The rescue helicopter landed hard in the desert.
Its spinning propellers kicked up violent spirals of sand and dust, turning the night sky into a storm of brown haze.
Before the aircraft had fully stabilized, Tony jumped down and strode toward Colonel James Rhodes.
Without hesitation, he threw a punch into Rhodes' chest.
"You son of a—" Tony laughed hoarsely. "You couldn't have arrived two minutes earlier? We had to run half the desert!"
Rhodes returned the punch immediately.
"If you'd just gotten into my car that day," he shot back, "none of this would've happened."
For half a second, they stared at each other.
Then both burst into laughter.
They pulled each other into a tight embrace.
"It's good to see you again, brother," Tony said.
"You too."
"Next time," Rhodes added, "you ride in my vehicle."
"I'll be buried in the same grave as you, even in death."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Let's not go that far. My future wife might have opinions."
Ethan and Deadpool walked toward them.
Tony froze for a moment.
Deadpool was no longer wearing the red-and-black suit.
The dual katanas were gone.
The pistols were gone.
The mask was gone.
He stood there in torn, dusty civilian clothes, looking exactly like the half-crazy drifter Tony had first met.
For one terrible second, Tony felt fear.
What if Deadpool suddenly walked over and said—
"Hey buddy. Wake up."
And he would wake up in the cave again.
Still trapped.
Still building that crude armor.
Still uncertain whether escape was possible.
Nine out of ten chances of survival that day had existed because of Deadpool.
Thankfully, the nightmare didn't reset.
Deadpool leaned in suddenly, face inches from Tony and Rhodes.
The two instinctively separated.
Tony frowned. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing," Deadpool said casually. "Just checking if you two would get excited standing that close."
"Absolutely not!!!"
Tony turned, irritated. "Rhodes, this is Ethan. And this ugly guy with a face like overcooked pizza is Wade. Without them, I'd still be decorating that cave."
"That's not fair!" Deadpool protested loudly. "Why does Ethan get no adjective, but I get 'ugly guy'?"
"Because Ethan has no defining visual feature. You do."
Deadpool placed his hands on his hips proudly.
"This strong man with a receding hairline is Ethan."
Ethan stared at him blankly.
He had said nothing and still suffered collateral damage.
Rhodes smiled and shook both their hands.
"Nice to meet you."
Tony clapped his hands once.
"Let's continue this reunion on the plane. I need a cheeseburger immediately. If I don't eat one soon, I might actually die."
"And water," he added. "Please tell me there's water."
"There's water," Rhodes replied.
"And girls?"
"You'll have to arrange that yourself."
---
Days Later — Stark Mansion
"…Since Tony Stark announced the shutdown of Stark Industries' weapons division, company stock has dropped forty-five points…"
"Is this moral awakening or selfish impulse? Sources suggest Tony Stark may be suffering from PTSD…"
"Tony Stark is destroying the backbone of national defense!"
The news channels roared nonstop.
Pepper Potts stood in front of the television, one hand pressed against her forehead.
The redness in her eyes had faded after several days of rest.
The dark circles remained.
Technically, she was Tony's assistant.
In reality, she was holding Stark Industries together with both hands.
Eighty percent of Stark Industries' profit came from weapons manufacturing.
And Tony had shut it down in one press conference.
The company wasn't simply shaking.
It was convulsing.
Board members panicked.
Shareholders screamed.
Employees whispered about layoffs.
Pepper sighed.
At least when Tony had been missing, operations were stable.
Now chaos reigned.
Tony walked into the room casually.
"Don't sigh so much," he said. "Women who sigh age faster."
Pepper didn't even look at him.
"No one wants me anyway. Aging faster might be a blessing. Early retirement sounds nice."
Tony dropped onto the sofa.
"What's the big deal? I shut down one division."
Pepper turned slowly.
"Yes. Just one division. The one that generates four times the profit of everything else combined."
Tony smiled faintly.
"Four to five moments."
Pepper blinked.
"What?"
"Wade said it."
"You met him. The day I came back."
Pepper nodded slowly. "Yes. Mr. Wade. Very… energetic. You even told me to buy ten Mexican burrito shops for him."
"That's not the part I wanted you to remember."
Tony leaned back.
"If a person makes the right decision in just four or five critical moments in life…"
"…then he's a hero."
"A real one."
Pepper crossed her arms.
"And you think shutting down weapons manufacturing is your first heroic moment?"
Tony touched the miniature arc reactor glowing in his chest.
"I think it's the first correct one."
Pepper studied him carefully.
"I'm just your assistant," she said softly. "But if you believe it's right… I'll support you."
"I know you will."
They stood near the sofa, facing each other.
Their eyes softened.
Their breathing slowed.
The distance between them shortened.
Just as they were about to close the gap—
Pepper suddenly stepped back, flustered.
"I—sorry. I zoned out. Do you want coffee? Cola?"
She waved her hands awkwardly.
"Oh! You went to see Rhodes earlier. Did he handle what you asked?"
Tony shook his head.
"No need."
"Rhodes is busy pretending to be an eagle with a few pilots. He'll be occupied."
"Find Wade for me."
Pepper blinked. "Wade?"
"Yes."
If he already had the technology.
If he already had the arc reactor.
Why stop at survival?
The crude armor in the cave had been born out of desperation.
The next one—
Would be built by choice.
Not a weapon to sell.
But a tool to protect.
Rhodes wouldn't fully understand.
Wade would.
Pepper nodded.
"I'll find him."
She left the room.
Tony watched her disappear beyond the doorway.
A conversation echoed in his mind.
"Tony, are you afraid of death?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Humans aren't simple creatures driven only by survival and reproduction."
"The essence of fearing death is fearing loss."
"Not life itself — because losing life is death."
"You can't fear death because you fear death."
"Tony… if you're afraid of death… what are you afraid of losing?"
Tony looked down at his hands.
Why am I afraid?
He thought of Pepper.
Of Rhodes.
Of Ethan.
Of the world he had nearly destroyed with his own weapons.
Loss.
That was the fear.
Not death.
Loss of connection.
Loss of meaning.
Loss of the chance to choose correctly again.
Tony gave a small, self-mocking smile.
"Ethan," he murmured quietly, "you should've studied philosophy instead of physics."
And as for Wade?
When that entire deep conversation had happened in the cave—
Deadpool had ended his participation in the topic with a single answer.
"Not afraid."
Then he had added:
"Unless the afterlife doesn't have burritos."
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