The next morning, Lynn was woken by JARVIS.
"Mr. Lynn, Mr. Stark asked me to remind you that you leave for Monaco in forty minutes. Breakfast is ready."
Lynn sat up in the guest bed, scratched his head, and glanced out the window.
Morning light over the Pacific Ocean spilled through gaps in the clouds in shafts, painting the sea in varying shades of gray-blue. He pulled on his jacket and went downstairs. Yinsen was already sitting at the kitchen island drinking coffee, leafing through a French travel guide.
"You're even planning an itinerary?" Lynn poured himself some coffee and spread butter on his toast.
"It's my first time going to Monaco. I want to look around and see what makes different countries distinctive." Yinsen closed the guide. "Though I'm not sure whether Tony's going to race or show off."
"Both." Tony's voice came from the hallway before he appeared. "The Grand Prix de Monaco Historique. There's a team I sponsor. Are you two sure you don't want to give it a try?"
He picked up the chlorophyll juice on the counter and took a gulp.
The doorbell rang.
Pepper stood at the door, with someone beside her. Lynn came out of the kitchen holding his coffee, about to say, "Come on in"-then he saw the woman standing behind Pepper.
Long, deep-red hair fell beside her shoulders, its ends slightly curled. Her features were finely sculpted. She wore a simply tailored dark suit, her posture straight without being stiff, a professional assistant's standard polite smile on her lips.
Lynn knew she was Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff. A top agent trained by the Red Room, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s sharpest blade. Before transmigrating, he had watched her on-screen countless times, and every appearance made it impossible to look away.
Pepper noticed his expression and turned her head slightly to glance at him. Tony happened to come out of the kitchen and saw Lynn's expression too. He looked at Natasha behind Pepper, and a knowing smile slowly curved his lips.
"This is Natalie Rushman. She's an assistant transferred from Legal, currently helping me handle some day-to-day matters."
"Natalie, this is Lynn, Tony's friend. And that's Doctor Yinsen."
"Nice to meet you both." She took two steps forward and offered Lynn her hand.
Lynn shifted his coffee to his left hand and took hers with his right, not letting go immediately. "Hello."
He heard his own voice still functioning normally, salvaging one last shred of dignity for his CPU, which was on the verge of smoking. Natasha gently withdrew her hand, the curve of her smile unchanged.
Tony leaned against the counter, vegetable juice in hand, and turned toward Yinsen. "Yinsen, spring really is here. Just look at our Mr. Magician."
Yinsen raised his coffee cup without answering, but the curve of his lips gave him away.
Lynn pretended not to hear. He finished his coffee and set the cup beside the sink, never once looking in Tony's direction.
When it was time to leave, Lynn made a choice at lightning speed. Pepper and Natasha were taking separate cars to the airport. Pepper had the Rolls-Royce, while Natasha had the other car, a Mercedes-Benz. Lynn headed for the Mercedes-Benz without hesitation, while Yinsen chose the Rolls-Royce with a smile. Standing between the two cars, Tony watched Lynn open the Mercedes-Benz's rear door, pushed his sunglasses up his nose, and said to Pepper beside him, "He used to be pretty normal, right?"
Pepper did not answer. She merely sighed softly, ducked her head, and got into the car.
In the back of the Mercedes-Benz, Lynn sat beside Natasha, with an armrest console between them. The car was quiet, the air conditioning barely audible, and the coastal scenery outside the window slid steadily backward. Natasha was scrolling through her phone, its screen displaying what looked like a digital copy of a legal contract. Her posture was relaxed but not sloppy, one hand resting on her knee while the other held her phone. Her fingers were long and clean, her nails unpainted.
"Natalie?" he began, affecting a casual tone, though there was a distinct layer of care beyond how he usually spoke to Tony.
"Hmm?" Natasha looked up from her phone and turned toward him. Seeing those eyes up close made that face's devastating appeal rise exponentially.
"What area did you mainly handle in Legal?" Lynn leaned toward her, using the conversation to close the distance a little.
"Contract review and compliance checks. After Ms. Potts became CEO, I took over some of her former duties."
"Then does Mr. Stark have much contact with you day to day?" The moment the words left his mouth, Lynn wanted to slap himself. That question could not have been any stupider.
Natasha's lips curved slightly, in a way entirely different from her polite smile at the door. "Mr. Stark trusts Ms. Potts more. I just handle some paperwork."
"That's how he is. Nobody's good enough for him." Lynn leaned back in his seat. "But I heard you had quite an impressive résumé before joining Stark Industries, Miss Natalie. You speak several languages?"
Natasha switched off her phone screen and turned to look at him. What this man knew clearly went beyond the scope of "Tony's friend."
"A little." She did not ask how he knew.
The car fell silent for two seconds. The driver concentrated on the road, occasionally glancing in the rearview mirror. Natasha did not elaborate, and Lynn did not press her. He simply leaned against the seat back, keeping a distance that was neither too close nor too far. Now and then, he glanced sideways at her, then quickly looked away.
She was studying his fingers, his shoulders, the unconscious physical habits he displayed when speaking. Her gaze lingered only briefly each time. Lynn pretended not to notice, but his fingers resting on his knee tightened slightly.
He knew what she was thinking: she was trying to determine whether Lynn was the person who had opened a portal at the Stark Industries factory grounds that night and saved Coulson.
Things became even more obvious aboard the plane. The interior of Tony's private jet was larger than most New York apartments, with leather seats arranged in a circle around a coffee table and a freshly opened bottle of champagne. Tony and Pepper sat together discussing the expo's opening proceedings, while Yinsen sat by a window, continuing to leaf through his French guide. Natasha sat alone toward the tail, holding a glass of soda water without ice and looking down at documents on her tablet.
Carrying a glass of orange juice, Lynn walked from the front cabin to the rear, pretending to look at the clouds outside. He slowly wandered over beside the seat opposite Natasha, stood there for two seconds, then openly sat down diagonally across from her. Not directly opposite her, which made it less deliberate, and not beside her, so she would not feel pressured. It was just the right spot for her to see him if she looked up, while still being able to keep reading her tablet if she did not want to.
"Have you been to Monaco, Miss Natalie?"
Natasha looked up, her fingers still resting on the tablet screen. "I passed through once on business."
"I hear the circuit was converted from city streets. Incredibly narrow, with tons of turns. Tony says he plans to race. I think he's just looking for a thrill."
Natasha set down her tablet, crossed her legs, and turned slightly toward him. "What do you think he needs a thrill for?" The question itself was small talk, but her tone held a hint of probing.
Lynn took a sip of orange juice and pushed the bait right back untouched. "He's been under a lot of stress lately. Racing could help him unwind. What do you think?"
"I think he needs a responsible way to relieve stress, not to treat his life like a game."
"That's when he's truly himself." Lynn smiled.