Smoke still curled from the shattered tower as Tony leaned against Pepper, every breath rough but steady. His eyes locked on the blue gourd swinging from Li Ming's hand.
He knew his own body better than anyone. The palladium poisoning that chewed at him daily was gone. Completely. Not masked, not eased—erased. That meant Li Ming had slipped a drop of "Fountain of Life" down his throat while he was out.
That was the kind of miracle that kept Tony Stark awake at night until he reverse-engineered it.
Li Ming caught the look—curiosity sharpened by greed—and casually slipped the gourd away. "Non-renewable resource. What I've got is what I've got. Not for sale."
Tony pinched the bridge of his nose. "Exactly because it's rare, you should sell me a little. Maybe I can reverse-engineer the formula."
Coulson leaned in, backing the pitch. Li Ming rolled his eyes. "Even in the magic world, this stuff's priceless. And even if you crack it, so what? No ingredients, no product. Alchemy isn't wishful thinking. Holster the idea."
Then he smirked. "Unless… while it's still in your system, you dash to the lab and draw your own blood. Maybe you'll catch something useful."
Coulson's eyes lit up. Tony barked a laugh. "Drain me dry and you still won't bottle the Fountain. And do you know how expensive my blood is? One strand of hair at auction buys a building, you RV-dwelling pauper."
Li Ming gestured at the wreckage around them. "A building like this one? You can keep the rubble. Not my aesthetic."
Tony arched a brow. "Hurtful. That's my rubble. And about your flying RV—you'll be enjoying the sidewalk for a while. I'm delaying delivery."
Li Ming's eyes narrowed. "That's my RV. You don't get to hold it hostage."
Tony shrugged. "It's in pieces. Reassembly takes time. And reminder: if it flies, the FAA watches it. You don't sell me water? Fine. I'll have friends keep an eye on the radar for your toy."
Li Ming gave him a slow middle finger. "Cute. Missiles can't touch me."
Pepper cut in, voice tight. "Tony, Agent Coulson and I just watched him save your life."
That landed. Tony threw Coulson a look—why are you still here—but the agent didn't flinch. His brain was already writing a Fury briefing titled Flying RV.
Pepper turned back to Li Ming with an apologetic smile. "We bought you land by a lake outside the city. It needs roads, landscaping, a cabin. But right now, all crews are rebuilding Stark Industries." She glanced at the gutted tower. "Once we're functional, I'll move them to your site. Give me two weeks."
Li Ming rubbed his chin. "Two weeks? What if I restore this tower in ten minutes? Can you speed mine up?"
Pepper and Coulson exchanged that's adorable looks. Tony squinted. "Restore?" He flicked JARVIS a silent order to lock every satellite lens on Li Ming's hands. "Deal."
Li Ming tilted his head at the sky, smirked, and tapped the rooftop with his scythe.
"Restore as before."
Steel bent backward into place. Cement dust rewound into walls. Glass zipped into frames. The tower reassembled like a movie in reverse. Even the Iron Monger suit clanged back together at their feet.
Ten minutes later, Stark Industries gleamed again—except for the arc reactor chamber, still dark.
Coulson swallowed hard. Pepper rubbed her eyes.
"Magic?"
Tony grinned. "What'd I tell you? Wizard." His grin thinned as he glanced at the silent reactor chamber. "Esteemed sorcerer, feel up to restoring that while you're at it?"
Li Ming didn't answer. His eyes were on the Iron Monger chassis. Not the toy. The man inside.
He reached for the chestplate.
"Hey," Tony snapped. "He practically raised me. Can you at least—"
The words died. Everyone but Li Ming went pale as Obadiah Stane's corpse shuddered, blinked, and lifted its hands.
Li Ming bared his teeth. "You called me broke. Watch how mages make money."
He prodded Stane's boot. "Old man. Remember where you went after you died?"
Obadiah's eyes flickered, throat tight.
"Don't care who you fell in with," Li Ming said, bored. "Point is, I can call you back."
He turned to Tony, scythe across his shoulder, voice rising. "This is a robbery. Every bank card, every password you had when you were breathing—hand it over. Or I string your soul on a streetlamp."
Pepper's mouth twitched. Tony's, too. Robbing the dead? Wizards officially lost their mystique.
Coulson's hands shook as he lifted his phone. "Director… sending video now. You're going to want to see this. Also—I think I know why Austin doesn't care about tech-based resurrection."
Obadiah groped for leverage. "I'll give you all my money. Just let me go."
Li Ming's smile was razor-thin. "Free? Not a chance. Consider this a show-and-tell for S.H.I.E.L.D. and some spare change for me. Lucky for you, you died fast—your soul's already stamped. Otherwise you'd be my wraith by now."
Obadiah Stane had no leverage. Li Ming's grip was absolute—down to the last blink. Streetlamp or not, his soul was chained. So he gave it all up: bank accounts, passcodes, even the safe combination at home. He recited everything on the rooftop while JARVIS quietly logged each digit. When Li Ming snapped his fingers, the tether dropped and Obadiah sagged back into Hell.
He landed with a scowl and a plan—march straight to Mephisto with a complaint. Legends said if you paid enough, you could come back. Instead, all he'd gotten was a one-way ticket to damnation. Doing business with Austin had terrible customer service.
On the roof, Tony glanced helplessly at Coulson. "Agent, if you inherit a dead man's assets, does that get taxed? This counts as an inheritance… right?"
After a drop of Fountain water, ten minutes of building-rewind magic, and now a wizard shaking down a corpse, Coulson's skull throbbed. "I… honestly don't know."
What would the IRS even call this? If the tax man showed up, Li Ming could resurrect Stane on the spot, have him sign, then shove him back into the coffin. Living transfer, dead transfer—pick one.
Tony's face drained pale again. He would've collapsed if Pepper hadn't caught him. The Fountain had boosted him, yes, but he was still a leaky bucket. No matter how much was poured in, it bled out.
"Austin," Pepper said urgently, "one more drop—just enough to get him back to the lab."
Li Ming's gaze flicked to Coulson. The Fountain had already drawn S.H.I.E.L.D.'s eye. Wasting another drop in front of them? No thanks. Instead, he pressed the scythe to Tony's chest and pulsed healing through. Pain dulled. Then he slipped a vial into Tony's hand.
"The Fountain's still working in you. I just muffled the worst of it. You're not dying this minute," Li Ming said, then tore open a portal glowing like a ring of light. "Use it. Build yourself a new arc."
Coulson edged close while Pepper steadied Tony. "If he does die," he whispered, "you can bring him back, can't you?"
Li Ming only smiled, helped Tony through the gate, and let it snap shut.
Alone on the roof, Coulson tilted his head. "Director, did you catch that exit?"
A Quinjet shimmered out of cloak and settled on the pad. Fury stepped down, trench coat swallowing starlight. He swept the deck with a handheld scanner. "Portal. Question is—do you think that Fountain is real? And if it is, can we get some?"
Coulson exhaled. "Sir, this planet's still full of blind spots. Oceans unmapped. Caverns untouched. After 4.6 billion years, something that supercharges biology? Doesn't even crack my top ten weird. But finding it? Different story. Austin hinted there's an order of wizards. 'Sanctum mages.' We've chased the thread for months. Either he's lying, or they're very good at hiding."
Fury nodded, eyes on the scanner. "You're sure there were only four of you?"
"Five, counting Obadiah."
On the screen: pressure ghosts in the concrete. Four adult sets. And one set small as a child's.
Coulson frowned. "What the—"
"Kreacher," Fury muttered. He pocketed the scanner, gaze sharp. "Few know Austin's a mage. You're one of them. New task: find out how many tricks he's hiding. Especially anything to do with invisibility. And how many invisible hands he's got working for him."
Coulson's eyelid twitched. Mutants had ceilings. Wizards just read another book. By the time he filed his report, Austin would have three new ways to vanish.
Fury rubbed his temple. "Ask yourself this: why did he show you the Fountain, and that stunt with the dead?" He turned and climbed back into the Quinjet, leaving Coulson with a head full of static.
Across town, Stark's mansion had no spare arc reactor, but it still had a charger. Tony slotted the chest unit in, let it hum, then patted his stomach. "Your boss has been at it all night. How about a midnight snack?"
Pepper checked his color—better—and nodded. "I'll order. Gents?"
"Burger. Fries," Tony said.
"Half a dozen beers. And a whole chicken, roasted or fried," Li Ming added.
Pepper didn't have to guess whose order was whose. She left.
Li Ming cocked his head at Tony's suddenly serious face. "You sent her away. Ask."
"Two things," Tony said, raising a finger. "First—where have you been?"
"Desert," Li Ming answered.
Tony shook his head. "JARVIS has every satellite pointed at you. If you were playing house with penguins, I'd have the photo. 'Desert' doesn't fly."
I never said this Earth's desert.
Li Ming smirked. "Pyramids. Playing with mummies."
Tony blinked. Li Ming added, "And no, the Fountain isn't in a pyramid. I went for scarabs."
"Scarab beetles?" Tony's curiosity sparked. "Those are real? What about the sun god?"
"Ask me again after I track him down," Li Ming said. "And stop fishing. I don't hand out brochures for the magic world."
Tony didn't flinch. He raised a second finger. "Two—you went to S.H.I.E.L.D. on purpose, didn't you? Don't tell me this is about Obadiah's money. You're gear-rich. That sling bag alone is worth more than my cars. So, the show was for Coulson."
Li Ming rubbed the bridge of his nose, then deadpanned, "S.H.I.E.L.D.'s famous. Be a shame not to visit. Tourist attraction, right? Wouldn't want to waste my youth."