Meteorite

"Disappeared?" 

Charlie frowned as he stared at the radar screen in disbelief.

"Was it detected and destroyed by the enemy?" he asked, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Not enough information to confirm," Friday replied, her tone neutral but with a hint of urgency. "We had a camera on the probe, and there was nothing unusual in the footage until the moment it went offline. The transmission was interrupted within less than a second, with no visible signs of an attack or any view of the enemy."

She paused, choosing her words carefully. "If we're hypothesizing… the probe may have encountered an electromagnetic pulse or some other unknown technology that disrupted the signal. This prevented the probe from transmitting back and left it completely inoperative."

Charlie sighed. They were facing an enemy they couldn't see and, so far, couldn't track. Their only reconnaissance attempt had been shut down instantly. This meant traditional surveillance methods weren't likely to work either—if they sent out another unmanned probe, it would probably meet the same fate. And sending scouts in person was even riskier; they might not return.

It was an incredibly frustrating situation. Knowing your enemy was crucial, especially in modern warfare, where information was as valuable as weaponry. But now, they were practically blind. If it weren't for the watchtower radar, they wouldn't even know something was coming. Strategically, they were at a major disadvantage even before the fight had started.

But Charlie had one big advantage: his heroes.

Standard reconnaissance methods might be ineffective, but his game characters didn't follow typical rules. He had almost a dozen superheroes who could operate in space, and the best part was that they could venture into unknown territory without fear of death. Even if one hero didn't survive, Charlie could still receive a live feed from their last moments, which would provide valuable intel.

"Friday, show me a list of all the heroes currently stationed on the watchtower with space combat abilities," Charlie ordered.

"Mr. Stark and Mr. Parker are both in the lab," Friday replied. "Mr. Stark is focused on the miniaturization of the Sonic Bomb, and Mr. Parker…"

"Let Iron Man continue his work. We'll send out Iron Spider-Man," Charlie said. "Let's find out who we're dealing with."

In normal conditions, Spider-Man wouldn't be able to survive in outer space. However, Stark had equipped him with a specially designed Iron Spider suit that could operate in space. Unlike the movie version, which only allowed brief space exposure, this suit was built from the original red-and-gold Iron Spider suit design. It was powered by an arc reactor, with an energy emission system similar to Iron Man's. This allowed Spider-Man to move and fight in space for a limited time.

Charlie opened the hero selection screen and chose Spider-Man to start the mission.

In the game, Spider-Man was already being fitted with the armor on the watchtower. The red-and-gold plates joined together over his body, clicking into place with precision. The golden spider emblem on his chest glowed as the arc reactor powered up.

Iron Spider-Man was now online.

The watchtower's launch hatch opened, and with a burst of blue jet flame, Iron Spider-Man shot out, leaving a streak across the stars like a meteor. His thrusters powered him forward as he headed straight for the unknown target marked on the radar.

Charlie estimated the time it would take for Iron Spider-Man to reach the target and set the suit's autopilot to manage the flight. Then he quickly exited the mission screen and switched over to the technology module, where he selected Tony Stark's character to wrap up Stark's work on the Sonic Bombs.

"We need to mass-produce the Sonic Bombs immediately," Charlie said. "Load the finished bombs into mini-missiles and get them ready for the Iron Legion."

"Development is only at 86 percent, so we only have prototypes," Friday reported. "The project isn't complete yet…"

"There's no time. We're about to go into battle," Charlie replied firmly. "The prototypes will have to do. Use this model for mass production."

"Based on the enemy's current speed and trajectory, we'll be in combat within two to three hours," Friday said. "With maximum production, we won't be able to equip the entire Iron Legion in time…"

"Then prioritize arming a single formation," Charlie instructed. "Equip Alpha team with the Sonic missiles."

"Yes, sir."

Charlie understood that using prototypes came with risks. But with limited time, he had no choice. If the missiles misfired or malfunctioned, it would be a minor loss compared to the potential benefit of gaining the upper hand in battle.

"Also, make sure the Ninth Special Service Division is kept up to date on our reconnaissance efforts," Charlie added. "Share all enemy intel as it comes in and push them to skip any unnecessary protocols. We need backup deployed immediately."

Charlie switched back to Iron Spider-Man's perspective, watching as the armored hero sped through space, already nearing the moon. Soon, the enemy target began to come into view.

At first, it was hard to see—a small, dark shape against the endless backdrop of stars. But as Iron Spider-Man drew closer, the image grew clearer.

Charlie frowned as he studied the object.

It looked… like a meteorite?

The dark, irregular object drifted through space, heading directly toward Earth. From a distance, it looked like an ordinary meteor, perhaps a large one but nothing out of the ordinary.

"Is this just a false alarm?" Charlie wondered, briefly considering the possibility that they'd mistaken a harmless meteor for an enemy.

But he quickly dismissed the thought. The watchtower's detection systems were state-of-the-art, incorporating alien technology. It seemed unlikely they would confuse a rock for an actual threat. There had to be more going on here.

Iron Spider-Man approached the "meteorite" without interference, landing on its surface. The ground beneath him was rough and cratered, filled with pits and dents that made it look exactly like a natural meteorite.

"Uh… hello? Anybody home?" Spider-Man muttered inside his suit. His voice, audible only to Charlie, sounded strange in the empty vacuum of space.

On closer inspection, it was hard to think of this object as just a meteorite. While the shape was irregular, it looked more like an island—a floating, rocky island moving through outer space.

"There's no life detected, and no heat sources," Friday reported.

From Iron Spider-Man's scans, Charlie could confirm the same—no signs of life, no heat, nothing to indicate it was anything but a rock.

"Maybe we were wrong?" Charlie thought. 

Just as that thought crossed his mind, a red alert symbol flashed on the screen. The spider-sense logo appeared, pulsing urgently.

"Spider-sense? Out here?" Charlie's heart raced. 

But where was the danger?

He quickly activated Iron Spider-Man's defense mode, but it didn't seem to do much. Spider-Man was just as confused, scanning the area with no sign of an enemy.

Then, without warning, the ground beneath Spider-Man's feet shifted. With a lurch, he felt himself fall as a section of the rock broke open, revealing a dark, hollow space below. 

Caught off guard, Charlie was jolted by the sudden movement on the screen.

Iron Spider-Man tumbled down, unable to stabilize himself as he plunged into the opening.

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