BAXTER BUILDING
THIRD PERSON POV
(Same time when Susan brokeup with Doom)
Alex who was already present inside the Baxter Building, waiting for the Fantastic Four to return from Latveria. He had two important tasks to deal with—first, solving Ben's problem, and second, something more personal to him.
A portal suddenly emerged from thin air right in front of Alex, who was sitting on the sofa with both arms crossed. As soon as the portal fully opened, five figures stepped out of it.
Reed, who had been eagerly waiting to finally have some personal space so he could discuss with Aethereon about new matters—including the Negative Zone— he froze the moment he saw Alex standing in front of him.
This was the same man who had the power to pull out all his investments and sue him for breach of contract. After all, the contract had a very specific clause: no research involving the Negative Zone until the year 2000.
And now, the person behind that clause was standing right in front of him. Reed's words got stuck in his throat.
"You saw how I handled those demons, Ben. If Aethereon hadn't shown up, I could've managed it all by myself," Johnny bragged.
"Yeah, just like that robot which almost kamikazed itself on you," Ben grumbled back.
Johnny stiffened,but he ever the troll, smirked. "Yeah, same way you wrestled that bot like Mowgli and shouted 'It's clobbering time!'" He imitated Ben's tone mockingly.
Ben let out a low groan, but then stopped short—because they all noticed someone standing there. Susan, already in a foul mood, turned late but also saw Alex. Aethereon, too, had his gaze fixed on Alex.
The portal behind them closed. Johnny, walking ahead, confronted Alex directly.
"Why are you here? You just pop up every time we go out and save the world. Might as well we change the password."
"This building belongs to me," Alex replied, without even glancing at Johnny.
Johnny stiffened again as if everyone can roast him now.
"And besides… I'm here for him." Alex pointed his finger past Reed, Susan, and Johnny—toward Aethereon.
"For Aethereon? But why?" Reed asked, suspicion in his tone. He still didn't fully trust Alex—their relationship has always been strictly professional, but he is also grateful to Alex for what he had done for them after they survived a cosmic blast.
"Not him," Alex shook his head. "The one behind him."
"Me," Ben said, pointing to himself,as if thinking what Alex want from him.
"Yes. I want to ask you something. If by some chance you had the opportunity to regain your former appearance, would you take it? Or… would you stay and help your team without taking that chance? Because if you do change back, you need to think carefully. I don't think your team will be leaving this profession anytime soon."
Reed considered Alex's words carefully. Susan and Johnny also turned their eyes toward Ben, waiting for his answer.
"I… I…" Ben muttered, uncertain. His thoughts drifted to Alicia—the girl he had met two weeks ago after the bridge incident. If Alex had asked him this same question back then, his answer would have been instant: YES, he would take the chance to turn back.
But now… things were different. Not only did his team rely on him, but countless people also cheered for him. Sure, some still got scared at first sight of him, but many genuinely felt safe and grateful because he had saved them in different scenerios.
Ben's voice came out rough, almost breaking.
"I… I don't know," he muttered with great difficulty.
Hearing those words, the rest of the Fantastic Four couldn't help but smile warmly. One by one, they walked up to Ben and pulled him into a tight hug.
Johnny was the first to let go, rubbing his cheek with a mock grimace.
"Man, your texture's too rough," he joked, earning a chuckle from the others.
Reed and Susan finally released Ben as well, still smiling with relief.
"If I don't turn back to the way I was before," Ben said slowly, massaging his stone-like hand, "half the credit goes to Johnny. I'm not letting him off the hook anytime soon."
The group laughed lightly, and then Alex, who had been silently watching their little moment, stepped forward. He also smiled.
"I like the bond between your team," Alex said, his tone both calm and confident. "But I've created something for Ben. Something that will let him live two lives—one as a member of this team, and the other as his own person."
From his sleek black briefcase, Alex pulled out a peculiar device. It looked like a bracelet, attached to a square-shaped component that seemed empty at the center. The light from the lab reflected off its metallic surface, giving it an almost mystical glow.
Everyone's attention sharpened instantly.
Alex continued, explaining the functions of the bracelet in detail. When the Fantastic Four realized what it could do, their eyes widened in shock. This device would allow Ben to shift between his rocky Thing form and his human form at will.
The bracelet wasn't ordinary. It resembled the one Boruto had worn during the Chūnin Exams, though far more advanced. Miniature scrolls were embedded within it—each one storing chakra, functioning as an energy battery.
Another scroll contained powerful mantras tied to BODY and DNA manipulation. These were coded in such a way that they adapted automatically to the baseline of an average human body.
It sounded simple, but in truth, this was far from easy.
Without the knowledge he had inherited from Minato Namikaze, Alex would never have been able to design something like this.
The Uzumaki clan's complex sealing techniques formed the very backbone of the bracelet's mechanism. Each miniature chakra scroll acted as an energy medium, interconnected with the scrolls of body and DNA manipulation.
Without this stored chakra, the bracelet would've drawn directly from Ben's life force to fuel the transformation—something that would have killed him with prolonged use. The chakra storage eliminated that danger.
And Alex had gone one step further.
He layered the device with multiple sealing barriers to prevent tampering. Only Ben could use it. If anyone tried to research or dismantle it, the bracelet would self-destruct instantly. Alex knew well enough that there were always curious minds eager to pry into forbidden knowledge.
Sure enough, Reed's eyes were already sparkling with scientific curiosity.
"Ah… Alex," Reed began carefully, "can I study this? If I can reverse-engineer the mechanics, we could make it more efficient. That way, Ben wouldn't have to rely on you or on what you call… a 'battery' to keep it powered."
Alex's gaze hardened, his tone firm as steel.
"No, Reed. You can't. And even if you try, the bracelet will destroy itself. I'm warning you." His eyes locked on Reed with a seriousness that silenced the room. "The 'battery'—as I called it—must be replaced every year. That's the miniature energy scroll I built into it. And only I can provide it."
When he had explained the device earlier, Alex had carefully chosen his words. He had deliberately called it a "special energy," never once revealing its true origin as chakra.
Some things were too dangerous to expose.
"And that energy," Alex added casually, glancing toward Aethereon, "-isn't mine alone to control. You'll need to ask him. He's the only one who can supply it."
Reed froze. His brows furrowed in confusion.
"Wait… you know Aethereon?"
"Well he is a friend from work"Alex said with a shrug
"Oh....your friend from 'work' is really strong I may say" Johnny as he get up to drink something from the kitchen.
"Of course," Alex replied, almost impatiently. He turned toward the armored figure. "Bring the Arc-Cube. Hand it over—I'll take it from here."
Without hesitation, Aethereon conjured the cube into existence, producing it from thin air like it had always been hidden within him. He placed it into the empty square slot of Alex's briefcase. The case clicked shut, the deal complete.
Alex turned back to Ben, his expression softening.
"Okay. My job here is done. Ben, I promised I'd solve your problem—and I have."
Ben, who had been standing in stunned silence, suddenly surged forward. For the first time in a month which felt like an eternity, hope flickered inside him. He could finally imagine living normally again, maybe even with Alicia. Swept up in emotion, he lifted Alex off the ground like a child and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you… thank you!" His gravelly voice cracked as he held the boy close.
Alex wriggled slightly in Ben's stony embrace and muttered dryly, "Well, the texture is definitely rough…"
That broke the tension, and the room filled with quiet chuckles.
"Well, I'll be seeing you," Alex said at last, stepping back and preparing to leave.
Aethereon's eyes from the v shaped blue energy slot on his mask followed Alex as he walked away. Once the boy was gone, Aethereon slowly turned back to the Fantastic Four, who were still glowing with happiness for Ben.
He thought 'All according to keikaku'.
They didn't realize that the Alex they had spoken to this whole time was not the real one, but a perman clone—Auron.
Why go through the trouble of conversing with a clone? Because Aethereon needed Alex's "other self" to have a presence in front of Earth's heroes. He wanted Alex to be recognized, to have a voice when the time came, without exposing his true identity until he does.
It was about preparation. About connection.
Even now, Aethereon didn't know everything. If the Ancient One hadn't intervened during the Latveria incident, there would have been consequences.
Not that the portal or Doom were beyond her ability to handle—she could have easily erased those threats. But as she warned, Doom's descent into evil was a problem that could not be avoided, but he was able to do so but before him acting he need to know what is going on.
And Doom… Aethereon wasn't sure what he was plotting now. Perhaps his focus had shifted to Mephisto. That alone was good.
There were many reason for him to play this drama
First,he need to establish a relationship between fantastic four and SHIELD in three way and Alex acting in middle part,if both F4 and SHIELD encounter something more absurd like the same situation of Doom they will contact Alex for support from Aethereon being this they won't suspect him being Alex himself.
Second,It might bring his Alex persona a good trust between him and Earth heroes as if he approached other heroes they might not think him as exploiting business man.
Third,I need my identity to be hidden until I eliminate some fuckers like norman osborn.
Fourth, it will also increase his Alex persona as say in things regarding the matter which might act between them to stop the fuse of civil war things like hero registration act.
Fifth,I need to eliminate prejudice against mutants
This is all I have thought before this drama As for people attacking my original identify and people close to me I have already built nano bots monitoring Mr Anish who is only weak among the family as for shinobu she is always with me or Cara, if any danger befall Mr Anish would transport back to system space with help of nano bot.
As for Cara who also goes outside often her main core is inside System space so no one can touch her.
The Fantastic Four, basking in relief, invited Aethereon to stay. They wanted to celebrate Ben's restored hope with a small party. But Aethereon declined.
Reed, still restless, couldn't resist.
"Tell me, Aethereon," he asked, his voice carrying the weight of curiosity, "that cube Alex brought… was it your creation? Or his?"
He was desperate to know. The technology embedded in the cube was beyond anything he had ever seen. If Doom and he both had been fascinated by it, then the mind behind it was no ordinary genius.
Every man want to be good in something and if they are the best in that they will form a ego or pride and nature of competition to their rivals in that field. Reed who claim to be smartest man is not different either he also compete with Tony Stark or Dr.Doom or the past figure like Howard Stark, Hank Pym and Zola and now also Alex, Reed also think highly of Alex just being in the middle school
He has various patents under his name.
Like Unstable molecule, various plasma tech theory and tech, Touch panel, Smartphone and many more but Reed still thought he was ahead of Alex but after seeing that Arc cube or those Stabilizer equipment use on to close portals whoever behind these invention was far ahead in scientific knowledge than him.
Aethereon's reply was sharp.
"No. Neither Alex nor I had anything to do with creating it. It was Cara—Alex's assistant. She built it." His voice swelled with pride.
"A… a woman?" Reed's words slipped out before he could stop them. His face fell almost immediately, the weight of his own bias betraying him.
Susan's eyes narrowed sharply.
"Is there a problem with that, Reed? A woman made it—so what?" Her voice carried a dangerous edge. Her patience was already worn thin. Between the battles, her recent emotional struggles, and Reed's constant detachment, this was the last straw.
"No, no!" Reed stammered, waving his hands frantically. "I didn't mean—"
Aethereon cut him off coldly.
"Mind your words, Mr. Fantastic. The first person to win two Nobel Prizes in science—two different subjects, no less—was a woman. Remember that." His tone was sharp as a blade.
Then, almost dismissively, he added, "And if those 'boss-and-employee' duo come to you with the thing called Avengers Initiative, tell them I am not interested."
With that, he vanished into thin air.
The silence was broken by Johnny, who casually announced, "Pizza's on the way."
But before they could relax, the main comms line rang out—a priority signal.
Reed frowned feeling Deja vu, Only three people had that number: Alex, Coulson, and Bruce Banner. Alex had just left, and Bruce was deep in a military-locked lab project. He wouldn't emerge for atleas 3 years.
Reed picked up, expecting Coulson's voice. Instead, the screen flickered to reveal a man with a hardened face and a single eye, staring at them as if they'd just abducted his family.
"Where is Aethereon?" the man demanded.
"First, tell us who you are," Reed shot back, already guessing from the voice.
The man leaned forward, his tone flat, his expression unyielding.
"I am Nicholas Fury. Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Now… tell me where he is."
Susan stepped in. "We don't know. He left after finishing here. His last words were that he wasn't interested in your… Avengers Initiative."
Fury didn't flinch. He kept his poker face steady. But in the privacy of his own mind, only one thought roared like thunder
Sweet motherfucker
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AUTHOR NOTE - Sorry for the delayed update but the thing is 21st sept(which was yesterday) and 25thsept and 3rd oct are my exam date so the next chapter will be updated on October now either 1st oct or 5th Oct
Also this chapter is only 2500 words I could have wrote more but i really need some personal space too hope you don't mind story will go on don't worry you all