Year 1986
New York, Stark Mansion
“Howard! Jarvis! The man is never present when I actually need him,” a woman shouted from downstairs, barely holding herself up against a shelf.
A man dressed as a butler hurried over, helping the woman settle on the sofa.
“Madam, Mr. Stark is getting ready and will be down any minute now,” replied the butler, Jarvis.
The door swung open as a man strode out, trying to appear friendly. “Maria, my darling, are you still trying to blame me? I told you it wasn't my fault. If you want to blame someone, blame God, because only he…”
Howard stopped short, noticing the irritated look his wife was giving him. He knew better than to push his luck, having learned that lesson the last time she was pregnant. He wisely stayed quiet, deciding it was better to be a yes-man for now.
Seeing Howard’s cautious expression, Maria rolled her eyes with irritation, “I think my water just broke.”
Howard tensed immediately at her words and shouted, “Jarvis, get the car ready! I'll help Maria outside.”
Jarvis nodded and rushed off.
*****
New York Hospital.
Howard nervously paced outside the delivery room, worry etched on his face. He looked a little worn out. Perceiving this, Jarvis informed, “Sir, you needn’t worry too much. You've hired the best doctors, and Mrs. Stark was diagnosed as healthy. There's no danger during labor.”
Howard, knowing his butler was just as anxious as he was, didn’t correct him. “I know, Jarvis, but Maria’s at an age where she shouldn’t have gotten pregnant. If something happens to her, I don’t know if I’d be able to forgive myself.”
Getting uncomfortable Howard changed the subject. “Did you manage to contact Tony?”
“I’m afraid not, sir. Young Master Tony’s phone is out of range at the moment,” Jarvis answered.
Howard scowled but didn’t comment further.
Realizing it was best to change the topic, Jarvis tried to move the conversation along before Howard could start complaining about Tony. While Howard was proud of his son, he often found Tony’s antics irritating. Before Jarvis could say more, the door to the delivery room opened, and the doctor stepped out with a broad smile.
“Congratulations, Mr. Stark. You’re a father again. Both mother and child are healthy. Mrs. Stark has given birth to a healthy baby boy.”
Howard breathed a sigh of relief, one he’d been holding since the doctor walked out. “That’s great, that’s really great.” He smiled, shaking the doctor’s hand before hurrying inside.
Inside, Howard was greeted by the sight of his wife cradling a small baby, smiling at him. Howard walked over and gently took the baby in his arms, feeling happier than he had in a long time.
Maria, still smiling, asked, “What should we name him?”
Howard pondered for a moment before replying, “How about Ethan?”
Maria rolled her eyes. Seeing the glint in Howard’s eyes, she knew he wasn’t going to back down. She nodded and turned toward Jarvis. “Let’s name him Ethan Edward Stark.”
*****
MIT
Tony groggily woke up to the nonstop ringing of his phone. He checked it to see numerous missed calls from Jarvis. Clicking the latest message, he read, ‘Young Master Tony, the Stark family has a new member, and Mrs. Stark would very much appreciate your presence on such a joyous occasion.’
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Tony’s expression turned complicated. Even though he didn’t want to go home, he fought with his father a week ago and was crashing at the MIT dorms with Rhodes. He knew his mother would be unhappy if he didn’t show up. With a reluctant sigh, he got out of bed and began getting ready. On his way to the bathroom, he kicked Rhodes sleeping on the sofa, informing him they needed to go out.
Rhodes groaned as he woke up, frowning. “For what?”
Tony, not in the mood for conversation, snorted, “My mother just gave birth.”
“You didn’t think to inform me earlier?” Rhodes looked exasperated.
Tony’s eyes twitched, knowing he was in the wrong. Rhodes was one of the few genuine friends he had, someone who wasn’t in it for the connections. But Tony wasn’t one to apologize easily. “What’s there to inform you about?”
“Get ready. At least Dad won’t give me the stink eye if I bring someone with me.”
Rhodes rolled his eyes, already used to Tony’s antics.
When Tony arrived at the hospital, he received an earful from Howard, but the tension lessened when Tony introduced Rhodes as his friend. Howard was genuinely surprised. It was the first time Tony had invited someone over for a significant family occasion, and not just some party friends.
Howard pulled Rhodes aside for a conversation, while Tony made his way to the VIP room prepared for Maria. Tony felt oddly nervous when his mother handed him the baby.
“He looks like an ugly goblin,” Tony muttered.
Maria laughed. “You weren’t much different when you were born.”
*****
Maria was discharged from the hospital after a week of recovery, and Tony returned home on vacation.
“The weather’s been strange lately. It feels like the end of the world,” Maria commented.
“Nothing too serious, Maria. It’s just an energy storm passing by. Might result in Earth’s first global blackout,” Howard hinted, resting on the sofa in the living room with Maria.
Suddenly, the weather changed drastically. Clouds thundered and lightning flashed. The entire Stark Mansion shook as an earthquake hit. Maria was terrified, but Howard reassured her that he had reinforced the entire mansion, nothing to worry about.
Without waiting for him to finish, Maria rushed toward the room where young Ethan was. Tony, arriving from the basement in a foul mood after his work had been interrupted, soon joined them.
When Maria saw Jarvis holding Ethan, she felt relieved and smiled, her tension easing as she watched the baby sleeping peacefully.
Tony didn't let the chance slip by letting out a snarky remark. “Jarvis, what kind of drug did you give him to be still sleeping peacefully even now?”
Jarvis was about to respond when Ethan let out a cry. With that cry, the entire mansion shook again. The energy storm approaching Earth accelerated at an unprecedented speed and exploded upon reaching the planet, resulting in a global blackout.
The storm’s energy spread across the Earth, improving the genes of many humans and animals and healing various ailments. However, the Earth absorbed only 1% of the storm’s energy, and humans absorbed 10% of that 1%. The remaining 99%, is absorbed by Ethan.
The energy was elusive, and no one could measure its full impact, and how much energy was absorbed by the various species. All mystical and technological systems were offline during the storm.
*****
Kathmandu, Nepal
“Ancient One!” Shouts echoed as many Master Sorcerers arrived before the Ancient One, fearing another invasion as their mystic arts had gone haywire during the energy blast.
The Ancient One smiled gracefully, sipping her tea. “No need to worry. It was just a Cosmic Storm. Some people might gain something from it, but nothing we need to concern ourselves with.”
The sorcerers left, reassured that it wasn’t a mystical threat. However, the Ancient One checked the Time Stone, silently confirming her thoughts.
"Mutations, though few, haven't caused any major changes in the timeline. Manageable. They aren't dimensional threats, just individuals who absorbed slightly more energy than others," the Ancient One thought, her gaze piercing through the Stark Mansion and other peculiar locations.
She closed her eyes, sipping her freshly brewed tea once more, satisfied that there were no significant anomalies.
*****
Stark Mansion, Manhattan
As the Cosmic Storm passed through their bodies, most of its energy was absorbed by Ethan, who hovered in the air. Maria and Jarvis watched in fright as Ethan’s eyes shifted between black and white with blue flashes, red with spinning tomoe, and gold with a black-wheel pattern.
Tony and Howard, though concerned, were more fascinated by the changes occurring. Howard, despite some worries, was confident that they could handle whatever challenges lay ahead and that Ethan might gain something from it.
As the storm subsided, Ethan began to fall. Tony sprinted forward just in time to catch him, preventing any injury. “And that’s a roll,” he quipped.
*****
Author's Note: Well, that's all for the second chapter. Might be bit shorter than the previous chap, I am going with the flow chart I created for the story. So some chap might be small, other being much longer. Some feedback on your thoughts about the story would be appreciated. Enjoy the read~