Meanwhile, inside the cave.
Tony Stark was shirtless, sweating profusely, swinging a hammer, and pounding the human-shaped Armor cobbled together from a pile of scrap metal. The miniature Arc Reactor on his chest emitted a faint blue light, illuminating his oil-stained but still handsome face.
"Ethan, I'm telling you, this is definitely the greatest invention of my life!" he boasted, spitting as he hammered. "It's about to save our lives! When we get out, I'm patenting it a hundred times!"
Dr. Ethan, standing nearby, smiled and handed him a bottle of water: "You've mentioned 'the greatest invention' fifteen times since this morning."
"That's because I have new great inventions every day!" Tony retorted righteously, taking a drink of water. He wiped his mouth, a flash of worry in his eyes.
"Seriously, I wonder how Pepper and Henry are doing. Pepper must be frantic. As for that brat Henry, I have to say it again, without me watching, he's probably out messing around with some third-rate celebrity at a party. He probably forgot I was missing."
"You've mentioned Mr. Henry quite a few times, too," Ethan said, smiling.
"I can tell you care about him a lot."
"Care? Me?" Tony snapped back like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"Are you kidding me! I'm just worried he'll crash my sports car! That kid has a lot of flaws—he's got a poison tongue, he gets into trouble, and he's always trying to steal my spotlight. Most importantly, he's not as smart as me. I do have to admit, though, he's really talented."
Just as they were talking, a sudden change occurred!
RUMBLE!
A tremendous crash came from above. The entire cave shook violently, and debris and dust rained down. Before Tony and Ethan could react, the cave ceiling was forcibly ripped open by an irresistible, colossal force, creating a massive hole!
A column of searing, golden sunlight shot straight through the opening, banishing the darkness in the cave. Tony and Ethan were stunned, instinctively raising their hands to shield themselves from the blinding light.
"What is this? Did those guys call in the demolition crew?" Tony couldn't help but complain.
Suspended there, amid the flying dust and the column of light, was a figure. He was clad in a pure black, form-fitting battlesuit, its sleek lines full of power and aesthetics, perfectly outlining his tall physique.
A black cloak, also black, billowed behind him in the airflow that rushed through the hole. The sunlight bathed him in a golden outline, making him look like a deity walking out of a myth—mysterious, powerful, and radiating a suffocating pressure. The scene was breathtakingly cool, like the opening of an epic sci-fi movie.
"Whoa."
Tony looked at the sight and subconsciously commented, "That's quite a dramatic entrance. Hey, buddy, are you in the wrong movie set? The Star Wars crew is over on the east side."
The black figure ignored his trash talk, simply hovering silently in mid-air.
Then, a voice filled with a hint of playful mockery rang out.
"I have to ask, Tony, after only a few days, how did you manage to look like the manager of a scrap metal yard? And that outfit you've got on, tsk tsk, your taste is as bad as ever."
The expression on Tony's face instantly froze. He stared wide-eyed in disbelief as the black figure slowly descended to the ground. When that young, handsome face was fully exposed, Tony was completely dumbfounded.
"Hen... Henry?!"
"Who else? Did you think Santa Claus came early to give you a present?" Henry walked up to him, scrutinizing him up and down with an expression of distaste. He then pinched his nose and fanned the air.
"My God, how long has it been since you showered? You smell like a Stinky Biological weapon."
"How are you here? And what's with the getup? Is this a Batman cosplay? I'm telling you, black cloaks are out of style. The trend now is..." Tony snapped out of his shock and immediately launched into his machine-gun style of talking, trying to hide his inner shock and excitement with complaints.
Henry stopped bickering and stepped forward, giving him a forceful hug. Tony's body stiffened for a moment, then he put his arms around his brother, holding him tightly.
"I'm so glad you're safe," he said in a near-whisper.
"Of course, I'm a Stark." Henry patted his back, then quickly pulled away, reverting to his look of distaste.
"Alright, alright, let go. Your oil smell is going to suffocate me."
He picked up the silver suitcase in his left hand and tossed it to Tony.
"Your toy. I figured you'd need it right now."
Tony's eyes instantly lit up. He looked at the familiar suitcase, a genuine smile breaking out on his face. "Oh, baby! You're my angel!" He hugged the suitcase, as excited as a child with a beloved new toy, then turned to Ethan.
"Ethan! See that! We can get out of here! In a much more dignified way!"
"Those guys must have heard the commotion. They'll be here soon," Henry reminded him.
"Are we ready for them?"
"Absolutely!" Tony's eyes sparkled with confidence and a thirst for revenge.
"Let them see what happens when you mess with a Stark!"
He placed the suitcase on the ground and stepped on it. The case quickly unfolded. He stretched out his hands, and the Mark II Armor began to automatically assemble onto his body, piece by piece. The sharp clack of metal echoed in the cave, sounding to Tony like the most beautiful war overture.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
As the final Armor plate closed and the faceplate slowly descended, Tony Stark's oil-stained face was replaced by cold metal. He moved his limbs, feeling the familiar power of the Armor. The Arc Reactor on his chest shone with an even brighter light.
"Feels great!" his voice boomed through the Armor's speaker.
"The familiar formula, the familiar feeling. Unmatched power, cutting-edge technology, plus my damned genius brain—perfect."
He turned and looked at Henry, who stood ready, a frown forming under the faceplate. "Wait a minute, something's not right." He circled Henry twice like a curious child, then poked Henry's black Armor with a metallic finger.
"Your shell looks good—great design, though not as good as my taste, but it passes. But I didn't see any sign of thrusters or flames just now. How did you fly down? Anti-gravity tech? When did you make that? Why didn't you tell me!"
"Oh, that?" Henry stretched lazily, his bones popping with a series of crisp cracks.
"It was a bit of an accidental body modification. Hydra's food was terrible, but their health supplements worked quite well. We can talk about the details when we get home and have some champagne. Right now, we have some guests to entertain."
He gestured towards the cave's heavy steel door.