Chapter 185: Secret Identity
When the urgent phone ringtone jolted Tony Stark awake, he checked the time through bleary eyes: 2:00 AM.
Tony ignored the unknown number, swiping to reject the call. Two seconds later, the phone rang again.
This time Tony got up, opened the window, and hurled the phone off the cliff—buying himself five minutes of peace.
Five minutes later, his bedroom door exploded inward. Agent Hill in navy tactical gear burst through the shattered entrance.
She opened her mouth to speak, but the king-sized bed beneath Tony suddenly collapsed, a cavity opening in its center. Tony's form vanished into the hidden compartment.
Sharp, rapid mechanical sounds echoed from below. Agent Hill glimpsed cold white light flaring within the cavity.
The next second, Tony Stark hovered in the room wearing full armor. He looked down at Agent Hill, his tone decidedly unfriendly:
"You need to give me an explanation."
Agent Hill stood with hands at her sides, tilting her head slightly to address the Mark III suit:
"Director Fury said he'd arrange transport today to bring you offshore."
"But we only just discovered that Mr. Stark's mysterious bodyguard is actually you wearing the armor."
Tony's carefully guarded secret had been casually exposed before SHIELD's eyes. He nearly lost his composure, dropping to the bedroom floor with a heavy THUNK that spiderwebbed cracks across the tile:
"Does everyone at SHIELD enjoy breaking into people's homes in the middle of the night? Tell me—what time is it right now?"
Agent Hill raised her wrist, checking the watch at her pulse point:
"It's 2:00 AM. Already the second day Director Fury mentioned."
Tony opened his faceplate, studying Agent Hill's expressionless features:
"So you won't even let me sleep? I can recommend someone—"
He'd been about to suggest Peter Parker, letting SHIELD witness his friend's capabilities so they'd bother him instead.
But Agent Hill cut him off mercilessly:
"Director Fury said regardless of your excuses, I'm bringing you back."
Tony's words died in his throat. He stared at Agent Hill in silence before finally managing:
"Fine. We leave now."
Agent Hill nodded without surprise, turning toward the bedroom exit. Before leaving, she added over her shoulder:
"Oh, Mr. Stark—the helicopter doesn't have room for you. So I'm afraid you'll need to fly yourself."
Tony's jaw dropped. A grunt escaped his nose:
"So you already knew my secret identity before you arrived?"
Agent Hill offered no confirmation or denial. Director Fury hadn't briefed her on how to answer that question. She chose silence.
Outside at the clifftop helipad, the helicopter's rotors were already spinning.
Tony stood in place and yawned, showing no urgency to follow Agent Hill. Instead, he addressed empty air:
"Jarvis?"
"My apologies, sir. My servers were just subjected to interference. I failed to deliver the intrusion alert in time." The Jarvis AI responded.
"Oh?" Tony sounded genuinely surprised.
After Nick Fury's last silent infiltration of this oceanfront villa, Tony had extended Jarvis's coverage throughout the entire structure.
But facing SHIELD's second intrusion, Jarvis had still proved ineffective.
Tony had even exposed his identity as Iron Man in the process.
"So SHIELD has some tricks after all." Tony sealed his faceplate shut. "Let's see if you get more from me than I get from you."
Repulsors flared, lifting Tony's armored form through the window toward the waiting SHIELD helicopter:
"Lead the way, model."
Agent Hill glanced at Tony once. Her expression showed no reaction whatsoever to being called "model." She simply donned her aviation headset.
She'd assumed wearing the headset would block Tony Stark's voice. But the next second, the helicopter's communications channel was hacked. Pounding electronic music blasted in her ears.
Agent Hill whipped around to glare at the Mark III suit, but this time Tony ignored her completely, launching skyward ahead of the helicopter.
Two hours later, over unknown waters, Tony Stark reached the Helicarrier ahead of the helicopter.
Staring at the massive SHIELD eagle emblem on the flight deck, Tony's mouth curved beneath his faceplate. He began infiltrating the Helicarrier's internal systems.
The next second, Nick Fury in the command center frowned at red warnings flashing across his monitors, indicating attempted network intrusion.
"Tony Stark's own network firewall is blocking him?" Nick Fury's wrinkles compressed together. "No... wait. Tony didn't build this firewall?"
Fury had fully expected Tony's arrival to result in the Helicarrier's systems being thoroughly compromised. He didn't believe for a second that the playboy wouldn't leave himself backdoors.
But apparently, someone else had constructed these defenses. Who?
---
"This mission's primary objective is rescuing a scientist named Norman Osborn..."
Inside the disposable Batwing, Batman was briefing Venom Robin on the operation.
Venom pressed against the canopy window, gazing curiously at the scenery outside. How much of Batman's explanation actually registered remained unclear.
Batman didn't mind. Though this mission required Venom's cooperation, it wouldn't need to operate independently. Every aspect of the plan would have Batman's direct involvement.
Rather than briefing Venom, this was Batman reviewing his own contingencies one final time, ensuring nothing had been overlooked.
Batman knew relatively little about the New Mexico gamma bomb research facility.
Even after hacking SHIELD to obtain detailed facility layouts, he remained completely ignorant regarding Norman Osborn's current condition and General Ross's research progress on gamma bombs and super soldier programs.
He couldn't simply ask Doctor Banner. Even indirect inquiries carried risks. Someone as brilliant as Banner would immediately sense something wrong with the gamma facility and demand inclusion in the operation.
The New Mexico base was the source of Banner's lifelong trauma—where he'd become a monster. Once Banner set foot there, witnessing those familiar sights and sensing that gamma radiation, the Hulk would almost certainly emerge.
Despite Batman consistently providing the Hulk with emotional validation and affirmation, he still considered the creature beyond his complete control.
He disliked anything he couldn't fully control. And the Hulk wasn't cooperative like Superman. Wouldn't execute Batman's plans with Superman's perfect precision.
Batman questioned whether Banner's will could truly suppress the Hulk in an extreme gamma radiation environment. Whether the Hulk might actually enjoy that environment and refuse transformation back to Banner.
These thoughts terminated as the Batwing's canopy slid open. Batman launched himself into empty space thousands of meters above the earth, spreading his cape to glide downward.
The New Mexico gamma bomb research facility waited less than fifty kilometers away.