Stark Industries — Los Angeles
Pepper and Rhodes had been discussing possibilities for nearly an hour, but no new answers had surfaced.
Rhodes finally glanced at his watch and stood up.
"Pepper, I'll head back to base. If we receive any updates, I'll contact you immediately."
Pepper forced herself to stand as well.
"Thank you, Rhodey."
Her voice was calm, but exhaustion weighed heavily in it. She should go home. She should sleep.
But how could she?
Just as Rhodes reached the door, a familiar mechanical voice echoed through the office.
"Miss Pepper. Colonel Rhodes. I have intercepted a faint shortwave signal originating from the desert region. Would you like it played?"
All three froze.
Pepper's eyes widened instantly.
"Play it. Now."
Static crackled through the speakers.
"I… ny… hear… police… team… thank…"
The fragmented voice faded.
"JARVIS, repair it!" Pepper demanded.
"Miss Pepper, the signal is extremely weak and unstable. Maximum restoration has already been applied. Further enhancement may cause distortion."
"Enhance it anyway!" Pepper insisted.
"No," Rhodes interrupted firmly. "Lock onto the source directly."
Pepper turned toward him.
Rhodes inhaled slowly.
"No matter how clean the audio becomes, we still need to physically verify. Lock the coordinates."
"Yes, Colonel."
The massive digital map on the office screen zoomed in rapidly.
Continent.
Country.
Region.
Desert.
A red circle appeared on the map — several hundred square kilometers wide.
For Pepper, it still looked terrifyingly large.
For Rhodes?
It was enough.
"Send that location to my phone," Rhodes ordered. "I'm mobilizing immediately."
Pepper stared at the blinking circle.
Please be you, Tony.
---
The Desert — Night Falls
The desert transforms when the sun disappears.
During the day, it scorches.
At night, it freezes.
Temperatures that reached nearly fifty degrees Celsius dropped rapidly toward freezing.
Fortunately, terrorists operating in the desert were accustomed to vehicles getting stuck in sand. The SUV's trunk contained tools.
With great effort, sand-caked hands, and several frustrated arguments, Deadpool, Tony, and Ethan finally freed the SUV from the sand pit.
They climbed back inside.
Tony rubbed his hands together, exhaling warm breath into them.
He was exhausted. Thirsty. Hungry.
Ethan's nose was red from the icy wind.
Deadpool turned the ignition and blasted the heater. Warm air finally began circulating.
Tony leaned back weakly.
"Tell me there's enough fuel to last until sunrise."
Deadpool glanced at the fuel gauge.
"I think it's fine."
Tony squinted at him suspiciously.
"If this vehicle only consumes three liters per hundred kilometers."
Tony and Ethan both stared at him.
This was not a small city car.
This was a heavy off-road vehicle plowing through sand.
"Let's stop driving for now," Ethan suggested. "We should conserve fuel."
"Crack the windows slightly," he added. "We'll take turns resting."
Running the engine too long could lead to carbon monoxide buildup.
If all three of them fell asleep at once…
They might not wake up.
Deadpool quietly considered whether to expose his world-hopping ability and take them somewhere safer for the night.
He was not confident he could defend Tony and Ethan against heavy weapons if they were found again.
Buzz…
Buzz buzz…
A faint droning sound echoed through the air.
Tony opened one eye lazily.
"Are there mosquitoes in the desert?"
Deadpool scoffed.
"In this wasteland? Mosquitoes need water."
Tony waved his hand irritably.
"If it's not mosquitoes, what is it?"
Deadpool shrugged casually.
"Maybe just a passing helicopter."
The inside of the SUV went silent.
Tony froze.
Then his eyes widened.
He flung open the car door and ran outside.
In the distance—
Bright searchlights pierced the darkness.
Three beams swept across the sand.
Tony raised both arms high, shouting with a hoarse voice.
"They're here! We're here!"
The helicopters adjusted course.
They were coming straight toward them.
Tony's heart pounded wildly.
Saved.
They were saved.
But as the helicopters drew closer…
Tony's shouting stopped.
His arms slowly lowered.
His expression changed.
He turned and sprinted back toward the SUV.
"Go! Go! Now!" he yelled urgently.
Deadpool didn't question him. He slammed the vehicle into gear and accelerated.
Ethan looked confused.
"What's wrong?"
Tony's face was grim.
"Those aren't military or Stark Industries helicopters."
"The models are mixed — retired military attack helicopters. No official rescue team would deploy that formation."
Only terrorists would.
"How did they find us?" Ethan asked.
Tony ran a hand through his hair.
"Distress signal. Vehicle tracker. Pure luck. It doesn't matter."
"They found us."
The helicopters closed in from behind.
Deadpool glanced in the mirror.
"Can I shake them?"
Tony swallowed.
"Please."
Deadpool smirked.
"Who do you think I am?"
"Have you seen Fast & Furious? Dominic Toretto is known as Little Wade Wilson."
He stomped the accelerator.
The engine roared like a beast.
Then—
It coughed.
Shuddered.
And died.
Tony stared at the dashboard.
"…Stuck again?"
Deadpool looked at the fuel gauge.
"Actually."
"It's really out of gas."
Tony closed his eyes.
"Dominic Toretto?"
"Even Super Dominic can't drive without fuel," Deadpool replied. "Maybe Ox Dominic could pull it."
Ethan couldn't help but laugh weakly.
"In this situation… is it too late to surrender?"
The helicopters were nearly overhead now.
Searchlights locked onto the SUV.
After a long pause, Tony spoke quietly.
"I'm glad I met you two."
It wasn't a joke.
Ethan smiled gently.
"Me too."
Deadpool's expression changed.
"I hate that line," he said nervously. "In movies, anyone who says that right before danger usually—"
He reached for the door handle.
If necessary, he would take them out of this world entirely.
But then—
Something changed.
The three pursuing helicopters suddenly slowed.
They began to turn.
Deadpool blinked.
"What—"
Before he finished—
Boom!!!
A streak of fire tore across the night sky.
Then another.
Then another.
Six rockets shot forward, leaving blazing trails behind them.
They struck the three attack helicopters with terrifying precision.
Explosions erupted midair.
Fireballs blossomed against the dark sky.
Metal debris rained down across the sand.
Tony and Ethan stared upward in shock.
Illuminated by the falling flames—
Three massive military rescue helicopters roared overhead.
On the lead aircraft, a familiar figure stood near the open side door.
A Black colonel in uniform.
He lowered a rocket launcher.
Even from this distance, his white teeth gleamed under the searchlights.
James Rhodes raised one arm and waved toward the stranded SUV.
Rescue had arrived.
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