A/N: all of you may notice that there's so many Inconsistency, so treat it like you reading an mtl version(well technically it's mtl but easier to understand and you will only just lost a few brain cell HAHAHA ).
Ryan Cole wasn't surprised by Tony Stark's reaction.
At this point, Stark was still being kept in the dark by S.H.I.E.L.D., so Ryan stayed relaxed and unhurried as he spoke.
"Mr. Iron Man, don't get so worked up," Ryan said calmly. "Compared to what I'm about to tell you next, what you just heard barely even registers."
Logic told Tony that the man in front of him probably wasn't lying. Suppressing the shock twisting in his gut, he sat back down and folded his arms.
"Fine," Tony said grimly. "Let's hear what other bombshells you're planning to drop."
After casually slipping the barely-binding contract into his suit's inner pocket, Ryan smiled and finally lifted the veil.
"You know, Mr. Iron Man, even from my perspective, your father was still a remarkable man."
"But what you probably don't know," he continued, "is that your father didn't just leave something behind at S.H.I.E.L.D.—he was also one of its founders."
"What?!"
Even with Tony Stark's famously thick nerves, that one hit hard.
"No need to panic," Ryan said, still relaxed. "Whether it's true or not is easy enough to verify. Just ask S.H.I.E.L.D. yourself."
By now, Tony had shaken off the worst of his disbelief. And honestly, there was no reason for someone to lie about something that could be exposed so easily.
"…So what's step two?" Tony asked after taking a deep breath.
"Step two is installing a prism accelerator," Ryan replied with a grin. "Fully calibrated and operational."
"And there's a step three," Tony pressed.
"There are five steps in total," Ryan said lightly. "As for the last three? I'll tell you when you're ready."
Tony shot him a sharp glare. "You—"
"Easy there, Mr. Iron Man," Ryan interrupted with a shrug. "Don't forget—you're getting the goods before you pay. I'm allowed to keep a few safeguards for myself."
Staring at the utterly unshakeable man in front of him, Tony realized he had no real options other than backing down.
Kidnapping him outright crossed Tony's mind for about half a second—but that just wasn't his style. In Tony Stark's world, unless someone was a true equal-level enemy, that kind of move was beneath him.
Ryan had expected he'd need to leave and give Tony time to prepare.
What he hadn't expected was that, after agreeing, Tony handled both demands in under two hours.
But when Ryan followed Tony into the lab—now fully upgraded with the prism accelerator—he saw a familiar face already waiting.
"Hello, Mr. Liu," the man said with an easy smile, extending his hand. "Agent Phil Coulson, Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division."
"Nice to meet you, Agent Coulson," Ryan said, shaking his hand. "Atlas Liu. As for what I do—I think introductions aren't really necessary."
Ryan hadn't chosen an alias out of disrespect for his roots.
This world didn't just have absurdly advanced alien civilizations—it also contained forces rooted in mythology itself.
Even though the early phase of this universe hadn't revealed much of that yet, Ryan wasn't about to risk someone using his real name for ritual nonsense or curse-based tricks.
As for why he chose Atlas—the name carried weight both among mortals and within Eastern mythic hierarchies. And if Norse gods existed here, there was no harm in propping up Eastern cosmology a little too.
After all, cultural pride mattered.
Ryan's favorite person in this universe was Pepper Potts.
But right behind her?
Phil Coulson.
Probably because of his fondness for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Ryan had developed a sincere soft spot for the man.
Coulson noticed the odd look Ryan gave him but pushed down his curiosity.
"Mr. Liu," Coulson said, "once this is over, I'd like to sit down and talk."
Ryan knew exactly why. Requesting Howard Stark's belongings from S.H.I.E.L.D. had put him squarely on their radar.
Which was fine.
That had always been part of the plan.
"No problem," Ryan said easily. "I'm booked solid right now, though. How about a month from now?"
Coulson, who had already investigated Ryan thoroughly before delivering the artifacts, agreed without hesitation.
"One month, then."
He didn't probe further.
Because the investigation results were… bizarre.
So bizarre that if Ryan weren't standing right in front of him, Coulson would've suspected Atlas Liu didn't exist at all.
And if S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't dig up a person's past from even a few months ago?
That said everything.
At least Ryan hadn't shown any signs of being a national security risk. He barely left his lab, lived like a full-blown tech hermit, and ran a biotech company that had only released two products: Dragon's Blood and Succubus.
Neither had ever been successfully replicated.
And both were entirely his work.
For a man who looked barely past twenty, calling him a genius was an understatement.
People like that didn't escape S.H.I.E.L.D.'s notice.
Once everyone irrelevant had been ushered out, Tony turned cold-eyed.
"Mr. Bull," he said flatly, "I did what you asked. You're not backing out now."
Ryan ignored the nickname.
"Relax, Tony. Easy. Patience," he said, stepping toward the crate S.H.I.E.L.D. had just delivered.
He opened it and immediately pulled out the blueprint for the original Arc Reactor.
Without reacting to Tony's expression, Ryan scanned it once—his memory locking in every detail—then handed it back.
"Look at the signatures," Ryan said. "Tell me what you see."
Tony frowned, scanning the page.
Two names.
Anton Vanko.Howard Stark.
Tony had never heard of Vanko—but the fact that his name appeared before his father's said everything.
In academic papers and patents, order mattered.
A lot.
"Anton Vanko?" Tony asked. "Who the hell is that?"
Ryan flipped through the notebook next.
"A Russian physicist," he said. "He co-developed the Arc Reactor with your father. Later defected—at least, that's the official story."
"You're saying the Arc Reactor wasn't just my dad's invention?" Tony asked carefully.
Ryan finished memorizing the notebook, handed it over, and smiled.
"No," he said. "I'm saying he invented it with your father. Not the other way around."
Tony went quiet.
If he didn't understand what that implied, his genius IQ would be a waste.
"Then why—"
Ryan cut him off, grabbing the last items from the crate—two film reels containing Howard Stark's recorded messages—and shoved them into Tony's hands.
"Why?" Ryan said casually. "Ask the history books. Officially? Vanko defected."
"The truth doesn't matter right now. What does is finishing our deal."
Tony stared at the film canisters, conflicted—but nodded.
"Alright. What's next?"
Ryan pointed at the reels.
"Watch them."
📛 Name Consistency List (So Far)
Original Characters
Ryan Cole — Protagonist (real name)
Atlas Liu — Alias used publicly
Marvel Canon
Tony Stark — Iron Man
Pepper Potts
Howard Stark
Phil Coulson
Anton Vanko
JARVIS
S.H.I.E.L.D.