The villa on Long Island was quiet when Ethan Blake opened the box that had just been handed to him. The man delivering it—S.H.I.E.L.D.'s one-eyed director—watched silently while Ethan inspected the contents. Inside were three cylindrical metal rods. Ethan picked one up and weighed it in his hand, feeling the surprising heaviness. Each rod weighed close to ten kilograms, dense and cold in his grip.
"I figured you'd send Phil Coulson to deliver this," Ethan said casually while examining the metal. "Didn't expect the director himself to show up."
Nick Fury ignored the comment and moved straight to what clearly mattered to him. His voice dropped low, serious and probing. "Asgard is supposed to be the realm of the Aesir in Norse mythology. Does it actually exist? Does Odin exist too? And what about Kamar-Taj? How would someone even find a place like that?"
Ethan gave him a sideways glance and smirked faintly. "Didn't I already tell you? Sometimes knowing too much isn't a good thing." His tone carried the relaxed confidence of someone who understood far more than he was willing to say.
He leaned back slightly and continued in an almost teasing manner. "Even if I told you everything, what would you do with the information? You think you could just drive there? Asgard isn't even on Earth. If you want to reach it, you'd have to go through the Bifrost." He paused briefly before adding, "As for Kamar-Taj, there's a sacred place hidden somewhere in New York. You're welcome to try finding it yourself."
Nick Fury's expression darkened, but he continued with another question. "Last one. Earlier you said we're all like a sieve. What exactly did you mean by that?"
Ethan blinked and instantly adopted an innocent look. "Hey, did I say that?" he replied, pretending not to remember.
Fury's face turned an even deeper shade of irritation. The look alone made it clear he didn't appreciate being toyed with. Watching the reaction, Ethan thought about the situation for a moment and decided it might not be wise to strain their relationship too much. After all, maintaining a workable connection with S.H.I.E.L.D. could prove useful in the future.
"I'll give you one piece of advice," Ethan finally said, his tone becoming slightly more serious. "There's a major problem inside S.H.I.E.L.D." He paused, then casually added another bombshell. "Oh, and one more thing. Captain America isn't dead. He's frozen somewhere in the Arctic."
Even if Ethan kept that information to himself, S.H.I.E.L.D. would eventually discover it anyway. Sharing it now might as well earn him some goodwill.
Nick Fury said nothing in response. He simply gave Ethan one long, unreadable look before turning around and leaving without another word.
…
After Fury departed, Ethan turned his attention to the three metal rods lying in front of him. Together they totaled thirty kilograms of vibranium. The reason he had specifically requested vibranium for the exchange wasn't random at all.
With its incredible ability to absorb kinetic energy, vibranium was perfect for defensive equipment. Armor, protective gear, shields—anything meant to keep someone alive could benefit from it.
Ethan himself possessed plenty of ways to survive dangerous situations. Even if he was attacked unexpectedly, he had numerous methods to escape or defend himself. But Wanda and Pietro were different. They didn't have the same safety nets.
If he wanted to protect them properly, the best solution would be something lightweight and convenient.
The most ideal option would obviously be nano armor.
Compact, easy to carry, and capable of deploying instantly—it would be perfect. Unfortunately, there was one massive problem.
Tony Stark wouldn't invent nano armor for another ten years.
Even if Ethan tried interfering with events to accelerate development, there was simply no way to leapfrog technological progress that quickly. Six or seven years might be possible with enough pressure and research, but a decade's worth of breakthroughs couldn't be forced overnight. The technological limitations of the era were still a wall that couldn't be casually ignored.
Unless Tony completely abandoned everything else and focused solely on nanotechnology research, there was no chance of rapid progress.
And that scenario was even less realistic.
Right now Tony was fully immersed in his new identity as Iron Man. He was busy saving the world, chasing threats, and throwing himself into the role of superhero with reckless enthusiasm.
Still, Ethan couldn't just sit around waiting ten years before making use of the vibranium.
He spent a long time thinking through possible solutions but couldn't come up with anything particularly satisfying.
Eventually he reached a simple conclusion.
If he didn't know what to do with advanced materials, he could just ask the person who did.
Tony Stark.
After all, Stark was the top expert in exactly this kind of technology. Besides, Ethan had also saved Tony's life not long ago. Thinking back, Tony had even promised him a meal in return.
But weeks had already passed since that promise.
Would Tony actually remember?
The more Ethan thought about it, the more suspicious he became. Tony Stark didn't exactly have a reputation for keeping track of small favors. Ethan suddenly had a strong feeling the billionaire might try to pretend the debt never existed.
That thought alone was enough to push him into action.
He decided to go collect immediately.
As for calling ahead first?
That would require having Tony's phone number.
Ethan didn't.
…
Ethan lived in New York on the east coast of the United States, while Tony Stark lived all the way in Los Angeles on the west coast. The time difference between the two cities was four hours.
At the moment, evening was settling over New York, but in Los Angeles the night sky was already filled with stars.
Using Captain Jack's compass, Ethan navigated straight to Tony's mansion perched above Malibu Beach. The device pointed the way without hesitation, leading him directly to the villa's front entrance.
He rang the doorbell.
No response.
After waiting a moment, Ethan frowned and released a wave of observation through the building using his heightened perception.
Almost immediately, he sensed something alarming.
Inside the villa, a human presence was weakening rapidly. The life force was fading fast—so fast that if it continued at the same rate, the person would probably die within five minutes.
Thinking about it, Ethan quickly realized what moment this likely was.
This was probably the scene where Obadiah Stane stole Tony's arc reactor.
However, Ethan's presence might have altered the timeline slightly. If Tony ended up installing the backup reactor even a minute or two later than in the original sequence, the result might be fatal.
With that thought, Ethan stopped hesitating.
Psychokinetic force slammed the front door open and he rushed inside.
"Illegal intrusion detected. Please leave immediately…" J.A.R.V.I.S.'s automated warning echoed through the house.
Ethan ignored it completely and moved straight toward the living room.
There he saw Tony Stark lying on the floor. His face was pale and drenched with sweat as he struggled to crawl across the carpet. Every movement looked painfully slow, as if his body were losing strength by the second.
Ethan lifted a hand.
Tony's body immediately floated off the ground under the grip of telekinesis.
At that moment Tony finally saw who had entered the room. Surprise flashed across his exhausted face as he struggled to speak.
"Chu… basement… reactor…"
"Got it," Ethan replied calmly.
Without wasting another second, he dragged Tony along with his psychokinesis and headed downstairs. Inside the basement laboratory, he quickly located the old arc reactor Tony had previously removed.
Guiding the device into place with telekinetic precision, Ethan installed it into Tony's chest.
Tony's body suddenly went rigid.
For several seconds nothing happened. Then after roughly half a minute, color slowly returned to his face as the reactor began powering his heart again.
Tony inhaled sharply and pushed himself upright.
Looking at Ethan, he smiled with obvious relief. "Hey man… you saved me again. Thanks." Then he turned his head slightly and spoke aloud. "J.A.R.V.I.S., prepare Mark III."
"Yes, sir."
Mechanical arms descended from the ceiling as Tony stepped into position. One by one, sleek metallic components began assembling themselves onto his body.
Watching the process, Ethan couldn't help admiring the engineering. The pieces locked together with precise movements, forming the iconic red and gold armor. The entire sequence radiated cutting-edge technology.
"Ethan," Tony said while the suit continued assembling around him, "did you need something from me?"
"You forgot that you owe me," Ethan replied flatly.
Tony blinked. "I owe you? Since when?"
"Don't tell me you forgot about the six burgers and three large Cokes you ate," Ethan said, giving him a suspicious look as if he had already anticipated this outcome.
Tony paused, thinking.
"Oh… right." Recognition slowly dawned on his face. "Wait, you came all the way here to collect that debt?!"
It was probably the first time in Tony Stark's life that someone had shown up personally to collect payment from him.
"If not, why would I be here?" Ethan said confidently. Then after a short pause he added, "Well… there is something else I want to ask you to help with."
"Sure, no problem."
Tony agreed without even asking what the request was.
At that moment the final pieces of the Mark III armor snapped into place.
"Give me a minute," Tony said. "I've got some personal business to deal with first. Then we'll talk about your request."
"Need help?" Ethan asked.
"No."
The next instant, Iron Man blasted through the ceiling and shot into the night sky.
"Iron Man versus the Iron Monger," Ethan murmured to himself while watching the armor vanish into the distance. "I wonder how much summoning energy Obadiah will give me."
After thinking briefly, Ethan teleported away and disappeared.
Moments after he left, James Rhodes arrived at the villa. Standing inside the empty house, he looked around in confusion.
....
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