[You will die in 2 minutes and 2 seconds]
'Shit!'
Ronan darted through the air like an arrow, countless codes cascading downward like a waterfall around him.
It seemed as though there was no end to the area he was in, the horizon seemingly never-ending, but Ronan paid this no mind.
No, instead he stared at the two screens beside him that displayed a flurry of information he understood.
'This shit is useless.'
Ronan remarked.
He was inside the Tower's mainframe, yet the information he was consuming was nothing more than the people currently being registered into the building, which employees had clocked out and occasionally some business deals.
In other words…
'None of this is of use to me. I'm still on the surface of the mainframe. I need to go deeper.'
-VUAM!!!
Ronan darted his head around him, noticing the space being closed in around him, boxing him in as if he were a rodent caught in a trap.
'This place, It's like it has a mind of its own. It's trying to contain me so I can't go further.'
-SHATTER!!!
Despite this, Ronan waved his arm violently as the cube surrounding him shattered.
"KHRM!!!"
Blood escaped the corner of his lips as he grunted.
Despite this, he flicked his head up, seeing a path straight up.
Without a second of hesitation, he shot upward, waving his hand every time the space shrank around him.
'This place is complex. I can feel it's adapting to my brute-force approach. It's getting harder to force my way through.'
He thought, however, he was moving deeper nevertheless.
And it was for this reason that his eyes widened at the new information presented to him.
"Abandoned inventions from Tony Stark, huh?"
Ronan read the screen before him seemingly scrolling with information endlessly.
This partially quelled Ronan's stressed mind as he took the time to read through some of them.
The innovations went from weaponized exoskeletons to possible devices for reality-manipulative tech.
However, calling them an "Invention" at all seemed a stretch as Ronan wouldn't be surprised if Tony doodled these ideas on a napkin while waiting for his coffee.
Nevertheless, Ronan still found it fascinating as he delved deeper.
Some dated back years as they each had a reason for abandonment.
But one that caught Ronan's eye was…
'BioMesh Exo suit.'
An advanced skin-integrated technology designed to mimic the appearance of human skin while providing the wearer with all the benefits of the Iron Man suit.
Ronan's eyes practically sparkled as he read this, continuing excitedly.
The suit fused with the wearer's body, allowing for unparalleled mobility and flexibility.
It enhanced physical strength, speed and durability greatly and granted energy manipulation capabilities and defensive features.
This…was perfect for Ronan.
His body was pitiful due to this illness and he was capped with the stats of a human.
But with this, those disadvantages were void.
Additionally, reading the next lines, Ronan couldn't help but smile.
'Reasons for abandonment: Making and using such a suit will compromise what makes one a human.'
'Additionally, the threats it poses to one's mental state might be dangerous, as it could blur the lines between man and machine.'
Ronan read, continuing.
'Finally, there is a high chance of severe long-term health risk with such a…'
This all meant nothing to Ronan.
Ethics? Morals?
For some reason, he felt nothing when he heard those words.
He didn't agree nor did he disagree, he didn't even compute them.
'What good does worrying about ethics and morals matter if I can't change anything? The only thing that matters is becoming the best first, right?'
He justified, agreeing the more he thought about it.
And Mental/Physical implications?
Well, Ronan's greatest weapon was his mind and it was only going to get stronger.
Additionally, his body was already dying. How much worse could it get?
The only point Ronan could see being valid was someone with similar abilities to him taking control of the suit, but he could cross that bridge when he came to it.
In the meantime, Ronan came to a simple conclusion.
'Tony Stark…is a pussy.'
Ronan could see how many opportunities went to waste. For what?
Nonsense in the face of what really mattered.
Ronan could see this. See the bigger picture.
'So, in a way, doesn't that make me…better?'
Ronan's heartbeat quickened as he thought of this, snapping out of his trance as he continued.
'Technopathosis: Slowly turned to a disease of sorts that went infected, made all tech "Allergic" to the diseased. Wait a minute…'
Ronan almost paused midair as he read this.
'Is it me, or does this sound similar to Technobane?'
He doubted they were the same things, however, his eyes widened as he remembered something Alexander had said when threatening him.
He told Ronan he'd be a good test subject to the prototype they'd made.
He wanted to see how close to the original that had made it.
This only proved they were copying something. Could this have been it?
'And if it is, who had the original?'
However, despite asking this, he already knew the answer.
Zoey Vanheart.
No one but her would even know of these ideas Tony considered junk.
However, she clearly lacked the restraint he did.
But Ronan wasn't focused on this.
'If she created it, doesn't it mean she also has the cure?'
There it was.
Despite knowing it was almost impossible to get it as his current self, it showed Ronan there was a way out there to get better.
And that's all that mattered.
But he still had this Scenario to deal with.
He didn't dwell on this for too long.
He needed to reap all the benefits of this place with the little time he had left.
'Genetic Enhancements. He was practically searching for a way to create superhumans but stopped due to, again, ethical reasons.'
'He was afraid of creating another social division like between the humans and…mutants?'
Ronan widened his eyes as he witnessed these words.
'Mutants! Yes, tell me more!'
Ronan talked to himself like a crazy person, but it seemed to deepen his concentration and distract him from the piercing pain shooting through his body.
And with just this mental command, without waiting to read, he had the information forced into his mind.
His face stayed straight with his eyes wide as he convulsed a little, the information tunnelling into his mind almost visible through his eyes.
And when it was done, he crouched over, gripping his cranium as a head-splitting headache crept up on him.
He was aware he could force-feed himself all this information, but there was no point if doing it once reduced him to such a state.
His mind was strong compared to the regular human, but not exactly invulnerable.
However, he now knew what a Mutant was.
And with this information…
'What the fuck…you've gotta be kidding me.'
1%.
1% of the world's population was born with an X-gene that gave them superpowers when they came of age.
These humans were called Mutants.
And these mutants, or in other words, 80 million people in this world were what Ronan was supposed to wipe out.
Only now did he understand the severity of his Quest.
'And how the hell am I supposed to kill that many people spread out in the world?'
One's problem with this quest might be the straight Genocide they'd have to commit, but Ronan didn't even notice himself dismiss that part.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Ronan shook his head as he put this aside for now.
He was on a mission right now, he could deal with his quest if he managed to survive this.
[You will die in 1 minute and 29 seconds]
Ronan didn't know whether to be surprised only a little over 30 seconds had passed or at the fact, he was still even conscious.
But he could feel it.
Darting straight up, he was getting closer to…more.
As he did, the information he was getting was far better.
Additionally, Ronan found a little trick.
'Mutant, X-Men, Avengers…'
Ronan found he could bounce off one topic and use it to find connected information.
He lingered for a second on the Avengers, but specifically on one particular Avenger.
'Scarlet Witch…Weak mind…the whisper of a reality undone.'
Ronan read confusedly. It was like Tony wasn't even sure about some of these points.
'Alright, this is it, force it all in!'
Everything that made this world special.
Everything he adored as a regular earthling.
It was all being driven into his mind, information he never thought he'd have.
However, there was one thing that both fascinated Ronan while confusing him at the same time.
Cerebro.
Tech created by Professor Xavier, the leader of the X-Men and the same figure at the forefront of the Mutant rights movements.
He, himself, a mutant, a Telepath.
And he used this invention, Cerebro, to amplify his powers.
This was it.
As all this information flooded into Ronan's mind, a plan was formulating.
And Cerebro was a large piece to the puzzle he formed.
He needed to know more. He needed to know how it worked.
And naturally, his mind jumped to the closest thing connected to it.
He needed to understand science…
"Greetings."
-THUD
"OOF!"
Ronan dropped to the coded ground, his ability to fly disappearing, as well as the information flowing into his mind.
'Shit! I need a little more, I was so close.'
Ronan turned, however, he turned his head as he remembered the voice that entered his ears.
And before him stood a suited man with styled hair and a wise look to him.
But Ronan could see, or rather, feel.
'This is no man.'
"My name is Jarvis."
If Ronan was the malware, this figure was the software in its entirety.
This whole domain belonged to him.
'This…isn't good.'
And no matter how much Ronan tried to recall himself back to his body…
[You will die in 48 seconds]
He couldn't.
He was trapped.