The inside of Tony's airship was a silent, sterile world of brushed metal and soft blue light, a stark contrast to the snowy wilderness of Japan they had just left behind. The newly assembled group settled into an uneasy quiet. T'Challa, Erik Killmonger, Nakia, Tony, and Logan sat around a holographic table, a council of warriors and kings.
A short distance away, a moment of gentle peace bloomed. Shuri, her initial awe at Tony's tech giving way to a warmer curiosity, sat with Mariko, who was trying to keep her two young children from exploring the ship's more dangerous corners.
"They are beautiful," Shuri said, watching the children play. "What are their names?"
Mariko smiled, a soft, genuine expression that lit up her face. "Her name is Akari," she said, pointing to her daughter. "She is our light. And his name is Kibou. He is our hope."
"Light and Hope," Shuri repeated, her voice filled with a soft wonder. "They are so cute. I have never seen a group of children before this cute."
While Shuri and Mariko were lost in the simple joy of the children, the tension at the main table was thick enough to cut with a knife. Logan, his patience already worn thin, slammed a hand on the table.
"Alright, Stark. Enough games," he growled. "Where are we going?"
"Vancouver, British Columbia," Tony replied calmly, not looking up from a holographic display he was manipulating.
"But why?" T'Challa asked, his regal brow furrowed in confusion.
Tony just smiled. "Recruitment."
The scene shifted. The grimy, neon-lit streets of Vancouver at night. A man in a red and black tactical suit stumbled out of a strip club, an arm slung around one of the dancers.
"…and then I told him, that's not a chimichanga, that's my left kidney! Which, by the way, grows back. It's a neat party trick," the man was saying, his voice muffled by his mask. Suddenly, a shimmering, circular portal opened beneath his feet. "Whoa, free-falling into a plot device!" he yelled as he vanished. The stripper just blinked, shrugged, and went back inside.
A few minutes later, Tony Stark, now dressed in a sharp civilian suit, rang the doorbell of a modest suburban house. A woman with a warm, tired smile and sharp, intelligent eyes opened the door.
"Hi, I'm Vanessa Carlysle," she said. "How may I help you?"
"Ms. Carlysle," Tony said, turning on his billionaire charm. "Tony Stark. I'm here about Wade Wilson. He recently applied for a highly specialized position at Stark Industries. He got the job. We had to move him to our primary R&D facility immediately."
Vanessa looked confused. "Wade? Got a job? And he didn't come to say goodbye?"
"He was… emotional," Tony said smoothly. "Said he wouldn't be able to leave if he saw you. He asked me to give you this." He handed her a sealed envelope. "He'll be in touch as soon as he's settled."
"But…"
"Thank me later, Ms. Carlysle," Tony said, already turning to leave.
He returned to the airship to find absolute chaos. Wade Wilson, now out of his suit and in jeans and a t-shirt, was strapped to a chair and screaming.
"STARK, I WILL KILL YOU! I WILL END YOU! LET ME GO! VANESSA'S GOING TO THINK I GHOSTED HER! THAT'S THE WORST KIND OF GHOSTING!"
Tony strolled over, completely unbothered. "I think someone's forgetting the time he came to me, begging me to fix his face because he didn't have the confidence to see his girlfriend looking like a monster. I fixed you. You owe me a favor. This is me, calling it in."
"BUT I DON'T WANT TO GO!" Wade yelled.
"Hey, inside voice," Tony said calmly. "Jarvis, give him a mild tranquilizer. Just enough to make him sleepy and less annoying."
"Stark, you will pay for this!" Wade slurred as a faint hiss came from the chair, his eyes fluttering shut. "...Tell her... I didn't forget her birthday this year."
Logan stared at the unconscious mercenary, his lip curled in disgust. "Why did you bring him? That joker?"
"He's a joker, but he's got benefits," Tony said dismissively. He turned to the others. "Alright, all of you, head back to the Helicarrier. I'll see you there shortly."
T'Challa looked at him, puzzled. "Where are you going now?"
Tony grinned, a spark of genuine excitement in his eyes. "Recruiting my favorite."