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Time: April 12th, 2004 – Morning
Location: Rural Village, Somewhere in Afghanistan
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The sun beat down on the cracked earth of the village, casting long, weary shadows against shattered walls. The air was thick with dust, smoke, and the sharp scent of gunpowder. A group of men were forced to their knees, backs pressed against the remaining shell of a stone building. Their eyes, sunken, defiant flicked from the rifles pointed at them to the families being dragged away.
One of them a young father searched the crowd desperately. His eyes found his wife, struggling against the grip of a gunman, and their daughter, maybe six years old, clutched tightly in her arms.
The little girl's eyes were brimming. Trembling lips moved in her mother tongue, a whisper only she and the heavens could hear.
"O The most merciful… Please send an Angel to save us.."
The terrorist raised his weapon. A sick grin tugged at his mouth as he barked something in his native tongue.
He was about to pull the trigger
BOOM.
A sonic crack shattered the moment. Dust burst from the ground as red and gold metal slammed into the dirt like a meteor. The shockwave knocked several terrorists off their feet.
The figure straightened. Smooth armor gleamed under the sun, shoulders squared like a guardian from myth. The Mark IV suit hummed with life against Tony's Body.
"Playtime's over," came Tony's distorted voice from within.
PHOOM. A repulsor blast hurled the lead gunman into the wall, where he crumpled and his fate unknown.
The others barely had time to react. Tony moved with high-precision, His Repulser dropping off the terrorists, One by One, Weapons scattered everywhere and screams echod through the square yet this time it was that of the oppressors not the oppressed.
Then silence.
The local villages didn't move for a moment, Uncertain and hesitant to the point they unconsciously held their breathe, afraid and cautious of their savior draped in Metallic Armour.
The little gir stared, wide-eyed, at the man standing like an angel send from the heavens. Her breath hitched. Her heart thudded wildly in her chest.
And then she ran straight past the motionless Tony, breaking the silence with her voice.
"Abbu!"
She threw herself into her father's arms, sobbing as she clung to him with every ounce of strength she had, as though she was afraid to lose him once more.
The man, still stunned, wrapped trembling arms around her. "Thank God... thank God... You are safe now... Everything is alright.."
Tony watched the reunion through the tinted lens of his HUD. Jarvis working overtime to translate what the father spoke in Arabic. His eyes moisturized and a small smile blossomed into his face.
"JARVIS," Tony said quietly.
"Yes, sir?"
"…It's time to clean up my mess."
"Absolutely, Sir. Mark II and III have neutralized sectors B and D. They're en route to the final perimeter now."
"Good." Tony's tone sharpened. "Let's wrap this."
Just as he prepared to lift off, a small voice called behind him.
"Wait!"
He paused mid-hover, boots flaring just inches above the ground. Turning slightly, he saw the girl again. She'd stepped away from her father, walking carefully toward him, eyes still filled with awe.
"Are… are you an angel?" she asked with eagerness of a fan meeting her favorite celebrity.
Tony blinked with uncertainty behind the helmet but after a moment, He lightly chuckle and crouched slightly to be closer to her height.
"…No." Tony's voice became quieter, more self deprecating. "I'm not an angel, kid. Angels are pure. I'm… well, I'm rusty." He tapped the chest of his armor. "I'm iron."
The girl tilted her head, her voice laced with confusion, She answered what she knew as the truth, something she had seen her father do. "But even rusty iron can still protect people"
Tony's brows lifted inside the helmet. A tender smile tugged at his lips.
"Well, I guess you've got a point, Kid." Tony spoke with a dry chuckle. After a brief moment of pause, Tony didn't know why but he felt inspired so with a smile, he stood up and right before flying off he said "You can call me.. Iron Man."
"Iron Man…" she whispered the name repeatedly to ingrain it in her little brain. Memorizing it so she never forgets. Then with a sweet kind smile, she yelled "Thank you, Iron man! For saving us!"
Tony gave her a two-finger salute and propelled himself up "Now stay close to your dad, alright?"
He launched into the sky in a roar of energy, Soon three other suits joined him.
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April 12th, 2004 – 7:14 PM
Location: S.H.I.E.L.D. Triskelion – Director Fury's Office, Washington D.C.
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The hiss of the sliding door broke the quiet hum of the Triskelion's upper levels. Nick Fury stepped in, shoulders taut with the weight of the day, the overhead lights catching the fine lines etched into his face. He closed the door with a dull thud and let out a long, tired breath before slumping into the high-backed chair behind his desk.
For a few lingering moments, he simply sat there in the darkened office, fingers steepled beneath his chin, eyes distant. He rubbed at the bridge of his nose and muttered with a groan "Could've called that trip to Antarctica a waste of time…"
He stared at the ceiling, recalling the bizarre event logs, Their condition, and more unexpectedly the kid.
"... at least I got to see Leo." A brief smile tugged at the corner of Nick's lips. "That boy's got more edge than parents."
After few moments of rest and contemplating, Fury leaned forward and pressed a discreet switch beneath his desk. The room let out a faint buzz, and the hum of soundproofing barriers activated—a muffled seal cocooning the space.
Satisfied, Fury opened the side drawer of his desk and pulled out a small, matte black burner phone with only One number.
He tapped the call button and when it rang once he ended the call, he repeated that two more times and waited.
He waited, counting silently. On the tenth second, the phone vibrated with an incoming call. He raised the receiver to his ear.
After a pause. he heard a familiar female voice speak.
"Nick? What is it? Everything Good?"
Fury leaned back in his chair, a ubtle smirk appeared on his face. "I'd like to file a formal complaint."
"Oh?" The female voice sounded bemused.
"Yes. Your kid hijacked a government-funded research vessel. And not just any vessel—a Level 7 SHIELD Vessel "
A scoff followed on the other end. "Well, then I suggest you find better engineers. If My eight-year-old can break in, that ship isn't worth the acronym."
Fury let out a quiet chuckle. "Fair point."
They both paused briefly before Fury broke the silence. "So... Friday" Fury said after a beat, voice softening "How's life at Xavier's University treating you?"
Friday answered with a melancholy tone "It's… peaceful, Well Mostly. I teach biology to the second-years. Some of them glow in the dark. Some like to blow up the lab as part of their pranks. Explosion is art they say..."
Fury chuckled. "Sounds like a troublesome bunch."
"Oh that's Only when Logan's visiting." she replied dryly.
Nick shook his head, smiling. "I can't picture you there. I am more used to the badass Friday Evans who only needs a single night to take over a hydra base all by herself."
"And now I have three microscopes, two whiteboards, and one window with a nice view of mutant kids playing soccer..."
"If only there was no hydra and world would be so peaceful." Fury murmured.
Friday's voice softened. "And you? Mr Director?. How's the mountain of paperwork?"
Fury exhaled heavily. "Exhausting! I read about fifty classified reports a day, chase rogue satellites, tracking Hydra agents, and figure out if the next global crisis is going to be magical, alien, or another one experiment gone wrong by a super scientist like Reeds and Tony."
Friday chuckled. "Sounds Exhilarating."
"It is," Fury admitted. "But after twenty years of crawling through sewers and breaking skulls, I figure I earned my seat in the big chair."
"So you don't regret it, I presume?"
Fury's response was immediate. "Hell no."
"I liked being in the field," he added. "But at some point, someone's gotta sit at the top and watch the whole board. Otherwise, the pieces just keep getting knocked off."
"Fair," Friday said simply..
Nick leaned back again, looking out his window toward the dark skyline of D.C., lights flickering like distant stars.
A soft silence lingered on the line before Friday's voice returned, lighter, but edged with warmth.
"I'm guessing this isn't just a check-in call."
Fury sighed, the exhaustion creeping back into his voice. "You assumed right."
He reached for the edge of his desk, tapping his fingers rhythmically before speaking again. "Your son remembers you."
Friday went quiet.
"I nearly jumped outta my seat when I saw that AI.." Fury continued, shaking his head with an amused scoff. "It looked exactly like you. Voice. Mannerisms. Everything. Took me a full fove seconds to realize it wasn't you coming to yell at me for stealing your wine stash again."
A soft chuckle slipped through the receiver, followed by a pause filled with something softer—sorrow.
"…Of course he remembers," Friday said quietly, her voice laced with gentleness and guilt. "I knew the serum might bave accelerated more than his body but I also knew he would be safe with Tony.."
Fury let the silence speak for a few seconds.
"I'm thinking of dropping by," Fury admitted. "Letting him know I've been keeping an eye out. Maybe even… tell him a bit. About you.."
Friday's breathing hitched faintly over the line.
"You think I should?" he asked gently.
But before Friday could answer, a knock echoed from the door.
Fury's head turned sharply with mild irritation, He whispered into the burner phone "Hold on." before chucking it inside his inner pocket.
His hand moved under the desk and deactivated the sound suppression. A low whirring noise ceased, and his voice now rang clearly through the room.
"Who is it?"
"It's Hill, sir." came Maria's voice from the other side.
Fury muttered under his breath, "Can't even have one motherfucking peaceful night…" Then louder "Come in."
The door hissed open and Maria Hill stepped in, though something in her posture seemed off to Fury. even Her brow was slightly furrowed.
Fury leaned back in his chair and eyed her. "What now?"
Hill hesitated a second before speaking. "Sir… we picked up something strange on the satellite logs. It's from the period while you were in Antarctica."
Fury straightened. "Go on."
"An object launched from Tony Stark's Malibu mansion. Fast-moving. Low-altitude flight path. Bypassed three of our regional satellites before heading east."
Fury arched an eyebrow. "Heading where?"
"Aghanistan," Hill replied, the word dropping like a stone.
Fury blinked. "That's one heck of a commute."
Hill nodded slowly. "Sir… based on the acceleration pattern, maneuverability, and brief heat signatures—our analysts think it wasn't a projectile."
She hesitated.
Fury's voice dropped an octave. "Say it."
"We think it was Tony Stark. Possibly inside one of Leo's new Spartan suits or something similar."
Fury stared at her for a long beat. Then exhaled sharply and leaned forward, pressing a hand to his forehead. "These Starks… can't give me one fucking quiet day, huh?"
He muttered a long string of nearly-inaudible grumbles before waving a hand.
"Alright. That's it. Effective immediately—any tech, movement, or event involving the Stark family goes through me. No departments freelancing. No sharing data with partner agencies. S.H.I.E.L.D. owns this case now."
Hill's lips twitched, threatening to blossom into a smile but her professionalism helped her remain unfazed. "Understood, Director."
She offered a clean salute, then turned and left without another word.
The door shut behind her.
Fury groaned, one long sound of mounting stress as he slumped forward again and hit the voice suppression switch.
The hum resumed.
He picked the phone back up. "Please tell me you don't have something else to add."
A brief silence.
Then Friday's voice returned, almost sheepishly.
"Well…"
Fury's face dropped. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."
And then, with a voice that echoed pure dread mixed with exasperation, Fury muttered
"…Motherfucke-"
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Word count: 2063
Author's Note:
Peak chapter, I loved writing it. I love pissing off Fury.
I initially wanted to directly rush to the main event but I felt it would be awkward as a latter portion. You will understand what I mean by that in the next chapter.
This chapter hopefully expands more on Fury and Friday since they might be involved more in the foreseeable arcs.
Also I wanted to ask. Should Tony get together with Pepper? or should he get together with Friday again?
If it's the former, then I plan to let Fury and Friday become a couple. Would be hilarious if Fury is Leo's step dad by proxy lol.
Either way, Thanks for reading. Let me know if you have any ideas to share.
Discord server link in case someone wants to join: https://discord.gg/GqMKJsCUNN