The California coast glimmered under the late afternoon sun as Stark's lab buzzed with energy. Kai stood in front of a holographic map projected in the air by JARVIS, watching red warning icons blink across the screen.
"Sir," JARVIS said, "multiple distress signals detected from a Stark Industries research outpost in the Mojave Desert. Emergency response teams have been neutralized."
Tony paced behind Kai, already slipping into his undersuit.
"Another 'rogue tech incident,'" he muttered. "That's the third one this month. Someone's either trying to steal my toys or recreate them without the manual."
Kai looked up. "What's at that outpost?"
"Experimental drone AI prototypes," Tony replied. "Unarmed, but adaptable. If someone hijacked them, they could weaponize them fast."
He turned to Kai. "You up for a field test?"
Kai grinned and lifted his wrist. "Let's see what the Omnitrix thinks."
With a quick twist and a bright flash of green, Kai slammed his palm down on the device. Light exploded outward, and in his place stood Jetray — a sleek, red-armored alien with fins, wings, and a tail.
Tony whistled. "Now that is an entrance."
Jetray's voice was deeper, more distorted. "I can fly, I've got neuroshock blasts, and I'm aerodynamic."
Tony stepped into the center of the lab as the Mark VI armor clicked onto him piece by piece. "Perfect. You handle air support. I'll go heavy on the ground."
With a thunderous roar, the roof panels slid open. Iron Man shot into the sky with a blast of repulsor energy. Moments later, Jetray followed, wings slicing through the air with effortless speed.
---
Mojave Desert – Stark Outpost Zeta
Smoke rose from the horizon. The research base, surrounded by scorched sand, was in chaos. Drones — small, spherical machines with claw-like appendages — hovered above, firing pulse blasts at fleeing scientists.
Iron Man landed with force, sending up a shockwave. "JARVIS, disable non-lethal mode."
"Confirmed, sir."
Kai soared overhead, doing recon. "I count at least twelve drones — but something's off. They're moving in patterns, like they're coordinated."
As if on cue, the drones converged, forming a larger cluster. Their metallic limbs interlocked until they resembled a spider-like mecha unit, its glowing core pulsing violently.
Tony cursed. "Self-assembly protocol. They've been upgraded."
"Want me to take it down?" Kai asked.
"Tag-team it. I'll draw fire, you go for the core!"
With that, Iron Man unleashed a barrage of missiles at the mech, sending it stumbling. The larger unit fired a beam that scorched the ground in a perfect arc, narrowly missing Tony.
Kai swooped down like a hawk, dodging blasts and charging a burst of neuroshock energy. With a crackling scream, he released it directly at the central core. Sparks exploded.
"Nice hit!" Tony said. "Now again, before it adapts!"
But the mech began to shift — absorbing the energy, adapting its plating. It fired a repulsor-like blast at Kai, sending him spiraling into a sand dune. He coughed, the Omnitrix beeping.
"Time's running out," Kai muttered, slamming the dial again.
Another flash of green — this time he emerged as Humungousaur, a towering alien dinosaur-like brute. With a roar, he charged the machine, grabbing two of its limbs and tearing them free with brute force.
Tony flew in from above, blasted open a panel, and tossed in a small EMP grenade.
"Little present from daddy."
The EMP detonated, short-circuiting the core. Sparks flew. The mech collapsed into a heap of smoldering metal.
Kai looked around as the last of the smaller drones dropped. "That was intense."
Iron Man hovered beside him, faceplate retracting to show a grin.
"Welcome to the job."
---
Later That Night – Stark Mansion
Back in the lab, Tony handed Kai a drink — soda for the kid, scotch for himself.
"You handled yourself pretty well out there," Tony said. "Most people freeze the first time. You didn't."
Kai rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks. The Omnitrix helps. But it's… unpredictable sometimes."
Tony sat down, watching the holograms replay the fight.
"You've got raw power, but you need control. Strategy. Coordination." He pointed at Kai. "If you're sticking around, we need to train. SHIELD's already poking around. You need to stay ten steps ahead."
Kai nodded. "I'm ready."
Tony smirked. "Good. Because I have a feeling that was just the opening act."