"Oh, Harry!" Tony drawled dramatically as he spoke, his tone stretched long and theatrical. He pulled off his sunglasses and hooked them into his suit pocket, putting on an exaggeratedly sad face as he looked at Harry with mock resentment.
"We just saw each other a few days ago," Harry said with a straight face. "And we talked then."
"You've got no sense of humor," Tony muttered, pouting.
"Yes," Harry replied seriously, nodding.
"Fine." Tony rolled his eyes and pulled out his transparent phone, fiddling with it idly.
"Jarvis, open the video connection," Tony said aloud.
At his command, the monitor in Harry's office flickered to life. The glass walls dimmed automatically, shutting out the sunlight.
"Sir, the connection is open," came Jarvis's smooth, magnetic voice from the speaker in the wall.
The image of a familiar bald head appeared on the screen—Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"So you're the one who called me here," Harry said, turning to Tony with dry sarcasm. "Didn't know you worked part-time as an agent now."
Tony rubbed his nose awkwardly but didn't respond.
Seeing that, Harry turned his attention back to the screen.
"This matter has nothing to do with Mr. Stark. I asked him to reach out to you," Nick Fury explained evenly.
"Sure you did…" Harry muttered under his breath. He wasn't about to take everything that the level-ten agent said at face value.
"I assume you've read the report on the passing of the Mutant Registration Act," Fury continued. "What I'm about to discuss is directly related."
"Then speak plainly. If you're asking me to do something, I'll have my own conditions," Harry said without hesitation. He could already tell Fury needed a favor.
"Of course," Fury nodded. He'd expected that response.
"Right after the congressional session, Senator Kelly—the leading supporter of the Mutant Act—disappeared. It's become a major international incident. The World Security Council has ordered us to locate and retrieve him immediately, but…" Fury paused.
"But your agency can't handle the man who took him," Harry finished the thought. He already knew who was responsible. After all, even top S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives like Hawkeye and Black Widow couldn't handle him.
"Yes," Fury admitted, ignoring the edge in Harry's tone. "Our hands are tied."
"So you want me to consider your 'superhuman alliance' plan again," Harry said, seeing straight through him.
"I'd appreciate it if you did," Fury replied calmly.
"I'll think about it," Harry said, sidestepping the proposal. "For now, just tell me what you need me to do."
Fury sighed quietly. "Our intel has located the suspect, but be careful. This isn't someone you can underestimate—his name is Magneto."
"Understood. Just give me the location. I'll handle it tonight." Harry reached for the controller and ended the call without another word.
"Tony," Harry said, turning back toward him, "you didn't come all this way just for that, did you?"
"Of course not," Tony said, raising his eyebrows with a knowing grin.
"Then this must be about our last project," Harry said, his interest piqued. Their last collaboration had ended abruptly, unresolved. It seemed Tony had come to settle things now—though Fury's involvement was surely part of the reason too.
"Yeah," Tony admitted with a nod.
"The plan you proposed was solid," Harry said, "but your terms were too steep. The tech is yours, and the materials are Stark Industries', yet you only offered me ten percent of the profits. That's not exactly fair."
Playboy or not, Tony Stark was still one of the sharpest businessmen in the country. He might joke around in public, but he never backed down when it came to money.
Harry, however, didn't yield either. "Be that as it may, New York is still my territory. The city's power grid runs on Osborn Industries' infrastructure. If you want to deploy your new energy project here smoothly, my company is your best—and only—partner."
Tony crossed his arms. "That may be true, but ten percent's still too low," he said, feigning a pout.
"Alright," Harry said after a moment. "We'll split it fifty-fifty." Tony's expression brightened—until Harry added, "But I want the source code for your AI butler."
"If it's just the source code, that's fine," Tony said after a pause, thinking it over. "But I don't want you replicating it publicly."
"Agreed. Happy to be in business," Harry said, standing and extending his hand.
"Good cooperation," Tony replied, shaking it firmly.
"Then I won't keep you," Harry said smoothly, already signaling for him to leave.
"I'm not sticking around anyway. Got important things to do," Tony said with a shrug as he turned toward the elevator.
"Then goodbye," Harry replied.
"If you ever need a hand, don't hesitate to call," Harry added after a moment's thought. Tony might not show symptoms yet, but Harry knew that within six months of revealing he was Iron Man, the palladium poisoning would start.
"If I do, I won't be shy about it," Tony said, pressing the elevator button.
Ding.
As the doors slid open, he waved lazily over his shoulder and stepped inside.
"Hopefully," Harry murmured under his breath, knowing Tony's reckless nature all too well.
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A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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