[Third Person's PoV]
Later in the day…
Momo was struggling to stand, her legs wobbly as she pleaded, "Please! I beg of you! I want to go home, it was a mistake coming here!"
Beside her, Howard Stark was face-first on the floor, unconscious and muttering incoherent mathematical equations.
Tony, unfazed, glanced at Momo with a smirk. "Oh, stop the whining. We've made so much progress. Not to mention the things we've just created together. You're not going to tell me these won't be useful to you later in the future, are you?"
Momo sighed, trying to catch her breath. "They will, but please, just let me rest!"
Friday, Tony's ever-reliable AI, chimed in at just the right moment, "Boss, you have your one o'clock meeting with Japan's National Police Force in approximately one hour."
Tony groaned, throwing his hands up in frustration. "Ugh, just when I was so close to a breakthrough! Why do I have to care about people? Why do I need to have a bleeding heart?" he grumbled.
Momo, hearing the news, saw a glimmer of hope. "Does that mean I can take a break?" she asked, her voice full of anticipation.
Tony sighed reluctantly. "Yeah, but you can't escape. Think of this as an intermission."
Momo scoffed, still exhausted. "I'm going home. You're crazy if you think I'm going to wait here for you to torture me again. I mean, look at your poor father," she said, pointing to Howard, who was still mumbling on the floor.
"He'll live," Tony said dismissively. "Anyway, if you do go home, I'll just come there and kidnap you. Your parents love me, so they'll allow it."
"You monster," Momo replied, her tone harsh but too drained to argue further.
Tony waved her off as he walked away. "There's a bit of a monster in all of us. You'll live too."
After quickly showering and getting dressed in a sharp three-piece suit, Tony combed his hair back, put on his sunglasses, and strapped on a silver watch. He descended to find Melissa waiting for him, looking every bit the professional secretary in her pencil skirt, blue blouse, matching heels, and glasses. Her hair was tied up in a neat bun.
Melissa stood up straight, smoothing her skirt as she asked, "Tell me honestly, does this skirt make my butt look fat?"
Tony grinned and let out a low whistle. "Damn right it does! We might need to do some office play where the secretary wants a pay raise."
Before he could say more, they heard a loud cough. Tony turned to see Maria Stark choking on her drink. "Oh goodness, that went down the wrong pipe. Tony, what the hell?" she exclaimed, her face a mix of shock and amusement.
Tony's confidence faltered as he grew embarrassed. "Oh, mother dearest, I didn't know you were there..." he stammered, Melissa equally flustered.
"Friday!" Tony called out, desperate to escape the awkward situation. The AI appeared, holding a briefcase with her flippers and handed it to him. "We'll be on our way now, mother," Tony said quickly, speed-walking out with Melissa right behind him.
As they got into the limousine, Tony, still embarrassed, asked, "Why didn't you tell me my mother was there?"
Melissa shot him a look. "How the hell was I supposed to know you were going to say something like that?"
"You should know me by now! Especially when you're looking that good," Tony retorted.
Melissa rolled her eyes. "I would have assumed you'd have more self-control knowing your parents were in the house! Not to mention my dad!"
Eager to change the subject, Tony asked, "Did you look over everything?"
Melissa nodded, focusing on the task at hand. "Yeah, Friday sent me the files while you were showering, which I finished reviewing."
Tony relaxed a bit, grateful for the distraction as the limousine drove them to their destination. The awkwardness slowly dissipated, replaced by the anticipation of the meeting ahead.
Tony and Melissa stepped out of their limousine, arriving in front of a towering skyscraper emblazoned with the letters "JNPF" in bold letters across the front. Tony walked with confidence, sunglasses on, and a lollipop in his mouth, while Melissa followed closely behind, holding the suitcase with "Stark" clearly visible on it and her signature tablet in hand.
Recognizing Tony Stark, the security guards at the entrance immediately opened the door for them, nodding in acknowledgment. "Thank you," Tony said with a slight nod as he walked through, heading directly toward the reception desk.
The receptionist, already expecting them, quickly handed over two passes with their photos on them. "The higher-ups are anticipating your arrival. I'll be the one guiding you," she said, leading them to a private elevator that took them directly to the top floor.
As they reached the top, they found themselves in a large, sleek conference room. Ten individuals sat around a long rectangular table, waiting in anticipation. The tension in the room was palpable, and as the door was knocked, the man at the head of the table, Kazuma Takeda, gave the signal. "Come in."
The receptionist opened the door, and Tony, followed by Melissa, walked in with confidence. Kazuma, the head of Japan's National Police Force and a member of a powerful political family, greeted them with a smile. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of the famous Anthony Stark in my office?"
Tony returned the smile as he took a seat at the opposite end of the table. "Your incompetence, obviously."
Kazuma's smile vanished, replaced by a raised eyebrow as he stared at Tony in shock. The others at the table exchanged uneasy glances. "Excuse me?" Kazuma asked, his tone hardening.
"You heard me," Tony continued, his voice steady as Melissa stood beside him, maintaining a professional posture. "Your officers were responsible for safely transporting the criminal who attacked my parents to your secure prison, to be locked away where they could do no more harm. But you failed."
Kazuma's frown deepened. "Are you referring to the incident yesterday? You can't seriously be blaming us for that. Our men were ambushed and killed by a powerful villain with an unknown agenda."
Tony didn't flinch. "Which is why I said you're incompetent. You don't know who attacked your men, why they did it, or how not a single member of that special team survived."
Kazuma leaned forward, his tone growing more intense. "And are you saying you know who was responsible for that gruesome scene?"
"That I do," Tony replied confidently, signaling to Melissa. She swiped her finger across her tablet, projecting a hologram of Tomura Shigaraki, Kurogiri, and a Nomu onto the table. The image was crystal clear, taken from one of Tony's satellites that had recorded the entire incident.
"These are the same individuals responsible for the attack on the USJ," Tony explained. "From the information I've gathered from the underground, they are known as Tomura Shigaraki and Kurogiri. Their purpose? I can only speculate, but the most obvious is that they're building up their forces, recruiting more members."
The room fell silent as Kazuma and the others absorbed the information. The evidence was undeniable, and the implications were severe. Tony had just placed them all on high alert.
****************************************
+31 advance Chapters on: patreon.com/Shadow_D_Monarch3