Marvelous Mutations

Killian never imagined that after years of lurking in the shadows, slowly amassing power and preparing for his grand plans, everything would come crashing down the moment he stepped into the light.

When half his body was inside Doggo's mouth, that bitter irony was still racing through his mind.

And then, nothing.

The searing heat inside Doggo's throat quickly exceeded the limits of Killian's Extremis-enhanced body. His vision blurred, and before he could fully process the absurdity of his demise...

He blacked out.

The world went silent.

At that moment, Luke finally heard the system chime.

His involvement in this plotline was significant, and the reward reflected that.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for deep participation in a core Marvel plot: Iron Man vs. Aldrich Killian. Plot Points earned: 5.]

A satisfied smirk tugged at the corners of Luke's mouth as he slowly stood up, brushing dust from his jacket.

With the 5 new plot points, his total now reached 23, just 7 more until the next system upgrade.

He could already feel the anticipation building in his chest.

But he knew better than to get his hopes up. These last 7 points wouldn't come easy.

Noticing Luke stand up, the president also straightened himself. He looked like he wanted to say something… but then just stayed silent.

By now, he knew that questions wouldn't get him very far.

He could only watch and wait for Luke's next move.

Suddenly, a flash of lightning split the sky.

Sharon leapt onto the deck, Mjölnir still crackling with leftover thunder in her grip.

Wanda followed moments later, descending gently in a glow of scarlet energy.

Then came a distant bark, followed by a series of pitiful whines.

Doggo was still below.

Luke tilted his head, frowning. "Why didn't you bring Doggo up?"

Normally, both women were inseparable from the fluffy glutton.

Wanda and Sharon exchanged glances, then both scrunched up their noses at the memory.

Luke's frown deepened. "What happened?"

Doggo's whimpering was loud now, echoing off the hull like a canine lament.

Wanda finally answered, her voice full of revulsion. "Who would want to touch him? He's got blood and guts on his muzzle, he just ate people! It's disgusting."

Luke blinked in surprise… then sighed as realization dawned.

No wonder.

They'd always known Doggo had a stomach for the grotesque, but witnessing it firsthand was another matter entirely.

He glanced at Sharon.

Same disgusted expression.

Luke chuckled softly. 'Women…'

"They knew you ate people before," he muttered to himself, "but now they're acting like they just found out."

He raised his voice. "Bee, go pick up Doggo. He's going to cry himself into dehydration if this keeps going."

Bumblebee, ever the reliable soldier, transformed into car form and jumped down without hesitation.

From behind, a hesitant voice spoke up.

"Did… did you just say the dog eats people?"

The president.

He'd clearly taken longer than everyone else to process what had happened, and now seemed genuinely unsettled.

Wanda raised an eyebrow. "Why is he still here?"

Though she knew perfectly well who he was, her tone made it clear: respect wasn't automatic.

Sharon, however, was a little more considerate.

She glanced at the president, who stood awkwardly in the chilly wind, shivering in his rumpled suit. She frowned.

"Boss," she said softly, "shouldn't we send the president home first? It's freezing out here. He could catch a cold."

Luke waved dismissively. "Don't worry, he said he wanted to visit our store first."

Sharon blinked. "He… did?"

Wanda, meanwhile, lit up at the mention of a customer.

"Oh! Then we better go now, it's almost dawn. Store's about to open!" she said cheerfully, grabbing both Luke and Sharon by the hand and heading for the control room.

The president watched them walk away, his expression utterly defeated.

'When did I say I wanted to visit their store?'

But protesting was useless.

Sharon, the only one who seemed to care, clearly wasn't in charge.

With a sigh, he trudged after them.

A few minutes later, the helicarrier hovered into place above 58th Avenue in Manhattan, directly over the grocery store.

At about twenty meters from the ground, Luke stepped forward, and jumped.

The president gasped, fully expecting a splatter.

He's just a normal guy…

BOOM~!

Luke landed in a crouch, the pavement cracking beneath him.

The president gawked.

What part of that man is normal?!

Luke calmly straightened up. Thanks to his modified Extremis, his body was many times stronger than the version Killian had created. The landing hadn't even winded him.

Sharon followed, landing a moment later in a smooth roll.

Wanda came last, gently levitating the president with her powers and setting him down like luggage.

Within ten minutes, the president emerged from the grocery store with a beaming smile, and a massive, glittery gold chain draped proudly around his neck.

Nick Fury, who had just pulled up in a black SUV, nearly swerved when he saw him.

From behind the wheel, he squinted at the rearview mirror, baffled.

The president slid into the back seat and immediately began fondling the oversized chain, rubbing it between his fingers like a treasured heirloom.

Fury said nothing… for a while.

But he couldn't help thinking:

'There wasn't any gold jewelry in that store last time I visited…'

And that chain.

It didn't look like gold.

It didn't even look like metal.

It actually looked like plastic.

Still, Fury bit his tongue, until they were almost back at the White House.

Only then did he cautiously ask, "Mr. President, we'll be arriving shortly. A lot of press are waiting. Would you… maybe prefer to remove the chain first?"

He phrased it as delicately as possible.

Because if reporters saw the president of the United States show up with a chunky, toy-looking gold chain… the media frenzy would be brutal.

Conspiracies would bloom.

Memes would multiply.

The internet would never let it go.

But the president's face hardened.

"What are you saying? I'm the President of the United States. Are you telling me I can't afford a gold chain?"

"No, sir, I didn't mean…"

"People will think I'm embezzling because of a simple gold necklace? That's absurd!"

He huffed, lifting the chain proudly.

"This thing is beautiful! Elegant, affordable, stylish. The best purchase I've made in my life!"

Fury gave him a tight smile.

He turned his head slightly, fingers brushing over his black eyepatch, and muttered under his breath:

"Best purchase? Please. Compared to this eyepatch, that chain is junk…"

…