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*****
Peaceful days always seem to pass quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was already June.
Mike let out a sigh as he stepped outside, coffee in hand. Bathed in the morning sunlight, he wore a T-shirt and baggy shorts.
He bent down to pick up the day's newspaper from the front lawn. Looking up, he saw John, his neighbor across the street, similarly dressed, a sandwich stuffed in his mouth as he retrieved his own paper. The two exchanged greetings.
"Hey, Mike! Wanna come over for dinner tonight?"
John smiled as he extended the invitation.
"No." Mike shook his head, looking thoroughly unimpressed. "I'm not falling for that again!"
Last time John said the same thing, and when Mike got there, he ended up doing all the cooking! And the time before that… same story.
"Haha!"
John laughed heartily and waved with the hand holding his newspaper. "See you later, I've gotta get to work."
Mike nodded, sipping his coffee with a slurp as he tucked the newspaper under his arm and headed back inside.
With a backward kick, he shut the door without looking and glanced at the clock on the wall. Then he turned to Gwen, who was having breakfast.
"You've got five more minutes," he said.
Gwen took a sip of milk, leaving a ring of foam on her upper lip. She licked it off and said confidently, "I'm not going to be late! It's Monday, after all!"
"Then you'd better hustle."
Mike sat down at the dining table with a smile, setting down his coffee and newspaper to join Gwen for breakfast.
"Dad, Luke wants to learn martial arts with me."
"Luke? Why? I thought he was more into basketball."
As she munched on a slice of perfectly toasted golden bread, Gwen replied, "He's not giving up basketball—he just wants to learn some fighting too."
She paused, then winked at Mike and added, "I think it's because of what happened last time."
"Last time? What happened?"
"You know, when he got bullied by the older kids, and I, uh... reasoned with them."
"'Reasoned with them'?"
Mike narrowed his eyes. "With your fists?"
"No! Of course not! Don't jump to conclusions!" Gwen quickly denied it, her eyes darting. "I'm done eating, I'm off to school, or I'll be late!"
"No rush—you've still got two minutes."
Mike smiled at her. "Come on, tell Dad. How exactly did you reason with them?"
Gwen's smile crumpled. With a frustrated sigh, she confessed, "Fine, I did hit him—but he hit first! I was just helping Luke, and then he tried to hit me."
She stole a cautious glance at Mike.
Mike sipped his coffee and, seeing her worried expression, chuckled. "I'm not mad. You were just protecting yourself. Why would I be angry?"
Gwen let out a sigh of relief. "Don't worry, Dad—I don't bully people."
Mike waved a hand. "Go on, then."
She glanced at him one more time. Confirming he truly wasn't angry, she grinned and ran out happily.
After she left, Mike muttered in disappointment, "Sigh… With Gwen like this, I don't even get a chance to 'talk' with those parents anymore."
He felt like he'd lost a major source of entertainment. After all, those intense "discussions," where parents went from righteous indignation to reluctant surrender, were actually kind of endearing.
He took another sip of coffee—only to frown.
Why did it taste so bland?
Sighing in disappointment, he opened the newspaper and began skimming through the day's news.
Sometimes, he'd spot stories about Charles and Erik.
For instance, how Professor X had saved another young mutant. Or how the X-Men teachers had taken down some troublesome criminals and protected innocent civilians.
Or how Magneto and his Brotherhood had gone and blown up another secret facility.
Whenever Mike read these updates, he couldn't help but feel like a proud father watching his kids grow up and make something of themselves.
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed. His brow furrowed—then quickly relaxed again.
Billionaire, playboy, and genius scientist Tony Stark—owner of Stark Industries—had gone missing in the Middle East.
Seeing Tony in the headlines was nothing unusual. Most of the time, though, it was about his latest scandal.
But missing?
Mike scanned the article briefly, then tossed the paper aside.
So… Tony's transformation was about to begin?
Tony...
Mike fell into thought.
He had to first confirm Tony's safety.
This was undoubtedly one of the most pivotal moments in Tony's life—a moment of profound change. But if reality deviated too much from the storyline in his memory, then Tony Stark might really end up as nothing more than a dead chunk of metal.
Finding Tony wasn't going to be difficult for Mike. All it would take was a single phone call—or a quick trip himself.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Mike's gaze passed through the door, landing on the familiar figure standing outside.
Maria.
He let out a soft sigh.
He had just been thinking about whether or not to call her.
Walking to the door, he opened it.
The moment the door swung open, Maria—brought here by Happy—looked up at Mike. Her eyes reddened with emotion as she stepped forward and embraced him tightly.
Mike gently patted his old friend on the back and whispered, "Come inside."
Maria nodded and followed him in.
As Happy made a move to enter as well, Mike shut the door in his face.
Startled, Happy rubbed his nose—narrowly spared from getting smacked by the door. He let out a sigh, worry shadowing his expression. Thinking of his boss, he couldn't help but wonder… was he even still alive?
Inside the house.
Though Maria's eyes were rimmed red, she didn't let the tears fall—not in front of Mike.
She was a strong woman. All those years with Howard, everything they had gone through, had forged that strength.
"Mike…" She clutched his hand tightly, her voice trembling with suppressed grief. "Can you help me find Tony? Even if it's just… his body."
She had already prepared herself for the worst.
Mike paused for a moment, then said calmly, "I think I can."
Maria let out a breath of relief. "Thank you…"
Mike nodded slightly. "When did Tony disappear?"
"End of April. He's been missing for over a month now."
At that, Maria's tone turned sharp with fury.
"What?"
Mike's brow furrowed deeply.
Over a month…?
Then why was this only hitting the news now? Why was Maria only coming to him now?
Was the information suppressed? Was Maria kept in the dark—never even told Tony had gone missing?
A dark thought crossed Mike's mind.
"Obadiah! That bald bastard son of a—! And the damn military too! A bunch of scumbags!"
Maria finally couldn't hold back and cursed out loud.
"Maria!"
Mike looked at her helplessly. This elegant older lady had suddenly transformed into a furious storm.
A few seconds later, Maria forced herself to calm down and said bitterly, "If it weren't for today's paper, I might still be in the dark."
(End of Chapter)