"So, you mean we're going to bring this... walking nuclear bomb back to our home?"
Avengers Tower, top floor conference room.
Clint Barton, Hawkeye, looked at Tony Stark with an incredulous expression.
Beside him, Natasha Romanoff stood with her arms crossed, her brows tightly furrowed, saying nothing.
But her gaze already conveyed her attitude.
—She also thought Tony was crazy.
"To be precise, not a nuclear bomb."
Tony swirled the whiskey in his hand, correcting her.
"A nuclear bomb's power has an upper limit."
"But he doesn't."
"According to f.r.i.d.a.y.'s preliminary estimate, the kinetic energy contained in that kick he just used to send that blue fatty flying already exceeded the total of all nuclear weapons detonated in human history."
"And that was just a light kick from him."
A collective gasp filled the conference room.
Thor and Carol, the two who had experienced it firsthand, looked even more solemn.
"Tony, this is too risky."
Captain America, Steve Rogers, spoke gravely.
"We know almost nothing about him."
"We don't know his purpose, his weaknesses, or where his bottom line is."
"Bringing him back to Avengers Tower is like keeping a Godzilla at home that could explode at any moment."
"No, Captain, you're wrong."
Tony shook his head.
"We know his purpose; it's very simple: to find people to fight."
"We also know his weakness; it's also very simple: boredom."
"As for the bottom line..."
Tony glanced at Clark, who was sitting nearby, looking impatient.
"His cousin, Superman, is his bottom line."
"Although that line doesn't look very sturdy."
Clark sighed, not refuting.
Because what Tony said was mostly true.
"Most importantly, we have no choice."
Tony placed his glass heavily on the table.
"Today the kree came, and we barely managed."
"But what about tomorrow? The day after tomorrow?"
"What if a Celestial comes personally? Who among you is confident they can punch him to death?"
Everyone fell silent.
"But he can."
Tony pointed outside the door.
"I saw it with my own eyes; he shattered that very sturdy hammer with one punch."
"He is a double-edged sword, a sword capable of slaying gods."
"I admit, he is very dangerous."
"But what we need most right now is this kind of danger."
"I must study him, understand him, and even... replicate him."
Tony's eyes gleamed with that almost obsessive light unique to scientists.
"He will be Earth's ultimate trump card against the next cosmic crisis."
The conference room fell silent again.
This time, no one argued further.
Because they all knew Tony was right.
Facing those unknown future threats capable of destroying the entire universe.
They needed a stronger trump card.
Even if this trump card was itself a huge unstable factor.
"Alright, Tony."
Steve finally compromised.
"We agree to your plan."
"However, he must be under 24/7 surveillance."
"Once he shows any signs of losing control, we must be able to subdue him immediately."
"Of course."
Tony smiled confidently.
"I've already prepared a 'surprise' for him."
"Guaranteed to make him... feel right at home."
Avengers Tower, top-floor luxury suite.
Tel-Rol was like a curious baby, touching and looking around the room.
This room was many times larger than that small broken house on Kent Farm.
Huge floor-to-ceiling windows offered views of the entire New York skyline at night.
The soft carpet felt like walking on clouds.
There was also various black technology he didn't understand but felt very impressive.
"Hey, Tin Man."
He poked a blue-glowing panel on the wall.
"What's this?"
"That's the smart home control center. You can use it to control everything in the room: lights, temperature, music..."
Tony explained patiently.
"Boring."
Tel-Rol lost interest.
He walked over to the huge round bed and sat down with a plop.
The mattress was extremely springy, bouncing his entire body up.
"Hey, this is fun!"
Like a child who discovered a new toy, he began to bounce continuously on the bed.
Turning that top-tier mattress, worth millions of dollars, into a trampoline.
Clark covered his face, unable to watch.
He felt that the kent family's reputation had been completely ruined by this guy.
Tony's eye twitched uncontrollably as well.
But he still held back, maintaining a smile on his face.
"Tel, do you like it here?"
"It's alright."
Tel-Rol jumped off the bed and rubbed his stomach.
"I'm just a little hungry."
"You said it would be all-you-can-eat. When will you deliver?"
"Immediately."
Tony snapped his fingers.
The suite door opened.
A line of armored figures dressed in chef uniforms pushed trolleys laden with various delicacies into the room.
Steaks, pizzas, burgers, roasted chicken, lobsters... the aroma instantly filled the entire room.
Tel-Rol's eyes immediately lit up.
"Wow!"
He exclaimed sincerely.
"Tin Man, you're quite thoughtful!"
With that, he didn't wait for an invitation and pounced.
A feast that left the entire Avengers awestruck then began.
Clark quietly exited the room.
He didn't want to see what happened next.
He was afraid he wouldn't be able to resist cleaning house.
Outside the room, Tony also walked out.
He looked at Clark, who had an expression of utter despair, and smiled.
"Don't worry, Superman."
"I had f.r.i.d.a.y. order enough food for a thousand people from the best restaurants in all of New York."
"That should... be enough for one meal, right?"
Before he finished speaking.
From inside the room came Tel-Rol's booming shout.
"Hey! Tin Man!"
"Is there any more?"
"This little bit isn't even enough to stick in my teeth!"
Tony's smile froze on his face.
He turned back and looked at the mountain of empty plates piled up in the room.
Then he looked at Tel-Rol, who was picking his teeth with a lobster leg, with an expression that said, "I haven't even started yet."
He fell silent.
He felt that his understanding of the word "can eat" was still too superficial.
"f.r.i.d.a.y.."
Tony's voice was a bit dry.
"Transfer all the inventory from all Stark Industries' catering companies."
"Also, notify the finance department to prepare a... huge fund for food procurement."
"I have a feeling I might be eaten into bankruptcy by this guy."