Martin frowned as he summoned the Apex Armor, its vast internal systems activating instantly.
With the power to scan the core of a star, it focused on Tony Stark, bypassing flesh and bone, probing directly into the man's cerebral structure.
But even after a full-spectrum analysis, the results were baffling, there was nothing unusual. What lay before him was simply an extraordinarily intelligent human mind, brilliant and hyperactive, but utterly devoid of any supernatural essence.
Even the Apex Armor couldn't find a trace of anything more.
Martin raised his right fist again. Two Infinity Stones, nestled within, resonated. He attempted to detect anomalies using the unique resonance frequencies embedded deep within the Stones themselves, hoping to unearth something hidden in Tony's mind.
Nothing.
Emptiness.
It was as if everything that had just happened… was an illusion.
Martin let Tony fall to the ground. The genius clutched his throat, gasping for air like a drowning man. Martin stood over him, deep in thought.
According to memories from his previous life, in Earth-1610, the Ultimate Universe, a peculiar version of Tony Stark had an Infinity Stone embedded inside his brain, a sentient one named "Anthony." Eventually, Mister Fantastic launched a surprise attack and performed a brutal craniotomy, extracting the stone directly.
The Mind Stone, to be exact.
Martin had hoped that, by some extraordinary luck, the version of Tony in this parallel universe might also be hiding a Mind Stone in his skull. That's why he had approached him in the first place, with a shred of hopeful curiosity.
But the investigation yielded nothing.
"Fascinating..." Martin muttered. "Was that strange reaction earlier just coincidence? Or does the Mind Stone, one of the rarest of the Infinity Stones, somehow possess the ability to scatter fragments of itself as projections across the multiverse?"
His cold eyes lingered on Tony, studying him like a predator sizing up uncertain prey. Then he tilted his head slightly and let out a low chuckle.
"Maybe... the true Mind Stone only reveals itself when the time is right."
BOOM!
A deafening crash echoed through the skyscraper. Captain Marvel tore through the structure like a missile, landing between Martin and the recovering Stark. Her stance was defensive, eyes narrowed, locked on Martin.
"Martin, you've gone way too far…!" Carol's voice was edged with anger, and fear. When her gaze fell on the Space Stone, now embedded in the device on Martin's arm, her expression darkened even more.
She hadn't known. The Tesseract, which had granted her the ability to traverse galaxies with her own body, had been harboring the Space Stone all along.
And now, that terrifying weapon had fallen into the hands of an even more terrifying man.
Martin's voice was calm, almost bored. "Relax, Carol. If I wanted Stark dead, you wouldn't even have the chance to mourn. I was just confirming something. Pity, though."
Tony's sharp mind kicked into overdrive, sifting through the encounter with rapid-fire calculations. He wasn't one for conspiracies or manipulation, but even he could tell something deeply off had just occurred.
"Something in my brain… tied to the Infinity Stones? And what the hell does 'cursed by knowledge' mean?" Tony chewed on the phrase silently, troubled.
He believed in his own intellect—hell, he was borderline arrogant about it, but even his formidable mind struggled to bridge the chasm between Martin's knowledge and his own.
A chasm carved by cosmic experience.
More superheroes rushed in, tense and silent, surrounding Martin. Muscles taut, powers humming, they stared at him with a mixture of fear and awe.
Even Professor X reached out with his mind, trying to persuade Martin to deescalate. "Whatever you're planning," he pleaded telepathically, "it's not too late to talk this out."
But Martin just smiled.
"The Avengers… such a dramatic name," he said, gesturing dismissively at the crowd. "But let's be honest…"
He pointed at Carol and Tony.
"Only these two are worth my time. The rest of you? Just window dressing."
No one dared contradict him.
Whoosh!
A swirling time-space vortex opened behind Martin. Without another word, he leaned backward into it and vanished, gone like a ghost.
With his exit, the suffocating pressure in the air lifted instantly. Everyone in the hall sagged with relief, their bodies slick with cold sweat.
The screen lit up.
Nick Fury appeared, his one eye filled with stormy rage.
"Tony. What the hell happened? What did he say to you?"
Tony smirked coldly. "I don't work for S.H.I.E.L.D., Fury. We just had a little… friendly chat. None of your business."
Tony had had enough of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s rot and hypocrisy. Especially with HYDRA's specter still poisoning its depths, it was no longer an organization he could trust.
It was time to strike out on his own, with the Avengers.
Fury was silent. Then, without another word, he ended the call.
Alone, with the weight of Earth's problems swirling in his head, Fury stood still for a long time. Finally, his expression hardened.
"…Guess I've got no choice. Gonna have to activate that... once we finish scrubbing HYDRA off the board."
...
Back at Earth Base, Martin returned and issued a command to the Transformers.
Prepare for launch.
Some Cybertronians would remain behind for permanent deployment on Earth. But 99% would follow him into the stars, toward a new destination.
Cybertron.
"Our world is rebuilt," Martin declared in the great hall, his voice echoing through the chamber filled with steel titans. "A planet of our own, forged anew. The galaxy... rich, vast, and teeming with opportunity, is open to us."
His tone left no room for doubt. His confidence was infectious.
Across the base, Transformers roared to life. Their mobilization sent shockwaves through Earth's military and intelligence networks, igniting new waves of tension.
But as they watched, one by one, the Transformers strode into a massive swirling Ground Bridge, and vanished.
"Where are they going?" some asked, panic creeping in. "What's Martin planning now?"
He terrified everyone; brutally powerful, unapologetically dominant, and always at the center of some cataclysmic event. Gods. Demons. War. He brought them all.
As Martin stepped into the portal, he paused to look back, one final glance, as if committing every detail to memory.
Then he raised a hand.
The earth trembled.
Beneath the ground, a massive cache of vibranium, a deposit once thought untouchable, was ripped free. The entire deposit was swallowed by the vortex, warped straight to Cybertron.
"Demolition Crew," Martin commanded, "remain on Earth. Your mission is simple, go to Antarctica. Dig up every last ounce of vibranium. Once you're done, I'll bring you to Cybertron."
"We exist to serve, Creator," the Constructicons answered in unison, their gazes filled with awe and devotion.
The vortex sealed shut.
Most of the world had no idea what had just transpired, nor what it would mean.
But they would soon.
When that time came, the name Martin, and the reborn Cybertron, would become known to gods and kings alike.
They would understand a single, terrifying truth:
He is fear itself.
-------
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]