Chapter 6

After a while, they finally arrive at Stark industries HQ, where an Obadiah is waiting along with the press and employees. Once they park, the first one opens the limo door for them.

"Look at this! Tony. We were going to meet at the hospital."

"No, I'm fine." He replies as he gets out.

"Look at you! You had to have a burger, yeah?" Obadiah says until he sees John get out of the limo behind Pepper.

"Hey Tony, you didn't tell me there were kids coming." He said looking in John's direction.

"You gonna tell me what he's doing here or....

"He's a new intern." Which silenced Obadiah instantly.

"Well, come on." Tony says as he continues walking back inside the headquarters, while Obadiah takes one last look at John, which John notices just as Stane is walking back inside next to Tony.

"Miss Potts." John says catching up to Pepper to which she proceeds to look at him. "Who is that man?" He says pointing to Obadiah.

"Oh that's Obadiah Stane, he ran Stark Industries in the past before Tony took over as the new president and now he's a business partner of his. Why do you ask?"

"No reason." John said, however internally he suspected there was something fishy going on with this guy.

"Hey, look who's here! Yeah!" says Stane announcing Toni's arrival to everyone gathered inside, to which everyone quickly starts clapping and cheering for Toni's return. Among them is a middle-aged man dressed in a dark suit with a tie, he has a simple and professional appearance, who upon spotting Pepper and John approaches them.

"Miss Potts?"

"Yes."

"Can I speak to you and your associate for a moment?"

"We are not part of the press conference, but it's about to begin right now."

"I'm not a reporter. I'm Agent Phil Coulson, with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division." To which the 2 react with a somewhat confused look.

"That's quite a mouthful." John says.

"I know. We're working on it."

"You know, we've been approached already by the DOD, the FBI, the CIA..."

"We're a separate division with a more specific focus. We need to debrief Mr. Stark about the circumstances of his escape. And speaking of which..." Coulson turns to look at John , who looks at him with some distrust. "I'd like to speak to the young man as well if possible."

"May I ask, why?" Pepper says trying to divert John's attention.

"Let's just say, the people I work for would be very interested to know how it was that he contributed to Mr. Stark's escape." Which made John have to make a great effort to keep his expression unchanged, so as not to express his concern that moment.

"I'll put something in the book, shall I?" Pepper said, as she grabbed John's hand to pull him out.

"Thank you." Said the agent before pulling back.

"Well, let's get this started, uh..." Obadiah said.

"Hey, would it be all right if everyone sat down?" Said Tony sitting in front of the podium. "Why don't you just sit down? That way you can see me, and I can... A little less formal and..." He said as he takes a bite of his cheeseburger as everyone sits, or squats, down.

"What's up with the love-in?" Rhoades asked Pepper.

"Don't look at me. I don't know what he's up to." She replied.

The only one who didn't seem at all surprised was John who watched the events as if already knowing what was going to happen.

"Good to see you." Says Tony to Stane.

"Good to see you." He replies with a smile that if you looked closely, seemed a little forced.

"I never got to say goodbye to Dad. I never got to say goodbye to my father. There's questions that I would have asked him. I would have asked him how he felt about what this company did. If he was conflicted, if he ever had doubts. Or maybe he was every inch the man we all remember from the newsreels. I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them. And I saw that I had become part of a system that is comfortable with zero accountability." Tony monologued.

"Mr. Stark!" said a reporter.

"Hey, Ben."

"What happened over there?" asked the same reporter named Ben.

"I had my eyes opened." Said Tony as he stands and moves behind the podium. "I came to realize that I have more to offer this world than just making things that blow up. And that is why, effective immediately, I am shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark International" Which makes everyone (except John) stand up in commotion. "Until such a time as I can decide what the future of the company will be."

"We should probably reiterate." John said with a rather calm look on his face as he stood up and started walking towards the exit, to which Pepper looked at him for a few seconds before he decided to stand up and leave as well.