"Sir, we have detected that the intense energy field signature in the warehouse is rapidly weakening. Should we attempt to investigate again, or just call for a cleaning crew?" Jarvis's voice chimed in through the workshop comms.
"Just call Leo out, Jarvis. I think I might have just discovered something utterly revolutionary!" Tony grabbed the edge of the large workbench and, with a grunt, lifted the huge 3D projection model to a more open space on the other side of the room.
"Jarvis, how many unique buildings are there in this model? And does that count the little Belgian waffle stands?" Tony asked, his voice giddy with excitement.
"No, sir. I was just confirming the count. The total unique structures are precisely 148, excluding the non-essential vendors," Jarvis replied.
With a light snap of his fingers, Tony commanded the entire model to slowly rotate. Following his gesture, the flat, horizontal model suddenly tilted, standing upright on its axis.
The entire enormous architectural model of the 1974 Stark Expo was now presented to Tony Stark as a complex, dynamic 3D array.
In the dimly lit warehouse, the three exhausted Arc Reactors on Leo's body had all fallen to the ground, rolling into the pile of gold-titanium slag.
The intense golden light on Leo's body subsided, receding back into his skeletal structure. He opened his eyes, the remnants of the powerful absorption leaving him invigorated and slightly glowing. He looked down at his exposed upper body.
The soft, slightly moist skin clung tightly to the firm, sculpted muscles, appearing remarkably delicate and smooth.
But the overwhelming impression it gave was one of pure, raw, almost metallic invincibility.
The warehouse gradually brightened. Metal scraps covered the ground. A virtual voice echoed from the central comm unit.
"Mr. Leo, Mr. Stark is requesting your presence in the workshop. He sounds highly motivated."
Leo stood up. His fingers moved slightly, and the scattered debris on the ground instantly began to rise. He effortlessly gathered the metal scraps, crushing the three expended reactors into the mix.
The mass of metal turned into a familiar humanoid form, and in just a few seconds, a pristine Mark II armor model appeared, perfectly formed from the recycled waste.
At the same time, a portion of the remaining dozens of kilograms of gold-titanium alloy was separated. It transformed into two large, golden breastplates, which then seamlessly attached themselves to Leo's body.
With each step he took, the hard, rigid armor on his chest changed dynamically. A strange, flowing tremor ran from top to bottom, and the solid metal visibly softened.
The once-solid metal pieces transformed into countless fine, shimmering metallic threads intertwined together, becoming a soft, form-fitting, golden undershirt.
With a gentle lift of his hand, the Mark II model floated into the air. Leo used the remaining silver metal from the scrap pile to polish it, making the Mark II even more realistic and reflective.
Leo noted that his Matter Manipulation control points had now been upgraded to a powerful 115.
Back in the workshop, Tony stood before the enormous 3D projection, his thoughts moving with frantic clarity.
He stared intently at the spherical building at the very center of the Expo model. "What does this look like? Hmm? Wait a second. That looks exactly like an atom, doesn't it?"
"The nucleus must be right here." Tony reached out, tracing an area with his finger, before clasping his hands together to magnify the central structure.
The central circular building suddenly became many times larger, standing out starkly among all the surrounding structures.
Tony took two steps back, scanning the entire digital array. "Jarvis, strip away the noise. Remove the walkways, the decorative elements. Throw all the unnecessary structural data away."
With a simple wave of his hand, the walkway structures on the projection disappeared.
Leo walked up quietly, standing beside Tony. "Looks like you've finally made a major breakthrough, Mr. Stark! Did the video help?"
"I believe, Leo, I have not only discovered a new element but I've also been handed its atomic structure blueprint by my father."
Tony stroked his chin, his excitement radiating off him. "Jarvis, remove all the landscaping now: bushes, trees, parking lots, entrance gates, everything that isn't a core pavilion structure."
With another flick of the wrist, most of the remaining buildings on the map were stripped away, leaving only the essential structures.
"The pavilions are the framework. Use them as the markers for the protons and neutrons."
Even with Jarvis's immense computing power, it took several seconds to rearrange the remaining digital structures into a coherent model.
Looking at the gradually taking shape, complex atomic model in front of him, Tony still couldn't quite believe it. He wiped his face with the back of his hand, the single word echoing in his mind: 'Dad.'
Once the process was completed, a fully visualized, circular atomic structure appeared before them, its complexity hinting at immense power.
With a sweeping wave of his hand, Tony commanded the sphere to expand, enveloping both him and Leo inside the magnificent projected model.
Tony spun around, gazing at the beautiful, crystalline scene, feeling a complex mix of bittersweet sadness and profound elation.
"You've been dead for twenty years, and you're still managing to teach me a lesson and save my life, you old bastard," he muttered, a happy, genuine smile finally breaking through his cynical facade.
With both hands clasped together, Tony commanded the entire projection to shrink. The enormous structure compressed into a tiny, perfect bead, radiating a unique, profound beauty.
"The new element you essentially reverse-engineered should be able to permanently replace the palladium you are currently using, Tony. Go get it done," Leo affirmed, looking at the glowing bead.
"Thanks, Dad. Thanks, Leo," Tony whispered, holding the conceptualized element.
"Unfortunately, sir, based on current computational models, the energy required to synthesize this element is colossal. It cannot be synthesized with our current lab equipment," Jarvis interjected, adding the dose of cold reality.
Leo approached. "Mr. Stark, now that you have the blueprint, what's your next move to actually synthesize it?"
"I'm going to build an atomic collider, right here in the basement. I need to use enormous, focused energy to shorten the nuclear force distance and smash the component atoms together to force the synthesis of this new element. I need a conductive carrier that can handle the sheer power, and the most suitable carrier in my possession is Vibranium!"
Tony excitedly pulled out a small, highly dense piece of gray metal that Howard had also left behind in his father's box, which he intended to use as the base for the new reactor.
But Leo's eyes lit up again. Vibranium! There was still quite a bit left from the small piece he'd given Tony earlier. It seemed like he could quickly "borrow" a few more milligrams.
"Let's get started quickly, Tony. I can't wait to see this thing work."
Tony stood up, stretching his arms and legs, the adrenaline surging through him. "Getting ready for a major overhaul, am I? Looks like it's time to break a serious sweat, but first, a demolition."
"Jarvis, instruct the corporate transport division to bring all the remaining Prism Accelerator components in the company's R&D labs back to me. Priority rush."
"Yes, sir. Initiating transport retrieval."
"Leo, I'm planning to completely renovate and rebuild this ruined section of my house directly into a functional accelerator room. Can you give me a hand with the heavy lifting and assembly?"
Tony, being the action-oriented type, immediately started marking areas for destruction.
Marks were drawn on several ruined walls indicating areas that needed to be forcibly broken out, and the broken floor was smashed even further to simplify the future wiring of the accelerator.
What would normally require massive construction equipment and days of effort from Tony was nothing compared to Leo's capabilities.
Any place that needed to be forcibly demolished was easily dealt with by a single, carefully aimed metal block from the scrap pile. In less than half an hour, the entire site was prepped, cleaned, and excavated before the specialized equipment had even been delivered.
During a short break, Tony sat down at his computer again, rapidly calculating complex physics models.
Leo, meanwhile, used his Matter Manipulation to fill the gaping hole in the wall with his new Mark II model, mounting it perfectly. Looking at the four intact armor models, the workshop felt much more comfortable.
An hour later, long, dark, gleaming pipes—the core components of the prism accelerators—flew out of the specialized shipping crates.
As Tony requested, the pipes were placed in the precise, complex position required. The supporting structure beneath them consisted of metal pillars that flew over from the scrap heap.
The metal automatically formed support columns, which expanded below to anchor themselves and neatly wrapped around the pipes above, making the entire setup incredibly stable.
Tony hadn't expected the construction phase to be so absurdly easy. What would have taken him two days of intense physical and mental labor was done in just half an afternoon.
Tony looked at all the equipment that had been flawlessly set up and turned his attention to the precious piece of vibranium on the table.
"Alright, now we need to convert the raw vibranium into a carrier plate, then build the corresponding Arc Reactor core around it, and finally, I need a brand-new, non-toxic suit of armor."
Leo reached out and pulled the small, raw piece of vibranium over. With a light, controlled stroke of his finger, he began extracting perfect, triangular vibranium blocks from the piece, a process that took less than a second per piece. Soon, he had extracted fifty of them.
"How about we make fifty cores first? Just in case."
"No, no, no, Leo! That's insane! This piece of vibranium is irreplaceable! It's not enough to supply enough energy for fifty reactors, and we need to test it before we can use it on me. One reactor core is enough to start with." Tony snatched the remaining lump of vibranium back, protecting it fiercely.
"But I need new energy, Tony. The small palladium reactor is a bit too tiny for my own personal needs now."
Leo recalled the scene in the warehouse; after his Iron Bones were strengthened to over 50%, his energy appetite seemed to have grown considerably.
Although the previous time might have been a special case, it's clear my need for energy has grown significantly. It seems I need to move up my plans to acquire more high-density metals... specifically, I might need to take a detour to Wakanda soon.