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Henry glanced at the young billionaire.
"I just think it would be unfair to criticize them for only stopping two planes instead of preventing the entire terrorist attack—leaving the other two to crash into the Twin Towers.
"People who do good deeds shouldn't be criticized like that.
"It's the same here. They're here to help, not to cause trouble.
"And besides..." He let out a tired sigh. "You were right. I've gone too long without any rest."
Tony stared at him speechlessly.
"...But you still said it. Granted, you said it to me..."
Henry shrugged.
"If someone makes a mistake, they should be called out so they'll learn.
"But people who already did everything they could...
"Should they really be blamed simply because the results weren't better?
"They've already reached the limits of what they can do.
"Is that really something deserving of criticism?"
Tony couldn't help rolling his eyes.
"You know, has anyone ever told you that somehow... what you just said is actually worse?"
Henry nodded.
"Anyway, what I'm trying to say is...
"Those are the kinds of things they should discuss among themselves afterward.
"If an outsider like me says them, it'll just sound like criticism.
"So it's better to keep quiet.
"The survivors still waiting to be rescued are counting on them."
---
Now that the X-Men had joined the rescue effort...
And Stark Industries' command system had taken over much of the coordination...
Henry, who hadn't slept for two days, finally decided it was time to leave.
After all, if someone else was willing to take over the mess, only for him to drive them away with sarcasm...
What exactly would that accomplish?
There were limits even to making trouble for yourself.
It wasn't as though a Kryptonian couldn't keep going.
As long as he absorbed enough sunlight, sleeplessness meant very little to his body.
But...
He felt he'd already done enough.
Originally, he'd only come because Katharine Hepburn had practically shoved him toward Ground Zero.
Then George Stacy had actually listened to his advice.
His good mood had led him to help even more.
Before he knew it, he'd helped so much that he couldn't leave.
Now, however, someone else could do his job.
There was no point staying.
If he remained, all he'd be doing was carrying chunks of concrete alongside the volunteers.
Henry wasn't obsessed with personally clearing every last piece of rubble before considering his mission complete.
Besides...
Two days without sleep was already pushing the limits of what a "normal" person should be capable of.
---
Since he still wanted to preserve the image of being an ordinary human...
Even if that disguise already had holes all over it...
As long as he didn't tear it off himself, there was still some point in pretending.
Having made up his mind, Henry turned to Tony.
"No matter what anyone says...
"I think I need to sleep for three straight days.
"Otherwise I won't even have the energy to argue with people anymore."
He stretched his shoulders.
"This place isn't something one person can handle alone anyway.
"So I'm leaving.
"The rest is up to everyone else.
"I think I've already used up the next ten years' worth of my quota for doing good deeds."
Tony's own decision to stay or leave wasn't Henry's business.
He had already warned Tony not to come.
Tony had ignored him anyway.
Whether the billionaire stayed or left now was entirely up to him.
Henry couldn't be bothered to interfere.
---
Returning to the police command tent, Henry found George Stacy.
The commissioner looked just as exhausted.
"George."
Henry rubbed his eyes.
"I can't keep going.
"I'm leaving."
Everyone inside headquarters knew Henry hadn't slept in two days.
Unlike them, he wasn't bound by official duty.
He was only a volunteer.
George naturally had no intention of asking him to continue sacrificing himself.
"You really should get some rest."
George smiled tiredly.
"Thank you for everything you've done these past two days.
"Is there anything we can do for you?
"I can have a patrol car drive you home."
Henry thought for a moment.
"Actually...
"There is one favor."
George nodded.
"Anything."
Henry replied seriously,
"Forget everything I did here.
"It'd be best if everyone acted as though I was never here at all.
"Especially in the official records.
"Leave my name out."
---
The request caught George completely off guard.
Even Tony, who had just entered behind Henry, looked surprised.
After a long silence, George finally asked,
"...Why?"
Henry pointed casually toward Tony.
"I'm not trying to build a personal brand.
"I'm not representing any company.
"Medals and honorary awards don't do anything for me."
"And if you wanted to give me a cash bonus..."
He shrugged.
"Could you possibly pay more than that sucker does?"
"Even if I only charged my daily rate, you couldn't afford it."
Tony, who had been minding his own business, found himself unexpectedly caught in the crossfire.
---
Henry, of course, had another reason.
If he ever wanted to build himself an untouchable public image, it should be through actions with no hidden downsides.
This disaster wasn't one of them.
There were simply too many angles from which people could criticize what had happened.
It was much like his mutant alter ego.
There were benefits.
There were drawbacks.
Since the disadvantages were significant...
He'd rather avoid the attention entirely.
As for donating money while also personally participating...
That was almost too much goodwill.
Once the media focused on him, the consequences wouldn't necessarily be positive.
Given the state of the American media, anyone receiving praise would inevitably attract critics as well.
Nobody was celebrated forever.
If he'd merely volunteered like everyone else, moving rocks and debris, Henry might even have made a substantial donation.
But after everything he'd done inside police headquarters...
He decided against it.
Besides...
Among New York's wealthy elite, he wasn't even particularly high on the list.
There was no reason to stand out.
As the old saying went:
The tallest tree catches the strongest wind.
---
Understanding Henry's concerns, George smiled helplessly.
"I don't know whether there'll be any official commendations later.
"The mayor will probably organize something."
He sighed.
"But over the past two days...
"Everyone on the radio has heard the name 'Henry.'
"I can't exactly order every one of them to keep quiet.
"That's just not how this works."
Henry shrugged indifferently.
"'Henry' is an incredibly common name."
"The NYPD has over ten thousand officers."
"I'm sure you've got another Henry somewhere."
"If anything comes up..."
He pointed toward Tony again.
"Just dump the blame on him."
"I've probably broken countless regulations over the past two days."
"If anyone seriously investigates..."
"I'll be in a lot of trouble."
---
There was actually nothing wrong with Henry's reasoning.
For the past two days, he had effectively directed rescue operations.
Although George Stacy had personally authorized it...
If someone later chose to question the legality of those decisions, problems could absolutely arise.
The United States did have wartime appointment laws.
But those applied only during actual wartime.
And only to the military.
Historically, anyone capable of raising troops at their own expense would receive a corresponding military rank.
That system existed because early America lacked the funds to maintain a large standing army.
Outside of wartime, however...
No equivalent legal authority existed.
Official positions carried official responsibilities.
There was no legal basis for inventing a title like special adviser and allowing someone else to exercise command authority.
Otherwise, a police commissioner could simply shift responsibility whenever something went wrong.
"That wasn't my decision—it was the adviser."
That would amount to little more than shirking accountability.
George Stacy hadn't spent decades climbing through the police ranks by being naïve.
He understood perfectly well what Henry was asking.
Far from merely protecting himself...
Henry was also protecting George.
After all, George had technically delegated authority he wasn't legally entitled to delegate.
Even the officers who had obeyed Henry's instructions might face awkward questions if someone chose to investigate.
If Henry had sought public recognition...
Those legal issues would inevitably become media talking points.
And if that happened, George was fully prepared to defend him.
But since Henry wanted no credit...
George also knew exactly what the right course of action was.
After all, Henry had played an indispensable role during the past two days.
Not by personally digging through rubble...
But by bringing order to absolute chaos.
George knew better than anyone how badly things could have unraveled during the earliest hours after the collapse.
It was Henry alone who had organized the command center.
Henry alone who had maximized the efficiency of every available resource.
The survivors trapped beneath the rubble hadn't been rescued immediately.
But the surrounding civilians had been evacuated in the shortest possible time.
The police officers and firefighters who had entered the towers before the collapse had also managed to withdraw in time.
Those achievements belonged to Henry.
If, afterward, people chose to punish him for violating procedures—or even the law—
Then who, in the future, would still be willing to step forward during a crisis?
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