At the same time, inside the cave.
Tony Stark was shirtless, drenched in sweat, hammering away at a crude, man-shaped armor cobbled together from scrap metal.
The miniature arc reactor in his chest pulsed with a faint blue glow, illuminating his grease-smeared yet still-handsome face.
"Yinsen, I'm telling you, this is hands-down the greatest invention of my life!" Tony boasted between hammer strikes, spitting words as fast as sparks.
"This thing's about to save both our lives! Once I'm out of here, I'm filing a hundred patents on it!"
Dr. Yinsen smiled as he handed him a bottle of water.
"You've already called it your 'greatest invention' fifteen times since this morning."
"That's because I have a new greatest invention every day!" Tony shot back with righteous confidence, taking a swig and wiping his mouth. But then, a flicker of worry crossed his eyes.
"Seriously though… I wonder how Pepper and Henry are doing. Pepper's probably losing her mind by now. And Henry, that brat—I'll say it again—without me keeping an eye on him, he's probably at some party, fooling around with some D-list starlet. He's probably forgotten I even went missing."
"You mention Mr. Henry quite a lot," Yinsen said with a knowing smile. "Sounds like you care about him."
"Care? Me?"
"Don't be ridiculous! I'm just worried he'll wreck one of my cars! That kid's got a laundry list of flaws—sarcastic, troublemaker, always stealing my spotlight, and most importantly, nowhere near as smart as me. But… I'll admit, he's got talent." Tony reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
Before Yinsen could reply—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion shook the cave. Dust and rubble rained down as the ceiling groaned and cracked.
And then—like some invisible hand tearing paper—the cave roof split wide open!
Blinding sunlight speared through the gap, burning away the darkness.
Both Tony and Yinsen instinctively shielded their eyes.
"What the hell—did they bring in a demolition crew now?" Tony muttered, never missing a beat with his sarcasm.
Through the swirling dust and that column of light, a figure hovered in midair.
He wore a sleek, jet-black battle suit—streamlined, powerful, perfectly outlining his tall, imposing build.
A black cape billowed behind him, whipped by the rush of air pouring into the cave.
The sunlight traced his silhouette in gold, making him look less like a man and more like a god stepping out of myth—mysterious, overwhelming, radiating an almost suffocating aura.
The sight was pure cinema. An epic opening shot from a big-budget sci-fi movie.
"Wow."
Tony let out a low whistle.
"Talk about dramatic. Hey, buddy, wrong set—you're looking for Star Wars. They're filming over on the east side."
The black-armored figure ignored him, floating silently for a beat—before a teasing voice broke the air.
"Tony, I leave you alone for a few days and you turn into the manager of a junkyard? And what's with your outfit? Still rocking the hobo look, I see."
Tony froze. His expression went stiff, eyes widening in shock as the figure slowly descended.
When the young, handsome face came fully into view—Tony's mind blanked.
"H-Henry?!"
"Who else? Did you think Santa Claus dropped by early with presents?" Henry smirked, giving him a once-over before pinching his nose dramatically.
"Good lord, when was the last time you showered? You stink like a damn bioweapon."
"How the hell are you here? And what's with the getup—cosplaying?, capes are out of style. The new trend is—"
But before he could finish, Henry pulled him into a firm hug.
Tony stiffened, then slowly wrapped his own arms around his brother, holding him tight.
"…Thank god you're okay." His voice was almost too soft to hear.
"Of course I'm okay. I'm a Stark," Henry replied, patting him on the back before quickly letting go, putting his mask of mock-disgust back on.
"Alright, enough mushy stuff. You smell like motor oil and despair."
He tossed a silver suitcase at Tony.
"Your toy. Figured you'd need it right about now."
Tony's eyes lit up the second he recognized it.
"Oh, baby! You're my freaking angel!" He clutched the case like a kid with a Christmas present, then turned to Yinsen, grinning ear to ear.
"Yinsen! You see this? We're getting out of here—and in style!"
Henry, meanwhile, was more pragmatic.
"They probably heard that blast. We'll have company any second now. You ready?"
Tony's eyes gleamed with fire.
"Ready? I've been waiting for this. Time to show them what happens when you piss off a Stark."
He dropped the case to the ground and stomped it open. Panels unfolded, the armor within springing to life.
Piece by piece, the Mark II wrapped around his body. The metallic clinks echoed like the overture to war.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
At last, the faceplate slid shut. Tony Stark, grease and exhaustion gone, replaced by cold steel and a glowing reactor at his chest.
He flexed his hands, relishing the surge of power. The arc reactor pulsed brighter than ever.
"Oh yeah. That's the stuff." His voice boomed through the suit's speakers.
"Same recipe, same flavor. Unparalleled power, cutting-edge tech, and—best of all—my genius brain. Perfection."
Then he turned to Henry, who stood coolly to the side. Tony circled him curiously, visor tilted, and poked at his black armor with a metal finger.
"Not bad. Sleek, functional, not quite Stark-level, but passable. But here's the thing—I didn't see any boosters, thrusters, or exhaust. So how'd you float down here? Anti-gravity tech? When the hell did you invent that without telling me?"
"Oh, that." Henry stretched lazily, bones popping with a series of cracks.
"Call it… an unplanned body upgrade. Hydra's food sucks, but their 'supplements' turned out surprisingly effective. Details later—over champagne. For now, we've got guests at the door."
He pointed at the thick steel gate of the cave.