Malibu, late at night.
Below the cliffs, the waves of the Pacific Ocean battered the rocks, sending up a deep, muffled roar.
Inside the underground laboratory, AC/DC's "Shoot to Thrill" blasted into every corner at maximum volume.
Holographic projections intertwined in midair into a web of blue light. Crumpled paper, half-eaten pizza boxes, and scattered mechanical parts littered the floor.
Tony Stark wore a gray tank top stained with machine oil and held a plasma cutter in one hand.
He stared hard at the enormous scale model of the 1974 Stark Expo on his workbench. Heavy dark circles ringed his eyes, and his hair looked like a bird's nest.
"JARVIS, isolate the architectural structure of Exhibition Hall 2 and magnify it by three hundred percent. I want to see the energy transmission pathways underneath." Tony wiped the sweat from his face, his voice hoarse.
"Sir, the atomic arrangement model for that area has already been simulated forty-seven times. No stable isotope capable of replacing palladium has been found." JARVIS's electronic voice sounded between bursts of heavy metal.
"Also, your blood pressure is elevated. I recommend-"
"Cut the crap and keep running simulations," Tony snapped, cutting him off. "If the old man left me this pile of junk, there's definitely something hidden in it. He was an egomaniac, but he never talked nonsense."
Click.
A faint burst of electronic static sounded.
The deafening heavy metal abruptly stopped. The holographic projections flickered twice, then vanished. A deathly silence fell over the underground laboratory, with only a few emergency lights casting a pallid glow.
"JARVIS?" Tony frowned and lowered the plasma cutter, its nozzle glowing a dangerous red.
There was no response. It was as if someone had unplugged his AI butler.
"Mr. Stark, it seems you've oversold your security system."
A low,