Tony slowly sank back onto the sofa.
His gaze lingered on Henry's image on the screen, his eyes growing complicated.
Memories resurfaced.
He remembered their childhood—Henry, always trailing behind him like a little shadow.
He remembered after their parents died—Henry, who suddenly became silent and obsessive overnight.
He remembered that freezing cave in Afghanistan—when Henry, clad in black armor, descended from the skies to bring him home.
And Tony realized… he had never truly understood his brother.
He only knew Henry was smart—smarter than him, even.
He only knew Henry was strong—far stronger than he ever imagined.
But he had no idea what kind of weary heart lay hidden beneath that mask of carelessness Henry wore.
"JARVIS," he suddenly rasped.
"Yes, sir?"
"Pull up all my father's private files. Highest clearance."
"Right away, sir."
The screen shifted, countless electronic documents filling it.
Howard Stark's legacy.
Tony quietly flipped through them, searching for the last traces his father had left in the world.
Maybe, just maybe, he could find an answer there.
The night deepened.
In the lab, only Tony remained, accompanied by JARVIS's occasional data reports.
No one knew how much time passed before Tony's face finally showed a bitter smile of sudden realization.
"So that's it…" he muttered.
Buried deep within a WWII-era Strategic Scientific Reserve asset report, he uncovered a secret. A private correspondence between Howard Stark and Wakanda's former king, T'Chaka.
In the letter, Howard had asked T'Chaka to sell him a small piece of vibranium to forge a shield to protect his family.
But he was refused.
"That old man…" Tony's eyes reddened as he stared at the words.
"So, all along, he…"
He had always thought his father was cold, obsessive, even inhuman—a mad scientist.
But now, he saw the truth. Howard had simply been a father trying, in his own way, to protect his family.
Tony leaned back in his chair, staring at a photo of his father in his youth. Confident. Proud. Those eyes seemed to cut across time to meet his own.
Bitterness welled inside him. Understanding. But above all, that damn pride and stubbornness.
Howard Stark—world-changing genius—had once humbled himself to ask for help, just to shield his family.
And he failed.
"Idiot," Tony cursed under his breath—though whether at the closed-off king, the father who set aside his pride and still failed, or himself, he didn't know.
He rose, pacing the lab.
The irritation from Wakanda's earlier rejection was gone.
What replaced it was calm—and a burning resolve.
Henry, that bastard, had been right. Trying to strong-arm with Iron Man's fame was the stupidest approach.
Against a nation that had hidden itself for centuries, threats and bravado would only breed hostility.
He needed another way.
A Stark way.
"JARVIS." He drew a deep breath, voice steady and commanding once more.
"Draft another email to Wakanda's ambassador."
"And the subject line…" He paused, a sly grin curling on his lips.
"Howard Stark's Unfinished Business."
"And the content, sir?" JARVIS asked gently.
Tony hesitated. His eyes lingered on his father's photo. He was no longer just a son seeking help—he was Tony Stark, the businessman who bent industries to his will.
After all, failure is just the mother of success. And in Tony Stark's dictionary, there was no such word as failure.
Drawing another deep breath, he spoke calmly:
"Write this…
'My father, Howard Stark, once presented you with a vision for the future—a vision that could have made the world safer. Unfortunately, blinded by shortsightedness and prejudice, you rejected him.
Now, his son, Tony Stark, is giving you one more chance. A chance to take part in the future.
I possess the most advanced clean energy technology on Earth—enough to propel your hidden nation into a new energy era overnight. And you possess the most unique resource in the world.
Together, we can complete the vision my father could not. Or, you can keep clutching your black stone, hiding in your little kingdom, until the world leaves you behind.
I don't care what you choose. With or without you, I will change the world.
I simply think it would be a shame for a nation with such history and culture to be forgotten by time.
The choice is yours.
Tony Stark—Architect of the Future.'
Send it."
When he finished, he slowly sat back down.
He no longer paced, no longer fumed.
He simply picked up the cold coffee and drank it, sip by sip.
He knew he had done everything he could.
The rest wasn't up to fate.
It was up to their intelligence.
Time slipped quietly by.
Only the hum of machines and JARVIS's occasional reports broke the silence.
"Sir, Mr. Henry's vital signs remain stable. Heart rate 42 beats per minute. Cellular energy conversion efficiency has risen to—"
"Sir, detecting abnormal encrypted fluctuations on the Wakanda Embassy's external network. Appears to be… high-level communications."
Tony said nothing. He just listened, eyes calm, steady as stone.
An hour passed. Maybe two.
Finally, as Tony's coffee neared its end, JARVIS's voice came again—this time tinged with delight.
"Sir, incoming message. A reply from Wakanda's royal family."
Tony froze, body taut.
Slowly, he lifted his head.
"Read it."
"Yes, sir."
JARVIS's voice echoed through the quiet lab.
"'To the Architect of the Future, Tony Stark.
Your father was a dreamer worthy of respect. Your arrogance mirrors his.
Wakanda does not fear the challenges of time, nor does it worry about being forgotten.
But you are right—a nation that only clings to what it has, without advancing, has no future.
My sister, Princess Shuri—Wakanda's foremost scientist—is intrigued by the clean energy you speak of.
In twenty-four hours, she will await you at the Wakanda International Outreach Center in New York.
Bring with you a vision greater than your father's.
King T'Challa of Wakanda.'"
***
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