Five minutes earlier.
As Rowan Mercer and Pepper Potts exited Tony Stark's office, they were intercepted once more in the lobby by Agent Coulson.
"Ms. Potts, do you have a moment—"
"Yes," Pepper cut in quickly. "Walk with us."
Her nerves were stretched tight. She wanted out of the building as fast as possible, somewhere safe enough to call Tony and explain everything. Coulson was law enforcement. If Tony agreed, handing the evidence over to him might even simplify things.
Rowan said nothing. His job was done. He'd protected Pepper and ensured the evidence was secured. Whether Tony handed it to S.H.I.E.L.D., the CIA, or someone else entirely wasn't his concern. So he kept playing the role of silent bodyguard, letting Pepper handle the conversation.
They drove several blocks before pulling over on a quiet street. Pepper immediately called Tony and reported what had happened.
"Oh, and Tony," she added at the end, hesitating. "He said your father used to be high-ranking in the Strategic Homeland Intervention division."
That changed everything.
"Bring him with you," Tony said without hesitation. "I want to talk to him myself."
Pepper ended the call, restarted the car, and accelerated toward Malibu.
They didn't make it far.
At an intersection, a black SUV ran the red light and slammed toward them from the left.
"Watch out!"
Rowan reacted instantly. He shattered the side window with a punch and raised his hand toward the oncoming vehicle.
"Wingardium Leviosa."
Blue light struck the SUV. It lifted cleanly into the air and sailed over their car, crashing down behind them.
Pepper and Coulson both stared.
Any lingering belief that Rowan was just a "magician" evaporated on the spot.
They barely cleared the intersection when a heavy truck jackknifed ahead, blocking the road. Pepper slammed the brakes.
"Out. Now," Rowan said.
He tore off his seatbelt, kicked the door open, dragged Pepper out, and waved Coulson after them. From the corner of his eye, Rowan saw more identical SUVs converging. One of them had a rocket launcher already out the window.
They'd just cleared the car when the rocket fired.
Rowan didn't hesitate again.
White wings erupted from his back. He grabbed Pepper and Coulson and launched skyward as the explosion engulfed the car beneath them.
This wasn't in the movie.
He landed them on a nearby rooftop behind a low concrete barrier. He hadn't fled outright. First, he needed to know who this was aimed at. Pepper, Coulson, or him.
Automatic fire tore into the rooftop moments later.
"They've got serious firepower," Coulson said grimly, drawing his pistol but unable to return fire. "I've called for backup, but we're pinned down."
"And they've got rocket launchers," Rowan replied calmly, pulling out his handgun. "This wall won't last."
Pepper crouched low, voice tight. "Then what do we do?"
"I'll draw their fire," Coulson said, jaw set. "You get her out."
Rowan glanced at him, surprised. That wasn't posturing. Coulson fully intended to die buying them time.
"Not necessary," Rowan said. "Quick question. Have either of you seen Wanted?"
"The one with James McAvoy?" Coulson muttered, keeping his head down. "I preferred Atonement."
"Now is not the time for movie talk," Pepper snapped.
Rowan smiled faintly. "Ms. Potts, I'm a magician. Let me show you a trick where bullets bend."
He flicked his handgun upward.
The shots he fired arced unnaturally over the barrier, curving down into the street below. The man with the rocket launcher dropped instantly. Rowan kept firing, wrist snapping casually as each bullet twisted through the air along impossible paths.
Within seconds, the gunfire stopped.
Coulson and Pepper cautiously peered over the edge. The attackers were down. Some dead. Others screaming on the pavement, weapons scattered.
Pepper exhaled shakily. "I was going to say earlier… I actually like the actor who plays Barry. Jurassic World."
Rowan laughed. "Didn't take you for that taste, Ms. Potts."
Coulson stood slowly, eyes fixed on Rowan. "After I speak with Mr. Stark, I'd like to have a very serious conversation with you."
Rowan didn't respond. He already knew how that conversation usually ended.
He spread his wings again, carried them back to the street, and walked over to one attacker he'd deliberately left alive. Reaching into the man's mind while quietly invoking Legilimency, Rowan sifted through the panic and fragments.
His expression tightened.
"Hydra," he murmured.
The order had been clear. Kill all three. Stage the wreck as an accident.
Rowan straightened, eyes narrowing.
"So Obadiah isn't just crooked," he thought. "He's either working with Hydra… or he is Hydra."