Tony asked more about Ivan Vanko and was surprised that there had been a traitor before who had been exiled. The little guilt he had vanished, and he didn't care anymore. Soon, he was led into the press conference hall, just like last time when he was here after landing from Afghanistan.
The room was packed. Reporters crowded together, cameras flashing as Tony walked up to the podium.
"Alright, let's get this over with. I know you all have questions. Yes, the Stark Expo was supposed to be a fun-filled night of innovation and progress. No, we did not plan for homicidal maniacs in oversized tin cans to show up. But hey, at least it was exciting, right?"
A few chuckles rippled through the crowd.
"Mr. Stark, reports indicate that two armored figures were seen fighting against the attackers. Can you confirm if this was another one of your projects?"
"That's an interesting question." He pretended to think. "Let me see if I can answer that while also not answering that."
"The public is already calling this duo 'Iron Mages.' Do you have any comment on that? Some have even termed them heroes."
"Heroes would be a bit far-fetched since civilians were involved. I am not some hero," Tony replied.
"I never said you are a hero," the reporter said.
"The truth is... I am... Iron Mage." The press room exploded with questions and flashing lights.
Liam could only sigh, as he had expected this to happen and saw it coming from miles away. Though there were changes, they weren't significant enough. Pepper just shook her head.
"I'll let Fury know," Coulson said and excused himself. The reporters had many questions, but Tony avoided all of that and escaped. Rhodes, too, had left to deal with the military inquisition that was going to come for him. Pepper went to the office, while Liam and Tony returned to Tony's home.
They went straight to the lab, as Tony seemed to be more thrilled about what Liam was going to show rather than what he had just done.
"You will create a storm, you know that, right?" Liam said.
"You mean the identity thing? Please. Hiding was getting old, and let's be honest, the government already had their noses in my business. It was only a matter of time. I just didn't expect my big reveal to come with bonus content," Tony grumbled.
As Liam and Tony reached the lab, the new place looked empty, devoid of all the cars, and even the Mark armors were placed back inside their shelves.
"You said to clear up space. So I did," Tony said.
"Sometimes you are way too efficient," Liam said, and then he summoned the Forge right in front of him. It wasn't just another piece of cutting-edge technology. No, this thing radiated power, mystery, and a level of engineering that Tony had never seen before.
At first glance, it resembled a futuristic exosuit assembly station, but there was an artistry to it—sleek metallic panels formed a towering, circular frame, with intricate golden and silver lines running along its structure like veins of liquid energy. Blue-white energy pulsed through its core. Holographic symbols he didn't recognize flickered and rotated around the main console, constantly shifting, reforming.
Tony was speechless as he stepped closer. He reached out, fingertips grazing the console. It hummed under his touch, and the symbols rearranged themselves instantly, as if acknowledging him. The interface was unlike anything he'd ever seen—no buttons, no wires, no obvious input method. Just pure, responsive energy.
And then, with a soft whoosh, the Forge activated. A column of hard light shot downward from its apex, forming the ghostly silhouette of a suit—a Javelin—hovering in mid-air. Tony's eyes widened as the shimmering construct took shape, shifting through different configurations: a sleek, dagger-like form bristling with energy blades, a bulkier, tank-like version, a storm-wreathed variant that seemed to crackle with power.
He had seen two of them before.
"I am not done," Liam said as he went to the side of the garage and then summoned the books of mechanics and arcanist in front of him. The books appeared out of thin air along with two huge shelves, able to house hundreds of books.
"Okay, now you are just showing off," Tony said as he looked at the books.
"Tony, these are for you. One section is for mechanics, and the other... let's just say it's related to magic. I have tried reading the books, but I couldn't make heads or tails of it, as the language was too hard for me to decipher. Maybe you can. And the Forge is the place where you can make new suits, as that has been the tradition. Of course, you can try to build it without the Forge. Doesn't matter to me. But I might call dibs on some of your suits later since that will be my payment for sharing this knowledge with you," Liam said.
Tony had already stepped in and was busy reading the books.
"You were right. This is totally a new language. I have never seen anything like this before. Yinsen is a linguist—might need his brain on this if that's cool with you," Tony said.
"Yeah, I trust Yinsen, but don't share the knowledge with others. This Forge can't be moved or replicated and is very hard to damage," Liam said.
"I officially owe you one. Not a small one either. Like, top-tier, 'you get first pick on the apocalypse bunker' kind of favor," Tony said.
"Don't start throwing a party yet. Making the materials for Storm or Interceptor is going to be a nightmare for you," Liam said.
"Uh, do you know who you're talking to? I'm Tony Freaking Stark. I once built a reactor in a cave with a box of scraps. I'll figure it out," Tony replied.
"Yeah, try to make a suit that could just fit without using an assembly station. I can't save you every time," Liam said.
"Wow. Harsh. You mess up one time, and suddenly nobody lets you live it down," Tony growled.
"Soon, you're going to have to answer to the Senate hearing, so get your act together and come up with some solid answers," Liam said.
Though the sequence of his life story had been very irregular, he wouldn't ignore the fact that Hydra would try to get their hands on Tony's armors.
They were way too good for anyone to be left free.