S.H.I.E.L.D.
Nick Fury and Maria Hill watched the monitor screen in silence inside Fury's office.
Although they had been unable to breach JARVIS's system, they had achieved something nearly as effective: hacking James Rhodes's phone.
As a major in the Air Force, Rhodes was exposed enough for S.H.I.E.L.D. to bypass his security protocols without much difficulty.
The recording of the conversation between Tony and Rhodes was crystal clear.
Fury frowned, troubled.
"This looks like… a Stark mess. But not the Stark I know."
"Maybe he realized he was cornered… and simply decided to give up," Hill suggested.
"Tony Stark doesn't give up," Fury replied in a deep voice.
"When should we make contact with him?" Hill asked.
Fury waved a hand, dismissing the idea.
"Not yet. Let's wait for Agent Romanoff's report."
He fell silent for a moment, staring at the S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem hanging on the wall. His eyes hardened as memories of the past surfaced.
"He's Howard's son. That still means something."
Howard Stark. One of the three founders of S.H.I.E.L.D., and one of the few men who gave everything to bring Captain America into the modern world.
Minutes later, a silent alert sounded on the communicator.
{"Director Fury…"} Natasha's voice came through the secure channel.
Fury activated the audio.
"Romanoff, you were at Tony Stark's house. How is he?"
Natasha reported with clarity and objectivity.
{"The house is in order, but… he seems tired. And resigned. I noticed that the signs of palladium poisoning on his face have diminished slightly. I believe it's because he's avoiding using the armor and has been taking frequent doses of chlorophyll."}
Fury listened in silence, his eyes fixed on an indistinct point in the room.
"He's preparing to die," Fury murmured.
{"Tonight's dinner may be a farewell—not just to Virginia Potts… but to himself as well,"} Natasha continued.
"The mere fact that he did this… means he's already accepted the end," Fury muttered.
Even so, his strategic mind refused to fully accept that conclusion.
"He rejected S.H.I.E.L.D. publicly, announced that he is Iron Man, made enemies, and drew far too much attention… but he's still Tony Stark. Arrogant, impulsive… and unpredictable."
He stood up from his chair, his expression hardening.
"Romanoff. It's time we make contact with Tony Stark again."
{"Understood…"} Natasha replied, ending the call.
Although she agreed with much of Fury's analysis, something about the atmosphere in Stark's house unsettled her. It was as if the environment itself had absorbed a new kind of energy.
Natasha trusted her intuition. She knew Arthur was Tony's friend, and she also knew that, somehow, this change in Tony was connected to him.
"I'll have to ask him about this later…" Natasha murmured.
---
Later that afternoon, Arthur and Jean returned home after a long day.
Even after spending the entire day walking around the city, neither of them seemed even remotely tired.
Jean, on the other hand, looked more energized than ever. Her eyes sparkled, and she spoke animatedly.
"Arthur, this was one of the best days of my life."
Arthur raised an eyebrow, amused by Jean's contagious enthusiasm.
"Oh really? Then tell me—what was the best day of your life?"
Jean turned to face him, surprised by the sudden question, but she didn't hesitate for long before answering.
"The day we met."
Arthur laughed at her words.
"I'm glad that was your best day. Because it was one of my favorites too."
"You know something, Arthur? Now I understand why so many people like shopping."
"I noticed how much you enjoyed it—and how much you spent," he said, glancing at the number of bags in her hands. "If I'd let you, you would've bought half the city," Arthur added.
"Don't exaggerate," Jean teased.
At that moment, Gwen entered through the upper balcony, descending gracefully on her webs.
"Hi!" she greeted with a smile.
"Gwen!" Jean ran up to her enthusiastically. "Look, I bought this for you!"
She pulled out a bag, revealing clothes and accessories chosen with care.
"Seriously? Thank you! Wow, is that… a dress? And this jacket… you've got good taste, girl."
The two immediately began chatting excitedly, laughing and commenting like two teenagers in a bedroom.
Arthur watched the scene with a smile.
"Women…" he murmured. "No matter the universe, they always share this power."
But before he could reach the kitchen, Cortana appeared in front of him.
[I've located Peter Parker.]
Gwen froze instantly. The joy on her face vanished, replaced by tension.
"Where?" Arthur asked immediately.
Cortana projected an image of a building in his hand.
[He's in the basement of Freedom Tower. And he's moving discreetly, likely heading toward the top floor.]
The image shifted, revealing the Lizard climbing the side of the building.
Gwen's heart began to race. She set the bags aside and was already pulling her mask back out.
"I'm going to stop him."
But Arthur stepped into her path, holding a box.
"Wait, Gwen."
She looked at him, confused.
"Arthur, what is it?"
He opened the box, revealing its contents.
"Put this on first…"
Arthur slowly lifted the lid, revealing a carefully folded suit inside.
"That suit…" Gwen murmured, surprised as she touched the fabric, which felt both light and firm.
"I didn't change the design—just improved it, so to speak. Impact-resistant fiber with micro-layers of thermal insulation and adaptive elasticity. Enhanced protection without sacrificing mobility."
"I also added the web-shooter Saeko made for you."
Gwen lifted the suit, enchanted, but her expression soon turned serious.
"Alright. Let's finish this."
Jean, watching from the side, touched her friend's shoulder.
"Be careful. And… bring your friend back, if you can." As she spoke, a small golden portal opened above her hand, and a vial filled with blue liquid emerged.
"This is the 'cure.' You already know what to do."
Gwen nodded firmly as she took the vial.
"Cortana, maintain constant surveillance. If anything gets out of control…"
[I'll alert you immediately,] Cortana replied firmly. [Good luck, Gwen.]
Moments later, Gwen had changed suits and, with one last look at Jean and Arthur, pulled her mask over her face.
"I'll bring him back," Gwen said, then leapt from the balcony, vanishing into the night like a silver streak.
Arthur stood still for a few seconds, until the sound of webs faded into the wind.
Jean approached slowly.
"Are you worried about her?"
Arthur crossed his arms.
"Nah, she can take care of herself just fine. But her friend worries me. From what we gathered from their last fight, Peter Parker has become much stronger than he was in the first one."
Jean looked at Cortana's holographic projection, where the Lizard crawled along the wall like a predator.
"He's carrying something…"
"It's a device meant to disperse the Lizard serum across New York," Arthur replied.
"If he activates that, the entire city could be at risk," Jean said seriously—but her expression broke when she felt a hand resting on her head.
"You don't need to worry. Gwen won't fail. And even if, somehow, she does, Peter won't be able to activate the device."
"What do you mean?" Jean asked, confused.
"When Gwen told me his objective a few days ago, I suspected he might try to infect the entire city. My primary suspicion was the city's water reservoir, so I asked Cortana to keep it under surveillance," Arthur explained.
"And how exactly does that connect to the device he's carrying?" Jean asked.
"That was my other hypothesis. He could try to disperse the serum across the city as a gas or something similar. For that, he'd need a device that was recently showcased at an Oscorp exhibition," Arthur replied.
"Wait a second—are you telling me you broke into Oscorp and modified the device?" Jean asked, her expression stunned.
"Exactly. Those two hypotheses had the highest probability, so I gave Gwen a little help," Arthur replied with a smile.
"Wow… that's brilliant. And terrifying," Jean laughed softly.
"Speaking of which, there's something I want to ask you," Jean said suddenly.
"Go ahead," Arthur replied as he headed to the kitchen to prepare something to eat.
"Are you a mutant?" Jean asked immediately.
Arthur stopped mid-step, the refrigerator door still open. He stood there in silence for a few seconds… then burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha… you know, it's funny you're asking that now."
Jean frowned, confused.
"Funny… why?"
Arthur closed the fridge and leaned against the counter, crossing his arms.
"Because I just realized that… I never told you this."
"Told me what, exactly?" Jean asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Well… in simple terms?" He tilted his head slightly, wearing an awkward smile. "I'm a demigod."
Silence immediately fell over the kitchen.
Jean blinked.
Blinked again.
She stood completely still for a few seconds.
"…"
"…"
"Arthur," she said slowly. "You're joking, right?"
Arthur laughed again.
"Of course not."
Jean grew even more serious.
"…You're not?"
"No."
She stared at him as if deciding whether to use telepathy, telekinesis, or simply throw something at him.
"Alright," she took a deep breath. "Then… whose child are you exactly? Zeus?"
Arthur thought for a moment.
"My father was a king named Lugalbanda. And my mother was a goddess named Rimat-Ninsun."
Jean tilted her head.
"…Never heard of them."
Arthur smiled.
"It would be strange if you had."
"Why?"
"Because they're from a forgotten mythology of ancient Sumer," he shrugged. "About… three thousand years ago."
Jean's eyes widened immediately.
"WAIT." She pointed at him. "You're THREE THOUSAND YEARS OLD?!"
Arthur burst out laughing.
"No! Of course not!"
She sighed in relief… for exactly half a second.
"But…" he continued, "if you only count my mental age… I easily pass one hundred and seventy."
Jean froze.
"I…" she blinked slowly. "I thought I was older than you…"
Arthur laughed again.
"Technically, in terms of my current body? You are."
"That doesn't make me feel better," she muttered.
He was about to say something, but suddenly stopped, as if remembering something important.
"Oh… there's one more thing."
Jean sighed.
"Of course there is."
"Even if you've never heard of my parents…" Arthur said casually. "There's a good chance you've heard of me."
Jean frowned.
"What do you mean? Why would you be in some ancient myth?"
Arthur raised a finger. "In an extremely summarized version?"
"Please."
"I'm the reincarnation of an ancient king."
Jean crossed her arms.
"…Who?"
Arthur smiled, almost proudly. "Gilgamesh."
"Uh… is that supposed to mean something?" Jean asked.
"…" Arthur stared at her blankly upon realizing that his girlfriend didn't know the oldest epic in human history.
Seeing his look, Jean sighed and rubbed her face.
"Alright," she pointed at him. "Recap: you're not a mutant, not an alien… you're a reincarnated Sumerian demigod who lived for over a century and has more than one hundred and seventy years of mental experience."
Arthur thought for a moment.
"When you put it like that… it sounds kind of absurd."
"KIND OF?!" Jean exclaimed. "Arthur, that explains SO much that I don't even know where to start!"
She fell silent for a few seconds… then started laughing.
"Okay," she shook her head, still laughing. "I was definitely not prepared for that answer."
Arthur smiled, relaxed.
"Don't worry. Most people aren't prepared for the truth."
Jean took a deep breath and smiled back.
"Well…" she crossed her arms, looking him up and down. "At least I can say my romance isn't normal."
Arthur shrugged. "Normal is overrated."
Jean laughed once more.
"Yeah… I have to agree with that."
(End of the chapter)