Afternoon
"Miss, you shouldn't be here. Let me handle this. Hell's Kitchen isn't a safe place," a voice came from outside the door.
Ted and Deadpool looked toward the door and saw a fat man in a suit walking in, followed by a blonde woman with a sad expression and a brown-haired woman dressed in a secretary's uniform.
Deadpool hurried over to the three people.
He introduced one of the women: "Ted, this is our respected sponsor—uh, I mean our employer—Ms. Pepper Potts."
"This gentleman here seems unimportant, probably just Ms. Potts's bodyguard."
"As for this beautiful lady, are you here to see me?" Deadpool ignored the man and turned around, pulling out a rose to hand to the brown-haired woman.
"Just call me Happy. I'm Stark's bodyguard. I recommended Ms. Potts to you."
"And this here is Stark's new secretary, Ms. Rushman." The brown-haired woman in the secretary's clothes nodded.
Ted quickly stepped forward to shake hands with Pepper Potts, then motioned for them to sit down. "Please, have a seat, Ms. Pepper Potts," he said as Pietro hurried to pour tea for the guests.
"Please, have some tea. Don't be shy," Pietro said, placing three cups of tea on the table in front of Happy and the two women.
Happy and Pepper Potts were taken aback, while the brown-haired woman remained expressionless, as if she had expected it.
Ted gave Pietro a displeased look. "Please don't mind it; it's just a small ability. If we didn't have some skills, how could we survive in Hell's Kitchen?"
"Let's get back to business. I'm deeply sorry to hear about Stark's disappearance. We'll do everything in our power to find him. Can you tell us the details?"
Pepper Potts composed herself and began to speak slowly.
"A month ago, Tony Stark went to Afghanistan to deliver weapons to the U.S. military. After the transaction was completed, he was attacked by unknown armed forces on the way back to the U.S. military base. Tony's body wasn't found at the scene, so it's believed he was kidnapped."
"I hope you can help me bring Tony Stark back, even if it's just his body…"
At this point, Pepper Potts' eyes welled up with tears, and she couldn't continue. Happy frantically searched for tissues, but the secretary next to him handed her a handkerchief instead.
Ted, who already knew the plot, showed a sad expression but was actually delighted inside. He quickly said:
"Ms. Pepper Potts, I completely understand your feelings, and I'm very sorry to hear about Stark's situation."
"But I must say, since Mr. Stark was attacked by unknown armed forces, this rescue mission might involve confronting well-armed forces. This could require our team to engage in combat."
Ted paused, as if in difficulty.
"We can't guarantee success, and if Mr. Stark is still alive, bringing him back safely from these armed forces will be extremely challenging unless…"
Deadpool, standing behind Ted, made a gesture with his right hand indicating more money.
Seeing Deadpool's gesture, Pepper Potts understood and said, "Money isn't an issue. As long as you find Tony Stark and bring him back safely, I'll add another $50 million. Even if you only find his body, I'm willing to pay $5 million."
Clearly, Pepper Potts wanted Stark back, alive or dead.
Ted, knowing that Stark would eventually escape by building an iron suit, said solemnly, "No problem at all. Our team consists of elites, and we'll complete the mission 100%. We won't charge a penny if we don't rescue Tony Stark."
"We're professionals!" Deadpool quickly agreed, nodding alongside Ted.
"That's right," Pietro added, giving a thumbs-up.
Pepper Potts seemed reassured by their confident statements, and her mood lightened considerably.
"Heh," a sneer interrupted the moment. Everyone turned to see that it was the secretary who had scoffed.
"Even the American police and the world's most elite FBI can't find him. What makes you so confident that you can?" the secretary asked contemptuously.
Ted then looked more closely at the familiar secretary before him.
"System, activate. Scan the person in front of me."
"Ding."
[Name: Natasha Rushman (Natasha Romanoff)]
[Title: Black Widow]
[Race: Human]
[Favorability: None]
[Skills: Unavailable as the person is not yet a friend.]
Ted muttered to himself, recognizing her as Marvel's famous Black Widow, born in Stalingrad, the former Soviet Union, in 1928. She was trained as an agent from childhood and genetically modified by the Soviet government to age slowly. However, Ted wasn't clear on all the details. He remembered that there was an independent Black Widow movie in his previous life, but he hadn't been interested in the later Avengers films.
He knew he would eventually come under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar and was torn. On one hand, he didn't want to get involved with S.H.I.E.L.D., as he didn't particularly like Nick Fury. On the other hand, he wanted to befriend every member of the Avengers. After all, joining the Avengers would be the quickest way to form friendships with so many superheroes.
But those were concerns for the future. For now, he needed to win over Black Widow.
"You underestimate us, Ms. Rushman. Tony Stark can be brought back by me—Deadpool—all on my own. Just wait for the good news. And when we find him, how about a romantic…?" Deadpool trailed off as Ted quickly covered his mouth.
"I apologize, Ms. Rushman," Ted said quickly, looking apologetically at both Black Widow and Pepper Potts.
"I understand Ms. Rushman's skepticism. You've likely contacted many others before coming to us. How about we make a bet?" Ted suggested, pausing for effect.
"What kind of bet?" Black Widow tilted her head, indicating she was intrigued.
Pepper Potts and Deadpool also looked on with curiosity.
Ted continued, "First, let me clarify that I don't mean to trivialize the situation with Tony Stark. If I offend you, I apologize in advance. I have two passions: money and making friends. If we successfully rescue Tony Stark, I'd like to befriend Ms. Rushman."
Pepper Potts waved her hand dismissively, indicating she wasn't offended.
"Alright, if you find him, I'd be happy to be friends. But what if you fail? The FBI couldn't find Tony Stark's location. What makes you think you can?" Natasha asked, intrigued.
"There's no 'if.' We will find Tony Stark," Ted said firmly, knowing Natasha was testing him on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"We have our methods, but please bring us some personal belongings of Tony Stark's—preferably something with a strong scent," Ted requested.
"No problem. I agree to the bet on behalf of Ms. Rushman. Happy, pack up Tony's things and bring them tomorrow. We'll take our leave now and look forward to hearing your good news," Pepper Potts said as she stood up.
Happy hurried to follow, but Natasha lingered, slowly turning back to give Ted and his team a meaningful look before leaving.
Seeing Natasha's actions, Ted frowned.
Deadpool, beside him, shouted, "I'm in love! Ms. Rushman is so beautiful!"
"Oh no, I forgot to get her contact information! Ms. Rushman, wait for me!" Deadpool ran out in a panic.
"What's wrong, Ted? Is something off about this Ms. Rushman?" Pietro asked, noticing Ted's unease.
Ted sighed. "It's nothing, Pietro. Just that our peaceful days might be coming to an end. I'm heading upstairs to rest; we'll open for business this evening."
Thinking of the challenges ahead, Ted patted Pietro's shoulder and walked slowly toward the apartment elevator.
Watching Ted's suddenly heavy back, Pietro smiled bitterly. "In a place like Hell's Kitchen, there's no such thing as a peaceful life. No matter how chaotic it gets, it can't be worse than Hell's Kitchen."
Hearing this, Ted paused but didn't reply. His demeanor lightened as he continued on his way.