Sorcerer in the Marvel Universe

Today was Tony Stark’s birthday.

Naturally, he’d turned the occasion into a spectacle.

Music thundered through the mansion as celebrities, executives, socialites, and hangers-on packed every room. At the center of it all, Tony stood on stage wearing the Iron Man armor, acting as his own DJ, delivering a half-drunken speech between songs while striking ridiculous poses for the cheering crowd.

The party erupted into a frenzy.

Evenson, meanwhile, had quietly claimed a secluded corner with a drink in hand.

He watched.

Nothing more.

"Not joining the fun?"

Natasha Romanoff approached, elegant in a gray evening gown. Her usual loose red hair had been pinned up, giving her a more refined look than her standard field appearance.

"I’ll pass." Evenson took another sip of his drink. "I’ve never liked parties."

Whether it was his personality or simply years spent as a warlock, he had never understood the appeal.

Loud music.

Flashing lights.

People dancing like they’d collectively forgotten how knees worked.

He found the whole experience exhausting.

"Perfect," Natasha said. "I actually wanted to talk to you."

Before the party, Tony had made several heavily implied remarks that hadn’t escaped her notice. She intended to compare notes with Evenson.

Before she could begin—

CRASH!

A series of violent impacts echoed from the floor above.

Evenson glanced toward the shaking ceiling.

"He’s not renovating his house during his own birthday party... is he?"

The words had barely left his mouth before the ceiling directly above the dance floor exploded inward.

Two armored figures crashed through.

One wore the familiar red-and-gold Iron Man armor.

Tony Stark.

The other landed in polished silver armor and immediately tackled Tony without hesitation.

James Rhodes.

The room dissolved into chaos.

Tony’s testimony before Congress had come back to haunt him.

He had publicly declared that no one else would match Iron Man technology for at least another decade.

Then Ivan Vanko had arrived in Monaco.

One public attack had shattered Tony’s credibility.

The military immediately seized the opportunity to renew its efforts to take possession of the Iron Man armor.

Colonel Rhodes had fought tirelessly against those demands.

He’d defended Tony’s judgment.

Defended his responsibility.

Defended his right to keep the suits.

It had cost him political capital, favors, and more than a few sleepless nights.

Rumors were already circulating that he’d become Stark’s personal lapdog.

Then he walked into Tony’s birthday party...

...and found Tony wearing the armor while getting drunk in front of hundreds of guests.

That was the final straw.

If words weren’t going to get through to him—

Maybe another suit of armor would.

"I think someone should stop them," Natasha said as the guests fled the mansion.

Only four people remained in the devastated ballroom.

Tony.

Rhodes.

Natasha.

Evenson.

"I disagree."

Evenson’s eyes narrowed.

The repulsors in both Iron Man suits suddenly charged.

"I think the smartest thing we can do..."

He instantly raised a Void Barrier around himself and Natasha.

"...is stay exactly where we are."

Twin repulsor blasts erupted simultaneously.

The beams collided midway between the two armored men.

The resulting explosion tore through the ballroom like a miniature bomb.

Furniture disintegrated.

Glass exploded.

Walls blackened with scorch marks.

Fragments of shattered décor blasted across the room.

Only one place remained untouched.

The translucent violet barrier absorbed the shockwave with barely a ripple.

Evenson nodded thoughtfully.

"Not bad."

The combined blast had looked spectacular, but it dispersed outward in every direction. By the time the energy reached them, it was only a fraction of its original force.

Nothing like the punch Abomination had landed.

That strike had nearly shattered his Void Barrier.

This barely made it flicker.

"Thanks."

Natasha stood, brushing dust from her dress.

She’d instinctively dropped to the floor the moment she recognized the impending explosion.

Not because she doubted Evenson’s shield.

Because years of training had made it impossible not to.

As she adjusted her gown, she noticed Evenson quickly looking away.

"...Is something wrong?"

"No."

He cleared his throat.

"Nothing."

He decided not to mention that when she’d dived for cover, her dress had briefly revealed considerably more than she’d probably intended.

Black lace.

Very memorable black lace.

Some observations were better left unspoken.

After a moment, Evenson spoke again.

"I need to see Nick Fury."

Natasha smiled faintly.

"Funny."

"I was about to suggest exactly that."

Rather than meeting at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, Fury chose a small diner well away from prying eyes.

The three of them settled into a booth.

Evenson wasted no time.

"Tony’s in worse shape than you realize."

Fury raised an eyebrow.

"How bad?"

"He’s given up."

Evenson folded his hands on the table.

"He’s planning for his own death."

"Today he handed one of his Iron Man suits to Rhodes."

He let that sink in.

"Does that sound like someone expecting to recover?"

"Or someone choosing a successor before he’s gone?"

Natasha nodded.

"My assessment is the same."

"His behavior isn’t just reckless anymore."

"It’s resignation."

Fury rubbed his chin.

"...That’s troublesome."

Then he looked toward Evenson.

"There is one piece of good news."

"The suggestion you passed along through Natasha turned out to be useful."

"We confirmed that lithium dioxide can temporarily neutralize the palladium poisoning in Tony’s bloodstream."

"It works."

"But only temporarily."

"It wouldn’t matter if it were permanent," Evenson replied.

He pointed toward the center of his chest.

"As long as that arc reactor stays in his body, it’ll keep introducing more palladium."

"How’s your long-term solution coming?"

Fury exhaled.

"It isn’t."

Evenson leaned forward.

"What exactly is the plan?"

"Tony knows why I’m involved, but he’s never once asked me for help."

"That tells me he doesn’t even have a direction to pursue."

"Without hope of solving the problem, extending his life a few months means very little to him."

"So right now..."

"Everything depends on whatever you’ve been working on."

Fury hesitated before answering.

"The real obstacle is the arc reactor itself."

"It keeps Tony alive."

"It also slowly poisons him."

"Our objective is to replace it with a completely new power source."

He paused.

"We found something in Howard Stark’s old research."

"It may be the key."

"The problem is..."

He spread his hands.

"We’ve made absolutely no progress."

Seeing the look on Evenson’s face, Fury frowned.

"Don’t give me that expression."

"I’ve already assigned my best researchers."

"The best?" Evenson asked.

"I wouldn’t be so sure."

Fury blinked.

"You know someone better?"

"I do."

"Who?"

Evenson couldn’t help smiling.

"The man who’s currently drinking himself into oblivion."

Fury stared.

"...Tony?"

"Exactly."

Evenson nodded.

"The reason he’s given up isn’t because he lacks intelligence."

"It’s because he has no path forward."

"Give him one."

"Then you’ll remember why Tony Stark is considered a once-in-a-generation scientific genius."

He leaned back.

"Besides..."

"What alternatives do we have?"

"At your current pace, we’ll exhaust every temporary treatment before your team solves anything."

"And Howard Stark left those notes for his son."

"If anyone can finish his work..."

"It should be Tony."

Silence settled over the booth.

Fury turned toward the window, deep in thought.

He couldn’t deny the logic.

Tony Stark wasn’t merely another brilliant engineer.

He was arguably the greatest scientific mind alive.

If anyone could turn Howard Stark’s unfinished research into a working solution...

It was him.

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