(Pov - Tony)
Tony did not notice the subtle tremor at first. His workshop was full of machinery, reactors, and tools that hummed and whirred at all hours. But this vibration was different. It felt like the low thrum of a distant subwoofer, a ripple that passed through the metal floor, through the air, and straight into Tony's bones.
He froze mid-step.
"Friday. Did you feel that vibration?"
"There is no seismic activity within our range. No structural vibration either."
Tony frowned, scanning the room.
The Mark X Zergbuster stood on its platform, towering over him. Its plating reflected the workshop lights in dull silver-blue hues, the arc core inside pulsing steadily like a heartbeat. Yet the vibration he sensed did not come from the machinery. It felt musical.
A faint hum. Almost like the first note of a forgotten song.
Tony narrowed his eyes. "Run a wideband scan. Check for external frequencies. Cosmic disturbances. Anything."
The AI complied instantly. "Scan active. Nothing unusual. Background radiation levels are normal. No cosmic interference detected."
Tony stared at the suit again. Something was happening. He could feel it.
Like inspiration that did not come from him.
He stepped closer and brushed his fingertips across the surface of the armor. The plating felt warmer than it should have. Not dangerously warm, but alive, as if responding to something only it could hear.
"Friday," Tony muttered, "why is the Zergbuster resonating?"
"It is not resonating in a measurable sense."
"Then why do I feel like someone just plucked a guitar string inside the suit?"
Friday paused for a fraction of a second, a rare hesitation from a system that processed data faster than any human mind.
"There is a faint fluctuation in the energy harmonics," she said finally. "It is extremely subtle, but the arc core output oscillated in a rhythmic pattern for approximately two seconds."
Tony blinked. "Rhythmic. As in musical."
"Technically, yes. Although the frequency did not match any known sound signature produced by humans or machines."
Tony stepped back, eyebrows furrowing. His mind raced through possibilities.
Alien interference? Quantum bleed from the Mars dimensional fracture? A new Zerg adaptation?
But none of those explanations felt right. Because the hum he sensed did not feel hostile.
It felt curious, warm, yet alive.
Something, somewhere, had touched the suit. Not physically. Not digitally.
Something vibrational.
Tony smirked despite himself. "Well, whoever you are, mystery frequency, at least you have taste. The Zergbuster is my best work since the Hulkbuster."
Friday chimed softly. "Sir. There is another anomaly. The neural interface stabilized slightly after the resonance event. Something altered the calibration in a positive direction."
Tony froze.
"Something improved my engineering."
"Correct."
He stared at the Zergbuster again, the faint pulse of the arc core reflecting in his eyes.
"Friday," he whispered, "is the universe giving me feedback on my armor?"
"I cannot confirm or deny interactions beyond our available data. But earlier you asked if someone plucked a guitar string. If that were the case, the suit responded in kind."
Tony took a slow breath.
Somewhere beyond Earth, out in the deep dark where instruments failed and signals vanished, a cosmic being of sound and sorrow, walked free with Lady Death at his side.
Erik.
The first resonance. The first note of creation itself. A presence that reached across the void not to warn, not to threaten, but to acknowledge something familiar.
And the Zergbuster had answered him.
(A.N. This is metaphorical Erik is on Earth at this time)
Tony grinned.
"So the universe is humming at me now. Great. Wonderful. Totally normal."
But beneath the sarcasm he felt something he had not felt since the first time he flew in a suit of iron.
Possibility.
Maybe Earth was not alone in this war.
Maybe someone out there understood the danger better than anyone.
Maybe someone had heard the song of a world preparing to fight for its life.
Tony stepped away from the platform, speaking with renewed determination.
"Friday. Prep simulation room one. I want to test how the Zergbuster responds to harmonic manipulation."
"Right away, sir."
As the floor shifted and machinery activated, the faint hum passed through the workshop one more time. Soft. Almost encouraging.
Tony smirked. "Well, mystery musician, if you are offering advice on my armor design, feel free to send sheet music next time."
The hum faded.
But the suit pulsed brighter.
And Tony Stark felt the first spark of a partnership he could not yet understand.
A hum from creation. A genius from Earth. And a world preparing for the storm.
__________
(The Next Day)
(POV - Avengers)
The meeting room inside Avengers Tower was quiet. Not peaceful, but quiet in the way a battlefield was quiet a moment before the first shot. Everyone felt the tension even before Tony arrived.
Steve Rogers sat with his hands clasped, studying satellite images of Mars projected across the table. Bruce Banner flipped through biological reports with a grim expression. Natasha leaned against the far wall with her arms crossed, eyes sharp as she scanned casualty lists. Thor rested with Mjolnir beside him, gaze narrowed at a recorded battle where soldiers fell in seconds to creatures that moved too quickly for mortal eyes.
The room felt smaller than usual.
The doors slid open. Tony walked in carrying two datapads and a cup of coffee that had been reheated three times already.
"Morning everyone," Tony said, placing the datapads down. "If you have not looked at the screens by now, congratulations. You still have innocence left."
Steve stood. "Tony. What is going on up there?"
Tony tapped one of the datapads and brought up a hologram of Mars. Red regions pulsed slowly outward like infected wounds.
"This is not an invasion. This is an outbreak. A biological wildfire. The Zerg are multiplying faster than the terraforming systems can track. Every time a colony falls, the swarm grows."
Bruce Banner adjusted his glasses. "I read the genetic breakdown. They rewrite themselves on the fly. It is evolution without limits. They do not adapt over generations. They adapt over minutes."
Natasha stepped forward. "And if they get a single shuttle off Mars, Earth becomes their next meal."
Thor frowned at the hologram. "These creatures. They multiply as fast as frost giants and strike with the speed of dark elves. Yet they do so with no fear or hesitation. What manner of monsters are they?"
Tony sighed. "The kind that rewrite physics textbooks just by existing."
Sam Wilson spoke next, tapping a Mars stronghold displayed in blue. "And humanity is responding with heavier gear. New armor systems. Zerg-enhanced plating. Tony, you helped with that, right?"
Tony avoided eye contact. "I may have had a small hand in some early designs."
Steve raised an eyebrow. "A small hand."
Tony lifted his hands defensively. "All right. A medium hand. Maybe a big one. Look, I will explain later. The important part is that we can buy time with upgraded equipment, but we cannot buy safety. If Mars collapses, they come here next."
Banner scrolled through the biological data again. "Their biomass replication is unlike anything I have ever seen. If even a handful of these creatures reach Earth, containment becomes almost impossible."
Steve nodded slowly. "Then we need a plan. Not panic. Facts. Strategies."
Tony tapped another hologram. It expanded into a Zergling, rotating slowly. A vicious creature built for speed and shredding armor.
"This is the smallest thing they have," Tony said quietly. "And it kills trained soldiers in seconds. We are not talking about aliens with laser guns. We are talking about predators that learn what kills them and come back immune to it."
Thor leaned forward. "Then why not send the Avengers? A small force. Myself. The Hulk. Perhaps even the sorcerer."
Bruce gave a strained look. "I am willing. Not sure about the Hulk fighting swarms of aliens, but it shouldn't be an issue… hopefully. And magic has limits when dealing with biological complexity."
Natasha placed her hands on the table. "This is not a mission. This is a planet-sized war. And if the Zerg can adapt to metahumans or supersoldiers the way they adapt to weapons, we might make things worse."
Steve turned to Tony again. "What are you not telling us?"
Tony hesitated.
Everyone watched him.
Finally he pulled up a new hologram. A blueprint. Sleek, powerful, heavy. The suit he had been building in secret.
Prototype designation. Mark X Zergbuster.
Steve stared. "You were preparing for a worst case scenario."
Tony nodded. "I was preparing for the scenario I believe is likely."
"But why work in secret?" Steve pressed.
Tony rubbed the back of his neck. "Because the second I tell the world the Zerg might reach Earth, panic starts. People hoard supplies. Governments shut borders. Nations point fingers. And we become too busy blaming each other to stop what is coming."
Bruce spoke softly. "Tony. Are you saying the swarm cannot be contained on Mars?"
Tony looked at the holographic map again. Red zones expanding slowly outward. A mathematical certainty. A nightmare that grew every hour.
"No," Tony said. "I am saying containment is failing."
Silence fell over the room again.
A silence so thick it felt like Earth itself was holding its breath.
Thor finally broke it. "What do you need from us, Stark?"
Tony took a long breath and met the eyes of every hero in the room.
"Preparation. Coordination. And time. I am building something that can fight them. Something strong enough to stand in front of the swarm and not fall apart. But I need all of you ready when the day comes that Mars calls for help."
Steve nodded once, firm and certain. "Whatever happens, we face it together. Zerg or not."
Sam exhaled. "Guess we finally found something that scares even the Avengers."
Natasha checked her weapons quietly. "Good. I was getting bored."
Bruce muttered, "I hope that is sarcasm."
Thor rested a heavy hand on the table. "Let the swarm come. Earth has guardians."
Tony met their determined faces and felt a small spark of hope. Not confidence. Not certainty. But hope.
Yet deep down, he knew something unsettling.
Earth was trembling for a reason. The Zerg were learning faster. And something in the universe was shifting.
He felt it when the suit resonated earlier. A faint hum from a distant being who played the universe like an instrument.
Tony took a slow breath.
"Everyone gear up. The universe is starting to change. And we need to be ready for what is coming."
The meeting ended.
But the silence that followed echoed a truth none of them wanted to admit.
The swarm was not on Earth.
Not yet.
But it was inevitable.
__________
__________
That's all for today, Hope you enjoyed it. Things are going to be kicking up soon, some fight scenes, new meetings, and more. So stay tuned.
Anyway I just wanted to let you know some plots will not show and some plots are altered to fit the story a little better. I mean with so many new people the butterfly effect will happen and some people who should be dead may not be and vice versa.
Also this story will have fight scenes, some slice of life moments, and drama. This wont be the typical omg he is the best singer in the world so lets now put him on concerts every time. No His music will be heard for sure but a good portion will be subtle. Meaning he could do the music in one place of the world and it can alter something on the other side. And other types of scenarios.
Anyway as always any questions or concerns just leave a comment. Always happy to talk with you all.
Help this book be seen easier, leave some powerstones please if you enjoy the book.