James asked, "Tony, what was the most important thing your father left you?"
"Stark Industries? The Expo?"
He paused, realization dawning in his eyes.
"…Wait. Is there something in the Expo?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"There is but there was a major problem. What your father left behind had to be hidden, it's something too valuable to risk being found by the wrong people. But he also had to make sure "you" would find it. That's what I saw in your memory. The City of the Future—that's what he left for you."
"What? This model? There's a secret to it?" Tony asked, confused. "What did you see?"
"Let's just watch the documentary."
The two sat down and started the film. Most of it was standard PR fluff, but near the end, Howard Stark began speaking directly to his son. The tone shifted. Serious and Personal.
When it ended, Tony sat back, stunned. "You're right. The answer's been here all along."
His mind churned. His father, dead for over twenty years, was still guiding him. It was surreal.
"James, we need a prototype. Come with me."
"No point. Your car won't fit it. And you probably want to say something to Pepper first, right? Be brave. I'll wait for you here."
Tony paused, then nodded. "You can try on my suits. J.A.R.V.I.S., give James access to the Iron Man's."
Tony rushed off. While James stayed behind.
"Mr. James," J.A.R.V.I.S. said, "there are five Iron Man armors here. Mr. Stark also made one tailored for you. Due to your build, it's a custom model."
James paused. That hit him unexpectedly hard. Even with all their sarcasm and joking, Tony had made him a suit. He might not need it—but he appreciated it.
"Alright, let's suit up." He shrugged off his coat, removed his holsters, and let the robotic arms do their work.
The armor was sleek—jet black. Tony had clearly noticed James's taste. Under the lights, the high-gloss finish looked like a luxury sports car had been forged into a battle armor.
[New energy source detected] Cortana, the AI inside James, reported. [Warning: Harmful substance to human physiology. Cannot be purified by your current systems. Absorption is not recommended.]
"We'll wait for the new element, then. Can you help me control this thing?"
[No. Insufficient power reserves. Can't gain direct control of the suit]
"J.A.R.V.I.S., assist, please. I'm not familiar with this interface."
"Understood, sir. Initiating guidance protocol."
The armor walked him to the garage exit. Then the jets kicked in, launching James into the sky.
Wrapped in the suit, he couldn't feel the wind—only see the world through the HUD. It wasn't what he expected. But he adjusted.
"Manual control enabled," J.A.R.V.I.S. said. "Mind your arm and leg vectors."
James took the controls. It was rough at first, but Cortana silently guided his physical responses. Soon, he leveled out, flying low over the ocean, testing control.
"Okay… this is actually pretty cool. No wonder he's addicted to this. Still, a shame about not feeling the wind."
He looped back and landed. One more thing crossed off his bucket list.
As he stepped out of the armor, a voice rang out behind him.
"Who are you?"
James turned to see a Black man in uniform. "Colonel Rhodes right? Tony's out. But why're you here?"
"It's chaos out there. Took everything I had to keep the brass from sending tanks. And he's not even home?"
"No need to panic. Even if they rolled tanks, they wouldn't be able to handle Iron Man. Besides, is the military really going to rob a private citizen's property?"
Rhodes narrowed his eyes. "You're Wesley Gibson, right? This isn't just business."
"No, Colonel. That senator isn't working for the American people—he's working for someone else. We're not gonna hand over the suits. Even if they want a war. And please call me James, Wesley is my old life."
"What are you saying?"
James out of the suit slipped his holsters back on, then flashed his credentials. "S.H.I.E.L.D. Level Three Agent. Tony's now an official technical advisor. Our director will handle things from here. And just so you know— The Iron Man armor isn't a plug-and-play tech. Tony made one for me, but I can't even use it properly."
Rhodey, noticing something in the background, looked over at the silver Mark II armor standing on a rack.
"Is that one for me?"
"J.A.R.V.I.S.?" James asked.
"Yes, Mr. James. That model was intended for Colonel Rhodes, though Mr. Stark did not complete its final detailing."
James smiled. "See? Tony trusts you. If the military wants to feel like they've got a handle on things, let them think they have a suit too through you."
Rhodey walked up and rested a hand on the armor. "Alright, I won't get to try it today. But I'll be back. Also—get your director on the line. Things are spinning out of control."
James made the call. "Director Fury? We've got a situation. People inside the Government are gunning for the Iron Man tech."
"About time you said something," Nick Fury replied. "You're holding back some intel."
"I'll report more after Tony recovers. First things first."
"Fine. He's our guy now. Go handle it. I'll deal with the military."
"Tony made a suit for Colonel Rhodes. I'll make sure he gets it once Tony's back."
"Noted."
Tony returned soon after. "Alright, let's do this."
James helped him set up the prototype for the new element, piecing together the scattered model of the City of the Future.
"See? Your father left you a great gift, just not in the way you expected."
"Yeah… He was ahead of his time. We need updated equipment to synthesize the new element."
Tony grabbed a heavy tool and began smashing through walls.
James blinked. "You're wrecking your own house?"
Tony grinned. "We need more space. And I'm not swinging a hammer like those in the movies."
James shook his head. 'Rich people.'
By the end, the once pristine villa looked like a construction site. Tony didn't care. He was completely absorbed, focused, and energized.
James watched. This was what a real tech genius looked like.