Nitroman, Robert, had been captured. Tony Stark developed a headband specifically designed to suppress the brain waves associated with Nitroman's power, leaving him unable to command any part of his body to explode.
Afterward, S.H.I.E.L.D. imprisoned Nitroman in Negative Zone Prison No. 42, which Mister Fantastic had developed independently.
That should have brought the whole affair to a perfect close.
However, while taking custody of Nitroman, S.H.I.E.L.D. studied and analyzed his cellular tissue, intending to gather information that would help prevent similar threats in the future.
"My time is valuable. If you only invited me here to sample the lousy coffee S.H.I.E.L.D. usually serves its employees, I'm going to be very unhappy."
Dressed in a casual suit, Tony Stark pushed open the door to Nick Fury's office, though he was still looking back and talking to Fury's assistant, Agent Hill.
"If you don't like it, I can always pay out of my own pocket to buy you a better cup."
Agent Hill dealt with all kinds of superheroes every day and had long since figured out most of their personalities. After playfully teasing Tony, she pulled the door shut just as he stepped forward.
Tony paused, seemingly regretting how quickly his conversation with the beautiful agent had ended, before turning to look at Nick Fury.
"So a blind old man really isn't as appealing as a beautiful young woman with a great figure."
Nick made a show of complaining, his mournful tone giving Tony goose bumps.
Tony approached Nick's desk with short steps, trying to make his expensive custom-made leather shoes click against the office floor as frequently as possible.
"So, not even any cheap coffee, huh?"
Looking at the desktop, which held only a document envelope that appeared to have been handled, Tony's expression lost some of its flippancy.