Chapter 54 Two Geniuses

In Tony's restroom with no prying eyes, I opened my luggage to reveal my stealth suit. It was perfect for the job and could easily bypass Tony's scanner. Even heat signatures were easily taken care of with this suit due to how it bends light around itself, along with its built-in insulation. The only problem was its appearance.

"Damn, Connors really messed you up, didn't he?" I said, examining the suit's condition. It was full of wear and tear but was still somehow functional. It really needed some repairs and probably some upgrades, but those would have to wait.

I carefully switched clothing, not wanting to add any more damage. Once dressed, I stretched a couple of times before testing its functions one last time to ensure everything was in working order.

"Nice, it's still properly creating an energy field, and there's no shortage or flickering. The only damage seems to be in the material rather than the mechanics. I guess I have ballistic weave to thank for this outcome."

Now that I was ready, I left the invisibility on as I made my way to Stark.

…

"Oh, Happy, you're back," Tony said as the man walked through the front door. "How long for the pizza?"

"Twenty minutes, and I made sure it was your regular. The girl on the phone also asked if you could call her back."

Tony coughed into his hand, trying to ignore the last comment. Happy continued looking at him, making it a little awkward, but could you really blame him? The pizza girl was probably hotter than most models. Besides, that was the past; he's a changed man now.

"By the way, what happened to the kid? I thought he came inside with you?" Happy asked, noticing that Kol was missing.

"Well, he's—"

"I'm right here," a voice suddenly said, surprising both men.

"What the hell!" Happy jumped around, looking for the voice but couldn't find anyone else in the room besides him and Tony. Tony, at this point, also had a confused face but seemed to realize something.

"Kol, is this that stealth tech you mentioned?" Tony asked with great intrigue.

In response, Kol suddenly appeared between the two as if coming into existence. Happy couldn't shut his mouth from the surprise, while Tony quickly moved past it, more focused on the suit itself.

"Incredible! You really made a suit that bends light, making you appear invisible to the naked eye." Tony's mind began racing as he imagined the potential of this technology and the multiple ways he could implement it, especially as an addition to his suit. Imagine how easy it would be to finish off the Ten Rings if he had this kind of stealth tech. The U.S. military would also stop finding him on their scanners, making it much easier to get around.

"Jarvis, noticed anything?"

[No, sir. I am also quite puzzled by this outcome. I was aware of him exiting the restroom but never actually saw him leave.]

"Don't feel bad, Jarvis. I'm surprised too. Alright, kid, color me impressed," Tony complimented as he crossed his arms. He tried to appear serious, but even he couldn't hide the slight hint of excitement in his eyes. Being the smartest man in the room was great, but it was also lonely. No one to bounce ideas off of, no one to push you, but now it seemed that this might change.

[POV Switch]

Removing my mask, I began looking around before returning my attention to Tony. "That voice just now—it wasn't a person, was it? It was an AI." Obviously, I knew it was Jarvis, but Tony didn't know this, so I had to act properly.

"Correct, that was Jarvis, my personalized AI. He handles most day-to-day things, including the house."

"Impressive. Well, Jarvis, it's a pleasure to meet you," I said, greeting the AI while also wondering if it was possible to get points from meeting Jarvis. Technically, he was a character in the comics and movies, but at the same time, he wasn't flesh and blood. This would be an interesting test.

[It is my pleasure as well.]

[+10 Meeting Jarvis]

Well, I guess that answers my question.

Tony, who watched my exchange with Jarvis, looked like he could no longer wait as he called for my attention. "If you think Jarvis is impressive, wait till you see what I've been working on. Follow me; you'll really want to see this." Tony said as he began walking, leading me further into his home while Happy stayed behind.

Eventually, we arrived at a wide space full of unique tools and machines. Looking around, I recognized the room as his garage/workspace. This was also the room where he built his Mark 2 and Mark 3 armors.

"Great workspace. I've got something just like it back at home—minus the machines, tools, and cars. Also, scale down the space a bit, and it's basically the same." Well, it wasn't exactly the same, but it would soon get better.

Tony chuckled at the explanation of my workspace while he walked toward the center of the room. "Jarvis, bring out the Mark 3 along with some of the designs I was working on," Tony called out as the room came to life. Pieces of equipment began to move around the room as they placed the Mark 3 down. Multiple hologram constructs also began to appear during this process, creating a perfect 3D image of the armor.

Seeing all this struck awe and amazement in me, and it wasn't only because I was a fan. No, that was just one part of it. In reality, this technological prowess really triggered the scientist part of me. Thankfully, the NZT helped me regulate my emotions as I remained calm and walked up to the armor with only an appreciative gaze.

"I made that same expression when I built this," Tony said on the side as he walked up to the armor as well.

Watching the armor, I couldn't help but ask myself: Why did he invite me here? Obviously, it was to help with the suit, but isn't it done? The Mark 3 is already complete. But then it clicked.

The armor wasn't complete; it was far from it. This was just the third iteration of a long line of armors. Tony was an inventor, and any true inventor knows that nothing is ever really complete until you reach the limit and can progress no more. This idea can be applied to all pieces of technology, from phones to weapons to medicine. It's also why Tony is one of the best heroes. He's constantly learning and fixing his mistakes, improving as he goes.

While I was thinking this, Tony walked back and began manipulating the holograms, making them expand all around, revealing the design of the internal parts.

"Tell me what you think when you look at my armor," Tony asked as the images slowly floated in front of me. Hearing his question, my mind went back to my previous thoughts, and I knew he wanted more than just simple compliments. No, he wanted the critique and two cents of a fellow innovator.

Meeting his eyes, I saw the eagerness, and I won't lie—it sparked the ambition in me as well. Walking around, I began to grab the hologram pieces and learned as much as I could while also trying to see what could be improved. What was the armor in drastic need of at the moment?

Many ideas popped into my head due to the knowledge I had from Halo and Fallout, but one thing stood out. I thought back to the bullet holes that were etched into the Mark 3 and also to the final battle Tony had against Obadiah when his armor was blasted with pure energy.

"Your armor is not just amazing; it's revolutionary," I said, giving compliments where they were due. "But it's still lacking in protection." I added, putting my finger through one of the bullet holes.

"I agree with that sentiment, but what do you think would be a good fix? I already have some plans of my own, but I'm interested to see your ideas."

"Well, instead of telling you, how about I show you?" I asked, since this wasn't my workspace.

"Go ahead."

Reaching out, I began to move away all the armor, starting from scratch so I could build what I had in mind. What was a good way to cover both physical and energy attacks? The answer lay in the Mjolnir armors, more specifically the shielding tech.

Shielding would be perfect for the Iron suit as it would cover its main flaw while also taking advantage of its main advantage—the Arc Reactor. It was the pinnacle of miniaturized energy power with few rivals and had more than enough charge to fully power the shielding generators implemented in later Mjolnir Armors.

With that idea, I began to design the generator, keeping the Iron suit design in mind so that I could work with the armor rather than against it. Tony couldn't help his curiosity as he began to analyze the device I was working on.

"This… you're making something similar to your invisibility tech. Wait, no, the only similarity is how it covers the user. What you're really making is a shield for the armor!" Tony said as he focused on the details. "Jarvis, what do you think? How viable is this?"

[Sir, it's not yet completed, so it's hard to be completely sure, but my calculations are saying that the chances are rather high. This shielding tech also seems to be extremely compatible with the Arc Reactor.]

Of course it is. Dr. Halsey basically designed a nuclear arc reactor into the Mjolnir armors just to power this and its other functions. The compatibility shouldn't be surprising, especially because I'm building this generator with Tony's armor in mind.

Not long after, Tony began throwing his own ideas into the mix. Some were failures, but most were quite good. Eventually, he stopped watching and got involved, working on the shield's output and energy usage while I focused on its overall design and function. Without realizing it, hours passed until we were left with a finished product that I labeled as Aegis Mark 1.

"Aegis? Like that Greek shield?" Tony asked, not expecting me to use a Greek name.

"Yeah, I thought it worked well," I said, though this wasn't the only reason for the name. I did this to also pay homage to the naming sense of most Halo items.

He nodded, accepting the naming sense. "Well, at least it's not tacky."

Looking down at my watch, I was surprised by the time. "Wow, time really flew by. Mind if I use your restroom really quick?"

"Go ahead. You know where it is."

...

[POV Switch]

While Kol left, Tony went back to admiring the shield generator. This piece of tech was more than he expected when he invited the kid.

"To think his first goal would be to make a shield generator. I thought he'd try making a special coating or even trying out different metals," Tony said to himself, but overall he was happy that Kol didn't go that boring route. Besides, it was unexpectedly fun to work with someone else.

[Sir, your pizza has been ready for the last three hours upstairs.]

"Haha, I forgot about that. Thanks for the reminder, Jarvis."

[Always, sir.]

With that reminder, Tony left the workspace, fully intent on indulging his hunger with some pizza. He suddenly got a call. Picking it up, he saw it was Pepper and answered it.

"Tony?"

Eeeeeeeee!

Suddenly a small device was placed next to his ear, instantly turning him pale. Black veins began to appear all over. "Tony, are you there? Hello?" Pepper's voice echoed, but Tony was unable to respond as Obadiah hung up the phone and gently laid Tony down.

"Breathe in, easy, easy. You remember this one, right? It's a shame the government didn't approve it," Obadiah said. Tony, in pain, continued to watch Obadiah in shock as he talked about how he was responsible for the missile attack, which was originally meant to take his life, not capture him.

Hearing this, Tony tried his best to move, but he was paralyzed. Obadiah smirked at seeing Tony struggle as he prepared special tongs and pulled Tony's Arc Reactor from his chest.

"It's too bad you had to involve Pepper. I would have preferred if she lived…" Obadiah said ominously as he placed the reactor in a suitcase and left.

Tony couldn't let this happen. With quick thinking, he suddenly remembered the reactor that Pepper encased. With pure will, he forced his body to move and began making his way downstairs. But it wasn't easy as the shrapnel slowly began to draw closer to his heart.

Come on! I'm almost there, he thought as he saw the trophy in the distance. With one more push against the wall, he tried taking more steps, but his legs gave out. No, please!

As if answering his call, he noticed a shadow cover him. With some worry, he slowly began to turn around, hoping it wasn't Obadiah. Thankfully, luck was on his side.

"K... Kol," Tony wheezed.