I leaned against the windowsill, looking out at the bustling city below. The Marvel publishing house felt oddly quiet this morning, a stark contrast to the lively streets outside. Suddenly, I sneezed—twice, no less. I rubbed my nose, feeling a bit confused. After injecting myself with the gene-strengthening potion, I was supposed to be immune to things like colds. So why was I sneezing?
Liu, my colleague and close friend, sat nearby, giggling. "Someone's definitely talking bad about you behind your back," she teased, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
I shook my head, running a hand through my hair. "No way. A handsome, kind, and incredibly promising young man like me? Nah, someone must be thinking of me fondly."
Liu rolled her eyes, her playful grin widening. "Your skin's getting thicker by the day, you know that?"
We shared a laugh, but then she leaned in closer, her voice lowering to a conspiratorial whisper. "Chen, are you really a prophet?"
She'd been there at the press conference, right in the front row when I'd made my bold declaration. Ever since, she'd been bugging me with questions, her curiosity refusing to be satisfied.
"Do you want me to show you?" I asked, a smirk tugging at my lips.
Her eyes widened with excitement. "Yes! Show me!"
"But..." I lowered my voice, leaning in as if sharing a deep secret. "Prophecy is a dangerous thing. If you want to witness it, you'll have to pay a price. Are you ready for that?"
Her expression shifted from excitement to hesitation. She twiddled her fingers, clearly torn between her curiosity and the ominous price I'd just hinted at. After a long pause, she nodded, biting her lip nervously.
"Alright," she said softly. "What do I have to give?"
Feigning a heavy sigh, I pointed to my cheek. "A kiss right here."
Liu's face flushed a deep red. For a moment, she just stared at me, clearly unsure whether to take me seriously or not. But then, with a quick and shy nod, she leaned in and pecked my cheek, her face growing redder by the second. She pulled away, trying to hide her embarrassment by sipping water from the glass on the table.
"Well?" she asked, her voice shaky but curious. "Can you tell me now?"
I couldn't hold back a chuckle, struggling to keep my composure. Closing my eyes, I stood dramatically still for a moment before suddenly opening them wide and staring at her. "Never drink hot water too quickly."
She blinked, confused. "Why not?"
At the same time, she absentmindedly took a sip.
"Because it'll burn your mouth."
"Pfft!" Liu sprayed water everywhere, her cheeks puffing with a mixture of embarrassment and laughter. "Chen!"
She set down the glass and glared at me, eyes full of mock outrage, though I could see the hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "You tricked me!"
Her playful rage came out in the form of an attack, her small frame charging at me with arms outstretched like a furious kitten. I couldn't resist laughing as we playfully wrestled, her attempts to punish me for my harmless prank ending up with her in my arms. Naturally, I made the most of the moment, holding her a bit longer than necessary.
After a bit of playful struggling, Liu pulled away, breathless and red-faced. She shot me an exasperated look while catching her breath, her delicate face flushed from our playful scuffle.
"You're impossible," she muttered, though her eyes sparkled with humor.
I leaned back in my chair, glancing at the Iron Man comics spread across the table. The second volume had been released, and the sales were climbing. I'd worked hard to build momentum around these stories, and it was paying off. Soon, things would escalate even further.
If all went as predicted and the military found Tony Stark alive, the prophecy I'd woven into the comics would come true. And once that happened, Marvel wouldn't just be a comic book company anymore. People who'd never even glanced at a comic would be lining up, eager to know what the future held.
I stared out the window, lost in thought. "Tony, you better come through," I muttered under my breath. "You're a cash cow, and I need you back safe."
***
Meanwhile, far away in the heart of the desert, Tony Stark trudged through the endless sand. His coat was pulled over his head, shielding him from the harsh sun, but his pace was slow, his movements weak. He'd made it out of that cave alive, but just barely.
Every step felt heavier than the last. He was exhausted, dehydrated, and on the verge of collapsing. He didn't know how much longer he could go before the desert consumed him entirely.
As he staggered forward, his mind wandered. Images of his past flashed before him—his father's stern face, his mother's kind smile, Pepper's comforting presence. But among the memories was the voice. That young voice that had warned him. Warned him of the danger that now felt so real, so immediate.
Why hadn't he listened?
His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, panting. Was this it? Was this how he'd die—alone in the desert, buried beneath the sand?
Then, through the haze of his exhaustion, a sound reached his ears. The distant hum of a helicopter. At first, he thought it was just another hallucination, but the noise grew louder. Real. He turned his head, squinting through the sand, and saw it—an actual helicopter, cutting through the sky.
His heart leapt.
"Hey!" Tony shouted, waving his arms. "Over here! I'm here!"
The chopper circled and then descended, landing not far from him. A figure rushed toward him—familiar, comforting.
It was Colonel Rhodes.
"Tony, you look like hell," Rhodes said, his tone teasing despite the worry in his eyes. "Where's your fancy Hummer now? Next time, ride with me."
Tony didn't even try to joke back. He just smiled, weak but grateful, and pulled Rhodes into a tight hug. For the first time in what felt like ages, he felt safe. Safe and alive.