The mid-morning sun glinted off the polished steel-and-glass façade of Oscorp Tower, its reflection spilling across the rows of pristine asphalt. Luxury sedans, corporate SUVs, and a smattering of high-performance sports cars gleamed in the main parking area. Nova stood there with Elara at his side, the faint hum of city traffic in the background.
Elara, tablet in hand, was brisk and efficient.
"I've prepared all the travel documents for Afghanistan," she reported without looking up. "And I've already contacted Miss Potts. I relayed your message word-for-word. She replied that Mr. Stark's bodyguard—Happy Hogan—will deliver the personal item you requested."
Nova gave a casual nod, hands in his pockets, as if organizing a high-risk international op was just another Tuesday for him.
The low purr of a high-end engine drew their attention. A glossy black Rolls-Royce Phantom rolled into the lot, sunlight running across its sleek contours. The driver's door opened, and a broad-shouldered man in a tailored suit stepped out—Happy Hogan, every inch the loyal, slightly overworked guardian of Tony Stark.
"Mr. Nova," Happy said with a polite smile as he crossed the distance, hand extended. "It's an honor to finally meet the man who developed the regeneration serum."
Nova returned the handshake firmly, his emerald eyes steady. "Glad to meet you too, Mr. Hogan. Did you bring what I asked for?"
"Yeah," Happy replied, retrieving a slim, reinforced case from the back seat. He hesitated before passing it over. "Can I ask… how exactly do you plan on finding Tony using his belongings? I mean, if that's even possible?"
Nova's lips curled into the kind of smile that said he knew far more than he intended to reveal. "I'm not going to give you the exact blueprint, but here's enough to work with—my mutant ability lets me alter reality as long as I understand the underlying logic and knowledge. Think of it like… rewriting the rules of the world, but only in areas where I know all the variables. I'll use that to track him, using a link from something that's been part of his life."
Happy blinked, clearly trying to wrap his head around it. He'd been around Stark long enough to know genius when he saw it—but this was something else. "Alright," he said slowly, "I don't pretend to understand it… but it sounds like your ability's more than a little overpowered."
He hesitated again, shifting the case under one arm. "Can I come with you? We could also pull together a team of trained fighters. If Tony's being held somewhere dangerous, the more muscle we bring—"
Nova shook his head before he could finish. "You can come," he allowed, "but no strike team. Rolling up with a squad just announces to the kidnappers that we're coming. The whole point is to hit before they even realize they're in trouble. No warning, no time to move Stark. And if things get messy, we've got the regeneration serum. Injuries won't slow us down."
Happy raised a brow. "And if it's more than just a few guys?"
Nova smirked faintly. "Then I remind you—I've got more combat power than your entire 'trained fighter' squad combined. No offense."
Happy let out a short, almost nervous chuckle. "None taken. Honestly, if you're half as capable as you say, I believe it."
Elara finally looked up from her tablet, her gaze flicking between the two men. "Mr. Osborn's jet's already being prepped. Once you've got what you need from that—" she nodded toward the black leather case in Happy's hand, "—we can be airborne within the hour."
Nova gave her a faint smile and shook his head. "No need for a jet or anything. We'll directly teleport to Afghanistan. Why waste hours flying when we can step there in seconds?"
Happy's brows climbed at the casual statement, but before he could voice anything, Nova raised his right hand. The air shimmered faintly around his palm, like heat haze rising from asphalt. Under the surprised gazes of Elara and Happy, a rusted, ancient-looking black sword shimmered into existence in his grip.
Its metal looked almost dead, matte and pitted with centuries of wear, yet the air around it seemed to recoil slightly, the faint sound of wind moving through a cavern echoing from nowhere.
"Is that…?" Happy started, but Nova didn't answer. He simply tilted the blade downward and sliced through the air in a single, deliberate motion.
The space before them didn't so much break as it yielded, parting open like fragile glass under pressure. The "cut" spread, edges lined with faint crimson light that twisted and churned. A deep hum filled the parking garage, followed by a sharp crack of displaced air.
On the other side of the widening tear, the world looked instantly different—no longer the clean concrete and shadow of Oscorp's garage, but an unbroken expanse of hot, shifting desert. The glare of the sun was blinding, heat rolling in like a physical wave. Sand danced in the dry wind, carrying the faint scent of dust and scorched earth.
Elara instinctively stepped closer, her sharp mind cataloguing every shift in the spatial boundary, every detail of the sword's strange effect. Harry—who'd been silent until now—tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowing at the weapon and the sheer wrongness in the air around the tear.
Nova rested the tip of the blade casually against the ground, his expression unreadable. "No need to pack things or anything," he said evenly. "Once we step through, things are going to move fast. We'll storm the base, kill the terrorists, and rescue Mr. Stark. So, Elara—no need for you to come with us. I alone am enough. Happy will go with me, just for Mr. Stark's sake."
Elara blinked, clearly ready to argue, but then her gaze drifted to the yawning tear in reality, the heat waves rolling out of it like the breath of some enormous furnace. She straightened her posture, nodded briskly, and said, "Understood."
Internally, she was already breathing a sigh of relief. Thank god I don't have to set foot in that furnace of a desert. My hair would be a nightmare, and sand gets everywhere. Her expression never betrayed the thought—calm, professional, unreadable.
Happy swallowed hard, still staring at the tear. The desert shimmered on the other side, vast and unforgiving. "You weren't kidding about… teleporting."
Nova's lips curved faintly. "I rarely do."
Without hesitation, Nova stepped into the tear, the swirling edges rippling around him. Happy followed closely behind, his boots kicking up a small swirl of dust as he crossed the threshold.
Almost instantly, the tear sealed shut, leaving Elara standing alone in the parking lot. After a moment, she glanced up and muttered to herself, "So… what now?"
Her tablet buzzed sharply in her hand. Checking the message from Nova, she saw the detailed list of tasks awaiting her—purchasing high-tech gear, securing military-grade equipment, and coordinating logistics.
A faint smile touched her lips. "Alright, then. Time to get to work."
After a brief pause, Elara glanced down at her tablet, which vibrated urgently in her hand. She opened it to find a message from Nova. It contained a detailed list of tasks: purchasing high-tech equipment, acquiring military-grade gear, and preparing for further operations.
She tapped a quick response, fingers moving efficiently over the screen. Though she wasn't coming along, her work was far from over.
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IMPORTANT NOTICE:- HELLO READERS, I HAVE DECIDED TO CHANGE THE POSTING SCHEDULE OF CHAPTERS BECUASE I AM GETTING BUSY WITH MY JOB, EXAMS AND OTHER THINGS. SO NEW SCHEDULE IS:-
→ MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, SATUDAY AND SUNDAY.
ALSO SOMETIME I WONT POST ON EITHER OF SATURDAY OR SUNDAY, BASED ON MY SCHEDULE.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT TILL NOW
→ REAPER00_007
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→ 30 REVIEWS= 3 BONUS CHAPTER's
→ 200 POWER STONES= 1 BONUS CHAPTER
→ 400 POWER STONES= 2 BONUS CHAPTER's
CURRENT PROGRESS:↓
– FIRST OBJECTIVE:- 23/30 REVIEWS
– SECOND OBJECTIVE- 13/200 P.S
– THIRD OBJECTIVE- /400 P.S
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CHAPTER:- [86 - INTRODUCTION'S] IS AVAILABLE ON MY P@TREON.