Two Hunters, One Shadow
Across the world—
Two women searched for the same name.
Carol Danvers followed energy signatures, whispers in forgotten ruins, and half-erased records.
Every trail led to silence.
Too clean.
Too controlled.
"He doesn't want to be found," she muttered.
In Wakanda, Shuri worked differently.
Algorithms.
Ancient myths digitized.
Cosmic anomaly mapping.
Every spike led to one conclusion—
Earth.
And one individual standing quietly at the center of everything.
She smiled.
"Interesting."
The One Who Didn't Care
Alex didn't notice.
Or rather—
He noticed and didn't care.
Attention, rumors, fear—none of it mattered.
What mattered was Veronica beside him.
And the mess Tony was about to make.
Again.
The Press Conference
The building buzzed with tension.
Cameras.
Reporters.
Expectations.
Backstage—
Pepper was brushing down Tony's suit with one hand while holding a memo in the other.
"Please," she said tightly, "just read what's written."
Tony barely listened.
Alex and Veronica watched quietly.
Then—
A man approached.
Agent Phil Coulson.
Alex recognized him instantly.
Before Phil could speak, Alex extended a hand.
"Thank you," Alex said calmly.
"For looking after Pepper. And for saving Tony yesterday."
Phil blinked.
That… didn't happen often.
"I—uh—just doing my job," Phil replied, clearly pleased.
"Alexander Ashborn," Alex introduced himself.
"Phil Coulson."
They shook hands.
A brief conversation followed—easy, professional.
They liked each other immediately.
The Disaster
Tony stepped onto the stage.
Pepper closed her eyes.
Alex sighed softly.
Veronica already looked tired.
Tony read.
Stumbled.
Paused.
Then—
"I am Iron Man."
Silence.
Then chaos.
Alex and Veronica facepalmed at the exact same time.
"…We're doing this again," Veronica muttered.
Pepper sighed. "I hate my life."
Alex glanced at Veronica.
"Call Jennifer. Standby."
Veronica nodded instantly and made the call.
"Jenny? Yeah. Be ready."
Phil Coulson's phone buzzed.
He read the message.
Then looked up sharply.
"…I need to report this."
Alex nodded. "Good luck."
Phil left quickly—already composing explanations for his boss.
Cleanup Crew, Once More
Cameras flashed.
Reporters screamed questions.
Tony smiled like he'd just won something.
Alex leaned back slightly.
"Alright," he said calmly. "Let's clean up."
Veronica straightened her shoulders.
Pepper inhaled deeply.
Somewhere in the universe—
Entities sighed in relief that the Phoenix Monarch wasn't angry this time.
Because this—
This was just Tony Stark being Tony Stark.