The cold, sterile air of the Zurich airport felt like a disinfectant compared to the bloody chaos of Malibu. Alex, now living under the thin disguise of Alexei Rostova, gripped the old Stark PDA in his pocket. He was a fugitive, but the sheer velocity of his escape—Pepper's efficiency, the clean passport, the adrenaline—had created a bizarre sense of calm. He wasn't running from Stane anymore; he was racing toward his next move.
His destination wasn't Switzerland, despite the passport. It was a decommissioned R&D facility in Eastern Europe—a forgotten Stark Industries asset tucked away in a mountainous region, perfect for its lax regulatory oversight and abundant, cheap industrial materials.
Once inside the facility, which was little more than a vast, dusty warehouse connected to a hydro-electric dam, Alex got to work. His body ached, but his Level 5 Engineering Proficiency demanded action. He wasn't trying to duplicate the failed prototype; he was trying to decipher his grandfather's secret.
Deciphering the RUNE
The Stark PDA, now his private, secure interface with the System, displayed the cryptic journal entry on repeat: "The only energy core powerful enough to bind the cosmos... If the Bifrost can touch Midgard, this energy will guide its path."
The System provided context: [Project RUNE was Howard Stark's unauthorized attempt to study inter-dimensional energy sources following WWII, specifically relating to the theoretical energy required to maintain a connection between two distant points in space-time.]
"The Bifrost," Alex breathed, the magnitude of the revelation making his skin crawl. "Howard wasn't building a better battery. He was trying to build a cosmic beacon."
The original Arc Core was a palladium-based containment unit for a clean energy source. But his crude lithium prototype had accidentally resonated at a specific frequency that caught the attention of Thor Odinson.
Alex realized his first attempt had been flawed, not because of a lack of power, but because of its unstable frequency. He needed to build an Arc Core that didn't just contain power, but shielded its signature. The energy had to be contained within a closed-loop frequency, silent to the cosmos.
He ordered specialized, high-purity vibranium-alloy sheeting—Tony's company had a legal front for acquiring small amounts for satellite shielding. His grandfather's blueprints guided him to the specific metal composition required to damp cosmic energy signatures. It was expensive, took three agonizing days to deliver, and was the first major drain on his liquidated funds.
The True Upgrade
For the next week, the warehouse became his world. He worked with a frantic intensity, the Engineering Proficiency allowing him to weld, machine, and assemble the complex components with impossible speed and accuracy. He miniaturized the housing, creating a true chest-mounted reactor small enough to fit beneath a casual jacket.
Instead of the crude steel and copper of the prototype, this was sleek, multi-layered vibranium alloy shielding, a complex, elegant cage for the roaring plasma within.
When he finally initiated the sequence, there was no blinding flash or explosion. There was only a soft CLICK, followed by a gentle, steady, deep amber glow.
[ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: First Upgrade: Arc Core (Prototype 2.0) Successful. Power Output: 3.5 Gigajoules. Cosmic Signature Damping: 99.9%.]
The amber light was silent, stable, and felt like a warm, powerful anchor in his chest. It didn't just power his mind; it subtly augmented his senses and strength, a silent reservoir of potential. He had rebuilt his heart. He was truly ready to start building his suit.
[NEW STATUS: Host is stabilized and undetectable by external cosmic monitoring. Congratulations, Alexei Rostova.]
Alex looked down at the humming core, a victorious, exhausted smile touching his lips. He was alive. He was powerful. He was safe from the gods.
The Unseen Threat
His moment of triumph was violently shattered by a sudden, ear-splitting alarm wailing from the main security console.
Alex scrambled to the terminal. It wasn't an external breach. The System was flagging an internal network alarm he hadn't even set up.
[WARNING: Internal System Breach Detected. Originating from the Stark Industries PDA.]
Alex stared at the PDA. He had assumed the PDA was a clean link, a final gift from a careless brother. He had been wrong.
A video feed flickered to life on the large warehouse monitor. It was a high-resolution image of the man who sold him the vibranium alloy sheeting—the small, nervous broker Alex had dealt with via encrypted channels. The broker was now sitting in a sterile, dark room, his face pale and terrified.
A sleek, angular woman stood over the broker. She wore a dark, impeccably tailored suit, and her red hair was pulled back severely. She wasn't an employee of Stane. She wasn't a mercenary. She moved with the predatory grace of a professional.
She leaned into the camera, looking straight into Alex's feed, as if she knew exactly who was watching. Her lips curved into a cold, polite smile.
"Hello, Alexei Rostova. Or should I say, Stark," the woman murmured, her voice laced with a subtle Russian accent. "That little power source you just stabilized is a unique frequency. My employers found your broker very cooperative."
She paused, adjusting a small, circular pin on her lapel—a SHIELD logo.
"We have some questions about Project RUNE. Don't worry. We're not Stane. We're much, much faster."
Alex froze. He was hidden from the cosmos, but he was wide open to the Earth's shadows. He had rebuilt his core, but the PDA—his one link to Tony—had been a trojan horse. SHIELD wasn't waiting for Tony's return. They were here for the new power source, and they were already inside his network.
The woman delivered the final, devastating blow: "You have something that belongs to us. And we've already secured a location on the old Stark Tower campu
s to discuss your cooperation."