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Black Sky Unit 16, 18, 22.
You have to admit, Sitwell's thoughts were a bit off-track.
But not entirely.
It wasn't superpowers at play.
It was Ron's vast soul consciousness.
Pierce looked at him and nodded slightly.
No wonder he valued him so much.
In such a short time, Sitwell had already grasped the key point.
And his thoughts weren't far from Pierce's own.
Sitwell pondered for a moment before continuing.
"Sir, I think we should recruit him."
Pierce raised an eyebrow and gestured for him to elaborate.
Sitwell continued, "First, he spent 21 years trapped in a closed-off inner world."
"He might seem mature now, but he's definitely much more naive than the average person."
Pierce and Rumlow both nodded in agreement.
Twenty-one years.
That's an entire adolescence.
The most crucial period in shaping a person's character.
Ron had missed out on all of it.
Which meant his mental state was far from fully developed.
At least, not as much as he appeared to be.
In other words, he was easier to manipulate.
Easier to be influenced by Hydra's ideology.
Sitwell pressed on, "Secondly, Nick Fury will definitely send someone to make contact."
"After the Battle of New York, the Avengers' importance is clear."
"He's been wanting to expand their numbers."
"And Ron, as Tony Stark's younger brother, is a natural candidate."
"We have a perfect opportunity to get to him first."
"Turn him into one of us before Fury can."
Sitwell's plan wasn't anything groundbreaking.
It was a simple, effective strategy—seizing the advantage of infiltration.
After all, they had done this countless times before.
Otherwise, how else could 90% of S.H.I.E.L.D. be Hydra agents?
It's not like they were born with Hydra's mark on them.
They had all been indoctrinated, little by little.
Compared to seasoned agents, Ron would be an easier target.
While everyone at S.H.I.E.L.D. was scheming away...
Over at the Malibu Mansion...
Tony Stark had just woken up from another nap.
And what he saw left him completely dumbfounded.
Wait, was this really his brother?
Was this the same Ron Stark who always smiled like a gentleman?
Or had he been possessed by both Hulk and Thor at the same time?
Electricity crackling around him, his fighting style identical to the Hulk's.
What the actual hell?!
Even Tony was stunned.
Could his titanium-alloy Iron Man suit even withstand those punches?
Probably... maybe... possibly... not?
"OMG—! No way!"
"I need Ron to teach me how the hell he's generating electricity!"
"If I figure this out, I can charge my Iron Man suits directly!"
Classic Tony Stark.
He sees someone with electricity powers, and his first thought is how to make suit maintenance easier.
"Oh, right. Ron also asked me to look into Maya Hansen."
"Huh? Why does that name sound so familiar..."
"Whatever, I know too many women. Doesn't matter."
"More importantly, Ron said we should move forward with making an Adamantium suit."
The world was getting more chaotic.
It was about time Pepper had some real protection.
With that in mind, he grabbed his phone and called her.
"Hello? Tony? What's up?"
"Yeah, it's me. Pepper, when you have a moment, come back home."
"What's wrong? I have a lot of work to do."
"Nothing urgent. I just want to make you a suit. Let's discuss what kind you'd like."
"I'm busy. I'm not coming back. And I don't need one!"
"All you ever talk about is suits, suits, suits! Why don't you go sleep with your damn suit?!"
Pepper slammed the phone down.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly with frustration.
She kept cursing at her phone.
At first, she had been happy to get Tony's call.
He rarely called her first.
She thought maybe he was finally coming around.
Maybe he wanted to ask her out.
She even considered rescheduling her work.
A candlelit dinner with Tony... under the right atmosphere...
Who knows what might happen next?
But nope!
That bastard barely said two words before bringing up his stupid suits!
Had he forgotten she was his girlfriend?!
Maybe the Iron Man suit was his real girlfriend!
Well, he wasn't getting into her bed anymore!
Just as she was fuming...
Her phone rang again.
She angrily grabbed it, ready to let loose...
Then she paused.
It wasn't Tony.
Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself before answering.
"Hello, Killian?"
"Sorry, I've been really busy these past few days. I don't think I have time."
She hesitated for a moment.
"Uh... maybe when I'm free?"
"Alright, let me check my schedule."
She flipped through her planner and replied,
"Three days from now. Let's meet in the morning."
"Sounds good. See you then."
"....."