"Can't survive?"
Henry blinked, confused by the sudden despair in Tony Stark's voice. "What do you mean?"
Even Polaris, who had been dusting the living room in silence, looked up in shock. "You've been all over the news lately," she said. "You're rich, famous, and practically a household name. Why would you say something like that?"
Tony let out a long, weary sigh. The usual arrogance in his eyes dimmed. "A lot happened while you were away," he said to Henry. "Sure, I put on a good show for the public. Smile for the cameras, wave to the press… but underneath all that? I've been falling apart."
He tapped his chest lightly. "The arc reactor. It's failing me."
Henry's gaze narrowed. "Palladium poisoning?"
Tony's eyes widened slightly, surprised. "You know about that?"
Henry gestured toward Stark's neck. "Those darkened veins creeping up from your collarbone? They're the clearest sign. You're being poisoned by the very device keeping you alive."
Tony's brows furrowed, but there was a flicker of hope in his eyes. "You really do know what this is. That's more than most people. Ethan couldn't fix it, and even J.A.R.V.I.S. is at a loss."
He walked over to the table and set down a massive thermos filled with a thick, swamp-colored liquid. "You know what this is?" he asked.
Henry gave it a glance. "Chlorophyll juice?"
Tony grimaced. "Yup. Supposed to help detox the body or some crap. I drink this every day. Tastes like lawnmower runoff."
Polaris cringed visibly.
"Look, Henry," Tony said, serious now. "Jokes aside, I've tried everything—chelation, replacement filters, exotic compounds. Nothing works. I'm running out of time."
"I don't need sympathy," he added before Henry could respond. "I need solutions. Got anything in that glowing bag of tricks?"
Henry didn't answer right away. Instead, he walked over and stood directly in front of Tony. "You still have shrapnel embedded near your heart?"
Tony nodded.
"Then let's start by removing the source."
Henry took a deep breath and raised his hands, the Eye of Agamotto around his neck glowing with soft green light. The air shimmered as time magic began to stir.
Tony stood perfectly still as Henry activated the spell.
The space around his chest distorted gently. Henry concentrated, using reverse time flow to carefully manipulate the biological damage. Sweat trickled down his temple—it was his first time using the Time Stone for internal healing, and it demanded precision.
Seconds later, the veins on Tony's neck began to clear.
The tension in the room dropped palpably.
Tony took a deep breath. "Whoa…"
He clenched his fist, then stretched his fingers, clearly testing his body. For the first time in weeks, he didn't feel like he was dying.
"I feel... incredible," he said, stunned. "Henry, what the hell was that?"
"Just a little time magic," Henry said with a modest shrug.
"Time magic," Tony repeated, blinking. "You're casually reversing organ decay, and I'm the one who gets called a genius?"
He slumped onto the couch, laughing with disbelief. "Man, I owe you again."
"You're welcome," Henry replied, taking a seat across from him. "But you're not completely out of danger yet. You still need a replacement for the palladium core in your arc reactor."
Tony nodded, his expression sobering again. "Yeah… that's the real issue. My current suits need a ton of power. Palladium was just barely enough. I've been trying to figure out what could replace it, but so far—nothing."
Henry leaned forward, hands clasped. "Tony, how's your relationship with your father?"
Tony frowned. "Howard? He's been dead for years. Why bring him up?"
"Because he left behind something that might help," Henry said. "He developed a theoretical element—one that could solve your reactor's energy problem. He never finished it in his time, but you could."
Tony stared. "You're telling me my father designed a brand new element… and I didn't know about it?"
"I'm a mage," Henry said with a sly smile. "Seeing things others can't is kind of my job."
That explanation might have sounded ridiculous coming from anyone else, but from Henry, it was oddly believable. Polaris, who had been eavesdropping the entire time, looked like she wanted to ask ten follow-up questions—but wisely kept quiet.
Tony scratched his head. "Now that you mention it… there is something."
He pulled out his phone and opened a folder. "I've been contacted recently by a group called S.H.I.E.L.D. They said they've got some of my father's old research and tech in storage."
"S.H.I.E.L.D.," Henry repeated, his voice turning cold.
"The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division," Tony added. "Basically, a super-spy agency with too much budget and too many secrets."
"I know who they are," Henry said, his tone stiff.
He had never liked S.H.I.E.L.D.
On paper, they were supposed to protect the world from superhuman threats. But in reality, they were an intelligence agency run by people who treated heroes like assets and threats like numbers. Their so-called protocols often led to chaos, coverups, and catastrophes. And their Director—Nick Fury—was someone Henry considered highly questionable.
A man who always played chess with everyone's lives, never showing his full hand.
Still, in Stark's case, Henry had to admit—S.H.I.E.L.D. might be useful.
"They've asked me to join something called the Avengers Initiative," Tony continued. "Apparently, they want to gather a team of special individuals to protect the Earth from, well, whatever comes next."
"And you're joining?" Henry asked, though he already knew the answer.
Tony chuckled. "I already did. They pitched it well. 'Save the world,' they said. Can't argue with that."
He paused, then added, "Oh, and by the way—they're interested in you, too."
Henry raised an eyebrow. "Me?"
"They know about you," Tony confirmed. "After that Obadiah incident, S.H.I.E.L.D. was monitoring the area. They saw your magic—called it an anomaly. They've been asking questions ever since."
Henry sighed. "Let me guess. They're outside right now?"
Tony gave him an apologetic look. "They said they wanted to meet you personally. I told them you're a private guy, but they insisted. They're literally standing outside the gate."
Henry considered for a moment. The last thing he wanted was S.H.I.E.L.D. snooping around his life. But if he refused to meet them, they'd probably keep digging.
Better to deal with it directly.
"Fine," Henry said. "Let them in."
Tony nodded and pulled out his phone. A few quick taps later, there was a knock on the front door.
"I'll get it!" Polaris called, eager for an excuse to step away from the tension.
She opened the door.
Standing there was a striking woman in a black leather jumpsuit, short brown hair framing a sharp face and confident eyes.
Next to her stood a bald man in a long black trench coat, eyepatch over one eye.
Nick Fury.
The infamous "braised egg head" himself.
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