Jarvis was silent for a moment, as if calculating. After a few seconds he replied, "Sir, based on current theoretical models this possibility exists. However, your bio-force field is still rudimentary; its stability and strength are far from sufficient. Rashly entering outer space is extremely risky — probability of failure exceeds 98.7 percent."
"Oh? Doesn't that mean there's still a 1.3 percent chance of success?" Henry raised an eyebrow; a delighted smile crept onto his face.
"It's not in my nature not to try."
"Then, sir, I strongly recommend you wear your armor," Jarvis said immediately. "Your suit is equipped with emergency life support and supersonic propulsion. If your body experiences any intolerable conditions, I can activate the highest-priority retrieval protocols and bring you back from space."
"Oh? You think I'll definitely fail?" Henry teased, though he nodded. "Still, that's a good suggestion. I don't want to be the first superhero to go into space naked and freeze into a popsicle. That would be embarrassing."
He stood, stretched, and walked toward the bedroom. He returned a few minutes later in plain black clothes. The living room was empty, Pepper had probably gone into the company early to clean up Tony's mess, or maybe she hadn't come back at all. Tony himself was likely still asleep on that model's bed, dreaming about his future.
Henry walked to the underground lab, grumbling to Jarvis about Tony's chaotic private life. "Honestly, Jarvis, if I really die out there, do you think Tony would cry? I figure he'd just complain that he'd lost a free super bodyguard."
"Sir," Jarvis replied, "according to my emotional-model analysis, although Mr. Stark is poor at expressing himself, he cares for you far more than you care for him. If something happened to you, there is a 99.4 percent chance he would do whatever it takes to eliminate your enemy."
"Really? I'm touched," Henry said, though his face read I don't believe you.
In the lab he picked up the armor — folded and packed into a suitcase in the display cabinet — and carried it back to the second-floor viewing balcony. He set the case on the floor, smiled, and spoke to it like an old friend. "Now, be gentle. I don't want to be squeezed into a tin can before takeoff."
The black armor began to equip itself piece by piece.
"Jarvis, what should I do if I meet aliens? Say hello? Ask if they've eaten? Or punch them and show that Earthlings aren't to be messed with?"
"Sir, by basic interstellar diplomacy I recommend observation and not revealing hostility prematurely."
"That's boring."
By the time Henry finished speaking, the suit had sealed around him. He flexed his arms and legs and felt a strength he'd never known. He stepped to the edge of the balcony, looked out at the sea and sky, and drew a deep breath.
"Ready, Jarvis? Our space trip begins now."
"Stand by, sir. All life support systems and emergency protocols activated."
"Very good." Henry's grin was bright. "The first person in the Stark family to fly into space alone is about to appear. Let that idiot Tony keep dreaming his tin-can dream."
He slowly rose until his feet were half a meter off the floor.
"Start the countdown, Jarvis. Make it ceremonial."
"Yes, sir. Three, two, one — fire!"
A sonic boom ripped through the Malibu sky. Henry shot up like a black lightning bolt, vertical and unerring, and vanished from sight.
Higher and higher he climbed. He felt like a bullet freed of every constraint, heading for the unknown.
"Jarvis! Test maximum speed. I want to know how fast I can go."
"Calculating, sir. Current speed: Mach 2.8 and rising. Analyzing compatibility of your bio-force field with the upper atmosphere… Analysis complete. Results favorable. You may continue to accelerate."
"Well done, Jarvis!"
The speed climbed until his body felt as if it could split the sky.
"Prepare, sir. We are about to break through the atmosphere."
"I've been ready for this a long time."
He pierced an invisible membrane; the world snapped clearer for a moment. He'd broken through the atmosphere.
"Oh my God," he breathed. "It felt like tearing through plastic wrap. Not very dramatic."
The sky deepened to ink. Jarvis's voice stayed calm in his ear. "Leaving low Earth orbit. Approaching outer space. Sir, we are about to enter a complete vacuum environment."
Then he stopped ascending. He had arrived in outer space.
Below him the vast blue Earth turned slowly. The sight was unbearably beautiful and strangely small. Silence reigned.
"Sir, are you all right? Any discomfort?" Jarvis asked, cutting the quiet.
Henry stared for several seconds, then spoke slowly, voice equal parts wonder and disbelief. "Amazing. Jarvis — I can still hear you. Is that because of the bio-force field? Wait — I can still speak. Fuck. This really is a bio-force field."
"It appears so, sir," Jarvis said, equally awed. "The bio-force field not only supports sound propagation in a vacuum, it also maintains your oxygen supply."
"I don't feel choked. I can breathe." Henry clenched his fists, disbelief softening into joy. "The Earth looks… enormous."
They exchanged a few quiet words. Henry glanced down at his black armor, then at his hands, pulsing with power. Had he really become something like a superhero? Maybe a low-key version of Superman.
"Hey, Jarvis," he said. "I feel like I'm absorbing light faster up here. Is it because I'm closer to the sun?"
"Yes, sir. Without the atmosphere and ozone layer, sunlight intensity and energy density increase substantially."
"What if I stay and absorb the light?" Henry asked, hopeful.
"In theory," Jarvis replied, "your energy conversion rate would rise dramatically."
"That's settled then." Henry lifted his face toward the distant fireball that bathed the scene in infinite light and heat.
"Strangely, I don't feel glare. I feel warm and comfortable." He smiled. "Is this what being Superman feels like?"
He opened his arms and made a slow, theatrical gesture toward the sun. The black cloak behind him floated without wind thanks to the bio-force field. Sunlight streamed from every direction, pouring over him.
For a moment, Henry felt as if he and the universe were one. He stood there, bathed in light, an ordinary man tasting something extraordinary.