Several days passed
Tony Stark had completed all the debugging for the Mark II armor. Only the final assembly and testing remained. Before the tests, Tony suddenly thought of Smith Doyle.
"JARVIS, get me Smith Doyle."
"Yes, sir. Calling now."
At that moment, Smith had just finished his training when he noticed an incoming call from Tony Stark. Seeing the name and photo on the screen, he answered with a greeting.
"Hey, Tony."
Tony appeared on the virtual screen and grinned.
"Hey, buddy. I've been upgrading my Mark armor these past few days. It's finally complete."
"You remember I promised you a demo once I had the final product? I want to show you what real innovation looks like."
Clearly, Tony still hadn't forgotten the embarrassment from his first test flight. But this time, he was confident it would blow Smith away.
Hearing that Tony had finished the Mark II, Smith grew curious. Seeing it in person was bound to be a different experience from watching on a screen.
"Where should we meet? I've been curious about your new armor."
"I'll have JARVIS send you the address. Just come over to my house—it's also my private lab."
Once the call ended, Tony glanced at the gleaming silver Mark II next to the original Mark I. He smiled proudly.
"Smith's going to be floored. This thing is a work of art."
Smith checked the address Tony had sent and headed to his garage. Before him were rows of luxury cars: a Mercedes-Maybach, Rolls-Royce, Ferrari, and an Audi R8. He finally settled on a red Ferrari and drove toward Tony's seaside mansion.
---
Driving along the coast in his beloved car, Smith soon arrived at the sleek estate.
As he stepped toward the door, it opened automatically and JARVIS's voice greeted him:
"Welcome, Mr. Smith Doyle."
Tony walked over and greeted Smith with a hug.
"Hey man, glad you're here."
"I've been dying to see your reaction."
Smith chuckled. "I can tell you're really confident in your upgrades. What kind of changes made you so sure?"
"Oh, and I saw the news—you're shutting down Stark Industries' weapons division?"
Tony nodded. "Yeah. When I was captured, I saw tons of Stark weapons in the enemy camp. They were meant to protect people—but they were being used against us. That's not what I wanted."
"And that's part of why I called you here. I want to talk about that."
Smith waved it off.
"That's your business. Though I have to say, your announcement helped me make a nice profit off Stark Industries stock."
Tony laughed.
"No wonder Pepper told me the stock dropped 56.5%, way past the 40% we expected. So you were fanning the flames."
"Well, congrats. You made a killing. But the stock's probably going to dip even more."
Smith glanced at the arc reactor in Tony's chest.
"I believe you'll take Stark Industries to new heights. When the time is right, I'll buy back in."
Tony beamed.
"Smart move. Choosing Stark Industries is the best investment you'll ever make."
"But I called you for another reason. When Pepper contacted you for my rescue, we made a deal—one of the terms was giving your people access to our weapons distribution."
"Now that we're halting weapons production, that deal's void. So I'm offering two alternatives."
"First, I can connect you with Hammer Industries. They've always been poor imitators, but they're still a weapons supplier. I'm sure they'll give me the courtesy of letting you in on the small-arms trade."
"Second, I know you've been trying to acquire scientific equipment and materials, but you've hit roadblocks because of licensing issues."
"Stark Industries can act as a procurement agent for you. We can use our purchasing rights to get what you need—within reason. You'll cover the cost, of course."
"Even as CEO, I still have to answer to shareholders."
Smith considered the options, then replied:
"I'll pass on Hammer Industries. You said it yourself—they're clumsy imitators. I don't want a weapon misfiring mid-use."
"Let's go with the second option. I'd appreciate it if Stark Industries could help with the procurement."
Tony smiled even wider.
"I'll have Pepper get in touch. Just send her the list of materials and equipment you need."
Smith nodded and then grinned.
"Now that business is out of the way, take me to your masterpiece! I've been looking forward to this."
Tony led Smith into the underground lab, where the fully assembled Mark I and Mark II stood waiting.
Smith's eyes were drawn to the Mark I. He wondered—since Tony had taken the prototype back with him, would Obadiah still build the Iron Monger? And would Tony still become Iron Man without that tragedy? After all, without the Iron Monger, Yinsen might still be alive...
Tony stepped onto the assembly platform and turned to Smith.
"You're about to be the first person besides me to see the Mark II in action."
"JARVIS, suit me up."
"Right away, sir."
Mechanical arms moved into position. Piece by piece, the Mark II was assembled around Tony's body.
"Activate helmet."
"Helmet activated."
"Load all optimization protocols."
"Done, sir."
Watching Tony suit up, Smith couldn't help but be amazed. The Mark II already looked like the Iron Man from his memories—except it hadn't been painted yet.
Looking at the shining silver armor, a question popped into his mind:
Did Tony account for high-altitude freezing?
—End of chapter—
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