The aftermath of Tony's reckless mission to Gulmira was loud, chaotic, and heavily medicated.
Pepper had stepped into the workshop and had seen Tony trying to get out of his damaged armor, and then delivered a lecture so fierce and thoroughly terrifying that even Jarvis had smartly muted his audio processors. She had yelled, she had paced, and she had demanded to know what on earth Tony was thinking, playing hero halfway across the world.
And through it all, Adam had been unusually silent.
In fact, when Tony finally managed to calm Pepper down enough to send her upstairs for some much-needed rest, he turned around to find something he had never seen before. Adam, the ever-composed, perfectly polite assistant, was slumped forward over the glass desk, fast asleep. His breathing was slow and entirely undisturbed by the screaming match that had just taken place.
Tony frowned, wiping a smudge of grease from his cheek. "Jarvis? Is the kid okay? He didn't get clipped by Pepper's lecture, did he?"
"Mr. Sokolov's vitals are perfectly stable, sir," Jarvis replied softly. "It appears he is simply in a state of deep sleep."
Tony shook his head, a fond, tired smile touching his lips. "Let him be. He's earned this much." With that, Tony walked out of the workshop and went upstairs.
Adam was not merely sleeping. His consciousness had been pulled deep into the dream realm.
Adam found himself standing on a pristine, white-sand beach. There was no sky when he looked up. Before him stretched a vast, boundless ocean. The water undulated in heavy, silent waves, driven by a current despite the absolute absence of wind.
Adam frowned. 'Where is this? I was in the workshop reviewing the company files when… a sudden exhaustion came over me, and I closed my eyes for a moment. That is all I can remember. Did I fall asleep? Is this a dream?' It was incredibly unbecoming of him. As a Spectator, he was naturally hyper-aware of his surroundings. Falling asleep in a loud, brightly lit workshop in the middle of the crisis was almost impossible.
He stood at the edge of the water, observing the surroundings, but aside from the sea and the white-sand beach, there was nothing else.
"So, you're about to advance," a voice echoed. It didn't come from one place but from everywhere at once.
Adam turned. Standing a few feet away was a figure entirely shrouded in brilliant, blinding light. The light was so pure and overwhelming that Adam couldn't make out a face, gender, or even a solid form. Yet, radiating from the figure was an aura of absolute authority and boundless knowledge.
"Who are you?" Adam asked in an even tone.
"Who am I? Well, you are not ready to know that yet. But in the future, you will find out everything about me," the figure replied, walking at a measured pace to stand beside Adam, looking out at the silent ocean.
Adam frowned at the answer, rotating the matte ring on his left middle finger. "And why am I here?" he asked the figure. He could not see a face, but the atmosphere around them suddenly grew heavy, and the blinding light dimmed slightly as a profound seriousness settled over the entity.
"It is a warning."
"Warning?" Adam asked, puzzled.
"Yes. I just have to say a few words of warning to you. You have a good job, your life is getting better, and maybe you will find your soulmate soon. You could stop advancing right now and live your life without getting involved in this mess. But if you choose to continue, there will be no coming back," the figure said in a serious tone.
"How do you know about advancement?" Adam asked him warily.
"How I know does not matter; give me your answer," the figure replied calmly.
'Stop? Should I? My life is getting better; I have a good job, maybe I should stop…' Adam contemplated for a moment, staring blankly ahead as if in a trance. Then, his eyes sharpened. 'No! I cannot stop. The future waiting to happen is grim, and this universe is an amalgamation of many; I don't even know what future threats I'll have to face.' Adam shook his head at the thought of stopping.
"Thank you for your warning, but sorry, I won't be stopping my advancement. I can't afford to; this world is full of danger, and I have to protect myself," Adam said. He got the distinct feeling that the figure smiled at his answer.
"Very well. Good luck to you, Adam. You will need it," the figure said, and with that, Adam felt himself slowly fading away.
Left alone on the white-sand beach, the figure seemed to hum for a second before allowing a small smile to slip onto his lips. "It is a reasonable development."
With that, the figure vanished, and the entire realm suddenly splintered and shattered like a broken mirror.
Adam found himself back in the workshop. He thought back to the weird dream he had just had. 'Who was that? And why did he come to warn me?' He stood up from the desk and stretched for a moment. "Jarvis, where is Mr. Stark?"
"Mr. Stark is in the next room fixing his armor, with Miss Potts also present," the dutiful AI butler replied in his British voice.
"Thank you, Jarvis." Adam walked to the adjacent room and opened the door just in time to see Pepper picking up a USB device. "What is that?" he asked as he entered the room.
"Ah, you woke up sleeping beauty?" Tony teased in his usual manner.
"Yes, I might have ignored the signs of my body being tired, and I fell asleep. My apologies for that," Adam said, quickly smoothing his suit jacket.
"No need. It happens to the best of us," Pepper replied calmly, though her eyes were still tight with stress.
"Now, can you tell me what that is?" Adam asked, shifting the topic to the sleek USB device gripped tightly in Pepper's hands. "I get the feeling that it is not something good."
"That, my friend, is the key to Obadiah's office computer. We need to dig up the files about his under-the-table dealings," Tony replied, looking guiltily between Adam and Pepper.
Adam raised an eyebrow. "And let me guess, you intend to send your highly recognizable personal assistant to conduct corporate espionage?" he asked incredulously.
"I can do it," Pepper spoke up, her voice firm before Tony could even defend himself.
"I do not doubt your capabilities, Miss Potts, but I don't think you should go. It is far too dangerous," Adam countered gently. "Furthermore, my observations indicate that Obadiah harbors an incredibly unhealthy fixation on you. You are too valuable as leverage. You should stay here with Mr. Stark."
Adam stepped forward, holding out his hand. "Mr. Stark, I will conduct this infiltration in place of Miss Potts. No one pays attention to the assistant's assistant."
"Very well," Tony said as Pepper reluctantly handed him the USB device.