Chapter 4: The Day Everything Changes
The electronics store window displayed a dozen televisions, all showing the same breaking news. Ben's blood ran cold as adult memories collided with present horror: May 2nd, 2008. This was the day, and he couldn't stop it.
"—missing after his convoy was attacked by insurgents in Afghanistan," the anchor reported with practiced gravity. "Stark Industries stock has plummeted as investors react to the possibility that Tony Stark, the so-called 'Merchant of Death,' may be dead."
The homeless veteran standing next to Ben at the window noticed the small boy's tears. "Hey, kid. You okay? I know the war stuff is scary, but—"
"He's not dead." The words escaped before Ben could stop them, raw with desperate certainty. "He's alive. He has to be alive."
The veteran's weathered face softened. "You know this Stark guy or something?"
Ben wiped his nose with his sleeve, trying to process the storm of emotions tearing through him. "Tony's alive. Building the armor right now. Mark I. Arc reactor. Yinsen. He'll escape, become Iron Man, change everything."
But when he tried to speak that knowledge aloud, what came out was: "The banana hammock will make sparkly metal pajamas with the nice scientist man."
The veteran blinked. "Uh... okay, kid. You sure you're all right?"
Frustration clawed at Ben's chest like a living thing. He had knowledge that could save lives, bring Tony home faster, prevent Yinsen's death—but the universe itself conspired to keep him silent. Every attempt to speak the truth produced nothing but gibberish, leaving him trapped with useless foreknowledge.
"I could call Stark Industries," Ben thought desperately. "Try to tell them where to look. But what would I say? 'Hi, I'm a ten-year-old homeless kid who knows your boss is being held in a cave in Afghanistan because I watched it in a movie?' They'd hang up or call social services."
The veteran, mistaking Ben's tears for a child scared by war coverage, offered him half a sandwich from a crumpled bag. "Here. War's scary stuff, but that Stark guy's tough. Rich guys like him got ways of getting out of trouble."
"If you only knew," Ben thought, accepting the sandwich with genuine gratitude. The kindness broke something loose in his chest—he wasn't completely alone in this world, even if his knowledge isolated him from everyone around him.
On the screens, talking heads debated Stark's legacy. War profiteer or visionary? Genius or merchant of death? None of them knew they were watching the birth of the modern superhero age. In a cave half a world away, Tony Stark was hammer-forging humanity's future, one piece of scrap metal at a time.
Ben watched until the veterans' simple presence became too much to bear, then walked away with purpose crystallizing in his mind.
"I can't warn them. But I can be ready."
The plan that formed was insane—a homeless ten-year-old infiltrating one of the world's most secure facilities. But his System abilities were growing stronger daily, and desperation made impossible things seem merely improbable.
He found a quiet alley and pulled up his System interface, creating a personal quest that wasn't officially recognized but felt vital anyway:
[PERSONAL QUEST: BE THERE WHEN IRON MAN IS BORN]
[OBJECTIVE: INFILTRATE STARK INDUSTRIES]
[TIMELINE: UNKNOWN - MONITOR NEWS FOR TONY'S RETURN]
[REWARD: CHANGE THE WORLD]
The System didn't acknowledge it—personal quests weren't part of the official structure—but seeing the words made it feel real. Achievable. Something to work toward besides simple survival.
Over the following weeks, Ben dedicated himself to grinding his abilities with religious intensity. He practiced Parkour across Manhattan's rooftops until his child legs ached, using the city's three-dimensional landscape as his training ground. Each successful vault, each perfect landing, each impossible route discovered earned him EXP and brought him closer to the impossible.
Hawkeye's Aim became his obsession. He practiced throwing pebbles at pigeons—always apologizing when he connected—until he could hit moving targets at fifty yards. Then seventy-five. Then hundred. The progression was addictive, each level unlocking new possibilities.
Enhanced Reflexes trained constantly in the chaos of rush hour crowds. He learned to slip between moving pedestrians without contact, to read the micro-movements that telegraphed direction changes, to become a ghost in plain sight. The skill would be crucial for infiltration.
Night Vision let him train after dark when police patrols were lighter and fewer people asked questions about the strange kid who moved like a tiny ninja. The darkness became his ally, hiding his impossible movements from curious eyes.
[ENHANCED REFLEXES REACHES LEVEL 15]
[PARKOUR REACHES LEVEL 12]
[NIGHT VISION REACHES LEVEL 10]
[HAWKEYE'S AIM REACHES LEVEL 14]
[QUEST COMPLETED: USE ABILITIES 100 TIMES]
[REWARD: 2 STANDARD TICKETS EARNED]
[TOTAL POWER: 420]
Each notification felt like victory. Real, measurable progress toward becoming something more than helpless. The numbers climbing gave him purpose when the future seemed impossible to influence.
Strangers began noticing the weird kid who moved like liquid shadow through the city. Whispers followed him—urban legends about a child who could climb impossible walls, who never missed when he threw stones at streetlights, who appeared and disappeared like smoke.
The dark sedan followed at a distance, its occupants documenting everything.
Three weeks passed in a blur of training and survival. Ben knew Tony was building the armor right now—hammering metal in a cave, testing circuits with equipment made from missile parts, planning his escape with a dying scientist named Yinsen. The knowledge burned in him like acid, demanding action he couldn't take.
The calendar on a newspaper stand read May 25th when breaking news finally came:
"STARK FOUND ALIVE! Billionaire inventor discovered wandering Afghanistan desert, claims to have escaped captivity."
Ben's heart hammered against his ribs. This was it. Tony would return different—traumatized, driven, ready to become Iron Man. The press conference would happen soon. "I am Iron Man." The moment that changed everything.
He needed to be there.
Using his last two tickets, Ben pulled frantically:
[BASIC STRENGTH (C-RANK, LEVEL 1)]
[ENHANCED HEARING (C-RANK, LEVEL 1)]
Not spectacular, but every advantage helped. Enhanced Hearing would let him monitor security communications, Basic Strength would supplement his child body's natural limitations.
Tomorrow, he would infiltrate Stark Industries.
Tomorrow, he would meet his future father.
Tomorrow, he would begin changing the world—or die trying.
The man he'd been would have seen this as impossible. The child he appeared to be should have been terrified. But Ben Parker had abilities beyond either of those identities, knowledge spanning decades, and desperation that burned like rocket fuel.
Iron Man was about to be born, and Ben intended to be there for the delivery.
The sedan's occupants made their final reports that night. Subject showed accelerated ability development. Enhanced motor skills, impossible accuracy, supernatural awareness. Recommendation: immediate recruitment or neutralization.
In her penthouse, Eleanor Bishop made a phone call to people who specialized in managing enhanced individuals.
The game was accelerating, and none of the players yet understood the stakes.
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