Tony Stark was a smart man, and that made things easier. After witnessing Rook Tanner's power firsthand, he wisely chose to stay quiet about what he had seen.
The reason was simple. He was afraid Rook might silence them permanently.
There were only a few witnesses. Rook's golden eye beams had already sliced a mountain in half. What hope did they have?
So not only did Tony keep his mouth shut, he honored his promise and vouched for Rook in front of everyone.
Given Tony's identity and influence, once he spoke up, the others had no choice but to lower their weapons.
Just like that, Rook was temporarily accepted. Thanks to Tony's endorsement, he was able to join the convoy under the label of "rescuer."
Colonel Rhodes had Tony and Rook transferred into a separate, fully intact armored vehicle and turned it around for the trip back.
At a nearby military outpost, they had access to a private jet—Tony's personal jet, of course. Whatever else you said about the man, there was no denying he had money to burn.
Tony Stark was one of the richest individuals in the entire comic universe. The only people who might surpass him were figures like Bruce Wayne or the King of Wakanda, T'Challa.
And T'Challa only edged ahead thanks to Wakanda's natural monopoly on vibranium, gifted by a meteorite. If Tony ever decided to sell his Iron Man suits, the balance would tip again.
Any nation would pay a fortune for even a single Iron Man suit.
But he'd never sell them.
The return trip was uneventful. Apparently, the earlier ambush had been the only planned attack.
When they finally arrived at the base and boarded Tony's jet, everyone visibly relaxed.
Once they were airborne and safely heading back to U.S. territory, there was nothing to worry about anymore.
No outside force could break through their homeland's defenses, at least not easily.
"Tony, who were those guys?" Colonel Rhodes asked, still trying to piece it together. "Do you have any idea why you were targeted?"
Tony shrugged. "Based on their gear, they were probably a local militia group."
"But why would they go after you specifically?" Rhodes clearly knew the attackers were local forces, but what confused him was why they'd organize a dedicated ambush.
His gaze flickered toward Rook.
Suspicion lingered in his eyes.
Rook smiled slightly.
Tony sighed, a little helpless. He trusted Rook—he knew the truth about him. But he couldn't say anything, which meant there was no way to convince Rhodes.
Trying to break the tension, Rook said casually, "Well, if we're keeping things simple, the world knows Tony Stark is a weapons genius. Maybe those people wanted to kidnap him to make weapons."
Rhodes looked at Tony again. Seeing that he still wasn't willing to explain who Rook really was, he let it go for now.
He had hoped Tony would come clean.
If Rook was a spy, Rhodes wouldn't hesitate to draw his gun.
But what Rhodes didn't realize was that Tony wasn't protecting Rook.
He was protecting Rhodes.
A handgun was useless against someone who had caught a missile with his bare hands and shrugged off a full-auto ambush without a scratch.
If Rook were truly an enemy, they'd all be dead already.
"Alright, get the plane in the air. I want to go home and demolish a cheeseburger," Tony said, breaking the tension.
The shock of nearly dying had passed, and now all he wanted was the comfort of greasy food. Cheeseburgers were a personal favorite, and at the moment, they sounded divine.
Rhodes had no choice but to follow orders and arrange the takeoff.
Even if the plane was private, they were still on military property. Rhodes had to coordinate the logistics.
This was exactly why his role was so important.
The sleek jet rolled down the runway, then took off smoothly, heading straight back to the United States.
The flight was quiet and uneventful.
Eventually, they landed at a private tarmac in New York.
During the flight, Tony had changed into a fresh designer suit.
Rook had also suited up, slipping into a sleek black suit of his own.
This jet wasn't designed for transporting guests. It was built exclusively for Tony Stark's personal use.
The luxury interior didn't even need to be mentioned. It had a full bar, a dance floor, a variety of drinks and gourmet meals, and even a wardrobe filled with clothing for both Tony and the flight attendants.
You could imagine the kind of parties this plane was designed for.
In the past, Rook would've probably muttered something about the sins of the rich.
But now?
Now he didn't feel much of anything.
Once, he had commanded an elite army of one hundred thousand Kryptonian warriors. On Krypton, he had stood at the peak.
Compared to ten-thousand-years-ago Kryptonian technology, Earth's current level wasn't even worth mocking.
If there was one thing Earth excelled at, it was food.
That much, he could admit.
Which was probably why, during the flight, Rook had devoured nearly all the backup rations stored on board.
Tony and Rhodes had nearly passed out from the shock.
Rhodes was worried Rook might overeat and collapse.
Tony, on the other hand, was terrified that if Rook didn't get full, he might start eating people instead.
He had seen what Rook looked like in his original form. That beastly figure didn't look remotely human.
Tony had always assumed Rook had copied human appearance after arriving on Earth, but in truth, Kryptonians weren't so different from humans to begin with.
This was Rook's original form.
He had always looked this way.
At last, the plane safely landed back on U.S. soil.
As the cabin doors opened, Tony was surprised to see two familiar faces waiting for him.
One was Happy Hogan—his loyal driver and part-time bodyguard.
The other was his beautiful, sharp-witted assistant.
Pepper Potts, also known as "Little Pepper."
"Tony!" she called out, rushing forward the moment she saw him. Her voice trembled slightly. "Are you alright? Were you hurt? Should we get you checked at a hospital?"
Tony felt a warmth in his chest.
Without thinking, he gently took her hand, the one inspecting him for injuries.
"I'm tougher than I look. Not a scratch on me," he said with a grin. "Though if you keep touching me like that, I can't guarantee my heart rate won't spike."
Pepper's face turned bright red, and she quickly pulled away.
But Tony didn't notice the pair of eyes behind him narrowing dangerously.
It was Rook.
He was staring at Tony's chest, deep in thought.
Maybe he should give that heart a small hole.
Without the arc reactor in his chest, would Iron Man still be born?
Rook's unexpected presence had thrown everything off course. Tony had still been attacked, yes, but not badly enough to warrant public concern. He hadn't gone missing for three months.
Because of that, very few people even knew anything had happened.
On the way home, Tony picked up two cheeseburgers to celebrate being alive.
He also had to pay for ten more burgers, plus fries and fried chicken—for Rook.
Then, finally, they were on their way back home.