In an empty alley with no one to watch, Stray and Morgan meet face-to-face.

"Do we really have to do this? Because I am very keen on letting you go for old time's sake…" Morgan smiles at Stray. The same femme fatale smile that had her rolling for some time since her first day in High School plasters itself in her face.

The same smile Stray was long immune from.

"Morgan, I am a gentleman, so why don't you throw the first move…"

"And I am a woman's advocate, but thank you."

Morgan's boots glow purplish blue, and before Stray can even catch her silhouette, Morgan is already behind him. "See you, pal… I will be going forward…" Just like that, she leaves him to dust.

However, Stray was able to foresee this. It has been almost two months, and Morgan's upgrades would only grow in proportion to her time and resources. Stray rushes and chases over Morgan with his Fleetfoot (D) which is quite inferior to Morgan's tech.

This isn't where Stray's confidence lies though.

Stray's veins start glowing orange, signs of Extremis injection evident in his system. As Stray jumps with a single step, he grabs Morgan by the back of her neck. With his weight over her, Stray brings her down, overwhelmingly pinning Morgan to the ground.

"Extremis?" Morgan's shock at Stray's unexpected powers makes her realize that this is not the same Stray she knows. "Since when? It has been only two months!"

"I have been coming and going to places… I understand what it is you want, Morgan… you hunger for your father's love… I don't know that pain because I grew to have not one, but that's not enough reason for you to tarnish your father's legacy…"

Morgan grits her teeth. She has been monitoring her friends since after… She is aware that it was not only Stray who followed her after that… Still, it is a mystery to Morgan how did Stray come to possess Extremis powers.

"From what I've heard, you are too busy with your part-time jobs, so it makes me curious… With all that on top of you playing as 'Stray', how did you do it?"

Morgan gazes at Stray suspiciously, tilting her head just to get a good look at his face, Morgan scrutinizes Stray's expression very carefully.

Stray puts more weight on his knees securing that Morgan cannot move under, while he explains how it all has come to this. "I had this strange habit back in our original timeline of reading lotto numbers… I have a very good memory, so yeah, I kind of cheated the moment I had a chance to do so…"

"Huh? That's weird…"

Morgan is feeling confused at the moment. If Stray does have a method like that, why didn't he use it actively like buy a mansion, start a company, or give charity? Someone winning the lottery is definitely newsworthy, so why isn't Morgan hearing any of this?

"I know it is weird, I've been extra cautious, you see… The only lotto I've hit in the meantime are from foreign countries… I had the money hidden in my many secret stashes. I cannot really use this money gung-ho as I don't want to attract attention."

Stray smiles at Morgan, and starts regaling his great tale from a no-identity piss-poor time traveler into becoming a secretly wealthy powerful man in the short duration of about two months or maybe even less.

"I've bought different low-key establishments under fake names, hired goons under the same fake names, and did some under-handed deals with lots of fake names. I used the money I won from the lotto to establish a secret criminal empire that operates on a system called 'Stray', it is ironic, isn't it?

"The places I've been working part-time jobs are actually establishments that I bought with a fake name. I got in touch with many companies, I admit I've used some subtle blackmailing, but they are quite receptive to what I am selling— trust… It sounds like a con, but I was able to do it.

"You see, Morgan… It is all about pushing the right buttons… From what I am seeing… You are pushing all the wrong buttons… This world needs an Ironman, and you, stopping the birth of one is not something I can just let go of!

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"When I said that I wanted to shake Ironman's hand, I meant it. Every word of it… So friend or not, if it comes to it… I will really kill you… You are not from this universe anyway…"

Stray's hands start heating up threatening to dig into Morgan's neck and head.

Morgan closes her eyes, waiting for her inevitable demise.

But it didn't come.

"Fuck, I cannot do it…" Stray cusses out. "I am not definitely being a pussy or a simp, but Morgan… Your way of doing things is really wrong!"

Morgan clicks her tongue. "Yeah, I am a selfish bitch, but so what?"

With a thought, Morgan uses her nano-tech to attach an item at Stray's heel, it was an anti-gravity clamp.

"What is so wrong in wanting a father anyway?" Feeling the weight over her getting lighter, Morgan pushes the ground and grabs her slithering nano-tech, transforming it into a sword, she slashes at Stray.

Stray catches the nano-sword only for it to transform into a whip mid-path. Blindsiding Stray, he was suddenly hit in one of his eyes. He feels the gravity reversing on him as the anti-gravity clamp takes a hold of him.

Before he can even rise higher, Stray destroys the clamp by heating his heel causing the clamp to melt. His eye regenerates to its fleshy state thanks to his Extremis powers. He drops to the ground no longer seeing Morgan.

The Extremis is a project that Maya Hansen and Aldrich Killian were spearheading for Advanced Idea Mechanics or AIM for short. The Extremis powers give its users Altered Superhuman Physiology that comes with all sorts of perks— super strength, speed, reflexes, regeneration, pyrogenesis, and maybe even more. Stray getting Maya to inject him with Extremis was a gamble, but Stray is confident he can manage it.

It has only been a week since he last had contact with Maya, but he is already having some level of mastery over his Extremis powers. Stray has to possess this power for a simple reason, he cannot rely on his system and skills all of the time. Currently, he only has one skill point which is miserable.

Stray's clothes are in a mess all thanks to his Extremis powers messing his clothes. For a 15-year-old, his body's proportion and musculature are very impressive. At this, Stray hears a flirtatious hooting from behind him. He didn't turn around aware of who it is.

Looks like Stray has to stop chasing Morgan at the moment. "Ms. Natalie Rushman… Or should I say, Natasha Romanoff the Black Widow… Do you really want to get in my way?"

Stray uses his pyrogenesis, or heating powers, to disfigure his own face. It was painful, but he perseveres. At this moment, he is still not ready yet to reveal his identity. With burns and twisting of his flesh covering his face, Stray finishes his disguise.

"What is your connection with Ms. Maguna Morgan?" The Black Widow pointedly asks.

"I assume you already know that…"

Stray cryptically says very carefully not to let anything out to Natasha. Slowly turning around, Stray reveals his disfigured face which makes Natasha flinch. The person in front of her cannot be a person anymore, but a monster.

"As a floater and shadower for SHIELD, you are not doing a good job… Did that lass just tag you? Or is it just that you lost her? Are you getting old? That can't be? To think SHIELD is this abusive for even forcing hags like you to work even though you are already way past your age…"

The only way that Stray knows to avoid letting any information out to the Black Widow is to either stay silent or just insult her… Stray would prefer being silent but he needs to buy some time. The Extremis powers are kind of taking a toll on him thanks to Morgan's stunt of forcing him to use his pyrogenesis consecutively.

"The Stray… Some people pegged you as a hero, but what really are you?"

Good, it looks like Black Widow is playing. Stray smiles, but because of his disfigured looks, he looks more hideous than amiable instead.

"Stray, is it? What makes you think that I am him?"

"You replying that way is confirmation already."

Ouch, Stray keeps his hurt pride to himself. Not falling on the Black Widow's bluff seems to be far more difficult than he imagines. Stray dramatically raises his heat temperature.

"Are you really so sure about that? You don't know who is working for who… Just like how you have a way of making men dance in your palm… Tell me, Black Widow… Does the man you work for knows how you killed a little girl?"

Natasha freezes on her toes.

Stray is feeling guilty, but he has to play dirty if he wants to escape SHIELD's containment.

Through his Appraisal (C) skill, Stray can detect multiple presences enclosing on him. With Black Widow's psychological invulnerability, Stray finds his chance to escape. Using his pyrogenesis to generate heat and smoke, Stray makes a desperate attempt of recreating a flashbang.

"Natasha, you asked what am I? Then I'll tell you what I am…"

Tearing his pinky finger, and throwing it into the air, Stray then makes a run for it.

"I am a criminal…"

Natasha was too late to react. She can only cower down and hide by a corner as the pinky finger arcs in the air towards her. There was a blinding blast of heat and light. The next thing Natasha knows is Stray is already gone.

That pinky is capable of unleashing a blast equivalent to at least a grenade, but Stray has no desire of killing the Black Widow. Stray knows that the Black Widow is an irreplaceable asset in the future.

Natasha looks around, annoyed that another target escapes her grasp.

However.

Stray is not really gone.

There is a reason why Stray chooses that alley as his ambush spot for Morgan. It is because it has the perfect escape path that Stray can think of if compared to the other alleys.

Turning to the left, Stray comes into a trash bin where there seem to be relatively new clothes. Stray changes his clothes and proceeds to his next location— the Stark industries Headquarters.