Exchange

Fanny didn't actually leave through the portal; he just wanted to tease Tony. Tony's request had piqued his curiosity.

Fanny silently savored the tea that Pepper had brewed, ignoring Tony's awkward discomfort. The atmosphere was quiet and leisurely.

"C'mon, you said you have something to discuss with him," Pepper couldn't stand it anymore and urged Tony. Tony had only told her to bring Fanny over, so she had no idea about the topic at hand.

"It's just a small problem. Trivial. Hey, weren't you busy with company business? You should go back first!" Tony shooed Pepper away instead of following her prompt.

Pepper was infuriated at this treatment. Their relationship has developed since the Iron Monger incident, and they had become an official couple, yet Tony had used her like a walking phone to call Fanny.

Someone once asked, what was the difference between an angry girlfriend and a terrorist?

You can negotiate with a terrorist!

Pepper picked up her handbag angrily and threw her cell phone in it while glaring at Tony. She turned at Fanny, "Fanny, I'm sorry I called you over all of a sudden. I'll treat you to a meal next time."

"It's alright." Fanny smiled. He turned to look at the silent Tony—he more or less understood the matter at hand.

The room became quiet after Pepper stormed off. After minutes of silence, Tony finally began speaking, "I have tested all known elements."

"Every single one!" Tony hesitantly continued in a low voice, "But I still can't find any replacement."

"I know!" Fanny replied nonchalantly. It would be surprising if Tony could find a replacement on his own.

He had guessed that this would be the topic when Tony chased Pepper out.

"I have a few months left, at most." Tony opened his clothes, revealing the blackened blood vessels around the miniaturized ark reactor. It looked a little scary. "Tell me, what should I do?"

Tony wouldn't have called Fanny if there was any other way. Their relationship was…strange, to say the least. They had experienced life-and-death situations together—well, one of them almost died, but their relationship wasn't really that good.

Moreover, he had always been the one asking Fanny for help. He had never returned anything, which very much hurt Tony's pride.

Fanny hesitated when he saw Tony's chest. He didn't know if he should reveal that Tony's father had researched a new element.

Then again, it didn't seem to matter much if he tells Tony right now. This plot point only served to let Tony experience despair and to get him involved with SHIELD.

Fanny's intervention had seemingly reduced the initial sense of despair, but Tony had experienced it regardless after knowing that his days were numbered.

As for the favor owed to a particular one-eyed bald director...

Fanny looked at Tony and said, "I think you have misunderstood something about your father!"

"What?" Tony was stunned. Fanny's reply was unrelated to the problem at hand.

"You said that you have tried all combinations of elements, but that's not necessarily true." Fanny ultimately decided to tell Tony about it. He, of course, wanted Tony to develop more armor as soon as possible, but he also wanted Tony to do other things. It would be better if he didn't spend too much time dealing with this problem.

"What do you mean?" Tony frowned. He doubted that he had missed any elements.

"SHIELD held some of your father's keepsakes. He almost developed a new element but couldn't quite do it with the technology available to him. He had no choice but to leave it to you."

"You mean my father invented a new element? Why would SHIELD have his research?" Tony's eyes were filled with confusion.

"I shouldn't tell you this." Fanny sighed helplessly. "The data has always been with you. The keepsakes at SHIELD only held some clues to find it."

"Still, why would those clues be with SHIELD?" Tony repeated.

"Because your father helped found it. He probably thought that you weren't ready to inherit it when he died."

"Wait, are you saying my father founded this organization?" Tony's eyes widened. "I never knew about this. Was he also an agent?"

"You should get used to being surprised!" Fanny tried to lighten Tony's mood, but it obviously didn't work well. He continued while looking at Tony's darkening face, "Anyway, that's why I said you misunderstood something about your father."

"Can this element replace palladium?!" Tony returned the conversation to the main point. What he needed was a solution.

"Yes. Your miniaturized ark reactor was derived from the big one, and the big one was your father's unfinished technology. This new element would complete it."

"Even after all these years, I still couldn't surpass him." Tony laughed at himself. He looked at Fanny with a complicated expression and muttered, "Although it was my father who solved my problem, I still have to thank you for telling me."

"Well, I actually have a few things you can help me with."

That sentence instantly brightened Tony's face. He smirked at Fanny, "Go on."

"After you complete a new armor, let me help you test its combat prowess." Fanny set his plan to use Iron Man as an infinite experience dummy into motion. He had been holding back on the plan because Tony already had too much on his plate, including the palladium poisoning, which would prevent him from using the armor too much.

"Alright!" Tony agreed without hesitation. He added in a mocking tone, "Don't go crying to your mother if you lose!"

Fanny flipped the bird at Tony and continued, "Also, I need something very important from SHIELD, but I obviously can't get it on my own. I thought that you could help me with it."

"What thing?" Tony's face turned serious. Fanny was an almost-friend, but he couldn't help him without knowing the details.

"A piece of specific alien technology," Fanny explained, "It's a device that is very dangerous for people on Earth—it might kill normal people just by touch. Only people with special characteristics can touch it."

"Alien technology?" Tony's interest as a researcher flared at the interesting request.

"If you can get it, I'll let you research it—just don't break it." Fanny was actually worried about the hidden danger of the device, so letting Tony research it works in his favor.

"The device is a massive silver obelisk." Fanny used his hand to demonstrate the rough size. "It had killed people before, so it's strictly contained."

"I'll see what I can do," Tony replied vaguely. He hesitated to give a clear answer because he wasn't sure he could get something that belonged to SHIELD.