In one of the laboratories in the damaged Stark Tower. The owner of the laboratory was sitting in a chair, assembling a professional Rubik's cube. Having lined up all the sides by colors, he threw it into a basketball hoop hanging on the wall. Flying just a couple of centimeters from the ring, the cube hit the wall and fell to the floor.
"So what about Jarvis?" Tony Stark asked loudly, disappointed with his mistake.
- Alexander Dmitrievich Ledov. Born on December 30, 1987 in Yekaterinburg. Studied at school number 147 until he was 12. The next entry about him is in 2005, 6 years later. He entered a higher educational institution in St. Petersburg. He graduated as an external student in 2 years. He has patents for several medical drugs. He has a doctorate in genetics. And received a Nobel Prize for his contribution to medicine. His parents died in 1999. He reported his data to artificial intelligence by scrolling through photographs on a holo monitor.
- So it was him I was supposed to meet, but Coulson gave me something more important.
- Yes, Mister Stark. Dr. Ledov had been in Stark Tower for several days. When the portal opened. He looked out the window for a while. Then he used his powers to knock it out and jumped from the 15th floor. The cameras recorded many of his actions.
- So he is one of the mutants?
- The probability of this is 97.6%.
- How interesting. Many people discuss people with paranormal abilities behind closed doors. And at this moment, gods and aliens appear in our lives. The world is really going crazy. - Tony shared his thoughts with the butler, taking a sip of whiskey.
- I informed Miss Potts that you drink alcohol.
- You can't do that when I have such a doctor at my side.
- Doctor Ledov is currently at the aid station. And he is not your attending physician. Your attending...
- I know. That's not the point. He's been there for almost 3 days now. We can't even really talk. It's good that he didn't run away right after his people arrived.
- Many Russian agents are now around the tower and are watching him and every member of the "Avengers". After the demonstrative freezing of one of the agents who tried to take Doctor Ledov away by force.
- Are they following? - A small smile appeared on Tony's face.
- They are trying, Mr. Stark. They can't get anywhere. There are enough agents of various special services around now, who pass on everything they can to their handlers.
- Okay. Is there anything else interesting?
- Yes. - there was another row of photos of the young man with different people. - Dr. Ledov has quite a large financial portfolio. Much of this money came to him from different figures from all over the world. Politicians, businessmen, stars, they all handed over significant sums after meeting him.
- No wonder. A person with such talents can earn money very easily. The ability to heal people is like magic. - excitement was heard in the billionaire's voice - it's a pity I didn't know him earlier. Maybe I wouldn't have to suffer from palladium.
- According to my calculations, Dr. Ledov would be able to completely cure you of palladium infection with a probability of 14.35%. But if he were to conduct regular treatment, it would not encourage you to look for a permanent solution.
- What about the shield on him? - Stark interrogated his electronic assistant, trying to understand with whom he would have to do business.
- The shield tried to get to him. But it seems they weren't very successful. Sal Doctor kept his distance, and there was silence to the questions of everyone he came into contact with.
- It's obvious. If a person with such capabilities helped you, then you will keep it a secret at least so that you can contact them again. Especially at a time like this.
- I came to the same conclusions.
- That's right. Good. Let me know when he's free. We still haven't had a meeting.
Yes sir, Mr. Stark. The AI said. Watching as its creator went on about his business.
«»»»»»
Most of Manhattan was affected in one way or another. Many victims. Damage that will take a long time to clean up. Rescuers are working all over the city. Many people have left the city for the near future. But there are also brave souls who have arrived in the city. Volunteers, various scientists. During the invasion, the world froze. This event was called the "Battle of New York."
When it became known to everyone that those people who had contributed most to containing the aliens were called "the avengers" (nobody knows where the name came from) there were a lot of statements from everyone. Many presidents, various media personalities, ordinary citizens all over the world, they all said what they thought was necessary, but they all had something in common. They all thanked the avengers for their fight against threats that the world was not yet ready to fight.
If the madness on the Internet was simply people showing their vision of the situation, then in New York itself things took a completely crazy turn. All the services that helped in clearing the city, searching for the wounded and providing first aid had to work not only 12-16 hours a day. And then people who realized that they were already safe began to interfere with them, trying to snatch something alien, get into the protected area or just interfere, trying to get some news to post on the Internet or pass to the news agency.
In one of these places there were a lot of people - it was an aid station for the wounded. It was always busy there. A small tent city was organized right in the middle of the city streets. Dozens of soldiers and special service agents were on duty to protect and keep the wounded calm. In one of the largest tents, the wounded were periodically brought in. Less often, healthy people came out of there or people were carried out whose lives were no longer in danger. Also, bottles of water were constantly brought into this tent.
In this tent, many doctors were trying to help the wounded. A young man was constantly moving between them, followed by a soldier with a container of water. Having run up to one of the doctors, a man of forty who was trying to stabilize a woman, the young man makes several passes with his hand and the water begins to move towards her, covering many areas. Having stabilized the woman's condition, the doctor who performed the operation nods, thanking her for her help and quickly finishes the operation. A few dozen minutes later, the doctors, having finished with the girl, exhale.
Having looked around and realized that their help was not needed now, the doctors began to get themselves in order while their assistants began to take the girl away and remove the used equipment.
- Thank you for being with us now, - said the doctor washing his hands after the seventh operation of the day. - I'm afraid to imagine how much we would have lost if not for your help.
- You're welcome. But it's nice to hear gratitude from professionals, especially if it's deserved. As far as I know, our work will soon be over for the time being. The government has attracted many people from all over the country who are now working in shifts.
- Yes, that's true, but I don't think you'll have even a little free time. - A sad smile appeared on the doctor's face as he sat down on the nearest chair. - If nothing happens, I'll be replaced in an hour and I'll be able to rest and sleep a little.
Yes, there are reporters all around just waiting to come by and take an interview.
At this time, a person entered the tent who had gained no less popularity in the last few days, and in some circles even more. Red-haired with bright blue eyes, her gaze was sharp and penetrating, and her body was fit and strong. She was dressed in a light black jacket and jeans. Seeing the doctors, she immediately went to them.
"Alexander Dmitrievich," she greeted, nodding to the doctor sitting next to her, "I hope everything is okay with you?"
- Miss Romanoff, nice to see you - he looked her up and down - glad you're feeling well. If you're talking about that conversation, I'm busy right now.
- That's exactly what I'm talking about. A group has arrived to replace you. There are enough of them to be able to help people and to give you a window in your "very busy schedule," the spy immediately stopped her attempts to avoid contact. - That's why I'm asking you to come with me. - I can guarantee that there will be no interrogations, and you can leave if you think it's necessary.
"Okay, let's go," he agreed with a heavy sigh, afraid to imagine what would await him.
After saying goodbye, they headed for the exit. As soon as they left, a flurry of activity could be seen around the camp.
"It seems she wasn't lying, there are a lot of people here" - there were people constantly walking around them, carrying something or setting something up. This activity had been going on all the time he was here, but now there were just too many people. There were a lot of cars parked around the camp, but the hardest part was still ahead.
People who stood around the fenced area. As soon as they showed up in their sight, the bacchanalia began.
"I'm like a popular rock star." - people were just going crazy, many cameras were pointed at them, different people like fans who came to a concert of their favorite star. Trying to hide his irritation, he moved after Natasha. "It would be better to go do something useful than to sit here and look out for people who don't care about you . "
The path to the car was short, but even there there were people who rushed at them. It was not even clear for what purpose, whether to hug or kill.
As soon as they sat down, Natasha immediately directed them away from this place.
- It must be hard to become so popular so suddenly? - there was a slight smile on his face.
"I was already famous, albeit not so widely, just like you," he answered, looking out the window at the destroyed city, "but I can continue to work with such fame, but it will be harder for you now that your work had to remain in the shadows."
"I agree," a shadow of discontent appeared on her face, "but I can change the assignments and continue to work with this fame the same way you do," this time they both smiled.
The car stopped near the Stark Tower. They got out of the car and went inside. The tower itself was in the epicenter of the fighting and suffered greatly from it. So it was amazing to see how many functions of the building continued to work even with such damage.
- What happens next? - The silence in the elevator haunted him.
- A lot has happened lately, this is just a little party to relax a bit. We'll all have a lot of work to do, and you're not the only one who was practically forced here.
- And who else is so "hardworking"? - There was no answer, only a mysterious smile colored her face. - Then I warn you, if someone suddenly wants to get me drunk, I will not be responsible for the consequences.
- I have no intention of doing this...
- I was just warning you, I'm sure there are a few um... humanoids there who like to drink and argue. - Their eyes met and Alex read in her eyes that such a thought had already occurred to her.
Alex's fears were premature. The meeting was more necessary for Thor, so he celebrated more. The next day, Loki was scheduled to return to Asgard with the Tesseract. Because of this, Thor wanted to meet his comrades in arms again. The "Party" itself was very calm, Thor, as the initiator, tried to get everyone drunk. Tony played along with him as best he could. But the people they were on the team with were tough nuts. Everyone had their own reasons for not losing their heads, so their attempts were not very successful.
The most memorable moment was when Thor again reminded of his "divinity" telling about his adventures in the form of fights and feasts after them. So Alex decided to joke about him. Using his abilities, he pulled out all the alcohol that was nearby and created an ice statue of Thor. Many were amazed by such a display of abilities. Only this statue looked strange, it was not the personification of strength and masculinity, but rather laziness. Because the belly was very big. Thor's indignation was explained by the fact that in some legends he was remembered and described exactly like that. After the explanation, the face of the God of Thunder was very red and this was clearly not from intoxication.
The next day, Alex watched as Thor and Loki used a strange device to travel back to Asgard. After assessing the work that the scientists had done, everyone began to disperse. Everyone had a lot of work to do.
****
- Good afternoon - this is the program "secrets and facts" today with us is ufologist and candidate for a doctorate, Dr. Mazov. Thank you for coming. Our viewers want to know as much as possible of your opinion on recent events.
"Of course, now we will educate the common people on how to live," Alex reasoned, listening more than watching, frying potatoes in his two-story modern house.
- It's been 2 weeks since the event that turned the public worldview upside down - a man unknown until recently tried to take full advantage of his moment of fame. - religious communities have begun to develop seriously all over the world. People who were previously considered, roughly speaking, crazy have suddenly become very popular. Of course, it couldn't have happened without people who believed in something and began to propagate their view of the world. The mere fact of proving their existence turns the world upside down...
" Well, yes, now the thought that something will hit them from space should worry the world's elites more than people who can bend a spoon with the power of their minds, " - having finished cooking, he turned his attention to the helicopter that was beginning to land - " It looks like they didn't drag it out with me ."
Having turned off the sound, Alex began to prepare for the arrival of the guests.
A couple of minutes later, while sitting and having lunch, several well-armed soldiers enter through the door, practically breaking in, followed by an elderly man of about 60 who has lost all his combat uniform, sitting and shuffling papers.
- HAVE YOU F**** LOST ANY FEAR, YOU LITTLE **************** ****, FORGOT WHO YOU NEED TO OBEY, I'LL QUICKLY KNOCK ALL THIS CRAP OUT OF YOU.
The emotionality of the soldier who entered did not affect the owner of the house in any way; he sat and ate calmly, and you could tell from his face that this situation amused him.
- Dear General Volkov. Of course, I do a lot. Could you please explain what exactly caused such an emotional reaction? - The general's face turned even redder from such impudence.
- YOU STILL NEED TO EXPLAIN, YOU LEFT THE COUNTRY WITHOUT PERMISSION, REVEALED YOUR ABILITIES, RESISTANCE WHEN THEY TRIED TO TAKE YOU. YOU DID NOT MAKE CONTACT. - the general's face bared its teeth - I can also add conspiracy, espionage and a dozen more articles, with which you will definitely be locked up and you will no longer be able to ask anyone for help.
- How interesting, but I have completely different information - the calmness with which Alex sat made the general think. - For example, Mr. President was VERY pleased with my work and asked me to come to the Kremlin in a few days for a personal conversation and presentation of the award.
The blow to the table was strong, showing that there was still power inside the big body - I don't care about him. You are still alive because we allow you to live.
- Comrade General - the seriousness in his voice made the soldiers in the room grip their weapons more tightly - you've probably forgotten what happened the last time I was threatened like that.
The general's face quickly turned pale, and the memories of the many dead people quickly sobered him up.
- Alexander - it was hard for him to calm down - you were supposed to keep us informed, that was the deal.
- Plans have changed - at that moment, recordings of battles with aliens from eyewitnesses appeared on the TV. - Everything has changed, it will not be like before. I will not be your dog anymore.
- It doesn't change anything, everything...
- This changes everything - the Master of Water Control looked at the Master of Shouting at his subordinates - I am now a public figure. Now if you want my services, you will have to negotiate with me, I will no longer be an errand boy.
- You understand who you are dealing with, they won't leave you so easily. - The general had his orders and he had to carry them out.
" They will leave it," Alex answered, looking confidently at Volkov, "or do you want to report that you had a person with such potential working for you, and you did not inform the state authorities?"
Volkov immediately imagined the consequences of such a storm, imagining the kind of uproar that would result from the disclosure of such information. His face became serious, and he slowly shook his head.
And this - Ledov put a flash drive on the table - is my insurance, if you interfere with me, this data will go online.
- What's going on there... - connecting the flash drive to the portable reader, the General looked at the data, then turned his hard gaze to Ledov - where did you get this?
- What difference does it make, just know that if we don't come to an agreement, no one will get into trouble. - The soldiers felt the tension that hung in the air and understood that if a fight began and they couldn't stop it in the first moments, then they wouldn't leave here.
- Hmmmm. Okay, if this information doesn't go anywhere, then we won't flatter you, but if you...
- Sooner or later our interests will intersect anyway. Then we will have a shootout. - The look of the blue eyes became even brighter, showing readiness for battle.
The general nodded and headed out. The soldiers, keeping an eye on the owner of the house, went after their boss. A few minutes later, Alexander was standing by the window and watching the helicopter fly away.
- Bastards. When it comes to breaking in, knocking down doors, they are the first, but when it comes to putting things in order, that is not up to them. - the objections were justified, seeing the door knocked off its hinges.
- Trin trin - an unidentified subscriber was displayed on the screen. - Hello... Yes... Yes, it's true... Thank you, now we're clear... I have no doubt... until next time.
Alex stood for some time near the window, thinking about his plans.
"""""""""
In one of the best clinics in the country, where there were always a lot of people with complex diseases, Grigory Albertovich Solovyov sat in the head doctor's office. Sitting and sorting through papers, he analyzed the statistics of the use of new drugs that came into use with the help of Doctor Ledov. Thanks to his drugs, the chance of curing some diseases after completing courses increased by 30-40% of what it was before.
"But recent events give at least hints of understanding as to how he was able to come to such decisions." - glancing at the TV where the creator of the drugs himself was receiving an award from the president and it was shown on the news. - "Now these drugs will become even more expensive, I hope it won't affect us so much"
His thoughts were interrupted when a letter arrived on his computer. "Lyuda, urgently gather all the managers at my place." Without listening to the answer, he leaned back in his chair, realizing that they would have a lot of work in the coming days.
A few days later the head doctor was sitting in the same way, but he was not alone. In the room were a beautiful girl reporter who could not stop the jitters on her body, a cameraman who was sitting near the entrance with a desire to smoke and the culprit of the meeting himself, Alexander Ledov.
- I hope you have everything prepared for my operation? - Ledov was determined.
- Of course, the patient agreed as soon as we offered it to him. - "Although he had little choice, either to give consent or he did not last even a few months, and so if what is on the video is true, he will have a chance ."
- Is something bothering you, Grigory Albertovich? - the reporter drove him out of his thoughts.
I don't even know. What you want to do has never been done before and if you don't succeed... -
" That would be the end of his career as a doctor" - this thought was clear to everyone.
Don't worry, I've done something similar before. The only difference is that now the whole world will know about it. - The smile on the faces slightly eased the doctor's fears.
- Okay, let's go, there's a lot of work and little time.
Within minutes, preparations for the operation were underway in a separate room with the help of extraordinary abilities. Several cameras were set up, ready to film the entire process from different angles. A container with clean water stood near the walls. The patient was ready for the operation. He was lying under anesthesia.
"""""""""
There is already a full video of the operation on the Internet. But the news only showed what they considered necessary. The footage showed how he manipulated the water and injected it into the patient's body. The patient himself simply lay there, as if he were sleeping, the manipulations continued for ten minutes, the water that entered the person's body was clean and came out with various impurities. When the dirt began to run out, the manipulations continued to remove the remains and confirm that there was nothing left inside. All the world news talked about this sensation.
While all the scientists in the world were discussing this news, the atmosphere in the Oval Office of the White House, which serves as a symbol of power and important decisions, was tense. The US President was sitting at his massive desk, with portraits of previous presidents hanging on the walls and windows overlooking manicured lawns and a garden. In front of him sat his vice president. On the agenda was news of a new type of treatment.
- How much could this affect us? - "This would be good news if it was in America, but when it happens in the rest of the country that has been in a cold war for over forty years. This is news that raises serious concerns." -
- There are those who have already approached him with some problems. They have already tried to buy him out. If it weren't for some idiots, it might even have worked out. Now hundreds of millions are pouring into his company from us alone. It is unknown how much from the rest of the world. Matt, in a few years, has provided several medical solutions that no one else could provide. At the same time, he didn't have much money. And what will he do if he has it... - 45th US President Matthew Ellis looked at his prime minister, trying to come to some conclusions that only he could understand.
- Is there a way to get him to us now? He seems to be on good terms with Stark. Is it really impossible to bribe him and bring him to us?
- The last time they were seen together was when the aliens Thor and Loki left Earth. We know that they maintain contact and have some kind of agreement, but we don't know what exactly, and we don't have the right equipment to monitor it.
- The shield has a way to hack Stark, right? - the simple discussion slowly began to flow into a serious discussion - or does it?
- As far as I know, before the incident we had a way to somehow fight Stark, on his field. But now we can't do anything. - the impossibility of tracking this "hero" in iron armor irritated many in the government.
- Okay with Stark. And what about this mutant? I don't think the Russians give the go-ahead for their systems to be tampered with like that.
- We can't listen to Ledov either.
- So Stark is involved after all. If this is...
- No. Someone is protecting Ledov, - the vice president continued, checking the data on the tablet. - We don't know who exactly: maybe the Russians themselves, or maybe someone else. But as soon as our people got into his systems, a real cyber attack began on our networks.
"What do you mean?" Ellis asked, raising his eyebrows. "An attack from them?"
- Yes, that's right. We got an alarm and lost access to the data in just a few minutes. This is not just protection - this is a targeted intervention. Someone clearly does not want us to poke around where we shouldn't.
"That means he has powerful allies," a fact that was alarming. "And that could be dangerous for us. If they're willing to protect his information like that, then he's a serious threat."
"We need to find out who is behind this defense and what their intentions are. If we cannot access information about Ledov, we risk being at a disadvantage." The silence of such high-ranking people spoke volumes.
- If you give him time, then with the support of his president, he can do a lot and occupy a good sector of medical technologies in the world. This will hit our income hard.
- But we can't go against him openly. At the very least, your political opponents will eat you up right away.
- Damn... how I'm sick of them, they just want to get their hands on power - he didn't wait for protection in this matter from his subordinate, the look they threw at the president said "and how did you end up here?"
I have a lot of things to do after the incident, can I entrust you with sorting out this matter? - The head of the country simply wanted to sort out this annoying Russian.
"I have someone in mind," the president motioned to continue. "A company that, with a little help, could help us solve this issue. They have technology that could change the rules of the game in our favor."
"They promised to help your daughter?" the president asked, his gaze becoming more wary. A small nod from his interlocutor confirmed his suspicions.
"Okay. Do you need anything from me?" he continued, trying to remain calm.
- No, I'm already working with them . But since we have this situation, a little more injection wouldn't hurt. It will help strengthen our position and convince them to act more actively.
The President thought about it. He understood that cooperation with AIM could be risky.
- Okay, I'll give the funding instructions. But be careful. We can't afford to lose control of this situation. If they start acting too independently, it could backfire on us.
What about the Shield?
- Okay, I'll call Fury too, let it be his headache too. - Leaving one more thing for the evening, the president looked at his vice - what else is there? - he was shown a certain document.
- Damn. What's wrong with that? - the president grumbled about another problem that had appeared out of nowhere.