After Harry left in high spirits, Sean leaned back in his chair, staring blankly into space...
He recalled a theory from his past life... most people, upon reaching a certain level, find their upward mobility increasingly constrained. Unable to break through the ceiling above them, they stagnate.
In a world as dangerous and thrilling as this, personal power was undoubtedly crucial. It could protect you from harm and oppression, safeguarding your dignity and principles...
However, power alone wasn't enough... Sean had been trying to sketch the broad contours of this world. After gaining strength, he had once entertained the thought of indulging his whims, treating everything like a ga to be enjoyed at will.
But he quickly abandoned that idea... Even with the untapped potential of the Sentry's power within him and that barely noticeable System, he couldn't act recklessly... Who knew if, beyond the movie characters, so unreasonable comic book entity might suddenly appear? The Celestials? The Living Tribunal? Or so omnipotent and unfathomable higher being?
Rather than recklessly drawing attention and slamming headfirst into that ceiling, it was better to accumulate strength gradually, until he could shatter the invisible barriers restraining him...
Sean chuckled softly... He rembered a battle royale ga from his past life, the ones who survived till the end were usually the sneaky bastards who avoided the spotlight.
"Should we continue escalating the online public opinion offensive?" A detached voice echoed in the office.
Sean wasn't surprised... Skynet's alias, the Red Queen, maintained constant surveillance over Umbrella, while Skynet itself overlooked the entire planet.
"Hold off for now. If we hire too many trolls, it'll beco obvious." He shook his head.
The rapid spread of Worthington's scandal had relied heavily on Skynet's behind-the-scenes manipulation. This A.I., which had nearly annihilated humanity in another world, was like an omnipotent god in the digital realm...
Creating countless sock puppet accounts to play the righteous keyboard warrior and criticizing unethical corporations was child's play...
"This level of attack will only inconvenience Worthington. Even with judicial investigations, they'll just sacrifice a few scapegoats and let the matter fade."
Sean closed his eyes slightly, his psychic energy extending like invisible threads into the void. After unlocking 25% of his potential, aside from physical enhancents, he seed to have developed ntal abilities.
If this continued, it might not be long before he could confidently face the world's most powerful telepath...
So far, the only individuals who posed a genuine threat to Sean were Dr. Bruce Banner (soon to be irradiated by gamma rays and transford into the Hulk) and Professor X, who could effortlessly navigate the seas of human thought.
The forr possessed near-limitless destructive power, while the latter could effortlessly control anyone's mind. Unless one wore a specialized helt like Magneto's to block psychic interference, direct confrontation was hopeless...
Of course, the mutant hunter William Stryker had once used deceit to nearly make the world's strongest telepath slaughter his own kind.
But evading a telepath's scrutiny was no easy feat. Sean sighed softly... it seed his only option was a protagonist's secret weapon: the art of persuasive speech.
"There will be bread. There will be milk. There will be everything." He murmured to himself.
.....
~Stark Mansion, Malibu~
"I've been paging you. Didn't you hear the intercom?" The tall assistant carried a cup of coffee down to the underground lab, where Tony had been holed up since returning from Afghanistan...
Honestly, this drastic change made Pepper question whether the man who ca back was really her boss...
While Tony had previously spent ti in the lab tinkering with inventions, those phases never lasted long, and he had never gone this long without bringing random won ho.
This behavioral shift was utterly unlike Tony Stark's usual persona... Cold machinery and warm, alluring won had always been the mustachioed genius's greatest loves.
"Hmm... What is it?" Tony asked absent mindedly, busy calibrating a chanical arm attachnt that resembled so sort of energy cannon.
"Obadiah is upstairs waiting for you. You should probably go see him." Pepper set down the coffee and gently suggested.
Stark Industries wasn't in a good place. Tony's declaration about shutting down weapons manufacturing had sent stock prices into freefall. If they could, the board mbers would probably love to strangle their wayward playboy CEO.
"I thought you said you weren't making weapons anymore?" Pepper eyed the glowing white energy emitter in his palm.
"This is just a flight stabilizer. It's totally harmless." Tony smirked and pressed the activation switch.
With a...
*Bang!*
...the recoil sent him flying into the wall.
Seeing his assistant's alard expression, Tony forced a grin, "That was... unexpected..."
After instructing JARVIS to clean up the chaotic lab, Tony strode upstairs, lighter on his feet than ever. Shutting down Stark Industries' weapons division and stepping off his father's path had liberated him.
He would always be himself... the one and only Tony Stark!
In high spirits, Tony found Obadiah seated at a Steinway piano, his fingers gliding over a soothing lody.
Compared to the womanizing, invention-obsessed Tony, Obadiah embodied the ideal corporate leader... charismatic, cultured, with a taste for classical music and fine cigars. Every aspect of his deanor scread old-money elegance.
"How's the company?" Tony asked, "Wait, your face says it all. Not good..."
"The board thinks your PTSD is severe. They're preparing a mandatory injunction... in other words, they want to oust you." Finishing a segnt of 'Piano Concerto No. 21', Obadiah joined Tony on the couch.
"Because stocks dropped 40 points? We saw this coming!" Tony slamd the sofa armrest.
"56.5 points," Pepper corrected, "Soone has been short-selling Stark Industries stock."
"It doesn't matter! We have controlling shares!" Tony's voice rose agitatedly.
He had inherited Stark Industries from his late father, the only thing his family left him. Tony would never let anyone take it away!
"Tony, the board has rights too. They're using your 'conflict with company interests' as an excuse to remove you." Obadiah feigned helplessness, though he was the one secretly orchestrating the board's mutiny.
After a few half-hearted argunts, Tony grew frustrated. He hadn't shut down weapons production on a whim. Clean energy was Stark Industries' future, with a market far broader than arms dealing...
"I'm trying to salvage this, but you need to give sothing. Let have so engineers analyze that..." Obadiah's gaze lingered hungrily on the glowing device in Tony's chest.
"Over my dead body!" Tony shot up, storming out as if scalded.
The arc reactor was his lifeline... no one would lay a finger on it. Not even Obadiah, no matter how close they were...
Watching Tony leave, the bald CEO's smile froze montarily before smoothly returning, as if nothing had happened...
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