Found a Way Back

"Lin, thirty seconds left!" Tony's voice came through the earpiece. He had tossed it to Lin Yi just before flying off.

"Got it!" Lin Yi pushed his thoughts aside for now and quietly waited until there were a little over ten seconds left. Then he threw two more punches for good measure before making a quick getaway.

Hum!

The countdown hit zero. Like a shaft of light from the heavens, an enormous beam descended from high above and struck the ground where Anomalies 78 and 79 lay.

Boom!

The tremendous impact sent tremors spreading outward, making it hard not to wonder whether the entire tectonic plate was shaking.

"Holy crap. Tony had this thing aimed at me earlier?"

Lin Yi clicked his tongue. Should he be thankful Tony hadn't actually fired at him?

No, no. At that speed, Lin Yi would have had enough time to react and dodge.

When the energy beam vanished, it left an enormous, deep circular crater behind. The two Anomalies had been vaporized by the strike.

They stood there for a while, then left.

Pepper had been avenged, but that hadn't made this universe any better.

The danger remained. It had merely entered its next dormant phase.

Still, that didn't stop today from being the happiest day any of them had had in years.

That evening, after dealing with all the aftermath, they gathered at Tony's cabin.

Morgan had recovered under Lin Yi's healing magic. Magic couldn't do anything about her exhaustion, but excitement and happiness had temporarily pushed it down.

Blackie and Red... the two Spider-Men, that was. Both had their arms in slings and were wrapped in bandages, but they still insisted on coming to Tony's dinner.

Of course, the two had followed Morgan's lead and done absolutely nothing to stop her during that dangerous operation, so Tony gave them a thorough dressing-down.

Fortunately, nothing truly irreversible had happened. This incident had surely taught them a lasting lesson.

Anyway, enough about that.

"Lin, why don't you invite your two friends over too? That guy wearing a cloak—he wouldn't happen to be your universe's Strange, would he? He looks way too different from ours."

The burly version of Strange here had a cloak too. And the way he held his fingers in those delicate gestures was exactly the same! It would be nice to get acquainted.

Tony was also interested in learning more about that Peter, to see whether he might be a little more dependable than the Peter Parker from his own universe.

"Shit, I forgot about those two again!" Lin Yi's smile froze, and he scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

He glanced around, using Super Vision to look at the hotel, only to discover that Strange wasn't there.

Looking thoughtful, Lin Yi turned his gaze toward Kamar-Taj. Sure enough, he found Strange and The Ancient One. Strange was drinking tea with two Ancient Ones.

Poor Spider-Man was there too, huddled in a corner. What was going on?

As though sensing Lin Yi's gaze, the bald Ancient One actually smiled at him from afar and raised her cup.

Damn. Lin Yi hurriedly withdrew his gaze. Was The Ancient One's perception really that sharp?

"Never mind, never mind. Strange and Peter are at Kamar-Taj. They probably don't have time to come over."

"Kamar-Taj, they... never mind. We'll talk about it later." Tony hesitated, then went back to smiling.

There were still three children at the table. This wasn't the place to discuss such things.

Lin Yi murmured his agreement. That was something they could both agree on.

The lively atmosphere lasted until eleven that night. After the two Spider-Men left, Morgan pestered Tony for ages without success and finally had to accept that she was going straight to bed.

Once she accepted that reality, she... all the exhaustion she had been suppressing came flooding back. By the time she returned to her bedroom, she fell asleep before Tony could even turn off the light.

Tony closed the bedroom door and stood outside it in a daze for a while. Then he chuckled and headed toward the living room.

In the living room, Lin Yi was leisurely sipping juice.

He actually still had plenty of questions for Tony, though none of them were particularly important—like why Steve and Banner had appeared in such bizarre advertisements. Lin Yi hadn't been able to find them in New York, but judging by the update dates on those billboards, they should still be alive.

Lin Yi was curious about those things, but he would have to wait until they finished their real business before asking.

"So, ready to pick up our conversation from today?" Lin Yi asked with a smile. After what had happened, the two seemed to have grown considerably closer.

"Of course." Tony sat across from Lin Yi, smiling as well.

They had been interrupted by those two Anomalies just as their conversation reached the crucial point earlier that day. Now it was time to continue.

"Then tell me your terms, Tony. I have to get that isolation technology." Lin Yi's smile faded a little, replaced by a serious expression.

Tony grew serious too, though he had already changed his mind.

"You... saved Morgan today, so I no longer have any conditions."

"Tomorrow, I'll give you the compiled technology, along with two complete sets of equipment."

"Oh?" Lin Yi raised an eyebrow without saying anything. He knew Tony wasn't finished.

Tony paused for a moment, then continued, just as he expected. "I don't have any conditions, but I do have a request."

"I want Morgan to go back to your universe with you, so she can take refuge there for a while."

Lin Yi opened his mouth. He hadn't expected Tony to say that.

"Why?" Lin Yi neither refused nor agreed. He was simply puzzled as to why Tony would make such a request.

Tony sighed. "Morgan is everything I have left. I can't let her get hurt again."

"Over the past two years, the Anomalies' attacks have become more and more frequent. Only when Morgan is safe can I fight back with everything I have, without worrying about her."

"And some of those watching us are probably about to lose their patience. I'm afraid an even greater danger is coming."

"I don't know whether this place will become hell in the future, but I want Morgan to be safe."

"Your universe has the cosmic virus too, and it's also heading toward destruction, but it's only in the early stages. And it has you. You have more time and more hope."

"Besides, there's another me in your universe, and he has a Morgan too... Pepper is still alive as well."

"They won't turn Morgan away. Even if she's a Morgan from another universe, she can receive all the love she deserves there..."

Lin Yi was moved by Tony's words, and he couldn't help marveling at his love for his daughter.

The heavy atmosphere was getting to him. Deliberately relaxing, he smiled and asked Tony, "That confident, huh? Are you sure our Tony would accept an extra Morgan?"

Tony nodded solemnly.

"I know myself, and I trust myself. The me in another universe will absolutely accept her. She's Morgan! No matter which universe she's from, she's Tony Stark's daughter!"

"...You really have the nerve to gamble on that." Lin Yi was somewhat speechless.

"This isn't a gamble. You know I wouldn't wager Morgan's life and future."

"The photos you showed me and the way you treat Morgan don't lie."

"And I've spoken with Quantum Man. Quantum Man... has the same idea."

"Even if something unexpected really does happen, you'll protect her, won't you?"

Lin Yi's lips twitched, and he clicked his tongue. He opened his mouth, wanting to prove Tony wrong, but gave up.

"Fine. You win."

"I agree to your request! Even if that universe's Tony won't accept her, I'll protect Morgan." Lin Yi emphasized the word "request," clearly trying to needle Tony.

But Tony didn't mind. Instead, having achieved his goal, he smiled in relief again.

"What are you grinning for? Sure, I agreed, but what about Morgan? Have you talked to her? Has she agreed?"

Ack.

Like a duck with its neck caught, Tony's laughter stuck in his throat.

His expression shifted, and he sheepishly stopped smiling. "Tomorrow. I'll talk to her tomorrow. She'll definitely agree."

"Come find me at Stark Tower tomorrow afternoon."

Great, the confident dad was back. Lin Yi had been planning to ask about Steve and the others, but now he had lost interest.

"Sure! I'll head out, then. We'll talk at Morgan Tower tomorrow." He could ask about Steve and the others tomorrow if he got the chance.

Strange and Peter had already returned to the hotel. They had originally said they would rest there for the day, so who knew why they had gone to Kamar-Taj again? He could ask them when he got back.

Oh, and he also had to ask whether Strange could use portals, to test a few things.

Questions, questions, questions. Lin Yi felt like he was turning into a walking encyclopedia of a hundred thousand whys.

After leisurely making his way back to the hotel once more, Lin Yi felt that tonight was finally normal.

For once, neither of the two had a bruised and swollen face. A rare sight.

Strange wore a smile, and the first thing he said when he saw Lin Yi was, "We found a way back!"