Word Count: ~2,500
Setting: New York, 2012. Alexei Vance, age 13.
The hum of servers filled the basement of Vance Manor, a sprawling estate tucked in upstate New York. At thirteen, Alexei Vance was no stranger to the labyrinth of tech his mother, Dr. Marina Vance, had built. But tonight, while Marina was at a Vance Technologies gala in Manhattan, Alex had slipped past the biometric locks to explore the one place she'd always forbidden: his grandfather's vault.
Alex's sneakers scuffed the concrete floor as he approached the steel door, its surface etched with equations he'd only half-deciphered. His reflection—messy black hair, sharp blue eyes, and a lanky frame—stared back, clutching a tablet running VISTA, his custom AI. "Ready, VISTA?" he whispered, voice cracking with excitement.
"Biometric scan bypassed. Analyzing cryptographic lock," VISTA replied, its tone crisp yet oddly warm, like a friend Alex had coded into existence. "Elias Vance's encryption is… formidable. Comparable to early SHIELD designs."
Alex smirked. "Good thing I'm better than SHIELD." His fingers danced over the tablet, solving the equations—a mix of quantum mechanics and number theory—his grandfather had left as a challenge. Elias Vance, a forgotten genius who'd worked with Howard Stark in the 1940s, had died before Alex was born, leaving only stories and this vault.
The door hissed open, revealing a cavernous chamber lit by flickering LEDs. Alex's breath caught. At the center stood a miniature cityscape, glowing with holographic lights—a perfect replica of the 1974 Stark Expo. Towers, monorails, and a central pavilion shimmered, each detail meticulously crafted. "Holy… it's like Iron Man 2," Alex muttered, his transmigrator knowledge kicking in. He'd seen the movie a dozen times in his past life, knowing Tony Stark had decoded a similar model to discover badassium.
"VISTA, scan it," he ordered, stepping closer. The AI projected a 3D analysis, revealing hidden data encoded in the model's structure—atomic configurations, energy matrices. Alex's heart raced. "This… this is an arc reactor blueprint. And something else… badassium?"
"Correct," VISTA said. "The model contains a stable isotope configuration, potentially a new element. Estimated energy output surpasses known Stark reactor designs."
Alex's mind spun. At thirteen, he was already building mobile games—Clash of Clans had launched last month, raking in microtransactions—but this was next-level. His IQ, higher than Tony's, had always felt like a cheat code, a gift from his transmigrator soul. But now, standing before Elias's legacy, he felt the weight of destiny. "If I crack this, I could change the world. Before Age of Ultron, before Thanos…"
A flicker of doubt crossed his mind. His knowledge of the MCU—every film up to Spider-Man: No Way Home, plus Loki and What If…?—gave him an edge. He knew Thanos was coming, knew Kang loomed in Phase 5. But altering the timeline too early could unravel everything. "Focus, Alex," he told himself. "Build the reactor, then figure out the Snap."
As he traced the model's curves, a faint hum pulsed through the vault. His skin prickled, a sensation he'd felt before during late-night coding binges. "VISTA, you reading that?"
"Anomalous energy spike detected," VISTA warned. "Source unknown. Recommend—"
The hum surged, and Alex gasped as a jolt shot through his body. The vault's lights flickered, and the Stark Expo model glowed brighter, its holograms warping. Alex stumbled, clutching his chest. His vision blurred, images flashing—green swirls of a Time Stone, purple pulses of a Power Stone, a gauntlet snapping. "What… the hell?" he rasped.
"Alert: Bio-energy anomaly in host," VISTA said. "Genetic markers shifting. Possible mutation activation."
Alex's knees buckled, but he caught himself on the model's edge. The energy subsided, leaving him panting. His X-gene, dormant until now, had awakened. He'd read about mutants in comics, but this was real. His transmigrator knowledge hadn't prepared him for this. "VISTA… don't tell Mom. Not yet."
"Understood," VISTA replied. "Recommend medical analysis."
"No," Alex said, standing shakily. "We keep this quiet. I need to control it before…" He trailed off, glancing at the model. Before Thanos. Before Kang. Before the multiverse cracked open.
He sealed the vault, mind racing. The Stark Expo model was his ticket to rivaling Tony Stark. His games—Clash of Clans, soon Clash Royale—would fund it. But his X-gene changed everything. "Kamar-Taj," he murmured, recalling Doctor Strange. "If I can't control this power, I'll find someone who can."
As he climbed the stairs, the weight of two lives—his past as a fan, his present as a genius—settled on his shoulders. The MCU was his playground, but the Snap loomed like a storm. And somewhere, in the cosmic vastness, a Celestial stirred, unaware of the son who'd one day wield the Infinity Stones.