He took a deep breath, as if having made a certain decision.
"I can join," he said, his voice a little hoarse.
"But I have one condition. I will not harm innocent civilians."
Henry rolled his eyes at the remark.
"Oh, please," he scoffed dismissively.
"Are you starring in a hero movie? 'Will not harm civilians'? Do I look like a pervert who likes to bully kids in kindergartens when I'm bored? I don't have such low-grade tastes."
He paused, then flashed Banner a kind smile.
"However, I promise you. Welcome to the team, Dr. Banner. I hear you're great in the fields of gamma radiation and biochemistry. Perhaps we can collaborate in the future, for example, on some interesting research."
Banner looked at him, paused, and then extended his hand to shake Henry's.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome," Henry muttered.
"Just remember to pay your rent on time in the future."
Then, he looked at Blonsky, who had remained silent.
"What about you, soldier?"
Blonsky took a deep breath. He stood up and nodded to Henry.
"I'll join too," he said in a deep voice.
"My condition is that I don't want to be caught and studied as an experimental subject by General Ross again."
"We can manage that," Henry nodded.
"After all, you're my experimental subject now. I don't like other people touching my things."
"Exactly," Tony chimed in.
"And that old man Ross will soon be too busy to bother you. I bet he's losing his hair trying to write that report on the Harlem City Renewal Project right now."
The matter was settled just like that.
Henry downed the red wine in his glass and stood up.
"Alright, Pepper," he said to Pepper, who was still processing everything.
"Could you please arrange rooms for these two new employees? They'll stay here for the time being today. Tomorrow, I'll arrange a more suitable residence for them."
Everyone stood up. Though Pepper had a million questions, she nodded, leading Banner and Blonsky toward the guest rooms on the second floor.
In the living room, only Tony and Henry remained.
"Alright, now you can tell me," Tony walked to the bar, poured himself another glass of wine, and looked at Henry.
"My dear little brother, you, the team leader who likes to keep everything secret—what world-shattering event are you planning next? Are you going to run for the next President of the United States?"
"Better than staying inside that suit of yours," Henry retorted unceremoniously.
"At least my plan is much more reliable than your plan to invite all the models in the world for a party."
He smiled and then said, "Now, let's go get back what belongs to us. And, while we're at it, cure that little rusty trouble in your chest."
Tony was stunned. He instinctively touched the Arc Reactor in his chest.
"Are you talking about the thing Dad left behind?" Excitement flashed in his eyes.
"You know where it is?"
"Of course," Henry scoffed.
"Did you think that, like you, my brain only had room for parties and girls? I've studied everything Dad left behind."
"It's inside that giant model at the Stark Expo."
"Let's go, my dear brother," Henry picked up his wine glass and flashed Tony a confident and triumphant smile.
"Let us witness what a real miracle looks like."
Tony rolled his eyes in exasperation at Henry's smug expression—the one that screamed, Come on, beg me, worship me—but his actions showed no hesitation.
He drained the red wine in his glass and jumped to his feet.
"A miracle? Come on," he scoffed, adjusting his collar as he headed for the exit.
"The only miracle in this world is me. But since you put it that way, I'll condescend to take a look. I want to see what valuable things that old man could have left behind besides self-important speeches and outdated posters."
His tone was dismissive, but the slight tremor in his fingers betrayed his inner excitement.
Henry chuckled internally. Classic Tony.
...
A few minutes later, two streams of light pierced the quiet night sky of Malibu, speeding towards New York.
The Stark Expo, a place that once held Howard Stark's life's dream and glory.
Its main venue belonged to the logistics department of Stark Industries.
Tony and Henry, wearing their suits, landed in front of the massive circular building.
"I have to say, I haven't been here in a while," Tony opened his faceplate, looking at the time-worn building, and couldn't help but complain.
"It's full of backward, failed aesthetics from the last century. That old man used to boast about his peace technology here to the whole world. And what happened? He found his peace, but the weapons he left behind almost got me blown up in Afghanistan."
His voice carried a complex emotion towards his father.
There was resentment, confusion, but more than anything, an unspeakable... nostalgia.
Henry remained silent, simply staring at the huge building.
He knew this place not only contained Howard's dream but also the fatherly love he had hidden for Tony.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., open the door," Henry said softly.
The two heavy metal doors of the warehouse slowly slid open with a grinding sound, revealing the empty, silent space inside.
They walked in, and the clanking sound of their metal Armor soles against the floor echoed clearly in the vast warehouse.
In the center of the exhibition hall, a massive, scaled-down city model stood quietly.
That was the core exhibit of the 1974 Stark Expo: The City of Tomorrow.
The model was old; the paint had peeled in many places, making it look like a worn-out toy abandoned by its owner for years.
"I used to love playing here when I was a kid," Tony walked up to the model, looking at the familiar buildings, his eyes distant.
"The old man never let me touch any of his treasures. He said they weren't toys, they were the future. Now it seems the future wasn't much to look at."
He reached out, gently brushing the dust off the top of a building in the model.
His movement was tender, like stroking a rare treasure.
Henry couldn't resist mocking his sentimental brother.
"Hey, are you starring in an arthouse film?" he said, folding his arms with a look of distaste.
"Stop looking like you're about to cry, OK? It looks effeminate. Are you mourning your childhood, or are you missing the old man who never told you 'I love you'? Forget it. We're here to do something serious, not to shoot your personal music video."
"What do you know!" Tony was instantly provoked, his hard-won sadness immediately washed away by Henry's venomous tongue.
"I'm mourning history! A heartless person like you wouldn't understand!"
"Is that so? Then take your time mourning," Henry shrugged.
"When you're done, remember to move this big guy home. I don't want to do it; it's too dirty, and it'll stain my expensive suit."
"You..."
Tony gnashed his teeth in anger, but he finally restrained himself.
He knew that bickering with the bastard Henry would only give him a heart attack and achieve nothing else.
He took a deep breath and then carefully dismantled, packaged, and finally transported the entire model from its base back to the Malibu villa.
×××××××××××××××
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