00169. Project Mars.

00169. Project Mars.

A portal opened up onto a massive platform with runic symbols inscribed around it. From the portal out stepped Ezekiel, followed closely behind by Tony. After the portal closed they both stood in silence as Tony glanced around in wonder at the red landscape that surrounded them. After a while he finally turned to Ezekiel and said, “You weren't joking.”

“I never joke.”

Tony narrowed his gaze on Ezekiel who rubbed the back of his head as he said, “Okay, maybe I do sometimes.”

“More like all the time.”

Ezekiel smirked as he asked, “What's the point in living life if you don't enjoy it?”

“Could you at least stop messing with me as your main source of enjoyment?” Tony asked in an annoyed tone.

“See and this is why I do it, your ego is too big and needs to be kept in check. The truth is, messing with you only makes up, like one percent of my daily enjoyment.”

“One percent!? What the hell, I thought we were best friends?” Tony said as he exaggeratedly placed his hands over his heart.

“I'm pretty sure that's Rhodey or maybe even Happy, even though he works for you.”

“There's no rule that says someone can't have more than one best friend.” Tony said before he asked, “Also, now I'm kinda curious, if you only consider me only one percent, where does the rest of it come from?”

“Easy, most of it comes from spending time with my family.”

Tony studied Ezekiel for a few moments before he muttered, “Must be nice.”

“You could easily have the same thing if you got over your daddy issues and stopped pussy footing around with Pepper.”

Tony frowned as he said, “Fuck off, I don't have daddy issues.”

Ezekiel shook his head as he said, “Whatever you say, just let me know when you want to talk with that therapist I know.”

Both of them went quiet for a while as Tony stared off into the red martian landscape lost in thought. Ezekiel glanced around himself for a few moments before he pulled out his tablet and typed on it for a bit. After he finished up, he glanced over to Tony who was still lost in thought as he asked, “So what do you think?”

Tony studied the landscape for a while before he said, “I think you're a maniac for even attempting it.”

“So you don't want to help out?”

Tony turned to look at Ezekiel as he said, “I didn't say that... But we will both be dead long before this thing is even finished. Even if everything goes smoothly it will take at least three centuries before this place is liveable.”

“If I didn’t have magic and people with crazy powers we can use to speed the whole thing up, you would be right. But I expect this to be completed in about five to ten years.”

Tony looked back out over the red landscape again as he asked, “Do you really think the governments of Earth will let you have Mars?”

Ezekiel shrugged as he said, “They can't even get here in the first place. Besides, it's not like I am gonna announce to the world that I took over and terraformed Mars.”

“Yeah, but people are gonna notice changes sooner or later, you won't be able to hide it. What will you do once it gets exposed?” Tony asked.

“I've already taken care of all the main satellites and the two rovers. They should break down over the next few weeks.”

Ezekiel smiled as he added, “We also placed a spell shield over the planet so people with telescopes will only see Mars as it is now.”

“So you're just gonna hide it until it's finished?”

As they moved up the ship's ramp Tony asked, “Where did you even get this thing from anyways?”

“Found it in the hanger of some alien dictator and confiscated it.”

Tony grabbed Ezekiel by the shoulders and shook him slightly as he asked, “Can you steal me one too?”

“First off, I didn’t steal it. It was confiscated. Second, you have nothing I want that’s worth a starship in value.”

“So I just need to get something worth the value of a starship?” Tony asked.

Ezekiel nodded as he thought that he wouldn’t mind trading a starship for his very own Ironman suit. He probably wouldn’t need to use it, but he wouldn’t mind having one just because it would be cool. Before long they were in the cockpit and after they chatted with Shisui who was the pilot of the ship. They strapped in and prepared for takeoff. The ship quickly took to the sky and angled itself to rocket into space.

As the ship breached past the planet's atmosphere into space itself Tony said, “I thought you said you just started this project a few days ago?”

Ezekiel looked through the ship's front windows as he said, “We did...”

Shisui, who was in the pilot's seat, smiled as he said, “After the initial test runs, Magneto started bringing as many as possible each trip.”

The ship gracefully slipped past the hundreds of ice asteroids in orbit around the planet as Shisui set a course for the Sol system asteroid belt. Tony took in everything and after a few moments asked, “How many more do you plan to collect?”

“I'm not sure, but the goal is to have forty percent of the planet covered in water.”

Shisui glanced over his shoulder as he said, “From our estimates we should be finished sometime later today or tomorrow at the latest. We just need a few more runs to collect the rest.”

Ezekiel pulled out his tablet and started to type on it as he sent messages to a few people. As Tony was about to ask a question, his phone started to ring. Tony pulled out his phone and looked at it in shock as he asked, “How does this thing even have service out here?”

Ezekiel continued to type on his tablet as he said, “Mostly through magic and some repurposed satellites I took over.”

Tony glanced back at Ezekiel for a moment before he answered his phone and said, “What's up, Happy?”

“Uh, I left with Ezekiel to check out a new secret project he wants some help on.”

Tony rolled his eyes as he said, “I know Happy, but it's top secret. That's why I didn't bring you along and told JARVIS not to inform you I left.”

“Don't worry, I'm with Ezekiel. If he can't keep me safe no one can.”

Tony let out a sigh before he said, “Alright fine, I'll ask him...

Ezekiel shook his head so Tony said, “He said no.”

“Hey, don't get upset with me, he's the one that said no... Sure, I promise to let you know as soon as I'm back, mom.” Tony said before he hung up his phone.

Tony looked up as he put his phone away to see Ezekiel who was smirking at him. Tony frowned slightly as he said, “If you just let him come along I wouldn't have to deal with him acting like an overprotective parent.”

Ezekiel shrugged as he said, “While I trust Happy, I didn’t plan to share this with anyone until we were farther along in the project. I only brought you here because you are going to help out.”

Tony sank back into his seat as he asked, “Well, when can I tell him about it?”

“Once we reach phase four or so.”

Tony thought it over for a few minutes as the ship quickly made its way towards the asteroid belt. It took around half an hour before they came into sight of the first asteroids and then they had to start searching for what they needed. At first Tony was just engrossed at the prospect of being in space and flying around. But it didn’t take long before he started asking Shisui to teach him how to fly. Ezekiel watched their interactions a few times, but mostly stayed focused on his tablet as he worked on coordinating the next phase of the plan.