Smith Doyle's Instructions
Smith Doyle called Fox into his office and said,
"Here's the contact information for Pepper Potts, the secretary to the chairman of Stark Industries. I need you to prepare a list based on Bulma's procurement sheet — pick out the hard-to-get equipment and materials, about a hundred million dollars' worth, and hand it over to them."
Fox looked puzzled.
"Are we using their channels to make the purchases?"
Smith shook his head.
"No. They asked me for help rescuing someone, and part of the deal involves giving them a hundred million dollars' worth of equipment and materials."
Hearing the number, Fox froze for a moment. While the Assassin's League had never lacked money — she'd personally received several million over the years — a hundred million was no small amount.
"Who could possibly be worth that much?"
Smith Doyle said slowly,
"Tony Stark."
At the mention of the name, Fox immediately understood.
"He's definitely worth it. But wait — something happened to him?"
Seeing that Fox hadn't kept up with the news, Smith chuckled.
"He was kidnapped in Afghanistan."
"One more thing. Stark Industries' stock price is about to drop. Without drawing too much attention, I want you to short their stock using the League's cash reserves."
Bulma's lab was burning through funds at an alarming rate. They needed to earn some cash externally for equipment purchases, and fluctuations in Stark's stock price were too good an opportunity to miss.
Fox frowned.
"If we're rescuing him, why would the stock still drop?"
Smith didn't bother to explain.
"Just follow my instructions. I'll tell you when to short and when to buy."
Fox nodded, a little confused but still obedient.
"Do we need to send people to Afghanistan for Tony's rescue?"
"There aren't many stationed there. They probably wouldn't be much help."
Smith Doyle shook his head. Even if they sent a large team, it wouldn't guarantee success — not when the military hadn't even been able to find him. Tony had to escape on his own last time. Besides, Smith had his Combat Power Scanner. He would personally search the desert.
This was an opportunity to collect a huge favor — best handled personally.
"I'll go myself. Tony Stark is worth the trip."
Fox didn't question it further. Given Smith Doyle's strength, she wasn't worried about his safety.
Arrival in Afghanistan
The next day, Smith Doyle arrived in Afghanistan. As soon as he stepped out of the airport, he could feel the tension in the air — hurried faces, the heavy scent of gunpowder.
In this war-torn country, the Assassin's League maintained only a minimal presence. After getting into the pickup vehicle arranged by the League, Smith headed straight to the site where Tony had been ambushed.
Tony Stark's Breakthrough
Meanwhile, deep in a hidden cave in the Afghan desert, Tony Stark had just completed his miniature arc reactor. He needed to replace the clunky car battery attached to his chest — it was a hassle even to go to the bathroom while lugging it around.
Yinsen, watching Tony work, asked,
"That doesn't look like a Jericho missile."
Without looking up, Tony replied,
"Because it's not. It's a miniature arc reactor."
"I've got a full-sized one back home that powers my factory. This little guy should be enough to keep the shrapnel out of my heart."
Yinsen leaned in, intrigued.
"How much power does it generate?"
Tony answered immediately,
"If I did the math right — which I usually do — it outputs about three billion joules per second."
Yinsen stared at him, wide-eyed.
"That's enough to power your heart for a few thousand years."
Tony smirked.
"Yeah. Or power something big for fifteen minutes."
Then Tony pulled out a set of blueprints.
"This... is our ticket out of here."
Yinsen looked over the plans, puzzled.
"What is it?"
Tony adjusted the layout, flipping the pages around.
"Look at it this way."
The design for a full suit of powered armor came into view.
Yinsen gasped.
"Good Lord! That's incredible!"
In that moment, Yinsen truly marveled at Tony Stark's genius. Who else could design such a powerful piece of tech in the middle of a desert prison?
Smith Doyle's Search
Meanwhile, a military-grade armored vehicle roared across the desert, kicking up a massive trail of dust behind it.
Inside, Smith Doyle sat with his eyes closed, resting. When they arrived, he stepped out and surveyed the surroundings.
This was the highway where Tony Stark had been attacked. Two months had passed, and any signs of the incident were long gone.
Smith turned to his driver.
"You guys head back. If I need the car, I'll call you via satellite phone."
The driver nodded.
"Yes, Chief."
As the armored vehicle drove off, Smith glanced at the empty desert stretching on either side of the road. He activated his Combat Power Scanner, picked a direction, and dashed off into the sand.
Once deep into the desert, ensuring no one was watching, he activated his flight technique — skimming low to the ground. The scanner's life-detection ability would help him locate the cave where Tony was being held.
Flying low and slow, Smith avoided drawing attention. Even if someone spotted him, in a place like this — a lawless warzone — it would be easy to "clean up" the witnesses.
Reuniting with Yinsen
Back at the cave, Tony sat up slowly, looking down at the newly installed arc reactor in his chest. Finally — no more lugging around a heavy battery.
"Yinsen, thanks for helping me replace the reactor," Tony said, extending his hand.
"Without you, there's no way I could have done this on my own."
Yinsen smiled and shook Tony's hand.
"You're our only hope of getting out of here. Of course I had to help."
Tony managed a real smile — his first since his capture. With the arc reactor in place, escape felt within reach.
Now all they needed to do was finish the suit, and then he and Yinsen would be free. And once they were out... the men who kidnapped him would learn the true meaning of regret.
For now, Tony and Yinsen sat down and pulled out a board game to pass the time — a small way to stay sane and recharge while planning their escape.
—End of chapter—
Author's Note:
Enjoying the story and want to read ahead?
Join my Patreon.com/TenaciousHare and unlock 15-20+ chapters in advance, plus faster updates!
Your support keeps this story alive I truly appreciate it!
Thank you, everyone! 🗿👍
~ Tenacious Hare 🥕❤️