Chapter 51 The Exchange
Finney didn't leave in the end; he just wanted to tease Tony, and he was also curious to know what Tony wanted from him.
Holding the tea Pepper had brewed, Finney glanced at the uneasy Tony, but didn't ask, leisurely sipping his tea in a quiet and relaxed atmosphere.
"Alright, just tell Finney what's wrong,"
Pepper urged Tony, unable to bear it any longer. She had only been asked by Tony to call Finney over; she didn't know the specifics.
"Just some small issues, it's nothing. By the way, didn't you say you had a lot of things to handle at the company? Why don't you go back first?"
Tony glanced at Pepper, but didn't ask any questions, instead telling her to leave.
Hearing this, Pepper immediately got angry. Was he using her as a tool for making phone calls? It was still after the Iron Monger incident that their relationship rapidly heated up, their status directly changing to boyfriend and girlfriend.
Someone once asked, what's the difference between an angry girlfriend and a terrorist?
At least a terrorist can negotiate!
Pepper, furious, grabbed her handbag, glared at Tony, and turned to leave. Before leaving, she said to Finney, "Finney, I'm sorry to have called you over. I'll treat you to dinner next time."
"It's alright,"
Finney smiled, looking at the silent Tony with interest, seemingly understanding what he wanted to say.
After Pepper left, the room fell silent again. After several minutes of silence, Tony finally spoke, "I tested all the known combinations of elements."
"All of them!"
A hint of reluctance flashed across Tony's face as he continued in a low voice, "But I still can't find a substitute."
"I know!"
Finney looked unsurprised; it would be surprising if Tony could actually find a substitute.
When Tony deliberately chased Pepper away, he had guessed it might be about this.
"I only have a few months left,"
Tony said, lifting his shirt to reveal thin, dark veins around the small arc reactor, a somewhat terrifying sight. "Tell me, what should I do!"
If he hadn't been desperate, Tony really wouldn't have wanted to ask Finney for help. Their relationship was strange; although they had been through life and death together—well, mainly because he had almost died—they weren't actually that close.
And it had always been him asking Finney for things, never giving anything in return, which made the proud Tony very uncomfortable.
Looking at Tony's chest, Finney hesitated, unsure whether to tell Tony about his father's research into new elements.
Thinking about it carefully, telling Tony didn't seem to matter much; after all, it would only let Tony experience that sense of despair and incur a favor from S.H.I.E.L.D.
But because of his involvement, that sense of despair seemed to have vanished from the start; instead, the oppressive feeling of a life-or-death countdown was something Tony experienced deeply.
As for the favor the one-eyed, bald director had done…
Finney looked at Tony and said, "I think you definitely have some misunderstandings about your father!"
"What?"
Tony was stunned. He had asked for a solution, and Finney's answer was clearly irrelevant.
"You said you've tried all the elemental combinations, but that's not necessarily true." Finney finally decided to tell Tony. Besides wanting Tony to develop the new armor as soon as possible, he also wanted him to try something else, not wanting him to be bogged down in this matter any longer.
"What do you mean?"
Tony frowned and asked. He didn't think his knowledge was insufficient, that he had missed any elements.
"Your father has some belongings at S.H.I.E.L.D. He almost developed a new element, but due to the limitations of the era, he left it to you." Finney looked at the somewhat bewildered Tony and said.
"You mean my father developed a new element? And the data is still at S.H.I.E.L.D.? Why?"
Tony's eyes showed a hint of confusion.
"Actually, I shouldn't be telling you this," Finney said helplessly, looking at Tony. "The data has always been with you. What S.H.I.E.L.D. has are just some clues you've discovered."
"Why would clues be in S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Tony couldn't understand.
"Because your father was one of its founders. He probably wasn't ready to hand it over to you when he died unexpectedly."
"Wait, you're saying my father was the founder of this organization?" Tony's expression grew increasingly surprised. "I've never known anything like that. Was he an agent too?"
"Don't be so surprised. There's a lot you don't know!"
Finney's comforting words clearly had no effect. Looking at Tony's dark face, she continued, "That's why I said you definitely have some misunderstandings about your father."
"You mean that new element can replace palladium!?"
Tony steered the conversation back to the main point; he needed a solution.
"Well, your small arc reactor is based on the big one from your family. That big one was your father's unfinished technology, so the new element can replace it."
"I didn't expect I still couldn't surpass it."
Tony chuckled self-deprecatingly, glanced at Finney with a slightly complicated expression, and muttered, "Although my father essentially solved the problem for me, I'll still thank you for telling me, albeit reluctantly."
"I actually have a few things I'd like your help with."
Hearing this, Tony immediately perked up, looked up at Finney, and said, "Tell me."
"After you build the new armor, I'll help you test its combat capabilities." Finney hoped to get the Iron Man experience boost schedule on track. He hadn't mentioned it before because Tony had too many troubles lately, and also because of the palladium poisoning issue; overuse of the armor would worsen the situation.
"Sure!"
Tony agreed without hesitation, adding a sarcastic remark, "Don't come crying to your mom if you lose!"
Giving a universally accepted hand gesture, Finney continued, "Also, I need something important from S.H.I.E.L.D., but I can't get my hands on it right now. I hope you can help me."
"What is it?"
Tony's expression turned serious. Although Finney was a friend, he couldn't just help without asking questions.
"It's an alien technology item, intended for specific personnel,"
Finney explained. "This thing is extremely dangerous to Earthlings. A normal person touching it would likely die. Only certain people meeting special requirements will be safe."
"Alien technology?"
Tony's research curiosity was piqued, especially with such strange things.
"As long as you can get your hands on it without damaging it, you can study it." Finney was actually worried about potential risks, so letting Tony study it wasn't a problem.
"That thing is a silver obelisk this big," Finney gestured, indicating its size. "Because it caused someone's death, it seems quite important."
"I'll give it a try."
Tony didn't immediately agree; after all, it belonged to S.H.I.E.L.D., and he wasn't sure if he could get his hands on it.
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(End of Chapter)