[Avengers Compound. The Lab. 2:00 AM.]
Tony was scanning Sebastian. Again.
"Hold still," Tony muttered, adjusting a holographic interface. "Strange said 'Class Five Abyssal Entity.' That implies a classification system. Which implies measurable data."
Sebastian stood perfectly still in the center of the scanner ring. He looked bored.
"Sir, you are attempting to measure the metaphysical with a Geiger counter. It is like trying to smell the color nine."
"I'm getting nothing," Tony kicked the console. "Zero energy signature. You're a black hole in the shape of a butler."
"I prefer the term 'void'," Sebastian corrected.
"Strange called you a 'Soul Eater'," Tony looked at him, his expression hardening. "Is that literal?"
Sebastian's eyes narrowed slightly. The playfulness vanished.
"I consume that which makes you... you, Sir. The spark. The drive. The essence. But only when the contract is complete. Until then, I am merely the guardian of the meal."
Tony shivered. It was the first time in a long time Sebastian had been so blunt.
"Right," Tony turned away. "Good talk. Remind me never to invite the wizard back."
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Tony's phone lit up. "UNDEROOS" flashed on the screen.
"Saved by the bell," Tony swiped the screen. "Kid, it's 2 AM on a school night. Unless the library is on fire, go to sleep."
"Mr. Stark!" Peter's voice was panicked. Wind noise roared in the background. "I messed up! I found the weapons guys! They have a... a glowy purple cannon thing! And I'm kinda pinned down in a dumpster!"
"Send me the GPS," Tony sighed, the suit already forming around him. "I'm coming."
"No! Wait! You can't come! If Iron Man shows up, they'll scatter! I need... I need stealth! I need a ninja!"
Tony paused. He looked at Sebastian.
Sebastian was already putting on his coat.
"I believe," Sebastian smiled, "that I can be of assistance. I have always wanted to visit Queens."
[Queens, New York. An Alleyway.]
Peter Parker crouched behind a dumpster, clutching his ribs.
Two men with high-tech alien weaponry (Chitauri tech) were blasting the alley apart. The pavement melted into glowing purple sludge.
"Come out, Spider!" one thug yelled. "We're gonna squish you!"
Peter checked his web shooters. Empty. "Oh man. Aunt May is gonna kill me."
The thug aimed the cannon at the dumpster.
Click. Click.
Footsteps echoed in the alley. Calm, rhythmic footsteps.
The thugs turned.
A tall, slender man in a black tailcoat walked out of the shadows. He held a pristine white handkerchief in one hand.
"Hey!" The thug aimed the cannon. "Get lost, Dracula! This is private business!"
"Dracula?" Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "How pedestrian. Vampires are so... messy."
"Blast him!"
The thug fired. A beam of purple energy—hot enough to melt a tank—shot toward Sebastian.
Sebastian didn't dodge. He took a silver serving tray from inside his coat (he always carried one) and held it up.
PING.
The alien energy hit the silver. Instead of melting it, the beam reflected off the polished surface at a perfect angle, shooting back and destroying the thug's weapon.
BOOM.
The weapon exploded, knocking the first thug unconscious.
The second thug pulled a knife. "You want some too?!"
Sebastian vanished.
He reappeared behind the thug. He tapped him on the shoulder.
"Excuse me," Sebastian whispered.
The thug spun around. Sebastian flicked the man's forehead. Just a flick.
THWACK.
The thug flew backward twenty feet, crashing into a pile of cardboard boxes, out cold.
Sebastian dusted off his hands.
"I expected more resistance," Sebastian sighed. "Criminals these days lack ambition."
Peter Parker peeked over the dumpster. His white eyes went wide.
"Whoa," Peter vaulted over the trash. "That was awesome! You did the tray thing! And the flick thing! Are you a Jedi?"
Sebastian looked at the boy in the red and blue spandex.
"I am Sebastian Michaelis," he bowed. "Mr. Stark sent me to collect his... laundry."
"Laundry?" Peter blinked. "Oh! Me! I'm the laundry. Wait, you're the butler! The one who caught the helicopter!"
"Indeed."
Peter circled him. "Mr. Stark says you're weird. Are you an alien? Are you magic? Can you teach me the flick thing?"
Sebastian looked at the exuberant energy of the boy. It was... bright. Annoyingly bright. A stark contrast to Tony's gloom.
"I am afraid my techniques require a certain... lack of soul to perform properly," Sebastian said dryly. "Now, Master Parker, I believe you have a curfew."
"Right! Curfew!" Peter webbed his backpack. "Hey, Mr. Sebastian? Don't tell Mr. Stark I ran out of webs, okay?"
Sebastian looked at the terrified thugs, then at the hopeful boy.
"Very well," Sebastian smiled. "It shall be our secret. But in exchange..."
Sebastian pointed to a nearby deli.
"You will introduce me to this 'Chopped Cheese' sandwich I have heard rumors of. I am curious about the local cuisine."
[The Avengers Compound. Morning.]
Tony walked into the kitchen. Sebastian was there, recreating a bodega sandwich on a silver platter.
"So?" Tony grabbed an apple. "How's the kid?"
"He is... spirited," Sebastian said, slicing the sandwich. "He lacks discipline, strategy, and self-preservation instincts."
"So he's me," Tony said.
"Precisely," Sebastian placed the sandwich in front of Tony. "However, he possesses a purity of intent that is rare. He does not fight for redemption, nor for guilt. He fights simply because he believes it is right."
Sebastian poured the coffee.
"It is... refreshing."
Tony took a bite of the sandwich. "Not bad. You think he's ready?"
"No," Sebastian said bluntly. "But the world will not wait for him to be ready. Just as it did not wait for you."
Tony looked out the window at the sunrise.
"Something's coming, Seb. I can feel it. Strange felt it too. The kid... I want to keep him on the ground. Keep him safe."
"You cannot," Sebastian stood behind him. "Gravity binds us all, Sir. But some are destined to fall... and some are destined to fly."
[End of Chapter 39]
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