The Scientific Salon A Gathering of Geniuses
Jax arrived at Dr. Lily Chen's brownstone in Greenwich Village, the street quiet compared to the controlled chaos awaiting him inside.
The air was thick with the scent of old paper and ozone—the natural perfume of accelerated scientific research. He had dressed simply but impeccably: tailored Italian dark-gray wool jacket, a high-quality black t-shirt, and jeans that cost more than a small car. The look screamed "Trust Fund Billionaire who occasionally dabbles in existential threats."
But his real uniform was invisible. The Asgardian Mind-Cloak Noble Phantasm was fully active, wrapping him in a soft, persuasive field. This artifact didn't cast illusions, it merely amplified his inherent charisma and expertise, making every word he spoke sound like a fundamental truth universally acknowledged.
The apartment was packed. Whiteboards were covered in equations that looked less like physics and more like calligraphy.
Crumpled papers littered the floor, and a tense cluster of academics debated fiercely over lukewarm coffee and red wine.
Lily Chen was the gravitational center of the room. She was wearing a sleek, severe black dress that seemed to highlight her intense focus. Her eyes, usually obscured by glasses, were now wide and darting, filled with a burning mix of anxiety and intellectual anticipation.
She spotted Jax instantly, her professional composure dissolving.
"Jax! Thank the heavens, you're here!" she exclaimed, rushing forward and seizing his arm with unexpected strength. "The data… it's overwhelming them! They're demanding empirical evidence for the Tesseract pulse! They think the S.H.I.E.L.D. leak I showed them is a hoax! You have to talk to them about the Heimdall Bridge kinetic discharge, or I'll be blacklisted for delusion!"
"Calm yourself, Doctor," Jax said, his voice a low, soothing anchor, its effect subtly enhanced by the Mind-Cloak. He gently released her grip, projecting confidence. "Your theories aren't mad, Lily. They're just limited. You're working in a local physics module; I'm here to introduce the global network."
He walked toward the most crowded whiteboard, instantly commanding the room's silence.
The Multiverse Made Absolute
Jax picked up a dry-erase marker. He didn't introduce himself. He simply started talking, correcting errors in their fundamental assumptions about the universe. The atmosphere shifted instantly from skepticism to rapt attention.
"The core of your current failure," Jax began, his voice carrying the perfect, authoritative cadence, "is treating the Bifrost signatures as a simple, high-energy teleportation event. That is fundamentally incorrect. The Bifrost is a form of controlled dimensional shearing—it tears the fabric of space-time in a predictable manner, but the energy source is not entirely local."
He swiftly corrected a complex, multivariable equation, adding a term that instantly stabilized the whole structure.
"Your equations fail because you haven't accounted for the Super-Symmetry Breaking Force that powers Asgardian technology. But even that is secondary to the event that saved the J.D.E.M.F."
He paused, letting the silence build. He turned to face the stunned group of academics.
"The energy source that stabilized the Tesseract—the 'Anti-Magic' pulse—is not S.H.I.E.L.D. tech. It is a biological, self-sustaining energy I call 'Ki Flow.'"
Jax projected a small, contained field of pure, barely visible Ki around his hand, making the overhead lights hum faintly. The physicists instinctively recoiled, their instruments spiking wildly. This was undeniable, observable proof of a power that defied their reality.
"This energy," Jax continued, his voice resonating with power, "does not conform to your E=mc^2 rules because it doesn't originate in this universe. It draws its fuel, its immense, regenerative life force, from an infinitely compressed space: a 'Nexus Dimension.'"
He sketched a complex diagram: a central, shimmering sphere labeled 'Nexus,' with multiple filaments leading out to different bubbles. He drew one small bubble and labeled it 'MCU-616.'
"Every universe, every continuum, is connected here," Jax explained, tapping the Nexus sphere. "My power—the Ki Flow—allows me to interface with this Nexus. The Tesseract is a doorway; my energy is a lock and a key. And my intervention proved that the door is about to be forced open by a hostile entity."
The academics were in a state of suspended shock. Lily, however, was already scribbling furiously, her intellect overriding all fear.
"The Multiversal Constant! The stability vectors are correlating perfectly with his model!" Lily exclaimed, jumping up and pointing at the board. "He's not lying! He's just seeing the whole physics tree, and we only see the branch! Jax, this is revolutionary!"
[A.I.S. Harem Quest Progression: Intellectual Partnership Solidified.]
[Dr. Lily Chen's Relationship Status: Overwhelming Scientific Anchor (90% Intellectual Dependence / 10% Deep Personal Trust). New Quest Unlocked: Test the Ki Hypothesis (Progress: 35%).]
The Irresistible, Secretive Offer
The rest of the academics were politely ushered out, their brains overloaded with data that would take years to process. Lily and Jax were left alone amidst the wreckage of their theoretical breakthrough.
"I need your help, Jax," Lily stated, her scientific hunger now absolute. She didn't ask; she demanded. "I need you to be my research partner. You are the only person who can provide the missing variables. With your funding and your direct connection to the Nexus, we can secure this continuum."
Jax moved toward her, the Mind-Cloak focusing its persuasive energy directly on her. His gaze was protective, sincere, and utterly compelling.
"Lily, I am more than a partner; I'm a shield," he confessed, adopting a solemn tone. "I've seen the future. I know what's coming. I've given you the key to protecting this world, but the knowledge must remain hidden. The military—S.H.I.E.L.D.—will only attempt to weaponize it. That knowledge, Doctor, must belong only to us."
He reached out, his hand gently framing her face. "I am going to need you to analyze my energy, track the Nexus, and help me predict the next dimensional incursions. This is our burden, our secret, and our mission. It's an intellectual devotion that will save billions of lives."
Lily didn't hesitate. She felt the gravity of his words and the protective sincerity in his eyes. He wasn't just a benefactor; he was the reason her life's work finally made sense.
"I accept your terms, Jax," she vowed, her voice firm. "Our partnership is absolute. Our science is secret. Show me the next data set."
The Calculated Assault on Stark
As Jax stepped out of the brownstone, the A.I.S. flashed an alert. Tony Stark was calling his encrypted line—a line Jax knew he had compromised via an external satellite dish and a ridiculous amount of processing power.
"Incoming call, Mr. Ryder. Tony Stark is bypassing three levels of S.H.I.E.L.D. firewall to contact you. His mental state is currently oscillating between rage and intellectual panic," the AI noted with amusement.
"Hello, Tony," Jax answered calmly.
"Ryder! You absolute, unmitigated threat to my sanity! What in the nine hells did you send JARVIS? He's running a continuous optimization loop on my external tower grid based on a design for a 'Ki-Dampening Perimeter.' That's not a thing! The math requires variables that defy conventional physics!" Tony's voice was a high-speed torrent of frustration.
"It is a thing now, Tony," Jax replied, leaning against a lamp post. "I told you, I'm a cleaner. That perimeter is designed to prevent hostile dimensional entities—like the ones who almost took the Tesseract—from jumping straight into your tower. I'm providing an external firewall."
"And you know this is necessary because...?"
"Because you need better protection, Tony. You're building a tower in the middle of a nexus point. Loki is coming, and he's not coming through S.H.I.E.L.D.'s front door. He's coming through your ceiling. That perimeter will buy you valuable seconds."
Jax let the threat sink in, then delivered the final blow.
"I'm giving you the preliminary designs now, but I need you to trust the schematic. You have less than a month before the golden guy with the magic staff tries to make everyone kneel. Build the wall, Tony. And make sure JARVIS understands that the design is proprietary and non-shareable."
Jax hung up, leaving the genius billionaire with an existential threat and the key to solving it. He had successfully planted a critical, Saiyan-derived defense mechanism directly into the heart of the Avengers' future battleground.
The Final Decision
Jax looked up at the moon, feeling the immense power of his Super Saiyan control now fully integrated with his human persona. The three main pillars of his MCU strategy were secured:
* Janie Carter (Emotional Anchor): High Trust, stabilizing his Ki and rage.
* Dr. Lily Chen (Intellectual Anchor): Absolute Scientific Devotion, granting him access to research and predictive modeling.
* Tony Stark (Asset Protection): Subtly influenced, ensuring a strong line of defense for the upcoming crisis.
Loki was coming, and Jax was ready. He needed to make one final, crucial move to secure his operational authority.
"Mr. Ryder, the timeline indicates Loki's arrival is imminent. Your strategic readiness is at 95%," the AI stated. "The final tactical objective remains: Agent Maria Hill. She holds the keys to the entire S.H.I.E.L.D. network, giving you full operational control of the defense during the invasion."
Jax smiled, running a hand over the invisible Mind-Cloak. "If I'm going to run the world's defense, I need a direct line to the command structure. Agent Hill is the ultimate prize."
He pulled out his dedicated, encrypted flip phone, his eyes blazing with renewed focus.
"AI, initiate the highest-level security breach protocol. I'm taking the fight directly to S.H.I.E.L.D. Tell Maria Hill I want to meet on her home turf, and I'm bringing a gift that will make her betray her Director."