S.H.I.E.L.D. — Director Nick Fury's Office
The heavy silence in the office was broken only by a discreet, almost imperceptible chime coming from the holographic console in front of the desk. Nick Fury raised an eyebrow slightly—a minimal gesture, yet loaded with attention—as he noticed the new message that had just arrived.
His eyes skimmed through the report in a matter of seconds.
When he finished reading, his expression visibly hardened.
Tony Stark leaving Stark Industries with Virginia Potts.
Fury let out a short breath through his nose and crossed his arms.
"The only alternative left… is that he's accepted that he's dying…" he murmured to himself, his voice low, almost bitter.
He kept his gaze fixed on the screen for a few more seconds, as if expecting the text to change on its own. It simply didn't fit Tony Stark. The man he knew would never walk away from everything if he still believed there was a way out.
The conclusion was uncomfortably clear.
Tony felt that the end was approaching. And because of that, he had decided to spend whatever time he had left with the few people who truly mattered.
Fury leaned back in his chair slowly, his fingers tapping lightly against the armrest as he sank into thought.
"Maybe… it's already time for another conversation…"
If that hypothesis was true, then the box Howard Stark had left behind—kept under absolute secrecy for years—might finally need to fulfill its purpose.
"Agent Hill," he called, raising his voice with controlled firmness.
Maria Hill entered almost immediately, her posture impeccable, as if she had been expecting the call.
"What do you need, Director Fury?" she asked, direct and efficient.
"I want you to find Tony Stark. Figure out exactly where he's going," he ordered, without preamble.
"Yes, sir," Hill replied promptly, activating the tablet in her hands. Her fingers moved swiftly and precisely across the interface, but it didn't take long for her expression to change.
She frowned.
"I'm having trouble locating him… It seems J.A.R.V.I.S. has completely blocked our tracking network," she explained.
Fury nodded with a short sigh.
"After last time… he's keeping his guard up," he commented, more to himself than to her.
There was a brief pause.
"Alright. You may leave," he said.
Hill hesitated for a moment, as if weighing whether she should speak.
"Director…" she began cautiously.
Fury immediately raised his gaze—direct and piercing.
"If you have something to say, say it, Agent Hill."
She took a deep breath.
"I have a gut feeling about this. I believe Tony Stark may already have discovered a new element to replace palladium. That might explain why he seems… calmer lately."
Fury remained silent for a few seconds before slowly shaking his head.
"That's unlikely," he replied. "Even if Howard theorized about a new element, he never completed anything that could be replicated. And Tony doesn't have access to the base material."
"You mean the Tesseract?" Hill asked.
"Exactly," Fury confirmed. "Howard studied the cube for years. All his notes are here, under S.H.I.E.L.D. custody. Tony has no way of recreating something he doesn't fully understand. Not on his own."
Hill understood the unspoken message. To Fury, Howard Stark was still the greatest genius of his generation—perhaps even greater than his own son. Insisting would be pointless.
"Understood, sir," she said before leaving quietly.
As soon as the door closed, Fury remained still for a few moments. Then a faint chuckle escaped him, almost imperceptible.
"Tony creating an element based on the Tesseract…" he murmured. "What a crazy dream."
---
Arthur's Residence…
Just over thirty minutes had passed since Arthur and Jean had finished breakfast.
"See you later, Arthur. I need to go to the institute to teach," Jean said as she left the house, already mentally organizing her day's schedule.
"See you later," Arthur replied with a half-smile. "Unfortunately, I still have a few things to take care of."
He watched her leave, following each step. A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Three days left until the promised day," he muttered to himself, chuckling softly.
Exactly three days remained until it would be two full weeks since Saeko had returned to the future. The deadline was approaching, and with it came time for the final preparations.
But his thoughts were interrupted by a holographic projection appearing beside him.
It was Cortana.
Arthur frowned slightly.
"Tony… and Pepper?"
That was unexpected. Stark didn't usually show up unannounced—much less with company.
"That guy…" he muttered.
Before he could even reach the door, Tony had already walked into the house as if he owned the place.
"Hey, Arthur!" Tony said, wearing his usual cocky grin.
"Yo, Tony!" Arthur replied in the same tone.
Pepper entered right behind him, elegant even in casual clothes.
"I'm sorry for showing up so suddenly… Tony's invitation was unexpected."
"It's fine," Arthur replied with an ironic smile. "I've already told you that you don't need to be so formal with me."
Pepper was naturally formal, and it always made Arthur slightly uncomfortable.
"I'm sure you know why I'm here, Arthur," Tony said, getting straight to the point.
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"Want to test some new junk with me? Because if it's anything else, I'll admit you caught me off guard."
"That's not exactly it…" Tony replied, frowning. "What kind of image do you have of me, anyway?"
"An arrogant guy who doesn't know when to stop," Arthur answered without hesitation.
"…Okay, that was enlightening," Tony sighed. "But that's not why I'm here. I want ideas for a new project. And you're the perfect guy for that."
Tony casually threw himself onto the couch. Pepper sat down beside him right after.
"What an honor," Arthur replied flatly. "But I have the feeling there's more to it."
"There is," Tony confirmed. "Something very specific."
He struck a dramatic pose, clearly inspired by a certain general from a very famous old anime.
"And what would that be?" Arthur mimicked the pose, blatantly mocking him.
"Tell Pepper…" Tony said.
"Stop stalling and just say what you want me to tell her," Arthur shot back.
"Tell her about that night of heavy drinking… on November 4th last year," Tony replied bluntly.
Arthur froze for a second.
"…Do you want to die?" he asked, already feeling fragments of that memory returning.
"No," Tony smiled. "And you still owe me one. Remember?"
Arthur closed his eyes for a moment.
"Bastard…" he cursed, realizing there was no escape.
He let out a long, heavy, resigned sigh.
"…Are you sure you really want to hear this?" he asked, rubbing his face.
Tony flashed a satisfied smile, like someone who had just won a war.
"See, Pepper?" he said, pointing at Arthur. "Democracy."
Arthur closed his eyes again, as if bracing himself to relive an old trauma.
"Alright…" he muttered. "But from this point on, everything I say is the alcohol's sole responsibility."
Tony raised a hand.
"Objection. Shared responsibility," he corrected.
Arthur ignored him.
---
FLASHBACK NO JUTSU — SEPTEMBER 4TH, LAST YEAR
It all started with a brilliant idea.
And like all brilliant ideas, it appeared after the fourteenth bottle.
Arthur was leaning against the counter of an absurdly expensive bar, watching Tony Stark argue with the bartender about the philosophical definition of a "proper pour."
"I'm telling you," Tony said, gesturing with a glass in hand. "If the glass is big, the dose should automatically match its size."
"That's not how it works," the bartender replied, already exhausted.
Arthur intervened, far too serious for someone clearly drunk:
"Technically… he's right."
The bartender sighed.
"Another genius…" he muttered.
Minutes later, the two were sitting side by side, staring at the bottoms of their empty glasses as if trying to unravel the mysteries of the universe.
"You know what's missing from our lives, Arthur?" Tony asked, pointing at nothing.
"Consequences for our actions?" Arthur ventured.
"Adventure!" Tony corrected. "We plan things way too much."
Arthur considered that for exactly three seconds.
"I agree," he said. "Planning is overrated."
That was when Tony had the second brilliant idea of the night—which was already a clear sign of danger.
"Have you noticed," he began, "that we've never done anything truly stupid together?"
Arthur frowned.
"We tried to improve an arc reactor while drunk."
"That was scientific," Tony countered. "I'm talking about something… epic."
Arthur stared at his glass. Then at Tony.
"How epic?"
Tony smiled.
"Fucking epic. The kind of epic that starts with 'this is a terrible idea' and ends somewhere that makes no sense."
Arthur slammed his glass on the counter.
"Deal."
And that's how, somehow, they ended up on a private jet.
"Whose jet is this?" Arthur asked, looking around.
"No idea yet," Tony replied, fiddling with a panel. "But it looks comfortable."
"Isn't this theft?"
"Creative borrowing," Tony replied.
Arthur nodded. "Fair enough, but I have a feeling it belongs to Elon Musk."
"Why do you think that?" Tony asked.
"Because there's a picture of him right there," Arthur pointed to a framed photo.
"…"
The initial destination was Las Vegas.
The final destination… quickly became irrelevant.
At some point, Tony decided that flying on autopilot was "limiting."
Arthur, meanwhile, decided to completely ignore any kind of planned route.
"This is going to end badly," Tony commented, adjusting his sunglasses—despite it being night.
"I disagree. It's going to be unforgettable," Arthur replied.
—
"Arthur, why is there a penguin here?!"
"I don't know, but it looks like it's judging our choice of clothes."
—
"Tony, is this a casino?!"
"I think so. Or an ancient temple. Or both!"
—
"WHY IS ELVIS PRESLEY HERE?!"
"DON'T ASK QUESTIONS!"
—
"Arthur, I bet an arc reactor in a poker game with a guy who has four arms!"
"Did you win?"
"No, but he respects me now!"
—
"Is that a camel or a very wrong horse?!"
"Don't touch it, it's looking at us funny!"
—
"Tony, why is an entire tribe applauding us?!"
"I don't know, but I'm enjoying the attention!"
—
"What did you promise them?!"
"Clean energy and barbecue."
—
"That doesn't solve anything!"
"It does! Look how happy they are!"
—
At some vague point during the night, Arthur vaguely remembered:
Fighting someone wearing a tengu mask.
Tony being carried on the shoulders of suspicious people who definitely did not speak English.
A strange ritual involving drums, goat blood, and ox skulls.
And someone shouting: "OH GREAT GOD OF DARKNESS!"
After that…
Darkness.
---
NEXT MORNING — SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AFRICAN SAVANNA
The sun was strong.
Very strong.
Arthur was the first to wake up.
His brain took a few seconds to process three critical facts:
1. He was in his underwear.
2. The ground was… sand.
3. Something was breathing very close to him.
And it smelled really bad.
He opened one eye.
Then the other.
And froze.
Around them… were seven lionesses.
Lying down.
Relaxed.
Arthur slowly looked to the side.
Tony was sprawled out on the sand, also in his underwear, snoring, with a satisfied smile on his face.
Arthur poked Tony with extreme caution.
"Tony…" he whispered. "Tony… wake up."
"Hm… five more minutes…" Tony murmured.
"We're surrounded by lionesses."
Tony opened one eye.
Then the other.
"…Okay, that's new," he said.
At that moment, an adult lion appeared a few meters ahead, silently watching them.
Arthur swallowed hard.
"Tony…" he murmured. "Be honest with me."
"Always," Tony replied.
"Do you remember why we're here? And how we got here?"
Tony thought for a few seconds.
"I remember winning something in a bet."
Arthur sighed. "Of course you did."
One of the lionesses stretched and rubbed her head against Arthur's arms like a tame kitten.
Another yawned and did the same.
Tony took a deep breath.
"Arthur?"
"Yeah."
"When we get out of here…" Tony began, "…we never drink together again."
Arthur nodded slowly. "Agreed." Pause. "After today."
"After today," Tony confirmed.
The lion sat down, still staring at them.
---
Arthur finished telling the story and fell silent.
Pepper stood motionless.
"…You…" she began, "…woke up in the African savanna?"
"In our underwear," Arthur confirmed.
Tony flashed a proud smile.
"It was an unforgettable night."
Pepper took a deep breath.
"I deeply regret hearing this," she said, standing up.
Arthur looked at Tony. "We're even now."
Tony smiled. "Worth it."
---
(End of Chapter)