C239

After Tony Stark found out that his company was gone, he didn't panic. Instead, he calmly gathered the details and accepted the reality.

He was a smart man. Obadiah, working with the board of directors, had orchestrated a flawless acquisition—Pent Group had taken over Stark Industries within a month. 

The board, shareholders, and market all supported it. The only objection came from Tony himself—the founder's son—but it didn't matter.

His protest carried no weight. Now, Tony Stark was merely a director in name only. All his executive positions had been stripped, and his personal reputation had hit rock bottom thanks to two viral videos. Even if he wanted to reopen the weapons division, it was too late.

Too much time had passed. The military contracts once held by Stark Industries had long since been snapped up by other arms manufacturers. Former clients, including the U.S. military, had moved on—and without Obadiah secretly selling weapons to keep the business afloat, everything had collapsed.

From before the Wakanda War to now, over six months had passed. Those in need of weapons and tech couldn't afford to wait for Tony Stark to change his mind.

"Stark, do you want to join us now?"

Nick Fury hadn't left after dropping Tony off at home. He now sat beside him, asking the question directly.

"The Avengers. We're lowering the selection criteria a little. Your mind is what we need—but you lack people to execute your vision. And honestly? Your armor has too many flaws. S.H.I.E.L.D. already has a few ways to counter it."

Hearing Fury critique his armor, Tony scoffed.

"That was the Mark III. A prototype. Most of the systems were incomplete. Your evaluation is meaningless. The next version will be a massive upgrade."

"Maybe," Fury said, unfazed. "But first, you're going to face scrutiny from the U.S. military and Congress. I'd expect a subpoena in a few days."

He leaned back.

"And the arc reactor? It's not exclusive to you anymore. Pent Group has developed a civilian Arc Energy Station—they're already negotiating with New York City."

Fury gave Tony a quick summary of everything that had happened while he was missing. The world was changing fast—and even as director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Fury admitted he was struggling to keep up.

After the arc reactor technology was exposed, Fury had gone digging and confirmed another Soviet-era scientist had also developed a similar design. Tony's invention wasn't as unique as he'd thought.

Right now, Tony had too many issues to deal with: legal charges, government scrutiny, loss of public image. 

S.H.I.E.L.D. could help fix most of it—but in return, Fury needed Tony to join the Avengers Initiative.

"How many people have you recruited?" Tony asked. "I'm not the only one, right?"

Fury smirked and pulled out a tablet, handing it to him.

"This plan's already been greenlit by the World Security Council. Emergencies are escalating, and we need a specialized response unit. We've got: a genius inventor, a war veteran, a green rage monster, and two elite S.H.I.E.L.D. agents."

That was the early Avengers lineup Fury envisioned. And with Tony's engineering brilliance, he could develop advanced gear for the others.

Fury had no doubts about Tony's capability. After all, Howard Stark—Tony's father—had once provided scientific and technical support for S.H.I.E.L.D. as well.

And truthfully, Fury also needed Tony's money. S.H.I.E.L.D. was facing financial pressure, especially after Agent Hill's investigation into Kain Pent had triggered a political backlash from Congress, leading to a funding freeze.

"You've even managed to recruit them?" Tony raised an eyebrow, flipping through the files on the tablet. "Alright. Fine. I'll join. But only after I finish cleaning up my mess first."

Tony Stark agreed to join, and while he was a little moved, he couldn't walk away from everything just yet.

"What are your plans now? Keep chasing revenge against Tony Stark, or are you thinking of doing something else?"

Kain looked at the Maximoff twins as he asked. Since completing their revenge, they hadn't figured out what to do next. Though they were still cooperating with Kain's research, they needed a new direction.

"We're not sure either, Mr. Pent. Do you have any suggestions?"

Pietro asked the question he and Wanda had already discussed. Both were still wearing Pent Group's nano-alloy battle suits, and once they left here, they had no idea where to go.

Aside from submitting to occasional blood tests, they were being treated quite well. It was unlikely they'd find a better deal elsewhere—especially not one that involved willingly selling their blood for study.

Still, if Kain asked them to do something they weren't comfortable with, neither Pietro nor Wanda would be eager to comply.

"Umbrella or Pent Charity—your pick. I'm guessing you two don't like school, so we can forget about that option,"

Kain said while stroking the green snake's head. He then brought up a virtual projection, and Red Queen displayed Umbrella's latest operational plan for the twins to see.

"Umbrella's planning its next round of expansion," Kain explained.

"We're aiming to register 20,000 security personnel and open branches in 37 countries. But the real focus is our Transhuman Vigilante Squad—a task force made up of superhumans and enhanced individuals dedicated to counterterrorism and peacekeeping."

He gestured toward the plan.

"This is company confidential—don't share it."

The project had been in the works for a long time. It involved extracting magical animal genes to enhance humans, giving them unique abilities. The experiments were nearly complete, and once the final human trials concluded, Umbrella would be able to mass-produce enhanced operatives.

Kain's goal was to turn Umbrella into the world's largest private military and security company within four years—and to make the Transhuman Vigilante Squad a global symbol of peace.

"Vigilante work and counterterrorism? I can do that. Sounds perfect for me," Pietro said confidently—only realizing afterward that he hadn't asked Wanda for her opinion.

After scanning the plan herself, Wanda responded,

"I think I'd prefer to work with Pent Charity. That feels more like my path."

"You could always do both," Kain suggested. "If you want to do charity, go for it. But if the Vigilante Squad needs you, you can step in for operations."

His proposal matched exactly what Wanda had wanted to suggest—but she was glad Kain said it first. It made everything feel more natural.

"Just know that charity work isn't easy," Kain added. "You'll need to learn some things first. I'll contact someone to teach you."

As for how much Wanda could spend on charity each year, Kain didn't care. Even two billion dollars annually wouldn't faze him—money was just numbers now.

Pent Biopharmaceuticals had become a benchmark in human health, holding influence over life itself in many ways. Kain wasn't short on resources. If he ever needed more, he could just visit one of the biochemical worlds and loot a gold or diamond mine.

For now, Kain's priority was building power. In the future, the only real threats he foresaw were Thanos and the Celestials.

To prepare for Thanos, Kain planned to seize the Mind Stone and Space Stone once Loki arrived on Earth. With two Infinity Stones, he wouldn't need the Time Stone from the Sorcerer Supreme—and even Thanos, with three stones, wouldn't be invincible.

As for Thanos' army? Kain had a solution. He'd already visited the biochemical world. Once his airborne fortress—the aircraft carrier—was completed, he'd have both a space base and a war fortress.

With that and Umbrella's forces behind him, Kain felt confident. Wakanda managed to hold its ground in melee combat with Thanos' troops. If his fortress didn't at least match that, he'd personally tear it down.

"Everything's moving in the right direction."

Aside from attending a Stark Industries board meeting, Kain didn't have much else to do—for now.

The Red Queen, Betty, and Laura were more than capable of handling all the trivial matters for him. However, during the board meeting at Stark Industries, Kain noticed Tony Stark was absent—his assistant, Pepper Potts, attended in his place.

Pepper's abilities were impressive. After the meeting concluded, Kain openly extended an invitation to her: if she was willing, the Pent Group would offer her a high-level executive position. After the acquisition, Stark Industries would still provide plenty of space for her talents to shine.

Poaching talent was standard practice in business. Since Pepper and Tony hadn't officially confirmed their relationship, it wasn't out of the question. Even if she declined, Kain's offer—and his business card—would serve as a subtle thorn in Stark's side.

With some downtime on his hands, Kain found himself drawn back to his old Wonder Zoo project. He had Laura apply for usage rights to an island near Brook Forest, intending to begin construction as soon as approval came through.

At the same time, he continued refining his mastery of the Thunder Fruit ability and began crafting a new batch of alchemical items.

But one thing bothered him—his magic seemed to have plateaued. So, he instructed his people to track down the whereabouts of the Darkhold and the witch Asaga.

He suspected the dark book in Asaga's possession was just a copy. There should be another, more authentic version still hidden somewhere. Kain vaguely recalled the plot surrounding it but wasn't entirely sure on the details.

Despite the Darkhold's infamous ability to corrupt and bewitch its users, Kain believed his Thunder Fruit powers could generate an electronic barrier strong enough to repel mental invasions. Combined with his own psychic techniques, he might even be immune to its influence.

Knowing there was powerful magical knowledge out there and choosing not to pursue it simply out of fear—that wasn't Kain's style. He would rather obtain the Darkhold, study it thoroughly, and, if it proved too dangerous, travel to other worlds to find a countermeasure.

To push his magic to the next level, he'd need to explore alternate magical systems—perhaps even collect all known magical knowledge from the wizarding world and devote time to studying it.

Although Kain had read extensively, most of his magical education came from Hogwarts and Nick Mailer. The wizarding world, however, had far more to offer—Merlin's legacy, the American wizarding community, and other lesser-known magical traditions.

Furthermore, there was a shortage of genetic samples from magical creatures. Kain considered importing a batch of live magical beasts into the Marvel world—something that would benefit both his research and Umbrella's transhuman enhancement program.

…

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