Bab 5: Chapter 5 Mind Gem
2012, S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters.
"This makes sense. He's aware of the armors and also our use of the space gem, that's why he plans to overpower us with numbers while his mothership stays at a safe distance, shielded from an incursion by another infinity gem that negates the effect of the space gem and prevents us from reaching it."
"Earth lacks space technology for an off-planet battle. That's why Loki feels safe shouting surrender from his ship, while he threatens with invasion fleets to force us to surrender and hand over the space gem," Tony explained.
On a large screen in the main S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, aboard the Heli-Carrier, a Chitauri fleet was shown deploying worldwide after Loki's surrender warning, hiding behind the moon.
Thanks to Tony's intervention, Loki hadn't risked setting foot on Earth. A couple of hours ago, he arrived with a fleet for a more traditional invasion, demanding the space gem and Earth's surrender to him.
Tony, Ancient One, Wong, and Kaecilius smiled. Fury, upon seeing their smiles, changed his worried expression to a raised eyebrow. S.H.I.E.L.D. had enough armors to face this attack, but destruction and casualties would be massive; millions might die.
"Can you reach him?" Fury asked hopefully.
"Loki isn't using a spatial barrier. He lacks the space gem, he's using the gem he has to negate the effects of the spatial gem. That's why our own portals will be effective in reaching him," Ancient One explained.
"Isn't it good to collaborate with sorcerers?" Tony asked with a smile as the Vibranium suit and combat armor covered him.
At his side, Sprite mimicked his action. Their clothes remained at their feet. Fury grimaced at the expensive formal suits both were now tearing apart.
"So, the plan remains unchanged. We invade the main ship, capture Loki, and blow it up. That'll eliminate the other threats," Fury said.
"Those ships will fall, but we can use the space gem to move them beyond the planet's gravitational reach. I'll need help with that," Tony said.
"I'll assign a group of ten Extremis super soldiers to go with you," Fury said. "Are you sure the armors will work in space?" he asked.
"That was the first thing I thought of when creating them," Tony said, having designed the armors from the outset to deal with the Chitauri threat.
"Let's head back to the storeroom then…"
Their entire group appeared in a warehouse with a thousand agents in armor, alongside twenty sorcerers. They stood facing the group.
"Alright, let's begin," Fury said, and Ancient One looked at his sorcerers.
"Change of plans, we'll use portals to invade the enemy ship," Ancient One said. Casting a spell, a speck of light flew towards the sorcerers, who hurriedly created twenty portals.
"I've marked the ship's coordinates for them," Ancient One explained, as nanomachine constructs covered his head, creating a snug helmet.
The sorcerers didn't wear armor and needed air in case they got stranded in space. The nano suits lacked repulsors for movement, but they could create portals to any location and didn't need to traverse space.
The other sorcerers also wore nano suits, just like the agents in armor. After nearly a year of collaboration between him and Ancient One, the material reorganization machine at the atomic level had become a reality. The sorcerers referred to it as the Philosopher's Stone, but he called it MRM 2.0, as it wasn't the original machine but rather a hybrid of magic and technology.
Ancient One opened his own portal, and his group, the main team, entered.
They emerged into a biomechanical-looking hallway, like all Chitauri technology, and Fury raised his hands to take down two Chitauris walking by. Alarms began to sound instantly, but they ignored them.
"Any sign of the gem?" Fury asked.
Tony and the sorcerers raised their hands, pointing in the same direction, upwards.
"It's like a beacon, seems they're using the Gem with significant power," Tony said.
Ancient One opened a new portal, and as he did, several bursts of fire entered. Fury took the lead, the shots vanishing into his armor, a Vibranium and Uru hybrid from his study of Odin's armor. Tony and Sprite followed, and finally, the three sorcerers.
Upon crossing the portal, they found themselves in an enormous command room teeming with Chitauris. The room was about twenty meters high and fifty meters long, semi-circular in design, with a sweeping view of the dark space. In the midst of this view stood Loki, in a golden suit, a crown of two horns, and a cape, seated on a large floating throne. His expression was one of astonishment upon seeing them.
Following their entrance, Fury, Sprite, and he eliminated the Chitauris firing at them and those controlling the ship, while Ancient One, Kaecilius, and Wong dealt with Loki, who didn't hold the mind Gem; it was in the middle of the room, within a crystalline sphere floating atop a massive pedestal.
Attacked by the three sorcerers, Loki jumped and attempted to escape, filling the room with illusions. However, Ancient One struck the ground, generating a shockwave that dispelled Loki's illusions. He was then ensnared by multiple energy bonds from Wong and Kaecilius. Facing three sorcerers was already a challenging task for Loki, but having his main defense, illusions, easily bypassed, led to his defeat in seconds.
The sorcerers' battle ended instantly, but the Chitauris didn't surrender. Armies of them had infiltrated the command room. Tony realized that unless he used the Space Gem, things could get complicated.
Tony attempted to retrieve the Mind Gem from the machine, manipulating it with the Space Gem, but it was futile. His gem didn't function in that location, so he had to muster courage and destroy the machine. With the explosion, the scepter fell, and his Space Gem could operate again. Tony took the scepter and, with a flick of his hand, the Chitauris attempting to enter vanished into space.
"Time to retreat, this ship's headed for the Sun," Tony said.
Fury quickly issued the retreat order to his men and called for a reinforcement team, as the next part of the plan required brute force. They were about to move an object the size of a city towards the Sun.
The reinforcement team consisted of a sorcerer and twenty agents in armor. As people left, Tony approached Loki with the scepter in hand.
"What do you intend to…" — Loki, who was restrained from head to toe by the sorcerers' whips, couldn't resist as the scepter touched his head. Ancient One raised an eyebrow.
"This is the Mind Gem. I'm checking if this interface artifact has any security measures, but it seems anyone can use it."
"I suppose you don't plan on giving that back either," Fury remarked.
"I'll leave it with the sorcerers. Once I'm done creating the technology for mind-to-mind information transfers, I don't want the government to have a mind-control artifact in their hands. I can already imagine what this would do to the current education system," Tony said with a wicked smile, while Fury sighed.
"You just love causing a ruckus," Fury said.
"Pass me your knowledge," Sprite said, determined to mimic his vagueness and genius to the letter.
"Sprite, even I have priorities; let's save the planet from a massacre first," Tony stated firmly.
"If you weren't emptying this horned guy's brain, I'd believe you," Sprite complained.
Ancient One hurriedly moved Loki away, but Tony had already extracted all the information he wanted from his mind and was merely checking a few things.
"You bastard!" Loki scolded, aware that his brain had been emptied.
"Not much of use, but I've at least completed my research on spatial movement and gained some magic," Tony said, splitting into several illusions as Loki looked on in bewilderment.
"It's not much; his magic is quite limited," Tony pronounced.
"What?" Loki asked, bewildered.
"I'm a magical prodigy," Tony declared.
"Full evacuation," Fury announced, and Tony offered his hand to support them, but neither of them took it.
Tony sighed and handed the scepter to Ancient One.
"The Ark reactors in the armors make them immune to the control of this scepter," Tony sighed, offering his hand again.
"It's better to be cautious," Fury said, shaking Tony's hand. Tony clasped it.
"Loki also had mind-control magic; he's unaffected by the Ark reactors," Tony said, and Fury tried to retract his hand, but Tony had already caught it.
"I think you should behave more seriously and consider the terrible consequences of kidnapping Odin's son," Loki scolded, but everyone ignored him.
After a group of ten people touched him for support, Tony sent the sorcerers with Loki to the S.H.I.E.L.D. base and the ship into the Sun with the Chitauris still inside, as they would perish when their ship was destroyed. His team remained in space, but they were surrounded by spatial barriers and still had atmosphere, although all of them were in armor and didn't require it.
Tony moved to one of the ships preparing to deploy troops from Earth's orbit, confirming the Chitauris were dead. He then sent his ship behind the Moon.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. will have one of these ships," Fury said.
"Fury, remember this is biotechnology and it must be teeming with critters. If you don't want to unleash a plague, don't do anything reckless," Tony cautioned, moving on to the next ship. He didn't want these things near Earth; it was too great of a biological risk.
"We'll keep that in mind," Fury said. "Can you arrange the transportation for us?" Fury inquired.
"I've already completed the research on spatial movement; you'll have your own devices in a couple of days," Tony explained as they sent another ship beyond the Moon.
…
One day later, Thor arrived demanding the return of the Tesseract and Loki. Fury handed over Loki and sent him to discuss the Tesseract, so now Thor and a handcuffed Loki were sitting before him in his main room.
"I suppose you require the Space Gem, now in my possession," Tony said. Thor blinked.
"You're right, he is an idiot," Sprite, who was sitting next to him, chimed in.
"Girl…"
"She's older than you by a couple of thousand years," Tony interrupted before a fight could break out. Thor tensed.
"Who are you?" Thor asked.
"Tony Stark, a human, or I used to be. She's Sprite of the Eternals, I guess you haven't heard of them either, so explaining her origin would be pointless. As for what you're seeking," Tony conjured an illusion of the Tesseract, then shattered it to reveal the Space Gem within.
"This is one of the six Infinity Gems, the Space Gem, and it's what you're truly after. Now it belongs to me. Although due to the protection Asgard has afforded Earth, I won't charge you anything," Tony proposed, and Thor tightened his grip on his hammer.
"The Tesseract is Odin's property. Do you dare to take it?" Thor rose from his seat, ready to charge.
Tony yawned, gestured with his hand, and Thor vanished. Loki, who had been observing silently, smiled. Five seconds later, Thor returned, covered in a layer of ice.
"If you raise that hammer with hostile intent in my house again, you'll find yourself drifting through space," Tony warned. Sprite yawned.
"We've been busy all night; if you're going to be a bother, go somewhere else," Sprite said irritably.
Tony's yawn hadn't been for show either; he had been sleepless for two days, as they had already been working overtime due to Loki's arrival. But after obtaining the Mind Gem and Loki's knowledge, Sprite and he had been plundering knowledge from various races across the universe. They had visited the Nova Corps and the blue-skinned folks. Then, they returned to Earth to retrieve Phastos, the scientist among the Eternals.
Tony had a massive headache from assimilating so much knowledge and just wanted to go to sleep.
Loki raised an eyebrow at his comment and looked at both of them with a suggestive smile. Tony was too annoyed to pay attention, and Sprite flipped him off. Thor clenched his teeth.
"How do you intend to lend us the Space Gem?" Thor asked through clenched teeth.
"We'll go with you to Asgard, of course," Tony said with a smile.
"Little brother, that's a terrible idea," Loki said.
Thor glared at him. In reality, he didn't have a choice; he either took Loki or they were stuck with their broken rainbow bridge.
"Fine," Thor said nonchalantly.
Tony nodded, pretending not to have noticed anything. Loki rolled his eyes.
"Little brother, you're a disgrace to Asgard," Loki sighed.
It was evident that Thor wasn't confident in facing them, but he still believed Odin to be invincible and thought that once in Asgard, in the blink of an eye, they would be disarmed. It was evident that Loki didn't share the same confidence, but Thor was angry with him and completely ignored him. It was also possible that Loki was making it easier for Thor to mess up and cause a disaster in Asgard, which would earn Loki, who had already warned him, Odin's favor. Perhaps they would even let him go, as the beginning of all this was their fight for the throne of Asgard.
"Then we'll depart in two weeks," Tony said.
"That's too long," Thor said, casting a sideways glance at Loki.
"Go see Ancient One; Loki's tricks won't work against him. We've just come out of a disaster, I have too much work, and you have nothing to do in Asgard," Tony said, and with a wave of his hand, he sent them to Ancient One. Tony looked at Sprite.
"Dear lackey, I believe we're about to conclude our deal," Tony said with a sigh.
"If you want me to stay, just say the word," Sprite said with a smile.
"In your dreams. You can go play with your magazine model in peace," Tony said, moving both of them to the first floor of his lab, where Kaecilius was performing a spell on the MRM.
"Kaecilius, in no more than a year, I'll be able to bring your family back," Tony said, while Sprite picked up the Mind Gem-carrying scepter from a secure pedestal and looked at Kaecilius with a wicked smile.
"In other words, you've fulfilled your part. Now you can teach us everything you know and retire so we can work in peace," Sprite said.
Kaecilius sighed, but he didn't resist as they copied his knowledge, as their initial agreement was that he would teach them all he knew about magic.
While copying Kaecilius's knowledge, Sprite handed him the scepter, and he did the same after deactivating the power of the Space Gem, allowing the Mind Gem to copy the knowledge into his brain. This was the advantage of having an interface for the Infinity Gem; he could deactivate its effect on him at any moment.
After finishing copying Kaecilius's knowledge, Tony sent him to Ancient One, as they had a lot of work to do. He looked at Sprite.
"Well, let's see if I'm truly a genius or if my lackey can outdo me with the same knowledge," Tony said.
"Getting what I want is enough for me," Sprite said, and her work began immediately.
…
For their work, they had Hulk's blood, the pinnacle of the super soldier project. Extremis, genetic samples from the Asgardians, and the efforts of the Celestials themselves, which were Sprite and Makkari. In terms of knowledge, they had Tony's, Maya's, Dr. Banner's, Loki's magical and technological knowledge (more magic than technology), the knowledge of the Kree Empire and the Nova Empire. Combined with their natural genius, this gave them enough confidence to do as they pleased.
On the other hand, he still had to gather some specimens that would undoubtedly give him what he wanted. These were another creation of the Celestials: the Deviants. Tony didn't know where they were, but Ikaris of the Eternals did. The problem with this was that Ikaris was Sprite's love interest, and she might not agree to attack him and steal his memories to find out.
"What are you thinking about?" Sprite asked, looking at him suspiciously because Tony was staring at her while making plans.
"We can streamline our efforts, at least when it comes to the Celestials' creations," Tony said honestly.
Sprite thought, as from his tone, she understood that she might not like what he was about to say.
"Speak," Sprite said seriously a few seconds later.
"The Deviants are still alive, and Ikaris knows their location," Tony said.
Sprite clenched her teeth, and this time it took a whole minute for her to regain her composure.
"Explain," she said, taking a deep breath.
"One of these Deviants has the ability to absorb all of you and take your abilities. I suppose it's because in the end, they share some affinity in their creation. If we capture this Deviant and replicate its assimilation method, providing it with some cultivation samples, we'll achieve what we want with only a quarter of the effort," Tony explained.
Sprite didn't say anything; she just went to the pedestal where the scepter was and picked it up. Then she closed her eyes, and after a few seconds, she extended her hand to him.
"I know where it is now. Let's go," Sprite said, her teeth clenched but determination in her gaze.
Tony took her hand, and after receiving the information, they both arrived in snowy mountains, surprising Ikaris, who was sitting on rocks overlooking a river of crystal-clear water.
"Sprite…" Tony immobilized him; they were only five meters away.
Ikaris, still conscious, tried to free himself, but he wasn't Odin's armor and couldn't move an inch.
"Ikaris," Sprite said, approaching him. "Ikaris, the Deviants, are they the same as us? Why are we here?" Sprite asked and looked at him. "Let him speak," Sprite said.
"Sprite, we have a mission to fulfill, one we were created for. There's nothing we can do," Ikaris said, suspecting she had already learned everything. Sprite sighed.
"At least you're not a liar," Sprite said. "However, I'm a different person now. I no longer care about our duty or similar nonsense. I don't want to keep being a slave," Sprite declared. Ikaris looked at her in surprise. Sprite nodded. "Yes, I suppose this is a betrayal, but you won't remember it," Sprite said, placing the scepter on Ikaris's head. Tony released him, and Sprite took control.
…
After a few seconds, Sprite shed tears, which made Tony understand that she wasn't seeking the information they needed.
Tony sighed. He already knew she wasn't capable of coercing him into being her lover, as their personalities were too similar, and such a thing would only disgust her. However, the truth was something else. No matter the pain, possibilities had to be eliminated.
A few minutes later, Sprite pulled away from Ikaris, but he remained dazed.
"They're frozen nearby," Sprite said, wiping tears from her eyes.
"That'll make it easier for us," Tony said, pretending not to see anything.
"He will also assist us in our research," Sprite said coldly.
It seemed Ikaris had been caught in the act. Tony wondered what kind of contempt she would have shown him…
"'I really don't know what that girl expects from me. How does she expect a man to feel the desire to touch a flat chest? We're not Deviants'," Sprite said, with a sharp tone laden with murderous anger behind it. She had inferred his thoughts and provided an answer.
In his mind, Tony swallowed hard, as it was clear that a response was expected from him. He wondered how he should share in this guy's punishment; it wasn't his fault. But he was a genius; if he didn't get out of this smoothly, he would doubt his own intelligence.
"As I've mentioned before, my opinion on this matter hasn't changed. Your appearance would interest me if I had plans to marry you, something that will never happen, as I don't see myself capable of sharing eternity with anyone.
"On the other hand, we've shared a year of life, and from the start, among all I know of this world, I wouldn't choose anyone else to be by my side and share my plans. However, saying something and your own perception are two different things.
"Tell me, do you think I'm the same as this wretch? Do you believe I'm lying and that I've actually pretended to enjoy spending leisurely nights with you? Or do you think we don't share commonalities that would prompt me to seek you out?" Tony asked.
Sprite looked at Ikaris and kicked him in the genitals. Ikaris doubled over with a groan, but that was it; he remained under control.
"Trash," Ikaris spat.
'Damn, my intellect is god-tier. Not only have I gotten out of all this without resorting to mentioning her breast size, but I've shifted her attention back to the bastard who first blamed me,' Tony thought with satisfaction.
"Idiot, it's obvious I caught onto your nonsense," Sprite said, rolling her eyes.
Tony tensed. Sprite shook her head and extended her hand to him.
…
A week later, they went after the remaining Eternals, releasing Ikaris and Makkari after copying their abilities, which were the most useful of all. Thanks to the Mind Gem, they didn't remember anything, although Makkari was in shock upon realizing her ship had been stolen and the antiques she kept had disappeared.
Tony felt somewhat embarrassed by his theft and promised to return another ship and the antiques as soon as possible. But for now, he didn't have the time and continued with his next target, which were Gilgamesh and Thena. Their physical abilities and endurance were worse than Ikaris's, but they could create energy armors that absorbed damage and energy weapons superior to material weapons, although not to Uru metal. Additionally, they were skilled hand-to-hand combatants. They were easy to control, and as a parting gift, Sprite healed Thena, sealing her memories.
After dealing with Gilgamesh and Thena, they went for the others, with Ajax and Cersei being the most useful among them, whose ability was matter transmutation.
…
"Well, they're not powers, but I must admit this is very useful," Sprite said, while an old man slept in his chair in front of a computer after Tony, who was the first to copy his knowledge, put him to sleep.
"You're mistaken, this is the most OP technology in this universe, and it's what will make the Celestials mere bugs in our eyes, without needing to use the Infinity Gems," Tony said. Sprite raised an eyebrow with interest. "We can adapt particle technology to Celestial biodroid technology, reducing the cells and creating an interface for them to interact with normal-sized ones.
"These cells would produce the same energy, which will make our power jump significantly. The most absurd part of this is that the more cells we manage to produce and reduce, the more our power will increase without any limit other than the number of cells to be reduced to the size of our bodies," Tony explained.
"That makes sense, but these cells generate their own energy through interaction with the environment. The more numerous they are, the less energy they'll obtain. This won't be noticeable even if we multiply each cell in our body by a hundred, but beyond that, I don't think we can add more without a compatible energy source," Sprite replied after thinking for a few seconds.
"A hundredfold increase is enough for now. I have something in mind for later. Remember that the Infinity Gems are the greatest power source in this universe, and they will soon be in our hands," explained Tony.
"True," Sprite reflected.
"As for tools, the spatial pockets of oriental fantasy will pale in comparison to what we can achieve," Tony said. "With this technology, our storage and space problems will be a thing of the past," he added while erasing all traces of their presence from the security of the place, which contained all of Hank Pym's memories. Sprite contemplated and smiled.
"That's possible," Sprite said with a smile.
…
Tony and Sprite returned to their laboratory to complete the integration of Pym technology, both in their bodies and in their weapons and combat suits, which could use the same principle of reducing energy sources and integrating ARC microreactors into the nanosuits. Though more research was needed for this, as their technology couldn't compare to that of the Celestials and the biomatter the Eternals were made of.
...
Two weeks later, they headed to Thor, whom they found drunk on a sofa in a dark room. Tony raised his hand, and Thor floated upside down. From the way he regained his senses, he didn't seem drunk, but he definitely smelled like one. Tony lowered him back to the ground, and Thor summoned his hammer, regaining the appearance of the god of thunder.
"It's time to return to Asgard," Tony said, but Thor wasn't looking at him, but at the woman next to him who was Sprite. However, she was now a 1.80-meter-tall Sprite, with the body of a goddess. The only things about her that remained the same were her short fiery hair and sea-green eyes. Thor furrowed his brow and then looked at Tony.
"Is it my imagination, or are they taller?" Thor asked, with confusion.
Tony used to be 1.78 meters tall and was now 1.95 meters, while Sprite had grown over a dozen centimeters.
"It's your imagination!" Tony and Sprite declared at the same time.
"Let's go for Loki," Tony said, adjusting his tie of the formal suit he had designed himself.
Sprite was no longer wearing a formal suit, but her Eternal suit, redesigned by herself to incorporate all the enhancements from the vibranium combat nanosuits.
…
While searching for Loki, they arrived in Asgard right at the entrance of the Bifrost Bridge, which had been destroyed in the fight between Loki and Thor. There, a battalion of five hundred men in armor awaited them, led by Heimdall, who was clad in golden armor and held a Uru metal sword in his hands.
"Interesting," Tony said, feeling the energy of the Space Gem in Heimdall and the other warriors.
With this, they could prevent being controlled by the Mind Gem and also being moved by it. Of course, this wasn't the power of a real gem, and if he and Sprite exerted themselves, their protections wouldn't be of use. Still, they hadn't come to fight, and Tony greeted with a smile.
"Heimdall, they are Tony Stark, the human who refuses to hand over the Space Gem, and Sprite, the self-proclaimed Eternal," Thor introduced with an arrogant smile. Now that he had an army before him and was on his home turf, he was very confident.
"Welcome to Asgard!" Heimdall said with a formal tone, and Thor blinked.
"I want it to be clear that he invited them," Loki said with a big smile, seeing Thor's plans failing and that Odin wasn't willing to fight them for control of the gem. He was only showing them that he would if they misbehaved.
"It's an honor to be here," Tony said.
"And a pleasure," Sprite said as she observed the view, which was breathtaking. "If it's not a bother, we would like to meet Odin, the father of all Asgardian gods. We have some proposals for him," Sprite said.
"The king god is not available at the moment," Heimdall said, and Sprite and he nodded without much concern. "The queen mother offers you her hospitality," Heimdall added, and they nodded as a group of soldiers approached and took Loki away.
Thor had a look of incomprehension that persisted while Heimdall offered them a ship-like transport that took them to Odin's palace.
…
Odin's palace was spectacular, and its main floors reached up to ten meters in height, with walls ranging between gold and copper, and a polished stone floor, or what appeared to be polished stone. But like everything the Asgardians built, the entire place was infused with magic.
"It could use a bit more technology, but the design is great," Tony praised.
"I want a palace," Sprite said. Tony smiled. "You've got an idea!" Sprite exclaimed with excitement as they walked, led by Heimdall and Thor, and escorted by about twenty men.
"If we create something like this on Earth, we'll have a multitude of problems, but we have two other planets available: Mars and Venus," Tony said. Sprite's eyes lit up.
"We'll start right away," Sprite said. Tony cleared his throat.
"We have a lot of work ahead of us," Tony said, as he had promised some toys to Fury and also had many improvements to make to Earth's technology. Sprite sighed.
"Fine, but let's first secure one of the planets. Which one do you prefer?" Sprite asked.
"Mars," Tony said, because it was farther from the Sun and would also serve as a shield for Earth against conventional threats.
Sprite thought for a moment and nodded. Thor still looked confused, but Heimdall didn't let any of their words escape him.
…
A while later, after touring Odin's palace, Heimdall led them to the throne room where Frigga, Thor's mother and Odin's wife, awaited them. She sat on the throne of Asgard, wearing an ancient-style dress with light armor on top. The style wasn't very impressive, but the woman herself was. Frigga was tall, with fine features and a sculpted figure.
"Welcome to Asgard," Frigga said after Heimdall introduced them.
"Thank you!" Sprite and Tony said simultaneously.
"Could you tell me your intentions for coming here?" Frigga asked cautiously.
"Your son Thor has asked for our help, and considering that Asgard is one of Earth's guardians, we've decided to assist," Tony explained.
"But you won't return the Space Gem you now possess, which has belonged to Asgard since time immemorial," Frigga said.
"Since the creation of this universe, the Infinity Gems only belong to those who have the power to wield them," Tony said. Frigga pondered for a moment.
"What about the armor you've taken? It was created by our hands," Frigga inquired. Tony shook his head.
"Of course, it belongs to you, and we haven't taken it at any point. However, about a year ago, it was sent to Earth, and as it was wreaking havoc, we had to deactivate it. Since then, we haven't received any communication from Asgard regarding it. We thought you weren't interested.
"But if Your Majesty wants it back, you only need to indicate the location where you want it," Tony said. They had already thoroughly analyzed that armor, and it was no longer of any use.
Fury didn't have much, as Ancient One didn't want to help him, but Tony had already warned him that the Asgardians would eventually reclaim their armor. Frigga furrowed her brow.
"There's a training ground near this place, can you place it there?" Frigga asked. Tony understood her test and raised his hand.
A few seconds later, a crystalline sphere appeared in his palm. Inside was Odin's armor.
"I think this is better," Tony said, handing the sphere to Heimdall. "Once the sphere is broken, the armor will return to its normal size," Tony said, who knew the location thanks to Loki's knowledge, but he definitely didn't want to reveal the extent of his control over the Space Gem, bypassing Asgardian defenses to reach the place Frigga mentioned.
Frigga smiled, understanding that they wouldn't reveal their abilities.
"Do you have any requests to aid us?" Frigga asked.
"None," Tony said.
"None," Sprite said.
"Then you may rest. We will prepare everything for the reconstruction of the Rainbow Bridge and will call for you when it's ready," Frigga said.
…
They were led to a wing of the palace that overlooked a garden with its own fountains and plazas, but they didn't stay there long because Frigga appeared in their room an hour later and escorted them back to Odin's throne.
There stood Odin, an imposing elderly figure with a white beard, a patched eye, and the Gungnir spear in his hand. Frigga stood beside him, and this time there were no guardians in the throne room.
"What are your conditions for reconstructing the Rainbow Bridge?" Odin asked.
"None," Tony said. "But we have a proposal that might interest you," Tony said and produced a sample of the Extremis serum. "I believe you should know what this is," Tony said, and Odin nodded.
"Human biology is simple; this is not much," Odin said calmly.
"If it's not much, how come you don't have an army of superhumans replacing your useless soldiers?" Tony thought, but he wasn't there for pointless arguments.
"I can create a version for the Asgardians; you just need to provide us with some genetic samples," Tony proposed.
"Any Asgardian will do," Sprite added, so they wouldn't think they wanted Odin's blood.
"That's impossible," Odin said.
In part, Odin was right; other races in the galaxy had genetics that were challenging to alter, especially the Asgardians, whose bodies were influenced by both magic and genetics. However, Extremis wasn't based on genetic change but was an external agent, nothing more than a biological tool. Of course, he wouldn't share this knowledge with Odin.
"We don't share that opinion," Tony responded.
"Immortality doesn't exist," Frigga declared.
"I wouldn't claim the same, but what I'm offering you is by no means immortality, only eternal youth," Tony said, looking at the elderly Odin. Sprite also looked him up and down.
"What do you ask for in return?" Odin asked.
"All the knowledge of Asgard you can provide us," Tony said.
"Also access to the other realms; we won't seek to start a war, we only wish to establish trade relations," Sprite added.
In his youth, Odin had conquered the most magically advanced worlds, and all of them had potential similar to Earth's, meaning they could obtain rare minerals, magical knowledge, and a wealth of genetic and biological information.
"You ask a lot in return for mere youth," Odin said indifferently.
The elderly figure did indeed seem imposing; no one would suspect he had only a few years of life left and that only Asgard kept him alive. He was but a powerless old man, a paper shield for his people. If they couldn't create an Asgardian version of Extremis, it would be their apocalypse, what they called Ragnarok.
"It's a fair price for the lives of most of your people and their home," Tony said with the same indifference.
Odin tensed; these words clearly indicated they knew his condition.
"Do you dare to threaten us?" Frigga asked with a cold tone. Tony shook his head.
"At no point have we threatened you. In fact, we're here to help. However, the Asgardians already have enough powerful enemies. In a few years, when Odin is no longer here, all those enemies will return, though Hela will come first… Well, you have so many enemies that it's hard to decide which of them will finally destroy this place."
"For all these reasons, Asgard is doomed, and we're not making threats; we're just offering an option for survival," Tony explained.
…
With Odin's weakness exposed, negotiations were swift, and Odin provided them with over five thousand samples of Asgardian blood. They agreed to help with the reconstruction of the bridge when everything was ready and they were summoned, so they returned to Earth.
Before starting to work on all their assignments, Tony and Sprite took a month-long vacation, causing a nervous twitch in Fury's lone eye, but he couldn't force them to work. During that time, they explored some beaches and visited tourist sites throughout the universe.
AN 1: Another Infinity Gem in the hands of the protagonist and their accomplice, and it was the Mind Gem. With Loki's knowledge, it was clear that they would first seek information about the Nova Empire and the Kree Empire. The situation has become uncontrollable, and they only have two gems, though, despite being beneath the Reality Gem, they are the most powerful. Some people underestimate the Mind Gem because Vision lacks imagination, but the power to locate anyone in the universe, read their thoughts, or control them is one of the most overwhelming abilities that can exist. If combined with the Space Gem, the chaos that could be unleashed would be of epic proportions.
AN 2: Pyng particle technology Is too powerful when used correctly and with the necessary knowledge to harness it in biology and robotics. With this fic, I didn't want to leave anything out and considered what things could be achieved with each technology the protagonist could obtain, which could break the power scale. Although the fic turned out to be quite brief, I knew from the start that it would be so and kept writing without limiting anything.
AN 3: So far, the protagonist has incorporated some of Hulk's strength, Captain America's perfect physical form, and the biological structure of the Eternals, as well as reducing everything to increase their power a hundredfold. The protagonist has stopped these changes because adding more would be pointless. As Sprite explained, their energy doesn't come from nothing, and it doesn't make sense to keep adding cells if they can't use them due to a lack of an energy source. However, the protagonist has an idea in mind: the Infinity Gems themselves. However, currently, they don't possess the necessary knowledge to use them as an energy source, as none of the minds they have accessed had this information.
However, the protagonist is a transmigrator and knows how to achieve their goal. We'll see this in the next chapter, which is also my favorite in this fic.
AN 4: As I edit this fic to upload it, I've remembered the good moments of the MCU and set aside the current mess a little. Maybe I'll write a longer fic than this, with another character who has less potential, so that the story extends beyond a few chapters. I'm thinking of a character who has had misfortunes from beginning to end but turns out to be interesting, like poor Pietro.
NA: Don't forget to leave your comments, bookmark, follow, and subscribe.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
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