S.H.I.E.L.D.
The new Triskelion.
Nick was still brooding over what Luke had said in Asgard. What did he mean, black-skinned elf? Couldn't someone with black skin be an elf? Grumble and curse as he might, Nick remained deeply interested in the fact that Arcane Energy could alter a life form.
Especially the energy from those other universes. Every kind seemed capable of transforming life into the form that suited it best.
Knock, knock!
Several dull knocks interrupted Nick's thoughts. He first looked toward his office door, then realized something was wrong and turned in surprise toward the glass behind his desk.
After a brief adjustment in brightness, the glass displayed the view outside. Two Iron Armors clearly modeled after Mark Armor hovered in the air beyond it. One of them was knocking on the window.
Nick's eyes widened as he watched the two Iron Armors deftly remove the entire glass panel, revealing a glass door. The high-altitude wind roared through the open window, and with it came the two Mark Armors.
For a moment, the two intruders and the stunned Nick behind his desk locked eyes.
"I told you we should have come in through the front door," a voice said from inside one of the Iron Armors.
"Relax, we're here for a visit." The faceplate flipped open and dissolved into black particles, becoming a black suit. Tony Stark, caught by the owner of the house, showed no embarrassment whatsoever as he calmly met Nick's gaze.
Nick withdrew the hand that had been about to trigger the alarm and had S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Intelligent System cancel the alert it had just issued. He glared at Stark. "Couldn't you use the front door?"
"That would have wasted too much of our time. Actually, I wanted to use a magical device to open a