8

Screams of terror, groans of pain, the nasty sirens of emergency vehicles, the swearing of paramedics and the noise of construction equipment. This is what greeted the returning Stark. He was faced with a picture you don't see in comic books or patriotic films, where the hero saves everyone. No, this was a brutal reality, and if two monsters were battling in one of the most populous metropolises in the world, there would be casualties. For the first time, Tony wondered how much of the Captain America story had been left out? How many deaths of friends and acquaintances had he seen? How many had seen people tortured in the Red Skull labs? And how did Steve Rogers really feel about his fame when he was being tossed around in his arms, praising his name, and he may have just buried someone from the squad with his own hands? Is that the path of a hero? No, not a hero, Stark reprimanded himself as he watched a gangster-looking man with tattoos drag an old woman out of her house in his arms and lay her down in front of the medics. A human being. Moments like that make you realise whether you're a human being or a mammal.

- Jarvis, how's Pepper?

Having learnt early on that his assistant was safe a few blocks away, Tony forcefully suppressed the urge to call her. He could have grabbed her and run... But he suppressed that cowardly impulse.

- Should I call her sir? The phone lines may be overloaded, but I can use emergency lines.

- No, no, don't. She's probably not calling me, so I don't worry and am not in the mood.

Flying up to a red-haired girl of about sixteen or seventeen years old by the looks of it, who had a punctured lung, causing the wound in that spot to bubble up and render her unable to speak and gasping with desperation in her gaze, the unseen Tony said:

- Somnium. Sleep; it's too early for you to die; your whole life is ahead of you. Sanitation.

A minor healing enchantment lit the girl up slightly, healing the wound. Afterwards, pulling her out of the rubble, he apparated to New York Central Hospital. Apparating was one of the few techniques that came easily to Stark, most likely due to the half-titan's blood. Making himself visible to be noticed, he asked a man his age with a beard like his own, who was smoking in the street:

- Where shall I carry the wounded?

- And who are you, exactly?

- Someone who wants to help. Unlike an ambulance, I won't get stuck in traffic.

- Oh, you're the weirdo in the iron suit?

- Are you the arsehole who wastes time while people are dying?

- Shit, you're right. Follow me!

Putting down his half-smoked cigarette, the man led Tony behind him. The nurses and doctors who met on the way obeyed the man unquestioningly and quickly brought a gurney on which Stark could finally transfer his burden.

As soon as the chief of surgery at New York Central Hospital turned to Stark, he was gone. Tony wasn't about to waste any time talking. He carried patients individually, finding the wounded with incredible speed and accuracy. Revelio's charms showed living people under the rubble, and the sheer strength of the half-titan and his suit made it possible to dismantle them quickly without any construction equipment. Or even to carefully cut a passage with a plasma or sword. An old woman without an arm, a man with a shoulder wound, a girl with a broken hip... On the tenth rescued person, each of whom he treated, all faces and words of curses because of pain or gratitude merged for Stark into one endless morass. Like an automaton, like a machine, he ran between the hospital and the Hulk's battlefields with the Abomination, studiously ignoring the fatigue and pain of his soul. He kept telling himself, "I'll save one more and then rest." In total, Tony Stark was able to move 73 people.

The chief physician was only able to free himself by morning. The others could deal with the simpler and less dangerous injuries, and he hadn't slept in almost two days. His hand was shaking, his tired red eyes were stung by the rising sun, and he couldn't get a light. And the lighter had given up on him.

- A light?

Suddenly the doctor discovered that he was not alone. On the steps of the main entrance, a man in steel armour, who had single-handedly brought them almost as many patients as all their ambulances, was sprawled on the steps of the main entrance.

- I wouldn't say no," the doctor sat beside him, lighting up from a glowing repulsor. - Stephen Strange.

- The weirdo in the suit," Tony introduced himself in response.

- Ha-ha-ha," Stephen laughed nervously. - I'm sorry; I just thought you were some kind of cosplayer or something.

- It's okay. I'd probably think that myself if I were you," Stark was silent for a moment, then asked: - How do you deal with it? I've been a lifeguard for a day and don't even have the strength to stand up.

- I sometimes ask myself that question," Strange said, finishing his cigarette. - And then I get grateful patients and find my strength again. And I get paid very well, too!

- That's a good place to start! - Tony chuckled.

- Aren't you cold in that metal? And how do you go to the loo? - Stephen asked.

- I've got an in-built air conditioner. And as for the toilet, I've got a fly here, also built in.

- I wouldn't want to pinch anything with that fly, - laughed the doctor, releasing nervous tension. - Well, it was nice talking to you, but I still have patients waiting for me. Thanks to you, by the way.

Stark shrugged his shoulders and continued to stare at the sky without thinking. Though Tony knew she was doing well, Pepper called and said she was doing well. He didn't want to do anything or even think about it, and the invisibility he had put on again allowed him not to draw attention to himself. The wounded were still being brought in, but not in a steady stream like before, and they were mostly people with minor cuts and wounds. They would stitch them up and send them home, as the hospitals were overcrowded.

Suddenly something changed. Space curved, and he found himself on a completely empty street with a replica of it instead of the sky as if the top of the city was his reflection. A portal framed by golden sparks opened, out of which emerged a low bald woman wearing a strange garment with rolled-up sleeves that looked simultaneously like a golden kimono, the robes of Buddhist monks, and a jacket.

- Good afternoon, Mr Stark.

- Good day to some and not to others, bald woman.

- Wherever in the world we meet, you're always so snide," the woman replied enigmatically, sitting beside him.

Tony shrugged; he hadn't come here; it wasn't for him to say. Though he energised the barrier just in case, wincing at the pain.

- No need to burden your soul further, Mr Stark. I'm not your enemy; I've come only to warn you.

- You're the mage here? Come to forbid me from using magic?

- You might say that, but you are unique among the many worlds I see and the future probabilities. This is the first time I've seen magic like this. Or rather, I've only read about it in a series of books by a junior high school teacher.

- "Harry Potter"? I didn't think wizards read that stuff.

- I'm called an Ancient for my wisdom, not my rigidness. Many of my students forget that despite my abilities and age, I am still a human being with my own hobbies.

- Is there a version of this world where Harry stays with Hermione?

- There is," the woman smiled lightly. - But I came to talk to you about something else. I want to tell you a story.

- I like stories. Too bad there's no popcorn.

In the same instant, a paper box containing his favourite sweet popcorn appeared on Stark's lap after a wave of the Ancient One's hand. Opening his mask, since there was no point in hiding anymore, he continued:

- Oh, even so? Well, then, I'm ready to listen.

- When I was a young and stupid hundred-year-old girl," Stark almost choked on the popcorn he'd stuffed in his mouth, "I wanted to help everyone I could. I travelled from village to village to village, curing illness and injury. Word about me began to spread worldwide, and after a few years, people came to see me. A temple was built for me, which became the future residence of the Kamar-Taj mages, and I was honoured as a goddess. My every word was obeyed as an immutable law and order. However, people have two unpleasant properties: they get used to good things, and their memory is short. As time went on, I got more and more complaints. That not so cured then was obliged to come myself, then in the death of a child who fell off a cliff accused me. They said it was me who didn't see it through. My teacher warned me that people should be firmly put down in such cases. But I was young and sincerely trying to help everyone I could. I had no more time for anything else; I was exhausting myself because so many people were suffering. And one day, I exhausted myself. I couldn't heal. But people kept coming and coming, getting angrier and angrier. They thought I was obligated to help them. They stopped bringing me food and only the most grateful followers remained. Ultimately, they attacked me and set fire to my then-still wooden castle. I saved myself thanks to the followers who later became my disciples.

- That's a cautionary tale, but you said that Kamar Taj became the residence of the magicians. How, if it was burnt down?

- We came back hundreds of years later and rebuilt it. I wanted to live in a place that reminded me that people are ungrateful and greedy creatures who are always short of everything... But even among them, some will follow you to the end of the world and give their lives for you.

- So you're suggesting that I only help those closest to me?

- Would I find my loved ones if I only helped those around me? I've told you what I wanted to tell you, so you can draw your own conclusions as I did," the Ancient One opened the portal.

- Wait, what about the other version of Harry Potter? - Stark remembered.

- I'll send it to you.

- By portal?

- You know, Mr Stark, there is such a thing as email," the woman grinned as she stepped inside.

Is it just me, or did you just get 'bumped'? - asked the electronic voice in the helmet.

- Oh, shut up, Jarvis," Stark rolled his eyes.

Space returned to normal, and Tony had a terrible urge to see Pepper. Which he didn't deny himself.

- Better tell me, where's our CEO?

- Miss Potts is currently in Stark Tower in a meeting.

- Great!

Tony took off, heading for his tower and looping between the skyscrapers. There was no desire to use the apparatus - not only was this way of travelling unpleasant for the vestibular apparatus, but the whole soul was whimpering from overload. And you should have listened to the ancient magician, who, albeit ornate, told you: "Don't strain yourself, Tony. Relax your buns." Why she'd come to him, he didn't know, and, in fact, he had no desire or energy to think about the reason. It could be the intrigue of a powerful magical woman or really just friendly advice.

Tony flew up to the thirty-ninth floor of the building where Pepper was holding a meeting just then. The panoramic windows were covered with curtains, but it was his building, and he had artificial intelligence. So their discovery should have been worth mentioning. Stark considered the people present. Some he had seen glimpses of, some he was familiar with, but for the most part, new young faces were seen everywhere. Most of the bigwigs and senior managers had either fled like rats from a sinking ship or had been helped by Miss Potts, who had begun a global purge after Obadiah's betrayal, assisted by Jarvis, who was counting the embezzlements and frauds as he went along. Those with minor misdemeanours were warned; the rest were given a kick in the arse and a lawsuit.

Stark admired Pepper. She had been rather meek in his presence. Still, here she acted like a queen, like a redheaded Valkyrie with emerald eyes and a good figure, which was not spoilt by the business suit. The woman wasn't a magazine cover beauty, but in his eyes, she was better than a hundred models. Or is all this false, and he is just a fool in love with his assistant. However, one does not interfere with the other. At last, the blinds opened, and Tony noticed them as he cut a hole in the glass with the finger of his glove. Alas, the windows in the skyscraper did not open, and he was too lazy to climb down from the bottom.

- Good morning, everyone. Am I stealing this beautiful lady from you? - Stark asked in a changed voice. Only in such a tone and with such insolence that Pepper immediately squinted her eyes. - Miss Potts, you are needed in an extremely important matter! The fate of the world depends on it! No refusal is acceptable!

And before anyone could say or do anything, he swept the girl up in his arms and flew with her into the window opening. He was not afraid of missing Pepper because, besides the powerful electromagnets, the palms of the exobroni were covered with a microscopic composition, repeating the action of geckos' paws. Because of this, Tony could hold even non-metallic objects weighing more than three hundred kilograms on his upturned palm.

- Who are you, and what do you want from me? - The girl said coldly, not too successfully trying to hide her fear. - I warn you, I have a stun gun!

- Do you think it will affect me?

- Oh, Tony, why did you sneak me out of the meeting? - Pepper suddenly inhaled heavily. - We were just discussing the plan for the Stark Expo.

- You have me confused with someone else. I can't be a cool rich, handsome man like Tony Stark! - he indignantly replied, then continued in a calm, tired voice: "And how long have you known?

- As soon as I saw your costume. You and conspiracy are two completely opposite things," the girl explained. - Now, can you tell me why you fought with those monsters? Are you completely stupid? Do you know how worried I was?

- Why didn't you tell me right away?

- Would you have listened?

Stark had nothing to say to that. He wouldn't have listened. After making a circle around Stark's Tower, the man landed on its top, where a table, candles, a bottle of champagne on ice, glasses and two dishes - fried salmon with salad on one and steak with fried potatoes on the other - had already been set up. This was all done by the servants who had been given the task by Jarvis. That's why he was flying over the city for the time being.

- Will you join me for breakfast? Damn, I've lost track of time.

- Was it hard? - Pepper sat down at the table and watched as the pieces of armour came off and flew off into the depths of the room.

They were enchanted with animating charms, so Stark didn't need manipulators to remove them. At this point, it became clear that Stark was being brave. Slumped shoulders, tired eyes, no outward manifestations, but the girl had long known her at first superior and now... who? Yes, she liked him... She'd been in love with this shithead and womaniser for a long time! Only because of the latter she didn't want to deepen her relationship with him. She didn't want to be another girl in his bed and suffer heartbreak.

- Fighting the Hulk and that ugly grey monster was easier. You didn't have to choose who to help and who to doom. There you don't feel powerless, having dug up a person on the last breath and literally in a moment not having time to save him... Okay, I have some sad stories. Let's hear yours.

- No, I'm ready to listen.

Pepper realised that facing something like that would be a hardship, even for a normal person. It was even harder for Tony, who had lived his whole life with little or no misfortune, and he just needed to talk it out. Why else had he kidnapped her in such an extravagant way in the first place?

- Well, whatever...

So Tony started talking. Slowly, thoroughly, starting with the attack on the convoy. He told of his wounding, his captivity, his friend's escape and death, and his merging with the spirit. Yes, this time, he told everything without notes. The plate of food was untouched; Pepper poured herself some champagne. And when she ran out, she asked for something stronger. It wasn't a good listen when sober. Towards the end of the story, when he began to tell how he had pulled out the wounded, the girl couldn't stand it and, letting a tear fall, hugged Tony. She dozed off in his arms. Alcohol, excitement and fatigue had taken their toll. Stark carried her to his bed, removed her shoes and covered her with a blanket. He went to sleep on the sofa in the living room so as not to embarrass her later.