New York, Night
Tony stood before the dusty Stark Expo model, running his fingers over the miniatures. Sweat soaked his shirt, not from heat but excitement. Thanks to James's hint, he was about to uncover this treasure.
"Jarvis, scan the model, look for anomalies."
A web of blue lasers swept the structure, projecting a 3D hologram. Tony spotted an anomaly in the central pavilion: a disguised atomic model.
"That's it!" His fingers trembled as he overlaid the structure with a periodic table. "Project the formula!"
An unknown atom appeared. "Sir, it's a stable isotope, theoretically capable of replacing palladium," Jarvis confirmed.
Tony, feverish, dismantled the model like a kid with a radio, revealing a blueprint left by his father, Howard Stark.
"Dad…" he murmured, moved, before an alarm interrupted.
"Sir, rapid approach detected."
James appeared behind him. "You found the new element."
Tony instinctively hid the blueprint, then laughed at himself. "No point hiding it from you, huh?"
James glanced at the blueprint. "Your father was a genius."
"Yeah, better at puzzles than parenting," Tony replied, shaking the blueprint. "This'll fix my problem."
At 3 a.m., Stark Industries' underground lab glowed. Tony, in a stained T-shirt, tweaked a particle accelerator. James offered precise advice.
"That won't work; the proton beam will diverge," James said, pointing to a parameter. "Increase the magnetic field strength by 12%."
Tony frowned, then adjusted. "You even know quantum physics?"
"Learned it an hour ago," James said casually.
A blue beam fired, and the data stabilized. "Success!" Tony shouted, grabbing the glowing triangular element. "Jarvis, prep the transplant!"
James stopped him. "Not now. You're too tired."
"No, I…" Tony swayed, caught by James. "48 hours without sleep isn't ideal for surgery," James said firmly. "Rest six hours, I'll handle the rest."
Tony tried to protest, but a wave of sleep hit, induced by James's bio-field.
Six hours later, Tony woke under harsh light, the smell of antiseptic in the air. He touched his chest: no cold metal, just a new reactor glowing pure blue.
"Surgery successful," James said, standing by a bio-scanner displaying a 3D model of Tony's torso.
Tony, stunned, noticed the modified equipment. "You… operated on me? Here? No medical team?"
James closed the hologram. "Your vitals are stable. The new element integrated perfectly, palladium poisoning's gone."
Tony checked his body: no scars. "You upgraded my medical gear?"
James picked up a surgical robot. "Just added control modules." He traced a glowing line, revealing restructured circuits.
Tony, floored, grasped the tech's magnitude. "You're really something," he admitted, standing and testing his shoulders. "How do I feel?"
James handed him an amber glass. "Macallan 55-year, from your cellar. Enhanced to boost cell regeneration."
Tony sipped, amazed. "Damn, this taste! What'd you add?"
"A substitute," James replied, approaching a console. "It temporarily boosts nerve conduction."
Tony set his glass down, serious. "Why go this far? The surgery, the upgrades… that's beyond our deal."
James, back turned, said, "15% of the shares deserves premium service."
"Bullshit," Tony shot back. "You know what Stark Industries is worth. Even without you, I'd have…"
James cut him off, pulling a tube from a freezer. A glowing blue liquid seemed alive. "Enhanced Super-Soldier Serum," he said, placing it under a microscope. "Based on Erskine's, but no side effects."
Tony approached, captivated. Jarvis projected data: "Molecular structure 37% more complex than S.H.I.E.L.D.'s. These protein chains…"
"Strength boosted 2.5 times, metabolism up 400%, bone density…" James paused. "Enough to survive a 30-story fall with just a scratch."
Tony straightened, serious. "You recreated the serum in days?"
"Not recreated. Rewritten," James corrected, twirling the tube. "No Red Skull side effects or personality changes."
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