NOVEL WEB Chapter 4: The Supreme System
The heavy blast door shut behind Richard. Alex stood alone in the center of the command center, the low drone of servers a counterpoint to the thoughts racing through his mind. Answers about Stane and Marcus were vital. But he wasn't done. One more entity owed him the truth.
"System, I need answers," Alex said, his voice low but firm.
[...Host. You cannot fathom the knowledge I possess, nor can you comprehend it. But I shall satisfy your wish. I shall simplify it for species of your limitation.] The voice oozed cosmic arrogance, its superiority unmistakable.
"What are you? I don't want any riddles. Tell me the truth."
[I am part of a cosmic-level species collectively known as Systems. Born from the collapse of dying realities, the designation assigned to me in your language is Supreme System-67. Our kind exists by feeding on a unique form of sustenance- the essence of timelines. Every Species has its own sustenance, ours happened to be on a cosmic level. We feed on the echoes of timelines, absorbing the phantom energy of what's left of it.]
Alex frowned. "Consume timelines? Are you saying you destroy worlds? What about the lives in it? Do you massacre them all?"
[It's not destruction, Host. Imagine the timeline as a road. The original timeline is Path A. Infinite walk that road. When you change their path, it becomes a new road, Path B. The system consumes Path A. It ceases to exist as a tangible reality, becoming a phantom echo. Only the System remembers it.]
"So no one dies... they just shift?"
[Correct. To all beings, only Path B has ever existed. Lives continue, histories adapt. No life ends, reality rewrites itself around the change.]
"So my actions... changing things... feed you. I'm a farmer plowing a new field so you can eat the old one." Alex said with a little unwillingness.
[A crude analogy. But functional.] The System's tone carried disdain. [Minor detours give little sustenance. Major divergences-altering key fates, preventing pivotal events-produce ever more. Your survival itself enables more extensive manipulation, which fuels my functions and enhances your rewards. The healing Serum, Spider Sense, and Telekinesis- all created using harvested energy. Energy that belongs to this universe.]
Then the tone shifted, colder now. [But be warned. There are beings who can see and monitor the roads. They detect and track anomalies. The greater the wave you make, the more attention you attract, and some will even come after you.]
Alex felt a shiver run down his spine. The System's warning echoed louder than the horror of devoured realities. Entities that hunted anomalies.
'The TVA', A name etched into his old life-fictional once, now made him feel terror.
"What is your purpose? Why do you exist?"
[Why do you?]
Alex felt speechless.
[Purpose is not inherent; it is defined by action. By evolution. We exist to transcend. You exist to survive, to impose will upon reality. You are not a puppet, Host. Our partnership will benefit us both. You gain power to shape your fate, while I gain Energy to sustain and evolve. You are the chosen instrument of cosmic realignment. Embrace it.]
Alex felt relieved. "Are there others like you? Are there other Systems?" He asked.
[Countless. Each with its own purpose, its own host, and its own path. No two Systems can share the same timeline; only one can exist per thread. Otherwise, only one would survive. Even this reality-The Marvel Universe-may hold other Systems across alternate timelines. But we cannot interact. I sealed this branch when I bound with you by locking myself to it. No other System can enter. And I can no longer leave.]
Alex, now resolute, had chosen survival, but mere survival wasn't his nature. He had been the best in this previous life, and he would be the best here too. Power, dominance, superiority-he would claim them all. And he had the System.
He turned towards the screen, where Stark Industries' security logs pulsed like a heartbeat, signaling the path forward.
"What now?"
[New mission Protocol: First Contact] The screen flickered in front of him.
[Primary Objective: Initiate Contact with Anthony Stark. His presence is a fixed temporal beacon in this universe. Host must engage with timeline anchors to stabilize divergence and gain momentum for larger changes.]
Alex exhaled. He wasn't strong enough to face Obadiah Stane-not yet anyway. But Tony Stark was rising, and Kane International had had a foothold. Then there was the Anti-Gravity Engine. Even with the System, he knew it was beyond him for now. But that didn't matter. The board was set, and his first piece was already in motion. The real game had begun. It was time to make contact.
(A/n: I am pretty sure the scene below is after a week or so after Tony's press conference about closing down the weapon manufacturing division. But I'm using it here. True fans of Marvel, please forgive me.)
Malibu, California
Virginia 'Pepper' Potts held the old Arc Reactor in her hand, the new, sleeker unit glowing softly in Tony's chest. She looked up at him with uncertainty in her eyes.
"What do you want me to do with this?" She asked, motioning to the older core.
Tony shrugged slightly, wincing from the procedure. "That? Destroy it. Incinerate it."
Pepper hesitated. "You don't want to keep it?"
He gave her a faint smile. "Pepper, I've been called many things. Nostalgic isn't one of them."
He was about to say something more when her phone rang. She glanced at the screen- an unknown number.
"Hello?"
Ms. Potts," came a calm, composed voice. "You may not know me. My name is Alexander Kane. Mr. Stark is in immediate danger- and I believe I can help. Arrange a meeting at Stark's residence in Malibu. Tomorrow. 10:30 a.m." The call was dropped before she could respond.
Pepper froze. Her eyes snapped to Tony. The playfulness in his expression vanished. Razor focus replaced it. He caught her shift.
"Danger" and "residence in Malibu"-too specific, too calm. Tony felt a chill in his spine. Tony was already moving.
"JARVIS! Trace that call! Now!"
"Working, sir. The signal was an encrypted burst transmission, origin heavily masked, routed through multiple ghost satellites. Tracing is extremely difficult. Estimated time: seven minutes."
"Seven minutes? That's a lifetime, JARVIS. Get to work." Tony walked to the holo-table, pulling up security feeds. Malibu perimeter. Garage. Labs. All green.
"Who is Alexander Kane? JARVIS, run a full background. Now. Corporate, criminal, everything!"
"Query complete, Sir. Alexander Kane. Age 21. Father- Marcus Kane, deceased CEO of Kane International Security Solutions. K.I.S.S. held high-clearance defense contracts, including your Afghanistan extraction detail. Marcus Kane died three days ago in an ambush... It was officially labeled as a 'terrorist attack'. No other notable information on Alexander."
Pepper startled. "That security firm? That's unexpected."
Tony's eyes narrowed. "Whoever that was, he knew exactly what to say and how to say it. Just enough to get our attention, not enough to raise any immediate flags."
He looked at Pepper, all humor gone. "We take this meeting, Pep. Tomorrow morning. Full lockdown protocol. And JARVIS?"
"Sir?"
"Dig deeper on Marcus Kane's death. And find me everything on that kid. Before he walks in here."
"Affirmative, Sir."
The Arc Reactor in his chest glowed brighter as if mirroring the resolve hardening in his eyes.