"Aren't you afraid I'll get lost?!"
Finney Hellseg understood Tony's anxious worry and replied somewhat helplessly, then said, "Call me if you have any problems. If it's urgent, give me your location first, the more detailed the better!"
"Thank you!"
At this moment, Tony was extremely grateful to Finney. He didn't know why Finney was helping him so much, but he could feel the sincerity. After hesitating for a moment, he finally whispered, "I'm very sorry about what happened before!"
Finney, hidden from view, looked startled. Having interacted with Tony before, he understood his personality better and was very surprised and curious that he would apologize.
"Has he already left?"
After a few seconds of no response, Tony assumed Finney had left and muttered, "You rude kid, this is Tony Stark's apology."
"So I should record it and keep it safe!?"
Finney snapped out of his daze and couldn't help but tease him.
"…"
Tony's face darkened again, but thankfully he was concerned for Pepper's safety; otherwise, they would have argued about it for ages.
"I'll go look for her."
Finney hadn't forgotten his purpose and was preparing to search for Pepper's whereabouts.
"Oh, wait a minute." Tony suddenly remembered something, pulled out a key card from a corner of the office, and held it up, saying, "This is my key card, take it."
Finney took it without hesitation; if Obadiah had really caught Pepper, he wouldn't have left her in the hallway.
The two parted ways. Finney had no particular purpose, just searching for seemingly empty rooms. After a while, he suddenly realized something.
When the phone rang, there probably weren't many people around, otherwise she wouldn't have asked him for help. Considering Stark Tower, the most likely scenario was that she was attacked in her office.
Pepper Potts was a grown woman, and Obadiah was a decrepit old man. Considering both his abilities and secrecy, it was unlikely he could take Pepper very far.
Thinking this, Finney immediately returned and began searching the area around the office. Finally, he found some noises in a locker in a room and located the imprisoned, pale, and weak Pepper Potts.
Freed from the 'Possessed' ability, Finney returned to normal and rescued Pepper.
"Hello, my name is Finney Hellseg, Tony's… friend, right?"
Finney introduced himself, though he hesitated slightly when using the word "friend," unsure if Tony truly considered him a friend.
"You're the boy Tony mentioned?"
Pepper asked weakly, looking at Finney, her eyes still bloodshot, as if she had suffered some torture at Obadiah's hands.
"Tony mentioned me?"
Finney was surprised again, but then realized that since Pepper had called him, it must be because of Tony; he just didn't know how Tony had evaluated him.
Pepper nodded laboriously, then urged anxiously, "Go tell Tony quickly that Obadiah ordered his kidnapping, and that he's also built a hidden facility under Sector 16 of the Arc Reactor project."
"It's alright, Tony already knows," Finney reassured Pepper, then took out his phone to call Tony, only to realize he didn't know Tony's number; his last call had clearly been tampered with.
"Do you know Tony's number?"
Fortunately, Tony's assistant was nearby. Finney handed him the phone, saying, "He's in the building right now, trying to find Obadiah's whereabouts. Call him first."
Pepper dialed the number skillfully, but waited a long time without an answer.
"This guy…"
Finney's expression changed, a sudden sense of foreboding rising in his heart. He asked Pepper, who was sitting on the ground, "Can you stand up?"
Pepper nodded, struggled to her feet, and then asked worriedly, "Has something happened to Tony?"
"I think he might have run into Obadiah."
Finney voiced his guess, then sighed with worry and asked, "Where do you think he would go to inquire about Obadiah's whereabouts?"
"Come with me!"
Pepper was probably more familiar with Stark Tower than Tony was, and upon hearing this, she immediately had an idea. She invited Finney to come along, but before setting off, she suddenly remembered something and said, "Right, let's call the police first. I know an agent named Coulson; we can call him first."
Finney, of course, knew Phil Coulson. He was a busy man at S.H.I.E.L.D., and one of the few subordinates that Director Nick Fury trusted.
"Don't rush, calling agents will only make things more complicated."
Finney didn't want to get involved with S.H.I.E.L.D., so he stopped Pepper from making the call, saying, "Find Tony first. Don't worry, I have a way to protect you."
If it were just Obadiah, Finney could easily take on ten of them, even without using the 'Possessed' ability.
Hearing Finney's words, Pepper was initially hesitant, but seeing Finney equip the 'Possessed' ability and become invisible again, she ultimately chose to trust him.
Pepper stumbled and rushed to a room, seemingly the main control room, where only Tony was sitting in a chair with his back to them.
"Tony!"
Pepper called out joyfully upon seeing Tony, but Tony didn't turn around and remained motionless.
The two noticed something was wrong and quickly ran over, finding Tony slumped in the chair, his face pale, his eyes filled with pain and a hint of relief at seeing Pepper, his lips trembling as if he wanted to say something.
Of course, most importantly, the small arc reactor in his chest that kept his heart beating was nowhere to be seen.
"You two are really a handful!"
Finney deactivated his invisibility, looked at Tony's condition, and sighed with distress. He nervously asked Pepper, "Does he have a spare at home?"
He was genuinely afraid his arrival would affect Tony; what would happen if the old one wasn't kept?
Seeing Tony's pained expression, Pepper was flustered and at a loss. Seeing Finney suddenly appear and speak, she reacted quickly and said, "Yes, in the studio. I'll go get the car!"
Finney secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"No need, that's too slow. Hold him steady."
This was Stark Tower in New York. If they waited for Pepper to drive back to Los Angeles, Tony would probably be dead by now. Luckily, he had learned how to use teleportation; otherwise, there might not be an Iron Man in the future.
Pepper didn't understand Finney's meaning at first, but when she saw a bright orange ring of fire appear before her, she was startled, especially when she realized the view opposite was the studio. Her eyes were filled with disbelief.
"Quick, take him in."
Finney opened the portal and went to Pepper's side to help Tony up. Seeing her dazed expression, she added, "Don't worry, it's just a portal, it won't hurt you."
Pepper snapped out of her daze; the most important thing now was to save Tony.
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(End of Chapter)