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Tony took the file and skimmed through the names.
Black Widow. Hawkeye. His eyes paused briefly on a "pending" entry—Bruce Banner.
"Interesting lineup," Tony said, tossing the file back to Fury.
"But here's my question: who runs this little club? S.H.I.E.L.D.? The World Security Council? Or some secret cabal I don't know about?"
Fury's face became unreadable."In certain cases, the team will have autonomous decision-making authority."
"So... in the end, you still call the shots."
Tony shook his head."Sorry, Nick. I don't do well with taking orders—especially not from some self-righteous old man."
He hesitated for a beat, then added,"And I'm even less interested in working with an agency that's already been infiltrated by HYDRA."
Fury's eye narrowed sharply."HYDRA? How do you know about that?"
"Jiro," Tony lied without hesitation."He's got a... special ability. Sees through disguises. Says at least a third of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are working for HYDRA."
The lab went dead silent.
Fury's face turned grim. Tony could tell he was weighing the truth of that statement.
"Even if that's true," Fury finally said, voice low,"It just proves we need someone like Jiro on our side. He could help us root out the traitors."
Tony walked over to the window and looked out at the New York skyline."Jiro's not someone you can control, Fury. His power goes way beyond anything you're ready for."
"No one is uncontrollable, Stark," Fury said, voice edged with danger.
"Not even you."
Tony turned to meet his gaze."Threats don't work on me, Director. I've got better partners now."
The tension between them was so thick it was practically tangible.
Finally, Fury stepped back and shut down the projection."We'll keep investigating your partner, Stark. And if we find he's a threat to the public..."
"Save it, Nick," Tony said with an annoyed wave.
"Instead of wasting time spying on Jiro, maybe you should take a good look at your own base. I hear Agent Sitwell's been awfully curious about the Tesseract lately?"
Fury's expression shifted instantly—alert, on guard.
Sitwell was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent involved in several classified projects.
Tony had dropped his name on purpose—to test whether Jiro's warning about HYDRA infiltration was real.
"Thanks for the... heads-up," Fury said eventually, heading toward the elevator.
"But this conversation isn't over, Stark. S.H.I.E.L.D. will be watching."
Once the elevator doors closed, Tony let out a long breath and sank into a chair.
"Sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. chimed in. "I'm detecting residual heat signatures on the upper level—someone's hiding in the ventilation system."
Tony smirked."Black Widow, I'm guessing? Let her stay. She won't find anything anyway."
He walked over to a hidden safe and pulled out the enhanced serum. The blue liquid shimmered under the light.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., prep the injection system," Tony said firmly.
"If S.H.I.E.L.D.'s already moving, we need to move faster."
"Sir, are you sure about using a biologic compound that hasn't been fully tested?" J.A.R.V.I.S. asked.
"According to protocol—"
"I wrote the protocol, J.A.R.V.I.S.," Tony cut him off.
"And more importantly... I trust Jiro's tech."
Even Tony was surprised by those words.
He wasn't the trusting type—especially not with someone who had mysterious alien powers.
But something in his gut told him Jiro was serious. That serum really was a gift—not a trap.
"Also," Tony added, "initiate the Iron Legion protocol. I want all Mark suits on standby."
"Understood, sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. replied."However, based on Mr. Jiro's capabilities, our current weapons systems are almost entirely ineffective against him."
Tony looked down at the vial, a grin tugging at his lips."Who said it's for Jiro?"
He placed the serum into the auto-injector, eyes turning sharp with determination.
Fury's sudden visit had confirmed his suspicions—S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't let someone like Jiro go unchecked.
And if HYDRA really had its claws in S.H.I.E.L.D., there might already be worse enemies lurking in the shadows.
"Fire up the holographics. I need to redesign the Mark suits," Tony said, rolling up his sleeves.
"And call Rhodey. Tell him the weekend party's off. I've got bigger things to handle."
As the injector pumped the glowing blue liquid into his veins, a strange warmth spread through Tony's body.
He could feel his muscles rewiring, nerves firing faster, and his senses sharpening to an insane degree.
"Vitals stable. All indicators up significantly," J.A.R.V.I.S. reported."Initial readings show 240% increase in muscle density, 180% increase in bone strength, metabolic rate..."
"Estimated output at full force: 16.7 tons of strength."
"Sir, you've officially surpassed Captain America."
Tony didn't even wait to hear the rest. He stood up, feeling the surge of power coursing through him.
He casually picked up a heavy steel wrench—and with just a squeeze, it crumpled like playdough in his hand.
"Whoa," Tony muttered, eyes sparkling with excitement."Jiro wasn't lying. This really is Version 3.0."
He headed to the center of the lab and suddenly broke into a sprint, becoming a blur to the naked eye, then leapt effortlessly three meters into the air, landing smoothly on a workbench.
"Sir, your heart rate is elevated," J.A.R.V.I.S. warned.
"That's 'cause I'm pumped, J.A.R.V.I.S.!" Tony shouted, jumping down with a laugh."This feels... freaking amazing!"
But his smile quickly faded as his expression turned serious again.
Enhanced physical abilities were just the beginning—he needed a lot more to face the storm that was coming.
Whether it was S.H.I.E.L.D., HYDRA, or something even more dangerous.
"Jarvis, send Jiro a message," Tony said as he walked toward the armor assembly area. "Tell him... I've accepted his gift. And I can't wait to see what Surprise Number Two is."
Outside the window, dark clouds were rolling over New York's night sky. A storm was brewing.
And inside Stark Tower, a brand new Tony Stark was being born—not just a tech genius anymore, but a true superhuman.
Tony knew that from tonight on, everything was going to change.
S.H.I.E.L.D., the Avengers Initiative... all those things that once seemed so important didn't matter that much anymore—not since Jiro showed up.
"With this kind of power and tech…" Tony looked down at his clenched fist and muttered to himself, "maybe we really don't need S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore."
"....."