"Jarvis, how's the repair on the Mark 6 coming along?"
"Sir, repairs are complete. The newly developed laser beam feature has been installed," Jarvis replied. "However, it's still a one-time-use feature."
Holding his coffee, Tony sat down at the workbench. The bitterness of the coffee reminded him that he no longer had to endure those dreadful chlorophyll drinks.
"Jarvis, don't you think the process of putting on the Mark suits is a bit too complicated every time?"
"Yes, sir."
Tony pondered this for a moment, then put down his coffee and continued, "Jarvis, start designing the Mark 7 suit."
"This suit…" Tony was about to dive into his ideas when Jarvis interrupted, throwing a figurative bucket of cold water on him.
"No, sir."
Tony froze in surprise. Was Jarvis refusing his order?
"Jarvis, why not?"
"Sir, have you perhaps forgotten something?" Jarvis's prompt reminded Tony of something he'd instructed last night—to go check on Pepper at Stark Industries today.
Because of the palladium poisoning issue he'd been dealing with, Tony had been keeping his distance from Pepper for a while, which had already caused her some frustration. To avoid forgetting, Tony had asked Jarvis to remind him, setting it to the highest priority.
"Thanks for the reminder, Jarvis. By the way, where's Yinsen?"
Tony realized he hadn't seen Yinsen since returning last night.
"He went to visit a friend, sir."
Tony gave a casual nod and stood up to leave the workshop. "Jarvis, go ahead and start work on the Mark 7 based on your design. I'll take a look when I get back."
"Understood, sir."
---
Stark Industries
A man in a suit stood politely in front of Pepper, who didn't look particularly pleased.
"So, you're inviting me to attend your Hammer Industries press conference," she said, her tone flat. "And you're claiming your weapons will rival those of Stark Industries?"
The suited man nodded. "Yes, ma'am. It'll be tomorrow evening."
Pepper glanced over at Natasha, who was now her capable assistant. Of course, Pepper was unaware that Natasha was actually a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.
"What do you think, Natasha?"
Natasha, also known as Black Widow, gave a slight smile. "Hammer Industries? I've heard a bit about them. Miss Potts, you happen to be free tomorrow evening, so perhaps you could go take a look."
Her wording, "take a look," rather than "attend," showed her lack of regard for Hammer Industries.
As a top agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Natasha was well aware of the inner workings of Hammer Industries.
She also knew that the war robots they planned to unveil were mainly designed by Ivan Vanko—not Justin Hammer.
Initially, Pepper had no intention of going. But considering how Tony had been so impatient with her lately, it seemed like a good opportunity to avoid him. By attending more events, she'd see less of Tony.
"Alright, I'll definitely go," she agreed.
The suited man's smile grew wider at her acceptance. This was an important task assigned to him by Justin Hammer, and he hadn't expected it to go so smoothly.
"Then I'll take my leave. I have other places to notify."
---
Outside Stark Industries
A luxury car pulled up, blocking the main entrance, but no one dared to say anything because the man getting out was Tony.
Stepping out, Tony tossed his keys to a nearby security guard. "Mind parking this for me?"
Before leaving the car, Tony grabbed a box of strawberries from the passenger seat. He'd picked them up on the way, trading his luxurious watch for them since he wasn't in the habit of carrying cash.
This was a gift for Pepper.
Since resolving his palladium poisoning issue, Tony felt like a weight had lifted from his shoulders.
As Tony walked through Stark Industries, he greeted employees warmly, nodding along the way until he reached the staircase, where a man in a suit was descending.
Tony glanced at him curiously and commented, "Looks like there are quite a few new faces around here."
Upstairs, he pushed open the office door. Pepper, who had been standing by the window, turned to see who had entered. The sight of Tony made her immediately frown.
"Oh, look who decided to drop by the office today—our great young master."
Ignoring her sarcasm, Tony replied thick-skinned, "Just here for an inspection." He raised the strawberries in his hand, adding, "And… I brought you a gift."
Pepper's irritation only grew when she saw the strawberries. The two sat across from each other at the desk, and Tony slid the strawberries toward her. Trying to remain calm, Pepper said, "I can eat just about anything—except strawberries. And you didn't even know that."
Tony quickly grasped the meaning of her words. Pepper was allergic to strawberries. In an attempt to save face, he said, "At least it's a start, right?"
Pepper nodded, "Yes, it is… the first time you've ever brought me something."
Before Tony could respond, Pepper looked over at Natasha, "Natasha, what's next on my schedule?"
Natasha, understanding Pepper was using her as an escape, immediately pretended to check her papers. "Miss Potts, we're due to visit the new site for Stark Tower."
"Alright, let's head there now."
Tony remained silent, aware that saying anything would only further upset Pepper. Silence was the safest option.
Pepper cast him a disgruntled look, wishing he'd at least try to stop her. But when he didn't, she pressed the phone button on her desk and said, "Happy, bring the car around."
Once Pepper and Natasha left, Tony got up and wandered aimlessly around the office. He found himself fascinated by the redesigned office, which used to be his before Obadiah took it over and it eventually became Pepper's space.
He walked over to Natasha's assistant desk and casually browsed through some papers, coming across an invitation to Hammer Industries' press conference.
"Being a CEO sure looks exhausting," he mused, glancing at the endless itinerary before chuckling at the strawberries on the desk. "I'll remember this…"
---
"Alan, this new suit feels a bit heavy," Gwen said, testing the movement. While still comfortable, it was noticeably heavier than her previous suit.
"Of course, it's made with newly developed bulletproof materials," Alan explained. "According to Red Queen's data, it can withstand most handgun bullets—and even handle the shockwaves from explosions."
He turned to Pikachu, "How about you, Pikachu? Like your new outfit?"
"Pika… Pika!" Pikachu nodded enthusiastically, then started mimicking Gwen's signature poses, looking as adorable as ever.
Gwen picked up Pikachu, nuzzling him affectionately. "Pikachu, how about coming along with me for some crime-fighting action?" she suggested. Then, turning to Alan, she asked, "Is that okay?"
With eager expressions, both Gwen and Pikachu looked at him, their faces lit up with anticipation. Both of their masks were equipped with neuro-muscular adaptations, allowing for almost perfect reflection of facial expressions under the masks.
Seeing their excitement, Alan knew he couldn't say no. "Alright, Pikachu can go out with you in his new suit."
"Yay!" cheered Gwen.
"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed happily.
Watching the two with a smile, Alan shook his head. With Gwen and Pikachu around, life in the Marvel world had become much more colorful and lively.
"Miss Gwen, a robbery has been reported on 9th Avenue," came the voice of Red Queen.
Gwen scooped up Pikachu and dashed toward the balcony. "Are you ready, Pikachu?"
"Pika…" Pikachu's suit had been equipped with bio-electrostatic adhesion pads on each paw, thanks to Red Queen's modifications.
This allowed him to securely hold onto Gwen's shoulder. Having flown with Alan before, swinging through the air with Gwen's web felt much easier this time.
Watching Gwen and Pikachu leap off the balcony, Alan turned back inside to tidy up a few things—he would be moving into a new place tomorrow. Though the essentials were already there, he still needed to pack his clothes.
Then, Alan remembered he had a special item. With a thought, a metallic, silver skull with a sleek, high-quality finish appeared in his hand.
"Red Queen, can you analyze the tech on this?" he asked, sitting down on the couch and placing the skull on the table. On the computer screen, Red Queen's gaze shifted, studying the skull as if examining it carefully.
"Yes, Master," she replied. "The liquid bio-metal technology within could potentially be used as a material for Miss Gwen's suit."
Alan nodded; this was exactly what he was hoping for. "Compared to nanomaterials, how does it stack up?"
"Master, in certain respects, liquid bio-metal is superior. Nanomaterials are, by nature, made up of countless nanobots, which give nanotech suits their versatility and portability. However, because they're composed of individual nanobots, once a large portion of them is damaged, the suit can't fully recover."
(A nod to Iron Man's Mark 50 suit in Avengers: Infinity War torn by Thanos, and Spider-Man's suit pulled apart by Doctor Octopus in No Way Home.)
On the screen, a simulation comparing the two materials appeared.
"Liquid bio-metal isn't as versatile as nanomaterials in weapon transformations, but it's much more resilient and protective. Given Miss Gwen's combat style, which relies heavily on physical prowess, liquid bio-metal would be a better fit for her."
After Red Queen's explanation, Alan picked up the skull and rose from the couch. "Then let's send this to the lab for development."
"Emperor Armor, activate…"
In an instant, his body was covered in the Emperor Armor. Alan had never visited Red Queen's lab before, so this was the perfect opportunity to check it out.
Stowing the skull away, he pressed the yin-yang symbol on his belt and called, "Teleport!"
Alan disappeared, reappearing a moment later outside a secluded warehouse. Only he and Red Queen knew what lay hidden inside. Alan walked to a door that opened automatically at his approach. Inside, dust-covered odds and ends lay scattered around, giving little hint of what was really within.
Impressed, Alan remarked, "This place is well-hidden."
He walked further inside, heading toward a circular emblem on the floor. His Emperor Armor began to retract as he moved.
When he stepped onto the symbol, a whirring sound of machinery hummed beneath him, and a glass chamber rose from the floor, enclosing him as it slowly descended underground.
As he reached the lower level, a high-tech laboratory came into view. There were various robotic arms and numerous experimental stations, each testing different kinds of webbing or materials through various simulations.
At the center of the underground hall was a large, bed-sized pod—Alan recognized it as the 3D printer used to produce spider suits with advanced tech.
"Master, just place the material here," Red Queen's voice instructed.
Here, her virtual form was fully projected into the room, no longer confined to a computer screen.
A robotic arm extended toward Alan, gesturing for the item. He handed over the skull, which the arm carefully grasped. As the arm moved, a small platform rose from the floor nearby, placing the skull at its center, surrounded by a circle of glowing blue barriers.
As the barriers went up, the skull's hollow eye sockets began to glow red, and in the next moment, the skull appeared to melt, turning into a pool of silvery liquid.
"How long will the analysis take?"
"Master, with my recent upgrades, the analysis will be completed swiftly. The biggest challenge lies in sourcing the right materials for this technology."
"Materials?" Alan narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
Red Queen's virtual form met his gaze, nodding. "Yes, to proceed with production, I'll need to identify suitable metals within this world. The qualifying materials are extremely rare, so finding them will take some time."
Alan rubbed his chin in thought, a slight grin forming on his lips. "Vibranium… how about that?"
...
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