Tony rarely had such a quiet, pleasant morning.
He was buried in the basement workshop, moving to the Beatles' tune—John Lennon's proud masterpiece, "Across the Universe"—as he happily tinkered with the Iron Armor. Ever since developing the latest Nanotechnology, though, Tony had rarely worn them.
These Iron Armor sets, each with different paintwork, were more like decorations displayed in glass cases, bearing witness to Iron Man's glorious history.
Pepper, however, had a more fitting name for them: a child's toys.
These extravagantly expensive Iron Armor sets were like Tony's beloved toys. Every so often, he had to take them out to admire and play with them, much like people who collected vintage cars or figurines.
But compared to the latter, not everyone could cultivate a hobby of treating Iron Armor worth hundreds of millions of dollars as toys.
"No Pepper, no S.H.I.E.L.D., and no Jarvis... What a perfect day."
Tony hummed a tune and said smugly.
Although many said Stark had turned over a new leaf and matured considerably, he still hated tedious work and boring social engagements deep down.
Being free of those irritating affairs and able to focus on mechanical engineering made Tony feel perfectly content.
"Jarvis, what do I have scheduled this afternoon?"
Tony called for his intelligent butler out of habit. Normally, Jarvis would have popped up at once, telling him to watch his working hours, reminding him to balance work and rest, and conveniently listing the day's schedule.
For instance, attending some celebrity's dinner party, or appearing as a guest at a charity fundraiser organized by a government agency.
"Jarvis?"
Tony stopped working, his brow knitting as he sensed something was wrong.
Jarvis had never ignored his calls. The artificial intelligence named after the Stark family's old butler never made mistakes and always appeared exactly