The roar of Tony's private jet faded into the endless blue of the Malibu sky. It sounded less like a powerful engine and more like a cruel, accelerating clock counting down to a nightmare.
Alex stood on the pristine tarmac of the private hangar, breathing in the stale smell of jet fuel and his own failure. He'd tried the logical approach—the technical warning, the calculated lie—and it had bounced right off the impenetrable shield of Tony Stark's ego.
I just watched him fly to his own kidnapping.
A tremor ran through his hands. He was alive, yes, but he had failed the first, simple objective. The terror of the cave still loomed, replaced now by the cold certainty of what was coming: the news reports, the search, the realization that the world—his new, fragile world—was about to shift violently.
Happy Hogan, still breathing heavily from restraining the "troublesome rich kid," gave Alex one final, disgusted look. "Get out of the hangar, Alex. Before I actually send you to Switzerland."
Alex ignored him. He was listening to a voice that Happy, or anyone else, could never hear. The digitized, emotionless voice of his unwanted companion.
[Mission Outcome: FAILURE. Primary Objective (Prevent Kidnapping) Failed. Secondary Objective (Proactive Action) Achieved.]
[Penalty Mitigated. Host is NOT scheduled for immediate removal.]
The wave of relief that crashed over Alex was so intense it almost buckled his knees. He wasn't instantly vaporized. He wasn't being dragged into the cave. He had earned a reprieve.
But a reprieve didn't equal safety.
[Timeline Locked: MCU 616-B Trajectory Confirmed. Host must now utilize rewards to survive the inevitable chaos.]
"Chaos," Alex mumbled, kicking at a stray pebble. "That's one way to put 'global terrorist attack followed by superhero battles'."
Then, the true payoff of his terrified scramble on the jet's nose hit him.
[REWARD: Engineering Proficiency Lv. 5 UNLOCKED.]
It wasn't a notification; it was an invasion. A dizzying, instantaneous upload of knowledge that bypassed his memory and went straight into his intuition. It felt like someone had forcibly downloaded a decade's worth of advanced degrees in electrical engineering, physics, and materials science directly into his frontal lobe.
He suddenly understood the subtle humming of the hangar lights, the stress points in the steel trusses above, and the optimal combustion ratio of jet fuel. The world was stripped of its mystery, laid bare as interlocking, solvable systems.
He looked down at his hands. He saw not pale skin, but a pair of highly tuned instruments ready to manipulate circuits and flux capacitors. It was terrifyingly beautiful.
"My God," he breathed, the realization almost too much to process. "I can actually do this."
[REWARD: Arc Reactor Blueprint (Mark I Prototype) UNLOCKED.]
A clean, ethereal schematic overlaid his vision. It was the blueprint for the very device that would save Tony Stark's life—the palladium-powered heart of Iron Man Mark I. He knew the precise chemical composition of the palladium alloy needed, the geometry of the superconducting magnets, and the exact resistance of the containment field.
It was no longer theoretical knowledge from a movie; it was his design.
The Burden of Foresight
Alex slowly walked out of the hangar's intense light and back toward the familiar, suffocating opulence of the mansion. The silence of the house, now empty of Tony's boisterous energy, felt heavy and anticipatory.
He found a secluded corner in the massive, echoing library. He needed to talk to the System, to understand the new rules of his existence.
System. Why did you give me the rewards if I failed the mission? he projected the thought, hoping the internal voice would respond.
[The Primary Objective was not the prevention of the kidnapping, but the demonstration of intent and capability. Tony Stark's initial trajectory is non-negotiable for the stabilization of MCU 616-B. The Host's successful attempt at sabotage demonstrated the logical application of future knowledge, mitigating the penalty.]
"So, I get rewarded for almost grounding the plane, even though it still took off?"
[Correct. The System requires a proactive host, not a passive bystander. The current task is survival and asset creation.]
Asset creation. You mean the Arc Reactor.
[Affirmative. The Host now has 4-6 weeks to build the power source and protective measures required to survive the inevitable fallout of the Iron Man I incident, including the immediate threat of Obadiah Stane.]
The timeline was the key. He had four to six weeks. That was the gap between Tony's capture and his heroic return. That was his window to transform from the Forgotten Stark into... something else.
He ran a hand over his face. He wasn't a hero. He was just a guy with a deadline and a terrifying blueprint. He needed to build the reactor and, more importantly, a suit. A discreet suit.
If Stane is the immediate threat, I can't go to Tony's labs. He's watching.
The thought triggered a fascinating response from his newly upgraded mind. He automatically started cataloging the mansion's resources: the hidden security workshop in the basement (which Tony never used), the high-grade power line coming into the satellite dish array, and the massive, temperature-controlled wine cellar.
I can set up a discreet lab in the cellar. Soundproof, temperature-controlled, good ventilation for welding. Perfect.
[Analysis: Location optimal. Host must acquire necessary components without triggering automated inventory flags within Stark Industries.]
This was the tricky part. The Arc Reactor needed palladium, a rare element. Tony had a massive stockpile, but Stane had control of the main inventory.
Wait. Palladium. Tony used the element from his watch in the cave.
Alex smiled grimly. That wasn't an option for him. But his Engineering Lv. 5 whispered a suggestion.
The arc reactor needs a stable core source. I can bypass the need for a large palladium mass initially by synthesizing a highly stable, temporary isotope compound using readily available industrial elements. It won't last forever, but it will power the suit for a few days.
The System was silent, seemingly approving of his ingenuity.
This was the terrifying new reality of the System's whisper: it didn't give him the answers; it gave him the ability to solve problems far beyond his old self, pushing him into a genius that was both thrilling and isolating.
He had the knowledge, the location, and a ticking clock. He was no longer trying to stop the story; he was frantically preparing for his entrance into it. The Forgotten Stark was about to build his own path, fueled by cinematic foresight and illicitly acquired genius.
He made his way to the kitchen, his mind already running complex calculations for isotope decay and magnetic field containment. He had a mansion full of resources and no one to bother him. He was a scientist on a deadline to save his own life.
He just needed coffee, an acetylene torch, and a few pounds of industrial-grade copper.
CLIFFHANGER:
Alex reached the massive, industrial freezer in the kitchen and pulled open the door. He was looking for a snack, but his eyes immediately locked onto the metal shelves. He didn't see food; he saw raw material.
"The clock is ticking, Alex. Every second wasted is a day closer to Iron Man's return and the arrival of your first true enemy."
He needed materials fast. He decided on his first illegal shopping trip. He reached past the ice cream and pulled out the high-density steel rack holding a side of frozen beef. Phase One: Acquire Structural Integrity.