On the plane, Rhodey looked between Kez and Yinsen, who had boarded with Tony.
“Tony, who are these two?”
Tony gestured toward them in turn.
“This is Yinsen, and this is Kez. They both saved my life.”
“Yinsen was being held hostage by the same group that captured me. He’s an excellent doctor, speaks several languages, and knows a fair bit about physics. I had missile fragments lodged in my chest, and he’s the reason I stayed alive.”
“If it weren’t for Yinsen, I probably wouldn’t have lasted long enough for Kez to come rescue me.”
He nodded toward Kez.
“Kez is the one who actually got me out of there. Without him, you wouldn’t be looking at me right now.”
Rhodey’s expression immediately turned sincere.
“Then I owe both of you my thanks. Thank you for saving Tony.”
Tony turned back to him.
“Let me borrow the satellite phone. I should call Pepper and tell her I’m okay before she worries herself to death.”
Rhodey handed it over, and Tony dialed Pepper’s number.
“Pepper, it’s me. Tony.”
“I’m fine. I’m safe.”
“I’m on Rhodey’s plane right now. We’re heading back to New York.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m okay. You can stop worrying.”
“No, Rhodey didn’t find me. Kez did.”
“Kez said you and Happy hired him to come get me.”
Tony paused for a moment before adding more quietly, “Thanks.”
After talking with Pepper for a while longer, he ended the call.
Rhodey waited until Tony put the phone down, then pointed toward the translucent, ice-blue brain-shaped object resting on the table.
“Okay, man. What is that? It looks like a brain.”
Tony glanced at the Savant Beyonder Characteristic.
“Just a weird little collectible. Call it a souvenir from the trip.”
He gestured toward it.
“Find me a backpack or something. Carrying this thing around in my hand is getting annoying.”
Rhodey could tell Tony wasn’t interested in explaining further, so he didn’t press him.
He found a military backpack and handed it over.
After placing the Savant Beyonder Characteristic inside, Tony turned toward Kez.
“Kez, what exactly do Pepper and Happy still owe you?”
Kez pointed at the backpack.
“Three items containing Characteristics similar to that one.”
Tony raised his eyebrows.
“Are these things common?”
Kez considered it.
“There should be quite a few scattered around. With your money and resources, collecting them shouldn’t be particularly difficult.”
Tony thought for a moment before shaking his head.
“I’m keeping this one for now. There’s something unusual about it, and I want to study it once I’m home.”
“I’ll see whether it emits any kind of detectable wavelength or energy signature. If it does, that could make finding more of them a lot easier.”
Kez nodded.
Tony had a point.
If Beyonder Characteristics emitted some form of energy that could be detected technologically, locating the others would become far simpler.
Whether Tony could actually identify such a signal remained to be seen, but given the technological capabilities available in the Marvel universe, Kez wasn’t prepared to rule anything out.
Yinsen, listening nearby, finally understood that the strange object Tony had found in the cave was probably far more valuable than it appeared.
Rhodey quietly committed the conversation to memory as well.
He also made a mental note to look into Kez Merlin.
Anyone capable of extracting Tony Stark from a terrorist stronghold—apparently almost single-handedly—wasn’t someone Rhodey could simply ignore.
And judging by the conversation, three objects similar to the one in Tony’s backpack were apparently valuable enough to serve as payment for hiring Kez.
Rhodey had no idea what those objects actually did, but that alone made them worth investigating.
Tony looked toward the backpack again.
He still had plenty of questions about the Savant Beyonder Characteristic, but this wasn’t the right environment for that conversation.
He would have to wait until the next Tarot Club gathering and ask the Fool directly.
“I’ve been running on adrenaline for way too long. I’m getting some sleep.”
Tony leaned back against the seat.
“You guys do whatever you want.”
…
After nearly twelve hours in the air, the military aircraft finally landed at a New York airport.
The direct trip had only been practical because they were flying military.
On an ordinary commercial route with connections, getting back within twenty-four hours would have been optimistic.
Several vehicles were already waiting near the tarmac, including a Rolls-Royce, multiple Cadillac SUVs, and an ambulance.
Most belonged to Tony’s team.
Three of the Cadillacs carried additional security personnel.
After what had happened in Afghanistan, Pepper had significantly increased Tony’s protection detail.
The ambulance had been arranged by Rhodey, who knew Tony had been injured and wanted medical personnel standing by the moment they landed.
Pepper and Happy waited beside the Rolls-Royce as the aircraft door slowly opened and the stairs lowered.
Pepper’s eyes were already red.
Rhodey helped Tony down from the plane, with Kez and Yinsen walking nearby.
Tony himself carried the backpack containing the Savant Beyonder Characteristic.
“Watch your step,” Rhodey said.
“Come down this side.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. I don’t need that.”
Rhodey waved the medics off, and they reluctantly pulled the stretcher back.
Tony walked over to Pepper and noticed the tears in her eyes.
“Your eyes are all red. Guess I really had you worried.”
Pepper’s voice trembled slightly despite her attempt to keep it under control.
“These are tears of joy. It means I don’t have to find a new job.”
Tony shrugged.
“Vacation’s over, then. Back to work.”
Pepper nodded before turning toward Kez.
She stepped forward and addressed him with genuine gratitude.
“Thank you, Mr. Merlin. You really brought Tony back safely.”
“As for the payment we still owe you—”
Tony waved a hand.
“I’ll handle it.”
He looked toward Kez.
“Once I’m done studying the item, I’ll send it over. Your shop isn’t that far from here anyway.”
Then he turned to Pepper.
“Get Mr. Merlin a car home.”
Kez nodded and accepted the offer without protest.
Unlike Tony, he didn’t have a beautiful personal assistant waiting at the airport to pick him up.
Pepper immediately assigned one of the Cadillac SUVs and instructed the driver, “Take Mr. Kez Merlin home safely.”
Then she looked toward Kez.
“Mr. Merlin, that’s 71st Avenue in Forest Hills, Queens, correct?”
“That’s right.”
Pepper reassigned the security personnel who had originally been riding in the vehicle to the other cars.
Kez climbed into the Cadillac Escalade, and the SUV soon pulled away from the airport.
Yinsen was placed in another security vehicle and remained with Tony’s convoy.
Tony, meanwhile, headed for his Rolls-Royce.
Once he and Pepper were inside, Happy looked back from the driver’s seat.
“Where to, Tony?”
Pepper closed the door.
“Take us to the hospital, please, Happy.”
Tony immediately cut in.
“No hospital, Happy.”