Eric let out a slow breath.
—Great —he said—. My résumé now includes "potential green-giant whisperer."
Natasha smiled, faintly.
—You don't have to decide right now.
Eric shook his head.
—Yeah, I do.
He glanced back toward the living room.
—If Banner wants to help —he said— I'm not leaving him on his own. He's a very important brain for something I'm planning.
Eric looked at Natasha with an unreadable smile that left her slightly confused.
Natasha nodded, curiosity stirring, but she didn't ask. Everyone had secrets.
—Then I'll report your consent.
Eric smiled, tired around the edges.
—Tell him I'm not promising I can stop the green guy… —he shrugged— but I do promise I won't treat him like a ticking bomb.
Natasha watched him for a few seconds, something in her expression shifting, and then she nodded.
They'd been talking for nearly an hour when they heard a shriek.
From inside, Susana yelled:
—ERIC! WIDOW SAYS IF YOU DON'T COME BACK AND SING SHE'LL DEMOTE YOU!
Eric closed his eyes in exaggerated agony.
Natasha blinked.
—Who is Widow?
Eric opened his eyes again, resigned.
Then they went back into the living room.
The music was still playing when Widow decided it was a good time to be… social.
—Agent Natasha Romanoff —the voice said, clear and perfectly modulated—. It's a pleasure to finally interact with you directly.
The effect was instant.
Natasha stopped dead.
Went completely still.
Then she turned her head very slowly toward him.
—Excuse me? —Natasha said, looking at Eric for an explanation.
Eric lifted a hand, as if that could stop the bullet that was already on its way.
—It's an AI I made!
Susana beamed with pride.
—Widow is my best friend! —she announced—. She lives in the house.
Natasha looked at the girl.
Then at the ceiling.
Then at Eric.
—Explain —she asked softly.
Too softly.
Eric set his glass down on the table with exaggerated care.
—It's… complicated.
—I love complicated things —Natasha replied, crossing her arms—. Start.
Eric scratched the back of his neck.
—Let's just say it's an artificial intelligence. Very advanced. —He paused.
Natasha arched an eyebrow.
—We didn't know you had that kind of capability. Can you tell me?
—You know… —he gave a nervous smile— secrets are what make a man interesting.
Natasha studied him, searching for cracks in his expression.
But Eric stayed unbothered.
Finally, Natasha grabbed her jacket from the back of the chair.
—Interesting —she said quietly.
Eric opened his mouth to add something. Anything.
But Natasha raised a hand.
—No —she said— not now.
She stepped closer, close enough that Eric caught her perfume.
—We'll talk about your… secrets later —she added— and why you gave an AI my nickname.
Then she turned toward the door, saying goodbye to Elena and Miguel with a flawless smile, and to Susana with a small nod.
—Good night, Agent Romanoff —Susana said, deadly serious.
Natasha looked amused.
—Good night —she replied—. It was nice seeing you.
The door closed softly.
Eric let himself fall onto the couch.
—Looks like… —he said, half amused— I just made her uncomfortable.
Widow spoke then, perfectly calm.
—Agent Romanoff displays a significant increase in curiosity regarding you and your secrets.
Eric closed his eyes.
—Great —he murmured with a grin— exactly what I needed to get her attention.
---
Meanwhile, in Malibu…
Two days had passed since Tony got back.
Pepper Potts walked in with a tablet in her hands. She didn't look surprised. She looked… prepared.
—Tony —she said— we need to talk.
Tony turned toward her.
—When you say that without sarcasm —he replied— it's always serious.
Pepper took a deep breath.
—JARVIS and I accessed your uncle's private servers.
Tony went still.
—Accessed as in "hello, weak password," or as in "call the lawyers"?
—As in "we have enough proof to take down half the board," —Pepper said.
Silence.
Tony braced a hand on the table, slowly.
—Go on.
Pepper slid the tablet toward him. Files. Transfers. Codenames. Shipping routes that didn't appear in any official report.
—Your uncle —she said carefully— Obadiah Stane. And several senior shareholders.
Tony stared at the data like it was an X-ray of something that had always been broken.
—So… —he said slowly— it wasn't the world. It was my family.
Pepper's voice dropped.
—The weapons didn't "leak." They were sold directly to middlemen, disguised as contracts waiting for your approval.
Tony let out a dry laugh.
—Of course. "Logistics." Always hated that word.
Pepper hesitated.
Tony noticed.
—There's more.
She nodded.
—A lot more.
She pulled up another file. Dates. Payments. Encrypted communications.
—The kidnapping —Pepper said— wasn't random.
Tony felt the hit down to the bone.
—What? —he asked, even though he already knew the answer.
Pepper looked him in the eye.
—Your uncle is the one who gave the order.
The workshop fell into absolute silence.
Tony closed his eyes.
After a long moment, he opened them again.
—So… —he murmured— he sold me. Literally.
Pepper stepped closer.
—Tony…
—No —he said, eyes open now— let me process it for a second.
He walked slowly to the window and looked out at the ocean.
Blue. Calm. Indifferent.
—I always thought he hated me a little —Tony continued— I just never thought he'd be so… corporate about it.
Pepper swallowed, then came closer.
—You're not alone.
Tony smiled.
—No. Not anymore.
He turned to Pepper with something warm in his eyes.
—JARVIS, prep a legal package with everything we have.
—Initiating protocols —the AI replied—. Would you like to notify the authorities?
Tony thought for a second.
—Not yet —he said—. First, I want to look him in the eye.
---
Back to Eric.
Eric closed his bedroom door carefully.
He sat down in front of his beloved laptop, another day, same ritual.
—Alright —he murmured— time to see how much chaos pays the rent.
He opened the panel the system had created for him.
It wasn't exactly YouTube Studio, but it looked close enough to be unsettling.
Same metrics.
Same logic.
None of the human limitations.
REVENUE SUMMARY — CURRENT MONTH
Main channel: Marvel Studios
Subscribers: ~900,000
Average views per video: 20–40 million
Secondary channel: Marvel Shorts
Subscribers: ~600,000
Average views per short: 15–20 million
Frequency: high
Eric whistled under his breath.
—Okay… that's already insane.
—Widow, calculate my earnings going forward, please.
Widow answered in her usual neutral voice.
—It will be a pleasure.
She projected a small hologram beside the screen.
—Using the current year's standard YouTube monetization system, adapted to global traffic and high engagement —she explained— the estimated average CPM ranges between $3 and $6 USD.
Eric raised an eyebrow.
—Give me the number. No anesthesia.
Widow didn't hesitate.
—Estimated earnings for the last full cycle:
Marvel Studios:
• Approximately $85,000 to $110,000 USD
Marvel Shorts:
• Approximately $35,000 to $50,000 USD
Eric blinked.
Then blinked again.
—…Wait.
He leaned forward.
—You're telling me that this month…?
Widow finished the sentence with absolute calm:
—The total approximate income is $120,000 to $160,000 USD, after tax simulations, withholdings, and market variations.
Silence.
Eric stared at the screen, unblinking.
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