Chapter 7 – Steel and Shadows
The Multiversal Chat blinked awake in Naruto's vision as he was finishing a bowl of ramen.
[Mission Alert] – Save Tony Stark. Neutralize or capture Obadiah Stane. Cure palladium poisoning.Reward: Postal System (Weight Limit: 5 tons).
Naruto's chopsticks froze mid-air."Tony's in trouble?!" he typed quickly.A reply came almost instantl, Saeko had seen the same alert.
Naruto: I can fight, but I'm not a medical-nin. I wouldn't even know where to start with… whatever palladium poisoning is.Saeko: Same. I can handle simple fights, not medical science.
They sat in silence for a moment, both clearly frustrated.
Then a new name appeared in the chat.GaiusMaximorThassor: I will go.
The giant's profile icon seemed to loom even in the digital space. Naruto immediately leaned forward.Naruto: You think you can save him?Gaius: I have in my possession a relic from the Dark Age of Technology, a regeneration draught. It can close wounds, knit broken bone, and expel foreign matter from the body. It will not cure disease or poison, but it may keep him alive long enough for the rest to be treated.
Saeko's message followed almost instantly.Saeko: Then you're our best hope. Go.
.....
In the cold steel corridors of the Oath of Rectitude, Gaius Maximor Thassor closed the chat window and made his way to the ship's Navigator chamber. Gaius silently wonders if the multiversal Chat could take him away from the endless, grim war and chaos of his own universe.
The great armoured figure moved with weight and purpose, every footstep a deep clang against the deck plating.
The Navigator, pale and robed, assured him that the crusade fleet could hold its current position for five days without him. That was enough.
Back in his private armoury, Gaius began to prepare. His Mk VII Aquila-pattern power armour stood on a servo-assisted rack, plates gleaming Blue and gold under the harsh light. Each section was engraved with Imperial laurels and kill tallies carved deep into the ceramite. His breastplate bore a stylised aquila, wings spread wide, talons clutching a scroll inscribed with the words Honour in Service.
First, he checked the Godwyn-pattern bolter. The weapon was massive, almost the length of a human arm, with a matte-black finish and a gold Aquila on its receiver. He loaded a fresh magazine of mass-reactive shells, each one capable of blowing apart a man-sized target in a single hit.
Then came the power sword. Its hilt was wrapped in worn leather, grip molded perfectly to his gauntleted hand. The activation rune flared to life with a hum, surrounding the blade in a crackling energy field. Even without striking, the air around it seemed to vibrate with restrained violence.
He took one last look around his quarters, then spoke aloud to the ship's machine spirit.
"Watch over my brothers. I will return."
...
Accepting the mission caused the world to shift. The clang of metal floors slowed, then froze entirely. Light stretched into long streaks, colours running like wet paint. Gaius felt the strange sensation of being pulled sideways out of reality.
There was a brief moment of cleansing, like a cool wind stripping away the psychic residue of war, purging every trace of the warp's touch. His armour felt lighter, cleaner.
When the light cleared, he was standing in a completely alien place.
....
The air smelled faintly of oil and heated metal. Blue holograms floated in the air above scattered workbenches. Gaius' heavy footfalls echoed against concrete floors as he stepped forward.
On the ground near a metal table lay Tony Stark. His skin was pale, lips faintly blue, chest marked by a circular cavity where an arc reactor should have been. His breathing was shallow, each breath a struggle.
Gaius knelt beside him. With one massive hand he tilted Tony's head back, the other uncorking a small metal vial. The liquid inside shimmered faintly, almost alive.
"Drink," he rumbled, pouring it carefully into Tony's mouth.
The effect was immediate. Colour returned to Tony's face as wounds closed and faint metallic clinks hit the floor, shrapnel forced out of his body by the potion's work. His breathing steadied, but the faint, sickly hue beneath his skin remained and the hole in his chest was filled.
....
Tony's eyes fluttered open. For a moment, confusion reigned, then shock as he realised he was staring up at a figure that could have stepped out of a nightmare or a myth.
Blue and Gold armour filled his vision, gold trim catching the workshop's light. The man, if he could even be called that, had to be over seven feet tall, his presence dominating the space.
"You… you're Gaius from the chat," Tony rasped.
"I am Gaius Maximor Thassor," came the deep, measured reply. "The multiversal Chat issued a Mission on the Chat, and i was the one who accepted it."
Tony managed a weak laugh. "Guess… I owe you one."
...
As Gaius helped him to sit up, Tony's memory sharpened. His eyes went wide."Pepper. She'--, Obadiah might go after her."
Tony swung his legs off the table, half-expecting the sharp ache in his chest, only to find it gone. He touched the spot where the hole used to be, feeling smooth skin under his clothes.
The Space Marine's helm tilted slightly. "Where is she?"
"Stark Industries. She has the evidence on him. He won't let her leave alive, if she was ever found, and I won't let Obadiah go."
Tony wanted to talk about how he was heal, but focused on the important matter first, "Then I'm not sitting this one out."
He walk toward his workbench, pulling open a case. Inside, the crude but life-saving arc reactor he'd built in the cave gleamed faintly. Then walk to the mark 3 armor, having it equip piece by piece then after the torso was completed he put the arc reacter he was holding in his hand at his chest, the arc reactor was bulging out a bit, since it was design, with the arc reactor embbeded inside him.
Behind him, Gaius rose to his full height, the deep ultramarine blue of his power armour trimmed with gold catching the light. The polished aquila across his chestplate gleamed like a silent oath. His bolter was in his hands in a smooth, practiced motion, power sword mag-locked to his thigh. The servos in his armour gave off a low, steady hiss as he moved.
Tony slipped on the final pieces of his own armour, faceplate snapping shut with a metallic click. "Let's go."
Gaius gave a single nod. "Then we move."