Chapter 35: The Confusion of Iron Man

10880 Malibu Street, ZIP 90265.

As Tony Stark entered his house, he found Nick Fury and Pepper Potts casually chatting on his expensive sofa. The sight made Tony frown with displeasure.

"That sofa's not cheap," Tony quipped as he walked in, "if you break it, you're paying for it."

Nick Fury raised an eyebrow, standing up from the couch with a mocking grin. "I tried calling you, Stark. When you didn't answer, I had no choice but to show up in person." He smirked. "Heard you got into a scrap with some fire guy. And lost?"

Tony groaned, pressing his hand to his forehead in frustration. "It wasn't a loss—it was a tie. You know how the media is. They love to blow things out of proportion." He waved dismissively. "They don't believe that my suit can save the world."

Fury chuckled but didn't directly respond to Tony's complaint. Instead, he jabbed, "You know, you gave Captain America grief for getting beaten up, but it looks like you're in the same boat now. Was it the same guy? The one you've been suspecting?"

Tony's irritation flared. "The floor's expensive too. You break it, you buy it!" he snapped, dodging Fury's question.

Fury, unfazed, sat back down. "I get it. You're in a mood. Not only did you lose a fight, but you also trashed an upscale hotel. But, Tony, I think your suspicions might be misplaced."

Tony glared at him, his voice flat. "I bought that hotel."

For a moment, Fury was speechless. Rich people, he thought. Too damn rich.

Shaking his head, Fury tossed a folder onto the table. "This is what we've dug up so far. And believe me, S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't usually share intel like this. I'm only doing it because you promised to replace all our weapons with Stark tech."

Tony skimmed through the file, then tossed it aside. "Spare me the reading, Fury. Just tell me what you found."

Fury crossed his arms, his expression growing serious. "Regarding that bank bombing—you know, the one where you saw Jiang Chen? After combing through every camera around the area, we finally identified the person who blew herself up. Her name was Gia Jeanne, a former special forces operative who became a dangerous extremist."

He paused, watching Tony's face for any reaction. "Turns out, she was part of a group led by a man named Mandarin. They've been behind a string of similar attacks."

Tony frowned, picking the file back up to read more about Gia Jeanne. "Extremis?" he asked, eyes narrowing as he read.

"That's right," Fury confirmed. "It seems these people were injected with Extremis, which caused them to self-destruct. We're still not clear on how Mandarin got his hands on the formula, though."

Tony's gaze darkened. The mention of Extremis triggered memories of Aldrich Killian and Maya Hansen. He had thought he'd dealt with that nightmare.

Fury continued, "We're working on tracking down where the Mandarin acquired Extremis. But for now, it looks like the bombing was just another one of their terror attacks."

Tony remained silent, the pieces falling into place in his mind. He realized he and Captain America had both misunderstood Jiang Chen. From what Fury had just said, it seemed the real threat was Mandarin and his Extremis-enhanced followers.

Seeing Tony lost in thought, Fury stood, adjusting his coat. He took a step toward the door but turned back as if remembering something. "Next time you pick a fight, try to avoid doing it in the middle of a busy street. People don't appreciate the collateral damage."

Tony groaned. "You're really not curious about the fire-breathing superman who just showed up in New York? Doesn't it bother you that I had to fight someone like that?"

Fury smirked, picking up the folder from the table. "Superpowers aren't exactly rare these days, Stark. If I were surprised by every strange thing, I wouldn't get anything done. As for why you're fighting him... well, let's be honest. With your personality, it's not shocking you pissed someone off."

Before leaving, Fury turned back once more. "Oh, and Tony, Pepper says you haven't been sleeping well. You need rest."

Tony froze at the mention of sleep. He hadn't had a full night's rest in weeks. Since the Battle of New York and that damn wormhole, his mind had been in overdrive, plagued by anxiety and nightmares.

But tonight would be no different. The fight with Jiang Chen weighed heavily on him. He still knew next to nothing about the man or his abilities. And then there was the mystery of his name.

Tony leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "Looks like I'll need to work on an anti-fire suit to go with the Hulkbuster," he muttered.