The wreckage of the Leviathan drifted silently against the backdrop of distant stars, a fading scar in the vast cosmos. Tony hovered, suit systems flickering back to life, heartbeat slowly syncing with the steady hum of his arc reactor.
Pepper's voice came through the comms, softer now but full of relief. "You're alive, Tony. We're all here."
He gazed down at Earth — a fragile blue marble spinning below, still unaware of the battles fought above its skies.
Yet, a chill crept into his bones.
"Did we really win?" Tony muttered, eyes narrowing as a faint signal blinked on his HUD — a coded transmission he hadn't seen before.
The message was brief but chilling:
"This is only the beginning."
Tony's jaw tightened.
Behind him, in the darkness of space, something flickered — a shadow moving unseen, watching.
His fingers clenched into fists inside the armor.
The fight wasn't over.
Not by a long shot.