Chapter 9 – Shadows After the Fire
The wreck of the Iron Monger still smoked in the street, the night lit up with flashing sirens and the orange glow of scattered flames. Emergency crews swarmed the area, fire trucks, police cruisers, and paramedics fighting to take control of the chaos. A cordon was quickly pushed up, yellow tape stretching across the ruined pavement. Beyond it, clusters of shaken civilians whispered and pointed, some clutching their phones, replaying shaky footage of the impossible fight they had just witnessed.
Two armored figures had battled like titans in the middle of Los Angeles. One was Tony Stark, everyone could guess that much. But the other? The blue and gold giant who stood like a statue in the firelight? Nobody had an answer for him.
Pepper Potts didn't care.
She pushed past two uniformed officers, ignoring their protests. Her heart hammered in her chest as she spotted him, the battered red-and-gold suit standing near the smoldering wreckage.
"Tony!"
Her heels clicked against the cracked street as she ran, ash and dust clinging to her skirt.
The helmet on the armor lifted with a hiss of hydraulics. Tony's face was pale, streaked with sweat, his hair plastered to his forehead. He looked exhausted, beaten down, but alive. When he saw her, his shoulders eased, just a fraction.
Pepper didn't wait. She threw her arms around him, pressing her face against the soot-streaked chestplate. The armor was still warm, almost burning, but she didn't let go.
"Do you have any idea what you just put me through?" Her voice cracked between anger and relief.
Tony managed a tired smirk, his voice hoarse. "I've got a pretty good idea, yeah."
For a moment, the world fell away. The sirens, the shouting, the distant fires, they were all background noise. Pepper only felt his arms shift awkwardly around her, the hard edges of the armor pressing against her shoulders, and the faint tremor of his exhausted laugh.
Behind them, paramedics tried to reach the scene, but they hesitated as their eyes locked on the other figure.
Gaius Maximor Thassor.
The Ultramarine stood in silence, his armored frame towering above the scene. Blue ceramite glimmered in the firelight, gold trim catching the glow like molten sunlight. His bolter was mag-locked to his side, his massive armored hands resting easily at his hips. His helmet lenses glowed a steady crimson, scanning everything, measuring, judging.
People didn't approach him. They couldn't. He radiated something that felt too heavy, too overwhelming.
And then Agent Coulson arrived.
He moved through the cordon with his usual calm, flanked by a pair of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. He didn't rush or shout. He didn't need to. His presence alone steadied the nervous policemen and firefighters. He adjusted his tie, glanced at the wreck of Obadiah's armor, then at Tony, then finally at the giant standing sentinel at his side.
"Mr. Stark," Coulson said evenly, his voice cutting through the noise. "Quite the show tonight."
Tony let out a dry laugh. "Yeah. Pretty sure I'm not getting my security deposit back."
Coulson's lips curved in the faintest smile, but his eyes didn't leave Gaius. "Impressive work. Though I can't help but notice… you didn't do it alone."
Pepper followed his gaze, and her hold on Tony tightened. She had been so focused on him that she hadn't realized the agent was already zeroing in on the other mystery.
Tony glanced toward Gaius, then back to Coulson. "Oh, him? Yeah, that's just my… heavy-duty intern. Doesn't talk much, eats a lot."
Pepper shot him a sharp look. "Tony-"
But Coulson didn't even blink. His expression stayed calm, polite, but there was no hiding the curiosity in his eyes. His agents shifted uneasily, their hands resting near their weapons.
For a long moment, nobody spoke. The firelight flickered against the blue armor.
Then Gaius moved.
The giant tilted his head, the servos in his armor whining softly. His voice rumbled out, deep and resonant, carrying a weight that pressed into the bones of everyone who heard it.
"Primaris Ultramarine. Gaius Maximor Thassor."
The words struck like a hammer. Even those who didn't understand them felt the weight behind them.
One of Coulson's men stiffened, his hand brushing the grip of his sidearm. The other swallowed hard, eyes wide. Coulson himself didn't move, though Pepper noticed the faint twitch in his jaw.
"Interesting," Coulson said quietly. "And… what exactly is a Primaris Ultramarine?"
Gaius didn't answer. His crimson lenses fixed on the agent, unblinking, unreadable.
The silence grew sharp. Even the noise of the sirens and shouts seemed distant compared to the heavy presence of the armored giant.
And then, with a hiss of hydraulics, Gaius raised one hand to his helm.
Pistons released. Steam hissed out. The locks disengaged with a sharp clack. Slowly, he lifted the helmet away.
Pepper's breath caught.
The face revealed beneath the armor wasn't what she expected. Not a scarred monster, not some alien visage, but a man. His features were sharp and commanding, his skin weathered, his hair dark and close-cut. He looked like he might be in his early thirties, but his eyes, his eyes were wrong. They were too steady, too heavy. They carried an age that didn't match his face, a weight of experience that made even Coulson falter.
For the first time in a long while, the calm S.H.I.E.L.D. agent felt his professionalism slip. The air around him seemed colder, his skin prickling as if those eyes could see straight through him.
Is he even human? Coulson thought.
Pepper, still holding onto Tony, felt it too. She shivered without meaning to.
Gaius didn't speak. He only studied them, his gaze moving from Coulson to Pepper, then finally to Tony. His eyes thoughtful, almost imperceptibly, when they rested on Stark.
Then, as if remembering something, Gaius glanced slightly to the side, though there was nothing there. Not to anyone else.
Only he could see it. The faint overlay of the multiversal chat, hovering like a second layer of vision. A reminder scrolled across it in words only he could read:
Mission not yet complete.
He don't remember much from his previous life on Earth. But he do recall that Tony Stark survived the palladium poisoning and upgraded his arc reactor. The details of how it happened, though, have long since faded, lost to centuries of war and relentless Chaos..
With a faint hiss, Gaius lowered the helmet back into place. The locks sealed with a heavy clunk, the crimson lenses glowing once more.
Coulson straightened, clearing his throat, forcing the chill from his voice. "Well… Mr. Stark. Ms. Potts. We'll need to debrief soon. Both of you."
His eyes flicked to Gaius one last time. "And him."
Tony, still leaning on Pepper for support, managed a lopsided grin. "Good luck with that."
Coulson didn't answer. He only studied the armored giant a moment longer before turning with a polite smile, his agents following close behind.
The street was still a ruin, the night still filled with sirens and smoke, but for a moment, all Pepper could hear was the faint hiss of Gaius' armor and the steady, oppressive weight of his presence.
And in the silence that followed, Tony muttered under his breath, "This is gonna get complicated."