As the cargo plane’s ramp slowly lowered, Tony Stark rose unsteadily from his wheelchair and, with someone’s support, stepped off the aircraft.
Waiting for him was Pepper Potts, her eyes red from crying, wearing a smile that looked as though it might collapse into tears at any moment.
Roger gently patted Tony on the back with a grin.
“Pepper’s been worried sick about you. Over the last three months, she’s called me hundreds of times asking about you.”
Tony’s heart suddenly wavered.
So… there really was someone who cared about him.
Someone who worried about the boss who spent every day partying, drinking, and acting like a complete jerk.
Swallowing the lump in his throat, Tony slowly walked up to Pepper and greeted the person closest to him in the familiar teasing way he always used.
“Your eyes are red. Were you crying over your long-lost boss?”
“It’s because I’m happy.” Pepper smiled through watery eyes.
“I hate job hunting.”
“Yeah.” Tony laughed.
“Vacation’s over.”
Roger slipped an arm around Tony’s injured right shoulder and shouted excitedly,
“Let’s throw a party, Tony! Celebrate surviving death!”
“Ow! Ow! Ow! That hurts! It hurts!”
Tony cried out instantly.
Pepper burst into laughter at the sight, quickly pulling Roger’s hand away before he could do any more damage.
…
Inside Tony’s custom-made limousine, Tony refused Pepper’s suggestion that he go straight to a hospital for a full examination.
Instead, he intended to immediately shut down Stark Industries’ weapons development division and stop selling weapons altogether.
Every second of delay meant more innocent people like Yinsen would die by weapons manufactured by Stark Industries.
Pepper wanted to object, but after seeing the determination in Tony’s eyes, she quietly swallowed her words.
“Roger, can you make those… those sweet meat buns?” Tony suddenly asked after returning to civilization.
Hunger had finally caught up with him, and he found himself craving Roger’s mysterious Eastern cuisine.
Roger tilted his head from the front passenger seat, lowered his sunglasses, and looked back in confusion.
“Sweet meat buns? You mean char siu bao?”
“Yes!” Tony nodded vigorously.
“Those! Give me two!”
Roger turned back around, his expression turning slightly strange.
“If Iron Man stops eating cheeseburgers… is that going to affect the future plot?”
In the end, Roger stopped at a fast-food restaurant not far from Stark Industries, borrowed their kitchen, and somehow produced two steaming hot char siu buns in just a few minutes.
Don’t ask how.
The answer was simple: he took them out of his personal storage.
Seriously, there wasn’t even enough time to knead dough in a few minutes.
Watching Tony walk along happily eating char siu buns, Roger couldn’t shake the overwhelming sense that something was deeply wrong.
“Iron Man likes char siu buns now? Is this really okay? Somehow… it feels perfectly absurd.”
…
As Tony sat beneath countless spotlights, gathering his thoughts before addressing the press, Roger smiled and said to Pepper,
“Tony’s changed a lot over these past three months. It’s like he’s become a completely different person.”
“He has…” Pepper smiled with the satisfaction of a proud mother.
Before she could finish, a polite voice interrupted them. Get faster updates on g.com.
“Ms. Potts. Mr. Stan Lee. May I have a moment of your time?”
The speaker was S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson, courteously offering them his business card, completely unaware that he’d just interrupted Pepper’s emotional moment.
Pepper put on a professional smile.
“I’m not involved in this press conference, and it’s about to begin.”
Just as Coulson was about to introduce himself, another voice sounded beside him.
“Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. Agent Phil Coulson. Correct?”
Roger looked at Coulson with a knowing smile.
Well now…
This was convenient.
In the original movie, S.H.I.E.L.D. approached Pepper after Tony’s return.
But Roger suddenly realized…
This was the perfect opportunity to do a little business with S.H.I.E.L.D.
Coulson looked at Roger in surprise, delight flashing across his face.
“I didn’t expect you to know about us, Mr. Roger. That’s wonderful news—a very good start. Could you tell me exactly how Tony Stark escaped?”
“Of course.” Roger smiled brightly, nodded at Pepper, then leaned over and whispered in her ear,
“I’ll handle this guy.”
With that, he casually draped an arm around Coulson’s shoulders like they were old friends.
“Come on, Agent Coulson. Let’s talk in the conference room.”
…
Inside a reception room, Roger leisurely brewed two cups of coffee and handed one to Coulson.
“Give it a try. This coffee comes from Stark Coffee’s special production line. The beans are freshly ground every day and delivered right on schedule. Tony usually only lets Pepper drink it—even I rarely get any.”
Roger took a slow sip, let out a satisfied sigh, then relaxed into the soft sofa with a smile.
Coulson’s hands trembled slightly as he accepted the cup.
Just from the aroma alone, he could tell this coffee was extraordinary.
Compared to the instant coffee at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters…
There wasn’t even a comparison.
As an agent of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division…
Could he really be tempted by something like this?
Was this how they tested a man’s integrity?
“Opportunities like this don’t come often,” Roger said with a smile, gesturing for Coulson to sit.
“Enjoy it. One cup costs several thousand dollars.”
Coulson’s pupils practically shook.
He immediately took a large sip—
“Ah—!”
—and instantly scalded his mouth.
“Hah… hah…”
After catching his breath, he awkwardly set the cup down.
“Mr. Roger… thank you very much… for your hospitality. Now… could you please tell me exactly how Tony Stark escaped from the Ten Rings?” This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Roger calmly drained his own coffee in one gulp and set the cup aside.
“That,” he said evenly, “is a separate charge, Agent Coulson.”
“If your organization wants the complete details of Tony Stark’s escape, you’ll have to pay for them.”
Coulson froze.
For a full three seconds.
What the hell?
I’m a government agent!
One of the highest-level intelligence organizations in the country!
We oversee intelligence around the globe, with authority above ordinary law enforcement!
I’m asking about a kidnapping case…
…and you’re charging me money?
Have you lost your mind?
You’re trying to extort S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Taking a deep breath, Coulson forced himself to calm down.
“Mr. Roger,” he said seriously, “please don’t joke around. We’re a special intelligence agency. Providing us with the details of this case will help us investigate the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice…”
Roger crossed one leg over the other and listened with an amused smile as Coulson recited what sounded suspiciously like an official speech.
After several minutes, Roger waved him off.
“I can issue you an invoice.”
He paused.
“A very large one.”
Silence.
Complete silence.
For one brief moment, Coulson had the bizarre illusion that the man sitting across from him wasn’t Roger…
…but his own director.
That motherf***er, Nick Fury.
Roger even made a little phone gesture with his hand, signaling that Coulson might want to call his boss.
Coulson licked his lips.
For some reason, his chest suddenly felt tight.
He couldn’t explain why.
Picking up his phone, he dialed.
“Director Nick… I’ve run into a situation here that requires your approval…”
The instant the call connected, Coulson instinctively pulled the phone away from his ear as furious shouting exploded from the other end.
The moment the yelling paused, he hurriedly squeezed in a single sentence.
“He says he can issue an invoice, Director!”
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(End of Chapter)