It was a new day, and the morning news was already in full swing. Pepper sat on the couch, sipping her coffee as the television blared in front of her. Every channel, without exception, was talking about one thing—Tony Stark's supposed daughter. The headlines flashed in bold letters:
"Billionaire Genius Tony Stark Has a Secret Daughter?"
"Who Is She? Mystery Girl in the Stark Household!"
"Scandal or Surprise? The Truth Behind Stark's Family Expansion!"
Pepper let out a sigh, rubbing her temple. "Well, this is a disaster."
From the kitchen, Tony strolled in, a mug in hand, and plopped onto the couch beside her. Rin followed shortly after, yawning as she ran a hand through her hair, clearly just waking up. She froze mid-step when she caught a glimpse of the screen.
"What now?" Rin muttered, though she had a sinking feeling she already knew the answer.
Pepper turned to them, raising an eyebrow. "You might want to take a look at this."
Tony glanced at the screen and scoffed. "Oh, come on, 'secret daughter'? That's just lazy journalism. At least put some effort into making it sound scandalous. Where's the drama? Where's the forbidden love story? I expected more."
Rin shot him a glare before redirecting her attention to the screen, where reporters speculated wildly about her origins. Some were even discussing theories about who her supposed mother could be.
"Well, looking at your lifestyle a few years back, it's not exactly hard to believe that you'd have an illegitimate child out there," Pepper quipped, shaking her head. "Honestly, Tony, you set yourself up for this."
"I resent that," Tony replied, feigning offense before smirking. "Okay, maybe just a little."
Rin groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "This is just great. Do you know what this means? There is no way I can go to school for at least a couple of weeks. The place would be swarming with story-hungry reporters! Half the student body is probably waiting to ambush me for answers, and the other half is probably coming up with conspiracy theories."
Pepper sighed, nodding. "I figured as much. It's not just about your connection to Tony. Now that your face is in the spotlight, people have started digging. Some of the old footage from the New York invasion surfaced, showing you fighting in it. That's raising even more questions."
Rin stiffened at that, her fingers curling slightly. Of course, they'd find that. The media had an insatiable hunger for secrets, and she had more than a few. She hadn't exactly gone out of her way to hide back then, but she also hadn't expected her identity to become public knowledge like this.
Tony smirked, leaning back against the couch. "So, congratulations. You're famous now. Any thoughts? How does it feel to be a Stark?"
Rin shot him a dry look. "Like I want to throw you out a window."
Pepper sighed. "Rin, are you okay?"
Rin exhaled, folding her arms. "I'm not sure if I'm more annoyed that Tony's stunt just completely destroyed my peaceful lifestyle or grateful that I get an excuse to skip school for a few weeks. It's kind of a toss-up."
Tony grinned. "That's the spirit. Always look at the silver lining."
Rin rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure. Let's call it that."
She had a feeling the next few weeks were going to be a headache.
Rin leaned back, exhaling in exasperation. "Where's a good old alien invasion when you need one?"
As if on cue, Jarvis's voice interrupted the moment. "Sir, Miss Tohsaka, Director Fury is requesting an urgent call."
Tony and Rin exchanged a glance before Tony gestured for Jarvis to patch it through. The screen shifted, revealing Nick Fury's ever-serious expression.
"We've found it," Fury said without preamble.
Rin's brow furrowed. "Found what?"
"The last recorded Hydra base. The one still in operation. And it's being led by Baron Strucker."
Rin immediately tensed. That name… Before she could process it further, Tony let out a low whistle. "Didn't you mention that name before?" he asked, glancing at her. "This is shaping up to be a real nightmare, isn't it?"
Fury continued, "We need all hands on deck for this one. I want every Avenger assembled to strategize our final action plan. And, Rin, I think it's best if you're there too."
Tony raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, looks like your vacation just got cut short."
Rin let out a long sigh, stretching her arms as she glanced between Tony and Pepper. "Fantastic. Just what I needed. One day I'm the center of a media frenzy, the next I'm back on the battlefield."
Pepper placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, no matter what happens, you have us now. We'll handle the press, and you handle whatever comes next."
For a moment, Rin just stared at her, then at Tony, who for once didn't have a smug remark lined up. A strange warmth settled in her chest.
She scoffed, pushing away the sentimentality. "Yeah, yeah, don't get all mushy on me. We have work to do."
Tony smirked. "That's my girl. Now, let's go save the world."
At the Avengers Tower, the team assembled. Even Thor had made his way back to Earth for the meeting. One by one, the Avengers congratulated Rin on finding a family in this world and a place to call home. It was an unexpected but oddly fitting welcome.
Then, the focus shifted to the mission. The holographic display showed the Hydra base's location, and everyone began strategizing their approach. From an outsider's perspective, their plan looked the same as always—charging in headfirst and improvising along the way. But as any good programmer would say, if it works, don't touch it.
Before they could move out, Rin cleared her throat, gathering everyone's attention.
"Before we head out, I'd like to tell you all a story."
Clint raised an eyebrow. "Usually, adults tell children stories, not the other way around."
His attempt at humor was met with unimpressed stares.
Tony smirked. "Alright, alright. Go on, our all-seeing clairvoyant witch—my apologies, magus—tell us your tale."
Rin, though irritated by their antics, took a deep breath to calm herself. She needed to get this right.
And then, she began.
This was her master plan—telling everyone the story of Age of Ultron before it could ever happen, ensuring that the disastrous future was prevented before it even had a chance to take root.