The Drop-Wing Skimmer slipped back into the hidden shaft, vanishing as silently as it had risen.
Luthar stepped off the platform, the familiar scent of metal and ozone greeting him like an old companion. His underground base hummed with life—servo-arms gliding along the walls, machinery cycling power, and the faint glow of the bioreactor vats deep in the lower levels.
Luthar leaned back, his augmetic eye glimmering as the first pieces of his distraction fell into place. Tony Stark would have his little battle… and in doing so, he would be forced to improve his technology.
Which he could copy for himself to improve his knowledge.
As Luthar turned away from the Vankos,
He moved through the corridors toward his private sanctum. This chamber was quieter, intimate in a way only a Tech-Priest could appreciate. Servo-skulls drifted along the vaulted ceiling, their optic lenses glowing faint red as they tracked their master. Along the walls, lumen strips pulsed in a slow heartbeat rhythm, the air thick with the scent of machine oil and warm circuitry.
A single cogitator altar dominated the far wall, its crystalline keys shimmering with faint energy readings.
With a gesture, one of his mechadendrites activated the holo-projector. A soft chime announced the connection, and a small, smiling face appeared in the light.
"Lily Ruca, reporting!" she said cheerfully, giving a tiny salute. Behind her, the faint silhouettes of Skitarii warriors loomed, their glowing optics steady and unblinking.
"Good," Luthar said, his tone measured and deliberate. "Once I leave this world, command falls to you. The Skitarii and the defences—are they ready?"
Lily's head bobbed quickly. "Mmh! Patrols are active, the turrets are on standby, and I set the anti-air batteries to auto-engage. If anyone knocks on our door, I can… well, either shoot them or push the big red button to jump home." She paused, tilting her head. "I like the shooting option better."
A faint vibration of amusement passed through Luthar's mechadendrites. "If the threat is minor, eliminate it. If not, use the return device. The Omnissiah favours swift action, not hesitation."
"Understood!" Lily chirped, spinning in her chair to show him the defensive schematic. "Everything is green. Even the plasma array is charging."
"Good." He leaned slightly closer, his augmetic eye glimmering in the holo's light. "If anything happens while I am away, you will hold this fortress while the time is smalll, but this world is far to dangerous, so be careful."
Lily straightened in her chair, serious now. "Don't worry, nothing would go wrong, I promise!"
Satisfied, Luthar cut the transmission. The holo collapsed into darkness, leaving him alone with the soft hum of machinery. He turned his gaze toward the cogitator altar, reviewing the multiversal energy readings one last time.
Everything was ready. Soon, he would depart this world, and when he returned, the first temple on Mars would finish the final check back at the staff Tower. The office still felt cold after Luthar's departure.
Pepper was quietly sitting on the chair, and Natasha's gaze remained fixed on the skyline, where the stars seemed suddenly closer—and more dangerous.
Tony tapped a control on his wrist, summoning a holographic interface. "Jarvis, call Fury."
"Right away, sir."
A moment later, Nick Fury's image appeared in the center of the office, projected in flickering blue. His single eye narrowed.
"Stark. I assume this is about the visitor who just made NORAD lose their minds?"
"Yeah," Tony said flatly. "Luthar. He just waltzed into my office again and demanded more nukes-on-a-stick. If we don't give him what he wants, he's gonna 'collect differently.'"
Fury exhaled slowly. "I already have S.H.I.E.L.D. on alert, but frankly, Stark…at least for now, we cannot touch before my friends give me the complete analysis of Luthar."
"Well, looks like someone's going to do his homework," Tony muttered, glancing toward the balcony where the Skimmer had hovered like a ghost. "He's got a spaceship, he disappears whenever he wants, as with other things, you already know, the only place we have the advantage over the AI."
Natasha finally turned from the window. "Then what's your plan?"
Tony's gaze hardened. "I build something new. Something he can't ignore, especially with AI and new weapons specially targeting him."
Pepper frowned. "Another suit?"
"Not just a suit," Tony said, bringing up a holographic schematic. A rotating image of a heavy modular frame appeared—bulkier than any Iron Man armor she had ever seen, with multiple hardpoints for heavy weaponry. "I call it… Project Goliath. First piece of a bigger plan."
Fury leaned forward in the projection. "Stark, you sure poking this bear is smart?"
Tony's eyes didn't leave the schematic. "Don't worry, you don't plan to get caught on again, so this is just a one plan, and I am still preparing for a bigger plan."