THE NEW YORK CITY skyline glittered. The bridges sparkled like strings of pearls in the reflective waters of the East River. In recent years, the skyline had been built back up from darker days at the turn of the millennium. But even with the explosion of construction the city was experiencing, one tower was sure to stand out above all the others.
Like a cannon fired from a submarine, Iron Man shot from below the surface of the river and soared into the sparkling sky over Manhattan.
The PR campaign had been a success, the media outlets were alerted, and Stark Industries’ CEO was ready to flip the switch. Tonight was the night they lit Stark Tower—New York’s newest and most spectacular skyscraper, and its most eco-friendly: the first in not just the city, but the world to run on self-sustaining energy.
Tony gave Pepper the word, and his CEO activated the building’s power. The tower began to light up, first from street level, and then hundreds of feet to the pinnacle, illuminating the New York skyline—and the sky itself.
“Woo-hoo!” Tony cheered.
Back at the tower, Pepper smiled proudly.
The event was a success! Pepper was surrounded by press, and Tony was soaring around the lit skyscraper, relishing the moment.
Of course, for Tony, it was never quite that easy to relax.
“Sir, Agent Coulson is on the line for you,” J.A.R.V.I.S. said through the communications line in Tony’s helmet.
Without responding, Tony hung up on the automated butler. This feeling was too great to let Coulson and the rest of his S.H.I.E.L.D. cronies spoil it.
Tony flew back to the tower, and its penthouse suite, where Pepper was waiting for him. He gave her some of the credit for the evening’s success, but the rest of it was, of course, all him.
Just then a video screen lit up, and on it appeared Agent Coulson. He’d overridden J.A.R.V.I.S.’s secutity protocols.
“Tony, I need to speak with you urgently,” Coulson said.
Tony switched off the screen, and as if on cue the elevator doors to the penthouse opened and Coulson stepped out. There was no avoiding this guy.
Tony sighed. “Security.”
Coulson handed Tony a briefcase. “I need you to look at this as soon as possible.”
Tony refused to take it, but Pepper, not quite sure exactly what to do, grabbed it for him.
“I thought Fury had scrapped this whole Avengers Initiative thing,” Tony said. “And anyway, I didn’t qualify.”
Coulson explained that the threat they were facing now was so great that they would need all the help they could get. This wasn’t the Avengers Initiative, it was a response team.
Semantics, Tony thought.
Pepper shushed Tony and took him into an adjoining room, where they opened up the briefcase. Inside were holographic images containing information on Captain America, Hulk, Thor, and Tony himself. But most impressive of all was the Tesseract. Tony had an idea of what is was and what it could do. And how, if it fell into the wrong hands, it could spell disaster. In the hands of a madman, the entire world would be at risk. In the hands of something greater than human, there was no telling where or if the devastation would end.