Not far from the Empire State Building in Manhattan, New York City, the newly completed Stark Tower stood in silence. Its transmission systems had been cut, it wasn't connected to the power grid, and in the glowing nightscape of New York, the building was nothing more than a dark silhouette—almost as if it didn't exist at all.
Then, without warning, Stark Tower lit up.
Bathed in brilliant light, it instantly became one of the brightest landmarks in the city. At the very top of the sail-shaped skyscraper, the glowing STARK logo stood out proudly—just as eye-catching and unapologetic as Tony Stark himself.
The tower was powered by an Arc Reactor, capable of supplying the entire building with energy for a full year. Stark Tower was destined to become a milestone in clean energy history.
In the days ahead, Tony and Pepper Potts would be buried in work—press conferences, selecting a new headquarters, rolling out new technology. But for tonight, at least, they could enjoy a rare date together.
That was, of course, assuming no uninvited guests showed up.
As J.A.R.V.I.S. assisted Tony in removing his Iron Man armor, he calmly reported,
"Sir, Agent Coulson has called."
"Tell him I'm not available," Tony said irritably. "He has the worst timing."
"Sir, I'm afraid he may not believe that."
"Have some confidence, J.A.R.V.I.S. I'm on a date."
Tony underestimated Phil Coulson's persistence.
Coulson hacked his way through J.A.R.V.I.S.'s security protocols, took Tony's private elevator, and appeared directly in Stark Tower's top-floor private residence.
Without ceremony, Coulson handed Tony a tablet.
It contained all the information related to the Avengers Initiative and the Tesseract recovery mission.
When Tony fed the data into J.A.R.V.I.S.'s holographic system, he felt a distinct sense that his worldview had just been flipped upside down.
The Hulk.
A thawed-out Captain America.
Thor, a god from Asgard.
And the Tesseract, capable of providing limitless energy.
None of this fit into common sense.
Tony reached out, grasping the holographic projection of the Tesseract. It was hard to believe that such a small cube could hold power on this scale.
Yet one question nagged at him.
As the leading authority in clean energy, why hadn't Nick Fury invited him into the Tesseract research at all? Not even a hint?
That was suspicious. Very suspicious.
Coulson's arrival brought Tony and Pepper's date to an abrupt end. Pepper decided to head to Washington, D.C. ahead of schedule, while Tony abandoned plans for Stark Industries' press conference entirely. What Coulson had brought him was more than enough to deal with.
Coulson drove Pepper to the airport himself. Along the way, they chatted about Coulson's cellist girlfriend—until the conversation drifted elsewhere.
"That girl… Clara," Coulson said suddenly. "Do you visit her often?"
"Oh my God," Pepper blurted out. "You investigated Clara too?"
She hadn't expected S.H.I.E.L.D. to dig into something known only to herself, Tony, and Happy.
"I'm sorry," Coulson said gently. "It's protocol. Iron Man is a priority asset. Anyone connected to him gets checked."
"Oh? Then did you investigate me as well?" Pepper asked curiously.
Coulson smiled but didn't answer.
Pepper immediately understood.
"Oh no—whatever embarrassing things you found, you're not allowed to tell anyone."
"Don't worry," Coulson replied warmly. "We forget those things once we've read them."
His tone was so natural that Pepper felt no embarrassment at all.
"The flowers she makes are beautiful," Coulson added. "I bought a few when I passed by. They're still on my desk."
"I have some too," Pepper said softly. "Clara gave them to me."
"She's very capable. Living on her own at that age… cooking, managing her life."
Coulson praised Clara as though she were his own child.
"Yes," Pepper sighed. "She's strong and independent—but that strength was forged through suffering. I wish she'd rely on Tony more instead of being so self-sufficient. Even though she still believes Tony is her father, she's never once tried to cling to him."
The thought made Pepper's heart ache.
Aside from the requests in her initial letter, Clara hadn't asked for anything else in months. She'd even refused the weekly housekeeping services Pepper arranged. The more Clara pushed herself to be independent, the more painful it was to watch.
"How much hardship does it take," Pepper wondered, "to shape a child like that?"
"Yes," Coulson said quietly. "Only those tempered by life's trials truly become strong."
His gentle smile never changed, but his thoughts drifted to Clara's file—to the night her mother, Laura, died. Every survival skill, every trace of resilience, had begun from that moment.
—
Steve Rogers was personally recruited by Nick Fury.
A soldier from World War II deserved nothing less than Fury himself showing up.
Late at night, Fury found Steve in the building's recreation room, relentlessly pounding a punching bag.
"Can't sleep, Captain?" Fury asked.
"I slept for seventy years, sir," Steve replied. "I think I've used up all the sleep I'll ever need."
"Then maybe you should go see the world."
"I have," Steve said. "What once felt advanced is gone. When I fell asleep, the world was at war. When I woke up, you told me we won. That victory came at a cost, didn't it?"
"We've made plenty of mistakes," Fury admitted. "Including now."
Steve caught the implication and glanced at the file in Fury's hand.
"You have a mission for me."
"Yes," Fury said, handing it over. "We need you to save it."
The file displayed an image of the Tesseract, now classified as Level Seven S.H.I.E.L.D. intelligence.
"HYDRA's secret weapon?" Steve frowned. "That thing should be at the bottom of the ocean."
"Howard Stark recovered it while searching for you," Fury explained. "Just as I suspected, it's the key to limitless energy—something Earth desperately needs."
Steve didn't refuse the mission. But first, he needed time to prepare.
Ever meticulous, Fury had already arranged everything—briefings, data, and materials—all waiting in Steve's room.
"Captain," Fury said, "you need to catch up. The world has changed far beyond your imagination."
"I've seen worse," Steve replied calmly.
"I'll bet you ten dollars you're wrong."
Steve lost the bet quickly.
A flying aircraft carrier, elite agents racing between glowing screens, advanced cloaking technology that rendered the carrier invisible—Steve paid without complaint.
—
Under Loki's control, Dr. Selvig had gained vast new knowledge from the Tesseract—truths about the universe itself.
What Selvig needed now was iridium, a rare mineral on Earth. While it's often found in meteorites, capable of generating antiprotons. It was extremely valuable and tightly controlled.
Using his intelligence network, Clint Barton located a high-ranking German military officer who possessed a large supply.
The next step was obtaining it.
"Tell me what you need," Loki said, watching Barton closely.
"I need a decoy," Barton replied calmly. "And a pair of eyes."
His glowing blue eyes reflected absolute confidence.
The storm was coming.
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