The aftermath of the Asgard incident left Puente Antiguo in ruins, making it no longer suitable for a vacation spot.
After spending two more days there, Kagura and Tony Stark decided it was time to leave.
Meanwhile, S.H.I.E.L.D. was busy meticulously cleaning up any trace of Asgardian technology or extraterrestrial influence—except for the streets and buildings that had been left in shambles by the Destroyer.
But that wasn't a big problem.
With relief funds from Stark Industries and Rhodes Island Industries already on the way, the peaceful little town would soon recover and return to normal.
A Few Months Later – New York, Rhodes Island Industries R&D Base
"Cortana, wake up! I'm back!"
Dressed in a light, casual home outfit, Kagura strolled into the spacious hall.
With a casual snap of her fingers, the surrounding equipment powered up automatically.
"Welcome back, Master."
As Cortana's voice echoed, a network of holographic projections lit up around her, displaying various real-time data.
These next-gen holographic interfaces, developed from the "Prism" system, could instantly transform an empty room into an advanced, interactive workspace.
"Let's see what insights we gained from our little trip to New Mexico."
With a wave of her hand, Kagura navigated through the floating screens.
"Cortana, give me a report on Mjolnir and dark energy research progress."
"Generating summary…"
A few seconds later, Cortana projected a swirling cloud-like model before her, accompanied by a detailed list of data and annotations.
"Master, it is my pleasure to introduce you to a new extraterrestrial energy source—dark energy."
"Dark energy, huh…"
Kagura muttered to herself as she studied the analysis.
"So, the Bifrost is powered by dark energy, and Odin used it to rebuild the bridge… But what exactly is this mysterious power?"
"I have compiled a detailed file on its properties for your review, Master," Cortana continued.
"Based on our analysis, dark energy makes the development of an advanced energy shield feasible."
"Oh?" Kagura's eyes lit up.
"Now that's exciting news. Way more interesting than all this incomprehensible physics talk about dark energy."
"The second-generation energy-neutralization shield has been fully designed and is ready for prototype production and weapons testing," Cortana informed her.
"Thanks to the dark energy research, we've developed a pure energy-based shielding system."
"Theoretically, it won't just block high-energy particles, lasers, and radiation—it can even generate a kinetic deflection effect, making it effective against physical projectiles as well."
"Wow, not bad at all." She grinned in excitement.
"Any other good news? Like that Asgardian knowledge Thor promised?"
"127 hours ago, we received an encrypted transmission from deep space."
"It contained fundamental Asgardian knowledge in physics, mathematics, material science, optics, and astronomy."
"So this is what Thor meant by sharing Asgard's knowledge," Kagura nodded.
"Looks like, despite his… questionable intelligence, he keeps his promises."
"However, their knowledge system doesn't align with any of our existing frameworks."
"We'll need time to translate and restructure the data before we can fully understand it."
"No rush," she said casually. "Take all the time you need."
"Understood, Master."
Their agreement in New Mexico had been fulfilled—she had helped Thor reclaim his power, and in return, he had provided Asgardian knowledge.
Once this data was fully analyzed, it could lead to a major technological leap for Rhodes Island Industries.
Many theoretical designs that Earth's current scientific principles couldn't support might become feasible with Asgard's technology—such as anti-gravity systems, advanced electromagnetic field manipulation, and even space-time travel.
True innovation would take time, but equipment upgrades wouldn't wait.
Project 'Second Skin' – Codename: White Moon
"Check the status of equipment development. Command code: 'Second Skin,' codename 'White Moon.'"
"Command confirmed. Retrieving equipment status…"
"Prototype completed. Ready for testing in Test Chamber #2."
Following Cortana's instructions, Kagura stepped into the test chamber, where the automated retrieval system had already prepared her new suit.
Her previous combat suit was made primarily of carbon fiber—decent for protection and compatible with most of her weapons and skills. But it had clear limitations.
Unlike Tony Stark's Iron Man armor, it couldn't self-deploy.
She needed a changing room and a few minutes to put it on, which was… inconvenient.
Not to mention, in battle, she couldn't afford the risk of her suit tearing apart.
Extreme heat, high-energy particles, laser beams, piercing bullets—there were too many ways to destroy carbon fiber armor.
Now, after rigorous research and testing, the next-gen combat suit was finally complete.
The "White Moon" suit, also known as "Second Skin," was made from a revolutionary combination of adaptive organic polymers and vibranium.
That's right—after extensive R&D, she had finally achieved her dream of creating a vibranium combat suit.
Vibranium was an incredible material.
Despite being metal, it could seamlessly integrate with organic matter.
In theory, it could even be implanted into a living body, reinforcing neural pathways, enhancing cellular regeneration, and strengthening biological tissues.
Taking advantage of vibranium's unique properties, Kagura planned to store the new suit within the subdermal spaces of her own body, allowing for instant deployment.
That's why it was called "Second Skin."
Of course, before attempting such an ambitious design, she needed to analyze her body's structure.
Since she wasn't human, traditional human anatomy couldn't be used to predict the suit's compatibility.
Fortunately, her automaton body was far more adaptable than expected.
During initial tests, as soon as the White Moon prototype connected to her core energy source, something remarkable happened—her holographic interface synchronized with it, as if her body was actively accepting the suit as part of itself.
A series of system prompts appeared in her vision:
[External equipment detected]
[Verification complete. Initiating integration protocol]
[Body synchronization and compatibility adjustments in progress]
[Core energy link established]
[Second Skin – Codename: White Moon – Activated]
A confident smirk crossed her lips.
This was going to be fun.