S.H.I.E.L.D.
That thunder had echoed in a very strange way.
Still, Nick Fury forced himself to treat it as a simple natural phenomenon.
But deep down, something already told him this was no ordinary thunder.
"Take a look at this, sir."
Maria Hill's firm, controlled voice came from behind him. She walked toward Fury with determined steps, holding a tablet in her hands.
On the device was a recording from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s surveillance satellite, showing something unusual.
Technically, this satellite wasn't even supposed to exist. Launching it into Earth's orbit had been a personal act of stubbornness from Nick Fury, who had insisted against every recommendation of budget and strategic logic. Few people truly knew the reason for that stubbornness.
Fury had solid reasons: he had already witnessed an alien invasion—something almost no one else knew about.
That secret was guarded more tightly than Fort Knox. At the time, Earth simply had no resources to detect extraterrestrial threats. Revealing the truth to the world would only have caused panic.
And now, right before his eyes, the tablet displayed the exact moment the thunder had struck.
Fury narrowed his eyes.
The video showed a clear sky where the thunder had occurred, with no storm clouds whatsoever. There was nothing—absolutely nothing—that could justify thunder formation. It was an affront to natural law, a complete absurdity by meteorological standards.
Then, the thunder roared out of nowhere.
And in that very instant, something appeared.
A shadow—far too fast to be clearly identified—fell straight from the heart of the lightning bolt and crashed into Earth.
"What was that?" Fury muttered, keeping his voice calm.
"It was a hammer, sir," Hill answered directly, enlarging the image on the tablet.
Nick Fury raised an eyebrow. "A… hammer?"
No matter how he looked at it, that was undeniably a hammer. And it definitely wasn't just some ordinary tool.
Fury's first thought was that this might be some kind of alien invasion.
"Where's the hammer now?" he asked, already calculating containment measures in his mind.
"It landed in a rural area of New Mexico."
Fury considered in silence. That object was far too dangerous an unknown to be ignored.
"Where is Agent Coulson at the moment?"
"He's keeping an eye on Bruce Banner."
Hill added: "Banner is stable. No signs he might lose control anytime soon."
Fury nodded, adjusting his strategy. "Send Agent Barton to investigate the crash site. Have him take a small team of researchers with him."
"Only Agent Barton?" Hill asked, skeptical.
Before Fury could respond, a confident, ironic female voice spoke from behind them.
"You should trust his abilities, Hill."
Both turned at once. Natasha Romanoff was standing there. With graceful steps, she approached Fury and handed him a folder of documents.
"I suggest you take a good look at the mission report."
Nick Fury took the papers, but his eyes carried a spark of displeasure. Not at Natasha—he trusted her skills far more than he'd ever admit.
But because the report concerned his recent failure in recruiting Tony Stark for the Avengers Initiative.
The mere mention of that situation irritated him. He didn't want to reread a report that only highlighted Stark's arrogance and his own setback.
Thus, Fury ignored Natasha's suggestion.
"Agent Romanoff, return to your previous mission."
"Understood."
She smiled faintly and slipped out of sight as if she had never been there.
"Send Agent Barton," Fury repeated to Hill.
"Understood."
But before closing the matter, Fury muttered something else, giving a new direction to his priorities: "Before that… let's find Kingpin."
That was another problem demanding his immediate attention.
Fury had already intended to deal with him earlier, but everything with Steve had delayed his plans.
Kingpin wasn't just another man.
Years ago, Howard Stark had studied the countless applications of Vibranium, one of which was turning the metal into weapons of mass destruction.
Now, the news that Wilson Fisk had purchased a significant amount on the black market set every red flag flashing in Fury's mind.
"We've already located him, sir. About thirty minutes ago, he was in a virtual meeting with… a Japanese animation studio."
Fury blinked, confused. "What?"
If Hill had told him Kingpin had ordered a hit on someone, he'd have understood instantly.
But a criminal of Fisk's caliber conferencing with an animation studio? That sounded almost comical.
"Is the Vibranium he acquired connected to this?"
"Apparently not, sir. The studio shows no record of illegal activity. Everything points to it being legitimate."
Fury frowned. Something didn't add up.
"Let's go." He rose abruptly, wasting no time as he left the office.
He wanted answers. And only one man could give them: Kingpin himself.
"Understood…" Hill replied, quickening her pace to follow him.
---
Tony's House
The living room was lit only by the soft glow of a few strategically placed candles—not truly romantic, just Tony Stark pretending he had learned something about "atmosphere" after spending so much time with Pepper.
He carved into his steak with theatrical exaggeration, gesturing with the knife as if it were a magic wand while telling bad jokes.
Pepper shook her head with a sigh, but couldn't resist letting out a small laugh. She was used to his terrible jokes, though she knew half of Tony's charm was never being embarrassed to tell them.
Before he could deliver another punchline, the door suddenly opened. Happy walked in, scowling, holding something that looked like an envelope.
Tony, without missing a beat, dropped his silverware and raised an eyebrow dramatically.
"Whoa, hold up! Look at that face… what is it, Happy? Something bad happen? Did your burger hit the floor? Or—" he squinted theatrically—"did you fall in love again?"
Happy rolled his eyes and replied flatly: "Tony, I already told you I don't want to talk about that."
"Oh, so that's it!" Tony slammed the table triumphantly, as if solving a grand mystery. "I knew it. Bet you're still hung up on that S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, aren't you?"
Happy huffed, ignoring the comment. Inside, he still brooded over Natalie—no, Natasha—leaving. He truly believed he'd almost won her over. Just one more push… and then Tony ruined everything.
"Hahahaha~" Tony laughed, leaning back in his chair with an evil-genius grin. "Your loss. I was just about to suggest you head over to S.H.I.E.L.D. and ask that spy out. I was even gonna pay for dinner, believe it or not."
Happy's eyes widened with sudden hope. "Really?"
"Of course not," Tony answered instantly.
Pepper sighed, folding her arms as she gave Tony a look colder than ice.
Realizing the danger, Tony simply stuffed a large bite of steak into his mouth, pretending he'd said nothing.
Fed up, Happy placed the envelope on the table in front of Pepper.
"What's this?" Pepper asked.
"An invitation to the Hammer Expo in a week."
Tony choked so badly on his wine he had to pound his chest. Coughing, he craned his neck to peek at the envelope.
Pepper arched an eyebrow, glanced at the invitation… then at Tony… then back at the invitation.
Tony burst into uncontrollable laughter: "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You've got to be kidding me! Justin Hammer still hasn't given up humiliating himself publicly by trying to imitate me? That guy's a walking fan club with self-esteem issues."
Pepper handed him the envelope.
Tony waved his hands, refusing at once: "Oh, no, no, no. Keep it, sweetheart. If I show up at this so-called 'Hammer Expo,' his show will turn into mine in two seconds. And honestly, I don't want to be accused of corporate bullying."
He then pointed at Happy. "You go with her, big guy."
"No problem," Happy said, already used to it.
Tony then put on a face far too serious to be genuine. "Now the real question is: are you joining the dinner of the elite, or pretending you already ate to escape?"
Happy didn't even blink. "No, thanks. I already ate."
Tony sighed, faking heartbreak. "Always rejecting my love… you wound me, Happy."
Happy left, leaving Tony and Pepper alone again.
---
Later that night, finishing dinner, Tony went down to his newly renovated workshop.
"JARVIS, play my AC/DC playlist," Tony said as he entered.
Back in Black instantly filled the workshop.
"Preparations for the Mark VI tests done yet?"
[The armor is ready, sir. Shall I begin the tests now?]
"Absolutely. Let's take her for a spin."
The lift platform rose, and the robotic arms began their work. Each piece of the armor locked into place with millimetric precision, like a metal orchestra conducted by the calm voice of the AI.
When the final piece clicked in, Tony raised his arms.
"Ahhh, now that's music to my ears."
With a wide grin, he launched into the air, leaving a trail of smoke.
"I need to show this beauty to Arthur."
[Sir, don't forget he called you for something else this morning.]
"Oh~ Right, I almost forgot about that," Tony muttered.
He then soared through the night sky toward his destination.
Moments later, he landed triumphantly on Arthur's lawn. But the instant his feet touched the ground… the suit powered down.
Tony froze.
"JARVIS? You there?"
Silence.
"JARVIS??"
He blinked inside the helmet. He was alone.
(Someone hacked the system?)
This wasn't just strange.
It was impossible.
No one—absolutely no one—could breach JARVIS's defenses.
---
(End of Chapter)
A/N: Yes, I know—the events of Thor take place in 2011, while Iron Man is in 2010.
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."