"Rescue fee?"
Tony and Ethan exchanged glances, both turning to stare at Richard with expressions of confusion and growing wariness.
While money meant virtually nothing to someone with Richard's capabilities—he could literally transmute elements if he needed currency—that didn't affect his intention to collect payment for services rendered. He had no interest in working for free, regardless of how trivial the rescue had been from his perspective.
Even if saving Tony and Dr. Yinsen had been nothing more than a convenient detour, he fully intended to charge for his time and effort.
"No problem," Tony said with characteristic confidence, his businessman instincts kicking in despite the surreal circumstances. "How much do you want? Name your price."
Tony Stark was many things—genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist—but above all, he was pragmatic. Whatever amount Richard demanded, even if it ran into the hundreds of millions, would be manageable for someone with his resources. The Stark fortune could absorb almost any reasonable financial hit.
However, he was about to learn that he had drastically underestimated the nature of Richard's requested compensation.
"Two different models of Iron Man suits, each equipped with miniaturized arc reactors."
Richard's tone was casual, as if he were ordering coffee rather than requesting cutting-edge military technology that didn't even exist yet.
Tony's confident expression immediately shifted to one of suspicion and alarm. While he understood every individual word Richard had spoken, the combination was deeply unsettling. How could this stranger possibly know about the Iron Man suit concept—a project that existed only in Tony's mind and some rough sketches that he'd literally burned to ash less than an hour ago?
"How do you know about the Iron Man suit?" Tony demanded, his voice taking on a sharp edge. "And the miniaturized arc reactor technology?"
The specifications Richard had mentioned weren't public knowledge. Hell, they weren't even private knowledge yet—Tony had barely begun conceptualizing the armor designs that would eventually become his legacy.
"I'm a superhuman with various abilities," Richard replied with infuriating calm. "Precognition is among them, you could say."
He settled back into Tony's expensive leather chair as if he owned the place, projecting an aura of absolute confidence. "You don't need to deliver payment immediately. I have plenty of patience to wait for you to actually build what I'm requesting."
Tony fell silent, his brilliant mind racing through the implications. This wasn't just about money anymore—this was about technology that could revolutionize warfare, energy production, and human capability itself. The kind of technology that could either save the world or destroy it, depending on who controlled it.
After nearly thirty seconds of intense consideration, weighing risks against the reality of his situation, Tony finally spoke. "I can provide the suits you're asking for, but you have to promise not to leak the technology to anyone else. No reverse engineering for third parties, no selling blueprints to the highest bidder."
Richard's response was immediate and carried a note of subtle menace. "You're not in a position to demand guarantees from me about anything."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees as Richard's green eyes fixed on Tony with laser focus. "However, you can rest assured that I want your Iron Man technology purely for my personal collection. You don't need to worry about me selling arc reactor schematics to arms dealers or terrorist organizations."
Tony had built his fortune in the weapons industry—he understood better than most what would happen if Iron Man technology fell into the wrong hands. The suit represented a paradigm shift in personal warfare capability, while the arc reactor could revolutionize global energy production. Even his existing Jericho missile technology, primitive by comparison, could cause massive casualties if it ended up with the wrong buyers.
His time in that Afghan cave had shown him the true cost of his weapons manufacturing. He'd seen firsthand how his creations were being used to terrorize innocent people, and the experience had fundamentally changed his perspective on his legacy as an arms dealer.
After several more seconds of internal debate, Tony nodded grimly. "I'll deliver the Iron Man suits you want as soon as I can build them."
Richard simply nodded in acknowledgment, apparently satisfied with the arrangement.
Then, without any warning or explanation, he simply vanished—not in a flash of light or with any dramatic effects, but as if he had never been there at all.
Tony and Dr. Yinsen stared at the empty chair where their mysterious rescuer had been sitting just moments before, both men struggling to process everything that had just occurred.
After departing from Tony's cliff-side mansion, Richard didn't immediately seek out his next objective. Instead, he used his teleportation ability to appear on the rooftop of a downtown Los Angeles skyscraper, taking a moment to consider his next moves in this unfamiliar yet familiar universe.
The city sprawled out below him in all directions, a maze of concrete and steel that housed millions of people going about their daily lives, completely unaware that their reality had just become significantly more complicated with his arrival.
After a few minutes of contemplation, he summoned the Cosmic Cube and tore open a spatial gateway to New York City—specifically, to the front steps of the Sanctum Sanctorum in Greenwich Village.
Since this was the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Richard felt it would be prudent to introduce himself to the Ancient One before pursuing his primary objectives. While he vastly outclassed the Sorcerer Supreme in terms of raw power—he possessed four Infinity Stones to her one, plus multiple templates worth of superhuman abilities—it was better to establish diplomatic relations than to risk unnecessary conflict later.
The Ancient One might not be capable of stopping him, but she could certainly make his mission more complicated if she chose to interfere.
The spatial rift stabilized within seconds, revealing the familiar mystical architecture of the New York Sanctum. Richard stepped through the portal and found himself standing before the ornate wooden doors that protected one of Earth's most important magical strongholds.
Rather than simply barging in—which would have been both rude and potentially provocative—he raised his right hand and knocked politely on the door.
The response came quickly. The heavy doors swung open to reveal the Ancient One herself: a slight figure in bright yellow robes, her head completely bald and her ageless features marked by wisdom that spanned centuries. She held an ornate folding fan in one hand, and her dark eyes studied Richard with immediate interest.
"And you are?" she inquired, her voice carrying the slight accent that marked her as someone who had traveled extensively beyond the conventional world.
"My name is Richard," he replied honestly. "I'm from a parallel version of this universe, and I arrived here earlier today."
There was no point in attempting deception—the Ancient One would discover his interdimensional origins eventually anyway, possibly by consulting the Time Stone. Better to be forthright from the beginning and establish a foundation of mutual respect.
As expected, the Sorcerer Supreme's expression grew more serious upon hearing his explanation. One of her primary responsibilities was protecting Earth from threats originating in other dimensions or realities, making Richard's presence a matter of significant concern.
However, after studying him intently for several long seconds, she stepped aside and gestured for him to enter. "Please, come inside. We should discuss this properly."
The interior of the Sanctum was exactly as Richard remembered from the films—a blend of classical architecture and mystical artifacts that created an atmosphere of scholarly power. Ancient texts shared shelf space with objects that defied conventional physics, while magical energy hummed almost imperceptibly through the walls themselves.
The Ancient One led him to a comfortable sitting room where she prepared tea with practiced efficiency, her movements economical and precise. The beverage she offered was aromatic honey tea, its steam carrying hints of exotic spices that probably originated in dimensions most people couldn't even imagine.
"What brings you to our universe?" she asked once they were both seated, her tone conversational but alert.
"Personal business," Richard replied, accepting the teacup with a nod of thanks. "Nothing that should concern the mystical community."
He had no intention of revealing his true mission—collecting all six Infinity Stones would definitely qualify as the kind of universe-threatening activity that the Ancient One was sworn to prevent. Better to keep his cards close to his chest for now.
"If your business is personal in nature," the Ancient One continued, "why did you choose to visit me first?"
"Call it professional courtesy," Richard said after taking a sip of the excellent tea. "I wanted to introduce myself and establish that I have no intention of causing problems for Earth or its mystical defenders. Consider this a preemptive diplomatic contact to avoid misunderstandings later."
The Ancient One remained silent for several seconds, clearly weighing his words against whatever insights her mystical senses might be providing. When she finally spoke again, her tone carried a note of warning.
"You understand, of course, what the responsibilities of the Sorcerer Supreme entail."
"Perfectly," Richard assured her. "And you should understand that despite being from another universe, I'm still human. I have no interest in destroying Earth or harming its population. This planet may not be the one where I was born, but I'm not some cosmic destroyer looking to add another dead world to my collection."
The Ancient One studied him for a moment longer, then nodded slowly. Whatever her mystical senses told her about his intentions, she seemed satisfied that he posed no immediate threat to the planet.
Their conversation continued for several more minutes, touching on general topics related to interdimensional travel and the nature of the multiverse, but nothing that revealed Richard's true agenda. When he felt enough time had passed to satisfy diplomatic protocol, he politely excused himself and departed via teleportation.
He materialized in Central Park, choosing a bench at random where he could sit and observe the normal rhythms of human life in this version of New York. Families walked past with children, joggers followed the winding paths, and street vendors hawked everything from hot dogs to counterfeit designer handbags.
Before visiting the Sanctum, Richard had already formulated his strategy for collecting the Infinity Stones in this universe. The approach would be different from simply hunting them down immediately—instead, he would wait for key events in the timeline and acquire them as opportunities presented themselves.
The Space Stone and Mind Stone would become available during the Chitauri invasion of New York, when Loki's failed conquest attempt put both gems into play simultaneously. The Time Stone could be claimed after Doctor Strange completed his training and "negotiated" with Dormammu in the Dark Dimension. The Reality Stone would surface when Malekith and his Dark Elves emerged from their millennia-long slumber to attack London.
As for the Power Stone and Soul Stone, he wouldn't need to travel to Xandar or Vormir to collect them personally. Once he possessed the other four Infinity Stones, Thanos would inevitably come to him—the Mad Titan wouldn't be able to resist the opportunity to complete his collection and fulfill his twisted vision of universal balance.
This approach would take longer than simply gathering all the stones immediately, but Richard wasn't concerned about the timeline. The time dilation between this universe and his own reality meant that even if he spent the full ten years here, only about a month would pass in his home dimension. Nothing catastrophic would occur in Silver City during such a brief absence.
For now, he was content to sit on his park bench and watch the world go by, though his distinctive appearance continued to draw attention from passersby. While his clothing was unremarkable—casual pants and a simple shirt that wouldn't look out of place on any street corner—his hair was another matter entirely.
The silver-white locks that reached down to his calves were impossible to ignore, shimmering in the afternoon sunlight like spun metal. Even shortened from their usual length, they remained striking enough to make people do double-takes as they passed.
Richard had long since grown accustomed to such attention and paid it no mind.
After about fifteen minutes of people-watching, he stood up and teleported to an altitude of several thousand feet above the city. From this vantage point, he summoned the Cosmic Cube once again and opened a spatial gateway to his next destination: the small Eastern European nation of Sokovia.
Sokovia was bordered by Slovakia and the Czech Republic, a mountainous country with a struggling economy and a history of social unrest. While it might seem insignificant on the global stage, this modest nation held enormous importance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline.
Not only would it serve as the battleground for the climactic confrontation in the second Avengers film, but more importantly for Richard's current purposes, it was the birthplace of Wanda and Pietro Maximoff—better known to the world as Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.
In universes where mutants existed, the twins were the children of Magneto, powerful mutants in their own right with abilities that manifested naturally. But in the MCU, they were ordinary humans who would eventually gain their powers through Hydra experimentation using the Mind Stone, volunteers seeking the strength to avenge their parents' deaths in a Stark Industries missile attack.
According to his knowledge of the timeline, Wanda and Pietro hadn't yet awakened their abilities. They were likely still just orphaned siblings struggling to survive in a war-torn country, occasionally joining protesters in demonstrations against the government or foreign influences they blamed for their nation's troubles.
Richard had never visited Sokovia in his home universe—the country simply hadn't been relevant to any of his previous adventures. But that lack of familiarity didn't prevent him from opening a portal there now.
As soon as the spatial gateway stabilized, he flew through it and emerged in the skies above Sokovia's capital city. The urban landscape below showed clear signs of the economic hardship and political instability that plagued the nation—buildings in various states of disrepair, infrastructure that had seen better days, and an overall atmosphere of resignation that hung over the entire area like a cloud.
Before beginning his search for the Maximoff twins, Richard decided to make himself less conspicuous. He channeled magical energy to alter his appearance, shortening his distinctive silver hair to a more conventional length that wouldn't immediately mark him as extraordinary.
While the shorter style wasn't as striking as his usual flowing locks, it would help him avoid unwanted attention while he conducted his business in Sokovia.
After closing the spatial gateway and storing the Cosmic Cube back in his system space, Richard extended his telepathic abilities to begin searching for Wanda and Pietro. Since they hadn't yet awakened their supernatural abilities, their mental signatures were indistinguishable from those of ordinary humans, making direct detection challenging.
However, Richard had other methods at his disposal. Instead of searching for the twins directly, he began scanning the thoughts and memories of the local population, looking for anyone who knew about the distinctive siblings.
With their status as twins and their reputation among the local activist community, information about Wanda and Pietro wasn't difficult to find in the minds of their neighbors and acquaintances.
Within three minutes, Richard had located them.
He teleported directly into their modest apartment, materializing in their living space without warning or ceremony.
Wanda and Pietro were sharing a simple lunch at a small table, engaged in animated conversation about recent events. Specifically, they were discussing with obvious satisfaction the reported death of Tony Stark, the arms dealer whose weapons had destroyed their family and countless others.
It had been several months since Tony's kidnapping by the Ten Rings, and most of the world had concluded that the billionaire inventor was dead. For the Maximoff twins, this represented a form of cosmic justice—the man whose missiles had killed their parents had finally faced consequences for his actions.
Their celebration was interrupted when Richard appeared in their living room like a ghost materializing from thin air.
Both siblings immediately leaped to their feet, their chairs scraping against the floor as they assumed defensive postures. While they were young and had no formal combat training, life in war-torn Sokovia had taught them to be wary of unexpected visitors.
"I'm not here to harm you," Richard said calmly, raising his hands in a peaceful gesture. "I'm not a threat."
He studied the twins carefully, comparing them to his memories from the films. Wanda was exactly as he remembered—a young woman in her early twenties with distinctive features and an aura of barely contained intensity. Even without her powers, there was something magnetic about her presence.
Pietro appeared much as expected as well—a lean young man with messy silver hair and the restless energy of someone who had never learned to sit still for long.
"Let me introduce myself," Richard continued. "My name is Richard, and as you can see, I possess certain superhuman abilities."
Despite his reassuring words, both twins continued to regard him with suspicion and fear. The sudden appearance of a stranger with supernatural powers in their home was understandably alarming, regardless of his stated peaceful intentions.
Recognizing that conventional diplomacy might not be sufficient to establish trust, Richard made a calculated decision. He gently extended his telepathic abilities, taking subtle control of their motor functions while leaving their consciousness completely intact.
"Why don't we sit down and discuss this properly?" he suggested.
As he spoke, Wanda and Pietro found themselves moving against their will, their bodies guided back to their chairs despite their mental resistance. The experience was terrifying—they remained fully aware and could feel every sensation, but their limbs no longer obeyed their commands.
Fear and shock registered clearly on their faces as they realized the extent of Richard's capabilities.
"You should understand by now," Richard said as he took a seat across from them, "that if I wanted to hurt you, you would have no ability to resist whatsoever."
He maintained the telepathic control for a few more seconds to drive home his point, then released them completely. "So there's no need to treat me as an enemy. Frankly, you're not qualified to be my enemy in the first place."
The twins remained frozen in their seats even after regaining control of their bodies, the demonstration having made Richard's point with crystal clarity.
"What do you want from us?" Pietro demanded, his voice tight with barely controlled anger and fear. As the older sibling, he felt responsible for protecting his sister, even though he was completely outmatched.
"If I told you I was here to help you," Richard replied with complete sincerity, "would you believe me?"