"Don't kill me! I'm not with them!"
The terrified actor who had been playing The Mandarin crawled out from the smoking ruins of Killian's manor.
When he saw Tony Stark and Kai both looking at him, he immediately raised his hands.
"I'm just an actor, man! A stage guy! They paid me to pretend! I'm not a terrorist—I swear!"
He gulped nervously. "B-but I know where the mainframe is! And all the data!"
Tony sighed, shaking his head.
"What I'm thinking about now," he muttered, glancing at Kai, "is how the hell we're getting back."
"This place is over thirteen hundred miles from New York."
The actor's hand shot up again. "There's an underground garage! Full of luxury cars! Bentleys, Audis, Lamborghinis—take your pick!"
Ignoring him, Kai smirked at Tony. "I could take you back. Fast, safe, first-class service—just two hundred grand."
Tony gave him a flat stare. "Not a chance. Your bonus this month's already through the roof. You're not milking me again."
Kai sighed dramatically. "Ah, the heartless capitalist. Exploiting his poor employees like a stingy old Grandet."
Tony groaned. "You little money-hungry punk."
While they bickered, Tony took out his phone and called Steve Rogers.
Sure, he could afford a plane—but a S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinjet was faster, and more importantly—free.
Inside S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters
"The funding request for the third quarter is too high, Nick. The World Security Council's not gonna approve it."
Sitting across from Nick Fury, Alexander Pierce gave him that smooth, political smile.
"You've got to justify the budget better. You know how these people are."
Fury pinched the bridge of his nose and leaned back in his chair.
"Pierce, you used to be my boss—you know I'd take a bullet for you."
Pierce chuckled. "And that's exactly why I'm helping you. Just give me something to work with, and I'll convince the Council."
Before he could finish, there was a knock on the door.
Maria Hill stepped in. When she noticed Pierce, she gave a respectful nod before turning to Fury.
"What's the situation?" Fury asked.
"At this stage, nothing was hidden from Pierce," the narration seemed to imply. Fury trusted him completely.
Pierce smiled politely. "Should I step out?"
"Of course not," Fury said, gesturing for Hill to continue.
Hill nodded. "Captain Rogers just reported in—Tony Stark and Kai have successfully neutralized the Extremis operation led by Aldrich Killian."
"Stark also contacted Captain Rogers directly, requesting a pickup."
"I recommend sending a senior intelligence agent with them," Hill added. "AIM's base in Miami could still hold classified tech."
Fury nodded thoughtfully. "Stark's no fool. He knows S.H.I.E.L.D. is the safest way to handle something like Extremis."
"The virus is just as dangerous as the Super Soldier Serum—it can't fall into anyone else's hands."
He turned to Hill. "Send Natasha with Rogers. Killian's dead, so Pepper doesn't need her protection anymore."
"Yes, Director." Hill nodded and left.
Pierce stood up, adjusting his tie, "I'll take care of the Council. Next time, though, I'll need a full report on how the funds are used."
"Yeah, yeah," Fury replied with a smirk.
Pierce left, stepped into the elevator, and once the doors closed, took out his phone—typing a short, encrypted message.
Back at Killian's Manor
"What about him?"
Kai pointed his potato chip at the trembling actor on the floor, who was now chugging a beer.
Tony didn't even look up from the computer as he copied the last of AIM's encrypted files. "S.H.I.E.L.D. will deal with him."
He reached over, grabbed one of Kai's beers without asking, and cracked it open.
"Steve and his team should be here soon," Tony said, eyes fixed on the screen. "I just need to finish copying these files before Fury's people arrive."
"The Extremis formula isn't perfect," he murmured. "Killian and Maya were onto something, but there's potential in it."
"Potential to blow up?" Kai asked, munching.
"Potential to evolve," Tony corrected. "Maybe I can stabilize it—find a safer way to use its regenerative function."
He paused, staring at the screen. "Tell me something, Kai… do you think Earth's safe?"
Kai blinked. "What do you mean?"
Tony leaned back, rubbing his temple. "The universe is massive. There are always more threats out there. The Chitauri were just the start."
"We won in New York, sure—but what about the next invasion? Or the one after that?"
He tossed his empty beer can aside. "We can't just keep reacting. We need to start defending."
Tony looked at Kai, his tone serious for once. "Maybe… we shouldn't be Avengers. Maybe we should be Defenders."
Kai raised a brow. "You've been thinking about that since New York, huh?"
Tony nodded. "Yeah. Ever since then, I can't stop thinking about the next threat. It's like this constant anxiety—"
Kai popped open another can, but Tony snatched it from his hand.
"You're eighteen. No beer for you. Stick to soda."
Kai flipped him the middle finger, then grabbed another bag of chips. "So, what—you're gonna use the Extremis virus for your world defense plan?"
Tony shrugged. "I don't know yet. Maybe it's useless. Maybe it's the key to something big. But I have to try."
He stared at the screen, his expression darkening.
"That damn anxiety since the Battle of New York—it just won't go away."
Kai crunched another chip. "You know, for a genius, you really suck at relaxing."
Tony smirked faintly. "Yeah? And you're great at it."
"Someone's gotta balance the team," Kai said with a grin.