After some discussion, Fury promised to let me keep a third of whatever surplus was left over from the mission, along with the bombs provided. Tony was certain we could make fifty high-yield missiles, all of which he demanded to oversee the creation and allocation of personally.
That was Tony’s way of inviting himself to the Antarctican conflict. Fury warned him what we’d be up against. Beasts that moved faster than human eyes can track, charging at us with every intention to rip out our guts and play with it, but he was sure he’d be fine. His exo-suits were ready for battle, apparently.
Since he was in such a good mood, I asked Fury to excuse me while I negotiated a little side deal with Tony. The billionaire seemed surprised that Fury would even entertain it, but a deal was a deal.
“Fury might’ve pimped me out,” Tony said, “but I never said I was open for business. The bombs aren’t enough for you?” he asked.
“They are but I try to keep my eyes on the big picture,” I said, “and you’re a big part of that.”
Tony rolled his eyes. “Right your visions.”
“You don’t believe me still?” I raised a brow, and he shrugged.
“It occurred to me that you could’ve been spoofing off your mutant friend,” he said.
“Yet, you’ll readily believe my magic fire and watch me tear through a group of enhanced soldiers.”
“Clairvoyance is a whole other can of worms.”
I touched my lips. “I suppose you have to see it to believe it. How have your Paladium cores been treating you?” I asked him, and he blinked, a bit startled.
“How did you---” he trailed off. “Your friend knew about the secret lab this entire time. Probably has someone down there feeding you information.”
That was completely true, but I denied it. “Fury has a secret lab? Entirely expected, but still surprising. And no, I don’t need her to spy for me. I can do that all by myself,” I smiled. “They don’t last very long do they?”
“No, they do not,” he said.
“Makes you wonder what Trask used to power his first-generation Sentinel,” I mused. “I could always ask him for you, or help you move onto something entirely better overnight.”
Tony laughed. “Unless you have a few doctorates stuffed up your ass and somehow have access to confidential Stark industries files, I don’t see how you could help me.”
My smile only grew wider. “1974 Stark Expo model,” I said. “Your father called it the city of the future. He hid the secrets of how to build a clean, abundant source of energy in the exhibit. It should help you perfect your reactor.”
Tony froze. “You’re lying.”
“Am I now?” I asked. “If I’m right, I want something in exchange for my little help. A few reactors to tinker with. This incident with the alien squid is just the preamble. We’re heading to the demon world sooner rather than later. I’d like to have an energy battery should I need it.”
Tony knew it was a bad hand, but he took the bet anyway, shaking my hands.
His ego demanded he took the deal.
Either way, it was a win-win for him. He would’ve freely given me Stark Tech if I asked, but he was a little suspicious that I’d gone through all this trouble. He concluded that I wanted no oversight with his tech, which was never a good thing, but if my hunch panned out…it would be worth it.
Not long after, I left Fury’s headquarters with a long checklist of items to make and people to recruit and train.
The first people I contacted were the Mutant Liberation Front. Mystique, of all people, picked up, and she was not too happy to hear from me.
“What do you want?”
“It’s great to hear your voice too mystique,” I said. “Can you put Pietro on? Just calling to deliver our next mission as council.”
She initially told me to fuck off in not so many words.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“You can find another group of do gooders to help you save the world. We’ve fulfilled our quotas,” she’d said.
It took explaining the nature of the threat to even consider bringing it to Magneto. She still insisted that the Liberation Front be heftily rewarded for their contribution, and I agreed.
Apparently, they’ve been recruiting more mutants, and they had more mouths to feed.
Magneto didn’t bother getting on the phone with me. It was enough to promise through his second in command that he’d be at Fury’s place the very next morning with his team to confirm his commitment.
Before the call cut out, though, I asked to speak to Pietro.
“What we’re up against is unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and I think our only shot of survival is you,” I said. “I’ve been working on an enhancement program. If I’m successful, it should strengthen your body and abilities, allowing you to move faster than ever before. Are you—”
“Yes,” he cut me off. “Of course, yes. If your formula is like that thing you hooked me up with in New York, then I’ll be glad to work with you.”
“Excellent,” I smiled. I gave him an address where he could meet me before cutting the call.
---
An hour later, Pietro showed up at my apartment in New York, and Mordo portalled us to the compound in Alaska. Pietro immediately drew attention from the kids, and it wasn’t long before they were swarming me, asking questions.
I had to shoo them away repeatedly. By the time I came to the entrance of my forge, Logan and Scott stepped to me, hands folded.
“Logan,” I grinned, “just the angry short, indestructible mutant I wanted to see. How would you like to escort us to Antarctica to save the world.”
“What is he doing here?” Scott demanded. “For all your speeches about safety and secrecy, you bring an enemy to our base?”
“We portalled here,” I pointed out. “He literally has no idea where we are. We could be in another dimension for all we knew.”
Pietro blinked, surprised. “Are we?”
“N-“
“He could just run off to the nearest town,” Scott half-yelled.
“Kid got a point,” Logan backed him up.
“Oh come on,” I said, grabbing Pietro by the shoulder. “The man nearly died in the battle in New York, which, I should remind you, you were both absent during. He’s earned the benefit of the doubt. Besides, he knows I’d kill him if he ever tried that,” I said with my widest smile.
A chill ran down Pietro’s spine. “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” he muttered.
“Anyways,” I said dismissively, “if that’s all, I’d like to get back to recruiting Logan. It’s not like the fate of the world depended on it or anything.”
I rolled my eyes, but Scott was determined not to let me talk my way out of this ‘mess.’
“Jean can’t be okay with this,” he said, then looked around. “By the way, where is she?”
I sighed, bracing myself for the incoming shouting match. None of them took the fact that Jean had been hospitalized very well.
“What were you thinking!” Scott yelled. “It’s your job to keep her safe. She told me that herself.”
I raised my brow at that. I didn’t know they were still that close. Whatever. “I can’t stop Jean from doing what she wants. Literally no one can. If it makes you feel any better, it was all to bring Piotr back. He’s awake now.”
“She pulled the boy out of his Coma,” Professor Hank asked, surprised. “Most impressive.” He’d been to SHIELD headquarters more than once to check on the boy’s conditions in-between the sporadic development of the mansion. He’d come no closer to waking him up since the first day.
I was glad at least somebody was happy because Scott was still pissed.
“He should’ve never been in the coma in the first place,” he said. “Everything started going to hell when you showed up at our doorstep.”
Here we go again. The fight continued for three minutes before Mordo stopped it.
“You can rip off his head later,” he said. “We’re losing time we will never get back. The world is in peril, Logan Howlett. Will you answer the call to arms?”
Logan grunted. “Course I will, like I have anything better to do.”
“Thank god that is over,” I said, pushing the door to my study open. It contained all of the Vibranium we pilfered. I stored all of it and my smithing tools in my inventory before turning around.
“Did somebody say something about saving the world?” Rin said, swinging around the corner. “Oh boss, you’re back.”
“Just the man I wanted to see,” I said. “Looks like we’re all set. Mordo, could you please help us with a portal.”
The sorcerer did as asked, and just as we were about to step through, Scott spoke up. “I’m coming with you.”
I froze. “The hell you are. I didn’t invite you for a reason. You’d be dead in seconds.”
“Jean is on the other side of that portal,” he said. “You said something about the monks giving her treatment. Well she needs someone by her side while you’re away.”
His intentions seemed pure enough from reading his mind, but I still didn’t like it.
“You don’t have a problem with that, do you?” he asked, suddenly throwing the spotlight on me. Every eye in the room swiveled to me.
“Of course he does,” Pietro spoke up in obvious confusion. “You’re going to try to move in on his woman when he’s literally half a world away.”
“The boss doesn’t like it when you call her that,” Rin chimed in. “He says they’re just ‘friends,’” he announced with big air quotes.
My face betrayed me, and I blushed ever so slightly, a fact broadcast to every single person present.
Logan was not surprised. Beast was a bit wary about the matching; Pietro shrugged and figured it was only a matter of time. Rin was shipping us hard. Mordo literally couldn’t care less, while Scott was livid.
I knew this nonsense would only get worse the longer I entertained it, so I waved my hand dismissively and sighed.
“You can come,” I said, “but please don’t get any ideas. Jean would kill me if she found out I let you get killed.”
That made him only bristle more.
I smirked as the scenery changed, and we appeared in the private courtyard of the ancient one. She was standing beside Doctor Hanson with a small bag pack on her person.
“Ready to begin?”
“Begin what?” Rin asked excitedly.
“He hasn’t told you,” Yao said as a matter-of-factly. “I suppose I should give the doctor a chance to explain. It’s her serums you’d be imbibing.”
“Imbibing?” Logan was immediately on edge, claws edging from his knuckles. “You trying to run experiments on us?”
“Well yes and no,” Hanson unhelpfully provided, and Logan nearly blew a gasket.