At 7:03 AM, the doorbell rang in a manner akin to pounding, urgent like ominous drumbeats.
Artoria was on the second floor checking sensor data when her heart skipped a beat at the sound. Steady yet swift footsteps already came from downstairs—it was Minerva. According to daily protocol, she would handle it first.
Pulling up the surveillance, the image made Artoria's pupils shrink. Outside the door was Virginia Potts, the ever-elegant CEO of Stark Industries; currently, her suit was covered in dust, her meticulously styled hair was a mess, her face was pale, her eyes were red, and she was clutching a tablet so hard her nails were nearly sinking into the casing. Behind her, two bodyguards in black were as if facing a great enemy.
Something happened to Tony.
This thought pierced Artoria's mind like an icicle. She stood up abruptly, her heart pounding heavily in her chest. The butterfly effect—the term crashed down with cold weight. In her memory, Tony Stark indeed encountered an ambush in Afghanistan, was kidnapped by the Ten Rings Gang, then built the Mark I out of a pile of scrap metal in a cave, and blasted open the cage seven days later to become Iron Man. That was the established "plot."
But what if the plot changed because of my appearance?
She remembered Tony looking at her through a telescope from ten kilometers away, then flustered yet pretending to be calm, sending her a sports car she couldn't drive; remembered him readily paying five million dollars for that technology just because "it could make cool things"; remembered him providing machine tools, sending tools, and standing in front of her when S.H.I.E.L.D. tried to pressure her, for the sole reason of "assets of my lab" and "interesting neighbor." He didn't approach her with scrutiny, evaluation, and a desire for control like S.H.I.E.L.D. did. Tony Stark, this proud, conceited, talkative genius, treated her as an... equal, interesting "person" and "peer" worthy of respect and help.
Friend. In this strange World, this was perhaps the only way she could define her relationship with Tony.
If her presence caused this attack to be earlier, later, or more lethal, leading to Tony not surviving those seven days, or even never getting the chance to enter that cave...
A chill ran up her spine. She didn't dare think further.
She rushed downstairs and saw Minerva in the living room, having opened the door and blocking the entrance. Minerva had already changed into her combat suit with a silver-white theme and clean lines; most striking was the black blindfold covering her face, featuring a fine matte texture—this was something Artoria added during the final appearance adjustments out of a certain nostalgia and respect for the prototype. The blindfold completely covered her optical sensors but made her appear more mysterious, cold, and possessed of an inviolable majesty.
"I'm looking for Miss Artoria! It's urgent! Extremely urgent!" Potts's voice was hoarse and broken as she tried to look past Minerva.
"Identity. Purpose." Minerva's voice came from beneath the blindfold, calm, cold, and devoid of inflection. She stood there like an insurmountable silver-white wall, oblivious to Potts's anxiety. In her core logic, any visitor who might interfere with or threaten the creator needed to be strictly filtered first.
"I'm Potts! Something happened to Tony Stark! Let me in!" Potts was nearly breaking down.
"Minerva, let her in." Artoria's voice came, carrying a tension she hadn't even noticed herself.
Hearing this, Minerva immediately stepped aside with precise movements. But the moment Potts rushed in, Minerva's gaze (or rather, the sensors' focus) swept rapidly like the most sophisticated scanner from Potts's pale face and trembling hands to the two sharp-looking bodyguards behind her who instinctively tried to follow. When one of the bodyguards tried to cross the threshold in his haste, Minerva's arm rose with speed difficult for the naked eye to capture, barring the door.
"They stay outside." Her voice was still steady, but the will it projected was as indisputable as steel. It wasn't a request; it was a declaration. Any individual who had not been explicitly permitted by the creator and carried a potential threat was not allowed near. Protection was comprehensive and absolute.
The bodyguards were stunned and looked at Potts. Potts, whose mind was entirely on Artoria, nodded urgently. Only then did Minerva lower her arm. The two bodyguards were forced to stay outside, looking with suspicion and uncertainty at this silver-haired woman wearing a strange blindfold and possessing an imposing aura as she closed the door.
"Miss Artoria! Tony was attacked in Afghanistan and is missing! It's a kidnapping!" Potts lunged in front of Artoria, her tears finally breaking through as she spoke incoherently, "It was a Jericho missile! A missile from our own company! They used our weapons to hit him! He told me to find you; he said 'find the seaside cottage'!"
Potts tremblingly pulled up encrypted photos on the tablet. The wreckage of a burning Humvee, scorched earth, spray-like bloodstains, and the fragment of a missile tail fin printed with the Stark Industries logo. Every image struck Artoria's heart like a heavy hammer.
It really happened. And they really used Stark's missiles. This matched the "original work," but it didn't make her feel the slightest bit relaxed; instead, she became more anxious—this meant the general direction hadn't changed, but what about the details? How badly was Tony injured? Where was he being held? Would her appearance lead to tighter security? Blocked escape routes?
"What about the Military? The officials?" Artoria forced herself to be calm, though her voice was somewhat dry.
"They're all looking! But it's the border, it's too chaotic! And..." Potts's eyes were bloodshot and filled with fear, "If it was an inside job, who can I still trust? Tony only told me to find you!"
Just then, the sound of braking came from outside again. Coulson and Mei arrived with Agents and had a brief standoff with the Stark bodyguards at the door. The doorbell was rung rhythmically.
Artoria looked at Minerva. Minerva tilted her head slightly toward Artoria as if silently confirming. After receiving Artoria's nod, she turned and walked to open the door with a precisely controlled pace that was neither slow nor hurried. The moment the door opened, she stepped slightly to the side but still used a clever angle to shield Artoria behind her own form.
Coulson and Mei walked in with solemn expressions. Coulson's gaze quickly swept over the collapsed Potts and landed on Artoria, then when he saw the silver-haired figure standing tall and silent behind Artoria, wearing a black blindfold and exuding an invisible pressure, his professional composure cracked for a split second. His sharp eye squinted but quickly recovered.
"Ms. Potts, Miss Artoria." Coulson spoke quickly, "The situation is serious. The attack was highly professionalized, using current-service equipment from Stark Industries. This is an internal conspiracy. The possibility of Mr. Stark's survival exists, but time is of the essence. We need unconventional means to locate him and assess his status before we can deploy a rescue." His gaze flickered over Minerva again, his meaning clear.
Mei was more direct: "Miss Artoria, we request that you use your... ability. We need to know where he is, if he's still alive, and what the environment is like. S.H.I.E.L.D. will provide all intelligence and support and act immediately once we have exact coordinates."
Potts's eyes, filled with despair and hope, were locked onto Artoria.
Artoria's heart was in turmoil. Save him, she had to save him. Not just because he was Iron Man, one of the core protectors of the World's future. But because he was Tony Stark, the genius who would send a neighbor a sports car to apologize, spend a fortune on interesting technology, and stand between her and S.H.I.E.L.D.—proud and a bit annoying, but not a bad person at heart. He was one of the few friends she cared about.
If because of my butterfly wings, I flapped away his future... I could never forgive myself.
"I can try." Artoria's voice was unexpectedly stable as she looked at Coulson, "I want the exact coordinates of the attack site, all surrounding terrain, climate, and power distribution data, and any analysis of abnormal technical or energy residues at the scene. Send it to me immediately. Also, I need some special materials; I'll give you the list right away. We'll prepare right here."
"Fine." Coulson didn't hesitate, signaling Mei to get the data terminal. He gave Artoria a deep look and also glanced at Minerva, who stood behind her like the most loyal guardian. "Ms. Potts, please come with us to the temporary command center; we need to understand all recent anomalies within Stark Industries."
Potts was supported by Mei as they left, constantly looking back at Artoria, her eyes filled with her last hope.
The house returned to silence, leaving only Artoria and Minerva.
"creator," Minerva's voice rang out, calm and waveless yet carrying a reassuring solidity, "Mission parsed: Search and rescue of personnel in a high-risk war zone. Enemy composition is complex, including potential internal traitors. Suggestion: Perform a war zone reinforcement upgrade on me, loading dedicated reconnaissance and combat modules to ensure the success probability of the mission and your absolute security." Her phrasing was precise, but the words "absolute security" were emphasized with a subtle yet firm tone.
"I know." Artoria nodded and walked toward the basement with firm steps. "We don't have much time. Come, let's get to work."
He must be brought back. No matter the cost.
The three hours in the basement passed in silence and efficiency. Artoria loaded Minerva with the "Shadow" external armor designed for complex mountain stealth reconnaissance; it was matte black, extremely lightweight, and enhanced optical, thermal, and acoustic stealth performance. The weapons chosen were the quietest: a silent crossbow and ceramic daggers, along with a backup compact electromagnetic pistol. The most important upgrade was the loading of a war zone holographic map and an experimental quantum communication unit based on energy core technology to ensure intermittent contact even under the worst interference.
When Minerva stepped down from the platform, she had transformed into a perfect stealth weapon. The black armor fitted her silver-white body, and her blindfold glinted coldly in the dim light. She stood quietly, waiting for instructions.
Artoria also changed into a combat suit. She looked at Seele's Projection in the system interface. Quantum state, penetrating matter, short-range teleportation—it was an excellent choice for infiltration and reconnaissance.
"I will be with you, in another way." She said to Minerva, "We'll search separately and look out for each other. The primary goal is to find him and confirm he's alive. Understood?"
"Understood. Search and confirmation have the highest priority. Your safety is the absolute prerequisite." Minerva repeated, her blindfold "gazing" at Artoria, "Please be cautious, creator. The load of the quantum state must be strictly monitored."
"I will." Artoria took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
[Use Projection: Seele Vollerei]
A blue-violet light flashed, and quantum perception spread. She looked at Minerva and nodded.
"Let's go."
Minerva activated her optical camouflage and slid out like a shadow.
Artoria (Seele) walked toward the wall, her form rippling as she passed through it.
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