" AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!"
The cockpit of the Quadjet was loud with red beeping alarms, glowing Kree glyphs, and the screams of Skrulls and humans alike. Tony's small hands were locked onto the yoke, his knuckles white. The adrenaline was hitting him in waves, making the world seem both slower and infinitely more vibrant.
"Tony, look at the radar!" Maria shouted, her hand clutching the co-pilot's armrest as her other arm hung uselessly in a makeshift sling." On your three o'clock! We've got bogeys!"
BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!
"I see them, Maria! I see them!" Tony yelled back.
Three Kree Interceptors swept across the horizon, their sleek, needle-like silhouettes cutting through the clouds. A second later, the sky behind the Quadjet erupted in green energy bolts.
Pew-Pew-Pew!
The ship rocked violently.
K-CHUNK!
"Jarvis, hold on to something!" Tony screamed.
"I am currently holding on to my last shred of sanity, Master Anthony!" Jarvis shrieked from the back, his fingers buried in the upholstery of the jump seat. "And perhaps a very terrified Skrull!"
"Fury! How's Talos?" Maria called out.
Fury was huddled near the back, checking on the Skrull commander. Talos looked pale, his hand pressed against his bloody shoulder. "How you doing, Greenie?" Fury asked.
"Never... better," Talos wheezed, his eyes half-closed. "Is the... child... still at the wheel? Because if so... I'd like to... formally request... an escape pod."
"Break left, Tony! Hard left!" Maria barked.
Tony yanked the stick. The Quadjet tilted nearly ninety degrees, the G-force making the Skrull children in the back scream in a mix of terror and excitement. Green energy sizzled past the cockpit window, missing them by inches.
"Roll right! Use the thrusters to pivot!" Maria commanded. "Tony, you have to lead the shots, don't just react!"
"I'm trying! I'm trying!" Tony yelled, his hair plastered to his forehead with sweat. "You keep shouting instructions like I've been doing this for twenty years! Who do you think I am, Han Solo?!"
Suddenly, a strange calm washed over Tony. He looked at the HUD—not as a rookie pilot, but as a builder. He saw the flight paths of the Kree jets as geometric lines. He saw the terrain below—the jagged cliffs and deep, winding canyons of the desert coastline—as a playground of physics.
"Actually," Tony muttered, his voice dropping into a low, focused hum. "I might actaully be Han Solo."
He shoved the throttle forward, ignoring Maria's next command. Instead of climbing, he dove. He aimed the nose of the Quadjet straight for a narrow rock canyon.
"Tony, what are you doing?!" Maria screamed. "That's a dead end!"
"It's only a dead end if you can't make the turns!" Tony replied.
The Quadjet screamed into the canyon.
W-HOOOOOSH!
The rock walls were so close they could see the dead flora clinging to the stone. Tony steered like a pro, maneuvering around rocky outcroppings and through natural stone arches with a fluidity that shouldn't have been possible for a ten-year-old.
"Tony, pull up!" Fury yelled from the back. "There's a wall! A giant, very solid, very Kree-proof wall!"
"Master Anthony, I beg of you!" Jarvis added, his voice reaching a pitch only dogs could hear. "Abat! Abort! Pull up!"
"Hold it..." Tony whispered, his eyes narrowed. "Hold it..."
Behind them, Min-Erva's interceptor was gaining. Her targeting computer let out a steady, high-pitched whine. Eeeeee-EEEEEE! TARGET LOCKED.
"Hold it..." Tony said again.
Right as Min-Erva's finger tightened on her trigger, and right as the stone wall filled the entire windshield, Tony slammed the auxiliary thrusters and yanked the yoke into his chest.
The Quadjet pulled a vertical climb so sharp the air screamed.
KRRR-ZING!
Two of the Kree Interceptors, moving too fast to adjust, slammed head-first into the cliffside.
BOOM! KRA-KOOM!
The explosion sent a shockwave that rattled the Quadjet's teeth. Min-Erva, the elite pilot she was, managed to bank away at the last millisecond, her ship grazing the rock but staying airborne.
"Whoo! YEAH!!!!" Fury cheered. "The kid's a natural! Remind me never to let him drive my car!"
"One left," Maria noted, her breathing coming in ragged gasps. "And she's mad, Tony. She's coming around for a high-altitude pass."
Tony looked up. Through the glass roof of the cockpit, far, far above the atmosphere, he saw it. A faint, golden light, like a falling star, screaming down toward Earth.
Carol.
Tony smirked—a look that was pure, unfiltered Stark. "Hey Maria? I think I found a wingman."
He leveled the ship and pointed the nose straight up. "Going vertical!"
"Tony, we're going to hit the stratosphere!" Maria warned. "The engines wont hold up!!"
"Not if I time this right!"
Tony kept the ship climbing, weaving side-to-side to dodge Min-Erva's relentless fire.
Pew-pew!
He watched the golden light in the distance getting larger, brighter. He counted the seconds in his head.
Three... two... one...
"Now!"
Tony kicked the rudder and flipped the Quadjet backward in a perfect inverted loop. As the ship crested above Min-Erva's cockpit, Tony looked down through the glass. He saw the Kree commander's shocked expression.
Tony winked.
As the Quadjet sailed past, the golden light—Carol Danvers in full Binary mode—slammed directly through Min-Erva's interceptor.
SHATTER-BOOM!
The Kree ship vanished in a cloud of debris and golden sparks.
"Direct hit!" Maria cheered, clapping her good hand against the console. "Tony, that was... that was incredible."
Tony slumped back in the seat, his chest heaving. "Okay. Maybe I am Han Solo. Just... with better hair."
As Maria guided him through the landing sequence, Tony looked back at the group. "Thank you for flying with Air Stark. If you look to the rear, you'll see the emergency exits, though I wouldn't recommend them while we're still moving. We hope you enjoyed your flight through the Kree Empire."
The Quadjet touched down in the sand filled field. A few miles away, a massive trail of black smoke descended from the sky as Yon-Rogg's ship crash-landed.
"Everyone stay inside," Fury ordered.
Tony reached into the weapons rack and grabbed a heavy-duty Kree energy rifle. It was almost as big as he was, but he lugged it over his shoulder with a grim determination.
They stepped out onto the grass just as Carol landed in front of them. She was still glowing softly, her eyes returning to their normal blue but sparkling with newfound power.
Yon-Rogg emerged from the wreckage of his ship, stumbling through the smoke. He saw Carol and began to walk toward her, his face a mask of pride and arrogance. He opened his anti-gravity gauntlet, the blue light humming.
Carol clenched her fists, her aura flaring.
They met in the middle of the field. The air was thick with tension.
"I'm so proud of you," Yon-Rogg said, his voice smooth and manipulative. "You've come a long way since I found you that day by the lake. But the question remains, Vers... can you keep your emotions in check long enough to take me on? Or will they get the better of you, as always?"
He closed his gauntlet and holstered his pistol. "I always told you... you'll be ready the day you can knock me down as yourself. This is that moment! Turn off the light show! Prove to me you can—"
B-ZAAAAAP!
A massive bolt of blue energy hit Yon-Rogg square in the chest. He was launched backward, flying a hundred meters through the air until he crashed into a small rocky mountain with a distant thud.
Silence fell over the field.
Carol turned around, her eyes wide. Maria, Fury, and Jarvis were all staring at Tony.
Tony stood there, the heavy Kree rifle still smoking in his hands. He shrugged. "What? He talked too much. I've seen the movies; the villain always loses when he starts monologuing."
Carol let out a bright, genuine laugh. she walked over and kissed Tony on the cheek. "Thanks, Tony. I'll go finish the 'conversation.'" With a boom, she flew off toward the woods to wrap things up with Yon-Rogg.
Tony turned to Jarvis, a smug grin on his face. "Told you, J. Ladies dig the space cowboy."
Fury burst out laughing, a deep, belly-shaking sound. Maria joined in, leaning against the Quadjet. Even Jarvis, though he shook his head in absolute mental exhaustion, had a small smile on his lips.
"So anyone up for some lunch?" Maria asked. "I think we've all earned it."
Fury:" I could eat"
Jarvis:" That, that sounds lovely".
Hours later, the Rambeau house was filled with the smell of gumbo and the sound of clinking silverware. Carol, Tony, Fury, Jarvis, Monica, Talos, and his family were all crowded around the table.
"To the pilot," Talos said, raising a glass of water toward Tony. "Who proved that age is just a number and that Kree Interceptors are surprisingly fragile."
Everyone:" Cheers!"
The group laughed and talked with one another, free from the threat of certain death they all felt better than ever.
"I'm serious, Tony," Fury said, pointing a fork at him. He had three small, red scratches over his left eye. "When you turn eighteen—or maybe fifteen, at the rate you're going—you've got a job at S.H.I.E.L.D."
"I'll think about it," Tony joked. "But only if I get a cool eye patch. Speaking of which, Mr Fury" Tony called out cheekily, pointing at Fury's face. "I didn't notice before because of the whole 'not dying' thing, but what happened to your eye? You told Maria a Kree soldier got the jump on you, but that looks suspiciously like..."
Fury stiffened, his hand reflexively going to his brow. "It was a tactical injury, Stark. A high-stakes encounter during the retrieval of the Flerken. It was... intense."
Jarvis didn't even look up from his gumbo. "He was playing 'coochie-coochie-coo' with the creature, sir. He attempted to tickle its chin, and the 'Flerken' expressed its displeasure with a very efficient left hook."
Fury glared at Jarvis. "Security clearance, Jarvis! That is classified information!"
"My apologies, Agent Fury," Jarvis replied, his voice dripping with mock sincerity. "I forgot that your dignity was a matter of national security."
The table erupted in laughter. Even Carol, leaning against the doorframe with a drink in her hand, couldn't help but chuckle.
As the sun began to dip below the horizon, the reality of the situation began to settle back in. The Skrulls were safe for now, but they couldn't stay in Louisiana forever. And Tony? Tony was long overdue for his own reckoning.
A black government sedan pulled up into the gravel driveway.
Beep Beep
Jarvis stood up, his professional mask sliding back into place. He cleaned his mouth with a napkin, stood straight, and looked at Tony.
"It is time, sir. Our transport has arrived. And I suspect your parents are currently vibrating with a very specific brand of parental anxiety. After not seeing you for more than two days."
Tony sighed, his shoulders slumping. The excitement of a space adventure was fading, replaced by a ten-year-old who knew he was about to be grounded until the turn of the century. Or till he had grandkids.
He walked around the table, giving Monica a high-five and nodding to the Skrulls. "See ya around, guys. Don't do anything I wouldn't do. Which leaves you plenty of options, honestly."
Jarvis led the way out, but as Tony reached the hallway leading to the front door, Carol stepped out from the shadows of the living room.
"Leaving so soon, Stark?" she asked, her arms crossed.
Tony stopped. "Jarvis, can you give me a sec? I need to check the... atmospheric pressure outside. Very important science stuff."
Jarvis looked at Carol, then back at Tony. "Two minutes, Master Anthony. Not a second more. I shall be waiting by the vehicle." He nodded respectfully to Carol and stepped out onto the porch.
Tony looked up at Carol. She looked different now—more grounded, more sure of herself. "So," Tony said, trying to regain his swagger. "Why'd you stop me? You gonna ask for my autograph before I become world-famous?"
Carol smiled, but it wasn't her "fighter pilot" smile. it was soft. "I wanted to say goodbye properly. And I wanted to answer that question you asked me back at the Pegasus base."
Tony blinked. "The one about the husband? I was just... you know, gathering data. Demographics and... stuff?."
Carol knelt down in front of him, getting eye-level. "You asked me if I had a husband in my past too let you down gently . I told you I didn't remember. Well, I remember now. And the answer is no."
She reached out, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "I didn't have anyone. But looking at the future... who knows? You're a pretty impressive kid, Tony. You've got a good heart under all that ego. So do me a favor?"
"Anything. Except eating more broccoli. I'm at my limit," Tony said.
"Grow up soon," Carol whispered. "The world is going to get a lot bigger, and it's going to need people who aren't afraid to fly into space."
She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek—the other one this time. "One more for the road cutie."
Tony felt his face turn a shade of red that almost looked tomato like. "I... uh... yeah. Okay. Growing up. On the list. Right under 'Build a robot' and 'Buy a private island'."
Carol laughed, ruffled his hair one last time, and stood up. "Go on. Your butler looks like he's about to have a heart attack."
Tony watched her walk away with an extra strut in her step and then walked out onto the porch, the screen door clicking shut behind him. He stood there for a second, feeling the warm Louisiana breeze. He'd done it. He'd flown a spaceship. He'd saved a race of aliens. He'd been kissed by a superhero—twice!
"YES!" Tony shouted, jumping into the air and punching the sky. "I AM THE KING OF THE WORLD!"
"Ahem..."
Tony froze. His fist was still in the air. His smile vanished, replaced by a cold, prickling sensation on the back of his neck.
He stiffly, slowly turned his head toward the black sedan.
Jarvis was standing by the open door, looking profoundly apologetic. But it wasn't Jarvis who had cleared their throat.
Maria Stark was standing by the car, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her expression wasn't "anxious." It was "the-sun-is-about-to-go-supernova" angry. Beside her, Howard was leaning against the car, but he wasn't even looking at Tony. He was staring at the Quadjet parked on the lawn, his eyes wide, his mouth slightly open, looking like a kid who had just seen Santa Claus.
"Anthony. Edward. Stark," Maria said. The way she said his middle name made Tony's soul try to leave his body through his shoes.
"Hi... Mom," Tony squeaked. "You... uh... you're early? We were just... we were just helping with some local... gardening?"
"Gardening?" Maria stepped forward, her heels clicking on the gravel like a countdown timer. "You have been missing for days! You were in a government facility! And then you disappeared in a... is that a jet?! On someone's lawn?!"
"It's more of a... multi-atmospheric tactical transport, Mom," Tony corrected weakly.
"You are in so much trouble, young man," Maria said, her voice dropping to a terrifyingly calm level. "Get. In. The. Car. Now."
"But Mom—!"
"Now!"
Tony hung his head, dragging his feet toward the sedan. As he passed his father, Howard finally blinked and looked down at his son.
"Tony," Howard whispered, pointing at the ship. "Is that a space ship? Because if it is, what's it like inside ?"
"Howard!" Maria snapped.
"Right. Right. Grounded. Very serious," Howard said, though he gave Tony a subtle, quick thumbs-up when Maria wasn't looking. "Into the car, Ace."
Tony slumped into the backseat. As the car pulled away, he looked out the rear window. He saw Carol standing on the porch, waving softly. He saw the Quadjet—his first ship—sitting in the grass.
He looked at his hands. He was just a kid again. But the stars felt a lot closer than they had a week ago.
Timeskip:
The Stark estate was quiet. Tony had spent the last three hours being shouted at by his mother, and then being told he would be grounded till he was old enough to drive.
Tony walked into his lab, his sneakers squeaking on the pristine floor. He felt a bit aimless. He'd spent the last hour looking over the data Jarvis had "retrieved" from the Kree ship, but it was so advanced it made his head ache.
He walked over to his main whiteboard, planning to start some calculations on a new engine design, when he stopped.
His old blueprints were there.
The ones for Project Baymax.
He had crumpled these up and thrown them in the trash days ago, right before the whole Carol Danvers incident. He had thought they were impossible to achieve—a soft, marshmallow-looking robot for "healthcare"? After seeing Kree sentries and photon blasts, Baymax seemed like a toy.
But someone had smoothed them out. Someone had taped them to the board with meticulous care.
The door to the lab slid open. Howard walked in, carrying two mugs of cocoa. He looked tired, his sleeves rolled up, a smudge of grease on his forehead.
He saw Tony looking at the board.
"I found those," Howard said, stepping up beside him. "Near the trash. I couldn't help myself. I started looking at the programming for your 'healthcare chip'."
Tony looked at his father. "You did?"
"Tony..." Howard sighed, putting a mug down. "I spent a lot of time in here while you were... away. I couldn't let your mum know that I was afraid too, cause then she'd start panicking worse then she did. So when I was alone, i'd come in here... I wanted to feel close to you. And I saw this. Most people, when they get as smart as you, they want to build weapons. They want to build things that break. I know, cause I was that person... But you? You wanted to build something that heals."
Howard reached out and patted Tony on the head. It wasn't a quick pat—it was a lingering, proud gesture.
"You're brilliant, Tony. And I'm proud of you. More than I say. I was thinking... if you're up for it... maybe I could help you finish him? I've got some ideas for the inflatable vinyl skin—make it heat-resistant, maybe add some carbon-fiber reinforcement."
Tony felt a lump in his throat. "You want to help me? On a 'marshmallow' robot?"
"I think it's exactly what the world needs," Howard said. "And maybe, in the future, Stark Industries follows a new direction. Less 'Boom,' more 'How are you feeling today?' What do you say?"
Tony looked at the blueprints, then at his dad. Tony didn't say anything; he just lunged forward and tackled Howard into a hug, squeezing him as hard as he could.
"Deal," Tony whispered.
Howard smiled warmly, hugging his son back. "Great. But in exchange... you have to tell me. What was space like? Did you actually see Aliens—"
"I saw everything, Dad," Tony laughed. "And I took notes."
Howard:" YES!!! That's my boy!"
Three months later:
"Ow!"
.
.
.
.
"Hello. I am Baymax. Your personal healthcare companion. Hello...Tony."