The upper levels of LexCorp Tower were occupied by unexpected guests.
The tower stood far enough from the missile strike that it had avoided direct damage. Still, the signs were there if one looked closely.
Thin cracks ran along several walls. So windows were spider‑webbed but unbroken. Parts of the ceiling showed signs of strain, and a few lights flickered when the building shifted in the wind. The tower was hurt, but it still stood. Still usable. Still strong enough to serve its purpose.
That was why Tony Stark had chosen it.
The main control floor had been taken over completely. Screens covered one entire wall, each showing a different feed. So showed live satellite views. Others displayed maps, scrolling data, or cara angles from inside governnt buildings. At the center of it all stood Tony, arms folded, eyes sharp, his face serious in a way few people ever saw.
JARVIS worked silently in the background, its presence felt through the steady flow of information and the soft hum of machines. LexCorp's systems had fallen faster than Tony expected. Luthor had built impressive defenses, but against JARVIS, they were delays at best.
Control of the tower had been total within minutes.
Across the room, Diana sat on a wide couch that once belonged to Lex Luthor himself. She leaned back slightly, one arm resting along the back, her posture relaxed but alert. She seed at ease here, among people who did not fear her, people she genuinely liked.
Near the tall windows stood Gaius.
He did not sit. He did not pace. He simply stood, hands clasped behind his back, looking out over the city below. His massive armored fra was still and silent, like a statue carved for war. The light from outside caught on his auramite armor, dull gold rather than bright, reflecting in hard lines and casting long, heavy shadows across the floor.
He watched tropolis not with anger, but with focus.
Tony broke the quiet first.
"The White House is a ss," he said, glancing at one of the screens. "They're arguing, running numbers, calling everyone they can. But they've made their choice."
Gaius did not turn.
Diana shifted slightly on the couch, then spoke, her voice calm and casual.
"By the way," she said, "how are Mindy and Saeko?"
Tony did not look away from the screens as he answered.
"They should be at Wayne Manor," he said.
Diana nodded once. "Oh."
She said nothing more. The question had been simple concern, nothing else. Knowing they were safe was enough.
Tony glanced toward Gaius, then back to the screens.
"They're moving now," Tony said. "The governnt, I an. Coordinating everyone they have. Military stockpiles, food reserves, port storage. They're trying to move fast with the least chaos possible."
He paused, then added, "It's still chaos. Just… controlled chaos."
Gaius remained silent for several seconds. His thoughts moved through numbers, tilines, and outcos with machine-like precision. Supply routes. Human limits. Points of failure.
Then he spoke.
"Are you able to locate Lex Luthor?"
Tony frowned slightly and shook his head.
"No," he said. "He vanished the mont we took the tower. Clean break. No signals, no traces I can follow. He knew we'd co for him."
That answer did not surprise Gaius.
"Expected," Gaius said. "Then leave him to Diana."
Diana smiled faintly, pushing herself up a bit on the couch.
"Yeah, yeah," she said lightly. "I can handle it."
There was no pride in her voice. No hunger for revenge. Only certainty. She was a warrior, and she was confident she could handle it.
Tony turned from the screens and walked toward another workstation.
"By the way, Gaius," he said, tapping a command into the console. "Do you rember when I studied the Mother Box in the Batcave?"
Gaius turned his head slightly and nodded.
"I rember," he said. A Primaris Ultramarine, blessed by the Emperor, his mory was perfect. Centuries might pass, but nothing will be lost.
Tony brought up a new display. Diagrams filled the screen, complex but organized.
"When I learned it could control matter," Tony continued, "I tried to copy that idea. At first, I could only build a system that interacted with the Mother Box itself. Limited control. Very limited."
The image shifted.
"And then," Tony said, "I found sothing interesting. Lex had studied it too. Not as deeply, not as cleanly, but enough to help finish the idea."
Another image appeared. This one showed a massive machine. Bulky. Heavy. Clearly an early version of sothing powerful.
"This," Tony said, a hint of pride in his voice, "is the result."
Gaius stepped closer, studying the image.
Tony continued, explaining each part in simple terms.
"The computer in the middle handles the plans," he said. "Blueprints. Calculations. It tells the machine what the end result should look like."
He pointed to the rear section.
"This back room is where you load materials. tal. Stone. Whatever you have."
Then to the front.
"And this room is where it cos out. The machine breaks down the materials and puts them back together, following the blueprint exactly."
Gaius spoke before Tony could finish.
"Mass production," Gaius said. "Complex structures. Limited only by materials and ti."
Tony paused, then sighed.
"Yeah," he said. "That."
He looked slightly annoyed, but only for a mont.
"It's still a theory," Tony added. "Not built yet. I'd say a ninety percent chance it works as planned."
He smiled.
"I'll send everything to you," Tony said. "Back to your world. You can have soone build it."
Gaius studied the machine carefully. Its value was obvious, not as a weapon, but as sothing far more important.
Logistics.
Supply.
Survival.
The chanicus might not like it, but with his gene-father as Regent of the Imperium, he could handle whatever objections ca.
"I am impressed," Gaius said. "And I thank you."
Tony blinked, surprised by the sincerity.
Gaius returned to the window.
"I want to finish this quickly," he said.
The airport was tense.
What remained of the National Guard had taken up positions near the main runway. They were tired. Nervous. Most of them hadn't slept since the attack began. A few airport staff were still present, unable to evacuate at all.
They heard the sound first.
Heavy footsteps.
Then they saw them.
Titus and the Ultramarines erged from the edge of the runway, massive and unmistakable. Their armor bore the marks of battle, but their movents were steady and controlled.
The guards raised their weapons.
"Stand down," Titus called out. His voice carried easily across the open space.
So hesitated.
Others did not.
A finger tightened on a trigger.
Naruto moved.
He did not shout. He did not warn.
In a blur, he crossed the distance between them. Strikes landed fast and clean. Weapons were knocked aside. Guards were disard and dropped to the ground, stunned but alive.
Naruto stood among them, breathing steady.
He had acted first so they would not have to die.
Titus watched, then nodded once.
The remaining guards froze.
The airport staff watched in fear as Titus approached a man in a pilot's uniform.
"You will fly us," Titus said calmly. Judging by his uniform, he knew the man was a pilot.
The pilot swallowed hard.
After a long mont, he nodded.
"Yes," he said. "I'll fly."
Preparation began imdiately.
Other aircraft were damaged and stripped. Seats were torn free. tal panels were pulled apart. Everything useful was dragged toward a single Boeing 737.
The Ultramarines worked with brutal efficiency.
Seats were removed.
Space was cleared.
The door was too small.
So they ripped it open.
The tal scread as it bent. The opening widened enough for a Primaris to enter.
It would never fly safely again.
That did not matter.
Inside, restraints were fixed roughly but evenly. Enough to keep them stable.
Titus sealed the opening using parts of other planes, forcing them into place.
It would hold.
Once.
That was all they needed.
As they boarded, Naruto looked back at the stunned guards and staff.
"Stay down," he said. "You'll be fine."
The engines roared to life.
And the plane began to move.
Toward Washington.
Toward the end of this phase.
~~~
PS: Guys, this is almost over!!! (the arc of doomsday i ant)
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