Chapter 6: News

The battle continued, each of them testing the other's limits. Tony's suit was powerful, durable, and well-equipped, but Ethan's speed and unpredictability made him a nearly impossible target. Every attack Tony launched was met with a flicker of black and white as Ethan disappeared, only to reappear somewhere else in the room.

Eventually, Tony landed on the ground again, his suit slightly scuffed but still fully functional. "You're tough to keep up with, but let me guess, you've got a weakness. Everyone does."

Ethan chuckled softly. "Maybe. But I don't think you're the one who's going to find it."

The two stood there for a moment, the tension still thick in the air. Tony's HUD scanned Ethan, searching for any kind of pattern, but the sheer randomness of his movements made it impossible to predict his next move.

Ethan, for his part, was satisfied. He had seen what he wanted to see, the capabilities of Tony Stark's suit, and now his curiosity was sated.

"I think I've seen enough for today," Ethan said, his voice casual.

With a flick of his wrist, another portal opened behind him, swirling with the familiar black void. "You're a fun one, Stark. Maybe we'll do this again sometime."

And with that, Ethan stepped through the portal and disappeared, leaving Tony Stark alone in his mansion, the faint hum of the suit's systems filling the quiet room.

Tony stood there for a moment, his helmet retracting as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Well... that was weird."

....

The scene shifted as Ethan strolled into a large, quiet library. It was the perfect place to lay low for a while. Not that he had much to hide, breaking into Tony Stark's house was just a fun afternoon for him, but he needed to create a new identity. The world would eventually start asking questions about him, and he preferred to avoid unnecessary complications.

As he settled into one of the computer terminals at the back of the library, the hum of electronics surrounded him. The librarian paid no attention, too busy organizing books on the far side of the room.

'Perfect.' Ethan cracked his knuckles and began typing with precision and speed, hacking into the city's official records.

He pulled up several databases: birth certificates, social security information, and job history records. His fingers moved across the keys like they had a life of their own. In less than an hour, Ethan had fabricated a brand-new identity, complete with a birth certificate, education history, and even a small trail of employment in various low-profile jobs. He smirked as his new name, Ethan Porter, appeared on the screen.

"Not bad," he muttered to himself, closing the files after securing the information. Now he was officially part of the system, untouchable in a city that thrived on documentation.

With that done, Ethan decided to spend the rest of the day exploring the library's vast selection of books. For hours, he flipped through volumes on physics, biology, history, and even philosophy. As the minutes turned into hours, something strange became apparent. His mind absorbed the information faster than he'd ever experienced before. The words on the pages were almost being pulled into him, his memory flawless and clear.

He closed one of the books, tapping his fingers lightly on its cover. "Interesting," he murmured, recalling every line, every figure, and diagram perfectly. He had always been smart, but this? This felt new. He wondered if it had something to do with the white void he now felt inside him, the swirling chaos of the spotted dimension, somehow amplifying his comprehension.

When the library finally announced its closure, Ethan calmly placed the last book back on the shelf. He glanced at the clock. Time had flown by, and now it was well into the evening. He needed a place to stay for the night.

....

After paying for a modest room at a nearby hotel, Ethan took a much-needed shower, cleaned up, and had a simple dinner at the hotel restaurant. The food was decent, but his mind was more occupied with his growing power and the curiosity of this new world. He made his way back to his room and settled on the bed, flipping through channels until he stopped at the news.

As the broadcast started, the anchor's voice came through, reporting on a series of strange thefts. "And in breaking news today, reports have come in regarding a mysterious theft at a high-end boutique and a nearby bank vault. While the authorities have no suspect, footage captured a strange event where a disembodied hand appeared, taking both clothing and large sums of money."

The screen shifted to a video clip showing the faint black portal and Ethan's hand reaching through to grab the clothes, followed by another clip of his hand taking bundles of cash from the vault.

"Passersby have been talking about the strange phenomenon," the anchor continued, cutting to interviews with pedestrians.

"It's so weird," a woman said. "Like, how does a hand just... appear and steal things? What kind of technology is that?"

A man shrugged. "It's probably some kind of new criminal trick. People are getting too clever these days."

Ethan chuckled to himself, leaning back against the bed's headboard. It was amusing to see people speculate about his abilities when they had no idea what he was capable of. For now, it was just a little fun.

....

While Ethan enjoyed his new-found life, back at the Avengers compound, Tony Stark had gathered the team to discuss the recent events.

"So, what do you have for us, Stark?" Natasha Romanoff asked, her tone casual but focused. She sat at the table with Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, and Sam Wilson, while Tony stood at the front, a hologram display active behind him.

Tony, still in his casual clothes after the earlier fight, tapped a few buttons on his device, bringing up the holographic footage of his encounter with Ethan. "Meet our new friend," Tony said, as the image of Ethan flickered into view, his white skin and swirling black circles visible as he moved with impossible speed. The team watched as Ethan dodged Tony's repulsor blasts with ease, slipping in and out of portals in the blink of an eye.

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