Chapter Text
Time. Space. Reality. It’s more than a linear path—it’s a prism of endless possibility, where a singular choice can branch out into infinite possibilities, creating alternate worlds from the one you know. But there are instances where wonders beyond comprehension are birthed from no choice at all.
This is one such instance.
As so many stories go, we begin on Earth at the height of an era of heroes. This is the Earth you know.
We also begin elsewhere: the same planet in the same solar system in the same galaxy, but this is not the Earth you know. And while it, too, lives in its own era of heroes, it is unlike any Earth we have seen thus far.
Both teeter on the edge of the next stage in human evolution. Both are unaware of their tiny place in the vast expanse of the multiverse. And both are rocketing towards each other, towards a universe-ending cataclysm with no means of stopping it.
Do you see them? They collide, rending time and space from their fixtures. Down there, reality is collapsing, and people are panicking—surely, this is the end. Normally, the collision of two universes spelt the assured destruction of both, but in this unprecedented instance in the grand calculus of the multiverse, this is not the end.
The two worlds merge into one.
Some will try to find harmony with their new reality. Others will seek to exploit the resulting chaos for their own nefarious ends.
What remains?
What happens next?
I observe all that transpires here, but I do not—cannot—will not—interfere. For I am the Watcher. I am your Guide through this new reality. Follow me, and ponder the question… What if?
---------
The almost pitch-black room flickered with ghostly images of chaos and confusion from the past several months. Voices from reporters, intelligence agents, news anchors, and talk show hosts echoed in the dark, outlining the terrors from the past few months. “—lights in the sky—”
“—experts from around the globe are still struggling to locate these iconic figures and landmarks, and struggling harder still to understand the reason behind their sudden disappearance—”
“—First the monsters comin’ outta the sky in New York, then whatever the hell happened in Greenwich, and now we got whole buildings just appearing outta nowhere?!?!?”
“—readings are off the charts, tech keeps malfunctioning, all units evacuate before—”
A man stood at the heart of the chaos, studying the barrage of audio and visual information. One screen that captured his attention the most. He waved a hand. All but one of the holograms quieted and moved themselves to the sides of the room, while the last one enlarged and positioned itself right in front of him and all others watching. He’d seen this footage a hundred times in the past few months, as did everyone in the room, and surely as did everyone in the world because even though the event had passed, many still couldn’t believe it actually happened.
“The world watches on in horror,” said the news anchor with his face tense with barely contained panic, “as the entirety of the Japanese archipelago vanishes off the face of the planet. All around the globe, buildings, landmarks, and an estimated two million people suddenly disappeared over the space of three hours; however, nothing nearly the size of an entire country has gone missing so far.”
The video switched to aerial footage of East Asia, showing the large expanse of water where the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea now bled into the Pacific Ocean. Footage of helicopters, aircraft carriers, and search-and-rescue boats out on the water are intercut with clips of interviews from witnesses and the international loved ones of those who were living in Japan.
“As of now,” the reporter continues, “there has been no reason for the country’s disappearance: satellite imaging indicates that the nation just winked out of existence, leaving nothing but open water. Even so, the UN is still in emergency session and has not publicly ruled out the possibility of an attack from another world power or something extraterrestrial.
“Meanwhile, world governments are scrambling to contain the massive outbreak of panic and rioting plaguing the streets of every major city in the world. Already the world economy collapses. Officials are also concerned that without Japan’s presence in East Asia, countries like
China and North Korea will make a move on Japan’s allies—”
The man waved his hand again, and the footage fast forwarded a bit. The same news anchor, this time looking stunned and pale, the pads of his fingertips pressed firmly into his desk.
“This just in,” he said, “the entire country of Japan has suddenly rematerialized almost two hours after its disappearance. International investigators and search-and-rescue operations on the scene report that the archipelago appeared out of nowhere. Satellite imaging confirms that the country returned in the exact same place as before. However,” some of the fear in his stern expression leaked through, “quick scans and fly-overs from the operations already in place report a Japan unlike the one we know.”
The camera cut away to helicopter footage of a city. Nothing looked too out of the ordinary…until the camera zoomed in on the citizens in the streets.
A man with spikes coming out of his bald head. Someone that looks like they were made of Legos. A lady with living hair, and a surprising number of anthropomorphized lizards. Sure, many appeared to be ordinary humans, but they were grossly overshadowed by the number of mutated individuals—and no one seemed to think it was odd. In fact, the helicopter recording the footage got more strange looks than the man who was flying around completely on fire.
The man at the center of the room waved his hand again. The videos cleared. The only light now came from the dim blueish glow of four large holographic video feeds set in four metal frames.
“We’ve since learned,” the man said, voice booming in the closed space, “that these mutated and powered individuals are not entirely isolated to Japan. Shortly after Japan’s reappearance, reports came in from all over the world saying that buildings and islands that we have never seen before suddenly appeared, and with them, more groups of powered and mutated individuals, which we’ve learned are called ‘metahumans’.”
“And what new information do we have on this?” asked the woman in one of these frames. Her steely tone and severe gaze would’ve been enough to cow any man, but Alexander Pierce was not just any man.
“We have the world’s top minds working on this—astrophysicists, geologists, and quantum theorists, just to name a few—and so far, we’ve discovered very little. There’s been some speculation that the people and locations are replacing those that went missing. However, no evidence supports this so far as a majority of the appearances are not one-to-one replacements of what was lost, and many of the islands and buildings are completely new to this world. Based on research from the past few months, the most viable theory we have so far is this the result of a reality-altering disruption of time and space.”
The translucent faces in the frames scowled more deeply, either from the theory’s gravity or absurdity.
“But I didn’t call this meeting with the World Security Council to talk about the past,” Pierce said. “I’m here to discuss the present and, more importantly, the future.”
The statement struck the Council. “This isn’t some bygone speck in the annals of history, Mr. Secretary,” said a second Councilman, one who sat almost unmoving with his arms folded.
“This was a few months ago, and an entire country disappeared, for God’s sake.”
“I agree,” the Councilwoman said. “Millions of people were lost, and so far, all efforts to find them prove fruitless. For all we know, they could be dead.”
Pierce raised his hands in a placating motion. “I don’t mean to be dismissive of the situation—believe me, this is the biggest tragedy in modern history if we cannot recover those who disappeared. However, while the recovery teams work tirelessly to figure out what happened and how we can reverse this, we need to accept the very strong, very real possibility that this is the new reality, that we need to adapt to the fact that the number of known superhumans jumped from about six to around 1.3 million.”
Pierce gestured, and a large holographic globe appeared before him. “The metahumans who appeared outside of what we now call ‘New Japan’ have been moved to an isolated area for questioning and testing, while all new geographical locations—including New Japan—are under still quarantine.” Several spots on the globe turned red, including the entirety of Japan. “We’ve consulted the current governing powers—which are largely the same as the previous Japan’s— and learned that in their past, everyone in the world started manifesting metahuman abilities that they refer to as ‘Quirks,’ which they identified as resulting from genetic mutations that vary from person to person. By the time of the disturbance, they estimated that 80% of their population possessed a Quirk, however we are still in the process of determining what that percentage is now.”
Pierce waved his hand again and summoned several pictures of relatively normal people in abnormal attire—costumes, perhaps? —along with notes on their names, physical details, and abilities. “Unlike in our world, a majority of their world’s governments and institutions adapted to accommodate these metahumans. The largest adaptation was the acceptance of ‘heroes’—” he gestured to the profiles on his left “—in response to those who use their Quirks for nefarious purposes, aptly dubbed ‘villains.’” He gestured to some of the less-human looking people to his right. Half of the Councilmen leaned forward in their seats.
“What’s your point, Pierce?” a third member of the Council gruffed impatiently. In all his years of working with this man, Pierce never once saw his face soften to anything less than a scowl.
“My point,” Pierce smoothly replied as the images cleared, “is that right now the world is in a state of confusion and chaos. First, we had to deal with the shock and consequences of the world’s third largest economic power vanishing off the face of the planet, then it comes back with extra, and now we have at least a nation’s worth of metahumans openly using their abilities—and not always for the good of humanity. Many civilians are still recovering from the alien invasions at New York and Greenwich. Tensions are high on an international scale. We are seeing the clash of two ideologies—one where superhuman abilities are embraced and used openly, and one where they’re strictly managed by specialized agencies and kept hidden from the public. As hidden as we can manage,” Pierce amended quickly. “By and large, any superhumans we’ve encountered before the disruption are contained and/or monitored closely. Even the Avengers were very limited in what they were allowed to do.”
“However.” At this word Pierce raised his voice because he could see the Council’s impatience. “A new era approaches, and while the disruption has taken away a great deal, it has also given us the model for a better way. Even before the introduction of Quirks, we’ve seen an exponential increase in people with superhuman abilities from both our world and outer space. The world is changing, and we need to change with it.”
He had their attention. Pierce smothered a grin. Of course he did. Civilians weren’t the only ones in a panic over their new extradimensional friends.
“Members of the World Security Council,” he said, “I propose a new initiative to not only to utilize the superhuman powers of certain individuals, as we did with the Avengers, but to also rein in the abilities of the common metahuman across the globe.”
“And how do you propose we do that?” asked the irritable Councilman from before.
“We already have a framework,” Pierce explained. “In our discussions with the governing bodies in New Japan, we’ve learned about how their system—their ‘hero society’— operates. We seek to replicate that across the world, first starting with the United States. Not only would this serve to stabilize the current situation, but it would also open the way to stabilizing our relationship with New Japan, who also indirectly speaks on behalf of all the islands that appeared in the disruption.”
“You think New Japan would seek to start a war?” the fourth Councilman asked, speaking for the first time.
“No,” Pierce said firmly. “However, considering the several months of forced quarantine and submitting to several international investigations, I doubt New Japan sees the rest of the world in a favorable light, and should they choose to go to war, our intel suggests that the results could be catastrophic. It’s not unlikely that even the combined might of all the world’s military would struggle against an army of these metahumans.”
“And what about the Avengers? They stopped an entire army of aliens with just six members.”
“They still had SHIELD’s assistance,” replied the Councilwoman before Pierce had a chance to respond, “and their plan enabled them to take out the invaders all at once.”
Pierce nodded. “We’ve seen the damage just one superhuman can do,” he said and waved on a video of several tanks crumpling into scrap under the giant fists of The Hulk. The video then changed to aerial shots of a massive SHIELD base collapsing in on itself while Loki raced away on the back of a stolen Jeep. Loki drew back the scepter in his grasp and fires a bolt of blue energy that destroyed a helicopter. Pierce flicked his hand to dismiss the hologram as the flaming helicopter careens into the ground. “Now imagine what an entire army of them could do,” he said, “and we have reason to believe that there are Quirks that easily outclass the might of the Avengers.”
Pierce let the Council sit in heavy silence for a few moments.
“So,” the fourth Councilman began slowly, “you mean to rein in all of the superhumans of the world using New Japan’s system, this ‘hero society?’ What evidence do you have that this will work?”
“I can answer that,” said the third Councilman, brandishing some pages from his desk. “There is none. I’ve already looked into this ‘hero society,’ and the notion that this system will provide a sustainable way to mitigate Quirk-related, not to mention superhuman-related incidents. For example, just one of the many government-funded institutions designed to turn students into these so-called heroes spent over a hundred million yen on their hero program—in just one year.”
“Not to mention,” said the Councilman with his arms crossed, “the state and social acceptance of raising what is essentially a militia of children, granted these children aren’t permitted to use their Quirks outside of school operations until graduation.”
“Ah, but that’s where your information lacks, Councilman,” Pierce said, once again smothering a smirk. “Students are not permitted to use their Quirks outside of school operations until the received their state-issued licenses. In fact, no one is permitted to use Quirks without a license. That’s the key point I want to bring up.” Pierce held up his hands. “I recognize that the system is flawed—terribly flawed, in fact. And I don’t buy their ‘for the good of the many’ reasoning for a second, either. But the one that this hero society provides unequivocally is control.”
“That’s what we need in these tumultuous times, members of the Council. Control. Every member of New Japan’s society accepts these policies and practices without question. Can you imagine: you possess the power to level an entire city with just a thought, to create an unending supply of money just from a few household items, or move the hearts and minds of everyone who comes into earshot of you, and yet you don’t because you lack a little plastic rectangle?” He scoffed and held out his hands. “And on top of that, no one argues against this? No one finds it strange?”
Pierce gave the Council another moment to soak in his words. Already two were nodding their heads; even the one with the permanent scowl arched an eyebrow.
“My end goal is to expand this system to the whole world,” Pierce said. “But for now, the best place to start is the United States. We already have the Avengers. And,” Pierce gestured once again and brought up four pictures and profiles, “we’ve already recruited four Quirk Heroes to the program.”
The Council inhaled sharply. The one with his arms folded finally uncrossed his arms and rested them on the table as he leaned forward. The fourth one, who seldom spoke, kept his face neutral, however Pierce could see the glint in his eyes.
“Let me introduce our four heroes. All of them were registered with the American Hero Registry before the disruption and have since agreed to work with SHIELD in transitioning the world into the new age.” Pierce held his hand over the first image to his right to enlarge it—a man with a windswept faux-hawk, a winning smile, and half his face covered by a dark visor. His wide gold shoulder pads extended past the frame, but even without that it was obvious the man was huge.
“This is Captain Celebrity. Interesting choice of name, I know,” Pierce said lightly at the looks on the Councilmen’s faces. “He was one of the more notorious heroes in America. And this—” he held his hand over the next image of a man around college-age with a blue and gold hoodie pulled over his boyish face “—is his sidekick, Sky Crawler. He may seem like just a kid, but data from his homeland of New Japan confirms that he is a force to be reckoned with.” Pierce waves a hand over the third picture in the lineup. “This is Matchlock. She’s our most recent recruit.” Unlike the others, there’s very little information in the profile—just a name and a vague description of her Quirk. Her profile only showed her wearing a western hat and a mask covering half her face.
“Lastly,” Pierce said as he enlarged the final profile, “we have possibly the greatest asset in this line up, and certainly the strongest hero to come out of the disturbance: Star and Stripe.”
Like Captain Celebrity, Star and Stripe beamed from ear to ear. Unlike the Captain, however, her smile radiated warmth and confidence that one didn’t notice was lacking in Captain Celebrity’s until the two were side by side. Star seemed bigger than Captain Celebrity, too. Of course, both were incredibly muscular, but something about her bold smile, the wild blond hair that crowned her head like a halo, and the sharp determination in her fierce gaze made her seem larger than life, like everything about her was actively trying to burst out the frame.
“What makes her so powerful?” the third Councilman asked.
“We are still working on the nuances of her Quirk,” Pierce replied. “The same can be said for all of them. However, her reputation spans the entire globe—everywhere a Quirk user appeared, so did knowledge of Star and Stripe.”
“And what of their real names?”
“For now, we are choosing to keep their identities confidential. This might have been common knowledge in their world, but as you know in ours, that kind of information can be dangerous to us and the heroes.”
Pierce motioned one last time and dismissed the images. “Once upon a time, the idea of a world filled with ‘superheroes’ was nothing but fantasy. Not anymore. That fantasy is now a reality, and that reality can easily turn into a nightmare if our government does not have the means to keep order and control.”
Pierce tapped a key on his watch. Suddenly, holographic gilded letters “USHA” sprang from his wrist and slowly rotated in the air. “This is our means. I present to you the United States Hero Association Initiative. With your funding, we can we will be able bring the heroes of America under government control while establishing an appearance of safety to the public. After all,” he met the eye of everyone in the room, “who knows when we’ll have another invasion from the sky?”
The Council pondered this in silence. Pierce didn’t move. He hardly breathed. This was the moment he waited for—all his efforts and planning culminated to this one decision.
Pierce got the sense that the Council paused their feed to talk privately amongst themselves, for after a few moments, their footage jerked at the same time.
“Very well,” said the second Councilman. “We approve funding towards this new initiative.”
“However,” interjected the Councilwoman, “we don’t want another repeat of Fury’s Avengers Initiative. I don’t think I need to tell you the consequences if this fails.”
“No, Councilwoman.” Pierce dismissed the hologram and dipped his head respectfully. “I thank the Council for their approval, and I promise that you will be amazed at what this initiative will accomplish.”
Without another word, the Council ended the call one by one. Pierce held his position a few breaths after the last Councilman’s screen faded.
Then he straightened and left the room, finally allowing himself a self-satisfied smile.
Out in the hall, Pierce pulled out his phone and pressed a single button.
“It’s done,” he said before the other person could speak. “The Council has approved our plan without issue. Now it’s your turn.” Pierce’s grin curled into a sneer as he hears the other person’s reply.
“Hail Hydra,” he murmured.
---------
Tony Stark stepped out into the sunlight and might as well have stepped into the future.
Buildings of wildly varying shapes, sizes, and colors stretched out on the horizon, their metallic surfaces glinting. Before that, at the foot of the two flights of stairs that led up to the airport, a massive park sprawled out before him.
And the people. ‘The people’
Yeah some looked like regular humans or at worst the typical wackjob you’d see on the streets of New York City, but a woman who looked entirely made of glass? A man with lobster claws for hands? At least four kinds of creatures from the Black Lagoon? A walking mass of vines and flowers?
Stark watched a few kids fly—literally fly—over his head: one on actual bird wings, one in the center of a mini tornado, and one standing an abnormally solid cloud. A child’s ice cream plopped to the ground, but just when she was about to burst into tears, her father held his hand out to the empty cone, and the dropped ice cream fell in reverse back onto the cone. Colorful musical notations floated in the air, chiming out a sweet tune when they got close.
These and many more wonders flooded his vision, without restraint, and seemingly without limitation. Stark adjusted the cuffs of his suit to hide his eagerness from his SHIELD escort. It had taken a lot of string-pulling, cajoling, bribing, and (Stark loathed to admit) begging to get clearance to this place, and this was the one caveat that Fury refused to negotiate on.
“It’s like you don’t trust me,” Stark had joked to Fury. The look in the Director’s one eye killed any further joking.
Whatever. Just from these first few minutes on the island, Stark knew for certain that all that finagling would be worth it. His grip tightened on the handle of his metal briefcase.
“Mr. Stark?”
Tony snapped out of his trance. At the bottom of the stairs stood a young woman with long blond hair and the man Stark went through all this trouble to meet.
Stark, smiling cordially, descended the stairs and extended his hand. “Mr. Shield, very nice to meet you.”
David Shield was a fairly average-looking man, especially compared to all of the strange individuals Stark encountered so far. His messy brown hair stuck up in all directions, his clothes were loose and casual, his glasses were brown with square frames, and his goatee was trimmed just enough to be neat. He wore an easy, amicable smile that reminded Stark of someone he would rather not think about right now. But behind those plain square frames were piercing blue eyes that belied the man’s genius and confidence.
“Please, call me David,” the man beamed and shook Stark’s hand with two of his own.
“This is my daughter, Melissa.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Stark,” she said, jutting out her hand. She had her father’s eyes, with a touch of the youthful ambition and enthusiasm Stark remembered from his younger years. “Welcome to I-Island!”
Stark’s smile warmed a little as he shook her hand. “Call me Tony.” He paused. “Honor? I was under the assumption this is your first visit to this universe.”
David laughed. “You’re not the only one who’s done their investigating. While your world’s agencies have been getting to know us, we’ve been getting to know you. And your reputation precedes you as both an inventor and a hero.”
“Just inventor and hero?” Tony turned to one of the SHIELD agents. “Remind me to step up my game as billionaire, philanthropist, and ping pong enthusiast.” The agent rolled her eyes and said nothing.
“You’ve got a lot of interesting things going on here, David,” Tony continued, unfazed.
“Yes, the technical advancements, for sure, but—” He stopped and squinted into the distance.
“Does that man have a toaster for a head?”
Again, David laughed. “They’re called Quirks,” he explained. “Many years ago, people started developing mutations that gave them physical and metaphysical abilities and appearances. It caused quite a bit of trouble at first, but nowadays our society has evolved not only to accept these powers, but to rely on them.”
Melissa sniffed. “For the most part at least,” she said. “In some circles, there’s a stigma against heteromorphs.”
“Heteromorphs?”
“People like Mr. Toaster.”
“Sounds about right.”
The trio—and their SHIELD entourage—strolled through the park while they talked. David pointed out notable attractions and people. At one point, they stopped by the food cart of a fish in a mini-mech for a quick lunch. Every so often they would see someone testing out gadgets and gear in empty fields, or using it casually as in the case of a scaled man with some kind of showerhead-like apparatus affixed to his shoulders, which sprayed a mist of water every minute, presumably to keep his skin moist.
Behind his aviator glasses, Tony eyed everyone who passed by, more with curiosity than suspicion. “Is everyone like this in your world?” he asked.
“Almost,” David replied, waving to someone he knew. “About 80% of the world’s population had Quirks. However, the current estimate is about 30%.”
“Well at least you’re among friends,” Tony said. “We got a few freaks of our own, granted no one’s really sure how many there are. Most hide, for good reason.”
“This world is not very accepting of meta-abilities, I see.”
“To be fair, you’d be a little pissed too if a primadonna with a god-complex tried to hold your planet ransom.” Tony shrugged. “It’s kind of human nature to fear and hate the things they can’t understand.”
“Or can’t control,” Melissa chimed in. David shot her an exasperated look, but she ignored it. “From what I’ve seen, there are a lot of organizations in the world that are trying to use your heroes like living weapons. I’ve even heard a few stories about heroes turning the government down, and then bad things happen to the people they love.” Melissa eyed Stark carefully. “Doesn’t sound fair to me.”
“Melissa,” David warned.
“Not my jurisdiction,” Stark replied flippantly. “I’m just one of those ‘living weapons,’ as you so aptly put it. Although, if I’m being completely honest, it’s actually very easy to get one over the suits if you really wanted.” He craned his neck around and shot the agents a winning smile. “No offense.” He turned back to Melissa. “Still, you’re not wrong. The world’s full of greedy bastards, kid, so keep an eye out for them and don’t get suckered in. Speaking of greedy bastards—”
Stark turned on one heel so he’s walking backwards so he can face David. “I like what you got going on here, Shield. I really do. And I want in—however, there are few changes I’d like to discuss before we cut a deal.”
David arched an eyebrow. “Changes?”
“More like recommendations. Just something to consider.” Tony motioned to a field nearby where three students were testing what looked like a shield that bent light a certain way to make the wielder invisible from the front. He thought about how annoying if Steve Roger’s shield could do that. “You got a lot of great tech in the works here, but all of it’s focused on Quirks and Quirk-related problems. I think you should branch out. After all, we’re definitely not short on problems nowadays.”
“I see your point,” David sighed, “however, the disruption took almost all of the support item companies and hero agencies that were funding I-Island, and because of the greatly reduced Quirk-user population, we’ve been struggling to find companies from your world who are willing to fund our activities. Basically, there’s not enough money for us to pivot.”
“That’s great news!” Tony said. Melissa almost spit her drink. “I lost the Japanese branch of Stark Industries in the disruption—may they rest in peace and/or one day return home somehow—so now I have all this extra funding just burning a hole in my pocket.” Tony tapped his pants and realized they didn’t have any. “Or rather my bank account. In any case, I am in the position to pick up the financial slack you need to start developing beyond the needs of Quirk users. I’ll even supply some gadgets and machinery from Stark Industries to get started. Matter of fact, I like you, so I’ll gift it to you on good faith.” He gestured vaguely with one hand. “Think of it as ‘new reality’ warming gift.”
David stopped suddenly. One of the SHIELD agents almost bumped into him.
“You…you’re not serious?” he said.
“Oh, I’m perfectly serious.” Tony stopped as well. “This whole island is a technological wonderland, the Disney World of research and development. I’ve swooned at least seven times since we landed, and I want to be part of taking you guys to the next level.”
“Further beyond,” Melissa said with a wry grin.
Tony snapped his fingers and pointed at her. “Exactly.”
Several meters to his right, a woman fiddled with her twin gauntlets, which were made of some kind of yellowed material and protruding wires, while a few people with lab coats and clipboards stood at a distance. A target painted on a large concrete slab stood several yards away. The woman widened her stance, placed her wrists together, and pointed her open palms at the slab. She held that form for a few breaths. Nothing happened. Tony, David, and Melissa watched her while she fiddled with the gauntlets and tried again. The lab coats on the sides took notes.
“Your offer is…very tempting,” David said without turning his gaze. “But I’m still not sure. We’re not just developing support items. We’re also studying the nature of Quirks. Over four generations of Quirk users, and there’s still so much to learn…”
Tony side-eyed David. The man’s eyebrows were furrowed, and the shadow in his eyes told Stark that he wasn’t really looking at the research team.
Tony took off his sunglasses and turned to look David straight in the eye. “Look, I’m not saying quit the Quirk research entirely. That’s still important, regardless if it only applies to 30% of the world. What I am saying is that you have a lot of genius and skill packed on this island, and that could greatly benefit the other 70%. I didn’t come here just to make more money— though far be it from me to refuse it. I came here because, as hokey and cliché as it sounds, I want to make the world a better place. I have a dream for a bright and promising future.” He pointed the shades at David and Melissa. “And I believe you—and you, young lady—are that bright and promising future. The world has changed—is changing—and we need to change with it.”
Tony put the sunglasses back on. “But I can see you’re still undecided. Here, let me give you a demonstration.” Without waiting for a reply, Stark quickly strode over to the field team.
“Excuse me!” he called. “Hi. Yes, hi, I have a few questions…”
The SHIELD agents quickly hurried after him like they expected him to make trouble if he went too far. David and Melissa followed after them.
They approached to see Stark inspecting the gauntlets and setting his briefcase on the ground. “Yes, I see the issue….And you said the slab was six feet thick? Seven feet, perfect. Do you mind if I…?” The woman motioned for him to continue. Stark opened the steel briefcase.
“Mr. and little Miss Shield,” he said, strapping a red vambrace-like object to his right forearm. "Let me introduce you to the wonders of Stark Industries technology.” Tony pressed a button on the vambrace.
Something inside the suitcase whirred and clicked, then emitted a blue light. A dark metallic liquid rushed out of the briefcase, onto the feet of the woman with the arm cannon…and started to climb up her legs.
She yelped in surprise but held still. With a jolt, David realized that the liquid was actually thousands, if not millions of little metal disks the size of dimes moving like a swarm of beetles.
“Nanotech,” Stark explained. “Not as ‘nano’ as I’d like, but we’re still in the prototype phase.”
David and Melissa breathed in sharply. “That’s awesome!” she gasped.
The woman pulled a face as the nanobots crawled up her body and into the twin cannons, coating them in the same metallic sheen. Somewhat unsettling noises came from the gauntlets for a few moments, then a brrrring! from Stark’s vambraces.
Stark tapped a few buttons on the vambrace, then gave the thumbs up to the woman. “Try now.”
She nodded, nervous, then resumed her position. Everyone took an instinctive step back. The woman took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, then activated her Quirk.
A beam of white light exploded from her palms. A millisecond later, a loud thunderclap shook the park.
Everyone within earshot, except Stark and the woman, dove to the ground. When the light faded, the slab blackened and reduced to the world’s worst half-pipe.
The woman was too stunned to speak. The research team shakily rose to their feet and started applauding.
Tony frowned at his vambrace and tapped a few buttons on its smooth surface. “Still a little off on the calculations,” he murmured. “Maybe if I…”
“Incredible,” David shield breathed. “Absolutely incredible. And this works on anything?”
“That’s the plan,” Stark said, recalling the bots and putting the brace back in the suitcase. “Right now, it only works on mechanical devices, and we still have a lot of bugs to work out. But the possibilities are endless for this kind of tech. Construction, healthcare, prosthetics, security.”
He handed the suitcase to David. “And it’s yours. All I ask is you consider my offer.”
David eyed the briefcase for a moment. Melissa watched him, blue eyes sparking eagerly.
Then, with a small grin, David took the briefcase. “I’m not promising anything,” he said. “I still need to take this up with the island’s board. But with this…I think they won’t have any objections.” He stuck out his free hand.
Stark shook his hand and smiled. “Wonderful. I look forward to the amazing work we’ll do together.”