Pepper chimed in, horrified. "Are you two seriously planning a war? Stark Industries can't survive a standoff with the government!"
"They won't go that far," James said calmly. "You don't steal from billionaires and expect applause. And if we need to… we go public with Vanko's story. That shuts them down fast. He's not a replicable threat, and you, Tony, have the only energy source that works."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"We might even have a new element that is even better as an energy source" James simply blurted out.
"New element?" Tony Stark looked at James. "You solved my problem?"
"Not me. But I guessed someone did."
"S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"No." James shook his head. Technically, it was kind of S.H.I.E.L.D., Tony's father had been one of its founders.
Just then, James's phone rang. He answered.
"James, you found a way to detoxify Tony Stark?"
"Yes, Director." He looked over at Tony and pointed to the phone. "What can I do for you?"
"I heard from my agent that you have a cure for Stark, we'll wait for you at his villa. There's something we need to discuss with him. Then you can administer detoxification. That's not a bargaining chip. Understood?"
"Understood. I can set it up. And I know the detox isn't a bargaining chip, don't worry. But shouldn't I be up for a promotion?" James smirked and winked at Tony.
"We'll talk when we meet," Nick Fury said before hanging up. Dealing with James gave him a headache. Gifted, but with a mind of his own.
"Tony, they're waiting for us at your place," James said. "We'll talk more there, whatever it is they wanna talk about."
"Yeah, sure. Let's get it over with."
Once they landed back in the US, they drove back to Stark's villa. Nick Fury was already there, flanked by a full team — Phil Coulson, Maria Hill, and several agents.
The living room felt small, packed with people. James strolled up to Hill.
"Well, well. Didn't expect to see the beautiful Maria Hill today. Still too busy to have dinner with me?"
"Give us better intel next time, and I just might have a free evening," she replied coolly.
"That's not fair. Let's talk about dinner separately, otherwise, I might think I'm losing my charm."
Fury had already made himself comfortable, sipping from a glass of wine like he owned the place. "Mr. Stark, we were going to come later. We've been looking for a cure for your poisoning, but we only found a suppressor. It James found something better, so we're stepping aside."
"You were poisoned?" Pepper exploded. "Why didn't I know about this?"
Tony sighed, glaring at Fury. "You did this on purpose, didn't you?" He turned to Pepper, softening. "I just didn't know how to tell you. But look — James has a solution now. I'm going to be okay."
They continued bickering. James pretended not to hear. Their wavelengths were never quite the same.
"Anyway," Fury continued, "Tony, your father was a founding member of S.H.I.E.L.D. He left something behind. We're here to give it to you. As for joining the Avengers, we'll discuss that later."
"Wait," James cut in. "Didn't you say you had a suppressant? Use it now. His toxicity level is too high."
"James, seriously?" Tony said, panicking. Fury nodded, and Natasha Romanov stepped forward, smoothly injecting Tony in the neck.
"You're fired," he mumbled after suddenly seeing his new notary lawyer listen to Fury.
Maria stepped in. "Tony, this is Agent Natasha Romanov. We placed her near you to monitor your condition. That injection only suppresses the toxin. It's not a cure."
"James, you knew?" Tony asked.
"She said it back in Monaco. That's why today's meeting was arranged."
Tony sighed. "Fine. I'll play along. I'll join your Avengers."
Fury handed him a file. "Here's Natasha's assessment."
Tony flipped it open and read aloud. "Impulsive. I don't buy that — I'm very rational. Tendency toward self-destruction — okay, maybe that was the poisoning. Classic narcissist — I'll own that. Iron Man can join, but not Tony Stark? What does that even mean? You're accepting one side of me and rejecting the other?"
"In your current state, we're offering you a spot as a technical consultant," Fury said.
Tony raised an eyebrow but didn't protest. "Fine. Since James's in, I'll join. Even as a consultant."
James chuckled. "That's not really your style."
"It is now. Maybe this team is where all the geniuses hang out. I'd like to compare notes."
Fury stood. "Agent Coulson will be your liaison. James too. Now, if we can move on to other matters…"
"We can talk after my clearance goes up," James interrupted. "Right now, I need to help Tony. That's the priority."
"No problem," Fury said. "By the time you're back at the New York office, your new ID will be waiting."
As Fury and the agents left, Pepper turned to James. "Please cure him."
"Don't worry. We'll be in the lab for a while. Come on, Tony — time to see what your dad left you."
They carried a box of old belongings down to the basement lab. James popped the lid.
"Shouldn't you treat me first?" Tony asked.
"The answer's been right in front of you. You just haven't noticed it yet. Let's look first."
"Your sense of drama is exhausting. Fine, a notebook, some film reels… That's it?"
James asked, "Tony, what was the most important thing your father left you?"
"Stark Industries? The Expo?"
He paused, realization dawning in his eyes.
"…Wait. Is there something in the Expo?"