"You're not telling us the real plan," Black Widow said flatly.
Tony met her gaze steadily. "No. I'm not."
Silence filled the room. Uncomfortable. Tense.
"Why not?" Falcon asked. His voice carried both confusion and frustration.
Tony took a breath. He needed to sell this. Make them understand without revealing too much.
"Because Apocalypse is five thousand years old. He's seen every strategy humans have ever developed. Every tactic. Every trick. He's fought wars across millennia and won every single one."
He looked around at each face. "If I tell you the full plan, there's a chance he reads it from someone's mind telepathically. He has that capability. We know he does because he built the telepathic corruption network that controlled the Horsemen."
Doctor Strange stepped forward. His expression was troubled. "You're asking us to trust you blindly. To execute missions without understanding how they fit together."
"I'm asking you to execute your missions exactly as I've described," Tony corrected carefully. "Everything else will fall into place when the time comes. But you need to not know the full picture until it's too late for Apocalypse to counter."
'That's mostly true. The telepathic reading risk is real. But the bigger reason is simpler. I can't explain to them that I have meta-knowledge from my previous life. That I've read comic book storylines featuring Apocalypse and know his patterns. They wouldn't understand. Couldn't understand. Better they think I'm just being paranoid about telepathy.'
Peggy Carter studied him for a long moment. Her eyes were sharp. Analytical. She'd run strategic operations for decades.
Finally, she nodded slowly. "We'll do it. But Tony, if you die out there..."
"I won't," Tony said with quiet confidence that he didn't entirely feel. "I've been planning this since I came back from the dimensional void. Since I became something more, which isn't news at this point. Apocalypse thinks this is about strength. About proving whose evolution is superior."
He smiled slightly. "He's wrong. This isn't about strength at all."
"Then what is it about?" Hawkeye asked.
"Chess," Tony replied simply. "And I'm twenty moves ahead."
The meeting began to disperse slowly. Heroes moved to prepare for their specific missions. Doubts lingered in the air but they would follow Tony's lead. They had to. There were no other options left.
War Machine's voice came through the communicator again. "Tony, you still there? I'm coming back to base. We need to talk about this insanity."
"Negative, Rhodey," Tony replied. "I need you on patrol. Monitor for any movements from Apocalypse's remaining forces. Keep the perimeter secure."
"Tony—"
"That's an order, Colonel Rhodes.
The line went quiet.
Then: "You better not die, Tony. Pepper would kill me if I let that happen."
"Tell Pepper I'll see her after tomorrow," Tony said quietly. "Tell her, I'll make it up to her after all this. But this is necessary."
He ended the communication before Rhodey could respond.
When the command center had mostly cleared, Tony stood alone at the tactical table. The holographic displays showed Cairo from multiple angles. Satellite imagery. Drone footage. Every detail of the battlefield mapped precisely.
M.A.R.V.E.L.'s holographic form appeared beside him. The AI's golden avatar looked at him with something approaching concern.
"Will you tell me the real plan?" she asked quietly.
Tony smiled slightly. "You already know. You've been helping me prepare it for months. Ever since I realized Apocalypse would eventually force this confrontation."
"The Echo Project," M.A.R.V.E.L. confirmed.
"The Infinity Stone energy replication research."
"Among other things," Tony said. "Get the Infinity Chamber ready. I need to retrieve the echo cores. And run final diagnostics on the Mark Infinity Supreme armor's hidden systems. The ones I never told anyone about."
"The quantum phasing enhancements are stable. The dimensional manipulation protocols are ready. The energy absorption matrices are at full capacity."
"Good." Tony looked at the holographic display of Cairo one more time.
'Tomorrow I face a god. A being who has mastered evolution over five thousand years. Who has Celestial technology integrated into his very cells. Who can manipulate reality itself with a thought.'
He clenched his fists slowly.
'And I'm going to beat him. Not because I'm stronger. Not because I'm more powerful. But because I understand something he doesn't.'
Tony's mind went back to his previous life. To the comics he'd read. To the stories he'd analyzed as a fan.
'Apocalypse always loses the same way. His ego blinds him. He underestimates opponents who use intelligence over strength. He falls into traps because he can't conceive of anyone actually outsmarting him.'
Tony smiled behind his helmet.
'And I'm not just anyone. I'm Tony Stark. The genius who solved problems Reed Richards couldn't crack. The futurist who predicted threats before they emerged. The man who built an arc reactor in a cave with a box of scraps.'
He turned and walked toward the Infinity Chamber's entrance.
'Now I'm also Homo Supreme. A new species with abilities that transcend human limits. With quantum manipulation. With dimensional awareness. With power that grows every day as my body continues to evolve.'
Tony paused at the chamber door.
'But the real advantage I have is this: I know how the story goes. I've read a story like this before in my previous life. And I know exactly how to change the ending.'
He entered the Infinity Chamber and sealed the door behind him.
The real preparation was about to begin.
Trump cards to retrieve. Weapons to prepare. Final calibrations to make.
Tomorrow at dawn, the world would watch Tony Stark face Apocalypse.
And they would see something unprecedented.
Not a battle of strength.
But a masterclass in strategic genius.
Tony smiled as the chamber's systems activated around him.
'Come dawn, Apocalypse. Come and face the future. Let's see if five thousand years of evolution can match twenty-five years of pure intellect.'
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