"That old bastard," he ground out, his voice ice cold. Being betrayed by the person closest to him was more painful than when the shrapnel hit his chest.
"I've already had Pepper and Happy secretly gather evidence," Henry said, seeing his grim face and patting his shoulder.
"When we get back, that'll be the end of him."
"Yes," Tony took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing his anger. His eyes became resolute again.
"I will make him pay for everything he has done."
The heavy atmosphere lasted for a moment, then Tony suddenly changed the subject. His damned curiosity had won out again.
"Alright, enough about that old bastard," he looked Henry up and down, like he was examining a rare specimen.
"Now, let's talk about you. What exactly is going on with your superpowers? And this Armor—it doesn't look like our lab's style. Don't tell me you somehow mastered some alien biotechnology in the past few days."
Ethan also gave him a curious look.
Henry looked at the two of them and decided to lighten the mood with a joke.
"Something like that," he said with a straight face.
"I actually subscribed to a 'Superhero Monthly Surprise Box' service. This month's box had the Kryptonian Gift Pack, which even came with a beginner battlesuit. How about that, jealous?"
Tony rolled his eyes. "I think you should tell us the truth."
"Fine, fine, no fun," Henry pouted, then sighed and briefly recounted what had happened.
"Soon after you left for Afghanistan, I was also kidnapped by Hydra. Then, it was exactly as I said. They kept me in a sunless hellhole for about two weeks, injecting me with all sorts of colourful serums, like a chemical cocktail."
He said it lightly, but Tony and Ethan could imagine the pain and torment involved. A flicker of subtle heartache and self-reproach crossed Tony's eyes. If it weren't for him, Henry might not have been targeted. But his damned proud personality wouldn't let him say anything sentimental, so he covered it with sarcasm.
"So, you became their guinea pig? Tsk tsk, how pathetic."
Henry ignored his sharp tongue and continued: "Just yesterday, they injected me with the last serum, which they called the Superman Serum. Then, unfortunately, the test subject next door went berserk and smashed the base to bits. I happened to be hit by a ray of sunlight, and now... this. I get stronger by sunbathing, and I can fly. It's pretty cool, just a bit expensive on the sunscreen."
Henry wasn't kidding; he actually felt like he got stronger by sunbathing. Although he still didn't fully understand all of his abilities.
"Stronger by sunbathing?" Tony's eyes instantly lit up, his curiosity piqued.
"That sounds incredible! Perfect energy conversion! Zero loss! Your genetic structure must have undergone some miraculous mutation! I have to give you a full body scan when we get back! No, a scan isn't enough; I need to thoroughly study this!"
"You're right, it does need a thorough study," Henry nodded in agreement. "I'm also curious to know how strong I can become."
"As for this Armor of yours," Tony steered the conversation back, rubbing his chin like the most demanding fashion critic.
"The more I look at it, the more familiar it seems. Did you perhaps reference the style from that old movie, Man of Steel? The one whose compatriot wears blue spandex with red underwear on the outside? I have to say that the style is too theatrical. It looks more like a prop for a performance than a real weapon."
"But he's cool, isn't he?" Henry countered, a proud smile on his face.
"..."
Tony was again speechless. He had to admit that Henry's pure black Armor, paired with that billowing cloak, did look much more eye-catching than his silver iron can.
"Fine, you win," Tony reluctantly conceded.
They chatted for a while longer, even excitedly discussing the idea of having Ethan become the director of Stark Industries' medical department once he returned to the US, with a million-dollar annual salary, paid vacation, and the highest level of medical insurance.
Ethan listened from the side, only shaking his head and smiling helplessly. He was truly speechless regarding these two live wires.
Just then, the sound of a helicopter's roar drifted in from the distance. A military helicopter flew closer and soon landed in a clearing not far away. The cabin door opened, and James Rhodes, dressed in a military uniform, jumped out. When he saw Tony and Henry standing together, he was completely stunned.
"Tony! Henry?" Rhodey rushed over, his face etched with shock and joy.
"My God! You two are both safe! Henry, weren't you missing too? How could you..."
"It's a long story, my Rhodey," Tony stepped forward and gave him a hug.
"In short, we're both back."
Henry also smiled and greeted Rhodey. They had a good relationship.
After a brief exchange, Rhodey's gaze fell on Ethan.
"And this is..."
"My life-saver, Dr. Ethan," Tony introduced. "Rhodey, please take him back home first. Find the best doctors and the best medication. All expenses are on me."
"No problem." Rhodey nodded solemnly and extended his hand to Ethan.
"Doctor, thank you for looking after this trouble-maker."
Ethan shook his hand and was then helped onto the helicopter by the soldiers. The helicopter's rotor blades spun again, kicking up a whirlwind of sand.
Rhodey looked at Tony and Henry, who were about to leave, and couldn't help but shout, "Hey! You two! Aren't you coming with me?"
"No need, Rhodey." Tony's faceplate slowly descended.
"We have a faster way to get home."
With that, he and Henry exchanged a look and shot into the sky simultaneously!
One silver, one black. The two figures drew two elegant arcs in the sky, instantly breaking the sound barrier and speeding toward home.
"Those two damned bastards!" Rhodey watched the two rapidly disappearing black dots in the sky, cursing under his breath but smiling, his eyes slightly moist.
High in the sky, Tony and Henry flew side by side.
"I say, are we really going to fly home like this?" Tony complained on the comms channel. His voice sounded like a pampered young master forced to go on a long-distance hike.
"How long is this going to take? My Armor's energy isn't infinite, and I haven't even had lunch. Jarvis, calculate how long it will take to fly to the nearest restaurant at our current speed."
"Shut up," Henry's voice was lazy, carrying a hint of mockery.
"Think of it as pre-meal exercise. If your iron can runs out of power halfway, I don't mind carrying you back, but there'll be an extra charge. Physical labour is hard. Also, when we get back, how are you going to explain your sudden transformation into Iron Man to Pepper?"
This was something they had agreed upon earlier, and the nickname had been settled a long time ago. The day the Mark I was developed, Tony had arrogantly declared that he would eventually become a revered saviour.
"Well..." Tony pondered for a moment. This question was clearly more complicated than how to escape from a terrorist base.
"How about I say it's my latest invention, a high-tech personal transporter with flying capabilities? Yeah, I'll say that. I can also hold a global press conference, and the stock price will surely go up a few points."
"Come on, big brother, do you really think she'll believe that?" Henry mercilessly shattered his fantasy.
"Pepper is much smarter than you think. She'll stare at you with those eyes until you get nervous and confess everything honestly. I can already picture the scene."
"Fine, we'll deal with that later." Tony decisively abandoned the unrealistic idea. The thing he couldn't stand the most was Pepper's look of disappointment. He quickly changed the subject, looking at Henry with anticipation.
"Alright, my genius little brother—though I'm the more genius one—let's think about our return party! Pool, beautiful women, champagne, here I come! I'm going to invite all the models from the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show! I'll get the biggest DJ, and the music will be turned up so loud that all of Los Angeles will hear about our return!"