"My universe. The 'Father-Son' universe. The 'Amazing' universe. The Spider-Woman universes..."
Tony rubbed his temples. The sheer number of variables was headache-inducing. Just yesterday, his biggest problem was a hangover and a board meeting. Now, he was mentally juggling the infinite branches of the Multiverse.
"Ignorance really is bliss," Tony muttered. "The more I know, the more my brain hurts."
And the worst part? He was getting fragments. Snippets. It was like trying to assemble a jigsaw puzzle while blindfolded, and the puzzle was also on fire.
He glanced at the diary. Every time he even thought about tracking down Lucas Chen to demand answers, that familiar, crushing migraine would return. The "Narrative Protection" was absolute. He couldn't force the information out of the author. He had to wait for it to be written.
"Fine," Tony exhaled, pushing the pain aside. "We adapt. Jarvis, open a new file. Subject: Spider-Woman. Priority One. Find Gwen Stacy."
"File created. Search complete," Jarvis replied instantly. "Based on the diarist's entry, I have located the individual."
A holographic profile shimmered into existence above the desk.
Gwen Stacy.
Age: 16.
Father: Captain George Stacy, NYPD.
"Immaculate record," Jarvis noted. "Honors student. Drummer in a band. No criminal history. And crucially, Sir, no evidence of arachnid-based superpowers. She appears to be a baseline human."
"And the boy?" Tony asked. "The 'Dutch Brother'?"
"I have cross-referenced the name 'Peter Parker' with the age parameters. I found one match that aligns with the diarist's description. Peter Parker. Age: 7. Resides in Forest Hills, Queens, with his aunt, May Parker, and uncle, Ben Parker."
Tony stared at the data.
"Seven years old," Tony murmured. "He's a child. A literal child."
He leaned back in his chair, putting the pieces together.
"So, Lucas Chen assumes this is the 'Cinematic Universe' where I mentor the kid. But the ages are wrong. Gwen is sixteen. Peter is seven. That's a nine-year age gap. They aren't classmates. They aren't a couple."
A slow, satisfied smirk spread across Tony's face.
"So, Lucas is wrong," Tony said, a triumphant gleam in his eyes. "He thinks this is a standard story. He thinks Gwen is just a 'Tragic Heroine' waiting to die. But he hasn't considered the third option."
"Which is?" Jarvis prompted.
"That we are in a merged timeline," Tony said, standing up and pacing with renewed energy. "Peter is too young to be Spider-Man yet. But Gwen... she's the right age. She's prime superhero material."
"You believe Ms. Stacy will become the Spider-Woman of this reality?"
"Exactly. One Spider-Man is a toddler. The other is nonexistent. The vacuum remains. Nature abhors a vacuum. Gwen Stacy isn't the girlfriend. She's the Main Character."
Tony chuckled, pouring himself a drink. "Finally. Something the all-knowing Traveler doesn'tknow."
It felt good. For the last few hours, he had felt like a puppet dancing on Lucas Chen's strings. But this? This was a blind spot. Lucas was operating on assumptions based on movies and comics he had seen in another life. But reality—this reality—was different.
"He's not omniscient," Tony whispered, the fear in his chest loosening its grip. "He's just a guy with a cheat sheet. And the cheat sheet is outdated."
"Continue monitoring," Tony ordered. "But shift focus. I need to know who is coming for me."
He sat down at his terminal, his fingers flying across the holographic keyboard.
"Jarvis, dedicate 40% of system resources to predictive threat analysis. Who benefits if I disappear?"
"The list is extensive, Sir," Jarvis noted dryly. "Competitors, foreign governments, terrorist organizations, scorned lovers..."
"Start with the competitors," Tony said, his eyes cold. "Hammer Industries. Oscorp. Roxxon. Specifically, look at Justin Hammer. That cheap suit-wearing hack has been trying to copy my Jericho missile for years. His 'Ex-Wife' bunker buster is a joke."
"Scanning Hammer Industries servers now."
"And Obadiah," Tony added, almost as an afterthought, though a shadow crossed his face. "Check the internal logs. Just... due diligence."
"Of course, Sir."
Tony leaned back, frustration gnawing at him again.
"Damn it, Lucas," he growled at the diary. "You told me that I'm going to be kidnapped. You told me when. You even told me why. Would it kill you to write down a name? 'Beware of [Insert Name Here].' How hard is that?"
Because of the diary, Tony had already cancelled his trip to Afghanistan. The Jericho demonstration? A subordinate could handle it. He wasn't going to drag his high-value assets into a war zone just to please the board.
"Obadiah is going to be pissed," Tony mused. "He's been riding me about 'responsibility' and 'face time' with the military. He says the board thinks I'm too detached. Too focused on partying."
Tony snorted. "Detached? I generated record profits last quarter while nursing a hangover in Monaco. They should be thanking me."
He didn't know it yet, but across the city, Lucas Chen was finishing up his tutoring session, blissfully unaware that his "private" diary had just caused the smartest man on Earth to rewrite his entire schedule—and potentially save his own life.
Lucas just wanted to finish his shift and go home to check his stocks.
"Serious people don't write diaries," Lucas thought again, packing his bag. "But hey, if it pays the rent..."