Chapter 63: The Stanavistin Project
With Saddler dead, the operation was over.
The sky was clearing.
Everyone stood looking at the puddle that had been Saddler, and collectively let out a breath.
Ada called Matthew.
"Boss. Mission complete. The Amber is in hand."
"Good." Matthew's voice was satisfied. "Make sure you bring the research data back with you."
"Done. You'll be happy with it."
The team sealed the Amber in containment and loaded it for transport.
On the plane, Ada leaned against the window and watched the military base go up in the flames of its own self-destruct sequence, her face carrying the specific exhaustion of someone who had been running for several hours before the actual mission started.
The rest of the team were in considerably better shape. They were making jokes. None of what had just happened appeared to have affected their mood in any particular way.
Even Leon was still riding the high of having cleared a major threat to the world.
"Another day saving the world." He exhaled contentedly.
[System: Las Plagas parasite spread crisis resolved ahead of schedule. +1,000 points.]
[System: Ashley Graham kidnapping crisis resolved ahead of schedule. +500 points.]
[System: Accumulated points total has reached 12,500. Pass milestone reward deposited to Warehouse: "Hunter" automated production line. Points remaining: 3,500.]
[System: Next milestone at 18,000 accumulated points. Please continue putting System rewards to work for the benefit of the people.]
Matthew, currently in Tony Stark's oceanside villa discussing business, registered the notifications and blinked once. Then his expression settled back to neutral.
Tony, who had caught the brief moment of distraction, leaned back with the look of a man preparing to be entertaining. "What was that? Thinking about what to have for lunch?"
Matthew waved a hand at him and returned to the topic they had been on. "The surgery to remove the shrapnel. Have you thought about it further?"
"I know an excellent physician who—"
Tony raised his hand before Matthew finished. "Matthew. You know me. I don't enjoy putting my life in someone else's hands. Let's revisit that one later."
"What I'm actually more interested in," Tony said, "is the Stanavistin concept you mentioned before." He made a gesture with his palm.
A concept diagram projected in the air between them.
"This is what I've put together over the past few days. Think of it as a first draft. There's still a lot that needs work — including some areas that aren't really my field."
Matthew studied the diagram. What Tony had designed was not quite what he'd had in mind when he first heard the name. It looked more like a detachable external micro-armor — one that required connection to the spine and nervous system when worn, but could be removed without pain when it wasn't needed. The Iron Man suit's design philosophy was still visible in it. The influence was clear.
"Biology?" Matthew said.
Tony corrected him. "The human body, more precisely. It's considerably more complex than machinery, and machinery is what I know. So..."
"So you want me to handle that side of it."
"That's the general idea." Tony said it without hesitation or apology. "I trust you. Same way I trust Happy, Pepper, and Yinsen."
He gestured briefly at the diagram. "You also picked up a fairly significant stake in Stark Industries recently. Second-largest shareholder after me. By any measure, we're actual partners."
"If Stanavistin gets developed successfully, it will be a landmark for both of us. For everyone. Something worth putting in the record."
"On funding—" he thought for a second "—I'm handling that. All of it. If you agree, Stark Industries sets up a dedicated team for this project tomorrow. You bring the talent. I provide the capital and the technical side. With that combination, I think it comes together quickly."
Tony looked at Matthew with an unusual degree of seriousness behind his expression.
Matthew looked back at him for a moment.
"If you're putting it that way," he said, "refusing would be rude." He stood. "Umbrella has people you'll need for this. I'll be in touch."
He was turning to go when his eye caught the glass of chlorophyll juice sitting next to Tony's chair.
He paused.
"Tony. If something is going on with your health, I'd like to know about it." He said it plainly. "Something that looks unsolvable from where you're standing might be nothing from a different angle."
Tony's expression shifted slightly. Something warmed in it.
Matthew was, Tony decided, a person worth trusting.
[System: +200 points. Tony's trust in you has deepened.]
"Don't worry," Tony said. "If I run into something I genuinely can't handle, I'll ask for help without hesitating." He smiled. "You've already saved me once. Twice. Three times — yes, three. I've counted."
He glanced at his watch. "Are you sure you won't stay for lunch? We could—"
"Pizza, or burgers?"
Matthew gave him a look that conveyed his position on that.
"I'm going for hotpot." He stepped around the table and patted Tony on the shoulder. "Enjoy your burger. Drink your chlorophyll. Goodbye."
He gave Tony a brief wave and walked toward the door without looking back, leaving Tony in mid-protest.
"Hey! Matthew! I've actually been thinking about hotpot—"
"You should eat with Ms. Potts. She seems to have something to bring you."
Matthew passed Pepper coming in, gave her a polite smile, and left the oceanside villa.
Pepper, carrying a folder of documents, looked at Tony sitting on the sofa with his chlorophyll juice.
It occurred to her, now that she was looking, that every time she had seen him recently he had been holding one of those things.
"Tony. When did you start drinking vegetable juice? I don't remember that being something you did."
She set the documents in front of him. Tony signed without looking at them — a level of trust that said something about how much he thought of her — and improvised as he did.
"Recent development. Health maintenance. The long-term benefits are significant."
"Could I have some? I'd like to live longer too." Pepper picked up the glass and looked at it. "What does it taste like?"
"Absolutely terrible."
Pepper set the glass down.
"...Suddenly longevity seems less important than I thought."