Tony and Natasha decided to watch it from the sidelines.
The cops, equipped with Stark tech suits and weapons, took the first action. A massive sonic blast shot out from one of their vehicles, slamming into the armored truck. The impact flipped the truck over onto its side, sending it skidding across the pavement.
The guy in red, standing on top of the truck as it tumbled, shot a web to the nearest light post and swung away from the truck. His movements were swift and controlled.
As soon as the truck stopped flipping, five masked thugs got out of the truck, immediately opening fire on the cops. The guy in red moved with blinding speed, webbing their guns out of their hands before they even had a chance to react. In a blur of motion, he spun around and wrapped the thugs in thick webbing, cocooning them in seconds. By the time the cops had pulled their cars to a stop, the criminals were completely immobilized.
Without wasting a second, the red-suited vigilante shot another web to a building across the street. With a quick tug, he pulled himself up and disappeared over the rooftop.
Natasha asked. "Should we have the SHIELD agents take him in? Vigilante without a proper Hero ID. That's a problem."
Tony rubbed his chin, eyes still on the rooftop where the guy had vanished. "Let him be for now. As long as he ain't doing anything bad, it's all good. And I've got this feeling that he's going to be a great hero someday. Deploy surveillance though. We need eyes on him."
Natasha nodded, pulling out her wrist device and making a few quick taps. She sent the orders before crossing her arms and looking back at the scene unfolding below.
The cops were already rounding up the thugs, hauling them into the back of their vehicles. One of the officers checked the truck's cargo and found the money. It was a typical heist gone sideways. Well, just another morning in New York.
...
[Peter's 3rd person POV]
Peter swung down into an alley, the webbing retracting as he landed. He quickly unzipped his suit and shoved it into his backpack. His Spider-Man suit was compact enough to fit, but that didn't make it any less uncomfortable to carry around.
With a glance at his watch, he cursed under his breath. "I'm late again."
He threw the backpack over his shoulder and adjusted his shirt. He wasn't exactly a fashion icon — just a plain t-shirt and baggy pants. As usual, he was running late for his shift at the pizza shop. He didn't have the luxury of a regular schedule with his other "job," and that always put him behind.
Peter has been doing vigilante-friendly hero work for the last couple of weeks. He gained his power when he went to the junkyard to buy some scraps for a personal project and got bitten by a little spider on his hand while looking through old Oscorp junk.
After gaining his power, he did some practice and tests and figured out that he could shoot organic web from his wrist. He also got super endurance, heals faster, speed, jump high, enhanced strength, and spider sense.
He wanted to get a proper Hero ID from the Shield Base, but he didn't want to expose his real identity despite knowing the rules. So, he generally takes down small timers from the shadows at night, mostly, and sometimes in the morning, unless it's absolutely necessary.
Peter ran out of the alley and crossed the street quickly, the bright neon sign of "Joe's Pizza" already in his sights. His stomach growled, but he shoved the thought of food to the back of his mind. Right now, he needed to focus on making it through another shift without getting caught by Mr. Joe or his "friendly" co-workers.
He sped up, weaving through pedestrians and traffic.
As he reached the door of the pizza shop, he pushed it open with his shoulder and slipped inside. The bell above the door chimed as he entered. "Sorry, I'm late," Peter called out to his boss, Joe, who was standing behind the counter with his usual frown.
"Again? You're lucky I like you, Parker," Joe grumbled, his arms crossed. "Get to work, or you won't be liking your paycheck."
Peter nodded quickly, his mind already shifting back into "pizza mode."
...
[Stark Tower – Noon]
Tony just finished fixing a crucial problem in his transformer project. Now, the final phase has begun. Within a couple of months, they will be ready. The perfect transformer. So, after wrapping up his work, he was taking a little break. It was one of those rare moments when he had a bit of peace, but even that was short-lived.
His desk buzzed. The holographic display blinked to life, showing an incoming call from his father. Tony leaned forward, rubbing his eyes.
"Hey, Dad," Tony answered, trying to sound casual, but it came out a little tired. "What's up?"
The holographic face of Howard popped up.
"Tony, I've been thinking," Howard said with a thoughtful expression, "You need someone to help you manage that calendar of yours. Natasha's working herself into the ground keeping you on track, taking care of almost everything and honestly, that girl deserves a break."
Tony exhaled sharply. "What do you mean, 'someone to help'? I don't need a babysitter. And you can't expect me to involve some outsider in this."
Howard's chuckle was unmistakable, even through the static. "Oh, you need someone. Trust me, Tony. Anyway, I've already taken the liberty of hiring someone for you. She's sharp, organized, and won't let you get away with your usual nonsense. I forwarded her information to your computer. Check it out."
Tony rubbed his temples, mentally preparing himself for whatever new "assistant" his dad thought was necessary. He didn't really have the patience for this today.
"Fine," Tony muttered. "Anything else?"
Howard seemed to soften for a second. "Well, got some new data from the engineers on the Mars Project. I'll need your input on the atmosphere bubble tech when you get a chance. But otherwise, just let Natasha get some rest, alright?"
"Alright. Got it. Don't worry, I'll make sure she doesn't overwork herself," Tony said with a nod.
"Good," Howard said with a bit of satisfaction. "Talk to you later, Tony."
"Bye, Pops," Tony said.
The call ended with a soft click.
Tony swiveled back in his chair, his fingers already moving across the desk, pulling up the file that had been sent over. The name flashed up on the holographic screen: Pepper Potts.
The moment the image appeared, Tony froze. His mind instantly connected the dots. Pepper—he knew exactly who she was thanks to his past life's memories. He didn't even need to read the resume to know she was highly capable. Pepper had always been sharp, no-nonsense, and driven. She's perfect for the job.
Tony's fingers hovered over the holographic screen, scrolling through her profile. She was a fresh graduate and had been working with SHIELD and his dad for the past few months. She showed excellent results.
"Well, well, well," Tony muttered to himself, leaning back in his chair, watching the holographic projection of Pepper's smiling face. "Guess I've got an assistant I can actually work with. I just hope this isn't the yandere version."
He chuckled to himself, shaking his head. 'This is going to be interesting.'
...
[Pepper's Apartment – Noon]
The scent of tomato and basil filled the small kitchen as Pepper twirled a forkful of pasta. She had barely taken her second bite when her wristband buzzed. She took the call. The holographic display blinked to life, and Howard Stark's familiar face appeared in the air.
Pepper quickly set her fork down and straightened. "Mr. Stark. Good afternoon."
Howard gave her a warm but assessing look. "Afternoon, Pepper. Hope I'm not interrupting lunch."
"You are," she said with a faint smile, "but I don't mind. What's going on?"
Howard leaned closer to his camera. "You've been doing excellent work these past few months. Sharp, reliable, professional. SHIELD already wants to keep you full-time. But I've got a bigger assignment for you."
Pepper blinked. "Bigger?"
He nodded. "As of today, you're being promoted. You'll no longer be my secretary. Effective immediately, you're transferring to Stark Tower. You'll serve as assistant to my son."
Pepper's breath caught for a moment. She had expected maybe a new division or project lead role, not this. "Tony Stark. The Tony Stark."
"That's right," Howard said, folding his hands. "Leader of the Ultimates. And a man who would forget to eat or sleep for three days straight if no one reminded him."
She hesitated. "With all due respect, sir… why me?"
"Because you're exactly what he needs," Howard replied firmly. "Tony pisses off politicians before breakfast, reporters before lunch, and half the defense industry before dinner. He juggles too many projects at once and thinks he's invincible. Well, he is invincible. Still, he's burning himself down. Your job is to keep him balanced. Push when he resists, pull when he stalls, and don't let him run himself into the ground."
Pepper crossed her arms. "That sounds less like an assistant and more like a crisis manager."
Howard smirked. "Now you're getting the picture." He paused, studying her reaction. "So, Pepper… are you ready to deal with Tony Stark? Because it won't be easy. In fact, it'll be very hard."
Pepper thought for a moment. She remembered late nights at SHIELD handling classified reports, juggling demands from directors, managing tempers sharper than knives. This would be another level entirely, but she could feel the challenge sparking something inside her.
She lifted her chin. "Yes, Mr. Stark. I'm ready."
Howard's smirk softened into genuine approval. "Good answer. I'm counting on you, Pepper. Your job starts tomorrow. Good luck."
The call ended.
Pepper sat back, staring at her pasta. A small smile tugged at her lips as the reality sank in.
"Tony Stark's crisis manager," she murmured as she pinched her arm, thinking this was not real and she was dreaming. "Oouch!" She felt the sting. "Okay, not a dream. Take a deep breath, Pepper. You can do this. You got this. How hard can it be? You've tackled enough in SHIELD's HQ. Yeah. I can do this..."
---
..[POWERSTONES AND REVIEWS]...
If you like my work, you can support me on>: www.patr eon.com/XcaliburXc
[Read 15 advance chapters]
---