Marvel : Copycat System

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On the other side, Pepper was at the company, busy handling paperwork, when she received a call from Jarvis.

"Ms. Potts, the boss has just returned home in New York with two other individuals. He doesn't appear to be in good condition."

Pepper's heart jumped. Tony was back! Relief flooded her — but hearing he wasn't well wiped the smile from her face. Without wasting a second, she grabbed her things and rushed out of the office.

Happy, who was stationed outside the door, saw Pepper hurrying out and called after her.

"Pepper, what's wrong? What happened?"

"Happy, come on! Jarvis said Tony's home, but he's not in good shape. There are two other people with him — I'm worried something's wrong."

Pepper quickly explained as she climbed into the car, urging Happy to drive faster.

"Don't worry, I've got the pedal to the floor," Happy reassured her as the car sped toward Tony's villa.

Several cars followed behind — bodyguards Pepper had called in case Tony's kidnappers had come with him. She wasn't taking any chances.

With Happy pushing the car's limits, they arrived at Tony's villa in record time.

"Quick! Everyone inside — find Tony and make sure he's safe!" Pepper instructed the bodyguards as she rushed into the house.

Following Jarvis' directions, she hurried straight to the living room — but what she saw wasn't what she expected.

Tony was sprawled on the sofa, mumbling, "Don't let me drink…" Meanwhile, at the bar, Kai Vale and Yinsen were laughing and sipping Tony's expensive wine.

This was *definitely* not what Pepper had envisioned.

The bodyguards, ready to sweep the house, paused when Pepper held up her hand.

Tony finally noticed her arrival, sitting up with a weak smile.

"Your eyes are red. Were you worried about me?" Tony asked.

"It's just relief," Pepper said. "I hate job hunting."

"Yeah, vacation's over," Tony joked before motioning to the bodyguards. "What's with the cavalry?"

"Jarvis said you weren't alone when you came back, so I thought… well, I thought maybe some terrorists followed you," Pepper admitted.

At that moment, Kai and Yinsen approached.

"Oh! Kai, it's you!" Pepper exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Tony jumped in. "This is Kai — you know him. And this is Yinsen. They're my saviors. Kai's the one who found us and brought us home."

Kai grinned. "Told you I could find Tony and bring him back."

"Oh my God… I didn't know you were serious. Kai, thank you so much. And Yinsen, thank you for saving Tony's life," Pepper said gratefully.

"Alright!" Tony interrupted. "Now that we're all here, let's celebrate!" He was clearly looking for an excuse to drink.

"But Tony, Jarvis said you weren't feeling well. Can you really drink?" Pepper asked with concern.

"Oh, I'm fine. Just felt a little, uh… motion sickness when Kai brought me back. I'll be good after some rest."

With that, everyone gathered at the bar, poured some wine, and shared a quiet toast.

After finishing his drink, Kai stood up.

"Alright, Tony," Kai said. "Now that you're back safe, you should rest. I'll head out for now and check in on you in a few days — looks like you've got plenty to deal with."

Raising his hand, Kai summoned a glowing portal. Pepper's eyes widened in shock as the shimmering hole appeared in mid-air. Without another word, Kai stepped through and vanished.

"Oh my God! Tony, did you see that?" Pepper stammered. "Kai just… he just 'disappeared'!"

"I know," Tony said, chuckling. "That's Kai's ability. It's how he brought us back."

Still stunned, Pepper tried to process what she'd seen.

"Alright," Tony continued, shifting gears. "Two things — first, I need a cheeseburger. Second, I want a press conference. Pepper, set it up. And Jarvis, find a room for Yinsen."

"Got it, boss," Jarvis replied. "Mr. Yinsen, I've prepared a room for you upstairs. Please follow my instructions."

With Jarvis' guidance, Yinsen headed upstairs to settle in.

Meanwhile, Kai emerged from his portal back in his own room.

He went downstairs, greeted his grandfather, and told him he was back. Afterward, Kai returned to his room, settled at his desk, and began browsing the internet.

It didn't take long for news of Tony's return to leak. Stark Industries' stock was soaring, and Kai knew exactly what that meant.

"Gear, keep an eye on the stock," Kai instructed. "Once Tony's press conference starts, sell everything at the peak."

Kai remembered what was coming — Tony would announce the closure of Stark Industries' weapons division. When that happened, the stock price would plummet. Kai was determined to cash out before that drop.

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