Feeney hadn't expected things to turn out this way. He'd never intended to befriend Tony, but there was no need to make an enemy of him, either. This incident had been nothing but an accident.
He'd spent too long at Kamar-Taj. The sorcerers' habits had made him careless, and even when he came to gather information, he'd approached it entirely from a magical perspective, completely forgetting the power of modern science.
At the same time, his misjudgment of Tony's personality had made things deteriorate further, until they'd ended up in this situation.
"Jarvis, what are you doing?"
A flicker of shock crossed Tony's eyes. He'd been watching Feeney closely the entire time, without letting his guard down. He was sure Feeney hadn't done anything, yet Jarvis, the Artificial Intelligence he'd created, had followed his command.
"I'm sorry, sir. I don't understand what happened. I thought that was your order."
Jarvis sounded perfectly calm. After all, he was only an Artificial Intelligence, with no thoughts or emotions of his own. He followed nothing but the logic and algorithms of a computer.
"Then you should take a good look at yourself."
Tony didn't take his anger out on an Artificial Intelligence. He knew where the problem lay. Suppressing his unease, he put on a casual air and looked at Feeney. "That's some impressive tech. Did you hack Jarvis's system beforehand, or did you have an accomplice?"
Seeing Tony trying to hide his unease and act calm, Feeney stopped trading barbs with him. No matter what, he had come in uninvited, so he might as well admit fault.
"I'm sorry. I was wrong to come in without permission. To make it up to you, I can offer a useful suggestion about what you're working on. How does that sound?"
Tony was an incredibly proud man, and the Iron Armor was what he was proudest of. How could he possibly accept Feeney's "advice" humbly? He immediately turned him down. "No need. I think I can handle it myself."
Then he added, "Besides, I don't think a little boy still studying ancient languages in college would have any good advice."
Stark and that mouth of his!
Feeney felt a little irritated. Tony really was still in need of a few hard knocks from life. He had no filter when he insulted people. Feeney wanted to give him a good beating.
"Are you sure you don't need it?" Feeney asked one last time, clearly annoyed.
Tony had meant to refuse again, but he thought of all the strange things that had happened, how Feeney had appeared, and how the armor had vanished. In the end, he turned his head slightly, then stubbornly insisted, "I'm sure it won't be any use, but you can tell me anyway. I'll help you correct your mistakes."
"Heh!"
After looking down on Tony for a moment, Feeney said, "Your suit should have a Flight Device, right? Have you considered what might happen if it freezes up at high altitude?"
"It would have to be at least forty thousand feet for severe icing..."
Tony answered instinctively, his expression suggesting that he didn't think it was something he needed to worry about.
Perhaps because he hadn't finished building Mark II, and considering the state of Mark I in the cave, Tony didn't yet have as much confidence in the suit as Feeney did. He hadn't considered the possibility of flying that high.
But Tony was Tony. Just because he hadn't thought of something didn't mean he couldn't handle it. He immediately turned to Jarvis and ordered, "Jarvis, note that down. Add ailerons, then screen the shell materials. Oh, and add the Titanium Gold Alloy used in the Seraph Tactical Satellite to the top of the shortlist."
"Mm... Record it after you've finished your self-diagnostic!"
Only then did Tony turn back to Feeney, looking a little awkward. "Well... given the weather right now, icing isn't really something I need to worry about, so your suggestion was only somewhat useful."
Hearing what sounded like thanks from Tony, Feeney gave him a look of disdain, then pointed at the Miniature Arc Reactor in Tony's chest. "This thing is going to poison you. You know that, right?"
Actually, when Feeney had seen the glass of bright green liquid on the table not far from Tony, he'd guessed that Tony had already discovered the Palladium Poisoning.
Tony's expression changed for real this time. He'd only discovered it recently and had never told anyone. The Arc Reactor had to keep the Iron Shrapnel in his heart from reaching it, so when it powered the suit, it also injected Palladium Element into his body.
Unless he stopped supplying power, the problem would never go away. He'd even stopped drinking coffee because of it. Of course, he had another option: give up the Iron Armor. But that was obviously even less likely.
"You know how to fix it?"
Tony did his best to sound calm, but his involuntary fidgeting showed how much this mattered to him.
"I don't!"
"..."
Tony felt that familiar sensation of being cut off again. This was a matter of life and death, and the feeling of being shown hope only to be toyed with made him furious. He said at once, "I knew a little boy wouldn't have any good advice. Kids should focus on their studies. Maybe I'll donate some money to your school sometime and suggest they hire more teachers."
"I don't know how to fix it, but I know who does, and I know where to find a lead."
Feeney glanced at Tony's awkward expression, folded his arms, and gave him a look that said, Go on.
"I think we should discuss your breaking and entering first..."
Tony spoke as if nothing were wrong, but he was wondering whether Feeney was telling the truth. He still hadn't figured out what the other man wanted or how he knew so much.
Watching Tony play dumb, Feeney rolled his eyes and continued, "But it's not the right time for that yet. I'll tell you when I get the chance."
As a member of Kamar-Taj, what was the most important thing!?
Never spoil the future, no matter how much you knew!
Besides, some of his father's belongings and research were still in the hands of that One-Eyed Baldy Director. If even Iron Man's home was this hard to break into, how easy could it be to infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Though, come to think of it, maybe all he needed to do was say, "Hail Hydra."
Feeney's mind wandered off on its own, but Tony beside him wasn't happy. He thought Feeney was about to make a demand, and asked in a Deep Voice, "What do you want?"
"Money?" The fabulously wealthy Stark cut straight to the point. "How much? Is a hundred million enough?"
Tony's casual offer of a hundred million left Feeney stunned. He fought down the pang in his heart and shook his head. "This isn't about money. But aren't you worried I'm lying to you?"
"Don't lie to me. The consequences will be serious!"
Tony was learning on the fly, reusing Feeney's earlier words with a slight change.
At first, Feeney had considered using the Golden Great Deduction Technique to make Tony forget what had happened today, but after thinking it over, he'd given up on the idea.
For one thing, Tony's intelligence was beyond that of an ordinary person, so it would be difficult to pull off. And if he inexplicably forgot an entire day, he'd only investigate more closely. The consequences really could be worse.
"Anyway, it's not the right time yet." Feeney finally shook his head. Tony's personality changed with every experience he went through. If Feeney interfered too much, perhaps Tony wouldn't become the Iron Man he remembered.
If he hadn't wanted to farm experience off Iron Monger this time, he wouldn't have come here at all.
Seeing how firm Feeney was, Tony had a temper of his own. Besides, he believed he could find a solution himself and had already thought of a possible lead. He said bluntly, "Then you've just missed your best chance to become rich. You'll definitely regret it later."
Mm, how can I get you all to keep voting without un-favoriting the story, and then tip me too!? No extra chapters, though. It hasn't even gone premium yet—how could I possibly add chapters!!! Other authors only post one chapter a day before their stories go premium.
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