Tony Stark sat with a drink in hand, half-slouched in exhaustion as if the ruins of his home pressed down on his chest alongside his fractured ribs. He didn't flinch when Fury arrived, stepping over broken glass with his usual lack of ceremony.
"You're lucky you're still breathing," Fury said flatly. "Though knowing you, you'll probably count this as a win."
Tony gave a tired smirk. "It's been a long week. You are here to scold me about announcing I'm Iron Man, or is this about something worse?"
"This isn't about you. Not tonight." Fury's gaze swept the ruined room, the damage still fresh. "We're here because of Luthar. That… thing you keep supporting with resources."
Tony's smile thinned. "Believe me, if possible I wouldn't give him a penny voluntarily."
"Exactly the problem. From all the reports and intelligence we've gathered," Fury's tone hardened, "his technology is sometimes too advanced, sometimes too primitive. We don't know why he's here. We don't know if he's a friend or something worse. But what I do know—he's going to be a problem."
Tony's fingers tapped against the glass, thoughtful. "He saved lives tonight. Saved me."
"For now." Fury's eye narrowed. "But ask yourself: what happens when his priorities shift? When you can no longer satisfy his hunger for resources?"
Tony exhaled slowly. "So this is about control."
"This is about preparation." Fury stepped forward, looming as always. "SHIELD doesn't take unknown variables lightly. Luthar is a walking weapon. We're putting countermeasures in place. Contingency protocols. Surveillance assets. And if necessary… neutralization plans."
Tony arched a brow. "You really think you can neutralize him? You saw what he did."
"I didn't see anything, but I heard he was carrying a simple chainsaw," Fury's stare didn't waver. "I believe with you helping, we can develop something more effective for when the need arises."
"You want my help?" Tony's tone sharpened.
"I want your awareness. You're already in too deep with him. Keep your guard up." Fury's words hung heavy in the silence between them. "You're smart enough to build a suit of armor around yourself. Now think bigger. Build one for the world. Starting with plans on how to face Luthar if he becomes a threat."
Tony's jaw tightened, but he didn't argue. "And what if he's not the problem? What if he really is just here to take over Mars?"
"One person taking over an entire planet?" Fury's smirk didn't reach his eye. "That sounds ridiculous—unless he gets help from his world. I don't believe taking over that useless planet is possible without that."
"And if he hears you're making plans against him," Tony asked, voice lighter but edged with warning, "you know how that'll end."
"I don't care. I still have cards strong enough to change the course of any war."
With that, Fury left the place, leaving Tony alone with the silence, his glass, and the weight of another problem he wasn't sure he could outbuild.
Tony stayed where Fury left him, glass still in hand, watching sunlight creep through broken walls and paint over scorched metal and ruin.
The noise outside was dying. The ones inside—the ones crawling under his ribs, tightening in his chest—weren't so considerate.
He didn't need Fury to remind him what he already knew.
The first thing he needed to do was to prepare contingencies. Protocols against Mr. Luther.
He'd need to build his life on that logic long before he ever said, 'I am Iron Man.'
Tony set the glass down, untouched.
"JARVIS, pull up everything we've got on Luther, and I also need information about Mars."
"Already compiling, sir."
"Good. And put something stronger in this glass. I have a feeling I'm going to need it."
Far from Malibu's smoldering ruins, Luthar's stronghold remained untouched. Deep beneath layers of reinforced ceramic and shielding, where even radio waves struggled to penetrate, Luthar moved with mechanical precision through his sanctum.
The battle had changed nothing in his demeanor. His movements remained methodical. His purpose is unshaken.
Liliruca watched him from the corner of the room. She leaned casually against a crate half-covered in faded warning sigils, eyeing him with a mixture of suspicion and exasperation.
"You look even more terrifying than usual," she said at last, breaking the silence with the kind of boldness only exhaustion allowed. "What's with the extra radiation shielding? Planning to go wrestle the sun?"
Luthar did not pause in his work. Mechadendrites adjusted valves, calibrated instruments, and locked in newly fabricated plasma cells.
"Exposure to radiation has exceeded safe biological parameters. The armor compensates; as for aesthetics, I was not the one who made this."
"You could've just said, 'I've been working with dangerous tech; this keeps me alive.'"
She folded her arms. "But sure. Keep sounding like a haunted toaster. It's part of your charm."
One of the servo-skulls let out a burst of binary static, which might have been laughter if machines had such things.
Luthar finally turned toward her, lenses adjusting with mechanical focus.
"Imprecision invites misunderstanding. Clarifying parameters ensures comprehension. That is… preferable."
"Do you require further medical treatment? The potion appears to have resolved immediate biological failures."
"No. I'm fine." Liliruca exhaled. "By the way… when did you start making healing potions?"
"Yesterday. I acquired sufficient herbs before coming to this world. It would be inefficient to waste such knowledge."
She snorted. "Wow. So now you're a potion master? Seriously, I'm starting to think about getting a brain enhancement if it helps me learn things that fast."
Luthar didn't respond. Instead, he moved to a large display projecting data in a language no one in this world could read—energy outputs, planetary charts, plasma efficiencies… and beneath it all, schematics of Mars.
Her gaze sharpened. "By the way… when are you planning to start taking over Mars?"
"Once I've completed several plasma engines. The current subspace drives are inefficient in this world."
"So… how long is that going to take? Building multiple plasma engines, I mean."
Luthar inclined his head.
"If I work alone, approximately two years."
"And what are we supposed to do while you're busy? Start planting herbs for more potions?"
" that's actually a good idea. having a good amount of herbs will help us a lot." His tone made it clear he wasn't joking.
Liliruca sighed, rubbing her temple. "You know… for all your tech, you're still just a guy who forgets normal people like having conversations that don't sound like mission statements."
Luthar regarded her in silence for a moment longer, then returned to his work without comment.
"That's what I thought." She leaned back again, watching plasma coils hum to life.
"Instead of thinking, you should leave the room if you don't want additional limbs or tumors. The plasma engines will begin emitting high radiation levels shortly."
With a grumble, Liliruca exited—she lacked anything resembling protective gear for what came next.
The servo-skulls resumed their binary chant, the forge hissing with renewed purpose.
Outside, the world burned in slow motion. But here, deep beneath the earth, another fire was already being prepared.
And this fire would not ask permission before it spread.
Author's Note:
Time to keep my promise! Big shout-out to Dark Xoden and Vegar Kalliainen for hopping on board at the $5 tier. While I cannot promise anything else, for every person who joins for $5, I would give a shout-out, as I do not have anything else, because access to all advance 40 plus chapters is being given at $1, and we have a limit of 100 people. 2 dollars have unlimited spots, while they don't get any special treatment, but I really appreciate them adjusting because of unstable help; it's hard to write something extra for them.