Tony dropped altitude fast, realizing freedom was just a few meters away—if he could survive this.
Ten meters off the ground, he shot forward, a streak of light, with the tracking missile snarling behind him like a rabid dog.
"Where's its tracking core?" Ryuuto yelled over comms, boosting after him.
"It's on the back—under the Stark Industries logo!"
"Copy that. I'll handle it."
Tony didn't even ask what Ryuuto planned; at this point, he'd learned not to. Normally, his armor could counter-target a missile midair, but this was an old backup suit—no tracking bullets, no flares, nothing but hope. So for once, the great Tony Stark could only trust someone else.
People used to pin their faith on him.Now, he was the one running for his life.
Ryuuto disengaged his armor mid-flight, feet hitting the dirt with a shockwave. He sprinted, matching the missile's speed—his body flickering like a mirage in motion.
Side by side with the incoming missile, he spotted the Stark logo Tony mentioned—a small square panel near the thruster.Gotcha.
He grabbed hold of the casing, running in sync with it. To the missile, he was practically still—its shadow.
The lid snapped open with a metallic click.Inside? A mess of wires, red, blue, yellow, green—more colors than a Tokyo arcade.
"Which one am I supposed to yank?!" he muttered, glancing up just in time to see Tony hit the dirt and roll like a dropped bowling ball.
No time to ask.
If he hesitated, Tony would be vaporized.
"Damn it! Fine—all of you come out!"
He ripped every wire free.
The missile's targeting lock screamed, then went dead. It dropped like a drunk pigeon and tumbled forward.
Tony, flat on his back, stared in horror. "If this thing explodes, make sure they put a few bottles of Lafite on my grave!"
BOOM!
The missile landed squarely—right between his legs.
Ryuuto jogged over, trying not to laugh.Tony's face was pure panic.
"It's… not exploding," Tony whispered.
"Still," Ryuuto said, tugging his arm, "let's step away from it before fate changes its mind."
They made it fifty meters before the thing erupted behind them, a fireball licking the sky.
Tony blinked at the smoke, still half-shocked."Ryuuto, you saved my life—twice, today. I… don't even know how to repay that."
Ryuuto smirked. "You could start by following me."
"…What?"
He grinned wider. "Be my little brother."
Tony froze. No one had ever said that to him before.Not like that.
"Well," Tony exhaled, chuckling, "you're the first person crazy enough to say that to me."
"Then let's hope I'm the last."
"Deal." Tony cracked a small smile. "Fine. Since you saved me twice, I'll take that deal. If you ever need help—even if you're planning a trip across the galaxy—I'll back you up."
Ryuuto crossed his arms, gaze hardening. "Tony, I'm worried about something. SHIELD and the X-Men… they're on a collision course. Humans look at mutants the same way Hitler looked at the Jews. Someday, that hate's gonna burn out of control. And when it does, there won't be countries anymore—just two kinds of people: ordinary and mutant."
He looked Tony dead in the eye."When that day comes, I'm siding with the mutants."
Tony nodded slowly. "Then so will I."
"That means betraying SHIELD."
"Please," Tony scoffed. "It's not like SHIELD and I are best friends. I've always trusted people over politics. And you—" he jabbed a finger at Ryuuto "—you've earned that trust. If you lead the mutant army yourself, I'll back you up with every Iron Legion I've got."
Then, with that signature Stark smirk:"Follow you? Bad idea… but I'm in."
Ryuuto flexed his shoulders, smirking. "Good. That's what I like to hear. Take a breather, Iron Bro. I'll call Susan and get some answers."
Tony sighed. "I just hope this wasn't the Fantastic Four. If they're behind it, things could spiral."
"I hope so too. But facts are facts—Susan knew the lab's location. Then missiles hit the exact coordinates." He sighed. "You don't have to be Sherlock to see the line connecting them."
He dialed Susan's number.But before the call even connected, a familiar voice came from behind him.
"Sorry, I'm here."
Ryuuto's face darkened instantly. He turned, phone still in hand.
"Of course you are," he said, glaring. "Tell me, besides eavesdropping and spying—do you ever do anything normal?"