Meanwhile, at the Malibu seaside villa, in the underground lab.
The place was dead silent, broken only by the occasional beeping of the surrounding instruments.
On the medical platform, Tony's eyelids suddenly twitched.
He slowly opened his eyes, a dazed look flickering across them.
Blinking a few times, he sat up and glanced around.
The lab was empty, almost unnervingly quiet.
"Henry?" he called out instinctively.
No answer.
"You're awake, sir." JARVIS's calm voice echoed across the lab.
"Mr. Henry has already left for Stark Industries. He asked me to remind you that you'd better head there as well. The press conference begins at three this afternoon."
"That bastard," Tony muttered under his breath.
"Runs off faster than anyone else and leaves me lying here like an idiot. Has he forgotten who the older brother is?"
He rubbed his chest absentmindedly—then froze.
His eyes widened as he lowered his head.
The once hideous wound that had haunted his nights… had shrunk. It was healing. Healing right before his eyes.
And the cold arc reactor? Gone.
The creeping palladium poisoning that had been eating away at his life? Vanished.
Tony stared at his chest in stunned silence, then looked over at the tray beside him.
There sat the discarded reactor. On its base, a small line of words was engraved.
"Proof That Tony Has a Heart."
Tony blinked, then laughed.
"That guy Henry…"
From this moment on, he no longer needed that cold hunk of metal to keep himself alive.
He was whole again.
But he'd never forget why he had needed it. And he'd never forget what it had meant.
Drawing in a deep breath, Tony knew one thing: he had to give everything he had to protect what mattered to him.
Just like how he once naively thought building weapons could protect the world.
"Sir," JARVIS spoke again.
"Mr. Henry also left you a gift. He said you'd understand once you saw it."
Tony paused. Following JARVIS's prompt, he turned toward the far side of the lab.
A projection flickered to life in midair—two sleek suits of armor, their designs radiating futuristic brilliance.
One look was all it took for Tony's mind to start whirring.
Henry's earlier designs.
But these weren't just designs—they were breakthroughs.
"Nanotech…?"
"Yes, sir," JARVIS confirmed.
"Mr. Henry's vision is far ahead of its time. He believes nanotechnology can perfectly resolve your issue of deploying armor now that your chest no longer supports a reactor. Beyond that, his designs incorporate many cross-era concepts. Most notably, he has replaced all materials with vibranium.
"Records indicate vibranium first appeared in the Second World War, when Howard Stark used it to forge Captain America's shield. It has extreme energy absorption properties and is arguably the strongest defensive metal known on Earth. Mr. Henry is planning to establish cooperation with Wakanda, as they appear to be the sole source."
Tony's gaze locked onto the armor projections, their muscular, streamlined silhouettes. A perfect balance of power and elegance.
He couldn't deny it—he was moved. Deeply.
But his damn pride wouldn't let his mouth admit it.
"Hmph. Flashy nonsense. Look at this design—it's basically a gym rat in spandex. And black? Again? Couldn't he pick something with a little more life? His taste is terrible."
With a scoff, Tony hopped off the platform. As he talked with JARVIS, he headed upstairs, changed into a sharp suit, then slid into an Audi R8.
With a roar, the car shot out of the garage, tires screeching as he sped toward Stark Industries.
He already knew what he was going to say at the press conference.
...
Stark Industries Tower, Biotech Division.
Hands stuffed in his pockets, Henry strolled casually through the pristine white corridors.
The air here carried the sterile tang of disinfectant mixed with the faint scent of nutrient solutions.
"I've gotta say, JARVIS," Henry quipped, "this place smells better than that perfume-soaked office upstairs. At least here it's clean. Though honestly, I still prefer home. Messy as a dump, but full of life—and the smell of money."
He glanced around as he walked.
Behind glass walls, researchers in white coats busied themselves with high-tech instruments.
Upon seeing him, many stopped and respectfully nodded.
Henry Stark visiting the labs? Almost rarer than him not making headlines.
"Look at these poor souls," Henry remarked lazily.
"Locked in here day after day, poking at DNA sequences for pocket change, all while getting squeezed dry by Pepper the workaholic. Honestly, I sometimes wonder if they've all developed Stockholm syndrome."
At the end of the hall stood a massive security door, marked with a red biohazard symbol and cold lettering:
LIFE CRADLE PROJECT — CORE LAB
Henry didn't so much as blink.
"JARVIS, open up. And while you're at it, check if that genius Korean lady doctor is in there right now."
"Yes, sir."
A soft blue glow lit the iris scanner.
"Identity confirmed. Welcome back, Mr. Henry Stark."
With a hiss of depressurization, the heavy alloy doors slid open, revealing a vast laboratory.
At its center stood a transparent pod filled with pale-blue nutrient fluid, crisscrossed by pipes and cables—like a tree of technology brimming with vitality.
The prototype of the Life Cradle.
Before it, Helen Cho stood in a white sterile suit, her eyes locked on a holographic console as streams of data scrolled past.
Hearing the door open, she turned. For a moment, surprise flickered across her face, but she quickly composed herself, offering a polite smile tinged with faint awkwardness.
"Mr. Stark, what brings you here?"
"Nothing much. Just checking up on my investment."
Henry circled the Life Cradle twice, but his gaze kept drifting toward Helen, his words sounding half like praise and half like teasing.
***
120 stones for bonus we're very close to it
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