The transition from the Mojave's vast, silent heat to the sensory overload of New York City was a physical assault. Alex, still wearing the Model Zero suit beneath a heavy trench coat, felt every siren, every reflection, and every electromagnetic pulse like a spike in his system.
He, Anya, and the securely crated Infinity Key were ushered through the chaotic, sprawling lobby of Stark Tower—a cathedral of public genius built by the brother who didn't know he existed. They were taken to a secure sub-level, a vault of pure R&D located several floors beneath the public showroom and Tony Stark's personal penthouse.
The lab was immaculate, soundproof, and metallic—a high-tech cage. It was stocked with equipment that dwarfed the desert bunker, yet it felt colder, emptier.
"Welcome to your new home, Mr. Rostov," Romanoff said, closing the massive vault door with a thud that echoed the finality of their new situation. "This facility is fully shielded, completely off-grid from Tony's network, and monitored 24/7 by SHIELD. The only way in or out is through my biometric authorization."
"A gilded cage," Alex muttered, running a hand over the cold, polished steel of a workbench. "My freedom for a global security detail."
The New Stabilization Routine
Anya immediately began setting up her station near a massive, custom-built power regulator. She was operating with a focused, professional intensity, her commitment to Alex overriding the strangeness of their surroundings.
"We need a routine, Alex," Anya announced, her voice brooking no argument. "The cost of the Kill Switch was real. Your Nano-Tech can't operate on bursts of raw RUNE energy anymore; it needs constant, low-level stabilization. The Arc Core is a magnificent weapon, but it is a terrible life-support system."
She explained, detailing the medical truth behind his power: the core problem wasn't energy production, but molecular management.
"The nanites are meant to stabilize your cells against decay, but every time you fire a kinetic blast, you force them to prioritize external defense over internal maintenance," Anya detailed, pulling up a complex biological model of his cellular structure. "Until the nanites fully adapt to the immense RUNE energy—a process that could take years—we have to compensate. Your daily schedule will now revolve around Energy Rerouting. Minimal kinetic use, mandatory stabilization cycles in this field," she pointed to a high-frequency charging platform, "and absolutely no more unauthorized digital scorched-earth policies."
Alex felt the profound weight of this new reality. He wasn't just a genius with a powerful suit; he was a patient who required constant life-support management. His superhuman abilities came with a strict, life-limiting regimen.
The First Trap
While Anya was busy calibrating the environmental controls, Alex moved to install the Infinity Key in the secure containment field. The metallic box pulsed subtly in his hands, its connection to the cosmic forces feeling palpable in the dense atmosphere of the city.
He routed the Key's containment field to the sub-level's internal power, ensuring it was completely isolated from the Tower's main grid. But as he connected the final power coupling, the System suddenly screamed a warning in his mind.
[System Alert: Unauthorized Access Attempt Detected. Security Protocol: STARK/HOWARD LEGACY TRAP. Threat Level: High. Source: Latent Code Embedded in Sub-Level Power Bus. Recommendation: DO NOT PROCEED.]
Alex froze. This wasn't a SHIELD trap or a H.Y.D.R.A. bug. This was a piece of pure, hostile Stark code, dormant for decades, likely left by Howard and updated by Tony when he moved into the Tower.
It was designed to do one thing: quarantine and analyze any unknown, high-level technology accessing the old R&D sub-level.
Alex realized the brilliant arrogance of his brother. Tony didn't need to bug the room; he had left a perfect digital guard dog to sniff out any unauthorized genius playing with the family secrets.
"Anya, stop the power initiation!" Alex hissed, pulling his hand away from the coupling.
Anya rushed over. "What is it?"
"It's Tony's welcome mat," Alex said, pointing at the flashing red schematic on his display. "He left a digital quarantine protocol deep in the power grid. If I complete this connection, the system will lock down the lab, flag the Infinity Key as unauthorized foreign tech, and broadcast a full diagnostic report directly to Tony's private server."
Alex looked up at the ceiling, feeling the immediate, hostile presence of his brother in the luxurious penthouse above. His isolation was an illusion. Tony wasn't just a complication; he was the brilliant, aggressive warden of this cage, and their intellectual sparring had begun without a single spoken word.
"We have to disarm it," Alex stated, a slow, cold smile of intellectual challenge spreading across his face. "If Tony thinks he can trap me with Howard's old code, he clearly hasn't met the other Stark heir."
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