Unconsciously, the "storyteller" and the "listeners" had settled into their roles, one speaking, one absorbing, a moment of peculiar harmony in an otherwise hostile first contact.
Meanwhile, in another section of the complex, a flash of blue light signaled the activation of the teleportation platform, and Tony Stark appeared. He stepped onto his personal "Walk of Stars," where mechanical arms immediately reached out to detach and store his suit, piece by piece.
A moment later, Dr. Bruce Banner materialized beside him. Walking together toward the main command center, Banner spoke, his voice carrying a note of disbelief.
"It's incredible, Tony. They actually agreed to Natasha's updated request. An intelligence network is one thing, even one that's probably already compromised, but to hand over a significant volume of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s special items? They let those go?"
S.H.I.E.L.D. had a deep archive of classified objects, all cataloged under the code: 084.
Initially, when the Avengers Alliance was asked to take action, S.H.I.E.L.D. had only offered a single, shaky intelligence network in return, a deal Arthur had immediately shot down. After Natasha intervened and renegotiated, they had finally ceded a substantial number of 084 items.
For context, even something as powerful as Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, was initially labeled as an 084 in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s records when it first fell to Earth.
"They wouldn't give up anything truly critical, Bruce, that much is certain," Tony said, rubbing his exposed neck. "And these things are dangerous. Not just dangerous, they could bring major trouble down on us. So yes, 084s are tempting, but we need to approach them with the right amount of paranoia."
"That does not sound like you, Tony," Banner replied, his eyes widening slightly.
Tony Stark, sounding mature and cautious? Banner was genuinely surprised. He'd always expected Tony to get less mature with age, not more.
Tony paused, then sighed, a sound heavy with resignation.
"Maybe it's because I've been too influenced by a certain man lately… That guy doesn't seem to have the boundless, reckless enthusiasm he used to."
"Probably because the weight on his shoulders has changed," Banner suggested. "And wait, he actually agreed to your new plan? The one for the global broadcast?"
"With conditions, naturally," Tony smiled thinly. "But that's fine. At least now, everyone in the camp can rest a little easier knowing what's coming."
"Speaking of him, he's been back for quite some time now. Where is he?"
Banner quickly summoned the base's AI, Mark Series, to inquire.
The answer surprised them both: Arthur was meeting guests.
"Guests? What kind of guests would show up at Camp Lehigh?" Tony frowned, gesturing toward a screen console. "Can we get a live feed of the meeting? Broadcast it here?"
[Authorization Required. Please Wait.]
[Authorization Complete. Initiating Holographic Projection.]
The versatile AI went to work. Within moments, a shimmering, vivid screen unfolded in midair, projecting the scene from the meeting room. On the feed, Arthur looked strangely domestic, like a kind old man settled in for winter, gently telling a story.
Across from him sat the man and woman, utterly absorbed, listening intently. Tony and Banner exchanged puzzled glances, then shrugged.
"Are we recruiting new members?" Tony asked casually.
"Maybe… But I'm more curious where those two came from," Banner murmured, looking closely at their tense posture.
Tony watched the screen, his expression growing serious. After a while, when Arthur's monologue ended, he had Mark Series open a communication channel.
"What's the situation, Arthur?" Tony asked directly.
Arthur gave a small, distinct cough, a nonverbal signal Tony immediately recognized as: "Not the time."
With an annoyed sigh, Tony relented.
"Fine. We'll just keep watching, then."
The next moment on the projection showed the woman speaking, her voice clear:
"That's a beautiful story. But what does it have to do with us? Even if our powers did come from it…"
"Good question!" Tony clapped his hands in approval.
Banner rolled his eyes at Tony's commentary.
"Aside from Arthur, nobody else can hear you. But what caught my attention is what they said, their powers came from it. And Arthur was just talking about the Infinity Stones, wasn't he?"
"Two potential reserve members carrying residual Infinity Stone energy?" Tony leaned back, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "That actually does sound pretty damn interesting."
"Interesting or not, I'm sure they'll prove useful," Banner replied, standing up. "You keep watching. I'm heading to the lab to work on those formulas. We have a lot of big projects coming up, and I need to stretch my scientific muscles a bit."
"You've already stretched them plenty," Tony said with a smirk. "I think Arthur must be truly grateful he helped you back when you needed him most."
Banner paused near the door, a faint, genuine smile touching his lips.
"I guess that's just fate taking its course."
"Have you suddenly become a fatalist?"
"I've always believed in scientific causality."
"Who doesn't?"
After Banner left the room, Tony's gaze returned to the floating projection. His tone softened to a barely audible whisper, one only he could hear.
"But I don't know why… right now, I kind of wish their souls really did find peace in heaven. That way, maybe I could ask them what the hell I'm supposed to do next. But damn it all, turns out the only being in heaven who can actually be called a god… has a hammer and muscles for brains."
This was utter despair.
That was exactly the weight Tony felt crushing him at that moment, despair, exhaustion, and impossible responsibility.
Then Arthur's voice cut through the despair from the projection again:
"Where your power comes from isn't what matters, ultimately. What matters is what you choose to do with it. So tell me, what is it you want most?"
"To kill someone," the man replied, his voice dangerously cold. "Our parents died during a riot."
"Revenge?" Arthur asked, leaning forward slightly.
"Tony Stark!"
The woman's voice rang out suddenly, sharp and full of pain. Hearing his own name, Tony froze mid-motion.
"My parents died because of the weapons he built," she continued, her tone trembling with raw, restrained fury. "If it weren't for him… if it weren't for him, they'd still be alive!"
Tony stared blankly at the holographic feed, then down at his own hands, which suddenly felt very heavy. The projection flickered, and then, without warning, cut out completely.
He remained frozen for a long moment before raising his hands, pressing his fingers into his hair, closing his eyes, and taking a deep, heavy breath that didn't seem to help at all.
This damned life… always full of the most exquisitely cruel surprises.
Back in the meeting room, even Arthur hadn't expected this sudden, specific turn of events.
He had overlooked that detail: their past connection to Tony.
Normally, the distinction wouldn't have been a huge issue; Tony hadn't personally killed their parents; his older weapons designs had. But right now, Tony was in a particularly sensitive and fragile state of mind.
And hearing something like that, completely out of the blue… Arthur couldn't help but worry about the devastating toll it would take on his friend.
(End of Chapter)
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