Chapter 63: It's Easiest to Get Words Out of a Good Kid
A rainbow bridge appeared in the Norwegian town of New Asgard.
Having just emerged from the Bifrost, Thor and Korg gazed bewilderedly at the dilapidated settlement, which appeared to have been ravaged by battle.
"What happened here?"
Korg spread his stone hands. "Perhaps it's revenge from that Ryan fellow?"
Valkyrie, who had just rescued someone from the rubble, approached upon seeing the rainbow bridge's arrival.
"Thor, the people of Asgard need you."
"It's Gorr the God Butcher!"
Thor knew about Gorr before returning to Earth, but he hadn't expected the cosmic threat to arrive so quickly, attacking New Asgard while he was dealing with Ryan at the military base!
"Fortunately, a friend helped us last night. Perhaps you should meet her."
The military base entered its post-war reconstruction phase. First, a budget assessment was required, followed by approvals from the Pentagon and the White House. Construction could only begin after receiving federal funding.
While Ryan's underground laboratory remained undamaged, the reconstruction above would undoubtedly prevent continued testing below ground for an extended period.
That night, Ryan stood in the back garden of his residence, eyes closed, intently sensing the cosmic energy within him.
When Thor's Stormbreaker had slashed down during their battle, Ryan had desperately channeled cosmic energy to manifest armor, blocking what should have been a fatal blow.
After a moment of meditation, Ryan released the cosmic energy gathered in his hands. Golden light began flowing up his arms, enveloping his shoulders and torso, finally reaching his feet. Shimmering golden armor materialized around Ryan's entire body.
From a distance, he resembled a figure from cosmic legend - reminiscent of the Eternals or the cosmic entities themselves.
"Isn't cosmic energy supposed to be immutable once programmed? Why can I alter it?"
Ryan was deeply curious, but no one could answer his question. The power coursing through him felt similar to what he'd witnessed from Captain Marvel, yet somehow more malleable.
While maintaining the armor, Ryan refocused energy in his hands, attempting to manifest a weapon.
After several moments of concentration, Ryan could only conjure a short sword of normal length. This represented the current limit of his abilities, or rather, the limit of his energy conversion rate.
Ryan frowned, lost in thought.
Cosmic energy materialized through his body, but the amount of energy he could utilize wasn't limited by his will, but rather his inability to keep pace with the conversion process.
By increasing his absorption rate of cosmic energy, Ryan theoretically could infinitely extend the length of his manifested weapons - potentially creating constructs capable of splitting planets with a single strike. The problem was that he didn't know how to accelerate the absorption process.
The next day, Ryan rode in a military vehicle to Ingram Street in Queens.
"Sir, we've arrived."
"Wait in the vehicle."
Ryan stepped out, checked the address against his notes, then walked into the apartment building.
Ding-dong.
The door opened, revealing an attractive middle-aged woman with kind eyes.
"Can I help you?"
Ryan asked with a disarming smile, "Hello, is this the Parker residence?"
May Parker nodded with confusion.
"You must be Aunt May, correct? My name is Ryan, and I'm an associate of Peter Parker. I happened to be in the neighborhood today and decided to stop by. Would that be all right?"
"Oh, of course. Please come in." After welcoming Ryan inside, May asked, "Coffee or tea?"
"Thank you. Water would be perfect."
May brought over a glass of water and handed it to Ryan. She then sat across from him and began her gentle interrogation.
"Ryan, was it? How exactly do you know Peter?"
May wasn't completely naive. The moment she sat down, she began probing for information about this unexpected visitor.
Ryan took a sip of water, set down the glass, and replied, "We worked together briefly on a project. I handled the technical logistics side of things."
"Really? Peter rarely mentions his colleagues to me. You know how teenagers can be," May said with a knowing smile.
They chatted amicably for about thirty minutes before the sound of Peter returning from Midtown High echoed through the apartment building.
As Peter Parker reached his doorstep, every hair on his body stood on end as his spider-sense immediately signaled imminent danger.
Thwip.
Peter quickly activated his web-shooters beneath his sleeves, retrieved his keys, and cautiously opened the apartment door.
"Hi Peter, your friend is here to see you."
May and Ryan appeared to be having a pleasant conversation. Peter entered and waved with forced casualness.
Ryan sat with his back to the door. As Peter approached and recognized who was sitting on his couch, his body went rigid and his heart began racing.
He finally understood why his spider-sense was screaming danger.
"Hello again, Peter Parker."
"Uh... hi, sir. I'm sorry, but do we... do we know each other?" Peter's nervousness was palpable as he attempted to feign ignorance.
May's smile faded as she noticed Peter's obvious distress. Their relationship clearly wasn't as friendly as she'd been led to believe.
To Peter, Ryan's smile seemed predatory - definitely not the expression of someone with benevolent intentions.
"We met yesterday at a military installation outside the city. Surely you remember our encounter?"
"I'm sorry, sir, but I honestly don't know what you're talking about. If you don't have any other business here, perhaps you should—"
Ryan's gaze briefly shifted toward May, and Peter immediately positioned himself protectively in front of her.
"Sir, I think you need to leave. Now."
Ryan raised his hands peacefully. "Don't be so tense, Peter. I only want to have a conversation. If I'd come with hostile intentions, you wouldn't be standing here having this discussion right now."
"Let's talk privately."
Peter feared Ryan might threaten May. Hearing Ryan agree to let her leave, Peter immediately turned and gave his aunt a meaningful look.
Though worried, May understood that remaining would only complicate matters. She quickly gathered her keys and coat and departed the apartment.
"Have a seat," Ryan gestured to the couch, inviting Peter to sit down for their discussion.
Peter sat across from Ryan with every nerve on high alert, not daring to relax for even a moment.
This was the psychological pressure that came with facing overwhelming power - something Peter had experienced before with beings like Thanos.
"Peter, I know you're a good kid, which is exactly why I don't want you getting caught up in this conflict. Consider this friendly advice."
Peter wanted to remain silent, but his mouth seemed to operate faster than his brain.
"Sir, I think you should be having this conversation with Doctor Strange, not me."
Peter didn't trust Ryan's words at all, especially after witnessing him kill both Captain America and Falcon right before his eyes.
Ryan smiled knowingly. "Everyone has their own perspective on events. It's rarely about simple good versus evil. You're still young, and I'd hate to see you manipulated into throwing your life away. After all, who would take care of your Aunt May then?"
"But... but Mr. Strange said you're some kind of destroyer, that you're going to end the world."
Peter knew he shouldn't reveal strategic information, but he couldn't help himself from speaking his concerns.
Ryan paused for a moment, then burst into laughter. "And you believe everything he tells you? That's rather naive, don't you think?"
The Ancient One had made similar claims about timeline destruction. It wasn't that Ryan completely dismissed such warnings, but he believed the future remained fluid and changeable. Otherwise, how could historical events from 1970 have been altered?
Predicting the future required the assumption that history would remain constant. The current situation obviously represented a flawed prophecy from Strange - much like how the Ancient One's predictions about her own death had proven malleable.
"Alright, let's end this here. Those superheroes you're working with are now federal fugitives. You'd be wise to avoid close contact with them. If you're looking for purpose, stick to being your neighborhood's friendly Spider-Man. Help old ladies cross the street, stop convenience store robberies. But if there's a next time you interfere with my operations, I won't show such restraint."
Ryan had come here hoping to extract information about the Avengers' plans. Instead, Peter had voluntarily revealed their entire strategic mindset before being asked a single question.
If the Avengers truly believed he would destroy the world, there would definitely be additional actions planned against him.
Now it was time for Ryan to take the initiative.
He departed Queens in his military escort vehicle, already formulating his counterstrike.
End of Chapter 63
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