Agents, Come Clean Up the Mess

The smoke and dust had yet to settle over the ruins of Area 16.

Chen Xiao sat cross-legged on Iron Monger's chest, head lowered as he wrestled with the Arc Reactor. His fingers gripped the latch at the edge of the core. He twisted it twice. It did not move. He twisted it twice more. Still nothing. Frowning, he leaned in for a closer look. The core's edge looked welded to the armor, perfectly seamless and utterly immovable.

"Who designed this thing?" Chen Xiao muttered. Then he remembered that the guy lying beside him, gasping for breath, had designed it, so he swallowed the rest of the sentence.

He shifted position, gripped both sides of the core with both hands, took a deep breath, and pulled hard. The core did not budge. His face reddened, veins bulging along his arms, but the core remained completely still.

"Can you even do it?" Tony leaned against Pepper and Rhodey, his faceplate open as he looked up at Chen Xiao with provocation in his tone.

"If you can, you do it." Chen Xiao did not even turn around.

"If I could move, would I need you?" Tony rolled his eyes.

Chen Xiao ignored him. He released the core, tilted his head, and stared at it for two seconds. Then he reached out and grabbed the edge of Iron Monger's chest armor.

"Crackle—"

It was not the sound of metal tearing, but of electricity arcing. Brilliant blue lightning exploded between his fingers and spread along the seams of the chest plate. Everyone turned to look. Chen Xiao gripped the armor's edges with both hands and yanked. The heavy plate was torn off by brute force, trailing snapped cables and sparks as it spun half a turn through the air before crashing to the ground with a clang, scattering chunks of concrete everywhere.

Chen Xiao still held one corner of the armor plate, electric arcs crawling across his fingers with a sizzling sound. He looked down at the Arc Reactor still embedded in the back of the chest plate, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

"They really welded it in? Obadiah's engineers were that ridiculous?"

He flipped the armor plate over so that the core faced upward. He spread the fingers of his right hand toward the core, and arcs of electricity surged from his palm, enveloping the metal base around it. The blue glow grew brighter and brighter, bright enough that Pepper had to squint and Rhodey raised a hand to shield his face.

Under the intense heat of the electric arcs, the heavy armor began to redden, then glow, before melting like candle wax. Molten metal dripped from around the core and struck the ground, scattering tiny sparks.

A few seconds later, the arcs stopped.

The Arc Reactor floated in midair, held aloft by a pale blue electromagnetic force as it slowly rotated. Its base had vanished entirely, leaving only the core itself—a silver-white metal ring with a glowing white energy source at its center, turning silently within the electromagnetic field like a captured star.

Chen Xiao reached out and caught it. The core settled into his palm, faintly warm.

"Catch." He called out, then casually tossed the core in Tony's direction.

The core soared high into the air, tracing a beautiful arc. The silver-white ring flashed under the moonlight, and then—

Pepper reacted fastest. She stepped forward and stretched out both hands, catching the core in a fluster. It landed in her palms, warm and still glowing. She let out a breath of relief.

But beside her, Tony, whom Rhodey had just helped to his feet, suddenly lost half his support.

Tony's legs had already been trembling. He could barely stand only because both of them supported his shoulders. The moment Pepper caught the core, she instinctively let go of the hand holding Tony up. Tony swayed sideways, his legs gave out, and he pitched forward.

Rhodey still had Tony's arm draped over his shoulder. He was pulled forward as well.

With a thud, the two of them landed solidly on their knees.

"Ahhh—Tony, are you okay?!" Pepper cried in panic. She turned to help Tony up, completely forgetting that she was still holding the core.

The freshly removed, still-warm core had flown from Chen Xiao's hand toward Tony, rested briefly in Pepper's hands for a few seconds, and then flew out once more as she turned around.

This time, it struck Tony squarely on the nose.

"Ugh—!" Tony let out a muffled groan. The hard object hit the bridge of his nose, and his eyes immediately turned red. He covered his nose with both hands, kneeling amid the rubble as tears poured out uncontrollably.

"Happy New Year! Happy New Year!" Chen Xiao stood atop Iron Monger, laughing so hard he bent over while slapping his thighs. "Tony, consider this an early New Year's greeting!"

Rhodey knelt beside him, his knees smashed against the rubble. He sat down hard, baring his teeth in pain as he clutched his knee, but when he saw Tony covering his nose with tears streaming down his face, he could not help laughing too. He lowered his head, holding his leg as his shoulders shook.

Pepper hurriedly set the core aside, crouched down, and held Tony by the shoulders. "Tony! Are you okay? Let me see. Is your nose bleeding?"

Tony lowered his hands. The tip of his nose was red, and tears still clung to the corners of his eyes. He glared at Chen Xiao, his eyes screaming, I'm going to kill you.

"You!" His voice was nasal, muffled, and hoarse. "You did that on purpose!"

"I swear I didn't." Chen Xiao raised both hands in surrender, but he could not suppress the smile on his lips. "I just tossed it casually."

"You casually tossed it—and hit me twice!"

"Once," Chen Xiao corrected. "Pepper hit you the second time."

Pepper froze. She looked at her own hands, then at Tony's reddened nose. A trace of guilt surfaced on her face for no reason. She cleared her throat, stuffed the core into Tony's arms, stood up, brushed the dust off her pants, and pretended nothing had happened.

"Hold it properly yourself," she said.

Tony hugged the core as he knelt amid the rubble, his nose red, his eyes red, and his armor battered and broken. He looked like a metal penguin abandoned by its owner.

Chen Xiao jumped down from Iron Monger's chest, walked over to Tony, and held out a hand.

"Alright, alright. Get up."

Tony glared at him but still grabbed his hand. Chen Xiao pulled him off the ground. Tony's legs remained weak, and he swayed twice before finding his footing.

"You're not allowed to tell anyone about this," Tony said in a low voice, still heavily nasal.

"What?" Chen Xiao looked innocent. "The part where you got hit by the core twice? Or the part where you knelt on the ground and cried?"

"I wasn't crying!"

"You had tears in your eyes."

"That was a physiological response!"

Rhodey climbed up from the ground, brushed the gravel from his knees, walked over, and patted Tony on the shoulder. "Tony, accept it. You were just unlucky today."

Pepper finally could not hold it in any longer and covered her mouth as she laughed.

Tony took a deep breath and looked at the three people in front of him: one laughing, another laughing, and the third one laughing too. He closed his eyes and decided to give up on social interaction for the moment.

In the distance, sirens wailed.

Several black SUVs drove one after another into the plaza at Stark Industries headquarters. Their tires crunched over gravel with soft, fragmented sounds. The vehicles came to a steady stop, their engines humming deeply twice before cutting out. Almost simultaneously, the doors opened. Dark doors swung outward, and pairs of feet in black leather shoes stepped out, their soles striking the ground with dull thuds.

A team of agents in black uniforms emerged from the vehicles. Their movements were clean and efficient, without unnecessary words or wandering glances. Every one of them carried a gun at the waist, wore a communicator in an ear, and had no expression on their face.

Rhodey: "Someone's here. They don't look like cops."

Tony sat up from the concrete slab and followed Rhodey's gaze. Pepper straightened, tightening her grip on the core. Chen Xiao tilted his head and took a look as well.

"Nice suits," Chen Xiao said. "They remind me of Men in Black."

The man walking at the front wore a dark suit tailored to fit, its shoulder lines crisp and his tie impeccably knotted. His dark brown hair was neatly combed, his hairline slightly receded to reveal a broad forehead. He was not conventionally handsome, but he had a face that grew more pleasing the longer one looked. His brow ridge was slightly pronounced, his nose straight, and his lips pressed into a line that carried a professional restraint that never easily relaxed. His eyes were pale blue and calm. He stood there, rapidly scanned the surroundings, then walked toward them.

"Mr. Stark." His voice was calm, neither loud nor soft, neither fast nor slow. "I'm Phil Coulson, from the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."

When he finished speaking, the corners of his lips rose slightly, as though he were waiting for a reaction.

Sure enough, Tony narrowed his eyes.

"What division?" Tony asked.

"The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division." Coulson repeated it at exactly the same pace, as if reciting a line he had memorized countless times.

Tony looked at Chen Xiao.

Chen Xiao looked at Tony.

Then the two of them looked at Rhodey.

The same confusion appeared in all three of their eyes: I think I just heard something absurd, but I need to make sure I didn't hear wrong.

"Strategic Homeland," Tony began.

"Intervention," Chen Xiao continued.

"Enforcement," Rhodey said.

"...and Logistics Division," all three said in unison.

Tony turned to Coulson. "Are you serious?"

Coulson's expression did not change. "We are serious."

Chen Xiao brushed dust from his pants, walked over to Coulson's side, slipped both hands into his pockets, and tilted his head as he examined him.

"Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."

Chen Xiao recited the full name. "When you named it, did you just pick words randomly out of a dictionary?"

The corner of Coulson's mouth twitched slightly. He did not get angry. In fact, he had complained about that name himself many times.

Tony rose from the concrete slab. His armor clanked, and several loose plates rattled. His nose was still red, but his expression had recovered that familiar I'm Iron Man attitude. He walked up to Coulson and looked him over from head to toe.

"I suggest you abbreviate it into something shorter," Tony said. "Like S.H.I.E.L.D.? I have no idea what every letter would stand for either, but at least it'd be easy to remember."

"We are considering a name change," Coulson said. "Actually, your suggestion is very valuable."

Coulson looked at Tony, then at Chen Xiao. He pulled a small notebook from his pocket and actually wrote it down.

"I'll pass it along."

Chen Xiao leaned over and glanced at the notebook. "You're really writing that down?"

"Our director said we should listen to geniuses," Coulson said, putting the notebook away. "Especially two geniuses."

Tony and Chen Xiao exchanged a look.

Pepper sighed softly nearby. "You two, could you let him finish what he came to say first?"

Coulson gave Pepper a grateful look, then turned to Tony with a serious expression. "Mr. Stark, we're here to handle the aftermath. Securing the scene, processing Iron Monger's wreckage, arresting Obadiah Stane, controlling the media coverage—we can take care of all of that."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "What's the catch?"

"The catch?" Coulson paused. "There is no catch. This is our job."

"You're helping for free?" Tony sounded skeptical.

"The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division is responsible for protecting national security." Coulson's gaze swept over Iron Monger's wreckage, then over Tony's armor. "What you did today—stopping Obadiah and destroying Iron Monger—helped the world tremendously. We're just here to clean up the mess."

Chen Xiao added quietly from the side, "Then what are you after?"

Coulson looked at Chen Xiao. "Nothing. We're simply fulfilling our duty and ensuring this incident does not cause unnecessary panic."

Tony fell silent for a second, then nodded. "Fine. Go ahead."

Coulson turned and signaled to the agents behind him. They immediately began working: setting up barricades, taking photographs, gathering evidence, and collecting debris. They moved skillfully and in perfect coordination, as though they had rehearsed it countless times.

Coulson turned back, his gaze leaving Tony and settling on Chen Xiao.

"Mr. Chen," Coulson said.

Chen Xiao was helping Rhodey remove Tony's armor. Hearing his name, he raised his head.

"Yeah?"

"Your abilities are very unusual." Coulson's tone remained calm, but Chen Xiao noticed that his gaze had changed. It had become serious. "The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division would be interested in you."

Chen Xiao brushed the dust from his hands and slipped them back into his pockets.

"I'm not interested for now," he said. After thinking for a moment, he added, "Change to an easier name first."

Coulson suddenly laughed. The corners of his mouth curved upward, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes relaxed. Something had clearly struck a chord with him, because his whole body suddenly seemed to loosen.

"I'll pass it along," Coulson said.

He took out a business card from his pocket. It had a dark background and only one line of text: Phil Coulson, Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. A phone number was printed below. He handed the cards to Chen Xiao and Pepper.

"You can call me anytime."

Chen Xiao accepted the card and turned it over to inspect the back. It was blank.

"Nice card design," Chen Xiao said. "Better than your organization's name."

Coulson smiled and shook his head before turning toward Iron Monger. The agents had already cordoned off the area. Some were recording data on tablets, some were collecting debris in sealed bags, and others were pulling Obadiah out of Iron Monger on a stretcher. His gray suit was no longer recognizable beneath the soot and scorch marks. His body twitched from time to time, the lingering power of electricity still working through his nervous system.

Coulson stood before Iron Monger and looked down at the massive machine in silence for several seconds. Then he lowered his head and said something into his communicator, likely reporting to Nick Fury.

Tony stood beside the concrete slab, watching Coulson's back. "He's alright," he said.

Chen Xiao put the business card into his pocket. "The name isn't."

"The name really isn't," Tony agreed.

Pepper walked over and stood between them. "Could you two stop obsessing over their name?"

Rhodey popped up from the side, still holding that empty popcorn bucket. "I think S.H.I.E.L.D. sounds pretty good. It sounds like a serious organization."

Chen Xiao and Tony turned to look at him at the same time.

Rhodey raised both hands. "I didn't say anything."

More sirens sounded in the distance, growing closer. This time, they were real police cars—from the Los Angeles Police Department. Coulson sent an agent over to negotiate, and the police cars soon turned around and left.

Watching all of this, Tony suddenly said, "S.H.I.E.L.D."

Chen Xiao looked at him.

"S.H.I.E.L.D.," Tony repeated, as if savoring the name. "Not bad. Easier to remember than the original."

"You just came up with that?" Chen Xiao asked.

"I said it offhand." Tony shrugged. "If they actually use it, I won't charge copyright fees."

Pepper could not help laughing. "You'd charge copyright fees for that too?"

"I charge for signatures on napkins." Tony glanced at Chen Xiao. He was beginning to regret being so careless with that signature.

Chen Xiao replied righteously, "I had it framed. If it doesn't appreciate in value, I'll laugh at you for the rest of your life."

Rhodey stood beside them, looked from one to the other, and shook his head. "You people are unbelievable."

Moonlight shone over the ruins. The agents busily gathered evidence while Coulson stood beside Iron Monger, writing something on a tablet.

Blue electric arcs flickered as Chen Xiao opened a portal. "Let's go. Time to head back."

When Coulson turned around to look for Tony and the others, there was no one left.

"Director, I met him."

The other end of the call was silent for a second. "How was he?"

"Not a mutant, not an alien. His energy signature isn't in any database." Coulson paused. "His abilities... are very unusual."

"Keep watching him," Nick Fury said calmly. "And what about Stark?"

"He refused. But he took the card."

"Then that's enough."