The partnerships were formalized over six weeks of intense negotiation, legal review, and operational planning. By mid-December, the Foundation had officially entered a new phase: Stark Industries collaboration providing cutting-edge technology and substantial capital investment, federal critical infrastructure designation offering political protection and crisis coordination, and expanded city partnership enabling operations across multiple municipalities.
But with growth came new threats. And some of those threats required responses David had been avoiding for three years.
The attack came on a cold January evening, three months after the Mandarin crisis. David was conducting a site inspection at a new Foundation property in the Bronx , a recently acquired building being renovated into a community center and emergency shelter. The construction was nearly complete, David's careful engineering transforming an abandoned structure into something resilient and purposeful.
He was on the fourth floor reviewing structural reinforcements when Marcus's voice crackled through his earpiece. "David, we have a problem. Multiple hostiles approaching your location. Armed, coordinated, and definitely not friendly. Security team is engaged at the perimeter but they're being pushed back. You need to evacuate now."
David moved to the window, looking down at the street. Six figures in tactical gear were advancing on the building, weapons drawn, moving with professional precision. His security team , three guards positioned around the property , were retreating under suppressive fire, outgunned and overwhelmed.
"Who are they?" David asked, already calculating escape routes and defensive positions.
"Unknown. But they're using military-grade hardware and tactical coordination that suggests serious training. This isn't random violence , this is a targeted hit. David, get out of that building."
David's mind raced through options. The building was isolated, under construction, with no civilians inside. His security team was falling back. He was alone on the fourth floor with hostiles approaching fast. Standard protocol said evacuate immediately, rely on security professionals to handle combat situations.
But something in David resisted that protocol. These people were attacking a Foundation property, threatening the infrastructure he'd built to protect communities. And he was tired , so tired , of running, of coordinating from safe distance, of being the architect who built but never fought.
Three years he'd been in this world. Three years he'd been hiding his gift, using it only in construction, never revealing the full scope of what he could do. The power that had come with his reincarnation wasn't just architectural vision , it was something deeper, more fundamental. The ability to shape, to strengthen, to impose intention on reality itself.
He'd used it subtly in buildings, making structures stronger than engineering alone could explain. But he'd never tested its limits, never pushed to see what he was actually capable of when he stopped holding back.
"Marcus," David said quietly, "how long until police response?"
"Eight to ten minutes given traffic and location. Why , David, what are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking I'm tired of running. These people want to attack Foundation infrastructure? They picked the wrong building."
David moved to the center of the floor, placing his hands on the concrete. The structure responded immediately to his touch , not physically changing, but awakening. His gift had always let him imbue buildings with intention and purpose. Now he pushed that gift outward, deeper, making the building an extension of his will.
The concrete under his hands warmed. Steel beams throughout the structure resonated with harmonics only he could feel. The building became aware in a way that buildings shouldn't be, responding to David's intention with eager compliance.
"Marcus, tell security to fall back completely. Get them away from the building. I'm handling this."
"David, you're not a combatant. You're an architect , "
"I'm whatever I need to be. Clear the perimeter. Now."
The hostiles entered the building, their tactical lights cutting through the construction-zone darkness. David heard their coordinated movements, their professional communications, the confidence of people who'd done this kind of operation dozens of times before.
They reached the stairwell leading to the fourth floor. David felt them through the building's structure, their weight on the stairs, their positions relative to each other. The building told him everything , six targets, heavily armed, moving in practiced formation.
David took a breath and stopped holding back.
The stairwell shifted. Not dramatically , these were subtle changes, barely visible to normal perception , but the angles changed just enough that each step became uncertain. The handrails moved fractionally, throwing off balance. The dimensions of the space compressed and expanded in ways that made navigation instinctive and coordination impossible.
"What the hell?" One of the hostiles' voices carried up the stairs. "The stairs , something's wrong with the geometry here."
"Push through," the team leader ordered. "It's just a construction zone. Stay focused."
They reached the fourth floor, entering the open construction space where David waited. He stood in the center of the room, hands at his sides, looking utterly calm despite facing six armed operatives.
"David Chen," the team leader said, weapon trained on David's center mass. "You're coming with us. Don't resist and nobody gets hurt."
"Who sent you?" David asked conversationally. "Hydra? Someone else who doesn't like the Foundation?"
"Doesn't matter. You're a target and we have a job. Last chance , come quietly or we take you by force."
David smiled slightly. "Here's my counter-offer: you leave my building, tell whoever hired you that the Foundation is off-limits, and maybe you walk away intact."
The team leader gestured. Two operatives moved to flank David, approaching from different angles with weapons aimed. Professional, coordinated, exactly how you'd capture a non-combatant target.
David touched the floor with his right hand.
The concrete rippled like water, a wave of solidified force expanding outward from his position. The two flanking operatives were thrown off their feet as the floor bucked beneath them, their weapons clattering away as they struggled for balance on suddenly hostile ground.
The remaining four opened fire. David didn't move , didn't need to. The air in front of him shimmered, concrete dust particles suspended in space forming a barrier that caught the bullets. They didn't bounce off or ricochet , they simply stopped, momentum transferred into the building's structure which absorbed the kinetic energy and dispersed it harmlessly.
"What the , " One operative's shock was cut off as the wall behind him extruded a concrete fist , a mass of shaped stone that punched forward with devastating force, sending the man flying across the room to impact against the opposite wall with bone-breaking force.
The team leader was backing toward the stairs, weapon still trained on David but his confidence visibly shaken. "What are you?"
"I'm an architect," David replied, walking forward slowly. "And this is my building. You don't belong here."
The floor beneath the remaining operatives became treacherous , surfaces that should be stable became frictionless in patches, support beams shifted position by inches that made covering positions untenable, doorways narrowed fractionally but enough to make rapid exit impossible.
One operative tried to run. The doorframe he was aiming for expanded, walls closing with grinding force that caught him between solid masses and held him immobile without crushing. Another aimed for the window , the opening sealed itself with flowing concrete that hardened instantly, turning escape route into solid wall.
The team leader fired again, emptying his magazine in rapid succession. The bullets hung in air around David like frozen rain, suspended by will made manifest through his gift. With a gesture, David sent them clattering harmlessly to the floor.
"Last chance," David said, his voice carrying power that resonated through the building's structure. "Leave. Don't come back. Tell whoever sent you that the Foundation is protected."
The team leader looked at his scattered team , two unconscious, two immobilized by the building itself, one trapped in a doorway , and made the smart choice. He dropped his weapon and raised his hands.
"We're done. We're leaving."
David nodded. The building released the trapped operatives, doorways returning to normal dimensions, walls flowing back into standard positions. "Take your people and go. If I see you again, I won't be this gentle."
The team leader gathered his injured team members with desperate speed and fled, their tactical operation turned into panicked retreat by one person who shouldn't have been able to fight at all.
After they left, David stood alone in the construction space, feeling the building's structure settle back into normalcy. His gift , the power he'd been hiding, using only in subtle ways , thrummed through him with satisfied energy. He'd stopped holding back for the first time in three years, and it had felt terrifyingly good.
Marcus burst into the room moments later, weapon drawn, security team behind him. He stopped short, staring at the scene , bullet casings on the floor, impact marks on walls, the evidence of combat without David showing a scratch.
"What the hell happened here?" Marcus demanded. "David, are you okay? The security cameras went haywire , there's footage but it doesn't make sense. The building was moving, concrete was flowing, and you were , " He stopped, struggling to articulate what he'd seen.
"I defended myself," David said simply. "The attackers left. No casualties on our side."
"David." Marcus's voice was careful, controlled. "I saw the footage. I saw what you did. That wasn't normal. That wasn't architectural knowledge or strategic planning. That was power. Real, physical, impossible power."
David met his friend's eyes, seeing shock and concern but also calculation , Marcus adapting to new information, reassessing his understanding of David's capabilities. "My gift isn't just architectural vision. It's the ability to shape, to strengthen, to impose will on structures and materials. I can make buildings more than they should be. And when necessary, I can use that gift for defense."
"How long have you been able to do this?"
"Since I arrived in this world. But I've been hiding it, using it only subtly in construction, never revealing the full scope because..." David trailed off, searching for words. "Because power attracts attention. Because I wanted the Foundation built on legitimacy and effort, not supernatural ability. Because I was afraid of what using this power would mean."
"And now?"
"Now people are attacking Foundation infrastructure, threatening the work we've built. Hiding doesn't serve anyone anymore. If I have power that can protect what we're creating, I should use it."
Marcus holstered his weapon, processing rapidly. "Okay. Okay, this changes tactical calculations significantly. If you can defend yourself and Foundation properties the way you just demonstrated, we can reduce conventional security requirements and reallocate resources. But David, you just made yourself a visible target. People are going to know you have capabilities beyond normal. That's going to attract the wrong kind of attention."
"Let it. I'm tired of hiding. The Foundation has legitimate partnerships, public recognition, and value that makes attacking us complicated. If I also have power that makes direct action against us dangerous, that's additional protection."
"It's also going to raise questions. How do you have these abilities? What else can you do? Can it be replicated or weaponized? Every government agency and research organization is going to be interested in you now."
"Then I'll deal with that when it comes. Right now, I'm more concerned about who sent those operatives and why they targeted me specifically."
Marcus pulled up his tablet, reviewing intelligence. "Sofia's running analysis on the attackers' equipment and tactics. But based on coordination and hardware quality, this was professional mercenary team, probably hired through cutouts. Could be Hydra remnants, could be corporate competitors, could be someone else threatened by Foundation expansion."
"Add it to the threat list. And Marcus? Have Sofia review all security footage and scrub anything that shows exactly what I did. The building moving and concrete flowing , that needs to stay internal knowledge for now. If word gets out about my specific capabilities, we'll be dealing with attempted capture or replication by every party with an interest in enhanced individuals."
"Understood. I'll handle the information control." Marcus paused. "David, you said you've been hiding this power for three years. That's a long time to suppress something fundamental about yourself. How does it feel, not hiding anymore?"
David considered the question honestly. "Terrifying. Liberating. Like I've been wearing a mask so long that showing my face feels like vulnerability even though it's actually authenticity." He looked at his hands, still tingling with residual power. "I can protect people more effectively now. But I've also crossed a line from being David Chen the architect to being something else. I'm not sure what that something else is yet."
"You're still you. Just more visibly capable than we realized." Marcus's expression was supportive. "The team deserves to know. We've all shared our capabilities and limitations. You should do the same."
"Agreed. I'll brief everyone tomorrow. Tonight, I just want to process that I used my gift for combat for the first time and it worked."
After Marcus left to coordinate security response and information control, David stood alone in the building that had become an extension of his will, feeling the structure's continued responsiveness to his presence. The power thrummed through concrete and steel, eager and available, waiting for direction.
For three years he'd been the architect who built. Now he'd revealed himself as something more , someone who could defend what he built with force that transcended normal human capabilities.
It was a fundamental shift, and David knew the consequences would ripple outward in ways he couldn't fully predict.
But he was done hiding. Done pretending to be less than he was. The threats were escalating, the stakes were increasing, and his power could save lives if he stopped being afraid to use it.
The Foundation would continue growing. The infrastructure would keep expanding. And now, David would protect what they'd built with every capability he possessed.
Hidden or visible. Subtle or overt. Architect or warrior.
Whatever was needed to save people from impossible situations.