Tony's Ambition

"You don't believe me?"

"How am I supposed to believe you?"

"Then let me show you."

The freezer where the body had been stored opened again, but this time it had become a portal. On the other side looked to be a cabinet beneath a bar; with a slight turn of the head, one could see bottles of liquor on the shelves.

With Duncan looking on encouragingly, Alice, utterly bewildered, bent down and crawled into the portal.

As she crawled halfway through, her raised rear outlined an astonishing curve, reminding Duncan of a famous line that had spread far and wide.

"Can you help me, stepbrother!"

Just as Alice was about to crawl all the way through, she suddenly stopped.

In another world, Tony had just reached the liquor cabinet to pour himself a taste. He walked behind the bar and came face-to-face with Alice, who was halfway through the cabinet and had turned to look at him.

The air grew awkward in an instant. Fortunately, playboy Stark was famous for being a social butterfly.

"Are you serious? Since when did my bar become a magic door? Never mind, get up first. And get Duncan over here too."

Tony's eyes swept over Alice in her dress. He couldn't help sizing her up, and gave a subtle nod to himself. Pretty.

Then he took four glasses from the cabinet, added ice to them, and poured liquor into two. Only then did he ask Alice, who had just stood up beside him, "Want a drink? Or would you rather have a Coke?"

On the sofa in the living room, Pepper Potts watched a beautiful woman suddenly crawl out from under the bar. The smile on her face slowly faded.

"Uh... either is fine." Alice was dumbfounded too. She really had crawled from a cabinet where a body had been stored into another world!

This was even more mind-blowing than finding out she was a clone. At least cloning could sort of be considered science, but traveling between worlds seemed to be beyond the reach of modern science.

It was unbelievable!

Suddenly, a hand grabbed Alice by the ankle. She nearly stomped on it in fright.

Fortunately, she pulled her foot back in time, crouched down, and helped Duncan up.

"Whew!" Duncan let out a long breath and surveyed the room. Once he saw everyone there, he greeted them warmly. "Hey, Tony! Hey, Pepper! I'm seriously jealous that you've got such a thoughtful girlfriend, Tony. Work's been driving me crazy these past few days!"

He really meant it. He envied Tony's carefree, wealthy lifestyle and the way he could do whatever he wanted.

Having all of Stark Industries to spend as he pleased—that was as good as it got.

"Thank you. You're too kind."

When Pepper saw Duncan stand up from behind the bar, she immediately understood what was going on, having already witnessed his ability to travel between worlds. She greeted him with a bright smile.

Tony pushed a glass of ice water and a can of Coke in front of Duncan, then handed out the other three glasses of liquor. He couldn't resist teasing him. "Next time, use the elevator. Just imagine going to get a drink by yourself at night and seeing someone crawl out of the liquor cabinet!"

"Next time, for sure!" Duncan poured the Coke into his glass of ice and cheerfully brushed off the awkward moment.

After sitting back down beside Pepper, Tony seemed to think of something. He picked up the proposal from the little table and said, "You're just in time. Come take a look at this proposal."

"What proposal?" Duncan carried his Coke over and brought Alice along, who was still looking around.

Once the two of them had sat down, Tony immediately set the proposal aside and tapped the air twice. A holographic screen, predominantly blue, appeared.

He had no idea how Tony had done it. All Duncan knew was that a folder had appeared on the holographic screen, labeled "Proposal."

The marvelous holographic technology left Alice staring in amazement. She looked all around the projection, trying to find the light source from which it was being projected. But no matter how she searched, she couldn't find it.

Tony opened the proposal. It contained countless smaller files, more than the eye could take in.

From top to bottom, they were: medical equipment, clean energy, network technology, construction, biotechnology, aerospace, deep-space exploration, deep-sea exploration, satellites, chip technology...

The major categories came first. Smaller categories, along with any joint projects Tony had suddenly thought of that Umbrella could work on with them, had all been jotted down in one place.

He had returned before Steve and Natasha, but he had already learned about Umbrella from the internet in the Resident Evil world.

Aside from its exceptionally advanced biotechnology, Umbrella's technology in other fields was just as impressive. Its capabilities and influence far surpassed those of Stark Industries.

Many things he couldn't do in the Marvel universe would be possible simply by moving them to the Resident Evil world.

He had also bought land on the outskirts of New York. All that remained was for Umbrella's brilliant architects to come over, draw up plans, and eventually build an industrial park.

Stark Industries had been constrained by antitrust laws for a long time. But now he had made a connection with Umbrella Corporation, and this world's antitrust laws couldn't control Umbrella in that world.

He could bring all sorts of technology over there and earn foreign currency, then turn that money into materials to support Stark Industries.

When that happened, money would truly be nothing but a number. He'd make his armor out of the most expensive materials!

Build one, blow it up, build another. Set off fireworks whenever he felt like it!

With two corporate giants working together, they could set their sights on the vastness of space.

Ever since the Battle of New York, Tony had been plagued by anxiety. When aliens had launched their sudden attack, Earth had been utterly unable to fight back. Those panicked politicians had even tried to nuke Manhattan Island.

The battle hadn't been as easy as it looked in the movie. The Chitauri infantry weren't all that strong, but the armor on those massive War Behemoths couldn't be pierced by ordinary armor-piercing rounds.

The National Guard had driven its infantry fighting vehicles into the battle, but they could only take on Chitauri infantry.

The Chitauri's Chitauri Chariots were incredibly fast. Their powerful energy blasts struck the ground with the force of a 122-millimeter artillery shell. As in the movie, they did most of their damage through the heat and shock waves of their explosions, rather than relying on a spray of metal shrapnel.

It was hard to estimate the damage those fast-moving craft weaving through the city inflicted on ordinary soldiers. Regular troops couldn't shoot them down with ordinary bullets, either.

The Chitauri Chariots, streaking through the sky at high speed, were like a swarm of locusts. They took over the skies, and the National Guard's helicopters were shot down before they could even reach the battlefield, too slow and too lightly armored to stand a chance.

They were also the Chitauri unit responsible for the most casualties in the Battle of New York. Along with the heavily armored Leviathans, they had haunted Tony's nightmares for six years.

Even now, Tony would still find himself lost in thought.

What if one day the Chitauri came to Earth to invade without relying on a portal? What would humanity do?

Who could they count on?

The politicians with their heads up their asses? Weapons several levels behind the rest of the universe? Pointless conflicts between different groups?

Or the likes of them—the superheroes?

How many superheroes could win a full-scale war?

Steve was a Super Soldier, but if he were in an open area, ten gunmen surrounding him could kill him.

Thor was powerful, but he was only one person.

Hulk was uncontrollable, so there was no point factoring him in.

The others went without saying.

Then Duncan's arrival had shown him just how fragile humanity could be—and just how powerful it could become.

With its own strength, Umbrella Corporation could sway the course of the world. Fragile humans could be wiped out by a tiny virus.

The few days Tony had spent in the Resident Evil world had given him a glimpse of a path forward. He seized that spark of inspiration, locked himself in his lab for a day and a night, and repeatedly watched recordings of the Battle of New York. At last, he figured it out.

Earth was developing far too slowly. They couldn't keep coasting like this. Humanity couldn't rely on Asgard; one day, Asgard might not be able to protect Earth.

If certain teammates in the Global Village insisted on dragging everyone down, he'd follow Umbrella's example and make Stark Industries the chain that drove society, pushing the sluggish Earth forward!