Merlin sat in the back seat of the Rolls-Royce, with Happy as his driver this time. They were heading to the Monaco F1 Formula One racing event, a grand occasion where corporate CEOs, celebrities, and reporters from various countries would gather for parties and networking. Stark, bored at home, had suddenly decided to attend and invited Merlin to join him.
"We're taking a flight today and should arrive in Monaco by tomorrow morning. Did you forget to bring anything?" Happy asked, glancing back as he drove.
"No, just one box is enough," Merlin replied. He didn't need to pack many toiletries since everything would be provided in Monaco. Aside from his armor backpack, he had also brought along the Baymax medical robot he had built as a gift for Stark. As for Happy and Pepper, Merlin planned to wait until the androids were fully produced and then send them versions tailored to their needs. He figured Happy might prefer a companion android, while Pepper would likely want a work secretary type.
As they drove through the streets, the number of parades had noticeably decreased, suggesting that the government was drafting documents to recognize a new race—the Green Men. If all went according to plan, there would soon be four races: yellow, black, white, and green. However, whether the Green Men would be officially recognized depended on whether their offspring carried similar genes. The Green Men weren't particularly unattractive, but they did look unusual, much like how some people initially reacted to seeing black people for the first time.
"BANG!" Suddenly, Happy slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a stop. At the intersection ahead, a massive black Transformer dashed across the street, its frame imposing and formidable. This was a mass-produced machine known as the Skeleton Horse.
"Wooo..." A red vigilante Transformer followed, with a siren blaring from its head, chasing the Skeleton Horse down the street.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The heavy footsteps of the two mechanical figures echoed as they disappeared into the distance. Above them, the familiar figure of Spider-Woman (Gwen) swung through the sky.
"Honestly, driving through Manhattan these days, nothing surprises me anymore," Happy said as he restarted the car and crossed the intersection. "Since the Lizard incident, Manhattan feels like an alien city."
Merlin couldn't help but chuckle, listening to the distant sirens. "This should be interesting," he thought.
They soon arrived at Stark Tower, making their way to the rooftop airport. Merlin, carrying his armor and the energy box containing Baymax, followed Happy to the private luxury jet waiting for them.
"Hey! Merlin, long time no see!" Stark greeted him with a big grin, wearing his signature flashy sunglasses. He hugged Merlin warmly, giving no hint of anything unusual.
"Long time no see, Mr. Stark, Ms. Pepper," Merlin said, smiling as he greeted and hugged them both.
After chatting for a while, everyone entered the cabin. Once seated, Pepper turned to Merlin with a surprised look. "I heard you're going to join Hammer Industries?"
Merlin, sipping his drink, was caught off guard. "Ah? Where did you hear that?" He hadn't officially agreed to anything yet.
"Well, the president of Hammer Industries has been hinting that their company will soon be joined by a genius comparable to Stark. I immediately thought of you."
"Isn't it true?" Pepper asked, seeing the confusion on Merlin's face and wondering if she'd made a mistake.
Merlin took out his phone and pulled up the latest news about Hammer Industries:
*[Hammer Industries recruits a genius! With his arrival, the Iron Suit will no longer be exclusive to Iron Man.]*
*[I will reclaim every bit of shame Stark caused me!]*
*[Hammer Industries aims to become the top national defense contractor.]*
Merlin's eyelid twitched as he watched Hammer boast confidently in an interview. With a sigh, he placed his phone down on the table.
"I am considering joining Hammer Industries. In fact, Mr. Hammer invited me to Monaco," Merlin admitted. "But don't worry—I won't be giving them cold fusion, nor will I be building any war machines."
Pepper's concern was evident. "Why not join Stark Industries?" she asked, immediately realizing the impracticality of her suggestion. Stark had shut down the arms division, but her optimism about Merlin remained. Stark himself had expressed his belief that Merlin could help Stark Industries if he were involved.
Merlin smiled but didn't respond directly. Instead, he reached for the box beside him. "I have a gift for Mr. Stark. Want to see it?"
Hearing the word "gift," Stark's curiosity piqued. "Oh, a gift for me? Let's see what you've got. Hope it's not something too childish," he teased, eyeing the box in Merlin's hands.
Merlin placed the cartoon-themed box on the table and stepped back. He called out softly, "Baymax!"
With a soft ding, the silver box lit up, displaying cute patterns and forming an "O_O" face on the surface. The lid popped open with a burst of inflating air, revealing a round, white cartoon-like robot, much like a balloon doll. Baymax opened its two black, circular eyes, connected by a simple ink line, forming its friendly expression.
The adorable robot looked around the cabin, and then, spotting Stark, waddled over to him with its short, stubby legs.
"Hello! I'm your personal healthcare companion, Baymax!" the robot said in a gentle, kind voice. "You may need medical assistance."
"Wow... this robot is adorable," Pepper exclaimed, her eyes lighting up as she stepped forward and gave Baymax's round belly a poke.
"It looks like a toy..." Stark said, clearly surprised. "I'm going to scan you!" Baymax's bright spectrum camera activated, and it scanned Stark from head to toe.
"Sir, the palladium content in your blood has been detected at 53%. This is likely due to..." Baymax began to report, but Stark quickly panicked and interrupted.
"Wait, wait, stop talking!" Stark frantically waved his hands to silence Baymax, glancing nervously at Pepper, who was now staring at him with wide eyes.
"Merlin, this guy's program seems a bit... off, right?" Stark whispered, trying to play it cool while shooting Merlin a pleading look.
Merlin chuckled. "Let's focus on Baymax's structure instead," he said, grinning. Then, he went on to explain, "The outer surface of Baymax is made of polyethylene, giving him that soft, balloon-like feel. His facial scanner is a bright spectrum camera, and the internal frame is constructed from carbon fiber. His medical chip contains 80% of the world's medical data."
Merlin then looked at Stark and Pepper. "So, how do you like this gift? I was thinking about partnering with Stark Industries to mass-produce Baymax. After all, who wouldn't want to have reliable healthcare assistance around?"
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