Tony Stark's private clinic, late night.
Happy Hogan lay unconscious on the hospital bed, a breathing tube connected to his mouth.
He'd passed the critical stage, but he was still in a coma.
Tony sat quietly beside the bed, his face unusually serious. No one spoke — not even Natasha, standing nearby, who finally broke the silence.
"Sorry," she said softly. "We were late."
"When Steve and I got there, Killian's bodyguard had already thrown Happy several meters through the air. The moment he saw us, he… blew himself up."
Natasha's eyes moved toward Happy's still body. "Killian escaped. S.H.I.E.L.D. issued a full alert and sealed off every major exit in New York, but… someone's helping him."
Tony didn't respond. He just stared at Happy — the worry in his eyes sharper than the arc reactor's glow.
Steve placed a hand on Tony's shoulder. He didn't need words; the gesture said enough — I'm here if you need me.
Ten minutes later, the clinic doctor came in to check the IV.
"Dr. Scott," Tony said, standing up. "Take good care of Happy. Don't let anything happen to him."
After giving his orders, Tony turned and walked out.
Natasha and Steve exchanged a look, then followed him into the corridor.
"Happy told me the other day," Tony began, his voice tight with anger. "He said that bastard Killian was hitting on Pepper."
"I didn't care. I thought it was just another jealous ex-researcher trying to get funding."
Tony clenched his fists. "Then Kai mentioned that suicide bomber attack — the Extremis virus Killian showed Pepper — that's the same damn thing!"
He slammed his fist into the wall. "If Kai hadn't brought it up, if Happy hadn't followed up... Pepper could've—"
He stopped mid-sentence, breathing hard.
Steve stepped closer. "Tony, it's not your fault. No one can predict the future."
Tony turned toward him, eyes blazing. "Maybe not. But I can decide what I do next."
"I'll help you," Steve offered.
"No." Tony shook his head sharply. "This is personal. Between me and that son of a bitch."
Grabbing his jacket, he stormed down the corridor. "I'll avenge Happy myself."
Steve exhaled slowly as Tony disappeared around the corner. "He's furious," he said quietly. "I'm worried he's going to do something reckless."
Natasha folded her arms. "Then let's call Kai. Tony trusts him more than anyone right now. Maybe he can talk some sense into him."
She checked her phone. "Besides, Alice — the woman Hydra planted — moved into Kai's building last week. She's been trying to get close to him."
"I've had surveillance running around the apartment," Natasha added. "If she makes a move, I'll know immediately."
Steve frowned. "Hydra doesn't make simple plays. Whatever they're planning, it's not small."
Natasha's tone hardened. "Then let's use their plan against them. They want to recruit Kai. Let's make them realize how stupid that is."
The next morning.
"This is so annoying," Kai muttered into his phone. "Why don't we just grab Alice and make her spill Hydra's base location?"
Natasha's voice came through the line, calm and patient. "Kai, it's not that easy. Hydra agents are either lunatics or people who've been brainwashed since childhood. Even if you expose them, they'll bite down on the poison capsule in their teeth before saying a word."
"Even if you catch her in time, she won't talk," she continued. "They're trained to die before breaking."
She took a sip of her coffee, watching from the café across the street from Kai's apartment. "Still, I'm curious what approach she'll take on you — probably a honey trap… maybe a big cash offer too."
Kai rolled his eyes. "If they want to bribe me, fine. I'll take the money."
"For the sake of the dollar," he added dryly.
"Good," Natasha said, her smirk audible over the phone.
"Okay, hang on," Kai said suddenly. "She's knocking on my door right now. Brought breakfast. Looks edible, and I don't sense any drugs."
"Alright, I'll be in touch," Natasha replied.
Kai hung up, then stared at the door for a moment.
Natasha said the foods clean. But eating Hydra's breakfast? Yeah, not happening.
It wasn't that Kai didn't trust Natasha — he did, mostly. But she was still S.H.I.E.L.D. — and S.H.I.E.L.D. always had that "greater good" logic.
If a situation ever came down to one life for a million… Kai wasn't sure he'd like their choice.
So no, he wasn't eating anything delivered by a Hydra operative, no matter how good it smelled.
A few minutes later, Alice returned to her apartment next door, confused.
Standing before her mirror, she looked at her reflection — beautiful, elegant, confident — yet something felt off.
"Why didn't he even invite me inside?" she muttered.
He'd looked surprised when she appeared, recognized her as a Stark Industries employee, even chatted politely.
He thanked her for the breakfast — then just closed the door.
Was he hiding something? A woman, maybe?
No. She lived next door. She'd hear it if there was someone else.
And according to Hydra's intel, Kai was only eighteen — no girlfriend, no partner.
"Eighteen…" she murmured, suddenly realizing something.
She'd made a rookie mistake.
She kept treating Kai like one of the seasoned heroes she'd seduced before — a mature man, experienced, predictable.
But Kai wasn't like that. He was barely out of high school — a kid who'd saved New York, yes, but still an eighteen-year-old boy.
Living alone, young, shy — probably embarrassed to have a stunning woman like her show up with breakfast uninvited.
That had to be it.
Alice smiled at her reflection, her confidence returning.
"So, you're just shy, huh?" she whispered. "Alright, Kai. Let's play this slow."
She turned away from the mirror, her mind already shifting gears.
He likes money. He's young. He's easy to impress.
"With beauty and money combined," she said with a sly grin, "there's no way I can't win over the young hero Kai."