"No." Pepper Potts shook her head. She didn't think it was a good idea. First of all, they didn't really know who this Natalie Rushman was. Second, assigning someone who might have some special relationship with Clark as Tony's assistant felt a bit inappropriate to her.
But Tony completely ignored her objection. He knew what he was doing. Turning to Natalie, who was still chatting with Clark, he asked:
"How do you spell your name, Natalie?"
"Rush...man." Natasha turned around and replied.
Hearing that, Pepper already knew what Tony was up to. Sure enough, when she turned around, she saw Tony pulling up a holographic screen, running a background check on her.
"You're running her background?"
"I'm just trying to understand the situation," Tony said casually, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
"Wow. She's amazing! She speaks fluent French, Italian, and Latin. Who even speaks Latin anymore?"
"You're such a nerd." Pepper rolled her eyes at Tony.
"Almost no one speaks that language these days. It's dying."
"Well, I think I need her. I need someone who has it all." After scanning through Natalie's basic profile, Tony seemed quite satisfied.
Just then, Natasha walked over to Tony with the documents in hand.
"Mr. Stark, I need your fingerprint, if that's okay."
"Hmm, you're calm... and very composed." Still thinking about recruiting her as his assistant, Tony didn't really register what she was asking.
"I meant your fingerprint." Natasha pointed to the marked area on the document Pepper had just signed.
"Alright."
"Well?" Pepper came over as Tony finished reading.
"Great. It's all settled. You're in charge now."
After Tony gave his fingerprint, Natasha began packing the documents back up.
"Is there anything else, Mr. Stark?"
"No, thank you, Miss Rushman." Pepper cut in before Tony could say anything else.
Natasha nodded politely to them both, then walked past and headed out. As she left, she cast a subtle glance toward Clark, signaling for him to follow.
Once both Natasha and Clark were gone, Tony turned to Pepper and said:
"I want her."
"No."
Outside Tony's office, Natasha turned to Clark.
"We need your help with something."
"What is it?" Clark was curious what S.H.I.E.L.D. could possibly want from him. The Avengers storyline hadn't started yet—Thor hadn't even shown up. And if Loki hadn't "killed" Thor, there'd be no Avengers 1 in the first place.
"Steve Rogers. You've heard that name, right?"A sudden name dropped from Natasha's lips.
"Captain America?" Clark immediately remembered. This was around the time when S.H.I.E.L.D. discovered where Steve Rogers had crash-landed.
"Yes. We've matched the final crash coordinates of his plane to a general area. But it's still pretty vague. That's why we want your help—to locate the exact spot where this sleeping hero lies beneath the ice."
"Are you sure he's alive? Even if he's really in the Arctic, he's been frozen for decades!" Clark found this hard to believe. In the movie, Fury had arranged a whole 1940s-style recovery room, with minor details reconstructed—like he knew Steve was alive. But Steve saw through the act the moment the radio mentioned a baseball game he'd already played in.
"I'm not sure either, but the Director seems to have some… unconventional sources. He not only found Steve's location but also believes he's still alive—and doing well."
"Alright, fine. But where exactly is he?"
"The Arctic." Natasha called out from a distance.
"So, when are we leaving?"
"I'll let you know when it's time. You understand, don't you? To recover someone who's been frozen under glaciers for decades—we need a lot of preparation."
"Sure. How about dinner tonight?" Clark figured it'd been a while since they'd last talked, and decided to casually ask her out.
"Forget it. I've still got work." Natasha lifted the folder she was holding. "Maybe next time."
"Oh… alright." Watching her leave, Clark felt an odd twinge of sadness. He realized that throughout all his past relationships, it seemed none of them ever truly agreed with him on much.
Six days later, Clark joined a S.H.I.E.L.D. team heading into the Arctic.
"Based on our data, Steve's plane should have crashed in that direction." Coulson looked down at the tracker, checked their current coordinates, and gave a general heading.
Due to harsh terrain and glacial shifts, the actual crash site could still be a ways off from their best estimates.
As soon as Clark stepped off the plane, he activated his telescopic vision. Gazing in the direction Coulson pointed, he spotted the wreckage buried under layers of ice.
The shape of the aircraft was unusual—unlike most models in use today. It resembled a giant, V-shaped boomerang. Just like in the movie.
"Found it." Inside the wreckage, Clark saw a shield—painted with a star.
"Yeah, that should be the direction—wait, what? You found it already?" Coulson was stunned. He'd barely given a direction.
"Are you sure?"
"If Steve's carrying a shield with the Stars and Stripes, I'm sure."
"Then let's go! I can't wait to meet the real Captain America!" Coulson practically beamed with excitement. Clark remembered—Coulson was a huge fan.
Watching the S.H.I.E.L.D. team haul out heavy-duty gear—ice cutters, torches, and more—Clark decided their slow pace would take too long. He turned to Coulson:
"You guys stay here. I'll handle it myself."And with that, Clark flew straight toward the site before anyone could object.
When he arrived, he quickly located Steve's exact position. Making sure not to harm him, Clark activated his heat vision and began cutting through the thick ice.
Eventually, he removed the massive sheet of ice trapping Steve's plane.
"Captain America… Marvel's first superhero."
As the meters of glacial ice cleared away, Clark could see through the cockpit window—inside lay the still-frozen, sleeping figure of Steve Rogers.
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