"Mr. President, come with me."
Soren nodded once to Tony, who, battered and soot-covered, returned a weary but grateful glance.
And then, they teleported.
A shimmer of dark energy, a flicker of light, and they were gone.
Pepper Potts stood frozen, staring at the empty space where Soren had been.
The image of the earlier massacre, the sheer, unstoppable force he had unleashed replayed in her mind.
"Tony… I always thought Dr. Macaluso was some brilliant doctor. I… I didn't expect him to be so powerful. Is he even… human?"
Tony didn't answer at first.
He just smiled faintly, pulled Pepper into his arms, resting his chin gently against her hair, breathing in the scent of ash and adrenaline.
"Doesn't matter." He ran his hand through her hair.
"All that matters is, he's our friend. And if something happens to you… if I can't fix it… we'll call him. No matter what he is."
Pepper closed her eyes, leaning against him.
Everlife Medical Center
It was past midnight.
Within the softly lit halls of Everlife, tension hung thick in the air.
General Ross, Nick Fury, and others were waiting anxiously for news.
The Mandarin's live broadcast had been cut hours ago, no more threats, no ultimatums.
But without Soren's return, there was no certainty. The room was heavy with worry, though no one would dare admit it out loud.
A ripple in the air.
Soren appeared, the President beside him.
Alive. Safe.
"Mr. President!" General Ross rushed forward, followed by Fury. "Are you alright, sir? Are you hurt?"
The President looked pale, his suit disheveled, but there was no visible harm, only the lingering shadow of fear in his eyes.
"I'm alright." He managed, taking a steadying breath.
"Thanks to Dr. Macaluso."
Soren handed the President a small cup of steaming tea, the liquid an unusual silvery-blue.
"Drink. It'll settle your nerves."
The President hesitated for a heartbeat, then drank.
Almost immediately, color returned to his face. His hands stopped shaking. The tight knot in his chest loosened.
He looked at Soren with something between gratitude and wariness.
"Thank you… again."
Soren waved a hand dismissively.
"No need for gratitude, Mr. President. This was a transaction. General Ross promised me an uninhabited island in U.S. waters, with permission to build certain… facilities."
"In exchange, I took care of your problem."
He said it loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.
The President blinked.
For a man who had just been rescued, it was a surprisingly businesslike reminder.
"Of course." The President recovered quickly.
"Dr. Macaluso, your request is entirely acceptable. The island is yours. Though I should warn you… it's wild. Untamed. Dangerous creatures still live there. Even a few beasts… though I doubt you'll have much trouble with those."
He chuckled weakly, though no one else did.
Soren smiled faintly. "Beasts are the least of my concerns, Mr. President."
Fury stepped closer, eye narrowing slightly.
"We'll draw up the papers. You'll get your island. But you should know, Doctor, a lot of people are going to have questions after what happened tonight."
Soren met Fury's gaze unyieldingly.
"Then let them ask. But remember, Director Fury, I didn't make promises to them. Only to you."
Fury clenched his jaw, then gave a terse nod.
"Good work, Doctor."
"It always is."
Soren didn't leave immediately after the president was safely escorted from Everlife.
A brief, polite exchange followed by a handshake, a few cordial words.
Moments later, a convoy of heavily armored vehicles arrived at the hospital gates under tight military escort, whisking the President away under the cover of night.
By then, the world outside had barely begun to stir.
Next Morning
As the first pale light of dawn crept over the horizon, General Ross himself arrived at Everlife. He came alone, without the usual entourage of aides and officers. The weight of last night's events still lingered in the air, and Ross wasn't the kind of man to ignore things.
In his hands was a leather case, packed with documents.
Soren was already waiting for him in his office, an air of quiet control about him.
"Good morning, Dr. Macaluso." Ross greeted with a practiced smile.
"As promised, the delivery of your island. All documents, clearances, and territorial grants have been signed. The President made sure it was handled quietly, no media, no leaks, no Senate oversight."
He laid the documents out carefully on the table, papers stamped with government seals, authorization codes, and the President's personal signature.
"No one else knows about this." Ross added.
"And no one needs to."
Soren smiled faintly, gesturing for the General to sit. "You've handled this well, General. Efficient."
But Ross wasn't only there for paperwork.
"I also came." Ross said, clearing his throat.
"To ask what you'll need to build on the island. Materials, equipment, personnel. You name it, and it's yours."
Soren didn't ask for much. No outrageous demands, no extortionate lists. His plan was surprisingly simple, though its implications weren't.
In the very center of the island, he intended to build a grand palace-like villa, its design inspired by the legendary halls of Asgard itself.
Ornate, imposing, a fusion of earthly engineering and ancient godly influence. Around it, encircling the heart of the island, would be a vast herb garden and cultivation fields, where rare and otherworldly medicinal plants would be grown, plants few on Earth had even heard of.
It was a place of power and purpose.
Ross, to his credit, didn't even flinch at the scale of it.
"Of course, Dr. Macaluso. Your request is fully authorized. We're prepared to dispatch whatever you need."
"General Ross is too kind."
Soren waved off the offer of military transport with a mild chuckle.
"No need for helicopters. I'll handle that myself. But once the materials arrive, I'll personally oversee the construction. No one touches this project unsupervised."
"Naturally." Ross agreed, his smile never faltering. "We wouldn't dream of it."
To Soren's quiet surprise, things moved faster than expected.
Within twenty-four hours, Ross had mobilized resources with the military.
A carefully selected team of top-tier engineers, architects, and logistics specialists was gathered, people with spotless records, elite security clearances, and explicit instructions: anything Soren wants, he gets.
No exceptions. No delays.
Materials were shipped under armed escort.
Designers worked around the clock.
The lead architect, a man named Victor Black, personally presented Soren with a 3D simulation of the proposed structure.
"Dr. Macaluso, this is the initial draft based on your Asgardian-inspired concept." Black explained, gesturing to the rotating model on his tablet.
"Grand halls, ceremonial courtyards, elevated observation terraces, and the herb cultivation areas forming concentric rings around the palace, as you specified. If you'd like to make adjustments, we're ready."
Soren inspected the model carefully, offering subtle refinements and additions, slight changes to the materials, alterations in the layout of the inner sanctum, adjustments to the defensive perimeters hidden within the design.
To Black's quiet relief, Soren was surprisingly easy to work with.
After a brief review, Soren nodded.
"Excellent. Begin construction immediately."
"Yes, sir."
As construction commenced, Soren took time to personally explore the island, a vast, untouched landscape of ancient trees, jagged cliffs, and crystal-clear streams.
The island was larger and more beautiful than he'd anticipated, teeming with untouched wildlife.
And it was during these quiet moments, walking alone beneath the towering pines and along misty shorelines, that a new idea began to take shape.
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
Fellow Phantoms and aspiring Phantoms to be, if you seek to access advanced parts of this story procced to my shadowy realm of p@treon.
PhantomDream