The heat shimmering on the tarmac of Edwards Air Force Base was nothing compared to the sweltering furnace Tony had escaped, but for those waiting, every minute felt like an hour.
Adam stood slightly apart from them, leaning against the sleek Rolls-Royce Phantom. He watched the horizon, his expression unreadable as he observed the high-stakes anxiety of the inner circle.
Pepper Potts refused to move, though the nervous tapping of her heel against the concrete betrayed her. Her professional exterior was a thin veil over a heart that was clearly racing.
Beside her, Happy Hogan looked composed behind his dark sunglasses, but the constant adjustment of his suit jacket gave him away. He was doing a better job than Pepper at maintaining a professional guard, but Adam could see the worry he had for his boss and, more importantly, his friend.
Pepper's attempt to be stoic was admirable, but he saw the slightest tremble in her jaw and the way her eyes darted toward the horizon, a volatile mix of worry and relief.
He was witnessing a moment that felt like the beginning of a new era, or the end of an old one.
The roar of the C-17's engines filled the air, a massive shadow sweeping over the base as the military transport plane touched down. As the plane came to a stop, the cargo ramp groaned open, and the silhouettes of two people appeared.
Tony Stark stood up from the wheelchair he was sitting in with Rhodey's help, his right hand in a cast, as he came down the ramp, his eyes locked onto Pepper. He looked at the stretcher that was prepared for him and said, "Are you kidding me with this? Get rid of them." Rhodey signaled, and the medics with the stretcher retreated.
Pepper smiled in relief as Tony came up to her and looked her in the eyes. "Your eyes are red. A few tears for your long-lost boss?"
"Tears of joy. I hate job hunting," Pepper replied with a smile.
Adam stood quietly and watched the interaction between Pepper and Tony with a slight smile on his face.
"Yeah. Vacation's over." With that, Tony moved towards the car.
Adam watched as he came closer to the car and finally spotted him. "Hey. Sorry, what was your name again? I forgot," Tony said casually without any shame.
"It's Adam, Mr. Stark," Adam replied dryly. "And welcome home, sir."
"Ah, thank you, Adam. I hope you have been taking care of Pepper over there?" Tony pointed at Pepper with his chin.
"I have done my best, Mr. Stark," Adam replied calmly.
"Good, good. Let's go." Tony patted Adam on the back and sat in the backseat of the car while Adam took the front seat beside the driver's seat, with Pepper taking a seat with Tony in the back.
"Where to, sir?" Happy asked once he had taken his seat and started the car.
"Take us to the hospital, please, Happy," Pepper replied.
"No."
"No? Tony. You have to go to the hospital. The doctor has to—"
"No is a complete answer. I don't have to do anything."
"—look at you."
"I've been in captivity for three months. There are two things I want right now. I want an American cheeseburger and the other—"
"That's enough of that." Pepper cut off Tony while shaking her head in disbelief.
Adam watched the banter with a bit of amusement while taking out a wrapped cheeseburger from the glove compartment.
"—is not what you think. I want you to call for a press conference now."
"Call for a press conference now? What on earth for?"
"Yeah," Tony said, then continued while looking at Happy. "Hogan, drive."
"I want a cheeseburger first," Tony grumbled, leaning his head back against the seat.
Seeing the conversation end, Adam turned back and handed the cheeseburger to Tony. Seeing the confused look he gave, Adam explained: "I thought you might ask for something like this, Mr. Stark."
Tony took the cheeseburger from Adam and said, "I like you." Then he turned towards Pepper and said, "I like him. You've got yourself a very competent assistant." Pepper just shook her head at the situation.
"Hey, Happy. I need more cheeseburgers. Please arrange it for me," Tony called out as the car started to move.
Adam watched as the dry airfield gave way to the gleaming skyline of corporate buildings. Pepper made some calls in the backseat as he continued to watch the rapidly changing view.
After some time, the car rolled into the driveway of Stark Industries Headquarters, and the place was filled with executives and media.
When the car came to a stop, people started clapping as Obadiah Stane himself stepped forward to open Tony's door.
"Look at this!" As Tony stepped out of the car, Obadiah hugged him, with Tony returning the hug with one arm. "Tony! Hello. We were gonna meet at the hospital," Obadiah exclaimed as he broke the hug.
"No, no, that's fine. Let me just… Thank you," Tony said as he took a second burger from Happy.
"Oh, burger. Look at you! You have a burger, yeah?" Obadiah teased with a smile.
"Well, come on." Tony shrugged.
"All right. You got me one of those?"
"There's only one left. I need it," Tony mumbled as he walked inside the building with Obadiah.
Pepper and Adam followed him, with Pepper nodding to some colleagues as they entered the lobby, which rang with the sound of rhythmic clapping.
They stopped at the end of the crowd and watched as Tony climbed the podium. Adam took everything in: the sound, the lights, the people, and most importantly, Obadiah himself. He stood a step behind Pepper, ready to watch the show. But before they could focus on the podium, they were interrupted by someone.
"Miss Potts?" A soft voice called out.
Adam turned toward the voice and found himself looking at a pleasant, middle-aged man. He wore a clean, well-pressed suit that was professional without being flashy, and his receding hairline gave him the look of a patient office worker. He looked like the kind of person who was used to dealing with difficult people without ever raising his voice.
"Yes?" Pepper replied.
"Can I speak to you for a moment?" the man asked politely.
"I'm not part of the press conference. But it's about to begin right now," Pepper replied.
"I'm not a reporter. I am Agent Phil Coulson with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division," Coulson said as he handed Pepper his card.
"That's quite a mouthful," Pepper said, taking the outstretched card.
Adam watched the two converse as he observed Phil Coulson. The man moved with a weightless precision, avoiding the clutter of camera cables without ever looking down. While Coulson was looking directly at Pepper, his eyes never seemed to lock in place; he gave her his full, polite attention, yet every few seconds his gaze would perform a microscopic sweep of the room. He was tracking the frantic reporters and noting the positions of the security guards, all without losing the thread of the conversation.
"I know. We're working on it," Coulson replied with a faint, knowing smile.
"You know, we've, we've been approached already by the DOD, the FBI, the CIA, I—"
"—We're a separate division. With a more specific focus. We need to debrief Mr. Stark about the circumstances of his escape."
"I'll put something in the book, shall I?" Pepper replied.
"Thank you." With that, Coulson moved away.