Lucas landed on his apartment balcony, his chest heaving not from exertion, but from anxiety.
"This is bad," he paced the small living room. "This is very, very bad."
He had always planned to meet Tony Stark eventually. Maybe save him from a villain, share a drink, become the 'Super Friend' who offers sage advice.
But he wanted to do it on his terms. When he was stronger. When he could tank a nuke.
"Meeting him now?" Lucas groaned. "While floating at 30,000 feet? Without a plan? I just painted a giant target on my back."
He knew Tony. Tony wasn't just a snarky billionaire. He was paranoid. He was the man who built Ultron because he was scared of aliens. He was the man who kept files on every Avenger.
"He's going to investigate me," Lucas realized. "He's probably already designing an 'Anti-Lucas' suit. And if Tony investigates me... Fury is next."
"The Bald Egg Head," Lucas muttered. "SHIELD. Hydra. They're all going to come knocking."
His peaceful life of sunbathing and stock trading was over. The clock had accelerated. Thanos was still years away, but the "Civil War" with the local authorities might start next week.
"I need to get stronger," Lucas decided. "Faster."
He sat down on the sofa and summoned the Diary Interface.
Recently, he had stopped the "Wake Up at 5 AM to Write" routine. He realized the system didn't care about punctuality, only content. Plus, the rewards had been lackluster.
Reward: $1,000,000 USD. (Nice, but money is useless against Thanos).Reward: Black Suit (Recovery Mode). (Stylish, but he felt weird wearing spandex).
So he had started hoarding his "Lottery Spins." He had three saved up. He was waiting for a "10-Pull" equivalent—or at least a guarantee of a Gold Item.
But today? Today he needed to vent.
June 17
Holy crap. Holy crap. Holy crap.
Today was officially the weirdest day of my life.
I went up to catch some rays, and who do I run into? Iron Man.
Not the clunky Mark 1. Not the prototype. The full-on Hot Rod Red Mark 3.
What kind of broken timeline is this?!
I checked the news again. Still no reports of Tony being kidnapped. No "I am Iron Man" press conference. Nothing.
Did he skip Afghanistan? Did he skip the cave? How does he have the Arc Reactor without Yinsen?
My stock portfolio is crying. I missed the dip! I was counting on Stark Industries crashing!
Lucas paused, rubbing his temples.
And now that Tony has seen me flying, SHIELD won't be far behind.
Nick Fury—the Bald Egg Head—is probably already drafting a containment protocol.
Phil Coulson—the "Novice Village Chief"—will likely show up at my door soon. What will his cover be this time? FBI? CIA? IRS?
Man, I hope they send Natasha instead. Black Widow.
Actually, wait. If the timeline is messed up, where is she? Usually, Fury sends her to infiltrate Stark Industries as "Natalie Rushman."
Tony, being the playboy he is, will definitely hit on her. Poor guy doesn't know she's a Russian super-spy who could snap his neck with her thighs. A beautiful, deadly viper.
If she bites him, he's done for. Haha.
Lucas closed the diary, feeling slightly better after the rant.
"Well," he stood up. "If Coulson comes, I'll deal with it. If Tony comes back with a Hulkbuster... I'll deal with that too."
"But first," he looked at the "Spin" button on the interface. "I think I need an upgrade."
"System," Lucas whispered. "I have three spins. Let's use one. Just one. Give me something to survive the paranoia of Tony Stark."
The wheel spun.
Round and round it goes. Where it stops, nobody knows.
Click. Click. Click.
It slowed down.
[Reward: Kryptonian Bio-Field Control (Skill Book)]
Description: Advanced mastery of the bio-electric aura. Allows for telekinetic manipulation of objects within close proximity (Tactile Telekinesis). Can be used to shield clothes, catch falling airplanes without breaking them, or... protect against sonic attacks.
Lucas stared at the reward.
"Tactile Telekinesis," he grinned. "That's how Superboy does it. That's how Superman lifts a building without it crumbling under its own weight."
"And," he realized, "it's a shield. A perfect shield."
"Okay, Tony," Lucas cracked his knuckles. " bring on the sonic cannons. I'm ready."
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