They had not spent long at the base before, at Tony's insistence, the military sent a transport plane to take him home.
Luke hitched a ride on the plane as well.
"Hey, Luke, when did you find me?" Tony was sitting in a wheelchair now, at Rhodey's insistence.
After everything that had happened, he found it hard to trust many people, and there were too many suspicious things about Luke's appearance for him not to take notice.
"Hmm? Right before you came out. I was about to ask the military for help, but then you ran out on your own." Luke found a sheet of cloth and had two Shadow Ninjas hold it, then lay down in it like a hammock.
"Hmm." Tony nodded thoughtfully. The main issue was that Luke's appearance had been far too convenient. He had appeared just as Tony fought his way out, making Tony suspect that Luke had actually orchestrated everything.
Besides, Luke had appeared around him several times before the kidnapping, which made him even more suspicious. But afterward, everyone seemed to know Luke belonged to some bureau. Tony had never even heard of that bureau, though after searching online, he did find quite a bit of information about S.H.I.E.L.D.
Why hadn't he known anything about this bureau? As one of the United States' wealthiest men and a supergenius, he had been in touch with almost every government department in the country. Why had he never dealt with this one?
"Was your department only established recently? I don't remember the United States having any departments with superpowered people." Tony wore a faintly mocking expression, but Luke still caught his meaning.
"You suspect me of orchestrating all this and kidnapping you?" Luke put down his handheld console.
Tony's expression gradually grew grave.
"All right, let me answer your questions." Luke spread his hands.
"The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division is an advanced technology organization founded after World War II, led by top American scientists and incorporating some German scientists and resources." Luke revealed some information about S.H.I.E.L.D. "After World War II. What a coincidental time, wouldn't you say?"
"Almost all the top American scientists of that period joined the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, though back then it was called the Strategic Scientific Reserve."
"All right, my turn to ask a question. Who were the top American scientists during World War II? Name the one you knew best, the one who left the deepest impression on you!" Luke hopped out of the hammock and walked over to Tony.
Tony looked utterly stunned.
"The greatest scientist during World War II... Howard Stark. My dad."
Luke nodded. "The Strategic Scientific Reserve was founded by your dad and a group of people active on the battlefields of World War II, including Miss Carter."
Watching Tony sink into thought, Luke continued, "You're Howard's son, so after you were captured, S.H.I.E.L.D. mobilized fully. Even I, a security consultant who had only just joined S.H.I.E.L.D., sent nearly four hundred ninjas to look for you."
As he spoke, countless ninjas appeared behind Luke.
Rhodey was arranging things in the forward cabin of the transport plane. When he saw the scene on the monitor, he hurried out.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
Luke turned and called back, "Nothing. Tony wanted to see my ninjas, since they're the ones who got him out of there. I guess he wants to invite them to a big party."
Rhodey was a little suspicious, but he did not get too worked up. The ninjas did not particularly shock him. Luke had already sent over a hundred of them out when he arrived at the base, and Rhodey had gotten all his shock out then. Now he simply regarded Luke as a mutant.
"Okay, keep it low-key. Don't go too wild. We're at thirty-three thousand feet right now. If we fall, we probably won't even be able to tell our body parts apart."
Luke gave him a thumbs-up and sent the Shadow Ninjas back.
"All right, genius. About your suspicions of me."
Luke paused. "You can think of me as a traveler who just left his homeland and came here, then was hired by the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division as a security consultant. Then, while having fun at the annual top personalities awards ceremony, I met a certain asshole. And because of a certain asshole, I went off to a desert and spent half a month there to rescue an asshole. My timing was a coincidence, but that's all it was. I can't explain it. It depends on who you believe. Maybe God arranged it."
"Satisfied now?" Luke said bluntly, hopping back into the hammock.
Tony's face was livid. He had suddenly learned far too much and been called an asshole to boot.
He usually only heard that nickname in bed. He had never expected to be called it by a man, but the most annoying thing was that he was the one in the wrong.
Tony was not an unreasonable person. You could call him arrogant and sharp-tongued, but he was an extremely reasonable man.
After sitting in silence for a long time, Tony glanced at Luke and said something very quietly.
"Sorry."
Luke could not believe his ears. Tony had actually apologized?
"Uh, all right, then we're good. Seeing as you gave me thirty million dollars, I'll forgive you."
Luke spoke awkwardly. When it came down to it, part of the reason for all this was that he had not rescued Tony. Though that was a bit of a stretch, he really had been there at the time and watched Tony get taken away.
Neither knew what to say next, and the atmosphere grew a little awkward.
Luke felt a little uncomfortable too and gave it some thought.
"Want to lie down for a while?"
Luke patted the hammock.
"I don't get into men's beds," Tony said with a look of distaste.
"Just like you never take things people hand you, but earlier you took a cheeseburger straight from my hand instead of making me throw it on the ground for you to pick up."
Seeing Tony look a little embarrassed again, Luke spread his hands.
"Oh, come on. These aren't the only two supports I've got."
With a wave of his hand, two more Shadow Ninjas appeared and found a sheet of cloth on their own to make a hammock.
"Need someone to lift you in?" Luke asked Tony in his wheelchair.
"Sure." Tony tried, but failed.
A Shadow Ninja appeared and lifted Tony into the hammock in a bridal carry.
"Thanks, buddy. It would've been even better if you hadn't carried me like that."
Tony spoke to the Shadow Ninja, but the ninja vanished without responding.
"He's really aloof. Where do they stay, anyway?"
Tony thought Luke's ability had something to do with space, and that these guys were his subordinates.
"The Shadow World. It's a dimension that came into existence through my ability. They're not human, either, and they can't talk."
Luke explained. He did not doubt that Tony would understand.
"Another dimension. Amazing. Are these ninjas native inhabitants of that dimension? How did you bring them under your control?"
"That dimension belongs to me, so naturally they belong to me too. As I see it, they're aggregations of energy, taking shape based on my most vivid memories of that kind of energy."
"So if your impression of that kind of energy were different, they might not look like this?"
"Right. In a sense, they're childhood memories of mine."
Luke spoke to Tony while playing on his handheld console.
Tony gave Luke a skeptical look.
"You're Chinese, right? Why would these ninjas be your childhood memories? I mean... you know."
"They're the villain's minions in that animated series, but anyone with that kind of Command Spell can command them."
Seeing Tony's curious gaze, he said, "The protagonists once gained the power to command them too, and after that, these ninjas left us with a different impression. Back then, we all thought they could do anything."
Tony nodded. "Anything. Yeah, I understand. When I was little, I thought my father could do anything too..."
Not knowing why he had started talking about his father, Tony paused, then changed the subject. "Don't they need to move around? Won't they get tired holding that position all the time?"
Luke glanced at Tony. Tony still did not really understand his father now, but he would in the future.
"They don't need rest, food, or air. Their stamina is limitless, and they can't die."
Tony duly showed his astonishment, and the two slowly fell into conversation over the course of the journey.
Before you continue