As Jack was on his way to New York, Tony Stark landed at the airport.
As Tony walked down the plane stairs, he looked at Coulson and the others and said, "Hey, don't forget to attend my welcome party at my villa tonight."
"Yeah, sure," they nodded.
As they watched Tony walk away, Natasha said, "I think Fury should give us a paid vacation after this."
Hearing her words, both Coulson and Clint looked at each other and, with a small smile, walked outside.
"What's the meaning of that smile?" she complained as they walked.
Tony walked outside with James Rhodes and saw a few female army members approaching with a stretcher.
"Are you kidding me with this? Get rid of them."
Hearing Tony's words, Rhodes waved them off as Tony walked toward Pepper Potts, who was standing there with a bodyguard.
"Your eyes are red. A few tears for your long-lost boss?" Tony said as he looked at her.
"Tears of joy. I hate job hunting," she said lightly.
"Yeah. Vacation's over." Tony replied and walked toward the car as the bodyguard opened the door.
"It's good to see you again, sir," the bodyguard said.
"Yeah, it's good to see you guys again." Tony entered the car with Pepper Potts.
"Where to, sir?" the driver asked as Tony closed the door.
"Take us to the hospital, please, Happy," Pepper said to the driver.
"No."
"No? Tony, you have to go to the hospital."
"No is a complete answer…"
"The doctor has to—"
"I have been in captivity for three months, and I have two things to do. One is…" Tony interrupted.
"I want an American cheeseburger. And the other one…"
"That's enough of that," Pepper cut in before he could finish.
"…is not what you think. I want you to call for a press conference."
"Call for a press conference?" Pepper looked at him in confusion.
"Yeah. Hogan, drive."
"What on earth for?" Pepper asked as the car started moving.
"Cheeseburger first." Tony ignored the question.
On the other side, when the news broke that Tony Stark had returned alive, the entire country was thrown into shock. Media channels quickly changed their headlines, reporters rushed to cover the story, and news about the billionaire spread everywhere within minutes.
After all, Tony Stark was not just the owner of Stark Industries — he was one of the most famous people in America. The playboy billionaire who had gone missing in Afghanistan three months ago had suddenly returned alive.
Politicians, businessmen, reporters, and even ordinary people were all shocked by the unexpected news. Some people called it a miracle, while others were curious about what had happened during his captivity.
So when news spread that Tony would be attending a press conference shortly after returning, media companies quickly gathered outside the venue. Reporters crowded the area with cameras and microphones in hand as more and more people arrived to see Tony Stark in person.
By the time Tony's car arrived, a large crowd had already formed outside the building.
As Tony's car appeared, people were eager to see him. Tony's uncle, Obadiah Stane, rushed forward first and opened the door.
"Look at this — Tony!" He welcomed Tony with a hug.
"Hello," Tony said with a little voice as the hug made him wince in pain.
"We were gonna m-e-et at the hospital."
"No, no, that's fine," Tony replied casually as Happy handed him the burger.
Taking the burger, he walked inside.
"OK, do I get one of those?" Stane asked.
"No, there's only one left. I need it," Tony said as they walked inside the venue.
As they entered the venue, Pepper spotted Coulson standing nearby and walked toward him.
"Thank you for saving Tony. I didn't get a chance to speak with you at the airport," Pepper said.
"I'm Coulson. And no, I didn't save him," he replied politely. "I only played a small part. My teammates and allies were the ones who rescued him."
"Still, thank you for your help. Can I know the name of your organization?"
"We're from the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division," Coulson answered.
Pepper blinked. "That's quite a mouthful."
"You can call us SHIELD," Coulson said calmly. "The name was recently shortened."
"Are you still assigned to Tony's security? I thought your job was already done," she asked, glancing toward Tony, who was preparing to begin the press conference.
"Our Boss instructed me to stay with Mr. Stark until he safely reaches home."
"Tough job, huh?" Pepper said with a small smile.
Coulson returned the smile, though it looked slightly forced. "Yeah."
After all, Natasha and Clint had already left, leaving him as the only one still on duty.
"Alright, let's get started," Stane said to the media up front, then looked around for Tony and found him sitting down.
"Hey, would it be alright if everyone sat down?" Tony said as he ate his burger.
Hearing it, everyone looked at each other.
"Why don't you just sit down? That way you can see me the same way I can see you." Hearing Tony say it again, all the media sat down as Stane also sat near Tony.
"What is he up to?" Rhodes asked Potts.
"Don't look at me. I don't know what he's up to," she replied.
"It's good to see you, Stane," Tony said sincerely.
"Me too," Stane replied warmly.
Tony looked toward the reporters for a moment before speaking again.
"I never got to say goodbye to my father," he began. "There are questions I would have asked him… about how he felt about what this company did. Whether he was conflicted. Whether he ever had doubts. Maybe he was every inch of the man we all remembered from the newsfeed."
The room slowly grew quieter as people listened to him in confusion, unsure where he was going with this.
"I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to defend them. And I realized that I had become part of a system that is comfortable with zero accountability."
Reporters immediately began raising their hands. Tony glanced around before pointing toward a young reporter sitting near the front.
"What happened over there?" the reporter asked.
Tony slowly stood up from his chair.
"I had my eyes opened. I came to realize that I have more to offer this world than just making things that blow up."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"And that is why, effective immediately, I am shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark International."
Then the entire venue erupted into shock and confusion as reporters began shouting questions all at once.
A/N:🚨 Power Stone Goals! 🚨
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