Date: October 21, 2011 ,Evening
Location: Flushing Meadows, Stark Expo
The Stark Expo was, in Lloyd Nipple's professional estimation, a desperate cry for attention.
He stood at the entrance of the fairgrounds, the sky was glowing a brilliant, electric blue against the night sky. The air was thick with the smell of popcorn and the collective sweat of twenty thousand people desperate to see the future.
"It is like the Quidditch World Cup," Lloyd muttered, adjusting his trench coat to ensure the Niffler was secure. "But with less vomit and more... neon."
To a wizard born in the 20th century, the display was aggressive. Giant screens the size of dragons projected the face of the Arch-Mage Tony Stark, who was currently winking at the crowd.
Lasers cut through the sky, weaving patterns that mimicked runic arrays but lacked any actual power.
"Flashy," Lloyd critiqued. "All dazzle, no substance, a simple Lumos Maxima would be far more energy efficient and pollution less."
He approached the ticket booth, the line stretched for half a mile as the muggles shuffled forward, clutching their printed passes like holy writ.
Lloyd did not do lines.
He walked straight to the VIP turnstile, the security guard, a man whose neck was wider than his head, stepped forward, hand raised.
"Ticket, sir? This is the Gold Pass entrance."
Lloyd stopped, he didn't reach for a ticket. He reached into his mana core, now a robust Level 2 pool and pulled a thread of magic. He locked eyes with the guard.
"Confundo."
He didn't say the word aloud; he barely whispered it, he just projected the intent of belonging.
"I believe," Lloyd said, his voice silky and bored, "that I am a visiting dignitary from the...Wakandan Embassy and you were just about to escort me through."
The guard's eyes glazed over, logic of the statement didn't matter; the magic rearranged his perception of reality to fit the narrative.
"Oh. Wakanda," the guard mumbled. "Right. Sorry about that, sir, Go right ahead."
"Keep up the good work," Lloyd said, patting the man on the shoulder, well that works like a charm all the time , Wakanda was a country he had looked in the map, with rumours of big panthers and stuff, so he was interested.
He stepped through the turnstile, blending into the crowd of suits and evening gowns.
Inside, the Expo was a sensory assault. Every pavilion was screaming for attention. Fujikawa, AccuTech, spacex, Hammer Industries.
Lloyd walked past a booth displaying a "Smart Home" system, a robotic arm was clumsily pouring a glass of orange juice.
The crowd gasped in awe.
Lloyd snorted. "Mrs. Weasley's teapot could do that in 1993, and it poured tea, not some pulp-filled sludge."
He felt a frantic scratching against his chest. Subject 42 was waking up.
"Behave," Lloyd whispered into his lapel. "There is too much gold here, If you start grabbing everything that shines, we will be arrested within minutes so focus on the high-value targets."
The Niffler let out a muffled squeak that sounded suspiciously like a negotiation.
Lloyd navigated toward the main pavilion. His goal wasn't to marvel at the gadgets, It simply was to understand the threat.
This world had no Statute of Secrecy and these "technomancers " displayed their golems and wands openly.
If Lloyd wanted to carve out a territory for his zoo, he needed to know what the local apex predators were capable of.
He found himself in front of a massive stage. The banner overhead read: HAMMER INDUSTRIES: PEACE THROUGH SUPERIOR FIREPOWER.
A man was on stage, slicked back hair, a spray tan that looked radioactive, and a suit that cost more than Lloyd's entire childhood home, this was Justin Hammer.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Hammer shouted, dancing across the stage with the grace of a drunken pixie. "The papers say the age of the Iron Man is over. I say...it's just the beginning!"
Lloyd watched, fascinated. "A bard," he concluded. "A charismatic charlatan selling snake oil."
Hammer gestured to the curtain behind him. "I present to you... the United States Army! The Navy! The Air Force! And the Marines!"
The floor of the stage opened up.
Elevators rose, revealing rows of humanoid machines.
They were hulking, grey monstrosities with guns mounted on their shoulders. They stood perfectly still, their eyes glowing red.
The crowd cheered. Lloyd frowned and activated his Mage Sight.
The world turned grey as he looked at the robots.
There was no life in them, no spirits nor was their any animated charm. They were hollow shells filled with wires and electricity.
"Puppets," Lloyd realized. "They aren't golems, they are marionettes controlled by a signal."
He felt a wave of disappointment, he had hoped for enchanted armor. Instead, he found remote controlled toys.
However, as he scanned the stage, his gaze drifted to the side. Standing near the edge of the VIP section, watching the presentation with a tablet in her hand, was a woman. She had red hair, a pencil skirt, and a posture that was deceptively relaxed.
Lloyd's Predator's Aura flared.
It was the same sensation he got when looking at a Lethifold....Cold,Silent and deadly.
[System Alert]
> High Threat Individual Detected
> Target: Human Female
> Designation: [Unknown Assassin]
> Threat Level: A-Rank
> Note: Target has killed more people than the plague so do not engage without a plan.
Lloyd narrowed his eyes. "A witch?"
He looked closer with Mage Sight, no mana nor any magical core.
"No," Lloyd whispered. "Just a killer, a very, very efficient Muggle."
He filed her face away in his memory.
This world was full of surprises, men made of iron and women made of ice cold expression.
He turned his attention back to the exhibit. The Hammer Drones were boring, but the technology inside them...
"System," Lloyd queried. "What powers those puppets?"
> Analysis
> Power Source: Miniaturized Repulsor Tech (Inferior Copy)
> Material: Palladium/Vibranium Alloy (Trace)
> Value: Medium
"Inferior copy," Lloyd noted. "But still valuable."
He walked away from the main stage, slipping into the shadows of a side exhibit labeled "Future of Bio-Tech."
Here, the crowd was thinner and the booth was displaying "Advanced Prosthetics." There were robotic hands and legs in glass cases.
Lloyd leaned against the glass case containing a "Tactical Grip Servo-Hand."
"42," Lloyd whispered. "The third finger on that hand, It has a platinum joint. Do you see it?"
The Niffler poked his head out, he saw the platinum, he vibrated.
"Go," Lloyd commanded softly. "You have ten seconds.and do not trigger the alarm."
Subject 42 didn't need ten seconds, he just needed three.
The Niffler slid out of the coat, poured himself through a gap in the display case ventilation, and scurried up the robotic arm.
Yoink....
With a deft twist of his claws, the platinum joint was removed and the robotic finger hung limp.
Subject 42 stuffed the metal into his pouch and flowed back out of the case, scrambling up Lloyd's leg and back into the coat.
"Smooth," Lloyd whispered.
But as he turned to leave, he bumped into someone.
It wasn't a security guard, It was a short, balding man with glasses, clutching a Stark Expo tote bag.
"Oh! Excuse me!" the man squeaked, dropping his bag, Papers spilled everywhere.
Lloyd sighed. "Watch your step, citizen."
He knelt down, mostly to ensure the Niffler didn't steal the poor man's watch and helped gather the papers.
He froze as he picked up a schematic.
It wasn't a drawing of a robot, It was a drawing of a...spider?
No, It was a drawing of a web maker.
The header on the paper read: Parker, Peter. Grade 10 Science Project: Tensile Strength of Synthetic Polymers.
Lloyd looked up.
The man wasn't Peter Parker he saw , It was an older man....An uncle, perhaps?
"Thank you, thank you," the man said, grabbing the papers nervously. "My nephew would kill me if I lost these, he's trying to get Mr. Stark's attention with his glue formula."
"Glue," Lloyd repeated, he looked at the formula.
[System Analysis]
> Item: Chemical Formula (Fragment)
> Type: Bio-Adhesive
> Properties: Tensile strength exceeds steel cables, Dissolves after 2 hours
> Wizard Equivalent: Incarcerous Spell (Liquid Form)
"Your nephew," Lloyd said, handing the paper back, "has a very... sticky mind."
"He's a genius," the man beamed, looking proud. "Ben Parker, Nice to meet you."
"Lloyd Nipple ," Lloyd replied. "I am a.....collector of rare specimens."
Ben Parker smiled obliviously. "Well, enjoy the Expo, Lloyd, I gotta find the kid. He's probably drooling over the Arc Reactor."
Lloyd watched Ben Parker disappear into the crowd.
"The Spider-Boy," Lloyd mused. "He invents his own webs and he is not a mutation...he is an Artificer."
This changed things, If the boy was an inventor, he could be reasoned with and he could be... employed.
Suddenly, the speakers overhead crackled.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Justin Hammer's voice boomed, but it sounded strained. "We have a... slight technical difficulty so Please remain calm!"
Behind the main stage, an explosion rocked the pavilion.
Glass shattered and the crowd screamed.
Lloyd turned.
On the giant screens, he saw it. One of the Hammer Drones had raised its arm, a missile launched, streaking into the sky.
Then, a red and gold blur...Iron Man shot past the screen, chased by three grey drones.
"They are fighting?" Lloyd blinked.
"The presentation includes a duel?"
Then a stray machine gun round decimated a funnel cake stand ten feet away from him.
Powdered sugar exploded like a smoke grenade.
Lloyd dusted sugar off his lapel.
"No," he realized, his eyes narrowing. "That was live ammunition."
The crowd stampeded,Panic and Chaos.
"Finally," Lloyd grinned, reaching into his pocket and gripping the Niffler. "A distraction."
While twenty thousand people ran away from the explosions, Lloyd Nipple turned and walked toward the chaos.
"System," he ordered. "Mark all high-value debris dropped during the battle. We are about to engage in some aggressive salvage."
He was a Magizoologist, he didn't fight, he was going to loot the battlefield.
Authors Note:-
Well my readers , how you all like this , as well as my other story .
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