Location: Stark Mansion - Malibu, California
Three Hours After First Contact
Tony Stark stood in what used to be his home gym, watching as construction drones assembled what could only be described as the world's most over-engineered turtle habitat.
"Sir," JARVIS said, his tone carrying just the slightest hint of amusement, "I feel compelled to point out that Squirtle is approximately one foot eight inches tall and weighs roughly twenty pounds. The pool you've designed could accommodate a small whale."
"It's not about size, J. It's about potential." Tony gestured at the holographic blueprint floating in the air. "Look at the water manipulation we witnessed. The molecular-level control. Squirtle isn't just a turtle—it's a living weapon system that happens to be adorable. We need to understand its capabilities, its limits, its—"
"Squir-tle!"
Tony turned to see Squirtle waddling into the gym, carrying what appeared to be one of Tony's Iron Man gauntlets. The little turtle was dragging it across the floor with surprising determination, leaving scratches on the expensive hardwood.
"Hey! That's a Mark III component!" Tony rushed over, gently extracting the gauntlet from Squirtle's grip. "You can't just—how did you even get into my workshop?"
Squirtle tilted its head, looking up at Tony with those impossibly innocent eyes, and chirped something that might have been an apology. Or might have been "I wanted to play."
"The workshop door was closed, sir," JARVIS reported. "And locked. I'm reviewing security footage now."
The holographic display shifted, showing Squirtle approaching the workshop door. The turtle had simply placed its paws against the electronic lock, and a thin stream of water had emerged—precise enough to short-circuit the mechanism without causing permanent damage.
"It picked my lock," Tony said slowly. "Using water. At a molecular level. JARVIS, that lock is supposed to be waterproof."
"Indeed. However, Squirtle appears to have introduced the water through the ventilation gaps at a pressure sufficient to reach the internal electronics. Quite ingenious, actually."
Squirtle, oblivious to the implications of its actions, was now examining the construction drones with great interest. One of them was installing a temperature control system for the pool. Squirtle reached out and touched the drone's casing, and Tony noticed frost forming where its paw made contact.
"And it's learning," Tony muttered. "Great. I have a turtle that can manipulate water temperature. What's next? Summoning tidal waves? Creating hurricanes?"
"Based on the data from your earlier tests, sir, neither scenario can be ruled out as the creature matures."
Tony looked at the holographic blueprint again, then at Squirtle, who was now trying to climb onto one of the construction drones like it was a ride.
"Okay. Change of plans. We're not just building a habitat. We're building a facility. Full environmental controls, reinforced walls, water reclamation system, and—" Tony paused, watching Squirtle successfully mount the drone and chirp victoriously. "—and we're adding a play area. With toys. Because apparently, I'm running a daycare now."
"A daycare for an entity with reality-bending water powers," JARVIS added helpfully. "Quite the business venture."
"You're hilarious, J. Absolutely hilarious."
Two Hours LaterThe gym had been transformed.
Where there had once been weights and treadmills, there was now a multi-level aquatic habitat that would have made any aquarium jealous. The centerpiece was a pool—not quite whale-sized, but definitely larger than necessary—with a filtration system that could cycle the entire volume in under ten minutes. The water temperature was adjustable from near-freezing to almost boiling, with sensors monitoring everything from pH levels to dissolved oxygen.
But Tony hadn't stopped there.
One wall was now lined with what he was calling the "testing range"—reinforced target dummies, pressure sensors, and blast shields. Another wall held a climbing structure that could be reconfigured into different shapes. And in the corner, somewhat sheepishly, Tony had installed a collection of floating toys, rubber ducks, and what might have been a miniature surfboard.
"Sir, I must ask," JARVIS said as Tony surveyed his work. "When did you become so invested in the comfort and entertainment of a creature you met three hours ago?"
Tony was quiet for a moment, watching through the glass as Squirtle explored its new space. The little turtle had discovered the pool and dove in with obvious joy, creating small whirlpools just for fun.
"You remember what Yinsen said? In the cave?"
"'Don't waste your life,' sir."
"Yeah. And I've been thinking about that a lot since I came back. About legacy. About what I'm actually doing with all this—" Tony gestured vaguely at the mansion, the workshop, everything. "—money and genius and time. Building weapons was easy. Building something better? That's harder."
Squirtle surfaced from a dive, shaking water from its head and chirping happily.
"And Squirtle?"
"Is something new. Something that doesn't fit into any box I know. It's not a weapon, even though it could be. It's not a pet, because it's clearly intelligent. It's... potential. Pure potential. And maybe, just maybe, if I can figure out what's happening—why these creatures are appearing, where they're from, what they need—I can actually help."
"That's remarkably altruistic for you, sir."
"Don't get used to it. I'm still planning to patent any tech we derive from studying Squirtle's abilities."
"There's the Tony Stark I know."
"Now," Tony said, pulling up a new holographic interface. "Let's run some baseline tests. Nothing invasive—I'm not going full Ross-level mad scientist here. Just want to understand what we're working with."
"Shall I summon Squirtle?"
"Please."
The glass partition slid open, and Squirtle poked its head out, water dripping from its shell. It looked at Tony expectantly.
"Hey, buddy," Tony said, crouching down. "Want to show me what you can do? Nothing crazy. Just... I don't know, shoot some water at that target over there?"
Squirtle followed Tony's pointing finger to one of the reinforced dummies across the room. The turtle's expression shifted to something focused, determined. It took a stance—weight distributed evenly, tail raised slightly for balance—and opened its mouth.
A jet of water shot out with enough force to knock the dummy clean off its mounting and into the wall behind it. The impact registered 847 PSI on JARVIS's sensors.
"Okay," Tony said, blinking. "That's... that's more than a fire hose. That's more than most fire hoses."
"Indeed, sir. For context, a typical fire hose operates at approximately 200 PSI. Squirtle's Water Gun—if we're using the terminology from your earlier observations—appears to be significantly more powerful."
Squirtle looked back at Tony, chirping proudly. Did I do good?
"You did very good. Maybe a little too good. Let's try something else. Can you make the water... softer? Like a shower instead of a cannon?"
Squirtle tilted its head, processing the request. Then it opened its mouth again, and this time a gentle spray of water misted out, settling over the floor like a light rain.
"Perfect control," Tony breathed. "JARVIS, are you recording this?"
"Every moment, sir. The level of precision is remarkable. Squirtle is adjusting pressure, volume, and even water temperature on the fly."
"Wait, temperature?" Tony moved closer, letting the mist settle on his hand. It was cool, but not cold. "Squirtle, can you make it warmer?"
The mist grew warmer. Not boiling, just pleasantly warm, like bathwater.
"And colder?"
The temperature dropped. Frost began to form on Tony's hand.
"Okay, okay, back to normal." The temperature normalized. Tony stared at his hand, then at Squirtle. "You're controlling water temperature. At range. Without any visible mechanism. How?"
Squirtle just blinked at him.
Tony turned to the holographic displays, where JARVIS was already running analysis. "Energy readings?"
"Minimal, sir. Whatever process Squirtle is using appears to be extraordinarily efficient. I'm detecting trace amounts of what might be described as bio-electrical activity, but nothing that should account for the observed effects."
"So it's not pulling energy from anywhere we can detect. Which means either we're missing something fundamental about how this works, or—"
"Or the creature operates on principles outside our current scientific understanding," JARVIS finished.
"I hate that option. I really, really hate that option." Tony ran a hand through his hair. "Alright, let's try mobility tests. Squirtle, can you show me how fast you can move?"
Squirtle's eyes lit up. Oh! A race!
The turtle took off across the gym floor, moving with surprising speed for something with such short legs. It was fast—not superhuman fast, but faster than any turtle Tony had ever seen. Maybe fifteen, twenty miles per hour.
Then Squirtle jumped.
Not a hop. A jump. It launched itself nearly six feet into the air, tucked into its shell mid-flight, and landed with perfect balance.
"JARVIS, tell me you got the trajectory data on that."
"Indeed, sir. Squirtle's jump demonstrated a force-to-weight ratio that suggests musculature far denser and more efficient than should be possible for its size. Additionally, the shell appears to provide both protection and aerodynamic stability during aerial maneuvers."
"So it's strong, fast, has perfect water control, can regulate temperature, and apparently defies several laws of physics." Tony watched as Squirtle began using its water jets to propel itself around the room like a tiny, adorable missile. "I'm either looking at the most advanced bioengineering project in history, or something from a completely different evolutionary tree."
"Given the evidence, sir, I would lean toward the latter hypothesis."
Squirtle finished its demonstration by creating a small water spout beneath itself, riding it like an elevator up to Tony's eye level, and chirping proudly.
Tony couldn't help but grin. "Okay, that was showing off. I respect that."
"Squir-tle!" I learned it from you!
That EveningTony sat in his workshop, Squirtle perched on the workbench beside him, watching with fascination as Tony tinkered with a new arc reactor design. The turtle had been surprisingly well-behaved after the testing session, content to observe and occasionally poke at interesting tools.
"J, compile everything we learned today. I want a full report."
"Certainly, sir. Shall I include your commentary about 'physics-defying turtles being the highlight of your week'?"
"Absolutely not. Keep it professional. Water manipulation capabilities, temperature control, enhanced physical abilities, intelligence assessment—"
"Speaking of intelligence, sir, I should mention that Squirtle has been attempting to mimic your soldering technique for the past five minutes."
Tony looked down. Squirtle had picked up a small wire and was holding it near the soldering iron, tilting its head as it studied Tony's movements.
"Okay, no," Tony gently removed the wire from Squirtle's grip. "You're not ready for power tools yet. Maybe in a few days. Weeks. Years. Never."
Squirtle made a disappointed sound.
"Don't give me that look. I'm being responsible. Pepper would be proud." Tony set down his tools and picked up Squirtle, carrying it back toward its new habitat. "Come on. It's late. Even tiny water-manipulating turtles need sleep."
As they walked, Tony noticed that several construction drones were still making final adjustments to the facility. The pool was now complete, with underwater lighting that made the water glow in soft blues and greens. The climbing structures were installed. The toys were arranged. It looked less like a laboratory and more like a home.
"You know what I haven't done yet?" Tony said, more to himself than to Squirtle. "I haven't actually asked you what youwant. Where you came from, if you have family, if you're... I don't know, lost?"
Squirtle looked up at him with those large, expressive eyes. And for a moment, Tony could have sworn he saw something there—not just animal intelligence, but understanding. Gratitude. Trust.
"Squir-tle," the creature said softly, and nuzzled against Tony's chest.
This is home
Tony stood there for a long moment, feeling something in his chest that wasn't the arc reactor. Something warm and unfamiliar and maybe a little bit like hope.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "Home. We can work with that."
He set Squirtle down near the pool. The turtle dove in immediately, circling the underwater lights and creating small patterns with its water control, like a child playing with shadows.
Tony pulled up his holographic interface, already designing improvements. A better water filtration system. More climbing structures. Maybe a way to project holographic targets so Squirtle could practice without destroying actual equipment.
And somewhere in the back of his mind, Tony Stark—genius, billionaire, former weapons manufacturer, current superhero—acknowledged a simple truth:
He'd built suits of armor to protect himself. He'd built weapons to fight enemies. He'd built reactors to power his technology.
But this? Building something to help a creature that didn't fit anywhere, that was completely new and strange and wonderful?
This might be the most important thing he'd ever made.
"JARVIS," Tony said, watching Squirtle play in the water. "Tomorrow we start on the advanced diagnostic suite. Full molecular scanners, genetic analysis if we can manage it without being invasive, comparative biology database—the works. If more of these creatures are appearing, I want to be ready."
"Understood, sir. Shall I also begin compiling data on the other reported manifestations? Cross-referencing patterns, behavioral analysis, potential origins?"
"Good thinking, J. Yeah, pull everything you can find. News reports, SHIELD leaks, satellite imagery—anything that might give us a bigger picture of what's happening."
"Already in progress, sir."
Tony nodded. He had work to do. Preparations to make. A turtle to look after.
And somehow, despite everything—the weapons dealers, the terrorists, the betrayal, the near-death experiences—Tony Stark felt like he was finally doing something that mattered.
All because of a small blue turtle that had emerged from a stone in his garden.
Squirtle surfaced from the pool, shook itself dry, and chirped goodnight.
Tony smiled.
"Goodnight, Squirtle. See you in the morning."
And for the first time in a very long time, Tony Stark went to bed actually looking forward to tomorrow.