When he noticed me, the visor of his helmet moved up, allowing him to speak more freely.
«Boy, the party's over," he said tiredly, waving his hand toward the exit, which was a little left of their fight.
«Believe me, it was impossible to miss the end of the party," I replied, coming over and sitting down across from Stark, having cleared away the debris.
«Tony. I can call you Tony, can't I? - I clarified, glancing at him.
«No. Only my friends can call me that, and I don't recall you being one of them. Jarvis, who is it? - he asked, tapping the lid of his helmet as if that would help the AI answer faster.
«Mr Stark, this is one of the Stark Industries Shareholders," came a voice that could be heard a couple of metres away from behind the open visor.
«That's it. So you're going out drinking at such a young age? - He smiled at me, making himself comfortable.
«Well, compared to you, I started pretty late," I said with a slight smile on my face. - Well, Tony, I wanted to make you a pretty good deal," I add, pointing inside the house. - Shall we go in?
«Let's go," Stark agrees. Or maybe it's the alcohol in him talking, I can't tell.
With a smirk, he gets up and follows me.
«Only first we need to get you up and running," I said, tossing a vial of blue liquid into his hands.
«And what's that? - Stark examines the strange-looking drink he's caught.
«'This is one of the best remedies against alcohol. Drink it and in 10 minutes your brain and body will be able to work normally, - I told you, pointing at the vial. Thanks to Hank for the gift.
«And you expect me to drink an unfamiliar liquid from a person I don't know? - He raised an eyebrow sarcastically.
«''What do you have to lose? You only have two or three days left, after all. Why would I want to poison someone who's about to die legally? - I've got my arms out to the sides.
«Who are you and how do you know about it? - Stark suddenly frowned and raised his hand, in which the repulsor began to glow.
«Take it easy. Or are you really going to kill a teenager? Do you want that to be the last thing they remember about you before you die? - I said in a calm tone, putting my hands in the air.
«You didn't answer my question," he said, but he lowered his hand.
«Let's talk first about the deal I'm going to offer you," I returned to the previous topic, pointing to the remains of the couch.
«All right," Stark replied briefly, sitting down on the burnt edge.
«I think you'd better drink the remedy first. - I nodded at the vial.
«'I don't think so,' Tony replied, tucking it away in a compartment on his belt.
«Well, suit yourself. - I raised my hands in surrender.
«Well, Tony, I'd like to offer you a deal. You build me a battle armour. You can rest assured, I don't need anything as fancy as yours. I don't want a mini-reactor or the ability to fly. I, in turn, will tell you how to create a new chemical element that can easily replace palladium. Without poisoning you.
«What's the catch? - He gave me a hard look. Although the word "staring" is rather difficult to apply to a man in this state.
«A catch for future co-operation, and maybe even friendship," I say simply, smiling.
Looking into my eyes for a long time, trying to find something there that even I don't know, he sighs and says:
«Ah, the hell with it, what have I got to lose already. Jarvis, will you draw up the contract? - Stark turned to the ceiling.
«Already on it, sir," replied the speakers, which had survived, perhaps, only by a miracle.
The contract stipulated that I get nothing until Stark's blood tests show zero contamination. Also, the doctors' examinations should show that he's fully recovered and his vitals are back to what they were six months ago. The new element will belong to Stark Industries, but I'll get 30% of any devices it's used in. Still, I'm just letting Tony know about his father's discovery. So I didn't get cocky. Stark, on the other hand, is committed to providing me with the armour within 2 months of the doctors confirmation and will have to meet all the conditions on its construction.
Since it will not fly, the armour must be stronger than Tony's Marks. I also requested armament at a level no worse than the Warrior, except of course no shoulder mounted machine gun. Given Stark's company background, my weapon request was the easiest part for the armour. It also had to be able to be rebuilt, namely increasing the size to two metres and changing the structure of the leg plates, including opening up the forefoot. The helmet should also be fully removable, but not like Stark's. It should retract inside the armour. Of course, I wanted the stealth mode option as well. Tony's suits were completely invisible to radar after the incident with the two fighters, so he avoided a lot of problems. I asked for thermal invisibility and +/- a couple of extra features. I got the preliminary concept for the look from the Batman series of games. I'm hoping that Stark can keep the costume similar to the Arkham Knight.
«Okay, wise guy, where do I get a new element? - Tony asked, signing the contract.
«We'll take a ride to your office. Oh, sorry, my mistake. - I smiled sarcastically.
«Well, let's go then," Stark said as he went down to the garage.
Of course, I didn't let him drive the car in his condition. I didn't want to test Tony's well-known reputation as a drunk driver.
When I got to the office and into the study, I found the same Stark Expo model that Howard had created in his youth.
After taking it and enduring Stark's endless questions, we returned to its ruins. Thankfully, fresh air and time were able to improve his condition a bit. At least he only threw up in the car twice on the way back.
«All right, mystery guy, why did we bring this junk into my workshop? - Stark asked, giving me the most serious look he could muster, and if it weren't for the food stains on his suit, I'd have thought he'd sobered up.
«I'll show you, if you'll let me use Jarvis's help. - I asked, ignoring his gaze.
«Go ahead," Tony said, no longer pretending to be serious.
«Jarvis, please generate a volumetric model for projection manipulation.
«Scanning of the model is complete," the voice from the speakers didn't hesitate to reply.
«Well, let's get started. Zoom in on the sphere. Remove all paths. Completely. Take out shrub alleys, trees, car parks, exits and entrances. Imagine it's a new chemical element and build protons and neutrons using the pavilions as a base. Done. - Making a pathetic gesture with my hands, I suddenly noticed the amazement in Stark's eyes.
«How did you know about this? - He exclaimed, grabbing me by the shoulders.
«A secret. I should have put it in the contract," I said with the same smile.
«Sir, this element could be a harmless substitute for palladium," Jarvis' voice came over the speakers.- I think you can take it from here," I assured him as I walked away.
«Sir, this chemical element cannot be synthesised," the AI voiced the seemingly terrible truth.
«It's okay, we'll manage," Tony muttered, still in shock. Then he asked, starting to come to his senses: - Jarvis, were you able to find anything on the guy?
«He left his number.
«Okay, that's enough for today. Order me a case of coffee, I'm not gonna sleep for the next couple of days.
***
«The unsub left Stark's house. He's been inside for 28 minutes. Continue pursuit? - asked a man in black clothing, under which an observant person would have noticed a holster and a bulletproof vest.
«Send a couple of agents after him and report any oddities in Stark's actions," the voice on the headset replied.
***
After saying goodbye to Stark, I was sure Fury would be surprised at his mental state tomorrow. He expected, according to the Widow's report, to see a man who had given up and decided to spend his last days as pleasantly as possible. And he'll be greeted by a mad scientist who will be completely preoccupied with his new project. And it's not even clear what it's going to be about. Maybe with the possibility of a new discovery of the century or saving his life.
When I got home, I expected a lot of things. From cold detachment to furious shouting with the subsequent deprivation of any freedom for an indefinite period of time. But to my surprise, I was greeted by an empty house. It was even comforting in a way. Reminiscent of much of Rain's life after ten. He had seen less and less of his father in recent years. After reaching the housekeeper's room, I asked her to cook me dinner and bring it to my room.
***
«Sir, he's back," the maid announced the news to the head of the household, stirring the soup.
«Good," a cold voice answered from the other end of the receiver.
As he hung up, the man frowned and switched off the unfortunate screen that had been keeping him busy for the past week.
«I'm never in debt, Mitchell, and even the fact that everything went well won't save you from retribution," he said, looking out the window at the night city.
«But there's a more important problem right now. Where have you been all this week, Ryan? - Pierce looked thoughtfully at the picture of his son with his wife on the day of the birth.
***
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