The final target was an abandoned shipyard on the New Jersey coast—a dark, decaying labyrinth of rusted steel and salt-corroded docks. Three more Gravimetric Oscillators were prepped for activation there, ticking down to a coordinated, catastrophic deployment.
"This is it, Alex," Romanoff's voice was clipped, professional. "We hit the shipyard with a surgical team to retrieve the hardware. You hit the network with the LCP-1 Kill Switch. You're the only one who can decrypt and transmit that virus without being countered."
Alex stood at the console, the Model Zero suit sealed tight, the Arc Core throbbing beneath his sternum. The virus, the ultimate proof of his genius for destruction, lay encrypted on his PDA.
"That virus is a scorched-earth protocol, Romanoff," Alex said, his voice flat. "It targets the flaw in Stane's unregulated power regulators. It's going to cause a total, instantaneous systems failure for every entity using that black-market tech across the globe. We're talking about massive, international economic paralysis."
Anya stood beside him, her hand resting on the console, grounding him. "It's a digital lobotomy, Alex. It's painful, messy, and absolute. But if those Gravimetric Oscillators activate, the damage won't be economic; it will be existential."
Alex looked at her, then back at the timer. The choice was no longer about survival; it was about defining his legacy. He could be the silent, cautious genius, or the ruthless one who chose a global digital collapse to save millions of lives.
He chose.
The Ultimate Toll
Alex connected his suit's interface to the main SHIELD satellite uplink and initiated the countdown to transmit the virus. He manually overrode the safety protocols, deciding to power the transmission with the rawest, most concentrated burst of RUNE energy he could channel. He had to ensure the signal was overwhelming and instantaneous.
"Transmitting," Alex announced, his voice a strained whisper.
He pushed the energy through the conduit. The Arc Core flared with a blinding, painful amber.
The Nano-Tech in his blood convulsed. It wasn't the pain of physical damage, but the internal shock of the nanites being forced to use their finite, precious resources for a purpose completely opposed to their core programming. They were the biological firewall, and he was making them the weapon.
A searing, cold agony tore through his central nervous system—the feeling of his physical strength being instantly drained.
[System Warning: LCP-1 Deployment Complete. Global Network Compromised. Critical Cellular Degradation Detected. Nano-Tech Firewall Integrity at 45%.]
Alex cried out, sinking to his knees, his forehead pressing against the cold metal of the console. The Model Zero suit, designed to protect, was instead acting as an amplifier for his own destruction. He wasn't bleeding; he was degrading. He could feel the nanites burning their own energy to heal the systemic trauma caused by the RUNE feedback, diverting vital resources from his core biological maintenance.
Anya immediately rushed to his side, securing his wrists to monitor the vitals pumping through the suit's diagnostic ports.
"Alex! You pushed too far! Your cellular metabolism dropped twenty percent instantly!" she exclaimed, her voice frantic with genuine fear. "The cost of the Kill Switch... you just burned a year's worth of cellular maintenance!"
Alex gasped for breath, the exhaustion profound and bone-deep. He had successfully delivered the digital hammer blow, crippling the Zola/Stane operation globally. But he had paid for the success with a piece of his own life.
"The network... is dead," Alex confirmed, the words rattling in his throat. "The threat is contained."
The New Cage: New York
Romanoff, having finished her comms with Fury, watched the scene with a cold, terrifying confirmation. The genius had proven his value, but the cost was exactly why he couldn't be trusted on his own.
"It's over, Alex," Romanoff stated, her voice devoid of emotion. "The shipyard team secured the remaining Oscillators. You wiped out their infrastructure in thirty seconds. You've earned your price."
Later, after Alex was stabilized and the immediate threat was verified as neutralized, Nick Fury arrived. He didn't offer congratulations; he offered a mandate.
"The threat is contained, Stark, but you are not," Fury stated, his single eye piercing. "You now possess the Infinity Key, a viral public profile (The Shadow Man), and technology that makes you the single greatest military target on the planet. You are too unstable and too valuable to remain in a desert bunker."
Fury's ultimatum was clear. "You are being relocated. Effective immediately. You will be housed in a secure, classified sub-level—the one place we can monitor the Key and keep you under surveillance."
"Where?" Alex asked, looking at Anya, who immediately walked to his side, her hand resting protectively on his arm.
"The best place to hide a classified Stark asset is in plain sight," Fury announced. "Welcome to your new home, Stark Tower, New York City. You will be operating in the shadow of your brother. Dr. Petrova, your technical stabilization role is now permanent. You are the only thing keeping him from self-destructing."
Alex looked at Anya, whose expression confirmed her acceptance of the terrifying mandate. She was tying her life to his impossible existence.
He stood, forcing a degree of control back into his exhausted body. He had sought isolation to control his destiny, and now he was being forced into the heart of the world's most chaotic city.
"Fine, Fury," Alex agreed, a faint, cold smile touching his lips. "Let's go to New York. It's time the Shadow Man was introduced to the biggest player in the world."
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