14 The gift bearing devil.

In the realm of engineering, one must carefully consider every component within the machine.

There's no room for chance; each screw must be crafted precisely, avoiding the haphazard assembly of random parts in hopes of achieving efficiency or even functionality.

When your objective is to establish control, you cannot allow obvious elements to slip from your grasp.

You refuse to tolerate volatile agents that could impede your pursuit of control, and you certainly don't relinquish control to them.

Instead, you assert your dominance and bring them to your fold.

An individual who desires command over their destiny and surroundings takes charge, asserting dominance over other entities that vie for control.

A mere statement and demonstration of control have the power to leave an indelible mark on someone's psyche; it's the way nature operates.

Through the relentless pursuit of adaptations and the exploitation of ecological niches, animals ascend to the throne of apex predators, embodying the essence of control and dominance in the natural world.

This principle extends to society as well, which is why there will always be leaders and followers.

For certain individuals, their ego swells to enormous proportions due to a lifetime of control. It becomes an unquestionable reality for them, a righteous position they believe they were destined to occupy.

As we enter the imminent era of change, also known as the "age of heroes".

People will look up to those "heroes" as the undisputed leaders and the ones who should drive this change and channel it.

People love control, even if they have the slightest sense of control over their lives given to them by a man in spandex swinging around, lending a sense of control and security.

and those "heroes" are granted absolute impunity to take great-scale action that affects billions of people.

And now let's talk about the ego that started it all.

Tony Stark: genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.

In the last year, he was busy with his grand acts of geopolitical intimidation, or shall we say, "peacekeeping"?

This is a guy whose need for control leads him to act unilaterally and with impunity.

Tony Stark has even fortified his ego, encapsulating it within a titanium-gold alloy.

"I am Iron Man," a resounding declaration that started a chain of events that saw the greatest powers in the cosmos clashing.

Right now, it feels like Tony Stark's "Iron" is blazing hot, heated to the point where it can be molded and shaped.

That's why I'm heading straight for his residence.

Tony Stark is dying, and boy, can you practically taste the desperation radiating off him through the rash, self-destructive action he's been taking in the last few days?

He's desperate, and he knows it, and he is now frantically combing through the periodic table, hoping to stumble upon a substitute for the palladium that's slowly killing him.

Now, being the opportunist that I am, I see this situation as a golden chance to not only save his sorry hide but also leave an unforgettable mark on his psyche.

He will eventually discover this element in the coming month with the help of SHIELD, who will swoop in like heroes to get along with him.

But would I let that happen?

Hell, no.

I may have the powers of a Kryptonian right now, with all the resources a person could dream of.

But I'm not dumb enough to brush off someone like Tony Stark, one of the most formidable individuals in this universe.

He went toe-to-toe with Thanos, wielded the infinity gauntlet, and discovered time travel in his garage.

Getting such an individual on my side will be a boon to my cause.

Imagine what he can do when you push him to his maximum potential.

What I strive for is the harmonious synergy of the greatest powers converging to reach their apex.

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

And hey, let's not forget that people can be wielded too, just like I can wield a gun or my heat vision.

This world is brimming with untapped talent and potential that often goes to waste, isn't channeled in the right direction, or is outright neglected.

just like how Peter Parker neglects his brain powers for his physical ones.

Okay, maybe I went off on a bit of a tangent there, but you get my point.

Now let's go ruffle some feathers.

I strolled up to Tony's place, with Ordis infiltrating every system, even his fancy suits, just to avoid any unnecessary blow-ups or power moves.

I pressed the doorbell, and before long, Pepper Potts appeared on the screen.

"Hey there, who's this? And how on earth did you manage to bypass security?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Hey, I'm Dr. Brightburn. Tony's doctor. I'm here for his appointment, as we had scheduled," I replied with a cheery smile.

"No, no, I don't think there's an appointment. Tony doesn't want to see anyone," she said, checking his schedule and furrowing her brow in confusion when she spotted my name right at the top.

"I don't recall adding you to the schedule, but regardless, why would Tony need a doctor, and why didn't he tell me?" She said it with a hint of confidence in her voice.

I decided to drop the bombshell on her. "Well, he's dying," I said matter-of-factly.

"Dy-? What? DYING?!" She screamed, then bolted towards his lab. All I could hear were her unintelligible screams. and all I could see was the camera shaking.

Taking advantage of the chaos, I overrode the security system, making my way into the house and settling in the guest room, unsure if it was actually a guest room, a hall, or a hangar.

Downstairs, I could still hear the screams echoing through the place.

Before long, it became clear that I had been noticed in the guest room. The commotion grew louder again as Tony slipped on his repulsor gloves and sprinted up toward me, ready for action.

Tony stormed into the room, his repulser gloves at the ready.

"Stay right where you are, Jack Griffin, or I'll blast that smile right off your face. J.A.R.V.I.S., any luck figuring out how this invisible man got into the house?" he demanded while glaring daggers at me.

"Uncertain, sir. My systems show no signs of tampering or hacking," J.A.R.V.I.S. replied in his posh British accent.

Tony furrowed his brows, clearly frustrated and fatigued, as he contemplated J.A.R.V.I.S.'s answer.

"Look, Tony, I'm just here to lend a hand," I said, tossing a gift box playfully in my hand.

"Drop the act. Who the hell are you?" he demanded once again.

"I already told Pepper who I am. Let's put aside the hostility and pour me a drink while we're at it," I replied smugly, plopping myself onto the undoubtedly expensive sofa.

He glanced at Pepper, then back at me. Seemingly unable to resist, he tried to fire a warning shot by shooting a glass behind me.

But to his surprise, the repulsor failed to fire.

He looked at it in confusion, then back at me, my mischievous smile still plastered on my face.

"What did you do, and how?" he asked, growing increasingly frustrated and angry.

I remained silent, meeting his gaze and turning serious before finally speaking.

"Palladium in the chest is a slow and nasty way to die," I revealed.

He glanced at his arc reactor, then back at me with a somber expression. He didn't say a word.

Seeing the scowl on his face, I realized it was high time to wrap up this confrontation.

Determined to retain control over the unfolding conversation, I had taken precautions to prevent Tony from discovering anything about me by blocking his attempts to search my name.

He can find out more about me later and seep through my fake history.

Placing the wrapped gift on the glass table, I urged Tony to open it, knowing it might provide answers to his burning questions.

"This might shed some light on your most pressing questions, Stark. Open it," I declared, swiftly sliding the package across the table.

He squinted at me skeptically before cautiously approaching the box.

"What, are you Santa Claus or something?" he quipped with his trademark sarcasm.

"Maybe I am. Now, just open it already," I commanded a hint of anticipation in my voice.

He took hold of the box and began to unwrap it. Inside, he discovered a glass container housing a weird-looking arc reactor.

His eyes widened in disbelief as he alternated his gaze between the arc reactor and me, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, unable to find the words to express his astonishment.

"Who made this? H- ho how?" Tony stammered as his words devolved into unintelligible gibberish, trying to reconcile with his current situation.

"Who and how aren't the most pressing questions at this very moment. Just put it on," I urged him, a teasing smile playing on my lips.

"Or, if you prefer death, you can choose not to. But that would be counterproductive, wouldn't it?"

Now he looked at me with a calculating look while holding the glass case in his hand. He then crunched it with his hand and ripped his shirt. He then proceeded to remove his arc reactor, tossing it behind him.

His chest was full of black veins, when I used my X-ray, it was all over his body, which suggests his palladium poisoning started spreading quickly.

Pepper gasped when she saw the poisoning damage, and he just rolled his eyes at her.

Then she just turned and left to nurse her Tony-induced migraine.

Tony put the arc reactor on, and he inadvertently gasped air leaving his chest.

Suddenly, he began to spasm as the arc reactor reacted with his body.

"Aaaaah! That tastes like coconut. And metal. Oh wow, yeah!" he exclaimed with a mixture of surprise and delight.

The veins on his chest gradually started retracting, being sucked up by the reaction happening with the new element.

"Feeling better, Tony?" I asked, a teasing smile playing on my lips.

"Y-yeah," he stammered with wide eyes, walking over to the mirror to admire his new reactor.

"What is it? What's the combination? Because I've tried them all," he inquired eagerly.

"It's the new kid on the block. I call it badassium," I explained, revealing that it was a brand-new element.

"He he," he chuckled childishly, at what was effectively his joke.

"by the way, you had palladium in your chest; anyone would deduce that it's a bad idea after some time, but why didn't you just remove the shrapnel from your chest and get done with it?" I asked, really confused, why he didn't just remove the arc reactor and shrapnel from his chest.

"When I discovered the poisoning, surgery became an off-limits option. The tissue around the magnet was so damaged by the palladium that any surgery would've been a one-way ticket to the afterlife," he explained, his tone somber and serious.

"oh," I said with the new information.

He nodded with a smile then dashed off to his lab in a sprint, and I followed suit.

"Jarvis, run the tests," he instructed his trusty AI butler.

"The blood poisoning has been eliminated, sir. It appears that the exotic element within the reactor core is indeed a suitable replacement for palladium," JARVIS confirmed.

He furiously typed on the terminal, but suddenly he stopped, deep in thought. His gaze shifted toward me, intense and probing.

"Let's set aside the fact that you've shown up with an arc reactor, which I believed only I could create. Let's also set aside the fact that you've brought forth a novel element that appears impossible and holds infinite potential applications. Let's put all of that aside for now and cut to the chase," he said, pausing to fix me with an accusing stare.

"Why is it that when someone mysteriously appears out of thin air bearing a gift that could save my life, it also feels like the cost you, the devilish gift-bearer, demand will far outweigh the benefits I desperately need?" he spat out.

"I know your goal isn't money or my technology, since you can easily make billions with this tech," he said while tapping his chest.

"And well, tech-wise, you showed up with an improved and superior arc reactor to mine, people don't just show up with a game-changing gift like this out of the goodness of their hearts."

"Well, no, it's not out of the goodness of my heart. It's because of the badness of yours—you can't live without a battery strapped to your chest," I shot back, giving him no straightforward answer yet.

"Now tell me what invisible strings will you attach to this gift, and why did you save me in the first place?" he demanded to know.

"Alright, let me spill the beans. There might be a few strings attached, like keeping hush-hush about this element; I love to stay under the radar, and you wouldn't understand such a thing, HOTROD," I said with a smile.

"And second, I extended my hand to you to join my team. We've got a bunch of brainiacs already on board, and my goal is to push people with great talent and potential to their apex through synergy."

Tony scoffed, "Oh great, another super secret boy band. Just what I need."

"Get over yourself, Tony; this isn't about you; it's about the world, which we hope to make better."

"The winds of change are blowing, Tony, and when the pushers come to shove, you'll be forced to make a choice. Either you stick with the pushovers and those who love having their heads stuck up their rear ends, or you join the daredevils."

"Ah, so it's a classic 'my school is cooler than your school' situation, huh?" Tony chuckled.

"You know, Hotrod, I believe you've got more in you than just parading around in a clunky power suit, blowing things up left and right. Don't get me wrong; that's cool and all, but I think you're capable of something greater. And hey, I'm not asking you to hang up your superhero cape or anything. What I'm asking is for you to step up. Trust me, you need us more than we need you." I smirked

"Tell me, Goldfinger, how do you want me to "step up" exactly?" Tony ridiculed

"First, if I were you, I'd make Pepper the CEO. Let her handle everything; she practically does it already," I suggested, putting the idea in the air while chuckling.

As he processed my words, his eyes widened, and a light bulb seemed to switch on in his head.

"Yes, yes!" he screamed "You're a genius! Pepper, effective immediately, you're the CEO of Stark Industries," he announced through the coms, reaching Pepper, who was upstairs nursing her Tony-induced migraine.

"What?!" I heard her cry from upstairs. Tony quickly locked the lab and proceeded to mute the noise and fog the glass door of his lab as Pepper pounded on it.

"Wow, are you always this smooth with women?" I couldn't help but be amused by his shenanigans.

"The playboy in my name isn't just for show." He smirked at me while returning to typing on his terminal.

"So, what's your name? "Really?" he asked.

"My name is indeed Sol Brightburn; you can look me up later," I assured him.

"Nah, it sounds made up to me," he dismissed with a wave of his hand.

"Whatever you say, metal gear," I quipped.

"So, my first instinct tells me you're one of those hellfire club perverts. or a spook. Your whole aura screams 'classified'," he said with a gotcha tone.

"Far from it, my friend. I'm as independent as a cat who refuses to wear a collar," I replied, playfully countering his assumption.

"So tell me now if you're in or not? I promise we won't ask you to punch orphans or anything like that; you will fit in nicely under my employment."

"Employment? Seriously Goldfinger? I'm a freaking billionaire; why would I need employment?" Tony burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.

Chuckling back, I replied, "Oh, I don't think your entire fortune could even buy you 10% of what I'm offering, and saving your life seems like an already fair pay, wouldn't you think so?"

Suddenly, Tony's playful expression turned into a frown, seemingly taken aback by my confidence.

"You're such an oddjob, aren't you, so when's my interview?" Can I at least see my office?" He joked while he was putting some energy converters on his arc reactor.

"I will call you," I said with a shrug.

"Alright, I'll let you mull it over for now. Take your time. And hey, feel free to dig up whatever information you can find about me using your impressive methods. But let me make one thing crystal clear: not even a whisper of my name, my visit, or the element to the bald cyclops. If you dare cross that line, I'll personally swat J.A.R.V.I.S. out of the internet and fry every single transistor that powers his neural network," I threatened, giving Tony a stern glare.

Tony's confident demeanor faltered for a moment, and he let out a gulp.

"Don't worry, Goldfinger," he chuckled, attempting to lighten the mood once again.

I just turned and left.

I am crossing my fingers, toes, and even my secret lucky rabbit's foot for Tony to make the right call! and join the better ranks.