To Be An Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D (Marvel)(MCU)

"I want the HQ to feel serious. A place of purpose. It's a temple for digital warriors. It should project stability, and strength, something grounded. The arena inside is where I'll get creative. I'm thinking of… bold lines, geometric architecture. Something that looks alive and futuristic."

Stark nodded. "Alright, now we're talking."

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"Do you want the eSports arena to be open-air?" Tony Stark asked.

"Of course not! We're not playing soccer," James replied. "It needs to be enclosed and built strong. And no, you're not flying Iron Man through the roof." He didn't even glance at him, he already knew what Stark was thinking.

"Fine, let's figure out what this place should look like." Stark rolled his wrists and went to work on the holographic console. Shapes started snapping together with fluid precision. In minutes, he had a full concept: a crescent-shaped arena, segmented into three zones. The largest section was the core of the crescent, acting as the main stage.

"Alright, now look at this layout," James said. "Upper left corner of the land plot: is the eSports Arena. On the lower right corner: is our HQ building. On the left corner below the arena, we put a massive plaza—big enough to host a yearly fan carnival. Where worldwide players and fans would have their fun outdoors. Behind the HQ and beside the Arena? A vertical parking tower. And on the upper right, closer to the HQ would be a garden walk for the workers or possible attendees could relax away from the crowd or work."

"Good layout, just needs a bit of tweaking," Stark said. "J.A.R.V.I.S., synthesize the concept, along with other small necessities, pathways and roadways."

"Simulating building plans. Using fusing global building templates. Model complete," the AI responded.

The result was clean, and structured, but a little bland since it wasn't made by an architect.

"There's no character," James muttered. "We'll need a real Architect later to tie in our brand."

"Yeah, but that can wait," Stark replied. "Let's build the arena and HQ first. Once the product's rolling, we'll come back and polish the visuals."

With that, they had their working draft. Stark dropped $1 billion for 30% equity. James put in $300 million and contributed 70% of the patents. He then gave 10% to Carlos, no questions asked.

After a round of Stark's server optimizations, the system could now handle 55 million simultaneous users with little heating issues. It was time to roll.

James's real-time communication software, Samira, launched quietly on major download sites. Free, sleek, and tightly integrated with League of Legends. One Samira account could log into both seamlessly. The game itself was now in open beta, no private test phase.

Stark developed a data-balancing engine for the game while the final piece of the puzzle fell into place: a CEO.

They found him. Kyle Robert, age 38, former exec from a game studio. He had bold ideas, most of which had been shot down by his previous board. When he resigned, League Games scooped him up.

James met him in a hotel lounge, with Stark beside him.

"Mind if I call you Kyle?" James asked.

"Not at all, Mr. Chairman. And thank you for backing my business philosophy."

"I didn't," James said plainly. "This company would make money regardless of who's running it. The only question is how much money would it make."

Stark smirked and nodded. "He's not wrong."

"Creativity and tech aren't the issue," James continued. "The real question is scale. We're not going public anytime soon. Not until we've launched globally. Your job is to turn this company into something worth hundreds of billions, maybe even a trillion. That's how we'll measure your talent. Understand?"

Kyle blinked. "That's… a huge benchmark. Can a game company with under $1.3 billion really get there?"

"You're doubting us?" James leaned forward. "You're looking at two of the smartest people on the planet. The tech works. The product is free of bugs. What we need now is business."

He laid it out clearly. "Start with partnerships: Movies, music, television, streaming rights, online libraries, and licensing. Get Samira integrated into people's daily lives. The rest is up to you."

"Understood," Kyle replied, standing. He left to begin immediately.

Construction on the HQ and arena had already started. With Stark's investment, they were off the ground fast. Now James just had to wait for the Stark Expo.

Samira was gaining traction. Word of mouth spread quickly, and early adopters appreciated the full-featured and free service. While League of Legends quietly launched without a flashy campaign. Since James put the marketing budget into infrastructure instead.

The HQ itself wasn't flashy either. 80 meters wide and long, 6,400 square meters per floor, 450 meters tall, with each level at 5 meters high. It had no fancy design. That saved both time and money. The build came in at $2.5 billion, a big spend for a new company, but not the most expensive in 2007.

The eSports arena came in at $300 million, mostly due to its advanced renovation plans, live-stream systems, and custom-built interior. There wasn't enough funds to finish everything at once, but loans could fill the gaps. They had the funding to begin. Timeline: three years. By then, they expected to go public.

Meanwhile, Samira had one month to prove itself. In a country with widespread internet access and a personal computer in every office, Samira's all-in-one platform made a big splash. Once installed, only a few uninstalled it. And with the promise of permanent free use, adaptation was fast. Friend referrals accelerated the effect.

For League of Legends, the spokesperson was none other than Iron Man. James designed him as a jungle-role champion but didn't say a word about it publicly. No press, no announcements. The champion would be a secret bonus reveal, unlocked at the Expo.

James's three-month vacation was wrapping up. He was now back in New York. Stark was deep in the final Expo preparation, and League Games was right on the edge of a breakout success.

But then came the message.

James had been assigned a new mission: [Establish contact with Tony Stark.]

He stared at the order. Confused.

"I'm already partnered with him," he muttered. "Isn't Black Widow the one assigned to infiltrate his life?"

According to S.H.I.E.L.D protocol, this mission made no sense. He was too close. Too involved. He couldn't accept an operation like this now.

So what exactly did Coulson want?