Chapter 65: Thunder and Armor, Does It Have Potential?
A group of agents stood, speechless after being berated. If not for the large crowd and the need to maintain their reputations, they would have resorted to harsher methods.
"... I was mourning over the ruins of Bagram Base for so long, only for you all to drop this on me! The United States has truly fallen; you are the cancer of this country!"
"Alright, Stark, that's enough," a commanding voice called out.
The man who appeared caught Cohen's eye. Dressed in his signature black trench coat, everyone stepped aside for him. Nick Fury approached, holding a stack of documents. "The Department of Homeland Security has completed its investigation. The two Jericho missiles weren't launched through official channels. There was a minor flaw in the control system, which the real culprit exploited. I believe this… loophole wasn't left there intentionally, right, Mr. Stark?"
Stark flushed with embarrassment and gritted his teeth, replying slowly, "Of course not."
Nick Fury turned to the agents and raised the documents. "Here, we have evidence regarding the control system's flaw, as well as proof that Stark was held captive. You are free to verify it. I believe there's no longer any need to arrest him."
The agents exchanged glances, some reviewing the documents while others contacted their superiors. Eventually, they all left.
Fury, looking grim, approached Stark. "Tony Stark, I want to talk—"
Before he could finish, Stark collapsed. Fury, Sitwell, and the others panicked. Cohen widened his eyes in shock. Did Stark just die of anger?
Pepper Potts, finally allowed to approach Stark, ran over with tears in her eyes. The doctor who had been prepared rushed to check on him. Fortunately, after the examination, they confirmed he had only fainted from exhaustion. It seemed Stark had been too fatigued lately, with poor nutrition weakening his body.
Poor guy! After all, Stark was a severely injured man who had just traveled thousands of miles, only to be questioned upon arrival. The playboy Stark had never endured such hardship!
Amid the chaos, Cohen grabbed Yinsen. "If you don't want to be locked up by S.H.I.E.L.D., come with me."
Yinsen, already frightened by the agents, nodded quickly. Cohen took advantage of the confusion, scaled the wall with Yinsen, and quietly left the airport.
They took a taxi and left. "Yinsen, I heard your family was lost in the war?"
Yinsen's expression darkened. "Yes."
Cohen nodded. "I have a medical company and plan to develop new drugs that will benefit humanity. If you're willing, I invite you to join my company. I guarantee your research will save countless lives. I can also provide funding for your hometown to improve the lives of its people."
Yinsen was momentarily stunned.
Cohen continued, "Additionally, I promise to use my influence to help end the war in Afghanistan as soon as possible."
Yinsen was shocked. "You have the power to influence the U.S. government?"
Cohen smiled. "Uh… sort of. What I do can affect them."
"As long as you can help end the war in my homeland, I'll do anything."
"You're a great man, my friend!"
...
Cohen brought Yinsen to New Jersey, across the Hudson River from New York. Alexandra had a large, secret estate here, which had been converted into Cohen's research base. Dr. Karen was currently there, researching vampire blood.
After introducing Dr. Yinsen to Karen, Cohen went next door. Anton and Ivan, dressed in white lab coats, were studying blueprints and photos on a computer. These were the designs for the Mark I armor and the arc reactor that Cohen had obtained from the cave.
Seeing Cohen enter, Anton stood up, amazed. "I'm not as good as Tony Stark. Although the arc reactor was something I invented with Howard, I never imagined it could be improved like this. Stark managed to finish this in a cave; it's truly impressive!"
"Pfft!" Ivan, with a toothpick in his mouth, scoffed. "He's just got money, so he's always the first to access the latest scientific advancements. Father, you've been out of the scientific community for decades, it's normal to fall behind."
Anton, angered, pointed at Ivan. "You brat, take that toothpick out of your mouth and show some respect for the boss!"
Cohen waved it off; he didn't care about small habits like that. What mattered was how much help this father-son duo could provide.
"So, have you figured out the designs for the arc reactor and the armor?"
Anton and Ivan exchanged a smile. Anton shrugged. "Whenever you need it, boss, we can build it right away! However, we don't recommend you wear such a crude suit. I could design something far superior for you—flying, diving, you name it!"
"Great."
Cohen nodded. Initially, he thought that together, Anton and Ivan might be about 50% as good as Stark. Now, they seemed closer to 60%–80%.
He took a deep breath and said seriously, "I have two tasks for you. First, using the arc reactor, I want you to create a super bomb with as much power as possible—at least stronger than a nuclear bomb, comparable to a hydrogen bomb."
Anton and Ivan looked at each other in shock.
Ivan, no longer cocky, swallowed nervously and asked cautiously, "Uh... boss, you're not planning on… destroying the world, are you? Who provoked you so badly?"
Cohen smiled. "Don't worry. I'm not going to blow up the Earth. You'll understand in time."
The two exchanged glances and nodded.
Anton asked, "What's the second task?"
"Armor. I need the most powerful armor in the world."
Anton nodded knowingly. "I understand, boss. Don't worry. Ivan and I will give it our all and build you the most powerful suit. I guarantee—"
"No, you don't understand."
Cohen interrupted.
What? Anton and Ivan looked at him in confusion.
Cohen grinned, and his body suddenly lifted into the air. Silver lightning swirled around him like a dragon.
"I need you to build me a thunder suit!"
Gasp! Seeing their boss hovering in mid-air, surrounded by lightning, Anton and Ivan felt their knees weaken.
Cohen returned to the ground, snapping his fingers to snap the two out of their daze.
"This suit needs to provide me with massive amounts of electrical energy, so one arc reactor won't be enough! I want six of them! It needs to be both massive and agile! It should be capable of supersonic flight, deep-sea diving, and even space travel. Oh, and make sure it can handle freezing at high altitudes. And, of course, its defense and attack capabilities need to be top-notch..."
As Cohen enthusiastically described his vision, Anton and Ivan listened with increasingly pained expressions.
After some discussion, Ivan raised a concern. To build such a powerful suit, the first and biggest issue would be materials.
Cohen had anticipated this. At first, he thought of Vibranium, but it was too expensive. Buying it was out of the question, and he didn't know where Wakanda was to steal it. Africa was too vast to search easily, so he set his sights on Adamantium. If he remembered correctly, there was still a small amount of it left at Stryker's base.
It might not be enough to make an entire suit of Adamantium, but as long as the key parts were protected, the armor's defense could be greatly enhanced!
He had also sent David to track down Ulysses Klaue, the Vibranium smuggler. Once they found Wakanda, he was determined to steal a few tons of Vibranium.
With a smile on his face, Cohen waved to Anton and Ivan. "You design the suit, and I'll take care of the materials."
Just as Cohen was about to leave, he smacked his forehead. "Almost forgot! The suit needs to utilize lightning to create a Faraday cage. That's crucial!"
(End of the Chapter)