tensión
Owen walked calmly through the entrance of Stark Industries before heading inside at a relaxed pace. He made his way directly toward one of the areas where the gyms were located.
Now, you might wonder: why would a company have a gym? The answer is simple—its boss was Tony Stark.
As he walked through the gym doors, he found Tony training hard with Happy Hogan. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he dodged a punch.
"Oh, you made it," Tony said, pausing for a moment to grab a bottle of water.
"Why did you call me? You could've told me everything over the phone," Owen replied, looking for a place to sit.
"Well, it's a little hard to explain over the phone. Better to do it in person," Tony said calmly.
"So? What's going on?"
"Remember that fat, evil senator from the trial?" Tony asked. "The General asked me to keep an eye on him, and you're not gonna believe what I found," he added with a mysterious tone, flashing a conspiratorial smile.
"He's part of HYDRA?" Owen answered with complete nonchalance, as if it were nothing, leaving Tony frozen in place.
"Wait... how did you know?" Tony asked, stunned.
"Just a guess," Owen replied with a light smile.
"Sure you did. Unless you're psychic… or a lucky fraud," Tony muttered, pulling out some papers and tossing them to Owen.
Owen caught them and started going through the information Tony had gathered. It was clear some methods hadn't been exactly legal: wiretaps, hacking… the usual Stark tactics.
Everything looked normal until some strange calls caught his attention. They were insistent about getting the Iron Man suit at any cost. When they failed, there was a reprimand… and before the call ended, just one phrase: "Hail HYDRA."
"Did you find out where it came from?" Owen asked.
"No. They're very good at hiding. We thought HYDRA had been completely wiped out, but apparently not. And they must have cutting-edge tech, because not even JARVIS could trace them," Tony replied, climbing back into the ring with Happy.
"And did you find anything to cure that?" Owen asked, setting the folder aside.
"I'm working on it. I think I have something with the army's data. Honestly, I didn't expect them to be sitting on so much dangerous stuff. No wonder people say all I've got are the military's leftovers," Tony joked as he dodged a punch. "Can you believe I even found files from my dad among those documents? It's a little creepy."
"Well… your father was one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D. He had to share information with the government to get sponsorship," Owen said casually.
The surprise was so great that Tony got distracted and took a right hook from Happy straight to the face.
"Ow! Wait—what did you just say? My father what?" Tony exclaimed, quickly jumping out of the ring.
"He was one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D. He was also a close friend of Captain America. Didn't he ever tell you?" Owen asked calmly.
"No… Well, we didn't exactly have a close relationship," Tony admitted awkwardly.
"Even though S.H.I.E.L.D. hides a lot of things, what happens within U.S. territory is harder to conceal. And it's not just that… we also know who killed your father," Owen added, this time gently.
Tony's expression changed completely. He stepped out of the ring with firm steps, staring at Owen.
"Who?" he asked, his voice deadly serious.
"A guy with the super soldier serum. They call him the Winter Soldier."
"Where is he? Who is he? Why?" Tony fired off in rapid succession.
"No one knows where he is—he constantly disappears. But I'm sure the prime suspects are in that folder. Nobody really knows who he is. He just shows up, kills specific targets, and vanishes without a trace. Always with the same appearance."
Tony scanned the documents intently, but then a noise drew his attention. As he looked toward the entrance, his usual expression quickly returned.
"I swear this is the last time you force me to accept your company," Pepper Potts said firmly as she entered. Behind her was a stunning woman, walking as if she were her assistant.
"Hey, you're the first woman to complain about being president of the richest company in the country… or the world," Tony responded with his typical grin. "And you are?" he asked, looking at the assistant.
"Rushman. Natalie Rushman," she said with a slight smile.
"Owen, good to see you. Though you're not wearing your tactical suit or carrying a weapon, for once," Pepper remarked with a light smile.
Owen suddenly realized how much of Tony's personality had rubbed off on her.
"Pepper, always a pleasure. And for the record, the reason I always show up like that near you is because your boss can't stop getting into trouble," Owen joked, then turned to Natalie.
"Nice to meet you, Natalie. Pretty name. Has a… peculiar vibe. Like you're the kind of woman who disappears for months and doesn't call her date after crashing one or two cars," he said with a sarcastic smile, while Tony glanced between them with interest.
"Well, my parents picked it. And I don't think I'm that kind of woman. I'd say I was a little busy… working abroad. Nice to meet you too," Natalie replied calmly.
"You two know each other?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, not at all," they both answered at the same time.
"But just in case… you should look into her. She might be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent here to spy on you," Owen said, smiling as he looked at Natalie. She returned a serious look. "I hold grudges. Big ones, actually," Owen murmured under his breath.
"Good to know in advance," Natalie replied, keeping her composure.
Owen walked away then, a smile on his lips.
When he got home, he received a call from Tony.
"Hey, wanna come with us to Monaco tomorrow? Bring Banner… or his angry roommate. I think he might enjoy it even more than us," Tony said bluntly.
"Sure," Owen replied without thinking too much.
Of course he'd go. And of course… he'd have fun.
…
Owen arrived the next day at the airstrip, where Tony Stark's private jet was already waiting with engines humming. As he boarded, the first thing he saw was Tony, lounging on a large couch, sipping wine like he was on a luxury vacation.
"Wow, you really took your time," Tony said without bothering to move.
In the opposite corner, Pepper was hard at work in front of her laptop, clearly buried under a mountain of responsibilities. Not far from Tony, sitting cross-legged with a tablet in her hands, was Natalie Rushman. Her eyes locked onto Owen the moment he stepped in—cold, assessing, like she was tempted to throw something at him.
The forced smile she offered spoke volumes. It was obvious Tony had hired her anyway, probably just for the fun of watching them clash.
Owen answered with a small, ironic smile before sitting beside Tony.
"Banner didn't want to come?" Tony asked as he poured himself more wine.
"He said Hulk isn't ready for social events. And he's not interested," Owen replied calmly.
"His loss," Tony muttered, then lowered his voice. "I hired Rushman because SHIELD has something that belonged to my dad. Something that might help me. Though I find it curious they never brought it up until now."
"As if they were waiting for you to be on your deathbed before tossing a lifeline to look like heroes," Owen said casually. "It's obvious."
"The problem is, I can't just go against them. My dad was one of the founders," Tony said more seriously this time.
"That has nothing to do with it, Tony. Your dad's gone, and SHIELD has changed. The higher-ups are different now. Just because they knew your father doesn't make them trustworthy," Owen replied, his tone firmer.
Tony went quiet for a moment, his thoughts inevitably drifting to Obadiah.
"Anyway… let's enjoy Monaco. I really needed a vacation," he finally said, raising his glass.
As Tony wandered off to go tease Pepper, Owen noticed that Natalie, despite pretending not to care, had been listening to the whole conversation. He could tell by how her body subtly tensed the moment SHIELD was mentioned. Her serum might not be as strong as the original super soldier's, but her hearing was clearly excellent.
"That's what happens when debts aren't paid on time," Owen muttered just loud enough for her to hear.
Natalie turned her head slightly, keeping her expression unreadable, but it was enough to make Owen get up and walk toward her.
"Hey, Natalie. Great to see you. How've you been?" he asked with a mocking smile and a raised eyebrow.
She glanced at him, narrowing her eyes.
"I don't recall crashing your missions and ruining them," she said with a hint of venom.
"Tsk, tsk… You're spying on one of the guys I work with. Wouldn't be much of a teammate if I just stood by, even if it is for the gorgeous woman who vanished without calling back," Owen said with a provocative grin. "And in the end, I didn't ruin it. You still got the job, didn't you?"
"Director Fury was furious," Natasha replied bluntly.
"I bet he was. His plan to keep Tony in his pocket vanished into thin air. Though, honestly, waiting until he's half-dead to offer help isn't exactly… friendly," Owen said, his voice dropping a shade darker.
"I just follow orders," Natasha said, folding her arms.
"I know. In the end, our jobs aren't that different, are they?" Owen said with a softer smile. "We better get along in Monaco… though I won't promise to behave."
Natasha didn't reply, but her gaze lingered on him a few seconds longer than necessary. Then she returned to her tablet without a word.
Owen walked back to the couch, poured himself a glass of wine, and smiled faintly. The tension between them still hung in the air like a spark waiting to ignite something… though it wasn't clear if it would be a fight—or something else.