A/N: You all may notice some consistency error, just auto correct it yourself, I'm lazy.
One month later, after returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ryan Cole could only describe his haul as obscene.
Although the most valuable technologies—such as full-scale matter transmission and Elysium station construction—had slipped through his fingers, he still managed to secure several top-tier systems after considerable effort.
These included the SABRE Neural Defense System, artificial intelligence, exoskeleton armor, electromagnetic weapons, and portable energy shields.
As for the Med-Pod 3000, that was easy.
As an official citizen of Elysium, all it took was money to purchase one.
And after gaining respectable status as a senior researcher on the station, even funds weren't an issue—professional benefits allowed him to finance it through institutional loans.
After hauling the disassembled components back into the underground transit zone, Ryan immediately threw himself into AI development and autonomous robotics.
There was no choice.
After traversing three worlds back-to-back, even with NZT boosting his cognition, Ryan could feel the strain.
Not doubt in his ability—just a lack of manpower.
No matter how brilliant he was, one person couldn't fully exploit every traversal opportunity.
Take Elysium, for example.
If he'd had enough personnel, he wouldn't have hesitated—he would've seized the entire station outright.
That alone would've accelerated his power growth exponentially, rather than forcing him into the low-profile survival mode he currently maintained.
He'd considered training subordinates.
But that required time—and human loyalty was unreliable.
Compared to people, intelligent machines were cleaner, safer, and replaceable.
Even with their limitations, losing a robot was trivial compared to cultivating and risking a human asset.
As for Med-Pod 3000, SABRE, exoskeletons, EM weapons, and mature energy systems—Ryan wasn't in a hurry.
They were already fully developed technologies.
Some he only had physical samples for, but reverse-engineering was a matter of time.
More importantly—his time was limited.
Without enough hands, juggling too many projects was inefficient.
Half a month later, Ryan completed his first proprietary artificial intelligence.
Elysium's AI was unimpressive.
It didn't come close to JARVIS, or even the AIs Ryan had encountered in other worlds.
But once integrated as the core system of Umbrella Biotech, replacing the company's original databases and servers—
Efficiency skyrocketed.
Exponentially.
And that was with Ryan deliberately limiting the AI's access, keeping it under the radar.
After christening it "Red Queen"—purely out of personal amusement—Ryan prepared to resume mass-producing autonomous units for future traversals.
Then he had to stop.
Not from burnout.
From bankruptcy.
Yes.
He was broke.
When he acquired Umbrella Biotech, the eight million dollars he'd earned in financial markets went straight into it—and he'd even taken out bank loans on top of that.
Despite its size, the company was fully equipped.
Research labs. Manufacturing lines. Testing facilities.
That infrastructure was exactly why Ryan chose it.
Fortunately, Dragon's Blood and Succubus hit the market at the perfect time.
After the shockingly successful free-trial campaign, orders and partnership offers flooded in.
The profits were obscene.
Unfortunately, expansion burned cash just as fast.
Alien technology wasn't plug-and-play.
Take AI, for instance.
Software was easy—Ryan could memorize entire codebases while overclocked.
But AI efficiency depended just as much on hardware.
A true supercomputer cost hundreds of millions, minimum.
Umbrella's recent spending could only be described as lighting money on fire.
Even generous banks—eager to invest in Dragon's Blood and Succubus—were starting to hesitate.
Ryan considered selling artifacts or jewels from other worlds.
Too little wouldn't help.
Too much would draw attention.
And while Umbrella had grown strong, it still couldn't stand against S.H.I.E.L.D. in the open—or HYDRA in the shadows.
Not to mention the chaos magnet known as superheroes.
Worst of all, using traversal opportunities just to make money felt like sacrilege.
If not for the political risks, any single piece of alien tech could've solved his cash problem overnight.
With the next traversal approaching and Umbrella's books bleeding red, Ryan sighed and turned his attention to a certain irresponsible billionaire.
"Wake up. Daddy's home."
After a long day, Tony Stark—Iron Man himself—snapped his fingers while collapsing into a chair inside his villa workshop.
"Welcome home, sir," JARVIS replied."Congratulations on the Expo opening and the Senate hearing. Both were… remarkably successful."
"May I add, seeing you on television fully clothed was refreshing."
JARVIS's voice remained emotionless, but the dry sarcasm cut deeper than most humans'.
Nearby, a semi-autonomous robotic arm knocked over a blender and spilled dark green sludge across the floor.
"You—! I swear I'm going to dismantle you and turn you into a wine rack!"
Already in a foul mood, Tony poured himself another glass of the disgusting liquid.
"JARVIS. How much more of this garbage do I need to drink?"
"Eighty ounces, sir. That should mitigate palladium toxicity."
Tony's mood plummeted further.
Even alcohol at two kilos a day would break most people.
He forced the sludge down, then jabbed his thumb into a portable analyzer.
"Check palladium levels."
24%.
Tony's face darkened.
"Blood toxicity at twenty-four percent. Continued armor usage will accelerate poisoning."
Medical scans of his chest lit up across the display.
Tony knew the truth.
Iron Man was his shield.
Lose it—and S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't allow it.
The shadows definitely wouldn't.
"Sir, another palladium core has been depleted."
"Fantastic," Tony muttered, removing the micro Arc Reactor. "They burn fast."
"I've simulated every known element," JARVIS said evenly."None can replace palladium. Your time and options are limited."
"The device keeping you alive is also killing you."
After replacing the palladium core, Tony pulled up his shirt.
Dark purple veins spread from the reactor socket.
His expression was grim.
Then—
"Sir," JARVIS said suddenly."I've just received an email. I strongly recommend you read it immediately."