The first thing that appeared before Iron Man was another model of the Iron Man suit. When the helmet was opened, a familiar face appeared inside.
Colonel Rhodes!
Both Iron Man and Colonel Rhodes were taken by surprise. Another person had the Iron Man armor?
Was this something Iron Man lent to him, or had the military developed it on their own?
At this point, the military definitely didn't have that technology, but the footage showed the future, and this matter was unclear.
"Although it's not really the right time to say this, but… I look pretty cool!" Now, it was Rhodes' turn to gloat.
Whoosh!
While everyone's attention was focused, another high school-aged boy jumped in front of Iron Man, crying his eyes out.
"Mr. Stark, it's me, Peter!"
"Mr. Stark, can you hear me?"
"Mr. Stark, we won!"
...
The boy named Peter, with his swollen red eyes, kept calling out to Iron Man in sorrow.
Unfortunately, Iron Man couldn't hear what Peter was saying anymore.
"Peter? This kid really looks heartbroken. Looks like I have a pretty good relationship with him in the future," Iron Man shrugged.
"Now, that's a curious thing," Agent Coulson muttered, looking on.
For someone like Iron Man, arrogant, proud, and condescending, could anyone really tolerate him?
The last person to appear before Iron Man was his current assistant, Pepper Potts, also known as Pepper.
"Pepper..."
Even though Iron Man was already delirious, he immediately recognized Pepper, showing that their relationship was something special.
"Friday?" Pepper gripped Iron Man's hand tightly and then turned to ask the AI.
"Life functions detected to be rapidly deteriorating." The AI's voice sounded neutral.
"Friday? Where's Jarvis?" Iron Man on the screen seemed puzzled.
"It's okay, Tony. You can rest now," Pepper said, holding back tears.
Soon, the energy core on Iron Man's chest powered down.
Iron Man, who had been holding Pepper's hand, let it fall limply.
Clearly, Iron Man was gone.
The footage ended there.
"Pepper? Tony, looks like she's more than just your assistant!" Rhodes teased, winking at his friend.
In the previous footage, everyone was gathered around Iron Man, but as soon as Pepper appeared, everyone automatically made room for her.
It was clear that Iron Man and Pepper's relationship was something more than just boss and employee.
Not only that, but it was also obvious that their relationship was public knowledge. Everyone around them knew, which is why they gave Iron Man's final moments to Pepper.
"We can get so much important information from the footage, and you're focusing on this trivial matter?" Iron Man criticized Rhodes without mercy.
But only Iron Man knew that, deep down, he was secretly pleased. He'd always had feelings for Pepper, but had never voiced it.
Looking at the footage, it seemed likely that, in the future, he and Pepper would end up together.
What could be more exciting than knowing that the woman you like will eventually marry you?
If no one else was around, Iron Man would've had Jarvis play some music and opened a beer to celebrate his joy.
"Thanos's armor is different from before, and the glove on his hand is also different. The environment looks different too."
"So, this isn't the same battle as before. It's another fight. No, this shouldn't be called a fight; it's a war!"
Agent Coulson immediately started analyzing the footage without wasting time.
"We can clearly see that this war is between Thanos's alien army and humanity!"
The first footage showed just the battle between Iron Man and Thanos, with the location still on an alien planet, so not much useful information could be gleaned.
However, this second footage clearly indicated the opposing sides: Thanos's army and the humans.
"So, our previous analysis was right. Thanos is definitely going to invade Earth in the future!" Rhodes said in a low voice.
Although the background of the second footage was also a desolate, apocalyptic scene, it was difficult to tell if it was on an alien planet or Earth, the fact that an alien army would invade Earth seemed much more plausible.
After hearing Rhodes's words, everyone's expressions became a bit heavy. This wasn't good news.
"It looks like the anti-Thanos armor needs to be prioritized!" Iron Man silently made his decision.
"In the previous footage, Thanos had only four stones on his glove, but now in this footage, he has six!"
"Does this mean that Thanos's goal, or at least one of his goals, is to collect all six Infinity Stones?"
"And when Thanos only had four stones, he didn't snap his fingers. Does this mean that only when he collects all six Infinity Stones can he snap his fingers?"
Rhodes's words made both Agent Coulson and Iron Man nod in agreement.
"Do you two, one being a military big shot and the other being an S.H.I.E.L.D. big shot, even know what the Infinity Stones are?" Iron Man asked, looking at Rhodes and Coulson.
Both Rhodes and Agent Coulson shook their heads. They had never heard of the Infinity Stones.
However, Agent Coulson was deep in thought. Once they returned to S.H.I.E.L.D., he'd have to ask Director Nick Fury. Nick Fury knew so many secrets that ordinary people couldn't possibly know.
The Infinity Stones? He might know about them.
Not just Agent Coulson, but both Rhodes and Iron Man had made their own decisions in their hearts.
Once they got back, they'd definitely have to look into what the Infinity Stones were.
No matter what Thanos's reason for invading Earth was, the Infinity Stones were crucial to this war.
And then there were the other faces that appeared in this war.
For example, the one who reached out to Iron Man, looking rather extraordinary, especially since he was wearing a cloak.
After all, ordinary people don't wear cloaks.
And then there was that boy named Peter, who seemed to have a deep connection with Iron Man. Not only did he jump to Iron Man's side, but his smooth, fluid movements clearly indicated he wasn't just any ordinary person.
These people needed to be watched carefully.
As for Thanos, neither of them had much hope of uncovering any clues, since he was an alien overlord, and the chances of finding anything were slim.
Author's Note: There was an error in the previous chapter where Agent Coulson was supposed to know Captain Marvel. Thanks to reader Ke Wang Anfeng for pointing that out. It's been fixed with a small adjustment. Readers who have already read it don't need to go back and re-read. Also, I'm asking for more bookmarks and recommendations; the data's been a bit bleak.
(End of Chapter)