As we worked, I watched Harley carefully. The boy was sharp as a tack and quick to understand my instructions. He told me about how he found Tony in his garage and how they started to get to the bottom of the Mandarin mystery. Apparently, the blazing fire guys who had arrived in Rose Hill were connected to the Mandarin somehow, as they caused explosions almost exactly like the ones happening around the world. Harley related to me that previously, a smaller explosion had taken place here after a man named Chad Davis blew himself up along with a bunch of other innocent people. Harley then went on to explain that Tony had taken a car and gone straight to find the Mandarin in Florida. What was the Mandarin doing there, I wondered? Well, now wasn't exactly the time to think about that.

Of course, I wasn't the only one with questions. Harley's curiosity knew no limits—or boundaries. Yes, I did build my first armor using hacked info from Tony's mainframe. Yes, I did test use it in battle against Hammerdrones. No, I had never peed in it before. Of course Tony was really in a relationship with Pepper. No, I don't have a boyfriend. Yes, I did meet the Black Widow, but I didn't know her well. He seemed satisfied with the credibility of these answers.

"So this garage is all yours?" I said, looking around.

"Yeah," Harley responded. "Well, pretty much."

"And your mom doesn't know you make all these."

He shrugged. "She doesn't really care."

I was quiet for a few moments. Finally I spoke up.

"I know that feel, bro," I said carefully. "But I'm sure your mom cares, even if she doesn't get a chance to show that she does." I managed a smile.

"Sure," he said dully, "I'll keep that in mind." I wasn't sure if I convinced him, but with any luck, he'd remember.

Together we were able to reboot JARVIS effectively and use the car battery and electromagnets to jump-start the MK 42 into receiving electricity faster. He even helped me repair some parts of my own suit. We finished well past midnight, with Harley reassuring me that his mom was sound asleep in the house.

"How are you still awake?" I said. "I'm exhausted."

"Your uncle gave me some of these candies," said Harley, holding out a bowl-full of what I recognized as adrenaline pills.

My eyes bulged. "Harley! Stop eating that right now. No wonder you've stayed up!" I snatched the bowl away. "Tony! I am so going to kill you." I turned back to Harley. "This thing is going to have TERRIBLE repercussions on you when you reach adulthood!"

"Hey!" he said. "I didn't know that. They tasted good!"

"They're not good," I said. "Not for you. But...perfect for me." I quickly seized a handful and crammed it in my mouth.

"Wait, what are you doing?" said Harley. "I thought you just said it was bad."

"Yeah," I admitted. "But I got somewhere to be and there's no time to lose." I dropped slightly so that I was eye-level with him. "You've done well, Harley, and we owe you some. But I can take it from here, trust me. And sometimes you gotta do bad things to get good things done. Do you know what I mean?" I put the remaining candies in my pockets.

"Wait, so you're gonna leave me too?!" said Harley, incredulous. "What is it with you Starks and leaving me alone?"

"Promise I'll whack Tony's ass for doing that to you," I said, "but you're gonna be perfectly safe here and I need someone to look after that old lobster." I tilted my head toward the MK 42.

"Okay, okay."

I suited up and opened the back door of the shed. Over the horizon was a pink haze indicating that Christmas Eve was fast approaching.

"Be careful, okay?" Harley said.

"You bet we will." I gave him a fistbump. "Be a good boy."

"Good luck!" he shouted as I kicked my thrusters into action and blasted off into the quiet, empty sky.

I arrived at the Villa within forty minutes. It was old, but still in good condition, with warm brick walls and a pool in the backyard. A zoom-in view provided by FRANNIE indicated that Tony was in the master bedroom on the top floor. I landed on the balcony, put the suit in backpack mode and knocked on the glass door.

The look on his face was priceless.

"Iz!"

Tony unlocked the door. The moment it slid open, I burst in and gave him the biggest hug ever.

And I'll admit, maybe we both cried a tiny bit.

"Found you," was all I could say.

"Yes, you did," he replied, pride and relief mixed in his voice. "You did, kid."