Tony underwent a medical examination at the hospital. His condition was worse than Potts had expected and better than Yinsen had expected. All in all, it was neither good nor bad.
The main issue was the material used for the exterior of the reactor in Tony's chest, but that was not something they could fix right away. Tony would have to build a new one himself.
With the examination over, nothing else stood in Tony's way. He had Potts contact the media to arrange an impromptu press conference.
Yinsen declined Tony's suggestion that he head back to Stark Tower first to rest, so they left the hospital together and went straight to the press conference venue.
Their car pulled into the grounds, where people in suits stood all around it, applauding. A bald old man with a white beard stood near the hood, wearing a yellow polka-dot tie. When the door opened, he stopped adjusting his tie and approached with his arms spread wide.
"Look who it is! Tony."
He pulled Tony into a tight hug before Tony had even finished stepping out, letting out a "Wow!" Then he released him and said with a hint of apology:
"We wanted to come see you at the hospital."
"I'm fine."
"Look at you."
The old man wanted to exchange a few more pleasantries with Tony, but Tony seemed impatient. After only a few words, he strode off.
The old man's hand slipped off Tony's shoulder. He did not seem particularly bothered, though his eyes narrowed slightly behind his sunglasses. Then the two people getting out of the car caught his attention.
Yinsen lifted Qiqi out of the car and nodded to the old man.
The old man paused, then smiled.
"Oh, you must be Mr. Yinsen. Thank you for everything you've done for Tony. Please, come inside."
He spoke as though he were the host. Seeing how familiar he was with Tony, Yinsen thought little of it, but Qiqi found something odd about him.
Although he wore sunglasses, Qiqi could sense his gaze lingering on her every so often, seemingly by accident.
Qiqi felt a little uncomfortable, so she buried her face in Yinsen's chest.
A trace of displeasure crossed the old man's face when he saw what she did, but he quickly concealed it.
Fortunately, the media's attention was focused entirely on Tony. Camera flashes followed the figure ahead, and neither Yinsen nor Qiqi attracted the reporters' attention. They entered the venue without any trouble.
They stood at the back, while the old man continued forward and took a seat ahead of even the reporters.
Only then did Yinsen have a chance to ask Potts about him. She explained that the old man was one of the founders of Stark Industries, a close friend of Tony's father, and the company's largest shareholder after Tony. His name was Obadiah.
Potts thought very highly of Obadiah, not only because of his contributions to Stark Industries, but largely because he had helped her so much while Tony was missing.
Listening to Potts, Qiqi decided that this old man was a good person after all, and promptly forgot how uncomfortable he had made her feel.
Just then, a voice abruptly cut in.
"Miss Potts."
"Yes?"
Potts turned and saw a man who was also wearing a black suit, with an identification badge pinned to his chest.
She assumed he was another reporter who had failed to secure a spot near Tony and had come to her for information instead.
"May I ask you a few questions?"
Of course.
Potts cursed inwardly, but her manner remained impeccable. "Oh, I don't usually take questions. The press conference is about to begin."
To her surprise, however, the man denied being a reporter.
"I'm Agent Phil Coulson, with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."
Halfway through, Potts turned her face toward him.
"That's quite a mouthful."
Phil Coulson did not mind. He took out a business card and handed it to Potts.
"Yes, we're working on it."
Potts examined the information on the card. She had never heard of this department, but the government had plenty of covert agencies, and she had already dealt with quite a few.
"The Department of Defense, the FBI, and the CIA have already contacted us."
She said this to the man.
"We're a separate division with a more specific focus."
"We need to ask Mr. Stark about the details of his escape."
Hearing this, Yinsen involuntarily glanced at Coulson. He caught himself and quickly looked elsewhere.
Unlike Yinsen, who had inadvertently given something away, Potts offered a perfectly guarded response.
With a professional, practiced smile, she looked at Coulson and said evenly:
"I'll put it on the schedule, all right?"
"Thank you."
Coulson knew that wording meant an indefinite wait for a call, but he was an experienced agent. He showed no irritation, merely nodding and thanking her politely before leaving.
He did not go far. Instead, he found a spot where he could see Tony Stark while also keeping Potts and the others in view.
Once he had settled into position, Coulson touched his ear. A woman's voice came through the earpiece he wore.
"Yes, she's very cautious."
Coulson told the person on the other end, "I've seen Yinsen and the little girl named Qiqi. I don't think there's any issue with Yinsen, but the girl needs further observation."
The woman said a few words in response.
"No threat detected so far. I recommend maintaining the status quo."
Coulson replied.
"Yes, ma'am. I'll continue following up on this."
After ending the call, Coulson summoned another agent and whispered a few words to him. The agent glanced at the little girl in the distance, nodded to Coulson, and strode away.
Colonel Rhodey was naturally among those invited, but he could not understand why Tony was so eager to hold a press conference.
Seeing the reporters sitting all over the floor at Tony's "request," he made his way over to Potts.
"How did this turn into a hippie gathering?"
"Don't ask me. I have no idea what he's trying to do either."
As Potts listened to Tony talk about never getting to say goodbye to his father, and his understanding of manufacturing weapons and contributing to society, she felt moved, a smile tugging at her lips. Just as she began to believe this experience had finally helped him mature and develop a sense of social responsibility, Tony dropped a bombshell that brought her thoughts to a screeching halt.
"Effective immediately, I'm shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark International."
"Oh my God. Oh my God."
It was not just Potts. The explosive announcement sent the reporters sprawled across the floor into a frenzy like a horde of zombies. They surged forward and surrounded Tony.
"Until I decide on the company's future and the direction it should take."
Before Obadiah pulled him away, Tony finished what he had to say:
"A direction I can accept, one that serves this country's best interests."
This was not a spur-of-the-moment impulse, but a decision he had made after long consideration.
Not that everyone welcomed it. Obadiah, for instance, looked livid, all traces of his earlier warmth gone.
The venue descended into chaos as reporters shoved their way forward. For safety's sake, Yinsen and the others left first, and Potts took them to a lounge inside the venue.
"I'm going to check on him."
"I'll come with you."
Potts understood that Yinsen was just as concerned about Tony. She was the only one with a key card to this lounge, so it was safe. She crouched down and told Qiqi, "Qiqi, we'll be out for five minutes. Stay here and play for a little while."
She took out a tablet, found a cartoon popular with children, and started playing it. Then she placed the tablet on the table.
"Watch some cartoons, Qiqi. We'll be back very soon."
Qiqi nodded and sat on the soft rug. She pulled the tablet off the table and curiously watched the little ducks on the screen, bouncing around and talking.
Seeing how well-behaved the little girl was, Potts and Yinsen left without any worries.
Outside the venue, the reporters were still clamoring to ask questions.
"Mr. Obadiah, what's your opinion on this?"
"Will Stark Industries stop all weapons sales, both internationally and domestically?"
"Mr. Stark, what is your objective in shutting down the weapons manufacturing division?"
"Why are you suddenly closing the company's weapons manufacturing division? Did something happen?"
"Mr. Stark! Mr. Stark!"
"Please make way."
Yinsen pushed the reporters aside and rescued Tony from the crowd.
"My God, what have you done?"
"This is something I've wanted to do for a long time, Yinsen."
Amid all the chaos, Tony remained calm. He felt as though he had finally settled something important, and was even a little relieved.
Back in the lounge, he was even interested in watching cartoons with Qiqi. He picked her up and settled her on his lap, holding the tablet as he offered his commentary:
"Wow, let's see what fun thing Qiqi's watching. What's this? A duck conference?"
"Qiqi is watching Mickey vs. Psyduck."
The girl spoke earnestly.
"Oh, that's a pretty strange title," Tony remarked. He pulled up the cartoon's title, which clearly read Little Duck Squad.
"This is Mickey." Qiqi pointed to one of the little ducks. "This is Psyduck," she explained earnestly.
"The uncle who was here earlier... told Qiqi."
The uncle who was here earlier?
Wait, someone had been here?!
Before you continue