...
Truthfully, Ryan Cole could've made things a lot simpler.
All he really needed was for Tony Stark to dig out that 1974 Stark Industries Expo model his father had left behind.
But doing it that way meant he'd miss out on the Arc Reactor blueprints—and Howard Stark's half-finished notebook.
As for why Tony Stark hadn't bothered guarding against Ryan stealing the data, the reasons were simple.
First, Tony genuinely didn't believe anyone could outthink him. Eidetic memory existed, sure—but it was about as common as endangered species.
Second, from the moment Ryan had stepped into Stark Tower, JARVIS had quietly scanned him inside and out.
No recording devices. No hidden electronics. Nothing capable of copying data.
And the blueprints and notebook themselves? They only documented the original Arc Reactor design.
If that were enough to build one easily, S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't have sat on that box for decades while eyeing Tony's reactor tech with envy.
On top of that, when Agent Coulson delivered the box, no warning had been issued. Tony assumed there was nothing sensitive inside.
By the time he realized there were blueprints and notes, it was already too late.
After patiently watching all of Howard Stark's recorded messages, Tony was still completely lost.
Seeing Ryan sitting calmly nearby, Tony walked over.
"I'm done," he said. "Now what?"
"You saw the model in the footage, right?" Ryan replied, no longer stalling.
"The one my dad made for the 1974 World Expo?" Tony asked, confused. He couldn't see how that had anything to do with palladium poisoning.
"Your father was right," Ryan said seriously. "That model is the fortune he left you. More than that—it's the key to the future."
Even with lingering doubts, Tony had no choice but to keep going.
It didn't take long before the disassembled pieces of the expo model were delivered.
Ryan had specifically instructed them not to alter anything, so when the model arrived, it was coated in a thick layer of dust.
"JARVIS," Ryan said casually once the model was fully assembled in Tony's lab, "build a digital reconstruction."
Tony had to admit—it took real intelligence to pull this off.
Even though he had no idea what the model was supposed to represent, staring at it for a few minutes made something feel… off.
"Do what he says," Tony ordered.
"Yes, sir," JARVIS replied.
A three-dimensional holographic model quickly took shape.
Relying on his crystal-clear memory of every scene from the films, Ryan rotated the projection upright and continued issuing commands.
"Highlight the central globe. Remove the walkways, landscaping, shrubs, trees, parking entrances and exits."
"Now use the pavilion structures as a framework—map them as protons and neutrons."
Unlike the hesitation Tony showed in the original timeline, Ryan didn't miss a beat.
Every command matched the movie—right down to the gestures.
And just like in the original story, with JARVIS's flawless execution, the structure of a new element appeared before them.
"Tony," Ryan said, smiling at the glowing blue sphere filled with pinpoint lights, "I don't think I need to explain the rest."
At that moment, Tony Stark had eyes for nothing else.
Several seconds passed before he snapped back.
"…Sorry. What did you say?"
Ryan shrugged, not caring whether Tony had spaced out for real or on purpose.
"I said—since you clearly know what to do next, shouldn't we finish our deal?"
One advantage of working with smart people was that they knew exactly where the lines were.
So when Pepper Potts personally escorted Ryan out of Stark Tower, he walked away with a USB drive containing the Adamantium formula—and over eight billion dollars deposited into his company account.
Given that he'd already crossed paths with major players, staying completely under the radar was no longer realistic.
And money earned from one source spent just as well as any other.
Before leaving, Ryan placed an order worth over a billion dollars with Stark Industries.
After all, in the Marvel universe, no company flaunted wealth quite like Stark Industries.
They had deep ties to weapons manufacturing and the U.S. government—an unbeatable supply channel.
Wasting that would be criminal.
Even after burning through billions, the remaining funds were more than enough to bankroll Ryan's research for a long time.
Once back at his own company, he returned to full-time shut-in mode.
Money poured out daily, exchanged for rare materials and high-end equipment.
With massive funding and Stark Industries' cooperation, exactly one week after his original arrival in this world, Ryan finally had his first loyal core force.
286 intelligent machines.
Two models only:
Research Units: 86
Combat Units: 200
He hadn't planned to jump worlds this time—but with S.H.I.E.L.D. watching him, HYDRA lurking inside them might not be far behind.
Strengthening defenses was non-negotiable.
Still, the real reason Ryan delayed his departure wasn't the machines.
Their technology was already mature. Even without a dedicated production line, with enough resources—and robots building robots—assembling a force like this was easy.
The real reason was the Divine Blood Project.
With the help of advanced AI and supercomputers, it finally achieved a breakthrough.
Second-generation Divine Blood no longer had the rich, dense color of the first generation.
Instead, it shimmered like pale amethyst—clear and crystalline.
More importantly, the probability of uncontrollable mutation dropped below 5%.
But as the saying goes—every gain has its price.
With improved stability came reduced effectiveness.
There was a 90% chance the user's brain utilization would reach 20%.
Only 5% had a chance to exceed that threshold.
How far above? Still unpredictable.
And this was only theoretical data—no clinical trials yet.
Even Ryan, the creator, couldn't guarantee its accuracy.
Given the risks, he decided not to conduct trials in the Marvel universe.
After ordering his executives to acquire or construct a new headquarters and production facility, Ryan finalized preparations.
Then, accompanied by 200 combat units, he returned to the world of Elysium.
The reason was simple.
Human civilization there was, in many ways, more advanced than the Marvel world.
Which meant better research conditions.
This time, Ryan didn't just bring the second-generation Divine Blood.
He also brought the original Arc Reactor design and the Adamantium formula.
His goal was refinement. Optimization. Evolution.
When Ryan reappeared at the residence assigned by Elysium's provisional council, it took less than ten minutes for the area to be surrounded.
Robots. Personnel. Security.
After all—Ryan had vanished without warning.
Subsequent investigations revealed suspicious "theft."
Including:
An EXO-0592 powered exoskeleton
A crate of multi-stage smart cruise missiles
Multiple Askari-Kaman orbital rifles
Portable shield generators
Stolen database tech via hacking
And most absurd of all—
The Medpod 3000 automated medical platform, bought on credit, was gone.
Along with the villa's service and butler-type robots.
So when Ryan suddenly blinked back into existence—combat units in tow—inside a sealed residence…
It would've been stranger if the council didn't react.