Nick Fury was not a man given to haste, especially when dealing with a volatile asset like Tony Stark. His priority was the source of the leak, not the information itself. He settled back, waiting for his best operative, Natasha Romanoff, to return from her mission.
Meanwhile, Tony Stark was completely submerged in his work. He was a man possessed, driven by the three secrets Su Yi had weaponized.
Obadiah Stane's treachery, the need for the new element, and most importantly, the search for his parents' killer. The Mark II armor was taking shape, its polished silver chassis a beautiful weapon of future vengeance.
He wasn't worried about the board of directors; that was Obadiah's problem. And Obadiah Stane was certainly busy. He was deftly managing the board's fury over the weapons division closure, subtly positioning himself as the company's indispensable savior. The chaos was merely a means to an end: removing Tony and seizing control.
Obadiah's attention, however, had recently shifted. The surviving members of the Ten Rings had reported a monumental discovery: the remains of the Mark I armor and the crude, scorched design blueprints. Obadiah wasted no time. He personally flew out, retrieved the alien metal carcass, and brought it back to his own hidden warehouse.
Stark wanted to kill me, but he's given me a new golden goose, Obadiah thought, a predatory excitement surging through him. He immediately conscripted a massive team of engineers, forcing them to reverse-engineer the crude battle armor and build his own prototype. His urgency to seize power was now doubled: he wanted control of Stark Industries and he wanted the weapon of the future.
Approximately ten days later, Natasha Romanoff stepped out of a private elevator and strode into Nick Fury's sparsely furnished office. She was not in formal S.H.I.E.L.D. attire, but in sleek, functional tactical gear, every line of her body speaking of lethal capability.
"Director," Natasha greeted him, cutting straight to business. "What's the urgency? My last operation was compromised."
Fury slid the file across the desk. "This new task requires your unique talents, Agent Romanoff. The target is Tony Stark."
Natasha picked up the file, her gaze scanning the profile. "The playboy industrialist? I'm familiar with his profile. I assume the approach is... conventional."
"Stark is irrelevant. The man who is influencing him is the problem," Fury corrected, then detailed all the known clues: Stark's impossible escape, his knowledge of Howard Stark's S.H.I.E.L.D. involvement, his immediate suspicion of his parents' death, and the dangerous truth about HYDRA.
Natasha's expression tightened instantly at the mention of HYDRA, then again at the mention of the Winter Soldier, the relentless assassin whose strength and brutality she had personally witnessed—and barely survived.
"Someone gave him the truth about the Winter Soldier," Natasha murmured, the gravity of the leak sinking in. "That is top-tier classified intel. Someone has serious access, Director."
"Exactly. Your mission is to get close to Stark, find the source of the leak, and report their objective. Do you have a plan?"
Natasha leaned against the desk, her famous analytical mind already at work. "Stark is a genius, but also a man of simple appetites. He's self-centered and arrogant. He won't give up secrets to a direct interrogation. I'll need a disguise that appeals to his ego."
She tapped the file, then smiled thinly. "But the real access point won't be Stark. It will be the people he trusts. Pepper Potts is the key."
The next morning, two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents arrived at Tony Stark's sprawling Malibu villa. Agent Coulson was in his standard suit, but beside him stood a woman who defied every expectation of a government operative.
Natasha Romanoff wore a casually stylish, alluring outfit that perfectly accentuated her striking figure and crimson hair. She was, quite simply, captivating.
Pepper Potts greeted them, instantly mesmerized by Natasha's beauty and charisma.
"Hello, Pepper. I'm Natasha, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent," Natasha said, her voice smooth and professional, yet disarmingly charming.
"Welcome," Pepper stammered, surprised by the unexpected beauty. "Mr. Stark is still working in the underground lab. Please wait while I fetch him."
When Tony finally arrived, his eyes immediately locked onto Natasha, completely disregarding Coulson. His playboy instincts, though subdued by the weight of his new responsibilities, kicked back in instantly.
"So, you're an agent, too?" Tony asked, his lips curving into a familiar smirk. "Someone as stunning as you, choosing a life of espionage? Why would you possibly do that?"
Natasha met his gaze with an enigmatic smile. "Some people are born with many choices, Mr. Stark. Others... have choices made for them." She shifted the conversation back to business. "I brought the information you requested."
She placed the newly compiled file on the table. "We have shown sufficient sincerity. Now, you must tell us: how did you learn these secrets? Who told you?"
Tony, determined to protect Su Yi, continued his charade. "I'm a genius, Agent Romanoff. Is it so unbelievable that I put the pieces together myself?"
Natasha leaned closer, her eyes glittering with calculated concern. "You're a genius, which is precisely why you shouldn't trust the source of this 'secret' so easily. He clearly has an agenda. He is achieving a goal through you, and that puts you in danger. S.H.I.E.L.D. is your family's legacy. You should trust us."
She hit the core emotional nerve. "We hid the truth about your parents to protect you, Tony, knowing the killers were still out there. You were a child. Hiding the truth was the only way to ensure your safety."
Tony's anger flared, blinding him to her manipulation. "No! That's a lie! You never intended to tell me the truth! That's the real protection—S.H.I.E.L.D.'s protection of its own secrets!"
"Perhaps," Natasha conceded softly. "But even if you know the truth, what can you do? We've hunted the Winter Soldier for years without success. Do you truly believe you can succeed where we failed?"
Tony's eyes fell on the report—the terrifying file detailing the silent, brutal efficiency of the Winter Soldier. The information, coupled with Su Yi's warning about HYDRA's size, momentarily overwhelmed him.
"You can't catch him because you're incompetent," Tony spat, grabbing the files. "I will catch him because I am Tony Stark!"
He stormed out, retreating to his lab, leaving a profoundly worried Pepper and a coolly victorious Natasha in the living room.
Natasha immediately turned to Pepper. "He's spiraling, Miss Potts. If he continues like this, his recklessness will lead him to a very dangerous situation. You don't want to see that, do you?"
Pepper was torn. Tony's life was paramount, yet she was bound by two conflicting demands of secrecy: Tony's trust in Su Yi, and her desire to protect him from the very person Tony trusted.
Natasha saw the hesitation. "You're his last line of defense, Miss Potts. We can find out this person's motive and save Tony. But if you protect the secret, Tony will continue down this destructive path."
The appeal to Pepper's profound love for Tony worked perfectly. She crumbled under the weight of responsibility.
"It's... it's Su Yi," Pepper confessed, her voice thick with worry. "He's the one who gave Tony the information. He's also the new ten-percent shareholder." She gave Natasha a brief rundown of Su Yi's public profile and the little she knew about his teleportation.
Natasha absorbed the name and the fragmented details instantly. A high school student. Teleportation. Shareholder. A masterful information broker.
"Thank you, Miss Potts," Natasha said, her smile suddenly predatory. "You've done the right thing for Tony." She had what she needed. The next target was clear.
The Black Widow now has Su Yi's name, profile, and the knowledge that he is a high school student with teleportation abilities. Su Yi is currently at school, continuing his romantic pursuit.