"That old bastard…" Tony spat out the words through clenched teeth, his voice icy.
Being betrayed by someone closest to him was a pain far sharper than when shrapnel pierced his chest.
"I've already had Pepper and Happy secretly gather evidence," Henry said, patting Tony's shoulder as he watched his brother's scowl.
"When we get back, it'll be his death sentence."
"Exactly," Tony said, taking a deep breath, forcing down his anger. His eyes regained their steely determination.
"I'll make him pay for everything he's done."
The heavy atmosphere lingered for a moment, then Tony, unable to resist his damn curiosity, changed the topic.
"All right, enough about that old bastard." He looked Henry over like a rare experiment.
"Now, you. What the hell is up with these superpowers? And that armor—you've gotta tell me, that doesn't look like anything from our lab. Don't tell me you've been reverse-engineering some alien tech these past few days."
Yinsen, standing nearby, also looked on with curiosity.
Henry met their gazes and decided to lighten the mood with a joke.
"Something like that," he said deadpan.
Tony rolled his eyes. "I think you should actually explain."
"Fine, fine, boring," Henry pouted, then sighed and briefly recounted what happened.
"Not long after you went to Afghanistan, I got captured by Hydra. They locked me in some hellhole for nearly two weeks, injecting me with all sorts of colorful serums—like drinking cocktails every day."
He said it casually, but Tony and Yinsen could easily imagine the torment.
A flicker of hidden worry and guilt passed through Tony's eyes. If not for him, Henry might never have been targeted. But his damn pride wouldn't let him show a shred of sentimentality—he could only mask it with snark.
"So, you became their lab rat? Pathetic," Tony muttered.
Henry ignored his sarcasm and continued.
"Until yesterday, that is. They injected me with their final serum, the something called superman serum. Then, bad luck—or good luck for me—the neighboring test subject went berserk, demolished the base, and a ray of sunlight hit me. And… well, this happened. Sunlight makes me stronger. I can fly. Feels great—though a bit high-maintenance on the sunscreen."
Henry wasn't joking—he really did feel his strength increase in sunlight.
Though he hadn't fully understood the extent of his abilities yet.
"Sunlight makes you stronger?" Tony's eyes instantly lit up, curiosity ablaze.
"That's incredible! Perfect energy conversion! Zero loss! Your genes must have undergone some miraculous mutation! When we get back, I have to do a full-body scan on you! No—scans aren't enough, I have to study this properly!"
"Exactly," Henry nodded, intrigued.
"I'm curious too… how strong can I really get?"
"Now, about that armor," Tony steered the conversation back, stroking his chin like the world's pickiest fashion critic.
"No matter how I look at it, it seems… familiar. Ah i remember now, you made several designs of Armor in the past. I've seen this one with others."
"But I have to say, this style is far too theatrical—more prop than weapon."
"But it's sexy, isn't it?" Henry countered, a smug grin on his face.
Tony… was struck silent again.
He had to admit, Henry's all-black armor, complete with a billowing cape, was way cooler than his silver tin can.
"Fine, you win," Tony conceded reluctantly.
They chatted a bit more, even excitedly discussing plans for Yinsen to join Stark Industries' medical department once back in the U.S.—six-figure salary, paid vacation, top-tier healthcare.
Yinsen could only shake his head, bemused by these two goofballs.
Then, in the distance, the roar of a helicopter approached.
A military chopper descended onto a nearby clearing.
The door opened, and James Rhodes jumped out in full uniform.
Seeing Tony and Henry together, he froze in shock.
"Tony! Henry? You're both okay! Henry, you were missing too—how…"
"Long story, Rhodey," Tony said, hugging him.
"Anyway, we're back."
Henry smiled and greeted Rhodes warmly—they had a good rapport.
After a brief greeting, Rhodes' gaze fell on Yinsen.
"And this is…"
"My lifesaver, Dr. Yinsen," Tony introduced.
"Rhodey, please take him back home, find the best doctors, and spare no expense. I'll cover it all."
"No problem," Rhodes nodded solemnly, extending his hand to Yinsen.
"Doctor, thank you for taking care of this troublesome guy."
Yinsen shook his hand and was helped aboard the helicopter.
The rotors kicked up a storm of sand.
Rhodey looked at Tony and Henry preparing to leave.
"Hey! You two! Not coming with me?"
"No need, Rhodey," Tony's faceplate lowered.
"We have a faster way home."
He and Henry exchanged a glance, then shot into the sky!
One silver, one black—two arcs cut gracefully through the air, instantly breaking the sound barrier as they sped toward home.
"Those two damn bastards!" Rhodey muttered, laughing and cursing, eyes misting as he watched the two black dots vanish.
High above, Tony and Henry flew side by side.
"Seriously, we're flying home like this?" Tony complained over comms.
His voice sounded like a pampered noble forced into a cross-country trek.
"How long will this take? My suit's energy isn't infinite, and I haven't eaten lunch yet. JARVIS, calculate—at this speed, how long until the nearest restaurant?"
"Shut up," Henry's lazy, teasing voice replied.
"Consider it pre-meal digestion. If your tin can runs out of power mid-air, I don't mind carrying you back… but there'll be an extra charge. Hard labor is exhausting. Also, how do you plan to explain to Pepper that you suddenly became Iron Man?"
It was all part of their long-standing plan—and the nickname they'd long ago chosen.
The day Mark I was developed, Tony had flamboyantly sworn he'd become the world's admired savior someday.
"Well…" Tony pondered.
Apparently, this was far trickier than escaping a terrorist base.
"I'll just call it my latest invention—a personal flying transport device? Yeah, that works. Maybe even hold a worldwide launch—stock price will definitely spike a few points."
"Please, bro, do you really think she'd buy that?" Henry mercilessly shattered his fantasy.
"Pepper's smarter than you think. She'll stare at you until you confess everything in detail. Honestly, I can already picture that look."
"Fine, we'll deal with it later."
Tony abandoned the impractical idea, most of all dreading Pepper's disappointed gaze.
He quickly shifted the topic, excitement in his voice as he looked at Henry.
"All right, my genius little brother—even if I'm the bigger genius—let's plan our comeback party! Pool, beauties, champagne, I'm coming! I'll invite the entire Victoria's Secret show! DJ, biggest name, music blasting so all of Los Angeles can hear our return!"