten years. But we cannot allow this to happen again. No more sabotage. No more alien armies rising while the rest of us sleep."

He held the podium with both hands.

"You have my trust. And you have my country's trust. Build this team. Prepare this world. The next threat may not give us a second chance."

He glanced briefly at his notes, then looked back up.

"To every citizen watching this, know this. We are not alone in the universe. But now, we are no longer unarmed."

The press room exploded into questions. Flashes erupted. Hands shot into the air. Dozens of reporters tried to shout at once.

But the President took a step back. He said nothing more; he simply turned and walked away. The world had just entered a new era, and Tony Stark had been given the keys.

[SHIELD HEADQUARTERS – UNDISCLOSED LOCATION]

Howard Stark sat at a massive circular table inside the new SHIELD Command Center. He had personally overseen the purge of corrupted personnel. Hundreds of agents had been exposed. Some were killed in the purge wave. Others, too deep in cover, had vanished.

Howard spoke directly to the screen in front of him.

"We rebuild. Smarter this time. No more hiding truths behind protocol. No more black ops that betray their own mission. SHIELD exists to defend Earth. Nothing more. Nothing less."

All across the globe, empty seats in governments, research councils, and intelligence agencies were being filled again. The vetting process was rigorous. Public. Transparent. Trust had to be earned again.

[GLOBAL RECOVERY]

Tony's orbital new space defence network was now known worldwide. The satellites were locked in passive scan mode, no longer emitting purge frequencies. The skies were watched. Humanity was alert. 

Seventy percent of those replaced by Skrulls had been found alive. Locked in containment pods, often drugged or in suspended animation. Tony and the rebuilt SHIELD task force, now led by Howard Stark, had found hundreds of hidden facilities. Some are buried beneath Arctic bases. Others are hidden in plain sight under abandoned factories and government bunkers. Entire train lines had been retrofitted as mobile prisons.

Rescued victims wept as they were reunited with their families. Some had been missing for weeks. Others for decades.

But the remaining thirty percent? Lost. Either executed, experimented on, or their bodies used beyond recovery. So, not everyone got a happy ending. All they did was weep. At least now, they know the truth.

Across the Earth, people lit candles outside the buildings where loved ones had vanished. Black armbands were worn in mourning. In places like London, New York, New Delhi, and Seoul, mass vigils were held for the lost.

But not everyone mourned the same way.

Some saw Tony Stark as a savior. The man who uncovered a global threat and acted when no one else would. Then, as usual, there were some who called it a massacre. Protests flared in Europe and South America. Headlines accused Tony of mass genocide.

"NO TRIAL. NO JUSTICE. JUST DEATH," read one bold red headline in The Daily Voice.

Some scientists, activists, and human and animal rights advocates accused Tony of acting unilaterally. Unchecked. Like a god. Their words echoed on late-night shows and roundtables.

"Not every Skrull was guilty," one human rights lawyer said on a news segment. "And now we'll never know who could have lived peacefully."

Well, their cries didn't last long when faced with raw facts and when the families of the victims decided to raise their voices.

[CAROL DANVERS – LOCATION UNKNOWN]

Carol hadn't been seen publicly since the battle.

She had locked herself in a secure off-world containment dome, orbiting a quiet moon on the edge of Saturn. No communication or movement. The guilt of what happened weighed heavily. She had defended a dream. Believed in coexistence. But in the end, she had enabled a crisis.

She had watched as innocents turned to ash. Not by her hand, maybe, but by her failure to stop it. And worse, by the man she had underestimated. 

Then, there was Fury. He stopped Carol from finding the Skrulls a new home, and instead tried to use them as his army in the name of global defence and peace. She should have known better, but she was so busy out there in space fighting her own battles that she had very little time to come back and take care of things. She knew she shouldn't have listened to Fury, but...

Well, it is what it is.

...

[HORIZON ISLAND – 11:34 AM] [Reinforced Combat Room B]

The air inside the training room shimmered faintly with residual energy. The walls, reinforced with layered adamantium and layered kinetic absorption plates, bore scuff marks and burn patterns. 

Ben stood near the far corner, shoulders hunched slightly, arms flexed. He took a slow breath and rolled his neck.

"Alright, you two. Just don't go easy on me this time."

---

AN: I think its time to give Yelena some love.

[Ironman] Ch: 122 [Ultimate Tony Stark]

Tony’s hand clamped around Carol’s face. The heat radiating off her Binary form didn’t faze him. His grip tightened.

“Let’s take this off-world,” he said, voice low.

With a flash of golden light, Tony rocketed upward. The sound barrier shattered behind them. Buildings below rippled from the aftershock. Debris scattered into the sky. Within seconds, they passed the clouds, cut through the atmosphere, and tore into space.

Stars stretched in every direction. The Earth hung below like a fragile blue marble.

He released her with a violent push, and the shockwave rippled in the vacuum like a ripple through folded glass.

Carol flipped midair and stabilized, her aura flaring gold and orange. Her eyes narrowed.

'How?' She thought. 'Cosmic energy?!'

Tony hovered above, body crackling with golden energy that shimmered with a layer of white flare just beneath it. His eyes burned like twin stars. Behind his forehead, the Mind Stone pulsed, feeding him faster than thought. Every movement, every photon shift around her, every fluctuation in her posture was already calculated.

He blinked.

One second he was still, the next he was on her. His fist slammed into her jaw and sent her reeling backward, spiraling through the void. She recovered quickly, hands out, bracing as she fired a beam of concentrated solar energy from her palms.

Tony moved like lightning. The beam passed through where he had been a fraction of a second ago. He appeared behind her and struck again, this time a punch to the spine laced with raw strength. It folded the space around her body and sent her flying toward the Earth’s orbit line.

Carol flipped and released an energy burst. It spun her in place, giving her control as she locked onto Tony’s signal and rocketed back toward him, screaming as her power flared to maximum.

She collided with him mid-space, shoulder to chest, and they both exploded backward, spinning like dying stars caught in each other’s gravity.

Carol flew in and struck first, a knee to his ribs followed by a backhand across his cheek. Tony caught the second strike with a glowing hand and twisted her wrist, snapping it with a sharp crack. Then he kicked her away, flipped backward, and flared both hands open.

His palms glowed gold. Then blue. Then a bright, complex pattern of energy burst from his hands in spiraling beams, like solar latticework laced with cosmic charge. It hit her like a net of collapsing stars.

She screamed.

Tony moved in, fist cocked.

The punch hit her square in the chest and detonated like a small supernova. The shockwave spread for miles in the vacuum, bending distant starlight.

Carol twisted out of the blast and countered, punching upward. It caught Tony’s jaw, cracking it to the side. Blood sprayed from his mouth but quickly dissolved into golden light, regenerating before it could drift far.

He wiped his lip and cracked his neck with an arrogant grin.

Carol blasted forward, twin solar trails arcing from her hands. Her Binary form flared brighter, warping the light around her. She clenched her fists and dove toward Tony like a golden missile.

Tony didn’t dodge this time. He met her head-on. Their collision triggered a flash of white light that could be seen from the surface of Earth. The blast wave spread in a perfect ring across the vacuum, distorting starlight and tearing through satellite debris like tissue.

Carol twisted mid-blow and slammed her knee into Tony’s gut. His body folded for half a second before he retaliated with an uppercut that knocked her upward. He was already following, movements now faster than before, every calculation completed by the Mind Stone before she could react.

He struck again. Palm to chest.

A blast of telekinetic force launched her toward a drifting communications satellite. She flipped and crashed through it, the machine exploding in a burst of flame and sparks that instantly died in the vacuum.

Carol emerged from the wreckage, her energy swirling in chaotic arcs. Her eyes burned white. She roared and launched another attack, this time weaving in and out of visibility with raw speed. Each flicker was another strike. Left to the ribs. Right to the jaw. A knee to his spine.

'Fuck! Too fast!' Tony thought as he continued to analyze her.

He blocked the fourth hit, twisted her arm behind her back, and blasted her across the vacuum again. But this time, she caught herself with a spherical blast of power that reversed her trajectory in an instant.

She flew straight into him, punching him so hard across the face that his neck almost snapped. He flipped once, then twice, tumbling backward into the thermosphere. The energy trailed off him like bleeding fire.

He quickly raised an energy dome around his body.

Carol didn’t wait.

She flew in again, this time spinning like a drill, punching through Tony’s hastily formed energy barrier and landing a second hit to his side. His ribs cracked under the pressure. The regeneration kicked in and healed the fractures, and thanks to the Mind Stone, he didn't even feel any pain.

She pressed the advantage.

Left hook. Right jab. A headbutt laced with kinetic acceleration. Tony staggered. His golden aura flickered, lines of his energy armor splitting as the strain began to show.

He raised both hands and summoned a complex geometric pattern between his palms. The energy lattice cracked like a thunderclap. Dozens of golden shards formed and launched themselves like intelligent missiles. Each shard twisted in space, homing in on Carol’s limbs, chest, and head.

She was forced to fall back.

Carol ducked and spun, weaving between the shards. She absorbed two. The others she vaporized mid-air with energy bursts. But that cost her time.

Tony blinked and struck her from above, slamming both fists down. The impact sent her into a fast spiral. She recovered, but this time her mouth was bleeding.

She wiped it with her wrist, glaring.

She believed that she could subdue him without full escalation. But now? She saw the truth. His movements were faster. He anticipated every strike, adjusted to her pressure, and hit back harder each time. His power was evolving and matching hers.

And he was learning.

'Darn it! Can't let this drag on any longer.'

She charged.

Tony didn’t move. He tilted his head slightly. Calculations flashed behind his eyes faster than thought. Every shift in her posture, every twitch of her fingers, every micro-glow of charge... He saw it all.

She crossed the space between them in a blink.

Tony stepped aside, making minimal movement. Her punch missed by less than an inch. He countered, palm flat, striking her shoulder joint. The force rebounded through her collarbone. She twisted into a kick and swept low. He ducked under it. Her foot grazed his hair.

Their blows blurred into streaks of motion.

Each hit now was less about raw power and more about precision. They struck, blocked, reversed, and countered. Neither gave ground. Each time Carol surged with another level of force, Tony adapted. She spun in, grabbed his neck, and hurled him backward into a tumbling asteroid fragment.

He shattered it as he passed through, kicked off the debris, and spun into her, elbow-first. She caught it mid-air. Their bodies clashed again. The energy backlash formed a pulse that warped space around them.

Tony has now gained new knowledge. He can now copy Carol and absorb energy from his surroundings. Thus closing the gap between their energy level. He can now move faster and use more destructive moves.

'Did he just?!' Carol thought, noticing the sudden increase in his power.

He moved in and pressed the advantage. Two hits to her abdomen. One to her ribs. She deflected the next blow with her forearm, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him in close. Her forehead met his with a sharp crack. He staggered, then twisted and landed a blow to her thigh.

They both dropped low, drifting beneath the magnetic field’s edge. The world glowed faintly below them.

Carol drew in her energy again. This time, every last reserve. Every bit of charge from every cell. Her body became radiant, glowing like a living embodiment of cosmic energy. 

Tony paused and studied her carefully. 

He realized what she was about to do: a final strike. It would be a full conversion hit, with no defense and no pullback. It would burn through anything it came into contact with. 

She launched.

Tony didn’t dodge. He didn’t need to. Instead, he raised one hand and opened his palm. The force struck him head-on. It should have vaporized him, but it didn’t.

He raised one hand and opened his palm. The force met him head-on. It should have vaporized him. But it didn’t. He absorbed it. Every molecule of it. Pulled it through his skin, his cells, his mind. The Mind Stone flashed inside his head. It rerouted the power, dispersed the overload, and stabilized the chaos.

Carol’s body faltered mid-flight. Her arms dropped. The light around her faded as Tony drained her within a few seconds.

She hung there, eyes wide, chest heaving. 

Tony winked at her before grabbing her throat and diving back down toward Earth. He boomed through the atmosphere. Fire wrapped around their bodies as they tore through the sky, a golden comet splitting the clouds. Air screamed against them, heat built fast, but Tony didn’t slow down.

He aimed straight for the center of the old SHIELD training yard, a patch of hardened steel-reinforced ground deep in the desert.

The moment they hit...

BOOOM!

A blinding column of light exploded upward as the impact cratered the Earth. Dust and rock blew out for miles. The shockwave shattered windows two towns away. A tremor rolled across the valley, and birds took off from the trees in a panic.

At the center of it all, Carol lay at the bottom of the crater, barely conscious. Her body twitched. The last of her energy flickered like a dying flame.

Tony stood over her, hair wild, eyes glowing bright gold.

Carol tried to sit up.

His fist met her jaw before she could.

She dropped back down.

"You hurt them," Tony said, voice low.

He punched her again. This time across the temple. Her body jerked sideways. Blood sprayed from her nose.

"You hurt my girls."

Another punch.

"You hurt my friends."

His fist met her face again.

"You would defend those shapeshifting fuckers even if it means dooming humanity. I'm gonna smash you up and break every fucking bones in your body and kill Fury."

He threw multiple punches, shattering her rib cage.

"I gave them 24 hours, but you pulled this shit..." He looked down at her broken body. His fists were dripping with her blue blood. "...and took that chance they had, away from them."

Tony then grabbed a fistful of her hair and flew up into the sky again. Within a few seconds, he reached where they had first started fighting before and threw her down. Carol crashed onto the ground. 

He then looked around.

Everyone was doing alright, although injured, they were alive. He also noticed the dead Skrull posing as Fury. He then flew toward one of the drones. 

"As you can see, I'm still very much alive through some luck. Now, let's get to the point. Previously, I gave our shapeshifter invaders 24 hours to leave Earth. I really didn't want to commit genocide. But you all saw what happened. So, given the present situation, they just lost that chance. I, Tony Stark, will annihilate the Skrull race from the face of Earth." 

Tony controlled the nanites in his body and connected to the weapons around Earth's orbit. He activated the vaporizer.

"No mercy."

Across space, 1,000 cloaked Stark-forged satellites came to life.

“Execute Protocol: KSF.”

The world changed in an instant.

Wave One

A silent ripple passed through the stratosphere. Invisible to the naked eye, it swept across continents like a ghost tide. Skrulls hiding as schoolteachers, CEOs, bus drivers, scientists, and political figures jerked violently mid-movement.

Their skin rippled. Their forms convulsed and shifted.

Green skin appeared as people tore off their disguises. In cities like New York, London, Cairo, Tokyo, and Sydney, screams filled the air as loved ones changed right before their eyes. Then, they turned to ash.

Wave Two

The radiation doubled in intensity.

Underground bunkers. Deep-sea vessels. Cloaked labs in deserts. Even high-security SHIELD black sites couldn’t protect them. The frequency tore through every countermeasure.

Skrulls hidden in the upper branches of world militaries vaporized at their desks.

In the U.S. Capitol, two senators flickered green and disintegrated in front of live broadcasts. The president of America, a Skrull, turned to dust before his security's eyes.

In a remote monastery in the Himalayas, a Skrull monk gasped, staggered, and turned to dust mid-prayer.

Wave Three

The final sweep was absolute.

Sleeper agents. Cloned infiltrators. Those deep in space suits. Those mid-mission. Even the Super Skrulls’ remains, regenerating somewhere in secret labs, turned to sludge and vanished in a puff of smoke.

The satellites coordinated perfectly. Cross-frequency pulses overloaded Skrull genetic stability. Nothing could hold form. They collapsed into themselves, their cellular bonds breaking down under the disruptor’s strain.

In 30 seconds, it was over.

Every Skrull on Earth… dead.

All that remained were charred remnants of skin, swirling dust, and ashes carried away by the wind. There were no screams and zero mercy.

[Back to Tony]

Tony walked over to Carol, who had regained her power and was now healed. She was still sitting on the ground.

"They are gone," He said, looking down at her.

"How are you going to live with yourself? You just killed thousands... You..." Carol clenched her fists and looked at Tony with hatred.

"Don't you dare put this on me. You bastards brought them here, gave them refuge, but failed to control them. You have done nothing so far to stop their invasion. I gave them a chance to live, but your action took that chance away from them. With your abilities, you could have easily found a place for them to live; instead, you doomed them on Fury's command. Their deaths... Man, woman, children, bad, good... It doesn't matter. You..."

Tony pointed his finger at her. "...You doomed them. You killed them all. You are responsible for their deaths."

"No, I..." Carol stuttered.

"You know very well what Fury actually tried to do, don't you? He promised to find a new home for them, but the reality is he simply wanted to control them and use them. They waited and waited for him to keep that promise, but they got tired of waiting and probably realized that Fury was just using them; thus, the invasion began. They thought... Why not take over this planet instead of finding a new one?"

Tony bent down on his knees and looked into her eyes.

"You had enough time. You did nothing for them. I gave them a chance. You took that away from them. You killed them all. How are you going to live with yourself?"

He stood up and flew toward the place where the Widows and the others regrouped.

...

AN: Was this the right choice?  

[Ironman] Ch: 121 [Fall of the Widows]

Carol’s eyes widened. She didn’t get a chance to respond.

Natasha fired first.

The pulse cannon on her arm erupted in a blinding blue arc that struck Carol in the chest. It knocked her back, forcing her into the air. Carol recovered instantly, floating just above the ground, but the energy shimmered over her skin. It stung.

Melina moved next. Her suit unfolded mid-run, plating down over her spine, arms, and legs. Her gauntlets pulsed as she aimed for Carol’s blind spot. She launched two micro-charged darts. They hit Carol’s side and detonated on impact, bursting with gravity-enhanced compression fields. The shockwaves bent the air around Carol, pushing her sideways.

Carol twisted and threw her arm out, releasing a pulse of photonic energy. The blast tore through the air and hit Melina’s shields. Melina slid back but held firm, planting her boots into the street.

Above them, the four Omega mechs dove.

The cannon arrays are locked on target. They split into formation around Carol, encircling her.

“Engaging,” one of the mechs said in a flat voice.

The lead Omega fired a triple-beam blast. Carol raised an energy shield and deflected it, but the force pushed her down.

Two others launched stun cannons and concentrated pulse cannons filled with the energy extracted from the Tesseract. The pulses slammed into Carol, disrupting her balance. Her energy flared again, wild and uncontained. She screamed and burst forward, knocking one mech out of the sky with a single punch. It exploded behind her.

The remaining three adapted. Each fired a plasma tether, locking onto her limbs and pulling her midair. She struggled, but the energy tethers held, draining her momentum.

Natasha activated her second weapon system.

Twin blades extended from her forearms, glowing with anti-photonic energy developed after analyzing Carol’s combat with Tony. Hermes made them in a rush. She launched into the air, flipped over one of the mechs, and came down hard.

Both blades slashed across Carol’s back. The impact wasn’t lethal, but it made her scream. Sparks flew. Blood, or rather, cosmic fluid, spilled from the cuts.

Melina moved with precision. She activated a shock dome from her gauntlet. It expanded around Carol like a cage. The dome pulsed with frequency disruptors that targeted Carol’s binary energy signature.

Carol was trapped.

For a moment, she was actually frozen in place. Her glow dimmed. Her breathing staggered.

That was when it happened.

Across the battlefield, unnoticed by most, Howard moved. His suit had vanished from view, cloaked with high-level refractive stealth. No one noticed him slip away during this fight.

He walked calmly through the outer perimeter, weaving between the SHIELD agents who were now frozen in place, watching the battle unfold. Fury stood at the edge, one hand at his side, a communicator still in his grip.

Howard emerged from the shadows just behind Fury and grabbed him by the shoulder, spun him, and drove a plasma blade straight through his chest. The blade ignited on entry, bursting with white-hot energy. Fury gasped. Blood sprayed from his lips. His communicator fell to the ground.

“You watched it happen,” Howard said, his voice flat and cold. “You chose them over us. Tony... Because of you... You bastard." 

Fury staggered. Howard pulled out the blade. Fury dropped to one knee, clutching the wound. The blade burned through armor and bone. Smoke drifted up from the hole in his chest.

Howard severed his head. But it wasn't Fury but another Skrull.

"Figures," He looked down at the poser and smashed his head under his feet. "Only hiding like a coward and using others to take the fall." 

The other Shield agents looked at each other's faces, confused. Their goal was to protect humanity from threats, but the way things are unfolding, even they are having a second thought. So, this time, no one moved or tried to attack Howard.

Back above, Carol roared.

Her energy surged again, overloading the shock dome. The field shattered. She tore free of the mechs, blasted through two, and launched straight at Natasha.

But Natasha had already calculated the angle. She flipped over Carol, landed on her back, and shoved a nanite disruptor into her spine.

It detonated.

Carol screamed and dropped from the sky, her glow flickering wildly.

Melina landed beside Natasha and handed her a second device.

“One more hit,” she said.

Natasha nodded.

But before they could move again, Yelena landed in front of Carol.

Her Predator armor glowed brighter than before. Steam hissed from the joints. Her eyes burned red through her visor. She stepped forward.

Carol looked up from the ground, blood on her lip, her glow still there, but flickering now.

Yelena aimed her arm.

"ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!" Carol punched Yelena hard enough for her armor to completely shatter. 

Yelena's eyes widened as she felt her ribs shattering under the punch. She coughed out blood as her body flew and crashed into a Shield's car. 

Carol stood up slowly.

Her breathing evened out. Her spine arched as cosmic light poured through every pore. The bleeding stopped. The bruises vanished. Burn marks faded into perfect golden skin. Her body trembled as regeneration kicked into overdrive. Her eyes burned white.

Then her chest ignited.

The light around her exploded outward in a pulsing wave. The crater beneath her feet cracked in a perfect circle. Energy wrapped around her fists. Hair floating in the air like smoke off a wildfire, she hovered an inch above the ground.

Binary Mode: Fully Reignited.

The sky went orange. Wind rushed in from all sides as her energy output distorted local weather patterns. The pressure made the remaining ruined buildings around them creak. The remaining three Omega mechs locked in on her again.

They didn't last five seconds.

Carol launched herself like a missile, a shockwave left in her wake. Her first punch shattered the left mech’s core. Metal sprayed out like shrapnel. She flipped mid-air and kicked the second mech’s cannon straight through its armor plating. Her final blow cracked the third mech’s torso and sent it crashing into a nearby dried river.

Then she flew down.

Melina fired twin pulse launchers at her chest. They hit dead center and exploded into rings of gravity compression. Carol didn’t even blink. She walked through them, the ground splitting beneath each step.

Melina switched to charged needles, aiming at Carol's joints. She fired a volley.

Carol raised one arm. The needles melted before they reached her. 

Natasha leapt in from behind, spinning into a low slide and activating her forearm blades. She slashed both across Carol’s legs, aiming for pressure points.

Carol flared.

The heat burst outward and knocked Natasha back like a ragdoll. Her armor sparked. The kinetic dampeners inside her suit flared red.

Melina moved in from the side, launching a drone-assisted sonic pulse.

Carol turned and slapped it out of the air with raw force. Then she rushed Melina with blinding speed, caught her by the throat mid-dodge, and hurled her into the concrete. Melina’s body bounced and rolled, armor crumpling under the pressure. The suit couldn’t hold.

Natasha recovered and went in again, faster, her suit humming at max output. Her blades extended with anti-photonic energy. She dodged a fist, ducked under an energy blast, and drove one blade into Carol’s side.

The tip pierced through the muscle. Carol flinched.

But she didn’t stop.

She twisted and grabbed Natasha’s arm, wrenched her forward, and slammed a knee into her gut. Natasha’s HUD flashed red. Kinetic dampeners overloaded. Bones cracked. Carol grabbed her by the front of her chestplate and threw her upward like a bullet.

Natasha crashed through a Stark drone above and tumbled downward.

Carol turned again and fired a wide beam of energy at Melina, who was trying to get up. The blast hit her square. Her shields held for two seconds. Then they caved. The suit lit up with emergency protocol codes as Melina screamed and collapsed again, barely breathing.

Carol stood alone, her breathing steady. Smoke swirled around her like a dying storm. The widows surrounding the perimeter hesitated; the field was dead silent now, except for the crackling of broken machines and shattered armor. Yet, something in Carol’s expression flickered. She wasn’t smiling, and she didn’t appear proud.

She looked... angry. And tired. Her Binary form flickered as if her own mind was fighting itself.

Yelena groaned in the wreckage, barely conscious.

Johnny was still out cold. Ben hadn’t moved. Sue was still unconscious.

And in the center of it all, Carol floated like a silent star burning down over a warzone.

Then the sky changed color.

The clouds twisted above into a spiral of gold and white.

A deep vibration pulsed through the battlefield.

Carol felt a heavy spike in cosmic energy. She snapped toward where Tony's dead body was lying. 

The ground cracked around him. Gold-white tendrils of light spiraled outward in fractal veins. The smoke above twisted as if it were inhaling. A second pulse followed, louder and sharper, shaking the debris like a heartbeat through stone.

Tony’s chest lit up with a white energy as his body began to regenerate. The hole vanished. Bones cracked, knit, healed.

"Aahhhh!!" He took a deep breath as his heart began to beat again. His eyes snapped open, glowing gold.

Tony stood slowly, surrounded by a vortex of rising light. The crater peeled outward in concentric rings of force. Bits of broken drone, mech, and armor lifted into the air like dust in zero gravity.

Carol's cosmic senses were screaming.

Tony looked up at her as he slowly walked out of the crater. There was no armor or mask this time. He looked around and saw his friends, family, and loved ones lying on the ground, bleeding and injured.

He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them. He looked toward Carol and then disappeared.

"Wha-?!" Words stuck in her throat as an open palm appeared before her face.

[Ironman] Ch: 120 [Binary Rising]

The blast crater where Tony’s body fell still glowed faintly. Smoke rose from the molten ground as the chaos spread beyond the city’s edge.

The blast crater where Tony’s body fell still glowed faintly. Smoke rose from the molten ground as the chaos spread beyond the city’s edge. Trees trembled. Roads cracked. And in the distance, civilians stood frozen, watching the battle unfold live on every screen.

Yelena launched from the ground like a rocket, red trails burning behind her as her upgraded Predator Mode kicked to full thrust. Her armor pulsed with raw energy. She twisted mid-air and unleashed a wide arc of crimson plasma toward Carol.

Carol blocked with one arm. The plasma hit her like a blade of heat and carved a burn across her gauntlet. She gritted her teeth and fired back, sending a pulse wave of cosmic energy across the field. It cracked the soil like a sonic boom, sending trees flying.

Yelena dropped low, skimming the ground. She flickered forward and disappeared again.

Above, Johnny hovered, his body blazing in orange flame. It was somewhat unstable, but he was learning on the go. His suit was holding on, maintaining his power from going out of control. His hands flared as he aimed two fingers downward.

"Let's see how you handle this."

He dove straight at Carol. A vortex of fire trailed him as he twisted and spun. He fired two concentrated plasma blasts as he descended. Carol deflected the first, but the second clipped her shoulder and sent a shockwave up her side.

Ben roared as he charged in. His body shimmered purple beneath his rocky hide, pushing his weight into a double-fisted punch. Carol turned just in time and crossed her arms. The hit still knocked her back thirty feet, smashing her into the remains of a bus.

Ben didn’t stop. He slammed into her again, faster than before, purple energy now leaking between the cracks in his arms. His form fluctuated for a moment. His rocky shell pulsed, then split as he transformed mid-combat into his enhanced human form with a purple glow. Lighter. Faster.

He twisted, jumped, and slammed a knee into Carol’s side. Then pivoted mid-air and hit her with an elbow across the jaw. She dropped low and rolled away, stunned for a moment.

That’s when the others felt it.

A cold pressure pushed against the field.

Two shapes tore through the sky above like falling meteors. They hit the ground hard enough to split the earth. Dust billowed. Lights flickered across the battlefield.

Two Super Skrulls emerged. One was massive and scaled, arms too long for his frame, skin dark green and armored like reptile hide. His fists crackled with electricity and raw kinetic energy. The other was leaner, with flickering hands that phased in and out of view and eyes glowing orange. His suit carried the SHIELD insignia.

They moved too fast.

Ben turned and charged the bigger one. The creature met him head-on. Their fists collided in a thunderclap that knocked dirt into the air like a bomb had gone off. Ben grunted as the Super Skrull twisted and slammed him with a sweeping leg, knocking him backward.

The second Super Skrull appeared beside him. He vibrated mid-punch, phasing through Ben’s block and catching him in the ribs with a burst of kinetic force. Ben flew back across the field, gritting his teeth.

“I got him!” Johnny yelled.

He spun and threw a line of flame at the leaner Skrull. It passed right through, missing completely. The Skrull vanished for a moment and reappeared behind him, slamming a foot into his back. Johnny twisted in mid-air and caught himself with a flaming burst.

“You slippery bastard,” he muttered.

Sue stepped into the fight.

Her shields snapped into view as Carol rose again, now glowing with full binary intensity. Carol’s body pulsed like a second sun. Sue narrowed her eyes and raised her arms. She was trying to hold back, but they weren't making things easy for her.

A dome of blue force shimmered into existence, massive and layered. Carol hurled herself forward, punching into the dome. It cracked once. Twice. On the third hit, Sue clenched her teeth and shifted the shield shape. The force wrapped around Carol like a net and twisted inward.

Carol screamed and exploded outward in a wave of energy. The dome shattered.

Sue flew back but caught herself, generating four more shields in a spiral formation. She rolled with the energy, absorbing the blast, then redirected it like a slingshot. The kinetic return struck Carol in the back, throwing her off balance.

Her shields shimmered again, evolving mid-battle. She raised both hands and sent a pulse of compacted force that hit like a railgun.

The blast took Carol off her feet.

Yelena was already there.

She appeared behind the falling Captain Marvel and drove a plasma dagger into her back. The energy surged across Carol’s spine. She screamed, twisted, and punched wildly. Yelena dropped low and slammed a knee into her ribs.

Carol collapsed to one knee. She looked up.

Her vision blurred. Her power flared. Regeneration kicked in, healing her body.

"You think... you're heroes?" she growled. "You're fighting to start a war."

"No," Yelena replied, her voice ice. "We’re ending one."

Ben slammed into the ground beside the larger Super Skrull again, cracking the pavement. He took a deep breath and shifted fully into his enhanced form. The glow pulsed brighter than before. He twisted around the bigger Skrull, punched once, twice, then brought a knee into his gut. The Skrull stumbled.

Johnny dropped low and scorched the second Super Skrull with a twisting arc of fire, blinding him. Then slammed both fists down, creating a ring of flame around the enemy.

“Yelena,” He called. “Now!”

Yelena blinked in with her plasma blade, chopping the Skrulls like a piece of tofu before annihilating their existence with a massive repulsor beam.

Carol looked toward Fury.

He stood near the perimeter, untouched by the chaos, his face unreadable. Then he gave her a single nod.

End it.

Carol’s eyes dimmed for a second. She didn’t want this. Not like this. But she still believed that complete Skrull genocide wasn’t the answer. Coexistence was the path. She had to stop Stark’s army before they crossed the line.

She took one long breath.

Then she took off.

In less than a second, she was on top of Sue. The air cracked. Sue barely had time to bring up a shield. Carol punched through it and drove her into the ground. The shockwave ruptured a city block.

Sue's forcefields faltered, her body rolled to a stop, unconscious.

Ben turned, saw Sue fall, and charged in full fury.

He didn't make it far.

Carol met him mid-stride. Her foot hit his jaw, sending him flipping backwards. She followed up with a hammer punch to the chest that drove him into a crater. The ground around him shattered. Ben’s body pulsed once, then went still.

Johnny screamed in rage.

"SUE! BEN!"

His flame intensified more than before as he flew toward her like a living meteor. He spun and fired twin plasma beams from his hands. She dodged the first, absorbed the second. Then she caught him in mid-air by his throat and hurled him across the sky.

Johnny twisted, caught himself, and came back fast. He swung a burning fist into her ribs. She flinched, barely. He hit her again and again, fire trailing from every limb.

"I will never forgive you for what you have done," He yelled while punching her.

Carol caught his arm. "Enough!"

Then kneed him in the gut, spun, and backhanded him across the face. He dropped like a comet, skidding across concrete. His body smoked, but he was breathing.

She turned toward Yelena.

Yelena stood alone, her Predator armor burning red hot, twin blades drawn.

Carol hovered in place, looking at her. Her breath was steady, her fists clenched.

“I don’t want to fight you.”

Yelena didn’t answer. She flew forward.

“Stand down,” Carol said again. “Please.”

“After I learned what freedom is, I felt lost. He taught me what emotions are. I found love. I found a reason to live. A reason to fight again. But you..." Yelena said in a shaky voice as she aimed her right blade at Carol. "You took that away from me."

"Genocide isn't an option. He wanted to kill thousands of Skrulls when we could have lived in co-existence," Carol said. "I couldn't let that happen. Not every Skrull is a criminal. There are children among them... Innocent kids who have nothing to do with this war."

"He gave them 24 hours to leave our planet," Yelena blinked and swung her blade. Carol dodged it with ease. She threw a uni-beam from her chest at point-blank range. Carol raised her cosmic energy, forming a shield before her. The energy hit her, sending her flying a few feet away. 

A streak of black and red tore across the sky.

Natasha entered the battlefield, followed by Melina, both wearing upgraded Widow combat suits. Behind them, four Omega-level mechs flew, their joints glowing blue, plasma cannons primed.

Natasha’s face was stone as she stopped before Carol. She raised her fist. The nanites shifted, forming a blue pulse cannon. 

“You murdered Tony,” she said, her voice low.

Carol tensed. “I won't let him or anyone commit a genocide.”

“He was defending the planet,”

Natasha snapped.

“And for the record, where were you when they attacked us? Where were you and your SHIELD when they infiltrated our society and prevented us from progressing further? Where were you when they continued to kill everyone who tried to do space missions? They killed everyone who tried to make progress in the technology field. Now that Tony found out and tried to end this invasion, you and your little band joined in defending these aliens. It's clear that you and SHIELD are working for them. You bastards are a threat to humanity."

Her pulse cannon glowed brightly.

“Even though Tony is no longer with us, our goal remains the same. We, the Shadow Legion, will annihilate anyone who threatens our world.”

[Ironman] Ch: 119 [The Fall of Iron]

The air cracked with raw energy as Tony raised both arms, palms glowing bright.

Twin repulsor blasts screamed forward toward the glowing blonde figure now hovering between him and Fury. The force of the attack roared like twin jet engines, illuminating the street below in a flare of white-hot plasma.

'Fuck! That's definitely Carol. Well, time to see if I can awaken my power in this battle. What a perfect opportunity,' Tony thought.

Carol Danvers didn’t flinch.

She raised one arm. The beams hit her dead center and dispersed like light striking a mountain. There was no movement, no stagger. She stared at Tony through the blaze, her eyes glowing with the same golden heat. Then she moved fast.

In a split-second blur, she closed the gap and punched Tony square in the chest.

Booom!

The shockwave cracked the air. The world slowed. Tony’s body rocketed upward, crashing through the upper atmosphere like a comet. His suit auto-compensated, kinetic dampeners roaring. The chest plate flared red as the impact distributed through the adamantium weave.

Impact Damage: 10%
Armor Integrity: 90%
Vitals: Green
Altitude: 12,000 ft and rising

"Holy hell, she hits like a planet," Tony muttered.

He corrected mid-air, twisting into a spiral before stabilizing. The Endo Sym armor adapted instantly, nanites reshaping around the damaged plates. The auto repair activated. He hovered high into the sky, blue energy crackling off his gauntlets.

“Okay,” he muttered. “That tickled.”

He opened comms.

“Everyone, stand down. I’ve got this.”

Below, Sue and Johnny hesitated. Ben cracked his knuckles, but none moved. Yelena’s drones remained cloaked and ready, but on hold.

Carol rocketed up to meet him, a golden trail burning behind her like a comet.

Tony spoke through the comms, not to her, but for the record.

“Carol Danvers. Aka Captain Marvel. Ex-Air Force, Kree-infused hybrid. Energy absorption, flight, strength levels that make Hulk look nervous. And I really, really don’t like her right now.”

She punched toward him, glowing fist raised.

Tony dodged right, boosters screaming as he fired a blast from his hip launcher. Mini-explosives surrounded her, detonating in synchronized bursts, disorienting her for just a second. Long enough.

Tony fired a graviton net from his left gauntlet, which he created using the Tesseract's energy when he was extracting it. This net compresses space around the target with immense force.

The black energy lattice wrapped around Carol. It pulled hard, bending light and gravity in a small radius. She grunted, resisting. Then snapped the net apart with a flex of her shoulders. The gravitational wave cracked outward, distorting the air.

Tony dropped altitude fast, diving under her next punch and landing a repulsor-powered uppercut into her ribs. The hit connected, sending her back, but not far.

She twisted in mid-air and hit him with a full-body slam, knocking them both through the upper airspace above Midtown. Buildings blurred below them. Wind howled.

Tony rotated and fired twin foot thrusters into her gut at point-blank range.

Carol absorbed the blast.

Her glow flared brighter. She grabbed his leg and hurled him toward a nearby building, but Tony activated mag-lock repulsion mid-throw, using the kinetic force to launch back at her with doubled speed.

Activate: Plasma Blade

His right arm transformed into a glowing white blade. It was humming with Tesseract's energy. It grazed her shoulder, tearing her suit slightly and drawing golden blood... Well, energy, more than fluid.

Carol’s eyes narrowed.

“Nice toy,” she said, voice calm. “Still not enough.”

She lit up, energy surging. Her hair blew back in the solar wind she radiated. The sky around her shimmered.

Warning: Energy Surge Detected
Photonic Overload in 3...2...

Tony switched tactics.

He threw multiple drones that circled around Carol, creating an oval barrier, trapping her inside. But it wasn't enough to stop her. She simply punched through it and threw a beam of cosmic energy at Tony. 

"Is that all you got?" Tony said as multiple nanites detached from his suit, forming six cannons around his back. As soon as the beam struck him, he simply absorbed it and pushed the energy into those six cannons. 

Energy: 1000%

"Would you look at that?" Tony fired the cannons, targeting Carol.

She raised her hands, absorbing the blasts with ease. Her body glowed brighter, golden light flaring off her skin in waves. “You should know better than to throw energy at me,” she called out, hovering within the light storm.

But that was the point.

Tony’s eyes narrowed inside the helmet. A slight smirk played at the corner of his mouth.

“Yeah. But it wasn’t just energy.”

Inside Carol’s body, something began to change.

The absorbed energy wasn’t pure. Laced inside the photonic flood were micro-scale nanites powered by Tesseract energy. The second they entered her body, they activated. They bypassed her immune defenses and latched onto her nervous system like ticks.

Carol’s expression faltered.

Her glow stuttered.

She twitched midair, eyes flashing wildly.

“What... what did you do?” she gasped.

The nanites sent pulses of Tesseract-charged static directly into her neural lattice. Her flight faltered. Her arms spasmed. Her glow dimmed.

Tony didn’t hesitate.

“Locked.”

His HUD lit up brightly, showing the Arc Reactor's power level as he charged.

“Uni-beam. Max charge.”

The center of his chest opened like an iris. White-blue energy gathered and spun in a tight, violent core. The sky pulsed with building pressure. Even the clouds pulled toward him like a vacuum.

“Fire.”

The beam exploded from his chest in a straight column of raw power. It hit Carol directly, slamming her into the atmosphere like a meteor striking in reverse. Her body convulsed against the blast. The nanites within her magnified the effect, momentarily paralyzing her in place. She couldn’t move, breathe, or blink.

She was locked in a stasis-like suspension, frozen mid-flight, arms outstretched, eyes wide.

Tony cut the beam, his system warning him of overheating.

Smoke drifted from his armor. The coolant activated, doing its job of stabilizing the overheated parts.

“Stay down,” he said, voice sharp through the comm.

But then her body twitched again. Her hands clenched. The light returned.

Stronger.

Brighter.

Then everything around her exploded in a wave of raw, golden energy.

Tony’s HUD went white for a second. The Mind Stone was feeding him information on the target in real time on his HUD through his unique technopathy power.

Warning: Cosmic signature spike
Energy source: BINARY MODE ENGAGED
Threat Level: ∞

"ARGGGG!!!!" Carol’s scream echoed across the skyline.

Her entire body erupted with solar fire, burning white at the core and bleeding into red and gold at the edges. Her hair whipped like a living flame. The glow of a star burned inside her chest.

She had taken her Binary form.

The nanites in her body simply vaporized due to the overwhelming energy.

Tony flew back in the air, thrusters firing at full to keep distance. His suit instantly reshaped its outer shell, forming dual-layered heat-resistant plating. The nanite systems rushed to reinforce all energy barriers.

“Okay. She went nuclear,” Tony muttered. “Cool. Great. Exactly what I wanted.”

Carol blurred forward faster than radar could follow. She punched Tony in the gut. The shockwave flattened clouds for miles. His body shot through three skyscraper levels of airspace before crashing into a SHIELD floating drone platform. It shattered on impact, scattering drones like sparks.

Tony flipped in the air, stabilized, and stared up at her as she hovered above.

Her voice rumbled with power.

“You put something inside me. You don’t get to do that, Stark.”

Tony spat blood into his helmet and smirked.

“First time someone said that and didn’t like it.”

She charged again, burning brightly with raw cosmic energy.

Tony raised both arms, eyes glowing gold with the Mind Stone’s light.

“Yup! She's angry.”

Her fists glowed white-hot with compressed stellar energy. One punch hit Tony square in the jaw. The next slammed into his ribs. Then another. And another. Each strike was a blur. It looked like an afterimage tearing through air and armor alike.

Tony didn’t have time to block. His shield failed under the rampage. His HUD flashed red. 

Integrity: 64%
53%
41%

Each hit felt like a building falling on him. The force rattled through his bones even with the kinetic dampeners at full. Alarms screamed in his ears. Blood rose in his throat.

Then, one final blow to the chest.

BOOM

The shockwave cracked the sky.

Tony spiraled down like a meteor. A sonic boom tore across the skyline as he plummeted, carving a fiery trail. The suit strained to compensate, nanites desperately rebuilding critical systems mid-fall.

Impact trajectory: fatal

Tony growled, coughing blood into his helmet.

“Override… Overdrive Mode.”

The system hesitated.

Warning. Overdrive is unstable in current condition. Proceed?

“Yes.”

The armor hissed.

Nanites flushed with dark red light, changing the silver armor into pitch black with red linings. The Mind Stone's energy surged through Tony’s nervous system. Every limiter broke. Every safety protocol snapped. His body jerked as power flooded through him. 

Despite the damage and injuries, he was able to maintain his focus and block the pain for the moment.

He slowed, then reversed. He stopped midair just before hitting the ground. The street cracked beneath him from the pressure of his repulsors. Dust exploded outward.

His armor pulsed with raw, unstable energy. Glowing red cracks laced through the chest plate and arms. Light streamed from his joints. 

Carol descended like a goddess of war, eyes blazing.

Tony raised both arms. Fired.

The twin beams of Tesseract-enhanced repulsors met her flight path.

Carol roared and blasted through them like they were fog. She rammed into him at full speed, driving him into the ground. The street collapsed. Pavement exploded in a ring of dust and fire.

Armor Integrity: 9%
Vitals: Yellow
Internal Bleeding: Detected

Tony grunted and slammed both fists into her sides, discharging a concentrated plasma burst point-blank. It made her flinch, but not fall.

"Just give up!" She slammed her fist into his helmet.

The HUD shattered.

Glass cracked. Sparks erupted. His vision blurred. The helmet folded back automatically, revealing Tony’s bruised face underneath. Blood trickled from his nose. One eye was swelling.

Carol hovered just above him, fists glowing brighter.

“You’re done, Stark.”

She punched him to the ground, followed it up with another one, creating a massive crater on the ground. His suit crumbled. The nanites dispersed and entered his body, repairing the damage and healing him fast.

Carol grabbed Tony by his throat and pulled him up.

"It's over. Don't make this hard. You've lost. Accept your defeat and stop whatever plan you've cooked up."

Tony spat out blood. 'Fuck! I can feel something, but... Gotta take one final gamble.'

Yelena and the others flew toward his location, weapons ready.

“Hahahaha..." He let out a hoarse laughter and looked dead into her eyes. "Lost? Haaa... Cough! Cough!"

He gasped for breath and coughed out more blood, and his vision went blurry. If he wanted, he could have called for his mechs and more armor and nanites to heal, but this was a gamble he must take to awaken his power. 

"Here's the thing," Tony raised his right hand. "You can not stop my plan. Everything is in place. I gave them 24 hours, but you... Argg! Haaa... Cough! You and Fury took that chance away from them. Sad." The nanites formed a remote in his hand. "And for the records..." He gave his usual arrogant grin. "I NEVER LOSE."

Carol's eyes widened as his thumb went toward the button.

"DAMN YOU! STUPID!" She clenched her fist and ripped his arm out before punching a hole through Tony's chest. A blast of cosmic energy burst from his back, lighting up the sky brightly. 

Sue tried her best to create a shield around Tony's body, but she was too far away. 

Yelena and the other Widows stopped in mid-air. Sue, Ben, Johnny, Howard, and the other SHIELD agents who followed them also stopped.

There was a moment of silence.

Carol pulled her fist out from Tony's chest as blood fizzled out of the hole and then slowly let his body down on the ground. 

"Hermes!" Yelena's voice trembled.

"I am sorry," Hermes replied.

Yelena flew over and landed behind Carol. 

"You fight for those who invaded our world, hurt my sisters, and tried to assassinate my family and my love. And now you killed him," Her suit was already in overdrive mode. The other Widow's armor began to disappear as the nanites flew toward Yelena, upgrading her suit further. "You chose them over humanity. For that, I'll kill you and I'll annihilate SHIELD."

Her armor shifted into a new mode. It was still in beta phase.

MODE: Predator

Carol turned back toward Yelena and said, "Don't throw your life away. I don't want any more blood on my hands today."

Yelena disappeared from Carol's vision. She was so fast that even Carol couldn't detect her movement. Instead of attacking her, Yelena appeared before Fury. Her left arm transformed into a long, burning, red energy blade. 

Carol's eyes widened as she caught a glint of Yelena's armor. She pushed her power to its limits and flew toward Fury. She caught on to Yelena, but Johnny flew over, throwing a barrage of fire blasts at Carol.

"Not on my watch," He yelled as flames covered his body.

Sue raised multiple shields around Carol to stop her, but it was useless against her Binary Form. A burst of cosmic energy was enough to shatter everything and catch Yelena's leg before the blade could reach Fury.

Carol slammed Yelena to the ground.

Ben morphed into his rocky form and rushed toward Carol. Sue trapped Fury in her force field to prevent him from escaping. Johnny aimed his fists at Carol as a beam of pure plasma shot out.

The second round has begun...

---

AN: I had a thought of nerfing Carol a bit, but then decided nope. MCU already did that. Let's keep her the same. Just simply, OP.

How was it?

[Ironman] Ch: 118 [Exposed]

Tony shook Fury's hand. 

At first, it seemed like a regular handshake. But as soon as they touched, the nanites activated. 

Black liquid metal surged from Tony's wrist and moved up Fury's arm. In an instant, it wrapped around his body tightly. Plates formed, and locks clicked into place. The Skrull didn’t have time to react. 

He struggled, but it was too late. The nanites had already begun their work. A faint spark appeared, followed by a crackle as whatever gadgets he was carrying shorted out. The disruptor activated. 

Fury's face twitched, and his skin moved like water under pressure before it peeled back. The disguise fell apart, revealing green skin and black eyes. The Skrull hissed, his mouth twisted in pain as his true form showed. 

Howard Stark staggered back two steps, clenching his jaw.

"You've got to be kidding me," he muttered, his voice low with disbelief.

The Skrull tried to push forward. The armor flexed and locked again. The nanites responded instantly to Tony’s thoughts, pinning the Skrull to his knees. The floor groaned under the pressure.

Tony stepped forward, looking down at him.

“Surprised, motherfucker?”

His voice was casual. Cold.

The Skrull glared up at him, mouth clenched shut.

Tony leaned in, eyeing him like a broken toy.

"First, you bastards infiltrated my base, kidnapped my girls, replaced them, tried to kill me, but failed. Then you fuckers tried to kill us in the space, but failed again. On, not to mention you infiltrated my house and Stark Industries. Now, here you are posing as Nick Fury, and the balls you got... Hahah," He said with a chuckle. "You came here to meet me using Fury's face. What? You planned to kill me here at close range?"

The Skrull’s lips curled into a strained snarl, and then he spoke through gritted teeth.

“I’m not one of them. I work for Fury. My name is Talos. I came here on his orders.”

Tony raised an eyebrow but didn’t look impressed. He heard the name Talos before in his past life, but right now, it doesn't matter. There are too many variables involved with this mixed-up reality. He couldn't take the risk. He could extract info from that green guy, but at this point, he doesn't care.

“They're not all like the others. There’s a war coming. I’m trying to stop it. Fury saw your invention and wanted to...”

Tony didn't let him finish.

The nanites surged across Talos’s face and sealed his mouth instantly. A black sheath clamped over his lower jaw, silencing him with a sharp, mechanical snap.

Tony’s eyes burned gold for a second as he stood straighter.

“I don’t care who you work for. Fury, the UN, your Skrull mom. Makes no difference. You wear that skin, you die in it. I’m going to wipe out every last one of you. Every infiltrator, every imposter, every sleeper agent rotting this planet from the inside.”

Talos thrashed, trying to speak through the seal, eyes wide in panic, but the nanites held tight.

Just then, a low alarm echoed through the ceiling. The lights flickered red for half a second.

The door slammed open.

Yelena stepped in fast, weapon drawn, visor flicked down. She looked serious.

“Tony, we’ve got a problem. SHIELD agents just surrounded the building. They've got air support and a team on every exit.”

Tony didn’t even blink.

“Are they armed?”

“Locked and loaded. And too many of them.”

Sue stepped closer, already forming the shimmer of a field around her hands. “Are they here for him?”

"Yup! I fried his little gadgets. So, here they are," Tony said casually. "Tell the Widows to suit up and be on standby." He then turned back toward the team. "You all have what these shapeshifters can do. And now, SHIELD is working with them, or they are controlling SHIELD from inside. Now the big question... What is your stance on this? Stand with me and defend Earth from their invasion. Or, back down now. But once you stand beside me, and then change your mind midway, then I'll expose your browser history, and we won't be friends anymore."

Johnny stepped forward, cracking his knuckles with a grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes. The heat shimmered faintly off his skin.

“I mean... alien shapeshifters trying to kill us? That’s pretty hard to forgive. Count me in. I’ve got a few fireballs with their names on them.”

He stepped beside Tony, arms crossed, like he’d been waiting for this kind of fight.

Sue took a deep breath. Her eyes swept over Talos, the SHIELD threat outside, and Tony. She didn’t hesitate.

“You already know where I stand,” she said. “We survived space together. They tried to kill us and hurt our friends. I’m not letting some alien operation undo what we’ve built. I’m with you, Stark.”

A soft shimmer of blue light swirled around her as her forcefield readied itself.

Ben cracked his neck slowly, then clenched his fists. His expression was calm, but his voice was solid.

“I’m not about to let some green-skin parasite take this planet from us. I’m with you.”

He stepped in line with the others.
They all activated their nanite suits. Blue and white for Sue, red for Johnny and gold for Ben.

Tony turned to Howard, watching him closely.

Howard’s face was stone, but his jaw flexed. He glanced once at the sealed Skrull still kneeling, then back at Tony. “Skrulls,” He muttered. “You’re telling me these things have been hiding inside SHIELD? Inside our systems? Our agencies?”

“Yeah,” Tony said. “Probably from the very beginning. And they’ve been keeping it quiet. Fury didn’t trust anyone.”

Howard let out a breath, pacing a step to the side. He looked at Talos, really looked at him, his brows furrowed.

“I built SHIELD from the ground up. I poured everything into making sure it would outlast politics, war, and corruption. But this? This was never part of the plan. Fury’s been holding onto this. Watching this happen.”

He stopped, turned toward Tony.

“For all I know, Fury’s been watching me for decades. Waiting for a moment to probably take over the industry or replace me. Hell, you just said, they already infiltrated our house and industry," He looked down at Talos. "Was your target my wife? That's the best way to keep an eye on me and my son. But bad news for you, I guess. Knowing my son, he has already taken care of them. Now, I want to look Fury in the eye and ask him why he did this?"

Howard tapped his nanite watch. Thousands of nanites gushed out, forming a combat suit over his body in an instant.

"I've wasted one lifetime ignoring my family. Not anymore. If this is war, then I fight for my family.”

Tony gave a single nod.

Yelena’s voice cut in from the side, sharp and direct.

“Widows are in position. Mechs are locked. Drones are hovering. We can open a path or hold this floor. Your call.”

"Now. We won't attack unless they attack, but let's live stream this entire situation. Let the world see the truth," Tony said as he suited up. He then turned toward the team. "If things get bad, don't hide... You know what I mean. Time to establish The Ultimates Protocol, starting now."

Tony's eyes were on his HUD. 

"Elena, time to start live stream. I want the world to see the truth."

"Affirmative." 

It took less than a minute.

Elena’s voice came through Tony’s comm. “All global media feeds are under control. TV, radio, digital... everything. Live stream is active. We’re broadcasting now.”

“Good,” Tony said.

He looked at Talos and controlled the suit. The nanites wrapped around Talos responded instantly. The green-skinned Skrull, still locked in the blackened armor, was forced to stand. His limbs jerked into position like a puppet on invisible strings. He struggled, but the commands were precise.

“Let's take a walk, shall we?” 

Talos walked stiffly ahead of them as the doors opened.

The air outside hit them like a wave. Hot. Dry. Tense. Sirens were blaring in the distance. Dozens of SHIELD hovercrafts and gunships circled above. The landing pads were packed. Streets around the base were sealed. There were even jammers around the area, but too primitive compared to Tony's tech.

Hundreds of SHIELD agents in advanced combat suits stood in formation. Their weapons glowed faintly with alien tech signatures. Black rifles with green energy pulses. Armored helmets with HUD visors. Some wore heavy suits, full-on exo-armors.

Tony scanned the entire crowd with a glance.

“Scan completed,” Hermes whispered in his ear. "Twenty Skrulls. Rest, humans."

The nanites around the Ultimates shimmered, reading every detail, adapting. Sue’s suit thickened its external plating. Johnny's suit adjusted his core temperature and insulated his arms. Ben’s shifted into a hybrid mode, ready for either form. Tony’s own armor sharpened, plating interlocked tighter, disruptors armed across his forearms and back. 

Howard stood beside him, scanning just as fast. "It would seem, Fury hid way more than I imagined."

Talos marched ahead, silent and locked in black armor. His face still exposed, every twitch and expression streamed live to the world.

Tony stopped in the open area, then he began.

“This is for the people watching around the world.”

The SHIELD line tensed.

Tony raised his hand and gestured to the captive Skrull.

“This creature came here disguised as someone trusted. As Nick Fury. Probably to assassinate me. They are called Skrulls, a shapeshifting race from another planet. Oh, he ain't the only one."

Tony activated the disruptors around the place. The Skrulls among the SHIELD agents came to their real form.

"As you can see, they can take any form and can even access our memories. Imagine the person you have known for your entire life could be an alien posing as your loved ones after killing or just... Replacing them."

The Skrull agents began to stir. 

Tony went on, calm but with force behind every word.

“They’ve infiltrated our governments. Our security agencies. Our scientific institutions. They’ve replaced your friends. Your coworkers. Your leaders. And they’ve done it without a single vote. Without your consent. Now, I won't sugarcoat it, but I request everyone not to panic. I repeat, don't panic or start riots, killings, things like that. It's what they want. Don't let them win. I trust you all to make the sane decision and to just stay put. Please. I, Tony Stark, promise you all that I'll get rid of these creatures from Earth. I won't let aliens invade my world. I won't let them hurt anyone."

Tony opened his helmet, revealing his face.

"Now, to all the Skrulls out there, you have 24 hours to leave our planet, my planet. If you fail to do so, I'll vaporize you all. Every single Skrull will be annihilated. Sounds unbelievable, right? Like, how can he do that? There are too many of us; he'll never get us all. Well, if you really think so, stay and find out. The rest leave and survive. I don't care where you go. But your kind are not welcome on Earth. You messed with my family, for that, your entire race will pay." 

The agents moved, making a way for a black SUV. It stopped a few feet from Tony and the others. The door opened, and the real Nick Fury stepped out. One eye patch, expressionless face, long black coat, and according to Tony's scans, he wasn't carrying any weapons.

Fury walked without any bodyguards and stopped before Tony.

"That was a nice speech, Mr. Stark. I don't know how you are going to vaporize all Skrulls from Earth, but that sounds like genocide to me," Fury said.

"And?" Tony looked into Fury's eye with confidence and a hint of arrogance.

"I have to stop you. This speech of yours just now... You have any idea how much damage it can cause? Riots, killing, chaos. You just unleashed a wave of destruction," Fury replied coldly. 

Hermes's voice chimed into Tony's ears.

"Boss, the weapons are in place. The production process was faster than I calculated. Right now," Hermes explained as the controls appeared on Tony's HUD. "You can vaporize every single Skrull with a single order."

The live stream was still on. For once, the people listened. What a surprise. 

"I trust them. They won't start mindless killings. Now, enough chit chat. Take your little band and get out of my way. This isn't a warning. This is an ultimatum," Tony said, and his helmet formed again. 

A yellow blur slammed right between Tony and Fury. 

A blond woman, glowing yellow.

Tony raised his arms, "Don't say, I didn't warn you."

---

AN: Now that I read it. It's pretty sudden and fast paced.

[Shazam] Ch: 14 [Face eater]

AN: Late but big chapter.

---

John and Harley sprinted down the cracked sidewalk, dodging debris and the occasional panicked civilian. The sounds of battle echoed behind them, followed by the shattering of glass, the crunching of metal, and the groaning of buildings under the weight of the chaos they had left behind.

“We make it to the apartment, I’m building a pillow fort and never leaving,” Harley huffed, breath short but steady.

“Let’s just get there first,” John muttered.

They turned the corner onto 7th Street and stopped dead.

A neon pink motorcycle leaned perfectly balanced against a toppled lamp post. It was clean. Untouched. Like it had just been parked in the middle of an apocalypse. Sitting on it, legs crossed and posture straight, was a man in a blinding pink coat. He tilted his head as if practicing for a scene in front of a mirror. He wore white gloves and shiny boots. A red smudge marked his cheek, and it wasn’t lipstick.

Harley immediately backstepped. Her face lost all color.

“Shit,” she whispered. “Shit shit shit. It’s him.”

"A friend of yours?" John asked.

“That’s Eduardo Flamingo. AKA El Flamingo. He’s not like the rest of ‘em. Freak's a cannibal. He eats people, Johnny. Faces. He eats their faces.”

John didn’t blink. “What’s with the coat?”

Harley babbled. “It’s always pink. It’s his thing. I think it keeps the blood from showing. I don't know. Never asked. Must be a weirdo with weird fetishes. Not that I'm judging. Everyone got their own fetishes.”

Flamingo slowly uncrossed his legs and stepped off the motorcycle. He adjusted his coat and gloves, then broke into a wide smile. The smile revealed too many teeth, too white, with no joy, only a sense of hunger.

“I was wondering how long it would take for you to show your lovely face, Harlequinita,” he said with a thick accent. “My compliments, by the way... You made quite the statement.”

Harley’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Don’t talk. Don’t engage. Just backup.”

Flamingo kept walking forward, boots clicking against the fractured pavement.

“Your Puddin’... he’s quite upset. Imagine my surprise when the Joker himself calls me up and says, ‘Go find my girl. Make that bitch pay.’ And he said you did it, little butterfly.”

Harley tried to fake a grin, but her voice cracked slightly.

“Aw, c’mon, Eddie. That was a love tap. A warning. You know how it is with exes. Tempers. Drama. Shootin’ the ol’ kneecaps.”

Flamingo’s grin didn’t waver. He tilted his head like a curious animal.

“You shot him in the ass.”

“I had good aim,” she said weakly.

“You embarrassed him. Made him bleed. Thanks to you, he was captured and tortured by Waller. Luckily, he escaped, and I got the job. I've always wondered, how would Harley Quinn's face taste?" Flamingo said with a sick grin as his eyes went toward John. "And you must be her new chew toy. Came for one and found two. Lucky me."

“I’m not a fan of pink,” John said, flatly.

Flamingo laughed softly, like someone humming at a funeral.

“I won’t kill you quickly,” he said. “But I’ll make sure she hears it when I carve off your lips.”

Harley’s hand searched her jacket. Nothing. No gun or blade. Not even a fork. 'Fuck that Bats. He took everything. Arrgg! We are in a deep shit, aren't we?'

“John,” she whispered. “I got nothin’.”

He didn’t answer. His eyes were already locked on Flamingo’s hands.

Flamingo reached into his coat. Two glints of metal flashed.

John shouted.

“Down!”

Gunfire erupted instantly.

Harley screamed and dove as bullets tore through the air. The crushed remains of a nearby sedan exploded with sparks and glass as the two of them hit the ground and rolled behind it. Bullet holes chewed through the frame, each shot coming with eerie, measured rhythm.

Flamingo’s voice called out from behind the smoke.

“I brought my appetite today. Don’t make me chase you.”

Harley clutched John’s arm, eyes wide.

“This guy doesn’t stop. He once chased a woman across two states just to finish a bite!”

John peeked over and ducked as a round whistled past his face.

"C'mon. Harley, you got nothing?" He yelled.

"NOPE! Bats took everything, even my freakin' bubblegum," Harley yelled back. "But hey, ain't this scene kinda familiar? But with more danger than before. Bullets flying at us. Another lunatic is shooting at us. We can't go forward thanks to that pinky freaky face eater. We can't go backward because that giant freak might stomp us to pulp. The only thing left is an explosion. A big bang!"

John pressed his back to the ruined sedan, bullets still chewing through the metal inches above his head. He glanced at Harley, who was curled beside him with wide eyes and blood pumping behind her temples.

"This," he said between breaths, "is what happens when you do bad things."

Harley lowered her gaze to the ground and pouted, rolling her finger on the ground. “Sorry. Harls always get you in trouble.”

Before he could answer, a small metal object clinked against the pavement.

Both of them looked down.

A grenade rolled to a stop between their feet.

“Oh, come on,” Harley muttered.

John didn’t hesitate. He grabbed her by the waist and rolled them both out from behind the car just as the grenade exploded. The force lifted them off the ground and flung them into the street like rag dolls.

The blast rang in their ears. Everything went white for a moment.

John hit the ground hard. His body skipped once, then stopped. His vision blurred. A high-pitched whine buzzed in his head. He blinked, trying to see through the smoke, but the world felt underwater.

Harley groaned somewhere nearby. She coughed and sat up, holding her head.

John rolled onto his stomach. His limbs felt like rubber. His head throbbed. But he pushed himself up, shaking off the dust and ringing as best he could.

Then he saw him through the haze. Eduardo Flamingo stepped forward, his smile gone. He tossed his empty guns aside like trash, and the twin clatters echoed down the street. From beneath his coat, he pulled out a chain whip. It unraveled with a metallic hiss as it hit the ground, the links clinking, and the end tipped with a serrated hook.

John’s hands curled into fists. His ribs ached. His vision still swam.

Harley blinked, blood running down the side of her temple, watching Flamingo slowly roll his neck like he was warming up for a dance.

“Great,” she muttered, spitting blood. “Now he wants to play butcher.”

Flamingo spun the chain once in a slow circle beside him.

“You embarrassed the clown,” he said. “Now I get to peel the apology off your face. But before that, I'm gonna enjoy beating the shit out of you then your new man.”

He cracked the whip once, sparks dancing across the pavement.

John's vision cleared just enough to see her.

Harley was slumped against a cracked fire hydrant, blood dripping from her forehead, streaking down the side of her face. Her right arm was smeared in red. Her lip was split. She blinked slowly, like she was trying to stay conscious through the pain.

He crawled to her.

Flamingo’s boots clicked closer in the background, the chain whip dragging behind him.

John reached out and touched her lip gently. Blood.

Something inside him cracked and then snapped. A silence engulfed his mind, bringing a clarity that only emerged in moments when all reason faded away. He didn’t hear the whip or see the street; all he could see was Harley, bleeding.

She looked up at him with dazed eyes. “Johnny...?”

He gripped her shoulders and leaned in close.

“You're gonna be okay,” he said quietly. “Just hang on.”

She blinked, barely nodding.

He cupped her face. His voice dropped even lower.

“You don’t need to worry about him. I'm going to kill that freak. Slowly. I’m going to break every inch of his body. And then we’re going home.”

Harley's lips trembled. "You serious?"

"Yeah. But you have to promise not to hide food under the couch. It's just nasty," John said with a serious expression. "There are rats. You could get sick."

He stood. His muscles screamed, but he didn’t care. The pain was nothing. His vision sharpened. His breathing slowed. His heart felt cold.

Flamingo stopped ten feet away, grin creeping back.

“Such passion,” he said with a tilt of the head. “How romantic. It’ll make your face taste even better.”

John cracked his neck and sighed. 

Flamingo stopped mid-step, the chain whip swinging slowly at his side. John stood in front of him, blood on his face, hands loose at his sides, expression unreadable.

“How good are you at flying?” John asked calmly.

Flamingo’s smile twitched. “Excuse me?”

John tilted his head slightly, rain starting to fall around them. Slow drops at first, soaking into the dust and blood of the street.

“I asked,” John repeated, eyes locked on his, “how good are you... at flying?”

Flamingo laughed. Loud and sharp. “Have you lost your goddamn mind? Beg me. Scream for mercy. What the fuck are you talking about?”

He cracked the whip forward. It shot like a serpent through the air, wrapping around John’s throat with a tight snap of metal. Flamingo yanked it, hard. John stumbled forward, the links digging into his skin.

Harley screamed behind them. “Johnny!”

Flamingo grinned. “You will beg for mercy.”

Lightning cracked across the sky like a celestial gunshot. John looked up. Rain poured down in sheets now. He clenched his fists around the chain and didn’t flinch. His voice dropped to a whisper:

“Shazam.”

The lightning came down like judgment.

A thunderclap split the sky as a bolt of divine electricity slammed into John, engulfing his body in a blinding white-gold flash. The street lit up brightly for one brief second, and when the light faded...

John wasn’t the same.

His tattered clothes were gone, replaced with a black and gold suit. A bolt-shaped emblem pulsed on his chest. Gold bracers crackled with power at his wrists. His eyes glowed faintly. His skin gleamed like obsidian carved by a god.

The chain whip sizzled in his hand, melted from the sheer heat radiating off him.

Flamingo stumbled back. “What! What the fuck!?” Luckily, he dropped the chain as soon as he saw the lightning, or else he'd be toast by now. "Is this some kind of magic show?" He took out his signature dual submachine guns from his coat and began to shoot with a maniacal laughter.

John didn’t blink. The bullets hit his chest like pebbles against armor. They sparked, flattened, and dropped to the pavement one by one. The sound echoed across the empty street, but John didn’t move. His expression didn’t change. His cape whipped behind him in the wind. His fists remained at his sides.

Flamingo screamed with frustration and kept firing.

“DIE! DIE ALREADY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?!”

The clips emptied. The guns clicked dry.

John stepped forward. Flamingo backpedaled, tossing the weapons aside. He reached for something else inside his coat, but John was already in front of him. One hand closed around Flamingo’s wrist. The bones crunched instantly.

"ARGGGG!!"

Flamingo screamed and tried to twist away, but John pulled him in with a single motion. He slammed a glowing fist into Flamingo’s gut. The sound was dull and sickening, like metal folding in on itself. Flamingo doubled over, breath gone, eyes wide with shock. He made sure to control his power because Flamingo must feel pain a thousand times more than what Harley felt. 

“You like pain?” John said, voice low and thunderous. “Here’s a dose.”

He brought his other fist around, driving it into Flamingo’s ribs. The pink-coated killer flew back like a broken doll, smashing into the side of a bus. The metal crumpled inward. Flamingo’s body slumped to the ground.

He tried to get up, dazed, blood dripping from his mouth. He reached for a knife, slow and trembling.

John grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off the ground like a piece of trash. Flamingo tried to jam the knife into John's throat, but the metal simply broke.

“I don't get it. Why use a knife when bullets don't even work?" 

"Fuck you, freak," Flamingo punched John and broke his fist in the process. "I'll eat your face even if I have to crawl out of hell."

"Haaa...” John sighed, seeing the stupidity. “Face-eater, huh? Let’s see how you do without yours.” He flipped Flamingo up and grabbed his leg with his left hand and flew up into the sky with a loud boom.

The rain peeled away around him, a cone of vapor forming at his shoulders as he broke through the lower clouds. Flamingo dangled in his grip, flailing, his pink coat snapping in the wind, his screams lost to the altitude.

The city shrank beneath them. The clouds thinned, and the temperature dropped. John’s grip tightened around Flamingo’s ankle like a steel vise.

Flamingo clawed at his chest, trying to speak, but the air was thin. His eyes bulged. His mouth opened in a silent gasp.

John stopped.

Still holding him upside down by the leg, John hovered. The wind was gone. It was quiet now. Just the distant roar of the storm far below. Flamingo wheezed, clawing at nothing, trying to breathe. His body trembled in the cold. His eyes rolled, panic finally setting in. John looked down at him with a calm, unreadable face.

"Are you perhaps in pain? I thought you enjoyed pain," John said with a cold expression. "It would seem you want oxygen, huh? I’ll let you go."

Flamingo gasped, confused, trying to pull in what little oxygen there was.

John looked out at the stars, then back down to the city far below.

"You’ll have about three, maybe four seconds before gravity takes over. That’s more than enough air."

Flamingo’s mouth opened. He tried to speak, but it came out as a raspy wheeze.

John didn’t blink.

"But here’s the thing," he continued. "You’ll fall too fast for your brain to catch up. Your lungs will scream. Your body won’t know which way is up. And before you even remember how to beg..."

He let go.

"You’ll hit the ground face-first."

...

[Back to the ground]

SPLAT! 

"Heek!" Harley gasped, seeing the human splatter in a pink coat. Blood and flesh splattered everywhere.

John flew down beside Harley.

"Ah tink Ah gog sone slushy in ma mout..." She said with her mouth open.

[Ironman] Ch: 117 [Q&A Event]

AN: To some, this one might feel like a filler chapter. But there are a few important scenes in there.

---

The crowd quieted. Holographic panels flickered above the stage, showing scenes from the Starfire mission: the robotic landing on the Moon, the orbit pass near Mars, and the final, burning path close to Mercury's blazing edge.

The screen zoomed out to Earth. Then it faded.

Tony stepped onto the stage and walked straight to the podium, eyes scanning the crowd like he was reading a battlefield. He looked up.

"When I was a kid, I had a dream. But technology wasn't that advanced back then, and there were countless limitations. So, I started following NASA and other space programs. They said the Moon was enough, Mars was for another generation, and Mercury... Mercury was a suicide. So, I thought if they can't do it, I will. How hard can it be? Well, here we are."

The room stayed silent.

"A few months ago, we sent our first fully autonomous team to the Moon. They successfully landed, mined, walked, and returned, all without any human involvement. It was a successful mission, but we wanted more. Therefore, we conducted a human trial with Johnny Storm and me. We took the risk of flying to Mars' orbit, where we scanned the surroundings and gathered data. We survived the journey and returned safely."

He paused for a moment and took a deep breath before continuing.

"The Starfire trial run was successful. Now it was time for our main mission. How close to the sun can we humans? Well, as you can see. We are still very much alive and kicking. Now, without further delay with my boring speech, let me introduce my team who believed in my vision and took part in that suicide mission..."  

The spotlight shifted to the side of the stage, and a quiet hum rolled through the crowd as three figures stepped into view: Susan, Johnny, and Ben. The audience watched in silence as they moved to the long desk at the front of the stage, each taking a seat behind a microphone.

Johnny leaned back first and quickly surveyed the room, his gaze scanning the reporters, the cameras, and the screens floating above. He remained silent for the moment. 

Ben rested both arms on the table, his hands still for now, with his fingers curled slightly inward. 

Susan kept her eyes forward, calm and focused. She glanced once at Tony before looking out at the audience.

A moment passed.

The screens behind them showed clips of the Starfire ship. Data streams. Orbit paths. Telemetry. A countdown to re-entry. Then, a wide shot of the Starfire Base, shining under the desert sun, as the Starfire landed.

Tony waited a beat, then turned toward the team.

“Susan Storm. Johnny Storm. Ben Grimm.”

Their names hung in the air.

“They were part of the crew that went further than any human team before them. Past Mars. Past the belt. Into a solar storm we couldn’t predict, and through fire we weren’t supposed to survive.”

He turned back to the audience.

“But we did. We came back. And we created history. Now, without further delay. Let's begin the Q&A session."

The hands shot up instantly.

Every major outlet had sent a representative. CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, Wired, Popular Science, and even a few influencers from science-focused media platforms. Micro-drones buzzed above, live-streaming every angle.

Tony nodded toward a woman in the front row.

She stood. “Dr. Evans, Scientific American. What exactly happened during the solar event you encountered? Can you elaborate on how the ship survived that kind of proximity to the sun?”

Sue leaned forward slightly. “We hit unexpected turbulence. The solar winds spiked way past predicted levels. But Starfire’s shielding held. We used a layered nanite system that adapted in real time to radiation exposure. It was built for extremes.”

The woman pressed further. “You’re saying no exposure breached the hull?”

Johnny smiled faintly. “The shields flexed a little, but they didn’t crack. Honestly, it was like riding a hurricane made of heat and magnetism. The ship rode the edge and pulled us through.”

Tony added, “We prepared for the worst-case scenarios: auto-sealing armor, biological damping systems, and smart oxygenation. Starfire’s design held up better than we expected; I guess I overengineered it a little.”

Soft laughter rippled through the crowd.

Another hand went up.

“James Lee, New York Times. What was it like… seeing the sun up close? Was it what you imagined?”

Ben leaned toward the mic. “Bigger, brighter, beautiful and deadly.”

Laughter again.

He continued, “You don’t just see the sun up close; you feel it in your bones. It’s as if the entire universe is screaming, humming, and breathing all at once. You see solar flares larger than Earth erupting like sparks. Still, even now it feels like a dream.”

Sue nodded. “It’s alive, in a way."

A younger man raised a hand. “Jackson Cortez, SciWire. Was there a moment when you thought you weren’t coming back?”

Johnny cracked his neck before speaking. “Yeah, when we hit the storm front, everything shook. I couldn’t even hear my own breathing. The ship tilted, then corrected itself. The lights flickered for a second, but we stayed focused. We trusted the system; we knew what we were flying.”

Ben glanced sideways at him. “You were swearing your head off.”

“Motivational swearing,” Johnny replied deadpan.

That got a laugh from the audience.

Next, an older man stood up slowly and said, “I’m Robert Lang, retired. I’m just watching now, but I’ve followed Stark Tech for quite some time. We all know your contribution to our society. My question is simple: what’s next?”

Tony looked at his team.

Sue met his eyes. Ben folded his hands. Johnny leaned forward slightly and gave him a nod.

Tony turned back to the audience.

“Starfire was proof of concept. Space isn’t the limit. It’s just a road. Now that we’ve touched the edge of a star and walked away, we’re building the next steps. Earth's first space station, followed by expansion to the Moon, and then on to Mars. My vision for the coming years is to colonize Mars. Impossible, some might say, but I say, wanna make a bet?" Tony said with one of his classic and confident smirks.

The next question hit fast.

“Dr. Han from the European Space Agency. The world wants to know if you’re open to sharing the technology behind the Starfire. The shielding, propulsion systems, radiation-damping modules—will this be available to partner agencies or remain exclusive to Stark Tech?”

Tony gave her a nod.

“Great question. Short answer? Depends on who's asking and why.”

A ripple of murmurs stirred in the crowd. He let it hang a beat.

“We didn’t build Starfire to hoard knowledge or to play god with gravity. But let’s be real... This wasn’t your average shuttle launch. The systems we used are twenty to thirty years ahead of what NASA or any other space facilities have. Some of it, if misused, could vaporize a city.”

That got the room’s attention.

“So, we’re not closing the door. We’re building a corridor. And we’ll decide who gets to walk through based on transparency, collaboration, and intent.”

He raised his hand slightly.

“I’m already working with select engineers from NASA, ESA, and a few other programs under NDA. That’s the start.”

Another reporter jumped in.

“Jonathan Sima, BBC Future. Are we talking exclusive partnerships? Or global access?”

Tony’s smile turned razor-sharp.

“Global access isn’t the same as global readiness.”

Gasps. A few nervous chuckles.

“Look. I’m all for peace. But space is now a frontier of survival. Resources. Migration. Defense. The wrong hands in the wrong orbit? That’s not a risk I’m throwing dice on.”

A younger woman near the front raised her voice, standing without waiting for a nod.

“Emily Chen, Vox. Are you saying you're privatizing space? Are you the gatekeeper now?”

Tony didn’t blink.

“I'm saying the gate's already been busted wide open. I just built the lock. You want my technology? You need to follow my protocols.”

A pause. Then murmurs again, this time louder.

Another question followed fast.

“Derek Morrow, Wired. With all due respect... What gives you the right to lead this?”

Tony didn’t smile this time. He stepped closer to the mic. His voice stayed even. “Speaking of right... I put myself on the line.” His eyes scanned the crowd, voice rising just enough. “I launched myself into space, past every safety net Earth ever built. No government contract. No national backup. Just me, and the people behind me.”

He motioned to Sue, Ben, and Johnny without breaking eye contact with the crowd.

“We built the ship. We braved the storm. We survived because we planned for failure and prepared for pain.”

Another pause.

“Since landing, I’ve had every major agency and political board clawing at my tech. Demanding blueprints. Sending letters marked ‘urgent collaboration.’ I’ve read the words, but none of them offered risk. None of them offered people. They want results they didn’t earn.”

He let that sink in.

“I didn’t do this for permission. I did it because someone had to. Because the world won’t move forward on paperwork and debate. We crossed a boundary. Now everybody wants the view. That’s fine. But you don’t get to show up after the race and claim the trophy.”

He leaned into the mic.

“You want access? Bring commitment. Bring your own skin to the table and, as I said before, follow my protocol.”

Silence gripped the room.

Tony stepped back.

One last thing hung in the air, and he wasn’t done.

But he didn’t need to raise his voice.

“We’re not gatekeepers. We’re pathfinders. We walk the path of science, and we'll continue to do so regardless of what anyone might think. And please, don't bring politics into this matter. So far, I've already received multiple political threats, like the President's order, NASA's order, military order. It doesn't matter who you are. You want what's ours? You can't have it. You want to force us with threats? You can try. You want to walk together? We welcome you with open arms."

The event went on for another fifteen minutes...

After that...

The team collapsed into the cushioned private lounge, the distant roar of the press still echoing faintly through the walls. Johnny kicked off his shoes and stretched like a cat. Sue flopped onto the couch, rubbing her temples with both hands. Ben, already in a chair, leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling like it had all the answers. Tony stood, sleeves rolled, pacing near the window with a glass of water in one hand.

Yelena’s voice buzzed softly in his ear.

"Scanners picked up six Skrulls. They are wearing a SHIELD badge. The other one just walked in with the VIPs. He’s using the face of Nick Fury. Permission to neutralize?"

Tony tapped his bracelet, and a holographic screen appeared on his arm. His eyes flicked to the hidden feed Yelena sent him. 'Yep! Skrulls.'

He took a slow sip, never looking toward the others.

"Secure the exit routes and have the drones ready, just in case. I’ll deal with it."

Yelena responded. “Copy.”

"Skrulls?" Sue asked.

"Yup! Just pretend to be normal for the moment. If things go wrong, use your forcefield to trap him," Tony said to Sue.

"Trap him? I mean, like I've never done it before. I can just raise a wall and..." Sue stuttered, but Tony walked toward her and grabbed her shoulders. He looked into her eyes.

"You can do this. I trust you. Just visualize and control your power like an extension of your body."

Then came the knock. 

Tony looked at Ben and Johnny, giving them a nod. 

"C'mon, in."

The door to the lounge hissed open.

Howard walked in first, followed by Nick Fury. He wore a long coat, had an eye patch, and his familiar scowl was unmistakable. Everything was in place.

Fury walked and stopped before Tony, extending his hand, "Nick Fury."

[Ironman] Ch: 116 [The Human Beneath the Rock]

Ben stood in the center of the room, hunched over, skin cracked and steaming. His breaths came in rough gasps. Purple and white energy pulsed from inside him as large pieces of his rocky shell sloughed off and hit the floor with heavy thuds. The ground beneath him vibrated, but the floor held.

Tony stepped forward.

"Ben. Stop panicking. You aren't dying. Your powers are stabilizing."

Ben's eyes were wide. "It hurts."

"I know," Tony said. "But that's because you're fighting it. Let go. You've already passed the hard part. Let your body finish what it started. If I'm right, you'll be able to switch forms between human and rock. Maybe more."

Sue moved toward him, but Tony raised a hand and activated a containment field before them.

"Both of you stay back," he said. "If this goes wrong, you don't want to be caught in it."

Johnny didn't argue. He stood beside Sue and, for once, he looked worried.

Ben let out a roar. Energy surged through his body. He dropped to his knees, fists clenched. His skin cracked wider. Pieces of orange rock exploded outward. A shockwave blew through the space, but the containment field absorbed the blast.

Then there was silence. Ben collapsed forward, steam rising from his back. He groaned as he slowly pushed himself up. No more stone. He was human.

His skin glowed with faint purple veins that pulsed beneath the surface like living circuits. His muscles appeared denser, tighter, and more defined than ever before. He stared at his hands, turning them over slowly.

"Tony?" he said.

Tony lowered the field and walked in, scanning Ben with his forearm module. Sue and Johnny followed him.

"You're fine. Better than fine. Your body just rebuilt itself from the inside out. The cosmic energy is fully integrated with your cellular matrix. And very naked," Tony said with a chuckle. He noticed the nanite bracelet was still on Ben's arm. Well, it survived the explosion. He quickly pressed the button. The nanites gushed out, forming pants.

"Thanks," Ben said, sitting back, breathing hard. "I feel… light."

"You are. Your density is variable now. You're no longer stuck in one form. You can shift between human and enhanced mode at will. And you're still stronger than a wrecking crew."

Sue knelt beside him and grabbed his shoulder.

"Welcome back," she said.

Johnny clapped once. "You look like a purple version of yourself after a five-year gym binge. I'm not gonna lie. It's kind of cool."

Ben let out a weak laugh. "I thought I was dying."

Tony helped him up.

"Now, all you have to do is learn how to use it."

Ben's hands curled into fists. The purple glow faded slightly, then flared again when he opened his palms.

"I can feel it," he said. "Like it's part of me now."

"It is," Tony said. "Now, suppress this purple energy and visualize your human form without a glowing body."

Ben closed his eyes. His breathing steadied, slow and controlled. The faint purple glow around his body began to dim as he focused. He took a deep breath, held it, and then exhaled through his nose. The veins beneath his skin stopped pulsing, and the light retreated like a wave pulling back from the shore. A moment later, his skin returned to normal. No glow, just human Ben.

Sue gasped softly.

Johnny gave a low whistle. "Okay. Now that is cool."

Ben opened his eyes and looked at his hands again. 

"Haha. I'm back," He laughed, clenching his fists.

Tony watched every second of it, tracking cellular activity, molecular density, and neural patterns. The energy levels stabilized, sitting dormant under the surface.

"Perfect," Tony said. "You're stable."

Ben looked up. "So I can change back?"

"Just be normal for now. We've got a press event to attend at night. I actually planned to AI create your face over a holographic frame, but with you back to normal, all of us can go," Tony said before closing his scanner. "So, for now, don't mess with it and just be yourself."

[5:00 PM – NEW YORK] [STARK TECH TOWER – PRESS EVENT FLOOR]

Inside, the lights flickered to life. Rows of elevated seats quickly filled with scientists, officials, students, and reporters, all buzzing with anticipation. Giant Stark holograms hovered above the stage, pulsing slowly in blue.

At the far end of the hall, a podium stood center-stage. Behind it, a vast screen scrolled with a looping message:

"RETURN FROM BEYOND – THE STARFIRE TEAM LIVES"

The atmosphere was electric. Every major news outlet was present, and NASA officials were already seated, whispering with excitement. Their security detail stood firmly along the aisles, yet none of them noticed the discreet Widows in black blending into the shadows and within the guests scanning everyone in real time.

Up above the main stage, hidden inside the walls, tiny spheres no bigger than coins glowed with a faint blue light. Skrull detectors and disruptors. Yelena's team had set the grid meticulously. Well, the entire place is being monitored.

Backstage, Tony adjusted the collar of his suit in front of a mirror. It was a high-tech nanoweave suit designed to look like an expensive tux. 

Yelena entered, holding a slim tablet.

“All systems green. Everyone’s been scanned, and no disruptions have occurred so far,” she stated. “Your mom and dad are both clear. I double-checked. They’re not Skrulls.”

Tony adjusted his blazer. “Thanks. Would’ve been a hell of a plot twist.”

“Widows and bots are in position,” she added. “Nothing gets out if something kicks off.” She placed the tab on the table and walked toward him.

Yelena stopped in front of him, brushing off a speck of dust from his shoulder with casual precision. Then her eyes flicked up to his collar, and without a word, she reached in and adjusted his tie. The move was smooth, practiced. She fixed it, gave it a little tug, then stepped back and tilted her head.

"You're not terrible-looking when you try."

Tony gave her a crooked smile. "You know, I was thinking..."

Yelena narrowed her eyes. "That usually ends in explosions."

He chuckled before wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. He looked into her eyes. "Wanna go out on Monday? With everything buzzing up more than usual, we aren't getting any time for ourselves. So..."

Tony’s words hung in the air, soft but steady.

Yelena’s lips curled into a slow smirk, the kind that always came before either a sharp retort or a kiss.

“So, you finally decided to focus on your personal life, huh?” she said with a smirk, moving her face closer.

Tony gave a little nod. “Yeah, I can't always drown myself and others into work all the time. It's just that I try, but there is so much to do, and I sometimes lose track of time. So, sorry. It took this long to ask you out on a date.”

“Alright. Apology accepted," She wrapped her arms around his neck. "But Monday, 24 hours. You and me. I want your full attention, Mr. Stark." 

Then—

Click.

The door creaked open an inch.

Johnny’s face slid into view, eyes wide, brows raised, smirk already in place.

“Ooohh,” he whispered with his signature grin. “Am I interrupting a tender Stark moment? Should I come back with popcorn or condoms?”

A blur of black flashed past Tony.

Yelena was already halfway to the door, one hand forming a plasma blade, the other balled into a fist. “I swear to God, I will make your jaw reverse-evolve, you flaming little...”

“Woah! Hey! Friendly fire! I’m fragile!” Johnny backpedaled with speed only possible by someone who had already survived several beatdowns this week.

Just as Yelena reached him, Sue appeared behind him and grabbed his ear with pinpoint accuracy. She twisted.

Hard.

“OW! OW! WHAT IS IT WITH WOMEN AND MY EARS...”

Sue yanked him back through the hallway. She looked at Yelena for a moment and said, "I'm really sorry for his stupidity." Then her eyes went inside the room to Tony. "You two... just continue."

She then twisted Johnny's ear.

“You just had to open your mouth,” she muttered.

“I was checking the vibe!” he whined.

“It was private, idiot.”

“I didn’t see a sign!”

“Because it’s called basic human decency.”

Their voices faded down the hallway.

Yelena stood in the doorway, arms crossed now, pulse blade deactivated. She looked back at Tony, who had one hand to his forehead.

“I’m still going to break his nose,” she said flatly.

“I’ll get you the gloves.”

She stepped inside again and gave him a once-over.

“Monday,” she said, voice softer now. “Don’t screw it up.”

Tony gave her a lopsided grin.

“As long as you wake me up with a nice kiss.”

Yelena smirked, moving her face too close to him. Her lips were just so close, one little move and they would touch.

“Mumm~ I'll do more than just kiss.”

Then she pulled back, turned, and left the room with a smiling face.

...

[Backstage Hallway]

Too much noise outside. Spotlights shifted behind the curtains. The countdown had begun.

Tony stepped out of his dressing room and met the team in the narrow hallway behind the stage.

Sue was radiant. Her midnight-blue dress shimmered under the flashing lights. Her hair was pinned back, understated but elegant. She stood with her arms crossed, posture flawless, and no glasses today. 

“You look gorgeous,” Tony said as he approached.

Sue raised an eyebrow. “Thank you. You look great too, and sorry about earlier.”

“Never mind that.”

Johnny was leaning casually against the wall in dark jeans, boots, and a white t-shirt with a leather jacket slung over one shoulder. He sipped from a metal flask and flashed a lazy grin.

“I told you I wasn’t doing a monkey suit,” he said. “You should be grateful I didn’t show up in shorts.”

“You’re a walking PR crisis waiting to happen,” Tony muttered.

“Hey, the fans love me.”

“No. They follow you because they can’t believe you’re real.”

Ben stood beside them. He was wearing a black tux. 

“You good?” Tony asked.

Ben nodded once. “Weird day.”

“You’ll get weirder ones,” Johnny chimed in. “Try not to explode on stage.”

"Haha. Very funny,” Ben said dryly.

Tony glanced at the countdown on his wrist. 00:42.

He turned to the team.

"No pep talk today. Just be yourself and answer smartly," He looked at Johnny. "As for you, don't even talk about superpowers. Keep that mouth of yours in check unless you want the government on your ass."

"I'll just sit there and act cool. No worries," Johnny said, giving him a thumbs up.

"Well, let's go."