"F—!" Tony Stark slammed his hand against the table, his expression twisting in frustration.
Of course, he understood what was happening.
Nolan Locke had fought both the Hulk and the Abomination before and he had the combat data, along with the performance records from the robots Tony himself had deployed in that battle.
It was that very data which allowed Tony to develop the Hulkbuster armor.
So naturally, Nolan's database was even more comprehensive, detailed enough to support the creation of a near-perfect simulation.
But that was exactly what made it hard to believe. The simulation Nolan showed him of his so-called Titan Armor was able to completely crush the Hulk in a head-to-head analysis.
Even if simulations weren't reality, the numbers didn't lie. The odds of the Hulk defeating that armor in a real fight were slim to none.
Tony could hardly believe it. What was supposed to be his moment a chance to show off his new Hulkbuster had somehow turned into Nolan showing him up.
"Damn it, Nolan Locke!" Tony muttered through gritted teeth.
Nolan, meanwhile, couldn't help the smug smile tugging at his lips. He had poured an enormous amount of resources into developing the Titan Armor. If it couldn't even take down the Hulk, all that investment would've gone to waste.
But the problem with the Hulk wasn't just his strength it was his limitless rage.
Against the Hulk in his normal state, Nolan was confident he could easily make him doubt his own existence. But against an enraged Hulk… things might not go so smoothly.
And as for facing the real Titan Thanos Nolan had no illusions. The Titan Armor was formidable, yes, but ultimately, it was still just a man-made machine.
Still, at this point in time, within Earth's technological landscape…
The Titan stood unrivaled.
While Nolan and Tony were busy outshining each other, elsewhere in S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, Director Nick Fury was admiring a different kind of power.
He raised a sleek, newly developed weapon his first energy gun.
The raw energy drawn from the Tesseract pulsed within it, radiating a soft blue glow. Even though this weapon represented only a fraction of the Cube's potential, its destructive power far exceeded Fury's expectations.
After firing a single test shot, Fury's one good eye actually lit up with a rare hint of satisfaction.
"Excellent work, Dr. Selvig," he said coolly. "But I'm going to need you to speed up your research."
Dr. Erik Selvig's face darkened instantly. "Do you have any idea how dangerous this is? The current pace is already reckless enough. We can't just keep pushing harder!"
Fury exhaled quietly. "You don't understand, Doctor. You've heard about the battle between the Hulk and the Abomination… but what you don't know is that we've met a god from Asgard."
The words froze Selvig in place. His breath caught.
Fury allowed himself a faint smirk. That was the kind of reaction he expected the mark of a man who had just realized how small humanity truly was.
Losing face to Nolan Locke earlier had been nothing but a fluke. This this was the kind of move only the world's greatest spymaster could make.
He didn't care about the potential dangers of accelerating the Tesseract project. What mattered was that S.H.I.E.L.D. needed a power capable of defending Earth from the unknown.
Even if that meant courting disaster.
And far away in the depths of the cosmos, Loki stood before the leader of the Chitauri.
In his hands gleamed the Scepter the Mind Stone's vessel.
Their deal was simple: the Chitauri wanted the Space Stone. Loki wanted Earth.
When the Chitauri leader confirmed the alliance, Loki's grin spread wide across his face. This was a bargain made in heaven or perhaps hell.
But the moment he left, the Chitauri leader bowed his head low as a new figure appeared a towering being with purple skin and cold, golden eyes that burned with cosmic authority.
Thanos.
"The Earth…" he murmured, tasting the word.
This mission was a probe a test against a mysterious planet protected by forces that even the strong hesitated to challenge.
Not only did Asgard's Odin cast his shadow over that world, but other hidden powers dwelled there as well.
Still, the appearance of Loki the exiled prince presented a perfect opportunity. Odin would not intervene.
Now, Thanos wanted to see whether the mysterious power residing on Earth would make a move.
If it didn't…
"Prepare for war," he said calmly. "When Loki opens the portal conquer that world."
And with that, the Mad Titan's image faded.
The Chitauri leader's eyes gleamed with unrestrained hunger. They lived for conquest.
The invasion had already begun silently, invisibly.
No one on Earth knew. No one… except perhaps one.
High above the Earth, the Ancient One gazed out into the infinite cosmos, her eyes calm but burdened with foresight.
Through the Eye of Agamotto, she had seen everything the Chitauri, Thanos, the encroaching darkness.
And then, her gaze shifted toward Nolan Locke.
A flicker of worry passed through her ancient eyes… followed by a faint, knowing smile.
The future was already in motion and it was not her place to stop it.
Her vision drifted to an operating room far below. A surgeon stood over a table, his hands moving with flawless precision.
Stephen Strange.
Fate was aligning its pieces.
Back at the Hive Base, Nolan snapped his fingers. "Red Queen, did you capture Tony's expression just now?"
"Of course, sir," came the AI's smooth reply.
A holographic photo popped up Tony Stark's face twisted in irritation and disbelief.
"Delete it!" Tony barked. "Damn it, Nolan Locke! You'll regret this!"
Nolan dodged his swipe effortlessly, laughing. "Come on, Tony. You'll thank me one day."
After a brief exchange, Nolan's tone shifted. "So… when are you planning to remove those shrapnel fragments from your chest?"
Tony frowned. "With the Arc Reactor, there's no need."
"Maybe," Nolan replied, his voice quiet but sharp. "But you can't guarantee that thing will never fail."
The Arc Reactor the very heart of Iron Man was also his ticking time bomb.
Tony hesitated, his usual confidence faltering.
"Coward," Nolan said lightly. "You can run from surgery, but one day you won't be able to run at all. When the world needs Iron Man, I hope my so-called savior isn't killed by a few scraps of metal."
Tony said nothing, his jaw tightening. The truth stung.
Nolan sighed. "Whatever. I've got other projects to oversee anyway."
Dr. Helen Zhao had just called her "Cradle of Regeneration" project was complete.
That was something Nolan had been looking forward to.
The cradle could repair tissue, rebuild organs, even reconstruct the human body itself combining genetic science, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence into one system.
The possibilities were endless.
When he returned to the Hive, both Dr. Zhao and Dr. Green were waiting.
As Zhao presented the experiment results, Nolan couldn't hide his admiration.
"Incredible work, Doctor," he said. "Tell me how difficult would it be to integrate the cradle directly into the human body?"
"Extremely difficult," she replied immediately. "Right now, it requires full external support. We're years away from biological integration."
Nolan simply smiled. He had already planned for that next step.
With enough resources and enough system points he would perfect it himself.
By the time he left the lab, the first real blueprint for human immortality had begun to take shape in his mind.
And outside, the world continued to change.
Natasha Romanoff arrived at an isolated hideout, handing a document to Bruce Banner and Betty Ross.
"Bruce Banner," she said. "If you agree to join the Avengers, this pardon takes effect immediately."
Banner hesitated, glancing between the papers and Betty.
He had spent years wrestling with the monster inside him. Yet Nolan Locke's words still echoed in his memory: You don't have to destroy the Hulk. You can learn to control him.
Finally, he signed.
"Betty," he said softly. "We can go home."
Meanwhile, Agent Coulson was cornering Tony again with endless negotiations, clauses, and promises until Tony finally gave in and signed as well, though only as a consultant.
"Iron Man doesn't follow anyone's rules," Tony muttered.
And elsewhere, Steve Rogers stood tall, ready for what was to come.
The Avengers were assembling.
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