Once again, the fact was proven: after sophomore year of high school, the so-called disguises only last three seconds.
The two of them temporarily decided to head to the Middle East together to take out the terrorists.
But transportation was a problem—and Tony had a private plane.
However, his plane was far too conspicuous, so the operation had to be kept low-key.
A Quinjet? Tony could even build one himself, but there wasn't enough time.
They had to move quickly—the terrorists were still ransacking towns near Kumira.
So Qin Xiao once again turned his attention to S.H.I.E.L.D.
Tony now demanded that his armor remain secret, meaning the two of them could not conduct the operation through normal channels.
From that day onward, every late night, two shadows appeared at the entrance of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Los Angeles branch.
This was neither headquarters nor a secret base storing critical resources.
And being within the U.S., security wasn't particularly tight.
Thanks to the powerful AI security system, even nighttime guards weren't necessary.
Qin Xiao tiptoed forward and pulled out his ID.
He quietly confirmed with Tony beside him:
"Are you sure you can erase visitor logs and surveillance here? This is my work ID. I'm not afraid of them causing trouble, but I don't want to lose my steady paycheck."
Only after Tony made an "OK" gesture did Qin Xiao place the ID on the sensor.
Beep! Access denied!
A few red lights flashed on the sensor with a faint electronic tone.
What?
Qin Xiao didn't give up. He tried twice more—same result.
"Let me handle this!"
Tony took the ID from Qin Xiao. "Intern agent, my cute little rookie, let me try!"
Beep!
Tony sighed, handed the ID back, and asked: "Have you been here before?"
"No," Qin Xiao shook his head. "I got the location from Natasha."
"Congratulations, you've found yourself a good job!"
Tony sneered, opened a compartment in his armor, and pulled out a card connected to some circuitry, pressing it against the sensor.
"Good thing I came prepared. J.A.R.V.I.S., let's show this mysterious intelligence agency—interns wouldn't even see this—what we're capable of!"
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Washington HQ might be slightly less advanced than J.A.R.V.I.S., but this branch office was here, haha!
Qin Xiao sent greetings to Nick Fury's eighteenth-generation ancestor.
Less than ten seconds later, J.A.R.V.I.S. had overridden the door.
Through the access network, he took direct control of this modest Los Angeles suburban building.
Every S.H.I.E.L.D. branch had a Quinjet for rapid agent deployment.
Tony and Qin Xiao were lucky—no one was using it for a mission today.
They sneaked up the fire escape to the roof. Two minutes later, a Quinjet lifted off, heading straight for Tony's home in Malibu.
The two suited up in combat armor and flew over the Pacific toward the Middle East.
"You know, during World War II, my father piloted a plane with Captain America across enemy lines to carry out a rescue mission."
"I never thought I'd be piloting a plane with another super soldier to strike terrorists!"
"But my dad was just a pilot. I'm different—I have this!" Tony patted his armor.
"Tony, you have so many ways to take on these terrorists. If your plan was to build armor in Afghanistan to escape, why act now? Is this about taking down the Ten Rings?"
Tony was silent for a moment, then spoke slowly:
"My father told me that to achieve peace, you must wield the strongest weapons. That was my philosophy. But after the missile engraved with 'Stark' exploded next to me in Afghanistan…"
Sigh~~~
Tony exhaled softly.
"I thought my weapons brought peace to the world. But I didn't realize how much despair the name 'Stark' brought to others. Before the missile exploded, I was lying there—I could see the name 'Stark.' Every letter was crystal clear."
"But I couldn't understand its meaning—only despair. I can't even imagine what someone trapped in the same situation would feel when they saw the name 'Stark'…"
Qin Xiao found Tony's words hard to accept. Others wouldn't know—but he understood Tony was right.
Let alone others: Wanda Maximoff and her twin brother, Pietro, would one day become Avengers.
"I stared at a missile engraved with 'Stark' for twelve hours," Tony continued.
"I used to be just a stick maker, now I've built one of the strongest 'sticks' in the world," he said, pointing to his armor.
"I will hold it firmly in my hands. That is my purpose. In this life, I do one thing: fight terrorists, end wars, create peace. This has nothing to do with nations or politics."
In a sense, the early Iron Man and Black Widow were trying to forgive their past selves.
After The Avengers, this forgiveness gradually became responsibility.
Especially after the Battle of New York, the Avengers assumed the duty of protecting global security.
Changes began to take shape.
"Tony, do you know why Nick Fury forced me into the Strategic Defense Initiative? Damn that name!"
"Because he had a plan—the Avengers Initiative—to assemble a team of extraordinary people who would step up when the world needed them."
Qin Xiao said, staring straight at Tony.
"That's a good idea. I don't know Nick Fury, but I know that whether it's the CIA, the KGB, or MI6, regardless of their original intentions…"
"In the end, they all became, to some extent, political tools."
"Wherever someone needs to step up, I will show up in armor—but I won't be a sword in someone else's hand."
"I agree with the Avengers Initiative—but not S.H.I.E.L.D.'s. That's Iron Man's perspective."
"That's right! Tony! That's exactly it! We don't hand the stick to others—we hold it ourselves!"
Qin Xiao turned to Tony Stark.
This time, Tony lowered his head and pounded it hard for a long moment.
Then he suddenly lifted his head and said to Qin Xiao:
"Like today?"
"Yes! Just like today!"
plz support me if you can
patreon.com/fatimasoomro123
this fanfiction is 30-chapters ahead and also this fanfic is 30 chapter ahead there