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*****
Fini didn't end up leaving after all. He had only intended to tease Tony a bit; he was also genuinely curious to see what kind of favor the great Tony Stark would actually stoop to ask of him.
Holding a cup of tea brewed by Pepper, Fini looked at the visibly uncomfortable Tony. He didn't press him with questions, instead choosing to sip his tea leisurely, allowing an atmosphere of quiet tranquility to settle over the room.
"Alright, if there's something on your mind, just talk to Fini about it," Pepper interjected, unable to watch the awkward silence any longer. She nudged Tony encouragingly. Tony had only asked her to call Fini over; he hadn't shared the specific details with her either.
"It's just a minor issue, nothing serious. By the way, didn't you say there were a lot of things at the company that needed your attention? Maybe you should head back first!" Tony looked at Pepper, choosing to usher her out rather than opening up.
Hearing this, Pepper's irritation flared instantly. Was he really using her as nothing more than a tool to make a phone call? Ever since the Iron Monger incident, their relationship had progressed rapidly, shifting from employer and assistant to boyfriend and girlfriend.
Someone once asked what the difference was between an angry girlfriend and a terrorist. The answer? You can at least negotiate with a terrorist.
Fuming, Pepper grabbed her handbag from the side and shot Tony a sharp, piercing glare. She prepared to turn and leave, but before stepping out, she didn't forget to address Fini. "Fini, I'm so sorry for dragging you out here. I'll treat you to dinner next time."
"It's no trouble at all," Fini replied with a smile. He watched Tony's silent figure with mounting interest, a sense of realization beginning to dawn on him regarding what Tony wanted to discuss.
Once Pepper had departed, the house fell silent once more. After a solid few minutes of heavy silence, Tony finally spoke. "I've tested every known combination of elements."
"Every single one of them!"
A flash of frustration and unwillingness crossed Tony's face. He continued in a low, somber voice, "But I still can't find a single viable substitute."
"I know," Fini replied, his expression showing zero surprise. It would have been more shocking if Tony actually had managed to find a substitute on his own. From the moment Tony deliberately sent Pepper away, Fini had guessed this was about the palladium poisoning.
"I have a few months left at most." Tony lifted his shirt, revealing the area around the miniature Arc Reactor. Thin, dark, vein-like lines radiated outward from the device—a grim and terrifying sight. "Tell me... what am I supposed to do?"
If he weren't truly at the end of his rope, Tony would never have sought help from Fini. Their relationship was peculiar; though they had faced life-and-death situations together—well, mostly Tony nearly dying—they weren't exactly "best friends." Furthermore, Tony had always been the one asking things of Fini without ever providing anything in return, a fact that sat poorly with his immense pride.
Glancing at Tony's chest, Fini hesitated for a moment. He weighed whether or not he should reveal that Howard Stark had already researched a new element.
Thinking it through, telling Tony didn't seem like it would hurt. At worst, it would give Tony a taste of that original desperation and leave him owing a favor to S.H.I.E.L.D. However, because of Fini's presence, that sense of total hopelessness hadn't quite set in yet, though the pressure of a ticking clock on his life was certainly being felt.
As for a favor for the one-eyed, bald Director...
Fini looked at Tony and spoke up, "I think you definitely have some misunderstandings when it comes to your father."
"What?" Tony blinked, momentarily stunned. He had asked for a cure, and Fini's response seemed completely unrelated.
"You said you tried every element combination, but that might not be entirely true," Fini finally decided to tell him. Aside from wanting Tony to develop his new armor as soon as possible, Fini had another matter he wanted Tony to try his hand at, and he didn't want him bogged down by this poisoning any longer.
"What do you mean by that?" Tony frowned. He didn't believe his own intellect was lacking or that he had simply missed an element.
"Your father left some belongings with S.H.I.E.L.D. He had almost completed research into a new element, but he was limited by the technology of his time. He left it for you to finish," Fini said, watching Tony's bewildered expression.
"You're saying my father researched a new element? And the data was left with S.H.I.E.L.D.? Why?" Tony's eyes were filled with confusion.
"Technically, I'm not the one who should be telling you this." Fini gave Tony a helpless look and explained, "The data has actually been with you all along. The things at S.H.I.E.L.D. are just the clues meant to help you discover it."
"Why would the clues be at S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Tony couldn't wrap his head around that point.
"Because your father was one of its founders. When he passed away unexpectedly, he probably wasn't ready to hand everything over to you yet."
"Wait, you're saying my father was a founder of that organization?" The shock on Tony's face deepened. "I never knew about this. Was he a spy too?"
"Don't be so surprised. There's a lot you don't know!" Fini's attempt at comfort didn't seem to work very well. Seeing Tony's face darken, he continued, "That's why I said you have some misunderstandings about him."
"So, you're saying this new element can replace palladium!?" Tony pulled the conversation back to the main point. He needed a solution.
"Yeah. Your miniature Arc Reactor is based on the large one at the factory. That big one was based on your father's unfinished technology. So, the new element will work."
"I guess I still haven't managed to surpass him after all," Tony remarked with a self-deprecating laugh. He looked at Fini with a complex gaze and muttered, "Even though it's technically my father solving my problem, I suppose I should thank you for telling me."
"Actually, I have a few things I'd like your help with as well."
At those words, Tony immediately perked up. He looked at Fini and said, "Let's hear it."
"Once you've built your new armor, I want to help you test its combat capabilities." Fini hoped to finally get "Iron Man EXP Farming" onto his schedule. He hadn't brought it up before because Tony had been overwhelmed with trouble, and excessive use of the armor would have only accelerated the palladium poisoning.
"Deal!" Tony agreed without hesitation, even adding a quick taunt: "Just don't go crying home to your mom when you lose!"
After flashing a globally recognized hand gesture (the middle finger), Fini continued, "Also, there's a fairly important item inside S.H.I.E.L.D. that I need. I can't get my hands on it personally right now, so I'm hoping you can help me find a way."
"What kind of item?" Tony's expression turned serious. While Fini was a friend of sorts, he wasn't about to agree to help blindly without knowing the details.
"It's an extraterrestrial artifact intended for specific individuals," Fini explained. "This object is extremely dangerous to humans. A normal person touching it would likely die; only those who meet very specific requirements can handle it safely."
"Alien tech?" Tony's scientific curiosity was piqued, especially by something so mysterious.
"As long as you can get it, and as long as you don't break it, I don't mind letting you study it for a bit." Fini was actually slightly concerned about potential hidden risks with the object, so having Tony analyze it wasn't a bad idea.
"The item is a silver Obelisk, about this big." Fini gestured with his hands to show the size. "Because it has caused deaths in the past, it's considered quite significant."
"I'll see what I can do." Tony didn't give a definitive "yes" immediately. After all, it was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s property, and he wasn't certain he could actually obtain it.
(End of Chapter)