Revelation

[Shield's Helicarrier Base]

Bruce and Harley landed at the helipad of the giant aircraft carrier floating in the ocean. The carrier looked pretty beat up, but it was working at the moment and the workers were fixing it. The Shield agents were fixing the defense system and weapons around the carrier. Then there were some guards standing around with weapons.

Selina was waiting for them at the deck. As soon as Bruce stepped down, she rushed over and jumped in his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist, and kissing him hard. He didn't fight back, instead, he kissed her back, putting his arms around her waist.

They finally broke the kiss after a few seconds but still held each other close. Selina was breathing heavily, her eyes half closed, a big smile plastered on her face. "Missed you, my Bats."

"Missed you too, my cats," Bruce replied before kissing her again.

Harley whistled seeing the couple. She was grinning from ear to ear, her eyes glued to the kissing couple. "Get a room you two!"

Selina pulled back and turned around with a pout. "Shut it, Harl. This is our special moment."

"Haha! Whatever ya say," Harley chuckled and shrugged her shoulders. "So, how are things here?"

"Good. With the war over, Fury and the others are slowly rebuilding SHIELD. The New Avengers are helping too. I wanted some action, but you two took care of everything. And Harely, good job."

"Well, ya know. Have no fear when Super Harley is near. Haha!" Harley flexed her arms.

"C'mon, the others are waiting for you inside," Selina said as she grabbed Bruce's hand and led him inside the base. Harley followed after them.

The three entered the command room. Inside were Fury, Pepper, Clint, Jennifer, Mystique and Susan Storm. They were sitting around a big round table. Fury stood up when they entered the room. "Mr. Wayne."

"Director Fury." Bruce greeted him and looked at the other people. He gave a slight nod to Jennifer with a smile before sitting down beside her. Harley and Selina took their seat on the other side of the table.

The meeting began...

The first topic was Bruce, Selina, and Harley. Their help in ending the war was of big help to them, but the threat factor still remains. The fact that Bruce now has an army of Sentinels under his command and with the strongest heroes either dead or missing, those three are the strongest force that exists. Now, if they were to turn dictators and enslave humanity, no one would be able to stop them.

Therefore, the best course of action is to find a balance and peace without angering them in any way possible. So, Fury asked Bruce frankly...

"What are you planning on doing next, now that the war is over?"

Bruce sat there quietly, looking at Fury for a few seconds. His expression was calm and he ignored Fury and looked toward Pepper Potts.

"That would completely depend on your answer, Miss Potts," He said.

Everyone was surprised and turned their focus towards Pepper.

Pepper looked at Bruce and took a deep breath. Her heart was racing. She feared that since Bruce killed Magneto, then there was a possibility that he told him something before dying and that something was related to her. She had already thought about how to deal with it if it ever came to that.

She steeled herself and spoke, "About that, Mr. Wayne, I believe we need to talk in private first."

"No need," Bruce said with a smirk as he placed a little orb-like device on the table. "Right now, the entire world is watching us. The heroes who fought the bad guys, but I guess it's about time they know the truth... The truth about what happened ten years ago. So, you ready to answer some of my questions? You can decline if you want, which I wouldn't recommend."

Pepper took a deep breath before calming herself. Her heart was racing as she thought about what was coming next. She could only hope that the rest of the world would not hate her as much as she hated herself.

"Go ahead, ask away," She said with determination.

"Very well," Bruce nodded. "During the Thanos war, when everyone was fighting for our future... Who sabotaged Tony Stark's armor?"

"What? Sabotaged?" Jennifer was surprised. She didn't expect this to happen. But this made sense. Back then, Tony's suit had a glitch that caused his system to shut down mid-battle. It was something that no one could predict would happen. If it wasn't for his backup suit, he would have died on the battlefield. She was there when it happened. When she asked Tony about it, he simply joked that it was the price of being a genius. And in the end, he died after the snap.

Clint's eyes were on Fury who didn't show any surprised expression, "You don't look surprised." He pulled out his bow and arrow and aimed it at Fury. "You bastard! You knew about this? Why? Tony was like a brother to me. He saved my family... Saved countless lives... He sacrificed everything to save us."

"Calm down, Clint," Fury raised his hands.

Susan felt anger bubbling inside her heart. Tony chose Pepper over all the girls, yet that shameless woman decided to backstab him. She was ready to trap her in a barrier and watch her struggle and die as the oxygen-depleted. However, before she could do anything, Bruce raised his hand. It was enough for them to stop talking.

As for Mystique, she was wondering if the mutants could even trust this new alliance anymore.

"I did it," Pepper suddenly said. Everyone turned their gaze towards her.

"What?" Jennifer couldn't believe her ears. Tony chose to marry Pepper over her and even left his playboy lifestyle for her, yet that woman... "You?" She was shocked beyond belief. "Why?" She was barely suppressing her rage, but the Hulk nature within her was bubbling, wanting to come out and smash that woman before her to a pulp. How could someone do such a thing?

"Because... because... There was no other way!" Pepper gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. Tears started falling from her eyes. "I had no choice... I did it for the greater good."

"Greater good? Hahahahaha!" Bruce started laughing out loud. "Was it one of Strange's prophecies? A future where half the universe dies or a future where Tony Stark becomes evil, is that why you did it?"

"..." Pepper didn't say anything and simply looked at the ground.

"You trusted a freaking prophecy that may or may not happen?" Susan was stunned.

"Who else knew about it?" Bruce asked.

"Only Director Fury."

"And what did that prophecy say about Tony? Give us the details," Clint asked as he released his arrow and put it back in his quiver. He would listen to her and then decide whether she should live or die.

Pepper steadied herself, the weight of everyone's eyes pressing on her as she started to speak, her voice low but resolute.

"There was... a future," she began, glancing once at Fury before continuing. "Tony's mind, his ambition—it would have continued evolving, surpassing even his greatest inventions. His intelligence, coupled with the genetic modifications he'd been unknowingly exposed to during the Infinity War… it changed him, gave him something no one could anticipate. If he'd lived, he would have become something beyond human. And with that power would come risks—threats to our world that only he could perceive. In time, Tony would have crossed lines. He would have enforced peace, absolute peace, in ways that defied freedom itself." She swallowed, glancing around. "He would have become a dictator in the guise of a protector."

Clint's face contorted in disbelief and anger. "You thought Tony would do that? The man who sacrificed everything? That's insane, Pepper. He would never…"

Fury interjected, his tone calm and calculated. "This was bigger than Tony's sacrifice, Clint. We're talking about a level of evolution that would have placed him far beyond human capacity. He would have started to view humanity as something needing his oversight, like children who couldn't handle their own power."

Pepper's eyes were brimming with guilt. "We trusted that he'd protect us. But in one of Strange's many visions, we saw glimpses of what Tony would become. At first, he'd bring a golden age—a time when disease, hunger, even death itself were managed by his innovations. But it would go beyond that. He would have re-engineered societies, taken control of governments, subdued free will through technology." Her voice trembled. "His love for us, for all of us, would've turned into an obsession to protect, no matter the cost."

Jennifer's fists clenched as she processed this, visibly shaking with a mixture of betrayal and heartbreak. "And who were you to decide for all of us?" Her voice barely concealed her rage. "You destroyed him—sabotaged his armor—because of some future you couldn't bear to face?"

Mystique folded her arms, scrutinizing Fury and Pepper with suspicion. "Funny," she muttered, "that the people making the call on this vision of the future were the ones who feared they'd lose power."

Bruce leaned forward, an unreadable expression on his face. "And this prophecy. Did it show you what would happen to the world without him?"

Pepper nodded slowly. "Yes," she whispered, "Invasion. Billions dead. There was no mind intelligent enough to guide us, no technology advanced enough to save us." She sighed, closing her eyes and steeling herself. "I traded one disaster for another. But with the residual infinity energy from Tony's body still in circulation, there was a chance to change things."

"Pepper, stop..." Fury tried to interrupt, but Bruce unleashed his heat vision, barely missing his head. The beams pierced through the wall.

"Next time you open your mouth, I'll kill you," Bruce said calmly. He then looked toward Pepper. "Even after his death, you insane people continued to use his body to create a weapon?"

Pepper didn't say anything.

"You sick people," Harley finally spoke, unable to hold back any longer. "Ya killed one of the best heroes in the world and for what? To create a weapon? What kind of freakin' morals do you people have? And here I thought I was bad... Insane..."

Bruce used the new nanites that he fused in his body to change his face to that of Tony Stark.

"I trusted you, Pepper... You too Fury... And this is what I get for my trust?"

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AN: I wanted to hide his identity, but hiding the identity troupe is getting too generic. Let's go all out.

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[Reborn as Ironman> 6 chs]

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