Chapter 22: Tony Stark (Part 2)
Tony Stark took a moment to think and realized she was right.
"Uh... fine. That one's on me, but you should've reminded me."
"It's my fault for expecting you to remember anything..." Pepper muttered, exasperated.
"Alright, let's move on. I was gone for three months. Anything interesting happen in New York while I was missing?" Tony asked, shifting the topic.
"During your disappearance, Stark Industries' stock price dropped..."
"Hold it. I couldn't care less about that."
"Tony, it's your company."
"Which is exactly why I'm not interested. Just tell me what's been going on in the city."
Pepper thought for a moment. "New York's pretty much the same as always. Nothing major happened, though I think a new superhero showed up the other day..."
She had spent the past few months stabilizing shareholders and managing corporate chaos. There wasn't much time left to keep an eye on city events. The only thing she'd seen was a Daily Bugle post about Spider-Man when she contacted Jameson yesterday.
"A superhero?"
Tony straightened in his seat and popped the last bite of his cheeseburger into his mouth.
"I think his name is Spider-Man. He appeared two days ago. The Bugle doesn't like him at all and claims he's disrupting the city's order."
"Order? In the old New York? The place was crawling with crime. What order?" Tony scoffed.
"JARVIS."
"I'm here, sir," a calm mechanical voice replied.
"Pull up all information on Spider-Man."
"Sir, this may violate national security regulations," JARVIS cautioned.
"Oh, JARVIS, isn't that a little redundant now? We've broken those rules plenty of times already," Tony replied without a hint of guilt.
"Are you illegally hacking into the city's surveillance network again?" Pepper asked, incredulous.
"Relax, Pepper. Jarvis has experience with this. He knows what to do. Right, Jarvis?"
Pepper sighed. "I wasn't questioning your capabilities. I was expressing concern…"
"Sir, compiling all available information on Spider-Man now," JARVIS announced.
A series of files and footage displayed in front of Tony. They included the Bugle's articles and a few clips of Spider-Man rescuing civilians.
"That's it?" Tony frowned at the collection.
Aside from the rescue videos, everything else looked like public material anyone in New York could access.
"Sir, all surveillance footage that captured Spider-Man has been destroyed," JARVIS reported.
"Destroyed? What do you mean? Who wiped it?"
"I'm not sure. Whoever did it is highly skilled. I couldn't trace anything," JARVIS answered.
Tony's eyes lit with interest. Even JARVIS couldn't find a trace. Whoever was behind it must be extraordinary.
But why would someone specifically wipe every recording of Spider-Man?
"JARVIS, log this for later. I'll look into it when I have the time."
"Yes, sir."
Tony opened one of the videos showing Spider-Man saving lives.
Although the surveillance at the Joram Building had been completely wiped, the cameras on the building Spider-Man landed on captured the scene perfectly.
Tony watched Spider-Man save every civilian, then slip away quietly without staying for praise or applause.
"Wow... he really is a hero," Pepper murmured as she watched.
"A hero?" Tony echoed, his expression hard to read.
Nobody knew how often he'd woken up drenched in cold sweat since escaping that cave.
Dr. Yinsen's death weighed heavily on him, especially his final words.
"Don't waste your life..."
That sentence haunted Tony night after night, carving sleepless hours into his mind.
Even the brilliant Tony Stark couldn't figure out how to 'not' waste his life.
But the moment he saw Spider-Man, something inside him clicked.
Maybe being a hero… being someone like Spider-Man… was the answer.
While Tony was lost in thought, Pepper noticed his unusual state immediately.
"Tony? Tony, are you alright?" she asked with concern.
"I'm fine. I'm fine. Just... a little tired. Yeah. Just tired," Tony snapped back to reality.
"Do you want to rest a bit? I can deliver the announcement for you."
"No. I'm good." Tony immediately refused.
Watching the video deepened his resolve to shut down Stark Industries' weapons division.
To him, dismantling the very thing he'd built felt like a form of redemption.
"Sir, the reporter from the Daily Bugle has arrived. Should I let him in?" JARVIS's voice filled the room.
A hologram of Peter Parker rushing through the building appeared in front of Tony.
"Let him in."
Tony waved his hand, and the Spider-Man footage dissolved from the air.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in," Pepper called.
Peter opened the door and immediately spotted Tony Stark and Pepper Potts inside.
"Mr. Stark, I'm a reporter from the Daily Bugle. My name is Peter Parker," he introduced himself.
"You're with the Daily Bugle? That young?" Tony eyed him with open disbelief. "Kid, are you even legal? Has J. Jonah Jameson gotten so cheap he's hiring minors now?"
"I'm eighteen," Peter replied quickly.
"Really? Could've fooled me. You look much younger. I thought the Daily Bugle was already so broke it was employing children. If Jameson's that desperate, tell him to call me. Stark Industries can loan him some cash. Zero interest. Tell him not to be shy. Actually, knowing him, he'll be anything but shy."
"Tony," Pepper interjected.
If he kept talking like that, repairing relations with the Bugle would become impossible. At that rate, they'd be lucky if Jameson didn't start a full-blown media crusade against Stark Industries.
"Sorry, Peter. Don't mind him," Pepper said warmly as she extended her hand.
"It's alright, Miss Potts. I mentally prepared myself before I came here," Peter replied and gave her hand a light shake.