Tony Stark was used to being the center of attention, so being completely ignored was a new experience for him.
Still, with a spotless shower room standing right in front of him, he eventually abandoned the argument and went inside to enjoy his first proper wash in nearly a month.
Once he was clean, Tony changed into the same kind of beach clothes Sherlock had given Yinsen, added a large pair of sunglasses, and climbed into the bed of the Raptor.
He and Yinsen stretched out on opposite sides and waited for the truck to start moving.
The engine roared to life, and the group finally began the return journey.
Tony and Yinsen could not stop staring at the endless golden desert and clear blue sky.
Sherlock found the scenery rather monotonous, but to two men who had spent weeks trapped inside a lightless cave, everything was beautiful.
Even the scorching sun, hot enough to roast them alive, seemed wonderful.
The truck bounced violently across the dunes, and the ride nearly battered both men’s backsides into pieces.
Neither complained.
They even insisted that every painful jolt reminded them they were still alive.
Sherlock, John, Helen, and Doro all rolled their eyes.
…
The journey back was much faster than the search had been.
When Sherlock’s Raptor drove through the gates of the military base, the sight of Tony lounging in the truck bed drew soldiers from all over the compound.
If Rhodey had not intervened, Tony might have spent another half hour being displayed at the entrance like an exotic animal.
After making a joke about Tony returning from captivity in the world’s most expensive rescue truck, Rhodey called over a medical team for a quick examination and immediately began arranging a flight back to the States.
He had spent far too long worrying about Tony already.
The sooner that walking disaster became someone else’s responsibility, the better.
Tony had originally intended to bring Yinsen home with him, but the doctor declined.
“This is my home,” Yinsen explained.
“Rather than leave, I want to stay and work with an international medical organization.
There are people here who need doctors.” Tony had no choice but to respect his decision.
He wished Yinsen well and made him promise to call if he ever needed anything.
Yinsen agreed, and the two said their goodbyes at the base.
The only complication involved Sherlock’s group.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
had hired them, so once the mission was complete, they were naturally supposed to return to New York on a plane arranged by the agency.
Tony refused to allow it.
He insisted that Sherlock and the others travel with him instead, then offered each of them a bribe too tempting to ignore.
For Sherlock, Tony promised to rebuild the Ford Raptor.
He would preserve its comfort while upgrading it until it could outperform a professional Baja racing truck.
For John and Helen, he offered an unforgettable all-expenses-paid vacation, including a second honeymoon in Los Angeles.
As for Doro, Tony promised an enormous banquet and every kind of orange she could possibly eat.
The little glutton immediately began drooling so heavily that it nearly formed a stream.
Faced with the overwhelming power of Tony Stark’s bank account, Sherlock’s entire group defected without hesitation and boarded his private jet.
….
Even after Tony’s plane had taken off, Hawkeye remained seated inside the S.H.I.E.L.D.
aircraft, wondering why Sherlock and his companions had not arrived yet.
Were they seriously in no hurry to go home?
….
While Clint continued waiting and thinking about Fury’s order to recruit Sherlock, Sherlock was already aboard Tony’s airborne private jet, curiously inspecting everything he could reach.
His reaction was understandable.
Across both of his lives, this was the first time he had ever stepped onto a private jet.
Previously, he had only seen them in movies and novels.
After carrying Doro around for a full tour, Sherlock was left with only one thought.
‘Fucking rich people.’ He had believed achieving financial independence made him wealthy.
Tony Stark was wealthy on an entirely different level.
Who the hell put a bedroom on an airplane?
Worse, the signs of use suggested that Tony might genuinely have joined the mile-high club more than once.
After completing the tour, Sherlock sat opposite Tony and stared at him with undisguised contempt.
The words obnoxiously rich bastard might as well have been carved across his forehead.
He did not need to say anything; anyone with eyes could understand exactly what he was thinking.
John and Helen behaved far more normally.
Or, to put it more accurately, they had already become absorbed in their own little world after discovering the expensive wine Tony kept aboard.
If Sherlock, Doro, and the owner of the plane had not been sitting nearby, the couple might already have disappeared into the bedroom at the rear of the cabin.
Tony understood Sherlock’s stare perfectly.
After enduring it for a while, he finally spoke.
“Sherlock Flamel, first, could you stop looking at me like that?
Second, what is your relationship to Anne Flamel and Nick Flamel?” Sherlock did not stop staring at him like an obscenely wealthy degenerate, though confusion joined the contempt in his expression.
“They were my parents.
Why?” He ignored Tony’s first question completely and answered only the second.
John and Helen immediately turned their attention toward the conversation.
This was the first time Sherlock had ever spoken about his family.
After hearing the answer, Tony’s expression became increasingly complicated.
He took a deep breath before continuing.
“Do you remember that your parents once worked for Stark Industries?” “Of course.” Sherlock answered without hesitation.
His parents were dead, after all.
He could not imagine what Tony could possibly do with that information.
Reality immediately proved him wrong.
Tony’s expression stiffened further.
He opened his mouth several times before finally forcing himself to continue.
“Your parents worked closely with me, and we were good friends.
Whether you believe this or not, when you were born, they asked me to become your godfather.
After they died in the plane crash, legal guardianship of you was actually placed in my hands—” “WHAT?!” Sherlock, John, and Helen shouted at the same time.
Tony did not even get to finish.
Sherlock stared at him, and the look in his eyes changed completely.