12. To Harlem (Part 2)

'.....'= Thoughts 

"....."= Conversations 

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Currently Harry was in a Forest near Lake Placid. He was about 400 miles away from his destination.

Harry emerged from the dense forest, his clothes and hair damp from the morning dew. As he reached the edge of the trees, he could see the highway ahead, bustling with vehicles speeding towards their destinations. He scanned the road, contemplating his next move. Should he try to steal a car, or should he patiently wait for someone to offer him a lift?

After a few moments of hesitation, Harry decided to remain patient and try his luck with hitchhiking. He stuck out his thumb and waited by the side of the road, hoping that a kind soul would take pity on him and offer him a ride. As minutes turned into what felt like hours, Harry felt his patience waning. He began to doubt the likelihood of anyone stopping for him in this remote area.

Just as he was about to give up hope, a sleek, high-tech car pulled over in front of him. Harry's eyes widened in surprise as he approached the vehicle, not expecting such a luxurious car to stop for him.

The window rolled down, revealing the driver to be none other than Tony Stark, the billionaire genius and philanthropist known for his larger-than-life personality and extravagant lifestyle.

"Get in," Tony said, gesturing for Harry to enter the car.

Harry hesitated for a moment, still taken aback by the unexpected encounter. However, he knew he couldn't pass up such a fortuitous opportunity. He opened the door and slid into the passenger seat, unable to contain his curiosity.

"Thanks for stopping," Harry said, unable to resist the urge to comment, "I was just about to lose hope of getting a lift. Anyways I had no idea that you were such a helpful person, Tony Stark."

Tony chuckled, didn't minding a bit that he was recognised, after all he was quite a famous person,"Well, let's just say I have a soft spot for strays in need of a helping hand," he replied cryptically. "Plus, I couldn't resist the chance to shake things up a bit by picking up a hitchhiker in the middle of nowhere."

Harry wasn't fazed by the comment as he already knew what Tony's character was like.

Harry replied, "Well, I guess even technological nerds need a bit of excitement in their lives, huh?"

Tony raised an eyebrow and smirked back, "Touché, kid. But trust me, my life is never short of excitement. My idea of excitement involves building cutting-edge technology and saving the world, not to mention rocking a super suit. But I'll admit, picking up a hitchhiker in the middle of nowhere does make for a nice change of pace."

With a twinkle in his eye, he added, "After all, even a technological genius needs a taste of the unexpected every now and then."

Harry wondered whether it was good for his health to be near of so much narcissism. But as the car sped down the empty highway, he couldn't deny the relief he felt at having a ride out of the middle of nowhere.

After some time, the car began to sputter, and Tony cursed under his breath as he pulled over to the side of the road. "Looks like we've got a little problem here," Tony said, popping the hood of the car and peering inside.

Eventually, Tony managed to get the car running again, and they continued on their journey.

As the car merged back onto the highway,

"So, where are you headed?" Tony asked, breaking the silence as he glanced at Harry out of the corner of his eye.

"I'm trying to get to Harlem," Harry replied.

"Hmm, Harlem, you say?" Tony mused, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. "I just so happen to be heading in that direction myself. Looks like you're in luck."

'Why is this guy heading to Harlem? From my knowledge of movies, he wasn't involved in the fight between Hulk and Abomination and only arrived after the fight had ended,' Harry thought and wondered whether he should knock this guy out so that he wouldn't interfere in the fight.

Harry just hoped that Tony would stay out of his way as he didn't want any variable during his fight. He had spent quite a time strategizing about his fight with Abomination and if Tony got involved, quite a few things would change.

"So, what's your story?" Tony asked, turning the spotlight on Harry.

"I'm just trying to make my way to Harlem to take care of some personal business," Harry explained, choosing his words carefully.

"What about you? What is the popular Iron man going to do in Harlem?" Harry asked.

"So you saw the press conference huh? Did it make you gain some kind of inspiration? After all it's not everyday you see a busy guy like me taking time out of his schedule to address the public," Tony replied with a smirk.

Harry just glanced at him blankly indirectly telling Tony to stop his narcissistic tendencies.

"I have some philanthropic projects in Harlem that I'm looking to develop. I want to bring some innovation and help revitalize the community," Tony continued, a hint of genuine passion in his voice.

Harry raised an eyebrow, "Philanthropy, huh? I thought you were just an arrogant son of a bitch. Well, a slight helpful one at that."

Tony chuckled, "I can't dent that."

As they continued their conversation, Harry couldn't help but be intrigued by the unexpected depth and sincerity in Tony's words.

'Hmm,' Harry had a tingling feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put a finger on it. He somehow felt that the conversation with Tony was quite unnatural yet natural at the same time

Tony was not the type of guy who would give a lift to strangers, and above all, he wouldn't let that person stay in his car after being insulted by him. It didn't quite suit his arrogant and narcissistic attitude, after all.

'Well, maybe this is just a coincidence,' Harry thought as the journey continued. He was on guard the whole way, in case Tony tried something funny, but fortunately, nothing surprising happened during the rest of the journey.

As they arrived in Harlem, Harry and Tony went their separate ways, each with their own missions to fulfill.

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