The house of Tony Stark, the eccentric billionaire genius, was just like him. Futuristic, with smooth, rounded lines and circles, it looked more like a spaceship landing on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Thanks to the buttresses, it even overhung, which gave the impression of flight when viewed from the huge panoramic windows, among which there was not a single purely rectangular one. They were all rounded and convex. Tony's mansion had many bedrooms, a huge living room that would fit a couple of hundred people, its own cinema, a swimming pool, a huge workshop garage underground and, of course, a helipad. He currently stepped out of his helicopter with Pepper.
- I've got a lot to do, do you still need me? - Heading towards her Volvo 90, Potts asked.
Not the most expensive car she could afford, but unlike Stark, she had never gone for expensive or elitist. She bought this car only because it would be unseemly for Tony Stark's personal assistant to drive an old Volkswagen. And she still had a Maserati and a Ferrari at home, covered with dust - Tony's gifts.
- I always need you, Pepper. I'm as good as dead without you," Stark said with a smile.
- I see, so you don't need me. Well, I'm off, then.
The helicopter was operated by Tony himself, as he had all the necessary licences and certificates. Apart from helicopters, he had the right to fly private jets, boats and cars. So, looking at the clouds that covered the sky, he sighed and went to his house. There was no one there. The cleaners came once every three days, as the floor was cleaned by robotic hoovers, and the ventilation system handled the dust. He preferred to order take-out. Somehow the house hadn't seemed so empty and lonely to him before. Though usually, he was either busy doing business or having fun somewhere outside of it. Or bringing another girl home. I should get a cat.
- Good afternoon, Mr Stark. I'm glad you're back," came an electronic male voice from the speakers.
- Oh, it's good to hear from you too, Jarvis.
Here came the man who was brightening his loneliness a little. Jarvis, the artificial intelligence. It still needs to fully develop, though, and the power of modern computers doesn't allow us to realise its full potential yet, but it's still a machine.
- By the way, order me some food, big and fat. Pizza, hamburgers, fries. More vitamin supplements from the pharmacy, all the good ones. And activate the Iron Curtain protocol.
At the same moment, the windows began to close with iron shutters, and the phone beeped that there was no mobile network. At one time, he had been tortured by paparazzi and industrial spies, so he had installed such a system. Now only Jarvis could communicate with the outside world. And to hack him... Well, let them try. He wouldn't even be offended if someone succeeded. He might even hire someone like that.
- Anything else, Mr Stark?
- Oh, yes, I almost forgot, someone's been selling our weapons to the outside. I want to find out who it is.
- What are my credentials?
- Break anything that breaks," Tony ordered.
He had plenty of time to think in the desert, just as he had during the return trip. And he realised that nothing would have worked out without a furry paw on top and a fat rat in his company. Weapons can't pick up and disappear into the unknown; there will always be traces. At least indirectly. And Jarvis would find them. Stark was sure of that. Now he had another task: to create a reactor using normal tools, materials and the knowledge he had acquired. And maybe magic, too. What the hell? He had to deal with that too, but first, he had to provide himself with a more powerful mana source.
Tony took the lift down to the garage, and before him was a room the size of a good-sized hangar, in which stood about forty cars of different makes and years. Ferrari F40, Lamborghini Aventador, Dodge Charger, Ford Mustang, Bugatti Chiron and many others, some of which he had rebuilt with his own hands. There was also a prototype flying car of his father, Howard, who made it as far back as 1943. But it didn't work out then because the materials and technology of the time were too imperfect. The problem has yet to be solved today due to the lack of a sufficiently capacious power source or battery. Stark wasn't going to put an arc reactor into the production models. Still, he already had information and ideas about ultra-capable protean batteries. But for now, the reactor. Tony walked over to the workbench, placing it under the scanner.
- Jarvis, bring up the holographic interface," Tony asked, putting on his tactile gloves.
Simultaneously, a semi-transparent desktop with many tool shortcuts appeared before the inventor. Poking one of them with his finger, he unfolded a constructor, into which he moved the scanner, resulting in another movement. A three-dimensional design of an arc reactor appeared, representing an electromagnetic coil, a toroidal reactor core, and fuel in the form of a palladium filament. Another thought that came to mind was that his reactor resembled a magical antimatter reactor. But he didn't trust magic at the moment and didn't need that kind of power. It would burst like a balloon under pressure. The reactor's power depended less on its size. However, it depended on it too, but on the core shell's strength and the magnetic windings' conductivity. Both could be solved by charms... But they'd have to be checked. They don't work at all, or they don't work right. The second option is viburnum. And that's what he could use... Except that he only had a hundred grams of it. Also inherited from his father, who tried to synthesise it artificially. A very good material with superconductivity and the ability to dampen kinetic energy, turning it into vibration. Hence the name. So there was half a kilogram of the substance, but Tony tried to continue his father's work without succeeding. These 100 grams were not stored in the safe because Stark did not like the ordinary. Besides, he thought no one would look for something valuable in the most ordinary. So, going to one of the walls, he pulled a socket from inside and took out a sealed flask with a silver light ball inside.
After that, taking a sheet of metal left over from one of his old projects, he drew a rune circle with a marker, introducing mana. This caused the marker, not intended for such work, to quickly evaporate, but it did its job. Putting the ball inside and praying to all the gods, Stark applied mana to the circle, which flared up but did nothing else. Breathing a sigh of relief, Tony changed one of the runes so that the circle gave the matrix to the object instead of removing it. Putting a half-millimetre thick round piece of tin instead of a ball, he applied more energy this time, and after another flash, the runes burned into the metal. The tin itself turned a silvery grey colour. Throwing it to the floor, he picked up the sledgehammer and swung it around, hitting it with all his might. There was a loud, deafening sound. The edges of the circle were struck by a shockwave, but the circle itself was unharmed. And the impact was absorbed, causing minimal recoil.
- I did it! I did it, Dad! - Tony smiled with emotion.
- Mr Stark, there's a food delivery for you," Jarvis warned him.
- Well, pick it up yourself," Stark waved it away, still under the influence of the epochal event.
He didn't know where his father had gotten the metal from, but it was impossible to get any more, no matter how much money or connections he had.
- I'm sorry, Mr Stark, but I don't have a body.
- Hell, remind me to make you a body later," Tony cursed and went upstairs, taking four bags of food from the crazy courier and leaving him even crazier with a thousand-dollar tip.
After eating, Tony went back to the workshop. The normal windings and reactor area had to be made, then undergo the transformation. Additional runes would have to be brought out beforehand to fix it and strengthen the metal itself, but it was relatively easy. According to all calculations, while the reactor will work, the transformation will not fall. After all, some of the mana produced would be sent there as well. The turning took about five hours, plus winding, transforming, and pulling the palladium into filaments. In all, he'd done it in eight hours. He was still energised since he'd had a good night's sleep before and could work for two days straight if he was keen. When he started the reactor, he saw a brightly glowing circle. It was no match for the dull ugliness in his hand. When he took it in his hand, he felt a river of energy flowing into his body rather than a pathetic trickle. The new reactor generated twenty times as much energy, which was not the limit. If forced into overdrive, the output could be increased by a factor of five. Still, such a mode would waste palladium inefficiently and quickly. And it would be unnecessary.
Only now, Tony scratched the back of his head and thought he didn't want to use magic immediately. But on reflection, he spat it out; he had always been an enthusiastic person and a perfectionist.
- Okay, well, now we have to make a magic wand," he said out loud.
Why? Because it would be much easier to make the exoskeleton. Despite the new body, Tony didn't consider himself immortal and didn't give up the idea of creating more perfect armour. And the fact that magic will be added to it is not bad, but very good. In any case, he would not make a purely magical device if only because explaining the principle of operation would be more difficult. And many people would have questions. Let them think that he was such a genius. What should we make a magic wand out of? Of adamantium, of course, because vibranium, as a practice has shown, simply enhances its properties when conducting mana. Yes, it turned out to be a magic metal. Where does one get adamantium from? His body, including his blood, is full of it - the capsule and its contents dissolved in his body. The core will be his crystallised blood. The technology about magic has been worked out by Pierce and has proven itself.
Tony decided to make a magic wand in the form of Parker Bros. No one would be surprised if a businessman walked around with such a device. Little if you need to sign a document or write something down. What if most of the documents are electronic, the most important ones are still made or duplicated in paper form. But to walk around with a classic stick is to be labelled a crazy cosplayer. Not that he gives a shit, but there should be boundaries. Besides, waving a pen while creating enchantments is much less suspicious than a wand. Tony transformed one of the golden pens and poured his blood inside it with a syringe from the medicine cabinet. This almost caused a problem, as the skin wouldn't pierce. I had to make a syringe needle out of vibranium. The next thing to do was to run the mana through the blood for a few hours, making it crystallise instead of just curdling. So Tony decided to have another meal and watch some film when suddenly Jarvis's voice came on:
- Mr Stark, I checked our databases for weapons leaks.
- Yeah, what did you find?
- Nothing, nothing. Someone deleted and scrubbed some major operations. The official reason is the servers are down.
- Our servers? - Stark grinned. - With dozens of defences and quadruple redundancy? Not funny. Who would do that?
- Only someone in upper management or system administrators. But even the latter would only do it with a reason.
- I see, so the rat is sitting up high," Tony frowned thoughtfully.
- By the way, this is the third time Obadiah Stein has called you. You asked not to be disturbed as you were busy.
- Oh yes, put her through.
A hologram of a broad-shouldered, tall, balding man in his fifties with a half-grey beard appeared. He had been the CEO when Stark's parents died, and Tony had passed the position on to him when he came of age. He was now chairman of the board of directors. Fortunately for Stark, Tony had sixty-one per cent of the stock, so he had no leverage.
- Tony, how good to see you! - spoke the man who had seen Stark's face on the television on the other side. - I... What am I? We've all been worried about you!
- Obadiah, it's good to see you too, but you never just call. What's wrong?
- No, I was really worried!
- I believe that so why did you call?
- About Pepper. Are you really making her CEO? - Stein asked with a friendly smile, not the least embarrassed.
- I have, and why is there any doubt about Miss Potts's competence?
- No, no, no, I have no doubts about the competence of the Iron Lady, as she is called. But are you sure she's up to it? Still, being an assistant general is different from running a huge company, and she's young. Let's hold off. Let her get some experience?
- I'm sure I couldn't do it," Tony said with a grin, "and I'm more sure of Pepper. Don't pull your tail; what's your problem?
- It's not me, Tony; it's the Board of Directors. The stock's already down and with this new appointment... Well, don't rush into it, okay? I'll come down the other day, and we'll talk about it in person.
- What's there to talk about? I've already decided everything; Tony became annoyed with this conversation and switched off.
- Oh, man! They're not happy! My father created this company, and I've increased its turnover seven times, Jarvis! They bought a handful of shares and think they can tell me what to do. You know what? Screw it! Get me, Pepper, on the phone right now, even if she's on the toilet.
- Tony, what's wrong? - a girl's sleepy face appeared. - It's nighttime in New York.
- So, Pepper, you want 20 per cent of the company?
- Are you drunk again? Sober up and then call me.
- I'm sober as a whistle. I don't see a thing. I wish I could, but my damn body won't let me. - Tell me, how can I buy back the shares from the council?
- Well, I don't know, except to say you won't make weapons, but..." Potts joked sleepily.
- Right, you're a genius! I'll call you back in the morning! - Stark rejoiced, cutting the line. - Jarvis, how many interview offers have come in?
- One hundred and seventeen, Mr Stark.
- Accept them and announce my big announcement to every TV channel, internet and newspaper. Start a rumour and a bombshell that I've been going crazy since Afghanistan.
- Isn't that right, sir?
- Oh, you've learnt to take a joke, have you? There's a reason I gave you this feature. I may be crazy, but I'm not that crazy. Your job is to play the stock market and drive the value of my stock to the floor. Then buy back as much of it as you can. Do you understand that? And then I don't get my arse handed to me by the Federal Trade Commission. So it doesn't look like speculation and foul play.
- You got it, Mr Stark.