On General Ross's helicopter, the atmosphere was equally tense. Ross and his daughter, Betty, stared blankly at the two massive craters below, speechless for a long time. They were both stunned by the scene they had just witnessed.
After all this time, they were among the people who understood the Hulk best in the world. They knew how terrifying the big green guy's strength and destructive power were.
That's why they were even more shocked. Henry Stark, the Playboy they only knew from finance magazines and gossip columns, had effortlessly defeated the Hulk.
This was unprecedented and unbelievable!
Not only the Hulk, but even the twice-mutated Abomination was easily subdued with a single punch! It was as ridiculously impossible as a myth!
Was God of War descending?!
It felt more like Superman vs. King Kong and Godzilla.
Finally, Betty broke the silence. Her voice was trembling with worry and concern.
"Dad, what should we do? Bruce... Bruce was taken by them. Will he be okay?"
Betty was very worried about her boyfriend. She and this poor man had endured so much hardship together. She didn't know why their fate was always so difficult, but she truly didn't want to lose Bruce Banner again.
Ross looked at his daughter's worried face, feeling a wave of irritation. Why did his daughter have to fall for him?
Imagine if your daughter suddenly brought home a guy who turned into a giant green monster—how would you feel?! He had been in the military his whole life; he had seen everything. But everything that happened tonight made him feel profoundly helpless.
He sighed, his tone resigned. "He should be fine. Those two Stark boys are unpredictable, but they probably won't do anything to him. Perhaps this is actually a good thing for him."
Betty looked in the direction they had left, towards the deep night sky, and finally, without saying anything, just nodded slightly.
On the battlefield, the police and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had already begun the tense and orderly cleanup. Countless reporters and media personnel, like sharks smelling blood, surrounded the entire area, but were held back by the police tape.
But it was already too late. Everything that happened tonight had been live-streamed through various channels by the omnipresent media, who would risk anything for clicks.
The appearance of the Stark brothers, the birth of Iron Man, the arrival of the powerful Black Knight, and the battle...
The entire world was buzzing!
...
"Good evening, viewers, this is the CNN news live broadcast. Just moments ago, an unprecedented battle took place in Harlem and Manhattan, New York. Based on the footage sent back by our field reporters, we can see two massive, unidentified beings engaged in combat..."
"Breaking news! Just now, Tony Stark, the CEO of Stark Industries, who had been missing for days after the press conference, and his brother, Henry Stark, suddenly appeared on the battlefield! They intervened in the battle like heroes!"
"My God, viewers! Did you see that?! The man in pure black Armor actually defeated one of the monsters with a single punch! According to our experts, the strength, speed, and defense he demonstrated are far beyond any known individual weapon! He even possesses the terrifying ability to shoot high-energy heat rays from his eyes! Perhaps we shouldn't call him a Playboy anymore; we should give him a much grander title! Such as Superman!"
"You're right, Tom! What about Tony Stark? He's flying freely in the sky in that cool gold-and-red Armor, like a knight from the future! What should we call him?"
"Hmm, let me think. He's all made of steel and full of masculine charm. Perhaps we should call him Iron Man!"
"Superman and Iron Man! Oh, my God! This sounds like a plot from a comic book! America, and the world, officially enters the age of superheroes today!"
...
Tens of thousands of meters high, Henry and Tony were flying towards Los Angeles at top speed. Henry's bio-force field gently enveloped Bruce Banner and Blonsky, who had returned to their human forms and were still unconscious.
"I have to say, these two guys are quite heavy," Henry complained to Tony through the comms. "Especially that Abomination; he's all bone, and it's hurting my hands. Tony, are you sure we're not engaging in some international human trafficking? A normal person would be jailed for this."
"I'm fine," Tony teased.
"At least I don't have to fly around carrying two big men like a porter. Seriously, you look exactly like a househusband who just bought groceries at the market. Not cool at all."
"Is that so? I think I look exactly like a hero who saved the world and is bringing the trophies home," Henry said narcissistically.
"I can already imagine how the news media will report on us tomorrow."
"They'll definitely say the great Iron Man appeared," Tony immediately interjected.
"But Henry single-handedly saved New York City," Henry added.
"No, Henry will probably be Iron Man's sidekick, in charge of applause during the battle," Tony countered again.
"Impossible!" Henry immediately refuted.
"They'll definitely say the genius inventor, billionaire, Playboy Iron Man is Superman's mysterious henchman!"
They continued to mock each other, as if the massive battle that had just occurred was a boring, insignificant video game.
"Hey, Jarvis," Henry suddenly asked.
"Show me how those brainless media are praising us? Did they manage to take a cool photo of me?"
"Of course, it's cool. When is anything related to you not cool?"
Tony immediately answered, then said matter-of-factly, "After all, you are my brother, Tony Stark's brother."
"Get lost," Henry shot back unreservedly.
Just then, Jarvis's voice sounded.
"Gentlemen, according to real-time network data analysis, over 95% of mainstream media globally are reporting your deeds on their front pages. The media and the public have spontaneously adopted unified names for you."
"Oh? Is that so? Tell me," the two brothers were both intrigued.
"Based on approval ratings and search popularity, the media and the public generally refer to Mr. Tony as Iron Man. And they refer to Mr. Henry as Superman."
"Superman?" Henry was stunned for a moment, then laughed.
"Although the name is unoriginal, since it's using someone else's title, I have to admit that the name Superman is classic and very fitting. I like it. It perfectly matches my handsome and dashing demeanor."
"Give me a break," Tony rolled his eyes, then said smugly, in a tone that implied, I knew it all along. "These people have some vision; they actually figured out our idea and came up with the same names we thought of."
"You, in that clanking iron shell, are nothing but Iron Man. 'Iron Man' just sounds slightly better," Henry exposed him mercilessly.
"What do you know! It's called..."
"Alright, alright, stop arguing," Henry interrupted him.
"OK, OK!"
"Let's talk about serious business. What are you going to do with these two guys? Why are we taking them home? Henry, our house doesn't have room for other men, especially ones bigger than you." Tony shrugged, sounding resigned.
"Of course, we're going to research them!" Henry said matter-of-factly.
"These two guys are like two living Gamma Ray databases! I need to study them inside and out! See if I can find a way to get their power without turning into a multi-colored, brainless behemoth."
"Not a bad idea," Tony nodded.
Henry smiled. He didn't mention that his idea was far crazier than Tony's. He wanted to build the strongest superhero team on Earth, one that answered only to him.
×××××××××××××××
If you're interested, you can read advanced chapters:
p-atreon.com/Heroicverse