That night, Malrick returned to his peaceful daily life.
The next morning at the breakfast table, Yelena and Sherry sat with their heads down, stuffing food into their mouths like they were in a speed-eating contest. Their cheeks bulged with bread and eggs, looking more like determined hamsters than two girls enjoying a quiet al.
Malrick, freshly showered, sat beside Natasha while drying his hair.
"Anything new at the Company?" he asked casually.
Natasha, eyes on the holographic news floating in front of her, took a bite of toast and answered, "Everything's running smoothly—aside from the Boss disappearing for a whole month."
Malrick didn't seem to pick up on the subtext. "That's good to hear."
Then he turned to Yelena, who imdiately stiffened under his gaze.
"What about the Super Hero Company? Please don't tell you've only been focused on that film project."
"Well..." Yelena looked away, her voice trailing off. "We only have two superhero IPs right now, so making the movie was kind of—"
"Hmm?" Malrick raised an eyebrow.
"I-I an!" she stamred, jolting upright. "It's Tony Stark's fault! He's the one who took over the whole production!"
Natasha sighed and slapped her forehead in exasperation. "Yelena, he's asking about everything else, not just the movie."
Despite being clever in most situations, Yelena always seed to forget how to function properly when Malrick was involved.
"Oh, right!" she said, recovering. "Other areas are going well too. We've expanded globally. Our rchandise revenue is projected to surpass 30 billion Dollars annually. Still, we haven't signed any new superheroes yet. There are only two active ones."
She paused, then added, "Actually, shouldn't the n in Black count as a superhero team? Can we start selling n in Black rchandise too?"
Malrick nodded. That 30 billion in revenue was about what he expected.
The explosive success ca from the global reach of Superman and Iron Man rch, and more importantly, the absence of piracy thanks to strict distribution control. Without that, even the best-selling IPs would've fallen short.
He recalled how Pokémon in his past life generated 100 billion over two decades. If the sa market barriers and bootlegging were removed, the potential would've been exponentially higher.
"Aside from the movie," Malrick said, "you're free to handle the Company's operations however you see fit. The point was to give the n in Black a sustainable source of inco."
"Got it, Boss!" Yelena nodded eagerly.
"What about the people rescued from HYDRA? Have they all been sent ho?"
"Most of them have," Natasha answered, her tone shifting slightly. "But there's a particular group that's more complicated."
"Complicated how?"
"So of the abductees were brainwashed and started identifying with HYDRA. If we release them as they are, they could beco ticking ti bombs. But killing them? That's too far—they were victims first."
She continued, "So we've been using Red Room de-programming techniques to reverse the conditioning. It's working, but it takes ti. After reintegration, we plan to monitor them long-term."
Malrick took a sip of milk and nodded. "That's the right approach."
Natasha hesitated. "But there's sothing else."
Malrick raised an eyebrow. "Go on."
"There's a pair of siblings from Sokovia. They weren't brainwashed. They chose to join HYDRA after being abducted."
Malrick's chewing slowed.
"They lost their parents to missiles made by Stark Industries when they were ten," Natasha explained. "Since then, they've lived in a warzone, clinging to a need for revenge."
Sokovia. A pair of siblings. That could only an Wanda Maximoff—Scarlet Witch—and Pietro, her brother Quicksilver.
"Did the n in Black attempt to deprogram them?"
"Not yet. They're scheduled for tomorrow."
"They remind of us," Natasha added quietly. "They grew up too fast, just like Yelena and . If you're okay with it, I'd like to offer them compensation—sothing aningful."
Malrick went quiet for a mont, thinking.
Then he shook his head. "No need to brainwash them. They're not loyal to HYDRA's ideology. They just wanted revenge—against and Tony."
"You know them?" Natasha looked surprised.
Malrick tapped his ear. "Overheard."
He paused. "Release them. Stark does owe them sothing."
"And... set them up sowhere safe. IDs, housing, the basics. Give them 10 million Dollars in compensation."
"That much?" Natasha asked, startled.
"I'll cover it. But tell them this too—Obadiah Stane was the one selling those weapons to warzones. He tried to have and Tony killed. He was the real enemy."
"He committed suicide out of guilt, didn't he?"
"Exactly. That's important for them to know."
Malrick leaned back and added, "Also, make sure they know Malrick Stark is Superman."
Natasha's eyes widened in realization. "You want them to realize their enemy is already gone, and see you for who you are."
"That's the idea," he replied calmly. "I understand how they feel. I was the sa age when it happened. But I believe they'll co to the right conclusion."
Natasha nodded. "I'll take care of it."
After breakfast, Natasha donned her combat gear and flew off to the floating base.
Yelena took Sherry along to spend the day at the Company.
Malrick remained at ho, standing by the window, watching the busy streets below.
He thought about Wanda again.
Strong. Beautiful. Tragic.
Soone who, under different circumstances, might have stood beside him.
A pity that, to her, Stark was still a monster.
---
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