Chapter 430: Tony Stark Has Never Been Second to Anyone!
Ethan looked over at Tony, flying in his Iron Man armor not far off. The armor's sensors and scanners hummed faintly and constantly, in sharp contrast to this space that hadn't fully come to life.
In the dead silence, JARVIS's calm, precise voice rang out especially loud, cutting through every inch of space and reaching straight into Ethan's mind.
JARVIS's voice was like a tireless butler's.
One moment it was a precise census of Hell's Kitchen's current population: every person's age, sex, health and daily consumption habits. The next it moved on to complex power-supply calculations: energy sources, distribution, how to build a stable power grid in a dimensional space so every corner got enough electricity.
Then came an enormous food-supply plan: crop farming, livestock planning, food storage and distribution. Every detail had to be carefully designed and strictly controlled so that all of Hell's Kitchen's residents could be self-sufficient and live without worry in their new home.
Listening to all this tedious data, Ethan frowned and found his hand drifting to his forehead. A headache was coming on.
He'd originally thought that with his intelligence and the power of technology, moving the people of Hell's Kitchen into a brand-new dimensional space would be relatively simple. In sci-fi novels, protagonists always seemed to create new worlds effortlessly. Take those primordial-cosmos masters in the novels next door. Once they finished creating a world, they just kicked back and never had to worry about any of the follow-up chores.
Reality, however, had just slapped Ethan in the face.
He found he didn't just have to create this world. He had to take on the duties of "God" too, and think through all the trivial problems even novelists never bothered with. Where food would come from, the power supply, recycling water... Every problem was a mountain. Just hearing about them gave him a headache.
Just then, the whoosh of rapid flight broke into Ethan's thoughts. Tony Stark and Doctor Strange had flown back to his side.
Tony took off his Iron Man faceplate, revealing a slightly weary face. He looked at Strange, and each saw deep helplessness and worry in the other's eyes.
They exchanged a look for a moment, as if passing the buck.
You tell him?
Why don't you go first?
Watching the subtle silent exchange between the two, Ethan couldn't help laughing. "You two, if you've got something to say, just say it. You're acting like I'm going to eat you."
"We know you already know," Tony said with a helpless shrug.
"Yeah, I do know what you're going to say." Ethan laughed it off, but there was a bit of bitterness behind his smile.
Tony and Strange exchanged a smile, both seeming to breathe a sigh of relief.
"There's no history of living people inhabiting a dimensional space. You know that, Ethan," Doctor Strange began slowly. "Whether it's the dead in the Hell Dimension or the demons in Dormammu's Dark Dimension, none of them are human in any real sense. So this plan of yours really is a tall order.
"For short-term habitation, maybe we can get by with technology. But in the long run, the air density here, the gravity, even the radiation levels are all serious challenges we'd have to face..."
Tony picked up where Strange left off. "Right. I can't stand this cocky guy, but this time Strange is right, Ethan. Making a world is cool and all, but you might be wrong on this one. It's a huge project, and it's going to take a lot of time and money."
"Not that the money matters to me, of course. But for a money-grubber like you to be willing to spend this much..."
Before Tony could finish, his eyes froze, as if he'd realized something, and his pupils went wide.
A thought flashed through his mind, and it burst out of him before he could stop it. "Wait. You're not thinking of making me pay for this, are you?"
In that moment Ethan's smile turned a little sly. He shook his head slightly, but he couldn't hide the mischief in that smile.
"Oh, Tony, you're just too smart. But you know..."
Tony immediately waved his hand to cut him off, his expression shifting from surprise to firm resolve, even a little anger.
"No way! Absolutely not! No matter how much money I have, I can't throw it away like this! We're good friends, sure, but this is too much. Instead of pouring all these resources into some unknown dimensional space, we'd be better off running the real world properly."
"I'm your friend, no question. But I'm also a businessman, and there's no way I'm investing in a deal this pointless."
Strange saw that Ethan didn't argue or interrupt Tony. Thinking about the kind of man Ethan usually was, Strange decided to help him out, even though he didn't really approve of the plan either.
"Maybe Ethan has his reasons, Tony. You ought to know what kind of man Ethan is. He never does anything without a reason."
"There's something big about to happen that he hasn't told us yet, isn't there?"
Strange turned to Ethan. It was a question, but his eyes and voice held unwavering trust.
That trust came from knowing how Ethan had acted in the past, and from the deep friendship between them.
How could Tony not know that? He wasn't angry because Ethan was being unreasonable, or wasting effort on something useless, or trying to con him out of money.
He was angry because Ethan still wasn't telling them anything. It was the feeling of being kept in the dark, and frustration at his own lack of power.
Ethan didn't have to say it. Tony knew Ethan was doing this because they were about to face powerful enemies.
Enemies so powerful that this time even Ethan might not be able to protect their planet, or Hell's Kitchen.
And after coming back and seeing how strong they'd become, Ethan still chose to move them into a dimensional space.
That could only mean their power hadn't changed his mind. Or rather, that Ethan wanted to protect them, the same as always.
It struck a blow to Tony's pride, and left him feeling powerless.
He'd been working to get stronger every moment of the past six months, hoping to give Ethan a surprise.
Who knew...
At the thought, Tony gave another self-mocking smile.
But Tony quickly pulled himself together.
He believed that he, Tony Stark, had never been second to anyone in his life, and he would catch up to Ethan soon!
"So unless you explain exactly what's going on, I'm not helping you with this, Ethan."
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