The Helicarrier's halls always came with a little bit of chaos. You'd expect that from the flagship of the great and mighty SHIELD. All the agents and various heroes that blow through each day, it's understandable. Today was a little different. All the chaos was coming from one man. That man was Tony Stark. The Director of SHIELD looked like hellfire and brimstone blazing down the pathways of the fortress in the sky. The man wasn't all that imposing up close, but, the look of rage and determination on his face told everyone to stay out of his way.
As he entered the Armory, he looked to the only technician in the room and firmly said, "Get out. Now". The techie quickly complied and got out of Stark's way. As Tony shed his three-piece suit to reveal the under sheath of the armor provided by Extremis, he thought of the new information he received. He had recently been informed of a connection between much of the terrible things that happened over the last year. He learned something was tied to it all. More importantly, someone was tied to it all. As the parts and layers of the armor jiggled loose from their shelves and encased Tony Stark, he thought, "Dear God, what am I dealing with here? This guy's been behind everything that's gone wrong. He's behind Wanda going insane, that House of Magnus nonsense, the war, and Cap… he killed Cap…" The more Tony thought of it, the more his blood boiled. His friend was dead. Tony thought of Steve Rogers as much a friend as James Rhodes or Happy Hogan. "Happy…" Stark muttered, "You too…" His armored gauntlet crackled under the tight fist he was clenching. Nothing else mattered to Tony Stark more than avenging his two fallen friends. Now matter how gruesome or mountainous the challenge, he promised himself he would succeed at all costs. "All that suffering, all that horror…" Tony whispered as the automated message "IRON MAN COMMAND SYSTEMS ON" came over his comm-link, "…somebody has to pay for it. Someone's going to pay for it!"
The gray pod bay doors hissed and grinded as Stark used Extremis to tell the bay to open. Then, with a massive kick of his boots' propulsion, the man known the world over as Iron Man streamed into the air and into the atmosphere. As he flew through the air, he took a sharp turn downward towards the Atlantic beneath him. The sparkling blue blanket rose and fell underneath him glistened through the rays of late morning light. The life hiding just below the surface arose from the barrier of the water only to come crashing down upon the water underneath them. Normally, it'd be a thing Tony would observe quite intently from above. Today, however, only his crusade of payback held his mind. All he concerned himself with was making it to the Baxter Building, home to his friends, the Fantastic Four. As he saw his destination over the horizon, Iron Man shifted the direction of his jets to fly him higher. He soon found himself passing land and, in a few seconds, had found himself face to face with his destination. He jerked his body further up and glided across the side of the building up to the roof. He landed on the top where Reed Richards was there to greet him. The puzzled Richards said "Your office said you'd be over. What's this all about?" "I need to see Black Bolt right away, Reed. This is of utmost importance." Reed looked suspicious. "Why do you need to see Black Bolt?" Iron Man didn't really feel like explaining what was going on to Reed. It's not that he didn't trust the man. After all they had been through, Reed Richards was the one of the people he trusted most. He simply didn't want Reed to know what he was planning to do. "Reed… please just take me to your portal to the Blue Area. I MUST get in touch with Black Bolt as quickly as possible. This is serious." Reed hadn't seen Tony this upset since the "Armor Wars" fiasco a few years back. He was worried that Tony was trying something dangerous. Nevertheless, he complied and took him down his lab where the portal was situated
On Attilan, Black Bolt was personally helping to rebuild the city after the Hulk's attack. He feel it only right. Not only did he feel it necessary due to his kingship, but the fact that the Hulk attacked because of what he did, Black Bolt decided he should take responsibility for it. As he finished placing the roof upon a small family's house, after finishing much of the reconstruction, he heard a faint yell in the distance. He turned to see his loyal aide Karnak rushing to him. "Sire! You must return to the palace! Iron Man has come of something of grave importance!" Karnak's lord bristled. He was in no mood to listen to Tony Stark, not after the crisis with the Hulk. He tilted his head slightly and raised one eyebrow. Karnak, knowing his master for years, had been able to pick up on some of his master's mannerisms. He knew his king was asking why would he want to talk to Iron Man. "Sire," Karnak pleaded, "I don't believe he would lightly interpret us at such a time as this were it not deadly serious." Black Bolt took this to heart. He knew Karnak not to disagree with him without a good reason. He was one of Black Bolt's most trusted and respected confidantes. If he saw reason to make an audience with Iron Man, then surely Black Bolt could not so callously discard it.
The doors to the throne room swung open as Black Bolt entered to find Iron Man staring outside the window at the last building being reconstructed below. He expected anything. Perhaps yet another plead to help with the Americans' registration bill. Perhaps an ultimatum considering the Terrigan Crystals his government wanted so badly. Instead, Black Bolt looked upon a man wracked with sadness, it appeared. A little more than a hint of sorrow came through his voice as he told the Inhuman king, "It's been a tough year, has it not? It seems everywhere I turn, I see senseless loss. Senseless destruction. Caused by Wanda, Pietro, the Hulk,… me… it's all been too much." Iron Man then turned to face the monarch and flatly told him, "But it's not my fault. Not Wanda's or the Hulk's or Pietro's either. I've discovered something. Somebody's behind ALL of this! Somebody's been pulling my strings. Influencing me to do terrible, terrible things. Influencing all of us. Even you. Making us do things we'd never do. And it's still happening. And I have to stop it." Black Bolt was taken back. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Who could be controlling so many people? Dr. Doom? Apocalypse? Dormmammu? Perhaps Loki or Mephisto had returned to play havoc on the earth? It all seemed a little lofty. "Listen, Black Bolt," Iron Man continued, "this is probably the most important thing I'll ever do. I know who's behind this but they're… out of my reach. I need the Space Gem." Black Bolt's eyes widened. The members of the Illuminati swore never to use the Infinity Gems ever. Black Bolt motioned to have Tony take Lockjaw before he stopped the silent king. "This is beyond Lockjaw's abilities. And I need that gem to stop the menace that's been using our world like a plaything." At that moment, he walked closer to his audience and whispered the rest of the information he received earlier in the day. The king was stunned. It took all of his strength not to fall over in shock. He motioned to Medusa to open the secret compartment on his throne where he held the gem. The loving wife and queen quickly complied and handed the contents over to her husband. The king then regained his composure and looked Iron Man into the eye. With determination and seriousness in his eyes, the mighty ruler handed the gem to Iron Man. The armored avenger took a second to observe the great jewel he had just been given before looking his host in the eyes again and saying, "I'd promise to get this back to you, but I'm not entirely I'll be able to come back once I leave this plane of existence. Just know that I am deeply grateful for this opportunity you've given me and I do not plan on letting you or anyone else down." The great king nodded and held out his hand as a sign of gratitude for the selfless act his friend was soon to make. Once again, he saw not the Machiavellian warrior or the Dr. Frankenstein of the past year, but the heroic man he knew before. With that, Iron Man bid adieu and disappeared in a torrent of cosmic energies. Black Bolt lowered his head as a sign of both admiration and mourning, not knowing if his friend had just made his mission. His wife Medusa approached and asked the king, "My love, what did he tell to have you relinquish the gem as so? What could he have said for you to break your pact with your fellow Illuminati?" Black Bolt simply gave a light grin, looked into his lover's eyes, and gave her a deep kiss. Perhaps one day, he'd tell her, but not quite today.
Within the New York high-rise building, a man with more power at his fingertips than Thanos or the Beyonder sat at his desk, once again using his powers to shift the lives of heroes and villains around like chess pieces. Sparing one, condemning another, radically altering the very being of another, It mattered not to him. He were a means to an end. Their lives meant little more than toys to be positioned and manipulated. Soon, however, a tornado of energy arose. The man couldn't believe it. Soon, he came face to face with the man who had swore to make this diabolical mastermind pay for all the pain he inflicted upon his world. A slow rage built behind the red and gold mask as the iron-plated hero locked eyes with his target.
"Excuse me, Mr. Quesada. I'd like to have a few words with you."