…
"Welcome home, Master Leon. I'm relieved to see you safe."
The moment Leon passed the facial-recognition scan and entered the mansion, J.A.R.V.I.S. greeted him. There was a subtle warmth in the AI's tone—almost as if it had begun developing something akin to human emotion.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., how long has it been since Tony's incident?"
"Master Leon, this is the evening of Day 85."
"…What?"
"It has been eighty-five days."
Leon's expression tightened.
In Iron Man, Tony was held captive for roughly three months before escaping—but the exact duration was never made explicit.
The Ten Rings had originally accepted Obadiah Stane's contract to assassinate Tony. Instead, they double-crossed him, keeping Tony alive to force him to build a Jericho missile.
They rescued him from the blast, imprisoned him in a cave, and gave him seven days to produce the missile from the materials provided.
Instead, Tony built the Mark I armor in secret—and escaped.
Dr. Ho Yinsen, the scientist who helped save Tony's life, sacrificed himself to buy Tony time to power up the suit.
Yinsen's death became the catalyst for Iron Man's birth.
Canonically, Tony shouldn't die here.
But people die when they're killed.
Leon's existence alone had already altered the timeline. There was no guarantee events would unfold the same way.
And Yinsen—
Leon wanted to save him too.
With Yinsen alive to guide Tony, Leon's own future would be far more relaxed.
He could focus on "education and training"… in his own way.
Leon unlocked the lower levels with fingerprint and passcode, descending into Tony's workshop—part laboratory, part high-end garage.
He jokingly called it "Tony's Funhouse."
Scanning the area and finding nothing he needed, Leon asked:
"J.A.R.V.I.S., is the Jet Sliger operational?"
"Master Leon, the Jet Sliger has remained in standby mode. However, its design is incomplete. The physical strain on the pilot is extreme. Without Mr. Stark's authorization, I cannot activate it."
"Come on, J.A.R.V.I.S. This is one of those times when rules need flexibility."
"I am not human, Master Leon. I operate according to Mr. Stark's programming."
"In my eyes, you're family."
"…."
There was a pause.
Then—
A hidden elevator silently emerged from the wall.
Leon smirked and stepped inside, descending even deeper underground.
When the doors opened, however, he was met with an enormous blast door—thick as a bank vault, forged from reinforced alloy.
"I can only assist you this far," J.A.R.V.I.S. said. "Without Mr. Stark present, I cannot open this door."
"That's fine. You've done enough."
BOOM—
Leon drove a charged punch into the door.
The result?
A shallow dent.
The surrounding walls trembled slightly, dust drifting down.
Given enough time, he could probably brute-force it open—but time was exactly what he didn't have.
The chest beam might do the trick, but it would likely obliterate everything inside. Possibly the mansion too.
"According to Mr. Stark, this door can withstand the shockwave of a nuclear blast," J.A.R.V.I.S. added. "Purely physical destruction would be extremely difficult."
Before the sentence fully registered—
BAM!
Leon swung his tungsten-alloy shield into the adjacent reinforced concrete wall.
The one-meter-thick steel-reinforced structure shattered open.
"…."
J.A.R.V.I.S. went silent.
Leon grinned, lowering the shield.
"If the door's harder than the wall, then the wall becomes the door."
"That's what I meant by flexibility."
He ducked through the opening.
The Jet Sliger
The chamber beyond was cylindrical—about 100 square meters in area and four meters tall, carved directly into bedrock.
Tools and fabrication equipment lined the circular walls.
At the center—
Sat a massive, jet-black machine.
Larger than a standard sedan.
A monstrous motorcycle.
The Jet Sliger.
Years ago, Leon had described it to Tony after dreaming about it. He'd nagged his genius brother relentlessly until Tony finally built it.
Leon approached, running a hand across its cold metallic surface.
J.A.R.V.I.S. began its overview:
"Per your conceptual design, Mr. Stark installed multiple jet exhaust ports along both sides and the rear of the Jet Sliger."
"Combined with the custom omnidirectional wheel hubs, it possesses maneuverability far beyond conventional motorcycles."
"It is capable of rotational spins, lateral drift movement, and low-altitude hover."
"Additionally, a submersible module has been integrated, granting full sea-land-air capability."
"Maximum underwater speed: 100 km/h.
Surface water: 650 km/h.
Land: 1,300 km/h.
Air: 2,500 km/h."
"The vehicle is electrically powered. Its energy source is a medium-sized Arc Reactor."
Leon froze.
"A medium-sized Arc Reactor?"
"That liar…"
He had once suggested miniaturizing the Arc Reactor for propulsion. Tony had dismissed it as impossible.
Apparently, it wasn't.
"In fact," J.A.R.V.I.S. added gently, "Mr. Stark completed the medium-scale Arc Reactor design the day after you proposed it."
Leon went quiet.
Of course he did.
Tony Stark.
"J.A.R.V.I.S. Start it."
Leon stored his shield back into system space and mounted the Jet Sliger.
"I must reiterate," J.A.R.V.I.S. warned, "the design remains incomplete. The strain on the pilot exceeds that experienced by fighter jet pilots by over threefold. An ordinary human would not survive."
"Do I look ordinary?"
"Let's move."
After a brief pause—
"As you wish, Master Leon."
The engines roared to life with the thunder of a jet preparing for takeoff.
The metal floor beneath the vehicle separated into a circular platform six meters wide, descending slowly into a launch shaft.
Simultaneously—
Along the cliff face beneath the Malibu mansion—
A concealed aperture split open.
A sleek metallic launch track extended outward over the Pacific.
Wind howled.
A black blur—too fast for the naked eye—shot from the cliffside and tore across the ocean sky.
Leon Stark.
Riding the Jet Sliger.
Destination:
Afghanistan.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., handle navigation and airspace clearance."
"It is my honor, Master Leon."
The game was no longer bound to the script.
Iron Man was about to gain backup.