Tony retrieved a glass bottle with an elegant lid, uncorking it to take his first sip of real coffee in weeks. The hazelnut latte was absolute perfection—silky smooth, flowing down his parched throat at precisely the right temperature. Warm enough to comfort, never hot enough to burn. He nearly wept at the simple luxury of it.
Within minutes, both men had demolished the entire basket of food with desperate efficiency. Tony finally looked up at Gemini, wiping crumbs from his stubbled chin.
"So—what's the extraction plan?"
Gemini blinked in genuine confusion. Plan? Wasn't she simply supposed to... leave?
"The plan is quite straightforward," she replied with British precision. "I escort you from this location, contact Ms. Potts, and return you safely to America."
Tony and Ethan exchanged incredulous glances.
"What he means," Ethan clarified carefully, "is how do we escape this cave? There are over a hundred heavily armed terrorists between us and freedom."
Understanding dawned in Gemini's dark eyes. "Oh! You needn't concern yourselves with them. However I entered is precisely how we'll depart—all of us."
The two men fell silent, finally processing the impossible nature of her arrival. No alarms, no gunfire, no explosions—just a elegantly dressed teenager materializing from thin air like something from a fairy tale.
"Could you help transport my equipment?" Tony asked with careful hope. "I understand if it's too much trouble—I can destroy everything here if necessary."
Gemini surveyed the cave's chaotic contents with obvious distaste: twisted metal scraps, oil-stained clothing, primitive tools, and that ancient computer that barely functioned.
"Everything?"
"Not everything," Tony clarified hastily. "I'll separate what's essential—perhaps half the total materials?"
Gemini's nose wrinkled at the grimy, malodorous metal components. The very thought of handling such filthy objects...
"Additional payment!" Tony's entrepreneurial instincts kicked in. "Ten million dollars! American currency! Payment upon safe arrival!"
"Acceptable." Her response was immediate and decisive. After all, she wouldn't be carrying anything personally. "Begin sorting immediately. You have until two o'clock—not a moment longer."
Ethan shook his head in amazement, watching Tony scramble around the cave like a man possessed, retrieving components he'd hidden throughout their imprisonment. The doctor began clearing floor space for their makeshift inventory.
The cave's stagnant air—thick with weeks of masculine habitation and poor ventilation—finally overwhelmed Gemini's refined sensibilities.
"Continue your preparations," she instructed, backing toward the shadows. "Monitor the time carefully—two AM is absolute deadline. When you've finished, summon Coby. He'll transport you to my location."
Before either man could respond, she gestured to her house-elf. In the space between heartbeats, both figures vanished completely.
Tony's steel plate clattered to the cave floor. He lunged forward, waving his arms through the empty space where she'd stood, then frantically searched the stone walls for hidden passages or concealed doors.
Nothing. No trace of their passage remained except the empty picnic basket—proof that the encounter hadn't been a starvation-induced hallucination.
Though scattered and primitive, Tony's equipment collection proved manageable. Ethan spread his thin sleeping blanket across the cave floor, and they bundled everything into one enormous package.
After a final sweep confirmed nothing valuable remained, the two men exchanged nervous glances.
"Coby?" Tony called tentatively.
The house-elf materialized instantly before them—large tennis-ball eyes gleaming, pointed ears twitching with attention.
"At your service, Mr. Wealthiest Man!"
Tony staggered backward in shock. "What the hell! What kind of creature—"
"Mr. Richest Man," Coby interrupted with icy formality, his expression darkening at the slight, "I am Miss Gemini's personal house-elf. Following my mistress's explicit instructions, I shall transport you and your companion to her current location. Are your preparations complete?"
Ethan grabbed Tony's arm, recognizing the dangerous shift in the elf's demeanor. "We're absolutely ready! This package contains everything we need. What's the procedure? We might not be able to carry it all ourselves."
Coby muttered something that sounded distinctly like "Muggles" under his breath.
"Grasp my arms, gentlemen. Use your free hands to secure your belongings. Departure is immediate."
Tony and Ethan hesitantly took hold of the elf's surprisingly sturdy arms—thin as twigs but somehow radiating contained strength. Each grabbed one side of their massive bundle.
CRACK!
The cave disappeared.
After a disorienting moment of magical travel, they materialized before an impossibly luxurious white silk pavilion. Two magnificent peacocks strutted past the entrance as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
Gemini emerged from the tent, surveying their disheveled appearance with barely concealed distaste.
"The hour grows late. Wash first, then rest."
"Where exactly are we?" Ethan pushed his glasses up nervously. "Are we secure? Perhaps we should depart immediately—if they organize search parties..."
Gemini had already turned back into the tent. She retrieved the dining room's embroidered tablecloth and several towels, then drew her wand with practiced efficiency. A few precise Transfiguration charms later, she'd created two simple but well-tailored outfits.
"Cleanse yourselves in the oasis pool," she instructed, handing them the magically-created clothing. "They cannot locate us here. I've established comprehensive protective wards."
"You're absolutely certain?" Tony's eyes blazed with scientific curiosity. "And what was that transportation method? Quantum tunneling? Spatial fold technology? Some kind of military prototype?"
Gemini's smile was perfectly polite and completely dismissive. "Magic, Mr. Stark. Now please—you both reek abominably."
Dr. Ethan wisely gathered his clothes and headed for the water without further questions. Tony wanted to interrogate her further, but even he recognized the wisdom of basic hygiene after weeks of captivity.
As the two men circled behind the pavilion toward the natural spring, they finally appreciated the tent's impossible grandeur. The silk walls gleamed like moonlight, golden fixtures caught starlight, and those peacocks continued their elegant patrol as if guarding a maharaja's palace.
"This looks like some billionaire heiress's camping expedition," Ethan murmured in amazement.
While they bathed, Gemini began weaving protective enchantments around their temporary sanctuary. Protean Charms to strengthen their defenses. Muggle-Repelling Charms to turn away any searchers. Muffliato to contain sound within their perimeter.
Layer upon layer of magical security settled over the oasis like an invisible fortress.
Satisfied with her work, she returned to the tent's opulent interior.
Clean for the first time in weeks and wearing clothes that actually fit, Tony and Ethan approached the pavilion entrance. The peacocks regarded them with aristocratic disdain before resuming their patrol.
"I told you they were real!" Tony gestured triumphantly. "Living, breathing peacocks! In the middle of the Afghan desert!"
Ethan could only shake his head. Their teenage rescuer operated without weapons, security teams, or military support—just magical creatures and impossible confidence.
They lifted the silk entrance curtain and stepped inside.
Both men froze in absolute shock.
The interior was vast—impossibly, geometrically vast. Crystal chandeliers illuminated Persian carpets and furniture that belonged in Versailles. A fireplace crackled merrily despite the desert heat. Multiple corridors led to what appeared to be separate wings of accommodation.
Tony actually backed outside to study the tent's modest exterior dimensions, then returned to stare at the palatial interior.
"Spatial expansion technology," he breathed in wonder. "The exterior dimensions are physically impossible for this interior volume. The physics alone..." His engineering mind reeled at the implications.
"Welcome to the magical world, Mr. Stark," Gemini said from her position beside the fireplace, elegant as a queen holding court. "I trust you'll find the accommodations adequate."
Adequate, Tony thought dizzily. This tent is larger than my Malibu mansion.
The rescue, he realized, was going to be far more interesting than he'd anticipated.
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