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"Who are we? You don't recognize us?"
Jack swirled the red wine lazily in his glass, the deep crimson liquid catching the faint daylight filtering through the villa's tall glass panels. His eyes lifted toward the woman who had spoken.
"Pepper Potts."
The moment her name left his lips, Pepper's composure fractured.
Her face paled.
"You… you're… Wu—Jack…"
Her voice trembled despite her effort to steady it.
Jack smiled lightly, as if they were acquaintances meeting at a charity gala rather than enemies in a warzone. "Yes. I am Jack. Pepper, seeing you here is quite pleasant."
He raised the glass and took another slow sip.
Pepper stared at him.
This was the man who had turned Broadway into a graveyard just hours ago. The so-called public enemy of humanity. The war criminal whose name governments now spat with fear and rage.
And yet—
He looked… ordinary.
Too ordinary.
A handsome man lounging on a sofa, drinking wine inside Tony Stark's living room.
Her heart pounded violently against her ribs.
No.
Calm down.
She forced herself to inhale slowly.
"What did you come here for?"
Jack tilted his head slightly. "Why do you think I came? Where is Tony?"
"He's here," Pepper snapped, anger cutting through her fear. "You destroyed Stark Industries Expo, and you still dare to come here?"
Jack clapped slowly, amused. "Strong personality. Speaking to me like that. Aren't you afraid of dying?"
Pepper lifted her chin defiantly. "How many have you killed already, public enemy? If you want to kill me, then do it."
Alice and Ada exchanged a brief glance.
Ada's lips curved faintly. "Jack, your taste isn't bad. She does have character."
"Hey," Jack muttered with mock annoyance, "don't make it sound like I'm speechless."
White Queen rolled her eyes. "You all know perfectly well what he wants."
Before Jack could respond—
"Jack!"
The voice exploded with hatred.
Tony Stark stepped forward in his Iron Man armor. The metallic plating gleamed faintly in the dimmed hall, servos humming beneath the surface.
His eyes burned.
"You actually dared to come here. Today, I'll make sure you die without a burial place."
Jack leaned back on the sofa, completely unbothered. "Stop the empty threats. You don't have that strength."
He raised the wineglass again. "Your collection is excellent."
Tony's jaw clenched. "You destroyed years of my family's effort. From the moment you attacked that expo, I swore—I would kill you."
"Boring," Jack replied calmly.
Pepper's gaze shifted toward Alice, Ada, and White Queen.
"Who are you? You follow him?"
"And what if we do?" Alice asked coolly.
Pepper stared at them in disbelief. "You're insane. Following someone like him."
"Jack!" Tony's helmet snapped shut over his face. The mechanical plates sealed with a sharp click. "I'm ending this."
Energy built inside his palms, a bright white glow intensifying rapidly.
He fired.
The beam tore through the air—
Bang!
Jack vanished.
The blast struck the leather sofa, igniting it instantly. Flames licked upward, filling the hall with the sharp scent of burning upholstery.
"Tony," Jack's voice echoed behind him, calm as ever. "You're still not enough."
Iron Man spun instantly, fist swinging with full force.
Jack caught it mid-strike.
The metal groaned in protest.
Then Jack's other fist slammed into Tony's chest reactor.
Clang!
Iron Man flew backward, smashing violently into the wall. Concrete fractured outward in spiderweb cracks.
"Tony!" Pepper cried, instinctively stepping forward.
"Stay where you are," Alice warned coldly, raising her weapon and pointing it at Pepper's head.
Tony tore himself from the wall debris, hovering in midair, then blasted forward again in a streak of red and gold.
Jack's pupils shifted.
Thought Power surged outward.
Iron Man halted abruptly mid-flight—one meter from Jack.
Invisible pressure locked him in place.
The suit's servos whined, straining uselessly against the unseen force.
"Your family's Artificial Intelligence is impressive," White Queen remarked, studying the immobilized Iron Man.
"Jarvis?" Tony demanded. "You did something."
White Queen smiled faintly. "Eighty percent of him. I didn't destroy him. Only paralyzed him."
Inside the suit, Tony's eyes widened.
An AI capable of suppressing Jarvis?
Who were these people?
Pepper's voice trembled again, though she tried to steady it. "What exactly do you want?"
Jack stood slowly.
Walked toward her.
Each step was unhurried.
Measured.
Deliberate.
His gaze darkened, something colder emerging beneath the surface.
"If I killed you," he mused, eyes gleaming faintly, "would Tony be very excited?"
"Jack!" Tony roared, helmet retracting again. His face was twisted with fury. "If you touch her, I'll tear you apart!"
Jack smiled faintly. "Didn't expect you to care so much, Tony. Pepper, you must feel very happy."
"Tony, don't worry about me," Pepper shouted. "Find a way out!"
Jack applauded lightly.
"How touching. Almost moved me to tears."
His expression shifted.
"But unfortunately… I enjoy destroying what others cherish."
In a blur of motion, his hand shot forward and gripped Pepper's chin between his fingers.
Firm.
Cold.
She tried to slap his hand away—
Her body wouldn't move.
Her limbs froze.
Her breath caught in her throat.
"What did you do to me?" Panic flickered in her voice.
Alice shook her head slightly from the side. "Watching you do this makes me uncomfortable."
Jack nodded casually. "Then go outside. Leave this to me. Otherwise I can't properly enjoy the effect."
"Pervert," White Queen muttered under her breath.
Without further protest, she left with Alice and Ada.
The hall grew quiet.
Only Jack, Pepper, and the immobilized Tony remained.
Jack leaned slightly closer to Pepper.
"Now," he said softly, "it feels less pressured. Being watched reduces enjoyment."
"Jack!" Tony bellowed, struggling violently. The suit's systems strained. "Your target is me! What kind of man attacks a woman?"
Jack shrugged. "I do as I please. Man or woman—it makes no difference."
"Let her go!" Tony's voice cracked with fury. His body trembled as he forced every ounce of will into breaking free.
The invisible restraint around him flickered faintly.
Jack observed this with mild amusement.
"Anger can make people stronger," he said thoughtfully. "But not strong enough."
His Thought Power intensified.
Tony's movement halted completely.
Pepper's heart pounded violently.
Jack's fingers still held her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes.
Cold.
Unpredictable.
And terrifyingly calm.
Outside, waves crashed against the cliff below.
Inside, tension thickened like a storm about to break.
And Jack smiled.