Jason Walker's comics had captivated audiences everywhere. Stark Industries and the elusive "Prophet" were still the talk of the town, and Jason had reaped the benefits—both financially and in legacy. His publishing company, left to him by his parents, was thriving like never before.
The next morning, as I stood outside Marvel's new office building, I couldn't help but chuckle to myself. The sheer scale of it all made the past few months feel surreal.
"Jason, big brother!" I heard a familiar voice call out.
Not far off, Sarah was holding onto Tom's arm, beaming and waving at me, her excitement impossible to miss.
"Are we really going to be working here from now on?" Sarah asked, her eyes wide with awe as she took in the towering structure before us.
Ruffling her hair gently—much to her feigned annoyance—I smiled. "For a while, yes."
"Wait, we're going to move again?" Sarah's innocent confusion was palpable.
Tom and I exchanged amused glances before I explained, "Eventually, we'll be in an even bigger building. One day, we'll be working from the top floor of the highest building in New York."
"But won't that make us a huge target in case of a war?" Sarah blurted, her words slipping out before she could stop herself.
I blinked, momentarily surprised by her intuition. Could she be predicting the future, too? The thought crossed my mind fleetingly. After all, there *would* be a war soon enough—an alien invasion, no less.
Caught off guard by my prolonged stare, Sarah blushed and darted ahead toward the building, leaving me and Tom chuckling behind her.
Tom clapped a hand on my shoulder as we watched her. "You know, you've got some pretty lofty ambitions, but I believe in you, Jason. Even if the idea of running a comic company from the top floor of New York's tallest building sounds nuts," he said, grinning.
He wasn't wrong. But the way I said it—calm and matter-of-fact—had always made people trust in the possibilities. I wasn't just making idle plans; I was laying the groundwork for the future. And, despite how outlandish it seemed, we both knew there were bigger, more dangerous things ahead than office real estate.
As we walked inside, the building bustled with activity. I recognized some familiar faces among the new hires, and I caught sight of employees who had been with me from the start looking up at me with admiration—and maybe even awe.
After a few greetings, I finally made my way to my office. The room felt vast compared to the cramped space we had been working out of. It was still hard to believe how far we had come.
There were all sorts of rumors about me floating around. Some believed I was a prophet, others thought I was a divine messenger. Hell, some even whispered I might be something far darker. I'd heard it all. But I never confirmed or denied any of it—I preferred to let the mystery linger. What mattered to me was pushing the comics, spreading my name, and staying one step ahead of the coming storm.
As I entered my office, Sarah was already there, her eyes darting around, still clearly enamored with the new space.
Before I could say anything, she turned to me with her usual playful grin. "Jason, big brother, now that the office is so big... how are we going to clean it?"
I shot her an amused glance, already knowing what she was hinting at. "Don't worry, Sarah, you're not going to be the one cleaning it," I said, flicking her forehead lightly.
She giggled, rubbing her head. "You're the best, Jason!"
As I watched her bounce around the room, I couldn't help but feel a sense of peace. Having her here, with her infectious energy, made the stress melt away. In moments like this, all the heavy burdens—the looming threats, the alien invasion I was preparing for—felt distant.
I sat down at my desk, my mind wandering to the tasks I still had on my plate. One of them was the third volume of Iron Man's comic series. I hadn't even started the rough drafts, having been too caught up with everything happening around the publishing house.
I grabbed a pen and some paper, settling into the familiar rhythm of creating. Across the room, Sarah was answering a phone call.
"Jason, big brother! My dad says the latest sales numbers for *Iron Man: Volume Two* are in! Do you want to see them?" she asked excitedly.
I hesitated for a moment. I already had a pretty good idea of how the sales were doing, but before I could answer, my laptop chimed with a notification.
"Go ahead and grab them for me, Sarah."
"Okay!" she replied, practically skipping out of the office.
As soon as she was gone, I flipped open the laptop. Sure enough, the source of the alert was what I had anticipated. A blue sphere flickered onto the screen.
"Good morning, Master. It's a pleasure to serve you," said my smart assistant, its familiar voice filling the quiet office.
Everything was in motion, from the business expansion to the tech improvements, and I could feel the weight of my future goals pressing in. Soon enough, I'd need to reveal my hand to the world. But for now, I'd continue building, preparing—until the day the world would need more than just a prophet.