Tony Stark arrived at the press conference in his Rolls-Royce. Amidst a wave of thunderous applause, Obadiah Stane stepped forward as the car came to a halt, swinging the door open with a celebratory shout. "Look at this! Tony's back!"
As Tony stepped out, Obadiah pulled him into a firm hug, whispering his name. When he pulled back, a broad smile sat on his face as he clapped Tony on the shoulders. "I thought I'd be visiting you in a hospital bed."
Tony glanced back at Pepper in the car. "No, no, no. I'm fine."
Happy and Pepper stepped out from the other side. Happy was holding a cheeseburger, which Tony immediately snatched with a quick, "Thanks."
Obadiah looked at the burger with a mix of amusement and exasperation. "A burger? You really have to have a burger right now? Fine... did you get one for me?"
Tony started walking toward the hall, burger in hand. "Last one," he tossed back over his shoulder.
Inside the venue, Tony and Obadiah waved to the crowd. Obadiah shouted, "Hey! Welcome, everyone!"
Pepper stood on the periphery of the press pool, a relieved smile on her face as she watched Tony take the stage. Suddenly, a man standing next to her spoke. "Ms. Potts?"
Pepper turned. "Yes?"
Phil Coulson looked at her and asked, "Could I have a moment?"
"No," Pepper declined politely. "I'm not part of the conference, and it's about to start anyway."
"I'm not a reporter," Coulson explained, handing her his card. "I'm Agent Coulson, with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division."
Pepper looked down at the card. "That's quite a mouthful."
"I know," Coulson replied with a small smile. "We're working on a shorthand."
Pepper tucked the card away. "Listen, the Department of Defense, the FBI, and the CIA have all been in touch with us already."
"We belong to a separate system," Coulson countered. "We handle these specific types of affairs. We need to understand the circumstances of Mr. Stark's escape, as well as detailed information on the man who rescued him, Shiranui Hayate."
Pepper's expression cooled instantly. Her smile vanished. "I'll pass along your request to him, alright? As for Shiranui Hayate... I'm afraid I can't help you there."
"Thank you," Coulson said, his tone remaining perfectly polite.
At the front of the room, Tony Stark sat down on the floor in front of the podium, pulling another burger from his pocket. "Hey, would everyone just sit down? Sit down, please."
"That way you can see me, and I can be a bit more informal."
The journalists and camera crews looked at each other before awkwardly crouching or sitting on the floor. Tony began eating his burger as Obadiah stepped down from the podium to sit beside him.
Colonel Rhodes, who had just arrived, leaned over to Pepper. "What's going on with the press conference?"
Pepper didn't look away from Tony. "Don't ask me. I have no idea what he's up to."
Tony looked at Obadiah and said quietly, "I'm glad."
Obadiah put a hand on Tony's shoulder. "Me too."
Tony stared at him for a moment, then looked toward the reporters. His expression turned solemn. "I never got to say goodbye to my father. There are questions I would've liked to ask him. I would've asked him how he felt about what this company did. If he was ever conflicted... if he ever had doubts."
"Maybe he wasn't the man we saw in the newsreels. I saw young men killed—killed by the very weapons I designed to protect them. And I realized that I had become part of a system that is completely irresponsible."
A reporter interrupted. "I'm sorry, Mr. Stark... what happened over there?"
Tony stood up, ignoring the question. "I've been woken up. I've come to realize that I have more to offer this world than just things that blow up. Which is why I am preparing to shut down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark International, effective immediately."
The room exploded into chaos. Pepper's jaw dropped in shock. Obadiah nearly fell over as he scrambled to his feet, grabbing Tony's arm to steady him—or perhaps to pull him away.
Tony continued over the noise. "Of course, that will remain until I can decide what the future of the company will be. What direction it should take... one that is productive and consistent with the highest interests of this country."
Rhodes stood in the back, his face grim and serious. As Tony walked off the stage, Obadiah rushed to the microphone to do damage control. "Today's conference was just to let you know Tony is back. He's healthy, he's home. We'll be having internal meetings regarding the company's direction and will update you soon!"
Back at the Shiranui Agency, Hayate—who had just finished his sign-in—stared at his gold coin count. The number had jumped from 1,148 to 1,198.
Hayate clenched his fist in a "YES!" gesture.
He opened the Mall, navigated to the Ninja Recruitment section, and spent his gold to buy seven more Recruitment Scrolls. His inventory now showed a total of 10 scrolls. His gold balance, however, plummeted to a mere 22 coins.
Gazing at the "10" on the Recruitment icon, Hayate didn't pull the trigger immediately. He exited the System Space. He needed to prepare. He was going to perform a proper ritual before this summon.
This time, he hoped a little mysticism would finally change his luck!