In the early morning, the winter sunlight crept through the gap in the curtains. Aetheris raised his hand in irritation to block it, but the rays still filtered through his fingers, landing on one of Betty's legs that peeked out from under the blanket.
Only at the peak of passion did Aetheris feel the world was truly real only then did he feel he wasn't so alone.
Though Betty kept her beautiful eyes tightly shut, the blush on her face and the faint tremble of her eyelashes betrayed her.
Later, the two enjoyed a quiet, affectionate lunch together.
"Today's my lucky day! Old Wolf's treating us to chicken! You call me and I don't pick up, so why are you bothering to call him?"
Suddenly, Aetheris's phone rang. It was the One-Eyed Dragon.
"Hello? What brings you to call, you big shot?"
At that moment, Aetheris looked every bit like an old-time feudal lord. Sitting on his lap was Betty Ross, daintily pinching off a piece of sandwich and feeding it to him.
Aetheris opened wide and devoured the bite in one go, even licking the cream from her fingers.
Feeling his warmth on her skin, Betty blushed but continued to feed him tenderly.
Fury's voice came through the phone.
"I heard your guy, Dr. Octavius, successfully developed controllable nuclear fusion?"
Aetheris signaled for Betty to pause, adjusted his position, and replied.
"You're really well-informed. I only wrapped up the experiment yesterday, it hasn't even entered production yet. Seriously, can I have a little privacy? Every time something happens, you hear about it immediately. It's kind of unsettling, don't you think?"
Director Fury chuckled.
"Come on, we go way back. I went through hell and back with your old man. What's yours is mine and what's mine is still mine. Besides, this isn't for me personally. I've got a major operation that hinges on your fusion tech. How about this, lend me Dr. Octavius for a while. Once we complete our side of the research, I'll send him right back. Sound fair?"
Aetheris frowned and answered flatly.
"You're really pushing it. Your relationship with my dad is your business, I didn't inherit that along with the estate. And don't forget, Octavius is my guy. The experiment just succeeded, and he's needed to lead a full series of developments and applications. If you take him now, who's going to continue my research? Do you have any idea how much money I'm losing every second?"
Director Fury sighed. He knew Aetheris wouldn't be easily swayed. But the project at hand was critical.
If not for what happened with Thor a few days ago, he wouldn't be this desperate. After all, he'd known about the existence of extraterrestrials for years, and S.H.I.E.L.D. had been quietly preparing.
But that preparation hadn't kept pace with reality. Asgardians treated Earth like a public toilet dropping in and out whenever they pleased, without so much as a warning.
Worse still, those aliens weren't exactly trustworthy. Thor had promised to return soon, but nearly a month had passed, and there was still no sign of him.
And then there was the Destructive One. The sheer firepower of that creature was terrifying. If it were just brute force, that would be manageable. But it was practically indestructible. Bullets, rifles, even heavy artillery none of it left a mark.
If such a monster were to appear in any major Earth city, the devastation would be catastrophic. Sure, Earth had Iron Man but who would foot the bill for the destruction? Ordinary civilians.
As the saying goes, when gods go to war, it's the mortals who bleed. It's thrilling to watch superheroes tear through cities in movies. But if they started fighting right in front of you, no one would be laughing.
And even more terrifying was that fifty-meter-tall giant that showed up at the end. Compared to it, the Destructive One was like an ant beside an elephant. Even a nuclear bomb might barely tickle that behemoth.
Ever since the night Aetheris transformed into Tiga, the One-Eyed Dragon hadn't slept properly. If it were just the Destructive One, he could still manage. But the combat prowess of that egg-shaped titan had left him completely at a loss.
So, faced with these escalating threats, the One-Eyed Dragon decided to activate the Sky Fortress Plan he'd once drawn up with Howard and Dr. Carter.
Currently, the airborne aircraft carrier was nearing completion. Its dual stealth radar, optical camouflage systems, and anti-gravity technology left the One-Eyed Dragon mostly satisfied except for one crucial issue: its power source was still nuclear.
And that wasn't good enough.
He had considered Iron Man's arc reactor, but it couldn't sustain long-term output. What he needed was a stable, lasting energy system.
This wasn't just any project. The Sky Fortress was designed to be S.H.I.E.L.D.'s long-range infiltration and global operations hub a mobile command base with no fixed borders.
The One-Eyed Dragon had high hopes for it. With this air fortress, S.H.I.E.L.D. could finally break free from the constraints of the world's five major powers and operate independently of the global coalition.
(End of Chapter)
Want to read the chapters in Advance? Join my Patreon
https://patreon.com/Glimmer09