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Chapter 634: Illuminati
October 19, 2022 Author: Great Demon Spirit
Tony locked himself in his room for three whole days, refusing to come out no matter how much Pepper tried to persuade him.
Not until Peter Parker arrived.
Peter quietly climbed up Stark Tower, pried open a window, and entered Tony's bedroom. Smelling the pervasive odor of alcohol, he frowned, then began earnestly cleaning up the countless empty bottles and glass shards scattered everywhere.
It was easy to imagine how much Tony had smashed.
"Hey, Jarvis?" Spider-Man called out, but Jarvis didn't respond, nor did he stop him.
Spider-Man shrugged, shooting a Web from his wrist, cleaning the messy bedroom.
"What are you doing here?" Tony, reeking of sour alcohol and looking disheveled, groggily woke up on the sofa. He squinted at Peter, then immediately slumped back down.
Every time he woke up, he saw the image of Captain America being shot in the head. This Nightmare had tormented him for three days, giving him a splitting headache.
"I couldn't reach you, so I came," Peter said, putting down his cleaning tools with an innocent expression.
Tony's face was pale and gaunt, his eyes bulging, like a Malevolent Spirit. He glared at Peter, then rummaged on the floor, found a half-empty bottle of wine, and immediately took a swig.
"What is it?" Tony slurred, shouting drunkenly.
"About Captain being shot, the more I think about it, the stranger it seems. You know, Mr. Stark, I'm a smart guy, I've read a lot, I—"
"Shut up!"
Tony's face instantly fell, as if his wound had been jabbed.
Captain America's public assassination could have been an accident or an inevitability. Only Captain America himself knew the full details—or perhaps Batman, who had spoken with Captain America one last time before his death, knew more.
But he was truly dead, and that was enough.
Peter shut his mouth and bent down to clean the messy floor.
"Jarvis!" Tony roared again, and a whole swarm of Robots suddenly sprang to life, expertly clearing the large amount of trash from the floor.
The cleaning Robot, which Peter had casually picked up and used as a broom, also suddenly activated. Its first action was to slap Peter on the head, then it contentedly continued cleaning.
Peter wore an innocent expression.
Tony sat gloomily on the sofa, eventually looking up with a complex gaze. "Listen, kid, this matter is over. Anyone who tries to pursue it further will be issuing a new declaration of war..."
"I understand, sir, I'll do as you ask," Peter said.
Tony rubbed his throbbing forehead and whispered, "It's all over. No one will do anything extra at this juncture... I've thought for three days, and I still feel like I was the one who killed him..."
"It was Captain's own choice."
"But we also forced him to make that choice, didn't we? Everyone is forced to make choices..." Tony desperately tugged at his disheveled hair.
Peter remained silent, sitting quietly on an overturned table, watching the busy Robots.
*Slap!*
As the cleaning Robot passed Peter, it suddenly slapped him on the head again, then nonchalantly continued sweeping.
Peter glared at it.
After a long while, Tony finally seemed to sober up, or rather, he had been perfectly sober all along, and his drunkenness was just a facade.
"Have the Justice League contacted you?" Tony asked.
Peter quickly shook his head.
Tony scoffed, "You're not good at lying at all."
He slowly stood up, his face gaunt, but his eyes held a sharp glint, just like before.
"I have to do something."
"But you said doing anything extra would trigger a new war."
"Then I won't do anything extra. I'll do what Steve wanted to do but didn't get the chance to."
Tony picked up a wet cloth, vigorously wiped his face, and instructed Jarvis, "Help me contact the President and Congress. I'm taking a month off."
"The Secretary of Defense taking a month off, sir, you would absolutely become a global scandal," Jarvis said.
"I'm already the world's laughingstock. Everyone knows I couldn't even protect my own friend. Peter, you can leave. I know what to do."
Tony pointed to the window, then turned and walked towards the bathroom.
Peter stood with his hands on his hips, feeling awkward and looking bewildered. He had no idea what Mr. Stark was planning... but it felt pretty good. He hoped things wouldn't get messed up again.
The cleaning Robot faithfully carried out its work, and even though Peter's area was already spotless, it meticulously approached him again.
*Slap!*
Peter suddenly surged forward, preemptively smacking the Robot on the head, then backflipped out the window.
...
An invitation reached the hands of a very select few individuals around the world, signed by Tony Stark.
Accepting this invitation at such a sensitive time undoubtedly carried great risk, but the invited individuals ultimately chose to accept.
Tony, representing the Avengers; Batman and Superman, representing the Justice League; Diana, representing Paradise Island; Thunder God, representing K'un-Lun; Doctor Strange, representing Kamar-Taj; Crane, representing A.R.G.U.S....
Seven of the most powerful and influential people on Earth gathered for a secret meeting.
"We need to form a new alliance, one that can reconcile our conflicts and Ideologies. This Hero Alliance must remain top secret from the Outside World forever, and its members are limited to those present here."
In the cramped meeting room, at the round table, Tony looked at the others with a serious expression. "A tragedy like the Civil War must never happen again. I admit my mistakes. The disaster has already occurred, and what we need to consider is how to prevent it next time."
Batman stared at Crane. "Is A.R.G.U.S. also a member?"
"The member the Hero Alliance needs isn't me, but the full power of A.R.G.U.S. and the person standing behind me. But you must understand, he is already a Deity, and might not care about the trivial matters on Earth. Many disputes on Earth, in his eyes, are like a group of children fighting over candy."
Crane said gently, with a gentleness that made one want to punch him.
"But Earth needs A.R.G.U.S., and that's enough."
Tony distributed several agreements to those present, pointing. "The Hero Alliance's resolutions hold the highest priority. It's clearly written: if you agree, sign it. When you walk out of here, everything must be forgotten. This is top secret information, and the Hero Alliance must never be publicly disclosed."
The others exchanged glances. Superman was the first to sign the agreement, his writing loud as he inscribed a name.
Clark Kent.
The others paused, no one speaking. An unspoken understanding formed, and even Tony himself followed suit, writing down his name.
Only Batman hesitated for a moment, then also picked up the pen, signing "Batman" at the end of the agreement.
"What will the Hero Alliance be called?" asked Thunder God, the hulking Qi Master from K'un-Lun.
"The Illuminati... The Hero Alliance will be called the Illuminati."
October 19, 2022 Author: Great Demon Spirit
Tony locked himself in his room for three whole days, refusing to come out no matter how much Pepper tried to persuade him.
Not until Peter Parker arrived.
Peter quietly climbed up Stark Tower, pried open a window, and entered Tony's bedroom. Smelling the pervasive odor of alcohol, he frowned, then began earnestly cleaning up the countless empty bottles and glass shards scattered everywhere.
It was easy to imagine how much Tony had smashed.
"Hey, Jarvis?" Spider-Man called out, but Jarvis didn't respond, nor did he stop him.
Spider-Man shrugged, shooting a Web from his wrist, cleaning the messy bedroom.
"What are you doing here?" Tony, reeking of sour alcohol and looking disheveled, groggily woke up on the sofa. He squinted at Peter, then immediately slumped back down.
Every time he woke up, he saw the image of Captain America being shot in the head. This Nightmare had tormented him for three days, giving him a splitting headache.
"I couldn't reach you, so I came," Peter said, putting down his cleaning tools with an innocent expression.
Tony's face was pale and gaunt, his eyes bulging, like a Malevolent Spirit. He glared at Peter, then rummaged on the floor, found a half-empty bottle of wine, and immediately took a swig.
"What is it?" Tony slurred, shouting drunkenly.
"About Captain being shot, the more I think about it, the stranger it seems. You know, Mr. Stark, I'm a smart guy, I've read a lot, I—"
"Shut up!"
Tony's face instantly fell, as if his wound had been jabbed.
Captain America's public assassination could have been an accident or an inevitability. Only Captain America himself knew the full details—or perhaps Batman, who had spoken with Captain America one last time before his death, knew more.
But he was truly dead, and that was enough.
Peter shut his mouth and bent down to clean the messy floor.
"Jarvis!" Tony roared again, and a whole swarm of Robots suddenly sprang to life, expertly clearing the large amount of trash from the floor.
The cleaning Robot, which Peter had casually picked up and used as a broom, also suddenly activated. Its first action was to slap Peter on the head, then it contentedly continued cleaning.
Peter wore an innocent expression.
Tony sat gloomily on the sofa, eventually looking up with a complex gaze. "Listen, kid, this matter is over. Anyone who tries to pursue it further will be issuing a new declaration of war..."
"I understand, sir, I'll do as you ask," Peter said.
Tony rubbed his throbbing forehead and whispered, "It's all over. No one will do anything extra at this juncture... I've thought for three days, and I still feel like I was the one who killed him..."
"It was Captain's own choice."
"But we also forced him to make that choice, didn't we? Everyone is forced to make choices..." Tony desperately tugged at his disheveled hair.
Peter remained silent, sitting quietly on an overturned table, watching the busy Robots.
*Slap!*
As the cleaning Robot passed Peter, it suddenly slapped him on the head again, then nonchalantly continued sweeping.
Peter glared at it.
After a long while, Tony finally seemed to sober up, or rather, he had been perfectly sober all along, and his drunkenness was just a facade.
"Have the Justice League contacted you?" Tony asked.
Peter quickly shook his head.
Tony scoffed, "You're not good at lying at all."
He slowly stood up, his face gaunt, but his eyes held a sharp glint, just like before.
"I have to do something."
"But you said doing anything extra would trigger a new war."
"Then I won't do anything extra. I'll do what Steve wanted to do but didn't get the chance to."
Tony picked up a wet cloth, vigorously wiped his face, and instructed Jarvis, "Help me contact the President and Congress. I'm taking a month off."
"The Secretary of Defense taking a month off, sir, you would absolutely become a global scandal," Jarvis said.
"I'm already the world's laughingstock. Everyone knows I couldn't even protect my own friend. Peter, you can leave. I know what to do."
Tony pointed to the window, then turned and walked towards the bathroom.
Peter stood with his hands on his hips, feeling awkward and looking bewildered. He had no idea what Mr. Stark was planning... but it felt pretty good. He hoped things wouldn't get messed up again.
The cleaning Robot faithfully carried out its work, and even though Peter's area was already spotless, it meticulously approached him again.
*Slap!*
Peter suddenly surged forward, preemptively smacking the Robot on the head, then backflipped out the window.
...
An invitation reached the hands of a very select few individuals around the world, signed by Tony Stark.
Accepting this invitation at such a sensitive time undoubtedly carried great risk, but the invited individuals ultimately chose to accept.
Tony, representing the Avengers; Batman and Superman, representing the Justice League; Diana, representing Paradise Island; Thunder God, representing K'un-Lun; Doctor Strange, representing Kamar-Taj; Crane, representing A.R.G.U.S....
Seven of the most powerful and influential people on Earth gathered for a secret meeting.
"We need to form a new alliance, one that can reconcile our conflicts and Ideologies. This Hero Alliance must remain top secret from the Outside World forever, and its members are limited to those present here."
In the cramped meeting room, at the round table, Tony looked at the others with a serious expression. "A tragedy like the Civil War must never happen again. I admit my mistakes. The disaster has already occurred, and what we need to consider is how to prevent it next time."
Batman stared at Crane. "Is A.R.G.U.S. also a member?"
"The member the Hero Alliance needs isn't me, but the full power of A.R.G.U.S. and the person standing behind me. But you must understand, he is already a Deity, and might not care about the trivial matters on Earth. Many disputes on Earth, in his eyes, are like a group of children fighting over candy."
Crane said gently, with a gentleness that made one want to punch him.
"But Earth needs A.R.G.U.S., and that's enough."
Tony distributed several agreements to those present, pointing. "The Hero Alliance's resolutions hold the highest priority. It's clearly written: if you agree, sign it. When you walk out of here, everything must be forgotten. This is top secret information, and the Hero Alliance must never be publicly disclosed."
The others exchanged glances. Superman was the first to sign the agreement, his writing loud as he inscribed a name.
Clark Kent.
The others paused, no one speaking. An unspoken understanding formed, and even Tony himself followed suit, writing down his name.
Only Batman hesitated for a moment, then also picked up the pen, signing "Batman" at the end of the agreement.
"What will the Hero Alliance be called?" asked Thunder God, the hulking Qi Master from K'un-Lun.
"The Illuminati... The Hero Alliance will be called the Illuminati."
