Tony Stark's party sent ripples through every boardroom and government office that mattered. The announcement of a partnership between the legendary Stark Industries and the hot new Baymax Medical Technology basically put Aidan Parker on the map as someone you definitely didn't want to mess with. Politicians who'd been treating him like some kid with fancy toys suddenly started paying very serious attention.
Aidan couldn't care less about the politics. He and Yinsen dove headfirst into building their company from scratch, picking out a huge chunk of empty land upstate. No need for cafeterias or dorms—their workforce wasn't going to be human anyway.
It all started with one high-tech 3D printer in Aidan's lab. He used it to build the first construction robot, which helped him build a second one. Those two built four more. Within a week, he had a small army of sleek black and white robots, each loaded with all his engineering knowledge, building the very factory that would manufacture more of them. Yinsen watched the whole thing unfold on monitors from their temporary office, completely blown away by how fast everything was growing.
A month later, they had a massive 4,500-square-meter facility with those distinctive black and white walls rising out of what used to be wasteland. Some robots immediately started building Aidan's dream laboratory, while the rest reprogrammed themselves to set up assembly lines and began cranking out commercial Baymax units.
The whole operation was funded by crazy pre-order money from the Baymax movie and the booming profits from their fighting robot chip business, which had basically created a whole new global sport. But Aidan was already thinking way bigger. His next project—a space transportation device—needed materials so rare and restricted that only one person could get them without raising red flags. He sent a shopping list to Tony.
A couple months later, the world was still buzzing about Tony's "I am Iron Man" bombshell. His days were packed with adoring fans and suspicious government types. One afternoon, as he was leaving some tech expo, he found his car blocked by a tall blonde woman in a power suit that screamed "government business."
"Mr. Stark," she said with polite but unmistakable authority, "you've been summoned to appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee at 9 AM tomorrow." She handed some official-looking papers to a confused Happy. "And please bring Mr. Parker with you."
"Aidan?" Tony frowned, scanning the document. "Why do you want him?"
"He's been spotted with some kind of weaponized flight system. We've been trying to track him down, but he vanished somewhere in the Pacific a few days ago."
"Kid's got a talent for disappearing," Tony muttered, thinking about Afghanistan and now this. "How far to Washington?"
"About three hundred kilometers, sir."
Tony sighed and climbed into his sports car. "Tell them we'll be there."
The next day found them walking into the Senate chamber just as things were getting started. The room looked like something designed to make people feel small and intimidated—all dark wood and stern faces. Tony completely ignored the glares from the committee members and sat down casually, immediately starting to whisper jokes to Pepper.
"Mr. Stark!" Senator Stern barked, his face turning red. "Mr. Stark, could you please pay attention?"
Tony looked up with the expression of someone who'd just been interrupted during something way more interesting.
"Excuse me," Stern continued, trying to regain control. "Where is Mr. Parker?"
"Why are you asking me?" Tony shot back with a shrug.
"You two are close!"
"We're friends, sure, but not so close that I'd drag a kid into this... grand and majestic theater," Tony said, gesturing mockingly at the room. The message was crystal clear: you should be ashamed for even wanting to involve a child in this political circus.
"You both have dangerous weapons," Stern pressed.
"I don't," Tony lied smoothly. "And a kid having one? Come on, that's ridiculous."
"Iron Man is a weapon!" Stern declared, holding up a photo. "And so is this!" The image was blurry but clearly showed Aidan's face surrounded by massive silver-white mechanical wings, flying through the night sky.
"My creation isn't a weapon," Tony countered.
"Then how exactly would you describe it?" the Senator leaned forward aggressively.
"Before I answer that," Tony said with a growing smirk, "I should mention something. Those mechanical wings on the kid? Also my invention."
"What's your proof?"
"I don't need proof," Tony said simply. "They're mine. I decide what they are."
"...Fine," the Senator said, clearly frustrated. "Then what are they?"
"High-tech prosthetics," Tony announced with theatrical flair. Laughter rippled through the room.
"They are weapons," Stern insisted, his expression grim, "and such weapons must be handed over to the American people."
"Absolutely not," Tony said firmly. "I am Iron Man. The suit and I are one package deal. Handing over the suit means handing over myself, which is either slavery or something way worse depending on what you're planning. So, hard pass."
The hearing went downhill fast after that. They brought in Justin Hammer, who got completely humiliated when Tony hacked their screens and showed embarrassing footage of all Hammer's weapons blowing up spectacularly. Colonel Rhodey testified but got his words twisted by the committee. In the end, Tony not only protected his own interests but successfully kept Aidan out of government hands.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, Aidan was gliding through the mysterious underwater world in his Archangel suit, three hundred meters below the surface. The ocean floor was like an alien landscape, and while he had this weird fear of the crushing dark depths, the view up here—with sunlight streaming down like cathedral pillars through the blue water—was absolutely incredible.
He was house hunting, basically. Building his Hive under New York in a world full of heroes and villains who could level city blocks seemed like a terrible idea. He needed somewhere completely off the grid—a secret island base. In his suit's storage space, he carried half of the space transport device he'd built using Callaghan's research.
The adventure was exciting for about a week. Then the boredom hit hard. If it wasn't for Ruby, his AI companion, he probably would've gone completely nuts from the beautiful but lonely silence of the ocean. After who knows how long, he caught a random fish, cooked it instantly with his palm repulsors, and ate while staring at the endless horizon.
Then he saw it. A dark spot in the distance.
"Ruby," he said, excitement crackling in his voice. "Full scan, straight ahead. Look for land!"
"Processing," Ruby's voice replied in his ear. A moment later: "Island detected. Approximately 230,000 square kilometers, 1,562 meters ahead. Displaying image."
A holographic map appeared, showing a cluster of islands around a huge extinct volcano. The whole place was covered in lush, ancient forest. The volcanic soil would be incredibly fertile and mineral-rich. It was absolutely perfect.
"After all this searching," he breathed, grinning widely. "Finally."
He flew over the pristine wilderness. "Ruby, scan the entire island. Check for all life forms."
"Scanning..."
He took a tour of his potential new home. The central volcano was massive. A beautiful lake stretched to the west. Mountain ranges rolled across the east. The southern edge dropped off in dramatic cliffs.
"Life detected," Ruby reported. "Analysis complete. No human signatures found."
"Find me the best spot to build."
The 3D map reappeared with a red marker on a flat area in the northwest, right where the lake met the gentler mountains. "Location recorded. Please name this territory."
Aidan looked down at the untouched paradise that would become the heart of his empire. His eyes sparkled with dreams and ambition.
"Apex Island," he declared.
He landed on the marked spot and pulled out the other half of his space device. The thing was made from some otherworldly metal that seemed to shift and flow even when solid. He placed both pieces on the ground, and they snapped together magnetically, forming a large three-ringed circle that hummed with deep, resonant energy.
Time to flip the switch.
The air inside the rings started shimmering like heat waves. Then, with a sound like reality cracking, a stable swirling portal of turquoise and violet light opened up in front of him.
His personal doorway between worlds was officially open for business.