The moment he landed, he called Stark.
"Tony. Where are you?"
"New York. Stark Tower's almost online with the new energy system. Self-sustaining—at least in theory. Just the prototype right now, but promising. What's up?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the basement lab of Tony Stark's California villa, Tony was inspecting James's armor design.
"You really came up with this yourself?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah. What do you think?" James said.
"Aren't you an accountant?"
"I am," James shrugged, "but accountants can know physics and systems engineering too."
Tony tilted his head. "Honestly… it's a solid design. Fits your combat style perfectly. But the weight distribution between these two weapons is going to be an issue. And that electromagnetic sniper rifle concept? It's clever—but how do you plan to handle the recoil? Your heart can only handle so much, and that kind of kick would break bones in a long fight."
"That's the problem. What would you suggest?"
Tony smirked. "Simple. We build you your own Iron Man Armor—redesigned from the ground up. Incorporate that left-arm energy weapon you want and a sniper rifle that mounts to the shoulder. We can set it up with two firing modes. Hell, we could even throw in missile support. You'd be a walking artillery unit."
James raised an eyebrow. "Why do you sound excited about that?"
"When I charge into a fight, who better to have covering me than the most precise shooter I've ever seen? You don't miss. Not even J.A.R.V.I.S. is that accurate."
"Well, that's one way to talk me into it," James said. "But that would mean there's more than one Iron Man."
Tony shook his head. "Nah, I'll always be the one at the front. Flashy, Bold, and Headline-worthy. No one notices the guy sniping in the back. That's just support. Hero work is all about the spotlight."
James chuckled. "Fair. Not like people remember the guy kneeling with the rifle."
Tony grinned. "You need a hero name though. Something cool. How about 'Shadow Gun'?"
James rolled his eyes. "You want me to shoot you in the back?"
"Okay, okay, how about something you like?"
"I was thinking… 'Nocturne.' Just Nocturne. Matches the armor I named the Umbra Sentinel. Superheroes get codenames, right?"
Tony nodded. "That's actually not bad. Ominous, brings fear in the dark."
They got to work using the holographic table to render a prototype.
"How'd the original Umbra Sentinel armor work for you?" Tony asked.
"Not bad. Still using it. I like the colors too. But I need your help with the roof rig—I'm telling you, getting in and out of that thing is a pain." 'Not like I will tell him I got a sub-space storage that could equip and unequip the armor. Not even S.H.I.E.L.D noticed me using it, just thinking it was in the car.'
"I'll send someone to fix that. Meanwhile, J.A.R.V.I.S., pull up the Nexus prototype."
The projection loaded up a modified Iron Man frame with heavier bracing.
"Needs enlarging," Tony said. "Knees, feet, support structure for long-range fire. We'll need shock-absorbing knee braces, and we'll redesign the right shoulder to house that literal cannon."
He scattered the virtual armor, reassembling components with tweaks.
"What do you think—red for the weapons section?" James asked.
"Red? With black? You really like that color combo, huh?" Tony gave him a look.
"What? Your suit's red and gold. That matches your ego. Mine's just style."
Tony grinned. "Exactly. It shines on stage."
The simulation was updated. The new Nocturne armor appeared, matte black, with a bold red energy weapon on the left arm and a retractable sniper rifle over the right shoulder.
"Bit plain," James noted. "Open up the sniper system."
The barrel unfolded—two-layered construction. The inner core was an extendable metal barrel for energy rounds, and the outer shell can retract and form a split diamond-shaped casing that converted to an electromagnetic cannon that will propel the energy round stronger.
Tony whistled. "You might actually be flashier than me now."
"But I'm supposed to stay in the dark, remember?" James said with a smirk.
The suit could be upgraded later, modular-style. Plenty of room for growth.
Tony nodded. "Alright. You're officially Nocturne. Armor: Umbra Sentinel. Weapon system: Nexus."
"Elegant, right?"
"You're worse than me," Tony muttered.
"So you admit your personality's trash?" James grinned.
"Whatever. Now for shooting posture—on one knee?"
"Yup. Knee needs support, foot needs bracing. Right knee, left foot slightly offset."
"Symmetrical?" Tony asked.
"Yeah, both weapons are independently powered. Helps with alternating fire. Did you notice the difference in energy output between the two?"
"Of course. You'll need to charge the main rifle shot though. Takes time—but when it hits? That's a strategic-class strike."
The Rifle's Electromagnetic 'Arcshot' required charge time to Fire. The left arm weapon split: one half for rapid-fire 'Dreadfire', the other for the high-powered 'Deadzone.'
"Exactly. I need a trump card. Big targets aren't going down easily. Also, the helmet should be retractable—I want the option to expose my head."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Still trust yourself more than tech, huh?"
"Didn't you say I shoot better than a computer? And technically… I "am" one," James said, nodding to Cortana.
"Fair enough. J.A.R.V.I.S., begin alloy orders. Start fabrication."
[Yes, sir. Estimated production time: seven hours, twenty-five minutes.]
Tony turned to James. "Alright. Now let's talk about your apartment. Got a floor plan?"
"Yeah. Top floor. Two units. I bought them both. One's empty—I figured that's where we do the modifications."
"Perfect. Stark Industries engineers will handle it. We'll set up a robotic rig so you can suit up and disarm automatically. Your father can help too."
"Appreciate it. I'll need ammo manufacturing too—energy cores and modular gear."
"You know, I'm tempted to build a production line. With how much juice you're going to burn, it might be worth it."
"Not yet," James said. "Earth's not ready for high-grade tech production. We're keeping this under the radar."