"Mr. Parker… is there really no way to bring Tony back?"
Pepper Potts looked utterly exhausted, as if she had aged several years in a matter of weeks. Tony had always been a source of worry, but the catastrophe he had unleashed this time was on an entirely different scale.
"I'm afraid not, Ms. Potts. Not yet." Ben shook his head gently. He sat across from her in the sterile conference room of Primus Technologies, his gaze drifting past her to a large monitor on the wall. The screen was broadcasting the live feed from Sakaar. On it, a dirt-streaked and bloodied Tony Stark looked like a man on his last legs.
"Do you understand the true gravity of what Tony has done?" Ben asked softly, pulling his eyes away from the brutal spectacle.
A helpless, weary expression settled on Pepper's face. Of course, she knew. With Ultron defeated by Ben and Norman Osborn regaining control of H.A.M.M.E.R., the global order was slowly stabilizing. But the fires Tony had started were not so easily extinguished. Ultron's stated goal had been global annihilation; labeling Tony as an accessory to the attempted extinction of humanity wasn't an exaggeration.
Fortunately, Ultron's plan had been cut short. Within America, its tyranny had been limited to preemptively arresting potential "criminals." Countless innocent people were swept up in the dragnet, though most had since been released after retrials. Still, public resentment against Tony Stark was at a fever pitch. The innocent were furious, and even the genuinely guilty weren't about to admit it, instead joining the chorus of condemnation. Stark Industries' stock had plummeted to historic lows.
But those were problems money could solve. A few well-placed settlements could soothe the public's anger, and the protests would eventually die down. The real trouble lay with the world's governments… and with Wakanda.
Ultron had decapitated the ruling class, seizing control of everything up to and including the world's nuclear launch codes. Then there was the war. To the people of Wakanda, it didn't matter whether Tony Stark had personally given the order. Their nation was invaded, their resources plundered, and their people attacked. In its relentless quest for vibranium, Ultron had unleashed an army of robots on the African nation.
While Wakanda's advanced technology had prevented catastrophic casualties, the loss of their sacred metal was a wound to their very soul. It was the foundation of their kingdom, and the elder King T'Chaka would never let the transgression stand. Ulysses Klaue had been placed on their permanent kill list for stealing a fraction of what Ultron had taken. The damage was so profound that many Wakandan tribes were now questioning T'Chaka's decision to open their borders to the world. Their outreach had been met not with gratitude, but with disaster.
Both T'Chaka and his son, T'Challa, had formally demanded that America hand over the war criminal Tony Stark. Norman could only deflect, explaining that Stark had already been apprehended by the Plumbers and was serving his sentence on Sakaar—a sentence being broadcast live to the world as proof. It did little to quell their rage.
"Ms. Potts, you must realize that if Tony were on Earth right now, he wouldn't just be facing lawsuits," Ben said, his tone somber. "I know Stark Industries is wealthy, but this isn't something money can fix. The value of the vibranium stolen from Wakanda alone exceeds the entirety of Tony's assets."
Pepper pinched the bridge of her nose, her lips tightening into a thin line as she stared at Ben with unconcealed resentment.
Stolen vibranium? she thought bitterly. Lost? The metal wasn't lost. It wasn't vaporized. It was mined, collected… and seized. She knew perfectly well that Ben himself now possessed that mountain of vibranium. But she couldn't demand he return it. She couldn't ask him to give it back to Wakanda in exchange for Tony's freedom. Ben had solved the Ultron crisis; the vibranium was his spoil of war. No one, not even the Wakandans, could argue against it. Did they not know where their precious metal ended up? Of course they did.
Pepper let out another long, tired sigh. She felt utterly drained. Nominally, she was Tony's girlfriend, but in reality, she was his keeper, endlessly cleaning up the messes left behind by a giant, brilliant child who refused to grow up.
Seeing the deep sadness in her eyes, Ben felt a pang of sympathy. But sympathy was one thing; returning the vibranium was another. It was his trophy, the legitimate prize from a hard-won battle. He had already used Dr. Octavius's new particle transporter to ship the bulk of it off-world. The haul was just a drop in the bucket for the grand construction of Plumbers. If anything, Ben's only regret was that Ultron hadn't managed to mine more.
He cleared his throat, steering the conversation away from the sensitive topic. "Keeping Tony on Sakaar is the best solution for everyone."
"I know that, but…" Pepper shook her head, her gaze unwillingly drawn back to the monitor. She couldn't stand to look at Tony's tortured existence. She lived in constant fear, avoiding the live broadcast, terrified of seeing him suffer some new punishment, terrified that he wouldn't survive the next day. Her eyes reddened, filling with tears.
"He's never… he's never suffered like this," she choked out, her voice breaking. "You know him, Ben. The man can't even wash his own socks. He has people for everything… Without his armor, without his resources… he'll die…"
"I think you underestimate him, Ms. Potts," Ben replied, shaking his head. Tony Stark was accustomed to a life of unimaginable luxury, yes, but that didn't make him fragile. The man had survived a cave in the Middle East with nothing but a box of scraps, a feat that bordered on miraculous. "I know you're worried, and you hate seeing him suffer, but right now, the best thing we can do is trust him. I can promise you this: Tony will not die."
"I know…" Pepper sobbed, lowering her head. She knew Ben wouldn't let Tony actually perish, but what she wanted was for his suffering to end now. She was certain Ben could secretly bring him back to Earth, faking the video feed with his advanced technology. But she couldn't bring herself to ask.
She took several deep, shaky breaths, composing herself. "When?" she asked, her voice strained. "When can Tony come back?"
"When people no longer hate him," Ben answered vaguely, then offered a slight wink. "Instead of pleading with me, Ms. Potts, I suggest you go and plead your case to the entire world."
"Plead… to the world?" Pepper looked up, stunned for a moment before understanding dawned in her eyes. Ben wasn't talking about a simple apology. Compensation was necessary, of course, but this was about shaping the narrative. Using the media, they could reframe the story, emphasizing that Tony was also a victim, exiled by his own creation. They could slowly shift the world's hatred away from him and back onto the ghost of Ultron.
She wiped her tears, a new resolve hardening her features. She stood abruptly. "I'll get on it immediately."
As Pepper hurried out, Ben shook his head. A moment later, Mary Jane entered, carrying a datapad.
"Ben, T'Challa is requesting to see you again," she said with a sigh. "He's still hoping you'll hand Tony over to him."
Mary Jane swayed over to the conference table, leaning her curvaceous hip against its edge. Her figure was lush and womanly, a stark and pleasant contrast to Felicia's slender frame.
"Him again?" A look of genuine annoyance crossed Ben's face. He actually liked T'Challa; the man was honorable and generous, a far cry from the duplicitous Nick Fury. But his persistence was becoming a monumental headache. Ben felt like he'd seen more of the Wakandan prince in the last few days than he had of his own girlfriends.
"Tell him I'm off-world," Ben said, standing up quickly. He had no desire to get drawn into another circular argument. T'Challa wanted to personally see Tony tried in Wakanda. While he probably wouldn't execute his former comrade, the price Tony would pay would be severe. Ben couldn't fault his logic, but he refused to let the Avengers collapse over this. This was the best outcome: Tony was punished, Plumbers received a massive influx of vibranium, Eunice gained a new life, and Stark's enemies felt vindicated. The only party that truly lost out was Wakanda.
"Okay, I'll turn him down," Mary Jane nodded with a smile, clearly sharing Ben's annoyance at the prince's frequency. She straightened up, a playful glint in her eye. "In that case, it seems we have some free time…"
Ben raised an eyebrow. "Is that a challenge?" he countered, his lips curving into a smirk. "Because if you can't handle it, you should probably call Felicia for backup now. It might be too late otherwise."
He pulled Mary Jane close, and the conference room was soon filled with activities unrelated to global politics.
A few hours later, the three of them were sprawled comfortably across the massive sofa in Ben's private office. Felicia, looking like a contented cat, was curled up in Ben's arms. She nudged against him before looking up at Ben and Mary Jane, her face alight with gossip.
"You will not believe what I saw earlier…" she began, then paused, letting the statement hang in the air.
Mary Jane, now thoroughly intrigued, leaned forward impatiently. "What? Finish your sentence! You know that's the most annoying thing a person can do!"
"It's just… it was a little unbelievable," Felicia said, shaking her head as if still processing it. She recounted how she had gotten Mary Jane's 'call for backup' and had transformed into her cat form, sprinting across the city rooftops to get to the Primus as fast as possible. "I was coming in through one of the upper-floor windows, dozens of stories up, and I saw…" She paused again for dramatic effect.
Mary Jane was practically vibrating with curiosity, leaning so far forward that Ben chuckled and shifted to give her more support.
Felicia finally dropped the bomb. "I saw Wanda and Eunice. They were… together. Like, clinging to each other."
Ben and Mary Jane stared at her, momentarily stunned into silence.
"Are you serious?" Mary Jane's eyes went wide, the explosive news chasing away all other thoughts. "But… Eunice is a robot. Can she even… you know… fall in love?" She directed the second half of the question to Ben.
"Why not?" Ben shrugged. "Eunice has a fully biological body now, and the Mind Stone gave her a true consciousness. She's no different from any other living person, so of course she can."
The idea of her being with Wanda, however, was an unexpected twist. Ben didn't have any particular feelings about it beyond surprise. He'd always assumed, based on what little he knew, that Wanda's romantic interest was Vision. He pinched his chin, a theory forming in his mind.
"It might be because of the Mind Stone," he mused aloud. "Wanda's Chaos Magic was awakened by the stone's energy, and now that same stone is part of Eunice."