After Nick Fury left, the grocery store returned to a strange, unnatural silence.
Luke imdiately noticed how weird it felt.
When it was just him and Wanda, the store was never this quiet.
Behind the counter, Wanda lounged in Luke's gaming chair, fingers steepled, her expression dark as she watched Sharon.
Only now did she seem to realize what she had agreed to.
Sure, they saved so money.
But at what cost?
There was now another woman, a very pretty woman at that, standing between her and her beloved brother.
'Why didn't I ask that pirate to assign a male assistant?'
'Why must it be a woman?'
'Why such a dangerous-looking woman?!'
Wanda fud silently.
Sharon, for her part, t the younger girl's stare with calm indifference.
Since developing a sense of emotional reliance on Luke, Sharon had resolved to do her job well, no matter the circumstances.
So now, as Wanda glared at her like a lioness protecting her territory, Sharon simply crossed her arms and returned a cold, unreadable expression.
The temperature in the grocery store seed to drop by several degrees.
And caught between them, Luke suffered the most.
He could already see the painful future ahead.
'Why, just why did I insist on making Sharon my assistant again?'
He tried to justify it to himself.
'It's not lechery. It's not because I think she's hot, well, she is hot but that's not the point!'
'It's just... I don't think Captain Arica is the right match for her.'
'Yes. That's it. I'm saving this good woman from a lifeti of emotional disappointnt.'
Luke nodded solemnly, thoroughly convincing himself of his own nonsense.
As the tension between the two won thickened, Doggo suddenly ca tumbling down the stairs.
Like a godsend.
Luke's eyes lit up.
While he knew he couldn't afford to provoke either of them… that didn't an he couldn't escape.
"Well! You two go ahead and… bond. I'm going for a walk."
He quickly called Doggo, who had also sensed the danger in the room, and together they dashed out the door like two soldiers retreating from a warzone.
…
Strolling down the street with Doggo's leash in hand, Luke let out a long, grateful breath.
Doggo really was his best friend.
The fluffy husky waddled happily beside him, drawing attention from passersby, especially won.
Girls squealed with delight, so crouching down to pet him.
Doggo, sensing an opportunity, rolled onto his back for belly rubs, earning even more giggles.
Watching the scene, Luke's complicated emotions slowly settled.
He slipped on his glasses.
Sotis, the simple things in life, like a dog, a quiet street, and a good pair of lenses, could still bring true peace.
Looking at his dog that was like a magnet of chicks he couldn't help singing a little song in his mind.
'You've got a friend in ~'
…
Triskelion, S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters.
Nick Fury had successfully returned, but his mind was still sowhere else.
As he stepped into the command center, Agent Maria Hill approached.
Noticing he was alone, she tilted her head.
"Director, where's Sharon?" she asked casually. "Didn't you go out with her?"
Fury's face twitched.
He felt a slight flicker of guilt.
After all, he had traded one of his top agents… for an eyepatch.
'Technically it's still a mission…'
'Sort of.'
"She's on a new assignnt," Fury said smoothly, lying as naturally as he breathed.
Hill blinked in surprise, but didn't push.
Their relationship was friendly, but boundaries were boundaries.
If her boss didn't offer details, she wasn't going to pry.
Fury casually slipped a hand into his pocket, brushing his fingers over the eyepatch like it was his most important treasure, his precious.
Then, eager to shift the conversation, he asked, "Weren't you going to report sothing?"
Hill brightened.
"Yes, Director. We've confird the body frozen in that ice layer, it's really Captain Arica!"
Fury's one eye widened slightly with satisfaction.
"Good. Send more people to bring the hero ho."
"Right away, sir!"
…
Malibu, California. Stark's Seaside Villa, Basent Lab.
Tony Stark was deep in the zone.
Surrounded by tal scraps, schematics, and energy cores, he worked tirelessly on a new project: the battle suit.
The original concept, born of desperation in a cave, had taken root in his mind and refused to leave, so much that he could barely sleep a wink.
Now, back in his elent with Jarvis assisting, Tony refined the design.
The Mark I was nothing compared to what he had in mind now.
This suit would be sleek, efficient, beautiful.
Every curve, every bolt, a masterpiece of engineering.
Tony couldn't let it go.
Sothing deep inside told him that this armor was more than just a prototype.
It was his future.
…
anwhile, the stock price of Stark Industries continued to nosedive.
Tony's public disappearance didn't help.
And while he remained holed up in his lab, soone else was taking full advantage of the chaos.
Obadiah Stane.
The ever-calculating executive had quietly made a trip to the cave where Tony had been held.
The original plan, to remove Tony from this world, had failed.
And he wanted to know why.
During the inspection, he made an unexpected discovery: crushed beneath debris, half-burned but mostly intact… were blueprints.
Tony's suit design.
The flas hadn't touched them. The rubble had shielded them like a gift from fate.
Obadiah cradled the damaged blueprints like sacred scripture.
Once he was back in the States, he imdiately summoned his top scientists and ordered a covert operation to begin reproducing the armor.
He didn't know it yet, but this act would set in motion a second race.
One that would shape the future in ways no one could predict.
…
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