Get up there! After him!

Five minutes before Tony was attacked.

"Coulson, I'm sorry, but I can't fulfill your request."

Over the phone, Professor Charles, who had just regained consciousness, told Coulson, "All I can tell you is that Qiqi isn't a mutant. Her situation is far more complicated."

Coulson frowned at that. Instinctively, he asked Professor Charles on the other end of the line:

"Did you see something in her memories?"

After all, he had been among the first to learn that Professor Charles had passed out. Such a drastic change in the professor's attitude made it difficult not to speculate about the reason.

"Her memories are very chaotic. I only saw her past," Professor Charles told Coulson.

"Her past?" Coulson was baffled.

But Professor Charles offered no explanation. Instead, he went on to make his intentions clear:

"For certain reasons, I can't tell you exactly what those memories contained. I do have one piece of advice, though..."

"Please, go ahead."

"Don't investigate any further," Professor Charles said.

Those words stunned Coulson. Confused, he asked:

"But..."

"Stop pursuing this," Professor Charles interrupted him. "Once the unknown things in her memories become known, they will draw the attention of a powerful being."

Coulson fell silent.

"So that's why you were injured?"

Coulson suddenly caught on and asked Professor Charles.

Professor Charles sighed and said:

"Perhaps."

The answer offered no certainty. Though Coulson felt a little disappointed, he still chose to believe him.

"...That's all I can say, Coulson. Sometimes, knowing too much isn't a good thing."

"Understood. I'll remember your warning."

Coulson replied to Professor Charles.

Professor Charles did not continue the conversation. He hung up instead.

Sitting on a sofa on the ground floor of the Stark Industries building, Coulson pondered his words. It seemed he needed to reassess this world.

With Professor Charles's attempt having failed, S.H.I.E.L.D. had no choice but to take a more direct approach. That was why Coulson had arranged a meeting with Miss Potts today. He had not expected Professor Charles to warn him before he even met her.

Memories alone had injured Professor X, one of the most powerful mutants. That was extraordinary in itself. Even without revealing what those memories contained, the professor had given Coulson plenty of information to work with.

Click, click, click.

The rapid clicking of high heels against the floor rang out.

Coulson looked up. Miss Potts, whom he had been waiting for all this time, was hurrying downstairs.

"Miss Potts? Our appointment..."

Coulson noticed that Miss Potts seemed to have lost her usual "professional composure" today. Her frantic steps and the hand clenched around her bag strap made that plain.

Potts nearly walked right past him when he spoke. What looked like a deliberate attempt to ignore him was certainly rude, but Potts swore she had no such intention.

God only knew what she had just seen on that computer!

It turned out Obadiah had been behind Tony's kidnapping all along. He had hired those terrorists to kill Tony.

Potts was shaken to her core. She did not even know how to describe her shock. In that state, her thoughts were so muddled that she had completely forgotten about her meeting with Coulson.

Fortunately, Coulson had spoken up to remind her. Otherwise, things really might have become awkward.

"Did you forget our appointment?"

Potts's dazed expression was so obvious that Coulson had to remind her again.

Only after hearing Coulson's reminder did Potts snap out of it.

"No, no. Right now. Come with me."

Potts kept walking. "We're talking now. Right now, immediately!"

"Now?"

Not expecting such a complete reversal in Miss Potts's attitude toward him, or the almost impatient urgency in her voice, Coulson got up from the sofa and followed her.

"Yes, come with me." "Okay, okay."

As Potts quickened her pace, Coulson sped up too. Her agitation left him no chance to ask questions, but it also made him realize how serious the situation was.

When Potts glanced back again, Coulson spotted Obadiah.

Having investigated the people around Tony Stark, Coulson naturally knew who he was. But the look in Obadiah's eyes, as though he wanted to tear Potts apart, startled him.

Seeing Obadiah's expression, Potts knew her theft of the information and discovery of his plot were no longer secret.

She made a decision without hesitation.

After realizing she had been exposed, Potts actually calmed down. She strode briskly along, with Coulson, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent beside her, perfectly placed to help.

"Let's go to your office. We need to have a serious talk, one you'll never forget."

"Tony!" "Tony!"

Colonel Rhodey had been on his way home when he received Potts's call. Once he learned that Tony was in danger and could no longer be reached, he ran several red lights, racing there at full speed.

He finally reached Stark Tower and found Tony in the workshop. Thank God he was all right, just a little pale.

"Tony, my God. You look like a corpse."

Rhodey spoke worriedly.

Tony waved a hand as the machines around him kept fitting the armor onto his body.

"Where's Pepper?"

Sweating and out of breath, Rhodey replied, "She's fine. She's got five agents with her. They're going to arrest Obadiah."

"Five."

Tony murmured the word. Ever since Obadiah had stolen his reactor, he had realized the man was most likely building armor too, because the nuclear reactor Tony had created was one of a kind.

Obadiah had kept asking him for the technology to miniaturize the nuclear reactor, and Tony had always refused. Pepper must have discovered something, driving Obadiah into a corner and making him come straight to Tony to steal it.

With the armor fully fitted, Tony lowered his faceplate.

"That is the coolest thing I've ever seen," Rhodey said enviously.

"Not bad, huh?"

Tony opened the skylight. He needed to get to Potts, but before that, there was one more thing to do.

"Anything you need me to do?"

Rhodey had raced across much of the neighborhood and only now had time to catch his breath. Sitting on the hood of one of Tony's luxury cars, he asked the man preparing to take off.

"Of course."

Tony's voice sounded slightly distorted through the armor:

"Keep anyone from getting into the air and interfering. And one more thing."

Rhodey was listening when he saw Tony pull a tiny figure from behind the armor's backside, then lift his hand and toss her over.

Startled, Rhodey hurriedly jumped off the car. He tipped his head back, eyes wide and arms outstretched, only just managing to catch the little girl.

"Take care of her."

With that instruction given, Tony had nothing left to worry about. He launched himself into the sky.

"Holy shit!"

Oh, for crying out loud!

The two left behind complained in unison.

Watching Tony disappear into the night sky, the adult and child, both blasted in the face by his exhaust, stared at each other. Each saw distaste in the other's eyes.

God, I don't know how to look after kids!

What the hell? My teammate ran off!

Rhodey set the little girl on the ground. He still remembered just how unusual this little one was.

In an instant, his pupils constricted.

A sharp gust swept past his ear, and an icy chill spread from the sword resting against his neck.

Rhodey looked at the gleaming metal blade, then at the expressionless little girl before him. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. The sudden turn of events had caught him completely off guard.

"Qiqi..."

"Take Qiqi... to find Tony."

Lin Ze: Buddy, I don't know the way.

Rhodey: Goddamn you, Stark. I must have owed you in a past life.