Marvel's Iron Lady

Banner had left. The Hulk in his form effortlessly tore through the U.S. military's encirclement, leaving behind a wasteland of debris—shattered heavy helicopters, main battle tanks, and armored vehicles equipped with infrasonic weapon systems, all destroyed by the force of magic.

Also left behind were soldiers scattered across the ground, wounded but not killed, along with an utterly shocked and disbelieving General Thaddeus Ross. For once, the "Thunderbolt" General had nothing left to thunder about.

The Sacred Sword released the souls it had reaped, and in full view of everyone, Banner opened a portal that crackled with golden sparks. Without saying a word, he stepped through it and vanished, having bought himself enough time to completely erase all data from Caltech's database.

His next task was to retrieve a necklace he had once given to Betty Ross. Within it was a microchip containing his work—along with the memories and feelings from years spent with Betty. He planned to destroy it, along with any ties to his past.

Miss Stark didn't dwell on Banner's situation further; she knew he had embarked on a completely different path and had the capability to handle his own affairs. Besides, they had only ever been collaborators.

She was, however, intrigued by something else.

Standing on the rooftop, she used her mini-drone to record the entire battle, capturing the confrontation between magic and modern technology.

This footage could shock the world if released without censorship. However, Miss Stark didn't make it public. Instead, she pulled up a contact on her communicator, sending the video file to one name: Nick Fury.

This action directly led to Nick Fury's arrival in New York the next morning, with Phil Coulson in tow. At Stark Tower, Fury tossed two manila folders onto the table before Miss Stark.

"The Avengers Initiative and... Project T.A.H.I.T.I. What are these?"

Slowly, Miss Stark picked up the files from the table, her expression turning to one of mild surprise.

Fragments of memories from unknown sources told her a lot, so she understood that in a parallel universe, Nick Fury had also come to her other self first with a plan to form the Avengers. That had been the beginning of the Avengers Initiative.

Now, it seemed this universe's Nick Fury was doing the same, only this time, he had brought not only the Avengers project but also Project T.A.H.I.T.I.

The Avengers Initiative had been a vision of Fury's since before the millennium, one he had gradually refined over time.

The existence of superhumans might be a mystery to the general public, but not to specialized agencies like S.H.I.E.L.D.

Since Captain America's disappearance at the end of World War II, the U.S. government had tried repeatedly to recreate the Super Soldier Program's success, though without results. The Hulk had similarly come about as an unintended outcome of these same efforts.

As time marched on, perhaps by some twist of fate, more people with extraordinary abilities began to emerge.

Initially, these individuals were few, monitored closely by S.H.I.E.L.D., which dealt with those deemed threats by terminating them discreetly. If they weren't dangerous, S.H.I.E.L.D. would reach out to them, offering a chance to join their ranks.

The Strategic Scientific Reserve in WWII had once boasted an elite unit composed of unique and monstrous individuals—the Howling Commandos—who, under Captain America's leadership, had achieved stellar results on the front lines. It was because of this that S.H.I.E.L.D. sought to recruit more exceptional individuals to help protect human civilization.

Among these superhumans, Nick Fury had encountered Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers, who could be considered the most powerful of them all, or as her kind put it—the mightiest superhero.

That encounter had sparked Fury's initiative to form the Avengers. At the same time, he had worked to establish S.H.I.E.L.D.'s internal Thunderbolts squadron.

The Thunderbolts were a unique branch under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s field division, consisting of superhumans willing to join S.H.I.E.L.D., where they could develop their powers and train to become formidable operatives.

Unfortunately, since the retirement of the WWII-era agents, the Thunderbolts' new recruits could still be counted on one hand.

Through assembling and refining the Thunderbolts, Fury had gained valuable experience, and now he was formally initiating the Avengers Initiative.

Perhaps it was the content of the video Miss Stark had sent him, too extraordinary and unsettling, that had finally spurred Fury into action.

Miss Stark understood the true purpose of the Avengers Initiative and knew the nature of Project T.A.H.I.T.I., but she refrained from immediately opening either file. Instead, she left briefly, returning a few minutes later with another folder, which she dropped onto the sofa next to Fury.

"What's this—'Justice League'? You're joking, right?"

Fury's attention shifted to the title on the folder Miss Stark had brought. It was an eerily familiar name, as it was associated with the comic and film characters of DC Entertainment under Warner Bros.

While Warner wasn't producing many films at the moment, DC's comic book characters like Batman and Superman held considerable influence across the United States—especially now, when superheroes were more than just fiction.

It was no wonder that Fury looked at her with suspicion. She had outright taken a name from popular fiction.

"I'm against the Avengers Initiative because I'm already planning a similar project," Miss Stark said. "And another reason I'm against you starting the Avengers is that you and I have some accounting to settle."

At her words, Fury's face registered confusion, perfectly capturing the "black man with a question mark" look. But as she listed her points one by one, his expression turned grave.

"First of all, the so-called superheroes you're referring to are mostly just ordinary people who suddenly developed special abilities. They have no formal training and are simply maintaining social order out of a sense of responsibility or idealism. In reality, they're ticking time bombs."

"They're ordinary people with their own lives and social circles. If you want to recruit them, you'll have to cover everything for them."

"Not only will you need to pay them salaries every year, month, and week, and provide insurance, but you'll also have to offer the same security to their families. Otherwise, why should they work for you or assist S.H.I.E.L.D. operations?"

"They're not trained S.H.I.E.L.D. agents; they don't understand what it means to follow orders. You'd need to train them from scratch.

"They're also ordinary people, which means they could have ideological conflicts. You'll need to maintain internal harmony, constantly monitor their mental states, and they might see that as an infringement on their personal freedom."

"And perhaps most importantly, once you recruit them, S.H.I.E.L.D. will bear the responsibility for every bit of collateral damage they cause during missions. Your losses will skyrocket exponentially. Now—doesn't that cool you down a bit?"

While Fury wasn't entirely convinced by her argument, he couldn't deny the truth in her words. When he had started planning the Avengers Initiative, he'd prepared for the aftermath of involving superhumans, yet her points gave him pause.

"I don't know how much you intend to invest in the Avengers project, but personally, I think a trained elite task force is better suited to S.H.I.E.L.D. than an uncontrollable, high-risk team of superheroes."

"An elite squad armed with cutting-edge tech, like Agents Romanoff and Barton."

A faint smile appeared on Miss Stark's face as she paused, then continued, leaving Fury speechless.

Recently, S.H.I.E.L.D. had struck a major deal with Miss Stark, purchasing two special suits from her. These were enhanced versions of her advanced combat suits, each sold to S.H.I.E.L.D. for $90 million, and designated "Mjolnir."

The thirty advanced suits Stark had previously sold to S.H.I.E.L.D. had worked wonders in specialized operations, their enhancements enabling agents to infiltrate missions without being detected.

This was why Fury was willing to spend so much on the 2.0 version suits; they were ideal for covert operations.

The two advanced Mjolnir suits had been assigned to Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top field agents, and recent mission tests had proven the suits' effectiveness.

S.H.I.E.L.D. operations often required stealth, and the combat suits' cloaking capabilities provided critical support. In direct combat, the armor's enhanced defense mode allowed agents to survive barrages of gunfire. When it came time to retreat, enemies couldn't keep up with agents sprinting at high speeds in agility mode, let alone intercept them.

After testing the suits across various operations, even Fury—half-blind as he was—could see their advantages.

The results made him reconsider her suggestion: maybe an elite team in advanced combat suits was a better fit for S.H.I.E.L.D. than unpredictable superheroes.

"So, your Justice League... are you trying to convince me to drop the Avengers and form your own superhero team?"

After a long silence, Fury looked up, breaking it to find Miss Stark lounging on the sofa, legs crossed, filing her nails casually.

This woman didn't seem to care one bit about what she'd just said or how Fury might react. Her mind was on herself and her endless money-making schemes.

"Obviously. Why else do you think I had you build that huge underground base beneath the Disaster Control building?" Miss Stark rolled her eyes at him. "Are you slow, or was I not clear?"

Back then, she hadn't had the resources to build a proper underground base for her future Justice League, so she had relied on Fury to leverage S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources to construct a massive secret base beneath Disaster Control.

"So, all that talk was just to persuade me to abandon the Avengers? You think you can afford it on your own?"

"I have no shortage of ways to make money, and I don't need you worrying about it. Besides—unlike a spy agency, a superhero team needs a superhero to lead it."

Fury considered her words, processing the underlying message before looking at her with a strange expression, though he said nothing in the end, only shook his head.

"Oh, by the way, one last thing before you go—I'll be extremely busy for the next two weeks, so unless it's urgent, don't bother me."

Miss Stark's parting words stopped Fury in his tracks as he headed toward the elevator, but he didn't turn around, only replying, "Noted," before stepping into the central elevator.

A few minutes later, back at Stark Industries HQ, Pepper Potts received a call during a company meeting—a call she couldn't afford to ignore, as it was from her boss, Miss Stark.

Normally, taking a call in the middle of a meeting would be considered rude, but given Pepper's position, the other participants merely smiled politely, ignoring it.

"Natasha, I'm in a meeting—what's going on? Did something happen?"

As her assistant, Pepper couldn't refuse her boss's calls, never knowing what Miss Stark might need.

"Nothing serious, sweetheart. I'm just thinking of giving you a few days off—and myself, too. How about we go somewhere nice? Maybe… Dubai?"

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