(Late 2007)
Lucian, now eighteen and technically the youngest multi-billionaire in history, stood in the private, soundproofed observation deck of the Icelandic facility. Outside, the raw energy of the earth—geothermal power—was harnessed by Frontier Industries' massive, hidden converters. The sight was impressive, but to Lucian, it was merely the mechanical result of obvious physics.
"The board is asking about diversification, Mr. Rothschild," said Agent Nine, a woman who looked like a severe mathematics professor but was, in reality, a former Mossad chief who handled Frontier's global security and "black ops." She was one of the few people Lucian trusted with operational secrets, primarily because her loyalty was secured by a perfect, lab-grown replacement liver (courtesy of BFU-1).
"Diversification is for people who lack vision, Nine," Lucian replied, not turning around. He was reviewing projections on the massive holographic display—not stock charts, but orbital mechanics and asteroid composition. "We control the healthcare market. We control advanced computing architecture. Our profits are inelastic. The market is not diversified enough for us."
He gestured at the holographic projection of the Earth, currently displaying real-time data overlaid with a complex lattice of energy readings.
"Tell the board we are entering the Energy and Resource Sector, effective immediately. Tell them we are achieving off-world resource acquisition. They will call it asteroid mining. I call it preparing for a future where we won't have to fight for terrestrial scraps."
Nine didn't question the absurdity of the statement; she just calculated the logistical costs. "The necessary propulsion technology does not exist, sir. Chemical rockets are hopelessly inefficient for deep-space recovery missions."
"Correct." Lucian finally turned, his eyes holding the intense, slightly manic spark of his true intelligence. "Which is why we are no longer using them."
Project: The Bifrost Anchor
Lucian's true focus since the founding of Frontier wasn't organ printing or cancer cures; those were just tools for acquiring capital and establishing geopolitical immunity. His obsession was the Zero-Point Field and utilizing the natural quantum foam energy.
He had developed, in secret, the Quantum Displacement Engine (QDE).
The concept was simple to his mind: bending spacetime locally to achieve near-instantaneous displacement without violating the speed of light. It wasn't FTL travel, but FTD—Faster Than Displacement.
"The Iron Veil Initiative wasn't about communication, Nine. It was about creating a precise, energy-efficient conduit for controlled teleportation," Lucian explained, walking toward a shielded chamber. "If you can lock the quantum state of two objects, you can force their wave functions to collapse at two different points simultaneously, effectively relocating the mass."
Inside the chamber, humming with barely contained energy, was a device that looked like a cross between a particle accelerator and an ancient Norse compass. It wasn't huge—maybe the size of a standard shipping container.
"This is the Bifrost Anchor," Lucian said, touching the metallic casing. "It uses a synthesized, stable exotic matter catalyst—which, incidentally, required a lot of gold from our family vaults—to create a localized, sustainable micro-wormhole."
His immediate application wasn't interstellar travel, which was still too energy-intensive and dangerous, but Orbital Deployment.
"Tomorrow, we will establish the first permanent Frontier asset in Geostationary Orbit. No launch needed. No emissions. No external tracking. We will just… be there."
(2008)
The operation took place under the cover of a massive, globally publicized Frontier R&D seminar focused on 'Next-Generation Renewable Energy.' While the world's financial and scientific media were distracted by a three-day presentation on improved solar panel efficiency, Lucian executed his plan.
The Bifrost Anchor pulsed once, emitting a silent, contained burst of exotic energy. In that instant, a sleek, black, triangular satellite assembly—the Aegis Platform—displaced 35,786 kilometers from the Icelandic facility and settled perfectly into its intended Geostationary Orbit slot.
Aegis was the culmination of his early technological superiority. It housed:
Quantum Comm Array: A completely secure, encrypted, instantaneous communication link for all Frontier assets worldwide, making traditional espionage useless.
Advanced Gravimetric Sensors: Capable of detecting minute changes in mass and energy signatures across the globe—perfect for monitoring unusual activity (like a billionaire testing a new suit in his basement).
Kinetic Defense Grid (KDG-1): A system of small, highly maneuverable kinetic strike weapons designed to enforce a 'no-fly zone' around Frontier's sensitive installations, and crucially, protect Earth from small unexpected atmospheric incursions. (He was planning for things like the Battle of New York debris, years ahead of time).
The establishment of Aegis was the ultimate insurance policy. Lucian now had total situational awareness and a first-strike capability that the most advanced governments wouldn't achieve for another decade.
The moment the Aegis platform went fully operational, Lucian received his first truly high-value data spike.
Aegis Report | Timestamp: March 2008
Location: Kunar Province, Afghanistan (Grid ref. 34°N, 70°E)
Energy Signature: Massive, anomalous thermal output detected. Peak temperature exceeding standard ordnance by 300%.
Gravimetric Anomaly: High-mass, high-velocity atmospheric re-entry detected, immediately followed by localized containment field collapse.
Subject Tags: Stark Industries Armaments.
Conclusion: High probability of a critical military technology failure/attack involving prominent U.S. defense contractor personnel.
Lucian leaned back, a flicker of genuine interest animating his face. It was beginning. The first domino.
"Nine," he called out, a faint smile playing on his lips. "It seems one of our competitors has had a very bad day in the Middle East. Check the public news feeds for 'Tony Stark,' 'kidnapped,' or 'missing.' And prepare the jet."
"We are intervening?" Nine asked, surprised.
"No, we are observing and capitalizing," Lucian corrected. "Stark needs to hit rock bottom to emerge as Iron Man. I won't disrupt that necessary evolutionary step. But I will make sure that when he does emerge, he knows someone else is already playing on a completely different level."
He tapped a point on the Aegis projection, highlighting the small, almost insignificant cluster of Stark Industries stock symbols.
"Initiate the 'Crisis Cascade' protocol. Short every Stark Industries subsidiary dealing in conventional armaments. Buy the dip on their emerging energy patents. And have a single, non-traceable, encrypted message prepared for the day he returns."
The Message:"The world is too small for just one genius, Tony. Welcome to the Frontier."
Lucian Rothschild was about to introduce himself to the MCU, not as a hero or a villain, but as a technological demigod who had already claimed the heavens. He wasn't interested in being the best Earth had to offer; he was ready to prove that the only limits were the ones he chose to respect.