As James crossed the aisle, a young congresswoman stood. "Mr. Holden! Thank you… you saved my sister in yesterday's subway crash."
He nodded and kept walking. Her words opened a floodgate—spectators rose, clapping. By the time James and Tony reached the doors, applause thundered.
Stern stood alone, gavel limp.
Outside, thousands cheered, waving "Support Superman" signs. A girl timidly offered a notebook. "Can you sign?"
James knelt. "Your name?"
"Alice," she blushed.
He wrote: To Alice - With great power comes great responsibility. - James Holden
Tony smirked. "Stealing quotes?"
"Original guy won't mind," James said, nodding to the crowd before joining Tony at the Audi R8.
Inside, Tony exhaled. "Thought you'd laser the Senate."
"Not worth it," James said, buckling up.
The car roared off, the crowd's cheers fading in the rearview.
"So," Tony said, swerving through D.C. streets, "what's next? Save the world or grab coffee?"
"Stark Tower, then home," James replied. "Wanda's waiting for her training."
Tony whistled. "Wanda, huh? Moving fast with the hideaway?"
"She's a mutant," James said evenly. "Strong, but needs guidance."
"Mutants, alien tech, magic," Tony sighed. "My life's a mess since you showed up."
James smirked. "You love it."
Tony didn't deny it, flooring the gas.
Stark Tower Lab
The elevator slid open. Pepper Potts entered, heels clicking, flipping through a tablet, blonde hair in a tight bun.
"Tony, the quarterly report's on—" She froze, spotting James.
His profile was striking under the lab lights, eyes faintly golden. He turned, nodding. "Miss Potts."
"Pepper!" Tony called, holding a sparking circuit board. "Meet our new shareholder, James Holden."
Pepper smiled professionally. "Mr. Holden, Tony speaks of you often."
"Hope it's not all bad," James said warmly.
"Quite the opposite," she said, glancing at his combat suit. "He says you're the smartest man he's met."
Tony waved dramatically. "Never said that!"
Pepper set the files down. "You hold shares but skip board meetings?"
"Business isn't my thing," James said. "Just the tech."
She nodded, pleased. "Good. One less Tony to wrangle."
Tony clutched his chest. "I'm not that bad!"
"Shall I list examples?" Pepper quipped. "Since you returned, our military contracts vanished, and last week—"
"Okay, okay!" Tony cut in, winking at James. "See why you don't mess with women?"
Pepper sipped coffee. "I'm just dropping files. Carry on. Tony, Monaco race Thursday?"
"If I'm not buried in work," Tony dodged.
She nodded to James and left. Tony exhaled. "Women—impossible."
James glanced at the elevator. "She's sharp."
"Too sharp," Tony muttered, typing on a holographic keyboard. A new armor design appeared, angular with vibranium joints. "Mark suit prototype—nanotech, your Uru metal, and some Asgardian tech. 40% better energy transfer, one-tenth the weight."
James's super vision scanned it. "Shoulder joints need reinforcement. They'll overheat at high speed."
"Got it covered," Tony said, pulling up a submenu. "Liquid cooling, but it eats 3% power."
"Use Uru," James pointed. "Asgardian circuits fix that."
Tony's eyes lit up. "Brilliant!"
They dove into tech talk, time slipping away.
Tony paused, leaning back. "Before Pepper came, you mentioned Wanda. She tied to me?"
James closed the hologram. "Her parents died in a Sokovian explosion—Stark Industries missile. She and her twin hid in rubble for three days, staring at your logo on a dud."
Tony's face froze. "Obadiah," he growled. "Smuggled weapons. I had no idea."
"Does she know?" James asked.
Tony shook his head. "Even if she did, doesn't change the facts."
Silence fell, broken only by the hum of machines.
"I'll talk to her when she's ready," James said. "It's not your fault."
"Will she listen?" Tony asked.
"She's tougher than you think," James said, heading to the window. "Hate blinds, but truth finds a way."
Tony nodded, then asked, "Why help her?"
James grinned cryptically. "Guess."
He traced a golden portal, stepping through to the villa's living room, where Wanda sat reading.
"See you tomorrow, Tony," he called as the portal closed.
Tony stood alone, the hologram's blue light on his face. He slammed a fist on the table. "Jarvis, start the clean energy plan."
"All of it, sir?"
"All," Tony said, resolute. "Shut down production lines, shift to medical and energy. Contact Sokovia's victims' families."
He stared at the city lights, eyes hard. This was his redemption.
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