He leaned close to Pepper's ear and whispered,"I want you to take a trip to Antarctica for me and help establish a secret base. I don't trust anyone else. Only you, Pepper. You're the only one I can rely on."
A man and a woman, alone in a room, in the still night where you couldn't even see your hand in front of your face.
It was what people call the perfect timing and setting.
When she heard Aetheris say that she was the only one he trusted, Pepper felt that all the hardship and grievances she had endured were worth it.
"Tony, if you have something to say, then say it. Stop moving around so much, it's unbearable."
"You villain! You haven't even finished explaining, and now you're sending me there alone?"
Who should he choose?"I already have a general idea. I'll list a few candidates later, and you can see if they're suitable."
"So when do I leave?"
His girlfriends would all have to be kept away from New York. It was time to set up a few hidden bolt-holes, like a cunning rabbit.
But suddenly, another serious issue crossed his mind. Loki, that fool, seemed to be after the Tesseract. If Pepper brought the cube to Antarctica, wouldn't that put her in danger as well?Besides, Loki carried a scepter embedded with the Mind Stone. Unlike Iron Man with an arc reactor, he had no way to resist the Mind Stone's control.
The only way to stay safe was to create distance, or somehow take control of the scepter itself.
Damn it. The Mind Stone was nothing but trouble like Yuri from Red Alert or Professor X from X-Men, capable of manipulating people's minds.
It was truly disgusting.
After weighing the situation, Aetheris finally said,"Alright, start preparing. You'll leave in three days. I'll have Natasha work with you, and Ethan as well. He's the one in charge of building this lab. You just focus on providing full logistical support."
Pepper looked at him with some surprise."Natasha? Isn't she an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Can you really give her orders?"
Aetheris pointed to himself and, with a hint of arrogance, replied,"Of course. Do you know who your man is? On this planet, aside from the Ancient One, there isn't a single person I can't move. Think about it Natasha has already worked with you once to take down Hans. You two definitely have a good understanding. This time I'm sending her not only to protect you, but also to reassure Fury. You are the most important person to me. Do you understand that?"
Pepper nodded. She understood perfectly well what Aetheris meant. Entrusting his most important person to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s protection was no different from opening his heart to them.And Fury was notoriously suspicious. He hadn't even fully trusted Captain Marvel, Danvers, who was practically his first love back when he still had both eyes.
But thanks to Fury, S.H.I.E.L.D. had never fallen completely under Hydra's control. It was precisely because he sensed corruption within the organization that Fury was forced to establish the Avengers. Thor and his companions might have had eccentric personalities, but every one of them came from a clean background, with no chance of being Hydra agents.
"Anything else? If not, I'll go get ready."
Pepper noticed Aetheris had fallen into thought again and knocked twice on his desk.
He came back to himself, and without any sweet words, simply nodded for her to leave.
This unsettled Pepper a little. She felt that ever since Tony Stark returned from that Central Asian country, he seemed to have changed. He had gained steadiness and lost some of his carefree charm, and even the actresses he once loved to flirt with he rarely approached them anymore.
Although this change made her happy, she also noticed that Tony had been weighed down with concerns lately. He might still act cheeky and playful in front of her, but after so many years of living at his side, she could clearly sense the difference.
Perhaps Victor's betrayal had wounded him deeply. After all, Tony had treated him like his own uncle. Being betrayed by the one you trust most is one of the most painful things in the world.
(End of Chapter)
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