"His name is Loki. He's not from Earth. If you decide to join us, consider this some advance preparation."
Nick Fury continued, looking at Steve,
"I've already placed the detailed mission brief in your apartment. The world has changed far more than you can imagine, Captain."
Steve had finished reading the file. He slung a sandbag over his shoulder and walked out of the gym without looking back.
"At least when it comes to the Tesseract,"
he paused at the door and said,
"you should have left it at the bottom of the ocean."
With that, he left.
---
At the same time, deep beneath the sea, a hexagonal glow suddenly appeared.
Tony Stark's armor.
Inside the suit, Tony casually fired a laser, severing a thick power cable with ease. Then he rocketed straight out of the ocean, water exploding behind him as he headed toward Stark Tower.
"So that's it? Completely disconnected? No more testing?"
Pepper's voice echoed through the helmet as they video-called.
"No need. I'm done down here. The rest is up to you."
Tony sounded relaxed, almost smug.
"You really cut the external power? We're off the grid?"
Pepper asked, glancing around.
The moment she finished speaking, everything around her plunged into darkness.
"Stark Tower is about to become the brightest landmark in New York—no, the world."
Tony hovered high above the city, looking down at the pitch-black skyscraper.
"I'm starting now," Pepper said, her fingers flying across the keyboard.
The next instant—
Stark Tower lit up.
Every floor, every window burst into brilliant light, and the massive STARK logo at the top blazed like a beacon, instantly becoming the most eye-catching sight in the city skyline.
"Yes!! It worked!!"
Tony pumped his fist in the air.
"We really did it, Tony! The Arc Reactor is stable—your clean energy is finally ready for mass use!"
Pepper's eyes were red with excitement.
The entire tower was now powered solely by the Arc Reactor beneath it—true, clean energy. Stark Industries had once again stepped ahead of the world.
"We need a press conference," Pepper said eagerly.
"The whole world needs to know!"
"I'll fly to Washington tomorrow to pick locations for—"
"Hey, Pepper," Tony interrupted gently.
"Relax. This was always the natural next step. No need to get too worked up."
He landed smoothly on the rooftop platform designed specifically for armor deployment.
A circular magnetic ring rose from the floor, locking onto the suit. Since the armor no longer required mechanical assembly, the system simply absorbed it and lowered it beneath the platform. The surface sealed seamlessly.
Pepper was already waiting in the penthouse, ready to celebrate this historic moment with him.
Just then, JARVIS spoke.
"Sir, Agent Coulson from S.H.I.E.L.D. is requesting to speak with you."
"Tell him I'm not home. Which is true—I'm not."
Tony answered instantly.
Coulson was currently at Tony's Malibu residence, greeted only by JARVIS.
"Sir, Agent Coulson says he will not leave until he sees you."
"Please," Tony sighed.
"I have an important date. Nobody gets in."
Tony stepped inside. Pepper stood by the bar, holding a glass of champagne, a floating screen displaying voltage stability and reactor output.
"Everything's stable. No fluctuations at all," she said brightly.
"Of course it is," Tony grinned.
"I'm Tony Stark. My designs don't fail."
He wrapped his arms around her from behind. For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The top floor was technically Tony's office, but it felt more like a luxury lounge—an oversized bar, shelves of rare liquor, plush seating, and greenery placed just right.
"Sir… there's an incoming call. And I believe my systems are being breached—"
Before JARVIS could finish, Coulson's voice cut in.
"Tony, we need to talk."
Tony hung up immediately.
The phone rang again—this time without JARVIS's alert.
"I'm afraid you're speaking to a hologram," Tony answered coldly.
"Please leave a message."
"This is extremely urgent, Tony."
"Then leave an extremely urgent message."
The elevator doors slid open.
Coulson stood inside, phone in hand, staring straight at Tony.
"JARVIS—damn it! You were hacked and didn't warn me?"
Tony shouted.
No response.
"Coulson, please, come in," Pepper said warmly, already pouring him champagne.
Coulson ignored it and handed Tony a black tablet.
"You need to see this."
"I don't like being handed things," Tony replied flatly.
Pepper took the tablet and dropped it into Tony's hands, then confiscated his champagne.
Tony rolled his eyes.
"Agent Coulson, official consultation hours are nine to three."
"This isn't a joke," Coulson said grimly.
"This is a level-seven emergency."
"I already told you—I'm not joining your boy band. And last I checked, that plan wasn't approved anyway."
Tony tossed the tablet onto the table.
The display activated instantly, holographic files unfolding in midair.
Multiple folders opened at once.
Footage of the Hulk in combat.
Files on Captain America.
Detailed intelligence on Tony himself…
Lucas, Gwen, Skye, and everyone connected to them.
Tony's expression finally changed.
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