Upon hearing Happy's suggestion, Pepper Potts froze for a visible moment. She turned toward him, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"Happy, are you serious?" she asked breathlessly. "Is there really someone who can find Tony when even the full might of the military has come up empty?"
Happy cleared his throat, his expression becoming grave. "Look, I'm Tony's bodyguard. In my line of work, you hear things about the world beneath the surface."
"The American underworld has a new King. He represents a global organization—an Elder of the High Table who now oversees this entire region."
"Before he became a King, he ran a firm called the Shiranui Agency. Countless people have gone there to post missions—finding lost items, missing persons, pets. It doesn't matter where they are; even if they've been smuggled out of the country, even if they're just a corpse, they get found. And fast."
He paused, adding a sheepish postscript: "If you're interested, that place might have your answer. But the price is high. Far higher than I could ever afford."
His last sentence explained why he hadn't suggested this weeks ago—the price of entry was beyond a bodyguard's pay grade.
Pepper didn't hesitate. She addressed the empty air of the villa. "Jarvis, pull up everything you can find on the Shiranui Agency."
"Certainly, Ms. Potts. One moment."
"The data has been sent to your tablet. Please browse at your convenience."
Pepper hurried to the table and began swiping through the files. Every scrap of information available on the digital frontier regarding the agency and its mysterious owner flooded her screen. After reading through it all, a look of grim determination settled on her face. Normally, she would never associate with such a shadow organization, but for Tony Stark, she would walk through fire.
"Happy, get the car," she commanded. "Take me to the Shiranui Agency."
The front door of the agency swung open.
Happy led Pepper into the hall, where a young man and woman were standing. Happy leaned in and whispered, "Pepper, that man there... he's the boss."
Hotaru stepped out from behind the service counter, her professional mask in place. "Ma'am, how can we help you?"
Pepper's gaze bypassed Hotaru, locking onto Shiranui Hayate. "I need to post a mission. I want his personal help."
Hayate had already surmised the nature of their visit the moment they stepped through the door, though he was slightly surprised they had found their way to him so soon.
"Hotaru, show them to the briefing room," Hayate directed. "And bring me a blank mission scroll."
Hotaru glanced at the newcomers with a flicker of curiosity. It wasn't often the Boss called for a formal scroll the second a client walked in.
Once they were settled in the briefing room, Pepper spoke up, her voice trembling slightly. "Mr. Hayate, I have a commission I hope you'll accept."
Hayate looked at the exhausted woman across from him, his voice calm and grounded. "I saw the news last week. I can guess the nature of the request, but I need you to provide the specific details."
Pepper took a deep breath to steady herself. "Two months ago, Tony Stark traveled to Afghanistan to deliver weapons to the U.S. military. On his way back to the base, his convoy was ambushed by an unknown armed force. No body was found at the scene, leading us to believe he was kidnapped. His current location is unknown."
"I want to commission you to bring Tony Stark back. Even if..." Her voice caught, and her eyes reddened, unable to finish the sentence.
Hayate knew it was time to close the deal. This was essentially "free" money—and he desperately needed it to settle his massive tax bill with the IRS.
"Ms. Potts, I understand your situation," Hayate said. "But I must be clear. Since Mr. Stark was taken by an armed force, a rescue mission involves combat. The price will be significant."
"Furthermore, if Tony Stark is still alive and I am to extract him from enemy hands... what is that worth to you?"
Pepper looked him in the eye, her resolve hardening. "If you can find Tony and bring him home safe, money is not an issue."
Hayate, knowing full well that Tony was currently building a suit in a cave and would eventually escape on his own, maintained a solemn facade. "The Shiranui Agency has a one-hundred-percent success rate. If I accept this mission, it will be completed."
He held up a single finger. "The price. This number."
Pepper stared at the finger. She did some quick mental calculations. "If you bring Tony Stark back alive, I accept a price of 100 million dollars."
"If he is already gone... if you only bring back his remains, I will pay 10 million."
She had decided: she wanted him back, dead or alive.
To Pepper, 100 million was a bargain for the life of the man who ran Stark Industries. To Hayate, he had originally been thinking of 10 million for the tax bill, but Pepper had jumped straight to a hundred. He felt like he'd hit the jackpot, while she felt she'd secured the best deal possible.
"Deal," Hayate said with a faint smile.
Both felt they had won. So, who lost?
No one.
Hayate unrolled the blank scroll and began writing the terms in a flowing, elegant script—objectives, requirements, and the final price. He slid it across the table to Pepper.
Happy remained an invisible shadow in the corner, not uttering a word. Pepper reviewed the document carefully and signed her name with a steady hand.
"Since this is a search-and-rescue, normally I'd require half the fee upfront," Hayate noted. "But since I can't yet confirm if he's alive, a 5-million-dollar deposit will suffice for now."
"Additionally, I need a personal item Tony Stark wore recently. Ideally, something unwashed—a piece of clothing, or even a hair sample. It will make tracking him much easier."
Pepper agreed instantly, stating the funds could be transferred immediately via card. As for the personal item, she would have it delivered the moment she returned to the villa.
As Hayate watched the two of them depart, he couldn't help but feel that the "Age of Heroes" was paying off already.