"You're right. No one—goddamn no one—tells me what to do," Tony said, his voice steady as steel, as he stood and adjusted his blazer.
Pepper watched him leave, concern still in her eyes.
Meanwhile, in the same room…
Two men—both dressed in tactical black—stood silently, watching. Earlier, when Alex had been calmly speaking to Tony, these two were just about to step in and stop him. But as they moved forward, they froze.
Not out of hesitation.
Out of fear.
Their hands refused to lift their weapons. Their bodies locked up like they were standing at gunpoint—though no guns were drawn. It felt like dying, they later said, though nothing had touched them.
As Tony left through the corridor, Alex lingered.
He stepped toward the two stunned agents and gave a faint nod. "Seems we're still not quite past introductions."
He glanced at them with a slight smile, his red eyes gleaming softly under the hallway lights.
"My name is Alex Morrow. Nice to meet you—late, but still counts."
Rhodey, nearby, blinked, startled by the sheer presence shift. "Whoa… who is this guy?"
From the other side, Phil Coulson stepped forward. Calm, unbothered, but with that ever-so-subtle smile that always suggested he knew more than anyone else in the room.
He looked at Rhodey, then said evenly, "Let's just say… it's nice of you to meet The Devil Doctor."
Alex chuckled lightly.
"Yes… I expected as much from SHIELD."
His gaze shifted to Coulson, eyes narrowing slightly with amused recognition.
"And by the way… I never told you I was from SHIELD," Coulson said slowly, realization dawning that he'd slipped.
Alex tilted his head, smirking faintly but saying nothing.
That smile said everything.
Phil Coulson's confident expression flickered.
For the first time in a long while, he didn't have a ready comeback.
Alex stepped closer, voice still casual—but there was something cold beneath it. Not hostile. Just honest power. His red eyes glinted faintly in the low light of the corridor.
"You think SHIELD knows everything. That's cute," Alex said softly, folding his hands behind his back.
Phil tensed.
"I'm not just some enhanced merc. Not a rogue sorcerer or a powered threat on your index."
Alex stepped around the two frozen agents, giving them a passing glance like they were mannequins.
He continued, voice low and even. "I'm the King of the Underworld now. Kingpin bends the knee. The gangs in Hell's Kitchen, Brooklyn, and the entire East Side? They answer to me."
He paused and turned slightly, crimson eyes glowing faintly.
"So tell me, Coulson—do you really think I wouldn't notice the guys you've got spying on my clinic?"
Coulson didn't flinch. "We've been monitoring you for a while, Alex. You're an anomaly. A man who walked into the criminal underbelly of New York and… massacred half the known crime syndicates in one night. That doesn't go unnoticed."
Alex nodded slowly. "That was personal."
I did it to save someone. Maria. She was dying. I needed to evolve, and the Blood Crystals required blood—so I took it from the ones who deserved it. Rapists. Murderers. Slavers. I didn't kill some desperate pickpockets or misguided teens, Alex thought silently, locking eyes with Coulson without speaking it aloud.
Rhodey exchanged a tense glance with Coulson.
"But that's not what this is about," Coulson continued, his tone sharpening. "Why are you here with Tony? Why help him expose the truth to the world like it's nothing? You helped him hide what he did last night. So why the change of heart now?"
Rhodey folded his arms, adding quietly, "He basically outed himself as Iron Man to half of L.A. And you… you could've stopped him. Or helped cover it up. But you didn't. Why?"
Alex turned to face them fully.
"Because Tony Stark isn't the one the world needs to fear."
Both agents stilled.
"Yeah, he's arrogant. Impulsive. Too clever for his own good. But beneath all that? He's someone trying to change. Trying to do better."
He stepped forward, his tone firmer now.
"The world's gonna find out eventually. You think SHIELD can control it? You think some staged malfunction report and press briefings will keep that genie in the bottle forever? Sooner or later, the truth always breaks out. Better it comes from Tony—on his own terms."
He gestured to the door Tony had walked through moments earlier.
"And if the world's gonna see Iron Man? Better they see a man in control. A man who chose the armor—not a weapon forced into his hands."
Coulson didn't speak, but the twitch in his jaw said plenty.
Rhodey exhaled through his nose, muttering, "Damn. He's really gonna do it."
Alex smirked faintly. "Yeah. He is."
As if on cue, Alex turned toward the TV screen mounted in the corner of the room. It flickered to life, showing a live broadcast from the press auditorium. The camera centered on Tony Stark, now standing behind the podium, dozens of microphones pointed toward him. The crowd was still, breathless.
Tony looked down at the prewritten notes in front of him.
Then… he slowly folded them shut and set them aside.
"I've been called many things lately," he began, his voice steady but with a hint of nervous charm. "A genius. A playboy. A philanthropist."
He paused, hands resting on the sides of the podium. Then, without blinking, he looked straight into the camera and said clearly:
"I am Iron Man."
The room erupted. Reporters shouted over each other, flashbulbs going off like fireworks.
Back in the private lounge, the room was still.
Phil Coulson sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Well. There goes the original cover story."
Rhodey just covered his face with one hand, shaking his head in disbelief. "This son of a—"
Alex, meanwhile, just smiled.
His red eyes gleamed as he watched Tony stand there—owning it, commanding it, turning the world upside down with four simple words.
Alex smiled faintly, arms crossed."Now that's what I call living your own life."
Rhodey scoffed. "If you think one man can take on the world alone, then you're dead wrong."
He patted Alex once on the shoulder before turning and walking away."You'll see."
Phil Coulson, still standing nearby, remained calm as ever."Our Director would like a word with you," he said flatly, eyes meeting Alex's with a knowing look.
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