Henry had already reached the exit, and his voice came from ahead.
"Let's go. Happy should be waiting for us downstairs."
Tony also followed. They were surrounded by a still-sulking Pepper and a calm Natasha. Natasha and Coulson exchanged a subtle look, then she silently left. She had no comment.
Tony was right; she also thought Nick Fury's bald head was too noticeable. Perhaps he could wear a wig and a basketball jersey; then he wouldn't be the Egghead, but the Son of Los Angeles.
Escorted by a group of security guards, they quickly walked through the long corridor and reached the underground parking lot. A black Audi A8 was already waiting. Happy's chubby face was etched with anxiety and helplessness.
"Bosses, you're finally out," he rushed over the moment he saw them.
"I was listening to the radio in the car, and you two..."
"I know, we are awesome, right?" Tony interrupted him, then naturally opened the back door for Pepper and Natasha.
"Alright, stop fussing like a girl, Happy. Drive, let's go home. I'm hungry; I need a double cheeseburger to replenish the energy I used up thinking so hard."
They quickly got into the car. The Audi A8 let out a low roar, deftly shaking off any potential pursuit and merging into the brightly lit traffic of Los Angeles. Inside the car, the atmosphere was a bit heavy.
Pepper still had a stern face, refusing to speak, only glaring at the two carefree men in the front. Tony, however, acted as if nothing had happened, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel to the rock music playing on the car stereo while chatting with Henry.
"Honestly, Henry, you delivered that line, 'I am Superman,' without any punch. You should have learned from me—build up the emotion first, and then deliver an explosive declaration. That's what makes it truly shocking and effective. The way you did it made you sound like you were talking in your sleep."
"Oh? Is that so?" Henry glanced at him in the rearview mirror, shooting back unceremoniously.
"What about you? Your final pose looked exactly like a salesman preparing to pitch his new product. Seriously, Tony, you weren't trying to slip in an ad for our Arc Reactor, were you?"
"That's called confidence! That's a kingly demeanor! Don't you get it, you brute who only knows brute force!"
"That's called low profile! That's called mystique! You narcissist who wants to carve 'I am a genius' onto his forehead!"
Pepper listened to their increasingly ridiculous conversation and finally couldn't hold back her frustration.
"Can you two please talk about something serious?!" she said, annoyed.
"What do we do now?! The whole world knows you're Iron Man and Superman! What about the government? What about the military? And the board of directors? I bet they're about to blow up my phone!"
"It's simple," Henry said lazily.
"The government can come talk to me. The military can go talk to Tony. As for the board of directors..."
He paused, then said casually, "Tell them to get lost. Anyone unhappy can quit. Since when do they get to dictate what happens at Stark Industries?"
Pepper was stunned. She realized that she really had nothing to worry about. Because if the sky truly fell, these two would hold it up.
"Alright," she sighed helplessly, feeling like she had punched cotton.
"Where are we going now? Home?"
"Home, of course," Tony said matter-of-factly.
"And then we'll throw a huge party to celebrate the official launch of our superhero careers! I'm inviting all the models from the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show! The biggest DJ! The music will be so loud that all of Los Angeles will hear about our return!"
Pepper took a deep breath, but ultimately said nothing.
Natasha remained expressionless. She realized she would never fully integrate with these people. Her sense of humor was too lacking; she only regretted not watching more comedies, like that one with Robert Downey Jr., Chaplin.
"Your taste is still so vulgar," Henry scoffed.
"But speaking of which, a party is fine, but you still haven't bought the burger you promised me last time." Tony suddenly remembered.
"A burger? Burgers again?" Henry rolled his eyes.
"Tony, my dear brother, can't you have a little ambition? We just achieved a world-changing feat; if we have to eat, we should open a bottle of red wine and have the chef prepare a grand dinner to cleanse our souls that were defiled by that press conference! Not eat high-calorie junk food!"
"I want a burger," Tony insisted stubbornly.
"Want to eat Superman's fist instead?" Henry asked blankly.
"Fine, fine, you win," Tony sighed helplessly.
Natasha, in the back seat, silently watched the exchange. She exchanged a look with Pepper, seeing resignation in the latter's eyes. Tony suddenly looked at Henry and winked.
"I almost forgot, you have a date. Are you still going to the party? You know, every beauty in Los Angeles wants to meet the legendary Mr. Superman now."
Henry leaned back in his seat. He glanced at Natasha, who pretended not to hear, then thought of Helen Cho waiting for him, a playful smile on his lips.
"No, I'm not going to the party. You just said it yourself, I have a date tonight."
Tony laughed, intentionally teasing him. "Tsk tsk, Henry, you're fast. You're faster than my sports car's model update."
"I can't help it," Henry spread his hands, an expression that said, I'm so helpless, on his face.
"Charm is something that can't be hidden. Unlike some people who have to rely on throwing parties to attract women's attention."
"Hey! I call that enjoying life!" Tony immediately retorted.
Pepper's head started aching again from their bickering. She said weakly to Happy, "Happy, take Tony back to the Malibu villa, and then take me to the company. I'm probably pulling an all-nighter again tonight."
"What about you?" she looked at Henry.
"You're not really going on a date, are you? Do you know how much of a commotion you'll cause if you go out now?"
"Don't worry, Pepper," Henry winked at her.
"I have my own ride."
The car was silent for a moment. Meanwhile, Natasha's mind was racing. The Stark brothers, these two men whom the world saw as geniuses and playboys, were far more complex and dangerous than their files suggested.
Tony Stark seemed impulsive, arrogant, and frivolous, but his mind held a fervent sense of responsibility. His declaration of being Iron Man seemed spur-of-the-moment, but Natasha acutely sensed that it was a deeply considered announcement.
And Henry Stark—this man made her feel even more unfathomable. He possessed immense power but acted like a carefree boy next door.
His mouth was perpetually filled with trash talk that could infuriate anyone, but his eyes were like a deep, serene lake—calm and sharp, as if they could see through everything. Especially what he had just said to Coulson.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. is one of the legacies left behind by my father, Howard Stark."
The amount of information contained in that sentence was staggering. He not only knew of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s existence and Director Fury, but he was also fully aware of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s origins. He was issuing a warning and asserting his ownership.
Natasha realized that the Director might have truly underestimated them this time. These two men were not assets that could be controlled or exploited.
They were two independent wills capable of fundamentally disrupting the world order. She thought she must immediately and fully report everything that happened today to Fury. And she planned to add a concluding sentence based on her own judgment to the report.
"Regarding the Avengers Initiative, I recommend that the assessment level for the Stark brothers be immediately elevated from 'Potential Recruits' to 'Highest Strategic Partners.'"
But she suspected that, given the Director's nature, it would likely be changed to "Highest Threat Target."
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