Eric shifted slightly.
"Am I breaking something that can't be fixed?" he asked quietly.
The answer took a fraction longer than usual.
> [No.]<
"Then what am I?"
Another pause.
> [You are an employee protected by the Chaos Administration. Your mission is to collect SP. For further information, increase your rank.]<
"Increase my rank?"
> [Collect large quantities of SP.]<
Eric leaned his head back against the couch, staring at the ceiling, listening to his sister's calm, steady breathing.
"Alright," he thought. "If chaos is my job…"
He closed his eyes.
"Then I'll make it worth it."
---
Malibu
The workshop was quieter than usual.
Tony stood in front of the frozen hologram created from the shared video.
The image showed the armor hovering, stable, absorbing a colossal impact.
Tony didn't blink.
"Play it again," he said.
The video ran once more.
Lightning striking. Controlled energy dispersion.
Tony raised a hand.
"Pause."
The hologram stopped at the critical moment.
"Zoom in on the chest."
JARVIS complied instantly.
Layers upon layers of data overlaid the image. Energy trajectories. Stress points. Estimated consumption.
Tony began circling the hologram like a predator studying prey.
"It's not just an armor," he murmured. "It's a living system."
"In what sense, sir?" JARVIS asked.
"Look at this," Tony replied. "The energy distribution isn't external. It doesn't rely on peripheral batteries or traditional storage."
He pointed to the center of the chest.
"Everything revolves around that."
JARVIS adjusted the calculations.
"I detect a compact energy core," he said. "However, its size is incompatible with the power output recorded."
Tony smiled, suddenly illuminated.
"Exactly."
He leaned closer.
"It's small," he continued. "Too small. And yet it supports flight, weapons systems, life support, energy absorption…"
He straightened abruptly.
"JARVIS."
"Yes, sir."
"If I wanted to power all of that…" Tony said slowly. "A battery wouldn't be enough. A conventional generator wouldn't cut it…"
The silence stretched for a moment.
"I would require a reactor," JARVIS concluded. "An extremely efficient one."
Tony raised a finger.
"No. I'd need an Arc Reactor."
The word landed heavily in the workshop.
"But sir," JARVIS replied, "the existing Arc Reactor cannot be miniaturized to that extent without a critical loss of stability."
Tony looked back at the image.
"And yet… there it is."
The hologram showed the armor absorbing divine energy and redistributing it like a simple math problem.
"It's not just a reactor," Tony said. "It's a miniaturized Arc Reactor, integrated as the heart of the system."
He instinctively brought a hand to his chest.
"It gives it power," he added. "It gives it coherence. It gives the armor life."
JARVIS processed in silence.
"Sir," he said at last, "according to my calculations, this technology is… several years ahead."
Tony chuckled softly.
"Great. My future self is a smug idiot."
Earlier, Tony had gone through an intense debate with JARVIS.
They'd reached the same conclusion.
It could only be years down the line.
Which, in simple terms, meant—
The future.
Then Tony's expression hardened.
"But he's also a genius."
He sat at the worktable and activated a new schematic.
"JARVIS, I want you to start from scratch," he ordered. "Ignore current limitations. Assume miniaturization of the Arc Reactor is possible."
"That contradicts all known models."
"Exactly," Tony replied. "And yet… someone already did it."
The image continued floating in the air.
Tony stared at it like he was looking at his own reflection displaced in time.
"I don't know who the hell uploaded that video," he muttered.
"But they just lit a fire under me…"
A slow smile appeared.
"And now I can't pretend I didn't see it."
JARVIS activated the simulators.
"Sir," he said, "do you wish to assign maximum priority to this project?"
Tony nodded without hesitation.
"Maximum."
---
Days passed.
Tony Stark entered that dangerous state where exhaustion stops mattering and the mind burns under controlled combustion.
"JARVIS," he said, pointing at the hologram, "tell me I'm not insane."
The floating model rotated slowly.
Small. Compact. Beautiful.
A miniaturized Arc Reactor.
"According to my simulations," JARVIS replied, "the design is functional. Unstable under extreme conditions, but… viable."
Tony burst out laughing.
"Two days!" he said. "Two days, JARVIS. My future self humiliates me publicly, and I answer with this."
The core emitted a soft, steady glow.
"It's not perfect," Tony added, "especially regarding the energy source. But it breathes. And if it breathes… I'm close to understanding it completely."
He leaned on the table, staring at the hologram like it was a newborn creature.
"And all of this… for fun," he murmured.
The reactor hummed, stable.
"There you are," Tony whispered. "I've been waiting for you."
Tony still had many questions.
For example, what kind of energy the reactor used to supply all armor functions.
There was currently no known energy source capable of doing that, especially when reduced to something so absurdly small.
And although Tony already suspected the answer, he didn't want to accept that even with knowledge of the future, he still lacked the ideas needed to create a new element capable of powering the armor without it exploding or degrading.
For now, he could only build upon the reactor his father had left behind, ignoring the danger of palladium poisoning.
Not long after, JARVIS announced an unscheduled arrival.
"JARVIS, if it's a model, tell her to come back in an hour. If it's a general, tell him to come back in ten years."
"I'm afraid it is neither, sir," JARVIS replied. "It is Agent Phil Coulson."
Tony closed his eyes for a second.
"The nice agent?"
"Affirmative, sir."
Tony instructed JARVIS to let him in.
He wanted to meet Coulson. The man who never seemed rattled. Not even by a magical hammer no one could lift.
Coulson entered with his usual calm. The kind belonging to a man who knew more than he said, and said less than he should.
Impeccable suit. Folder in hand.
"Mr. Stark," he greeted. "Thank you for seeing me."
Tony gestured at the floating reactor.
"Do you see that?" he asked. "Because if you're here to talk PR, I'll save you the time. I'm busy building the future."
By now, Tony knew Coulson worked for the government.
There was no point dodging it.
After all, any government would go on high alert upon discovering an armor as lethal as Tony's.
Coulson studied him with professional focus.
"I see the heart of your armor," he said. "And that is exactly why I'm here."
Tony raised an eyebrow.
"The club already know?"
"The Pentagon," Coulson replied bluntly. "They're… unsettled."
Tony laughed.
"Over a power generator?"
Coulson took a step closer.
"Over an autonomous combat armor appearing on the internet fighting a fictional Norse god… with your face inside it."
Silence.
Tony tilted his head.
"When you put it like that, it does sound less fun."
"It's a walking weapon of war, Mr. Stark," Coulson continued. "And someone just showed the world what it could be… before it exists."
Tony walked slowly around the reactor.
"You know what's funny?" Tony said. "I wasn't trying to build a weapon."
"The Pentagon doesn't believe in intentions," Coulson replied. "It believes in outcomes."
Tony stopped.
"This," he said, pointing at the reactor, "isn't for them. Not for wars. Not for flags."
"Even so," Coulson countered, "if it can fly, withstand massive impacts, and project energy… it will be used as one. Or you'll be forced to."
Tony looked at him directly.
"Are you here to tell me to stop?"
Coulson shook his head.
"I'm here to tell you that you're no longer alone in this."
He opened the folder. Diagrams. Analyses.
"There are people who are very nervous, Mr. Stark. And people who are… very interested."
He was referring to his director, though he didn't say the name yet.
Tony closed his hand with resolve.
"Then tell them something from me," he said with a sharp smile.
"What?"
"I'll do it my way."
Coulson held his gaze for a moment longer, then turned to leave.
"Mr. Stark," he added before exiting, "if this is all just 'fun'…"
Tony cut him off.
"It never is," he replied. "But it always starts that way."
The elevator doors closed.
With Tony's confirmation to build the armor, Coulson would have to report back to Fury.
What happened next would depend on him… and on whether he planned to reveal the truth about SHIELD and what Howard Stark had left behind.
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