Tony takes the display apart and puts it in his convertible before he drives back to his Malibu home. Once he gets home, he sets up the display in his workshop. When it is all set up, he blows some dust off of it before he stands up straight and informs the AI, "JARVIS, could you kindly Vac-U-Form a digital wire frame? I need a manipulatable projection." The AI starts to scan the display model, creating a digital projection of it as the billionaire snaps his fingers.
When the scan is complete, JARVIS says, "1974 Stark Expo model scan complete, sir."
Tony lifts the projection high into the air and turns around as he asks JARVIS, "Uh, how many buildings are there?"
"Am I to include the Belgian waffle stands?" the AI asks the older Stark.
Tony walks a few paces, asking the AI before lowering the projection and pushing it forward, "Ye- uh, that was rhetorical. Just show me." The billionaire snaps his fingers before he spins the projection around and walks off. "Uh-huh. Um..." He sits down in his desk chair before he rolls over to the projection, which is now sitting vertically in the air. The globe in the middle of the model stops in front of the billionaire's face as he speaks, "What does that look like to you, JARVIS? Not unlike an atom. In which case the nucleus would be here." He points to where the nucleus would be before he instructs JARVIS, "Highlight the unisphere." The AI does as he is told and the billionaire pulls his finger away before he enlarges the unisphere. He rests his hands on his legs before he tells JARVIS, "Lose the footpaths. Get rid of them."
Tony swipes his hand, getting rid of a piece from the projection as JARVIS asks the billionaire, "What is it you're trying to achieve, sir?"
Tony stares at the projection as he replies, "I'm discovering... Uh, correction. I'm rediscovering a," he puts his hand over his mouth, "New element, I believe." As he speaks, things start to disappear from the projection, "Lose the landscaping, the shrubbery, the trees. Parking lots," he waves his hands around as he discards more things, "Exits, entrances. Structure the protons and the neutrons using the pavilions as a framework."
He claps his hands together before he separates them, expanding the projection. He puts his hand over his face before he whispers, "Dad." Once everything comes together, Tony throws up his hands which extends the projection to surround him. He spins around in his chair as he looks all around at the projection before he speaks, "Dead for almost twenty years, still taking me to school." He lets out a laugh before he claps his hands together, minimizing the projection to hold it between his fingers.
Tony looks down at the projection in his hand as JARVIS says, "The proposed element should serve as a viable replacement for palladium."
The billionaire holds up the projection between his pointer finger and his thumb before he mutters, "Thanks, dad."
JARVIS speaks again, informing the older Stark of terrible news, "Unfortunately, it is impossible to synthesize."
Tony lets go of the projection, leaving it hovering in the air as he lets out, "Uh-huh." The billionaire looks over at Dum-E and smiles before getting out of the chair while calling out to the robots in the workshop, "Get ready for a major remodel fellas! We're back in hardware mode."
Tony spends the next hour hammering a hole in the wall of the workshop. He then goes to a room up stairs and uses a jackhammer to create a hole in the floor, revealing a metal electrical box just underneath. He brushes away debris from the box before he lifts the lid off of it as Dum-E holds blueprints for the house. Tony throws the cover to the side before he attaches thick black cords to the electrical wires within the metal box. He uses the jackhammer once more to drill a hole in the ceiling of the workshop and once that is done, he throws the attached cords down into the workshop as Dum-E watches him. He brings large crates into the workshop before opening them to reveal large metal coils. He sets the large coils up in the hole in the wall before they extend out into the workshop where the cords are.
Coulson walks down the stairs and enters the code for the workshop as Tony continues setting up. When the agent walks into the room, he addresses the billionaire, "I heard you broke the perimeter."
Dum-E looks over at Agent Coulson as Tony responds, "Uh, yeah. That was, like, three years ago. Where you been?"
Coulson walks further into the room as he says, "I was doing some stuff."
The billionaire speaks as the agent walks over to a large crate, "Yeah, well, me too, and it worked. Hey, I'm playing for the home team, Coulson," he puts a level against the coil, checking to make sure it is straight, "You and all your Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers. Now, are you gonna let me work or break my balls?"
Coulson picks something up out of the crate before he turns around and asks Tony, who pulls a metal circular object out of a blue plastic bag, "What's this doing here?"
Tony turns around to see Coulson holding an abstract version of Captain America's shield. The billionaire sets the circular metal object down before he states, "That's it." Agent Coulson furrows his brows and stares at Tony, awaiting an answer. The billionaire takes a step forward and holds out his hand, gesturing for the agent to come closer as he says, "Bring that to me."
Coulson walks over to Tony with the shield and asks, "You know what this is?"
Tony holds out his hands and takes the shield from Coulson as he replies, "It is exactly what I need to make this work." The billionaire stares at the shield before he looks down to the coil and instructs the agent, "Lift the coil." Coulson bends down and puts his hands underneath the coil before lifting it up as Tony says, "Go, go. Put your knees into it. There you go. And..." The billionaire trails off as he slides the shield underneath the lifted coil. "Drop it. Drop it." Coulson slowly releases the coil as Tony turns to get the level. The billionaire places the tool on top of the coil before he states, "Perfectly level." He sniffs before he removes the level and looks up at Coulson before speaking to him, "I'm busy. What do you want?"
Coulson shakes his head as he answers the older Stark, "Nothing. Goodbye. I've been reassigned."
Tony nods his head as he lets out, "Huh."
The agent continues to inform the billionaire, "Director Fury wants me in New Mexico."
Tony looks down at the level as he says, "Fantastic. Land of Enchantment."
The older Stark looks up at the agent, who replies, "So I'm told."
The two stare at each other as Tony asks, "Secret stuff?"
"Something like that," Agent Coulson responds to the billionaire in front of him. Tony lets out a laugh before he looks down at the level in his hands. He sniffs before he looks up when Coulson wishes, "Good luck."
The billionaire slightly smiles as he says before the two shake hands, "Bye. Thanks."
They continue to shake hands as the agent tells Tony, "We need you."
Tony looks away from the agent and releases his hand from Coulson's grasp as he says, "Yeah, more than you know."
The billionaire looks up at Coulson who retorts before he leaves, "Not that much." Tony watches as the agent leaves his workshop.
•••
Once everything is all set up and ready, Tony puts on a pair of protective glasses. He grabs a silver prism and a large wrench before he walks over to a hole in the top of the coil. He places the wrench down on the table before he sets the prism inside of the coil. He bends down to look at the prism within the coil through the clear window peering into the large cylinders. He sets the prism in the correct spot before he walks over to the controls. He puts the key into the keyhole and turns it, starting the system as a thin stream of energy circulates throughout the coil. JARVIS informs the billionaire, "Initializing prismatic accelerator."
Tony takes off his T-shirt, leaving only his black tank top on before he walks back over to the coil. He grabs onto the wheel that is attached to one of the large coils. He tries to turn it as JARVIS speaks, "Approaching maximum power." The system starts to rumble as Tony lifts the large wrench and attaches it to the wheel. He grabs onto the handle of the wrench and starts to turn the wheel as he stares at the beam. The beam reflects off the prism and leaves the coil, cutting its way through the wall as the billionaire exclaims, "Whoops!" He continues to turn the wheel, slicing everything that rests against the wall. Once the beam hits the triangle in the set up containment circle, the thing starts to glow as it absorbs the energy from the beam. When a blinding light exudes from the small triangle, Tony kills the power which shuts off the beam.
Tony stares at the glowing triangle before he mutters, "That was easy." He ducks underneath the coil and removes his protective glasses before he walks toward the glowing object. He sets the glasses down onto the table before he sits down on a stool directly in front of the glowing triangle. He leans forward to stare at it before he picks up a pair of tweezers to remove the triangle from its stand.
When the triangle is removed, JARVIS says, "Congratulations, sir." Tony stares at the glowing object as the AI continues, "You have created a new element." The billionaire places the glowing triangle into the new arc reactor, causing the device to beep before it starts to glow. "Sir, the reactor has accepted the modified core." Tony stares at the new device that will be put into his chest as JARVIS informs him, "I will begin running diagnostics."
•••
Tony sits at his desk, shirtless in his silk robe as he calls out to the robots, "Dum-E, you, can we clean up this mess?" Dum-E turns to face Tony, who continues, "You're killing me. You know I don't..." The billionaire trails off and turns his head as the phone starts to ring.
The older Stark turns his head more as JARVIS states, "Incoming call with a blocked number, sir."
Tony furrows his brows as he says, "My phone privilege is reinstated. Lovely." He answers the call and starts talking, "Coulson. How's the Land of Enchantment?"
The billionaire leans on the desk as Ivan Vanko speaks over the phone, "Hey, Tony, how you doing?" The smile falls off of Tony's face as the Russian lets out a chuckle. "I double cycle."
"You what?" Tony asks the Russian.
Ivan's voice comes through the other end of the phone call as he elaborates, "You told me double cycle's more power. Good advice."
Tony stares at the computer screen as the call is active while saying, "You sound pretty sprightly for a dead guy."
The Russian replies to the billionaire before he lets out a laugh, "You too."
Tony closes his eyes before he presses the mute button and orders JARVIS, "Trace him."
The AI simply responds to the billionaire before he does as he is told, "Sir."
Once Ivan is finished laughing, he says, "Now, the true history of Stark name will be written."
Tony fiddles with the computers before he asks the AI, "JARVIS, where is he?"
"Accessing the oracle grid," JARVIS states before he starts to trace the caller's location as Tony watches the screen. "Eastern Seaboard."
Ivan's voice comes through the line once more, "What your father did to my family over forty years, I will do to you in forty minutes."
Tony watches the screen narrow down Ivan's location as he says, "Sounds good. Let's get together and hash it out."
JARVIS speaks once more, "Tri-State area. Manhattan and outlying boroughs."
"I hope you're ready," Ivan tells the billionaire before he hangs up the phone.
The dial tone drones on as Tony looks over to another screen that beeps, causing JARVIS to inform him, "Call trace incomplete."
Tony sighs before he looks over to another computer screen that has a tab open about the Expo and how Justin Hammer will be presenting that night from seven to nine. He looks over to the computer screen that shows the area that Ivan is in, causing the billionaire to panic, "Oh my God. Amelia."
Tony turns his head to look at the new arc reactor before he removes the current reactor in his chest. He gets up to grab the new arc reactor before he puts it into his chest as JARVIS protests, "Sir..."
Tony hits his palm against the arc reactor, pushing it into his chest as he cuts JARVIS off, "You want to run some tests, run them." He breathes heavily as he drops his arms down to his sides before he adds, "And assemble the suit while you're at it. Put it together now."
The AI tries to tell the billionaire how bad of an idea this is, "We are unclear as to the effects..."
Tony cuts off the AI system, "I don't want to hear it, JARVIS." The billionaire coughs and splutters as the arc reactor glows in his chest, causing the black veins to recede before disappearing. Tony grits his teeth as he groans out, "That tastes like coconut. And metal. Oh wow, yeah!"
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hey guys!! I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter. Let me know what you guys think. I hope you guys have a great rest of the week!!