Arthur led Tony into his workshop. The place was spacious, with scattered metal parts, holographic projects floating in the air, and a cylindrical capsule positioned right in the center of the room.
Tony frowned, circling the object like a predator sizing up its prey.
"Okay, I'll just ask straight out: what is this thing? Looks like one of those Star Trek crates that promises to teleport you but really just leaves you without your pants."
Arthur smirked. "It's still a very basic prototype. But this… is the beginning of my nanomachine project."
Tony blinked. Once. Twice. Then he snapped his fingers and pointed at Arthur like he'd just won a bet.
"You actually did it? You took that bar conversation we had—when I was drunk, by the way, and you were rambling about 'the revolution of self-replicating particles'—and turned it into reality?" Tony said, remembering the chat they'd had a few days earlier.
Arthur simply nodded.
Tony moved even closer to the capsule, running his fingers across the structure. "This is unbelievable. You weren't just talking nonsense… you actually started building it. Nanomachines, Arthur! Do you realize how revolutionary this is?"
Arthur crossed his arms. "I've thought of a few applications. For me, quick equipment creation for battle. But I also pictured something more… personalized."
Tony grinned like a kid on Christmas morning. "Personalized? Arthur, this is the answer to 90% of my suit problems. Picture this: instead of a massive robotic system like what I'm using now, I could carry everything in my chest—literally—and let the nanomachines build the suit around me in seconds."
Arthur nodded. "Or dismantle it instantly when necessary."
Tony pointed eagerly. "Or create instant variations. Need strength? The nanomachines redistribute the metal. Need supersonic flight? They build the thrusters on the spot. Need a shield? Boom! Out pops a shield from my palm."
Arthur smiled at the billionaire's almost childlike enthusiasm. "And it's not limited to armor. Imagine emergency medical kits. Engineering tools. Even compact energy weapons, all adapted in real time."
Tony paced back and forth. "I spent months trying to cut weight, optimize joints, speed up mobility tests… and you show up with this—casually—like, 'Oh, it's just a prototype.' You make me look lazy!"
Arthur chuckled. "It wasn't that easy. The challenges are massive—especially autonomous programming and energy control. For now, they can only form small, basic structures."
"Small structures?" Tony raised a brow. "Arthur, if this little thing can form a screwdriver on its own, I'll marry the project. Actually, I'll marry you. Pepper will totally understand."
Arthur sighed, shaking his head at the exaggeration, though he couldn't help laughing.
"There's still a lot of work left."
"Work is my middle name!" Tony said, pointing at himself. "Well, technically it's Edward, but you get the idea."
Arthur smiled at Tony's excitement and walked toward the capsule.
"Since you're so hyped, I guess it's worth showing you what this baby can do."
Tony's eyes widened as he leaned against the counter with a cup of juice he didn't even remember grabbing.
"If this thing explodes, I just want it on record: it's been an honor knowing you. Also, I want 'I told you so' written on my tombstone."
Ignoring the comment, Arthur typed a few commands into the panel, and the capsule opened with a soft hiss. Inside, a metallic cloud began to move as if alive, forming geometric patterns in the air.
The particles merged and, before Tony's eyes, shaped themselves into a perfect wrench. Then they dismantled in seconds, re-forming into a short blade. Moments later, they reshaped into what looked like a mini-thruster, even emitting a small blue flame.
Tony spat half his juice onto the floor.
"You've got to be kidding me…" He stepped closer.
"Arthur, this isn't just a prototype. This is practically the Last Supper of engineering! You just showed me the IKEA of the future—real-time buildable tools!"
Arthur chuckled softly. "Easy. It's still unstable. The control is extremely limited, and energy autonomy lasts no more than a few minutes."
"A few minutes?!" Tony threw up his hands. "Arthur, my first Arc Reactor lasted less than a cheap battery! If this thing already runs for minutes, I say with full sincerity: we're ready for version 1.0, baby!"
Arthur ended the demonstration, recalling the nanomachines back into the capsule. "I knew you'd get excited."
Tony was still in shock, but the grin on his face betrayed that his brain was already working a mile a minute.
"Excited? Buddy, I'm already making a mental list of how this'll save me years of headaches. Instant armor, on-demand upgrades, automatic repairs… I need coffee. A lot of coffee. Because I'm not sleeping tonight."
Arthur crossed his arms, laughing. "So, I take it you want to discuss applications…"
"Discuss?!" Tony clapped once, theatrically. "Bring me a whiteboard, because I'm about to bury you in diagrams, calculations, and a few ideas that might make you reconsider being my friend."
Arthur folded his arms at Tony's over-the-top energy, then raised a brow.
"You think that was impressive?"
Tony froze mid-sentence about "instant armor with built-in barbecue mode" and blinked. "Wait… are you saying there's more? Don't give me hope—I don't have the heart for another surprise like that."
Without replying, Arthur raised his left hand. Slowly, the same metallic particles began to spread across his skin, sliding like living liquid. In seconds, his hand transformed into a sleek metal gauntlet, laced with glowing blue circuits.
Tony jumped back.
"OH. MY. GOD. You just cosplayed as me… but minimalist version!"
Arthur flexed his fingers, and the nanomachines instantly shifted, forming claws between them. One motion, and the blades retracted, morphing into a sleek metallic bracelet, before disappearing completely, leaving only Arthur's bare skin.
Tony's eyes went wide, filter gone.
"I… I just saw the future!"
Arthur laughed, pulling the particles back into the system. "It's still unstable. I can only maintain it for a short time and in simple forms. But… it's a start."
Tony dropped into the nearest chair, running his hands over his face.
"A start?! That's like calling the discovery of fire 'an unstable prototype.' Do you realize you just rewrote EVERY rule of applied mechanics?"
Arthur sighed, though he couldn't hide his smile. "So, shall we move on to the technical details?"
Tony clapped his hands, excited as a child about to open Christmas presents.
"Exactly! Technical details, my metallic sweetheart! You show me the limitations, and I'll show you how to make them someone else's problems—not ours."
---
(End of Chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."