Stark Tower.
Press conference, live.
Click, click, click!Flashbulbs flared without pause, flooding Tony Stark's face in bursts of white light from every direction.
Standing on the podium, Tony addressed the reporters from countless media outlets, speaking with his usual effortless charm and confidence.
"You can question the official statement all you like,""But please don't hint that I'm some kind of superhero."
"I'm really not cut out for that. I've got plenty of flaws—and I've caused enough trouble for everyone already."
…
At the very back of the hall, Agent Coulson frowned more and more as he listened.Weren't they supposed to stick to the prepared script?Once again, this guy was improvising!
"Tony, please," whispered Rhodes, leaning close to his friend's ear, "just read the statement, all right?"
Tony nodded, a quick okay, got it gesture—signaling he'd behave.
Then, the very next second—
"The truth is… I am Iron Man."
With that, Tony tossed the script aside and exposed everything the military and S.H.I.E.L.D. had begged him to keep secret.
Coulson immediately facepalmed.
Rhodes' expression was pure exasperation.
The press room exploded like a detonated bomb.
This revelation was too big, too shocking—an instant media earthquake.
"Mr. Stark!""Mr. Stark!""Mr. Stark!"
Every reporter surged forward at once, shouting over one another, desperate to ask questions.
Then, suddenly—
The chaos fell silent.
All sound vanished in an instant.
The crowd that had been rushing toward Tony froze in place, every person motionless, as if the pause button had been hit.
"What the hell…?"
Tony blinked, staring around at the frozen scene, completely baffled.
He couldn't make sense of it at all.
"Tony, what did you do?"
Rhodes' voice came from beside him. He hadn't frozen either. Looking around warily, he asked his friend the question everyone was thinking.
Though the situation looked surreal, Rhodes knew just how advanced Stark Industries' tech was.
If anyone on Earth could pull something like this off—it'd be Tony Stark.
"I've already checked," Coulson said grimly as he walked up. "Everyone here except the three of us… is affected."
"Tony, if this is your doing, let me remind you—don't push it too far," Coulson said seriously.
On that point, both he and Rhodes agreed.
"Come on—why does everyone assume it's me?" Tony said helplessly. "Yeah, I'm a genius, but even geniuses have limits. Jarvis, scan the room—Jarvis?"
He gave the command casually, expecting a reply.
Nothing.
Jarvis didn't respond.
Tony's expression hardened instantly.
Who—or what—could freeze an entire crowd and cut off Jarvis at the same time?
In terms of AI, Jarvis was as far beyond his time as Tony's armor itself. No one should be capable of overriding him.
"Something's seriously off here."
Coulson and Rhodes soon noticed even more.
After checking, they realized it wasn't just that people had stopped moving—their hearts and breathing had also completely stopped.
By all logic, they were dead.
Yet their bodies showed no sign of it: skin flushed, body temperature normal, as if perfectly alive.
They were simply frozen—absolutely motionless. Even the droplets of spit some had sprayed mid-shout hung suspended in midair.
This wasn't any technology known to man.
It looked like something out of a science-fiction movie—
Time… itself had stopped.
Then, out of nowhere—
Pleaseanswerthefollowingquestion:Please answer the following question:Pleaseanswerthefollowingquestion:In the battle against the cosmic warlord Thanos, who left a scar on his face?
A. Captain AmericaB. The HulkC. Iron ManD. Thor
Friendly reminder: Correct answers will earn a fragment of the "AllSpark."Incorrect answers will randomly deduct one of your personal attributes—this may include knowledge, experience, skills, possessions, or other aspects…
The three exchanged bewildered looks as a calm, synthetic voice echoed around them.
At the same time, a huge glowing screen materialized in the air before them, displaying the same words.
They stared at it, stunned.
"What on earth is this?"
"So… this doesn't look like a prank," Rhodes said first, straightening up and glancing at the other two.
"Even if it is a prank," Tony replied with a smirk, "whoever set it up went all-in. Fine by me."
"Then let's answer," Coulson said, decisive as always. "See what happens."
Tony rubbed his chin. "So, the question describes a battle where Captain America, the Hulk, Iron Man—meaning me—and Thor fought this so-called cosmic warlord, Thanos."
He began analyzing methodically. "Among the four of us, who would've been able to leave a scar on him?"
"To figure that out," Rhodes said, "we need to understand both sides' strength. We don't know this Thanos guy, but the question calls him a cosmic warlord."
"A 'cosmic warlord'…" Coulson mused. "We can assume that means something like those sci-fi alien conquerors—flying starships, immense power, interstellar invasions."
"Let's start with that assumption," he nodded.
As a senior S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Coulson knew better than most that the world was far from ordinary—there were forces and beings far beyond human understanding.
Aliens? He knew for a fact they existed.
Director Nick Fury himself had faced one years ago—a being named Ronan, who'd tried to invade Earth but was repelled by a hero.
That Ronan could very well have been called a cosmic warlord too.
New book upload!The author humbly begs for recommendation votes and bookmarks—thank you for the support!
(Also, for readers who don't recall: "Rhodes" refers to James Rhodes, aka War Machine. The movies usually call him Rhodey, so starting in later chapters, I'll stick with "Rhodes" for consistency—since that's what most readers recognize.)
End of Chapter