The battle subsided, leaving only the wailing of the sea breeze and the surging waves.
Tony and Kara flew back to the Villa one after the other.
In front of the shattered floor-to-ceiling window, Pepper stood with her arms crossed, her expression a mix of shock, anger, lingering fear, and deep helplessness.
“Explain.” Her voice was calm, but beneath the calm, a brewing rage seemed ready to erupt.
“Before I call the Coast Guard—or S.H.I.E.L.D., if they’re actually any use.” Tony’s faceplate snapped open, revealing a face that was slightly pale from intense exertion, yet strangely flushed with a hint of excitement.
“Relax, Pepper, it was just…
a friendly technical exchange.
Just testing the limits of the fourth-generation armor, along with Kara’s…
‘athletic ability’.” He tried to brush it off with a joke, but the weakness in his voice was hard to fully mask.
Kara landed gracefully, tucking her wind-blown blonde hair behind her ear, and gave Pepper an apologetic smile: “It’s my fault, Pepper.
He wanted to fight, and I…
couldn’t hold back.
I’ll pay for the glass.” “Pay for it?” Pepper looked at the messy living room and the broken windows with a wry smile, “Forget it, the Stark Industries insurance policy should have an item called ‘accidental property damage caused by the boss’s sudden whims’—I hope the terms actually include that.” She sighed, stepped forward, and ignoring the undried seawater on Tony and the coldness of the armor, reached out to cup his face, carefully examining his complexion: “How are you feeling?” “I’m fine, couldn’t be better.” Tony interrupted her, holding her hand.
But his gaze involuntarily drifted toward the silent detector on the workbench.
He gave Kara a look.
Kara understood, instantly entered the Super Speed State, and silently tucked the detector into Tony’s jacket pocket nearby.
Immediately exiting the speed state, she cleared her throat to divert Pepper’s attention: “Pepper, my suit…
dissolved my original clothes.
Can you help me find something to wear?
This isn’t very polite.” Pepper immediately looked at her with concern: “Oh!
Of course, a lady shouldn’t be without proper clothing.
Wait a moment, there are some new ones in the Villa, I’ll get them for you.” She turned and hurried upstairs.
Kara watched Pepper’s figure disappear, then turned to Tony: “Perhaps we should talk about business.
Regarding those things that need to be kept safe.” Tony nodded, signaling Jarvis to activate the holographic projection.
Complex 3D blueprints unfurled in the center of the studio—they were design blueprints for dozens of different models and purposes of Iron Man armor.
From the basic MK2 to the just-tested MK5, and more concepts that remained in the design phase: deep-sea exploration type, space operation type, polar research type, and even a preliminary concept for a massive behemoth codenamed “Hulkbuster”.
Beside it was a dense technical database, centered on reactor iteration technology and some more cutting-edge energy application research.
“This is everything.” Tony’s voice turned serious.
His fingers swept across the rotating projections, “Design blueprints, material formulas, energy core data, control algorithms…
Each set has an independent encryption lock and self-destruct protocol.
I have already preset the segmentation and handover procedures for Jarvis’s high-level access.
After I die, apart from the limited MK2 access preset for Rhodes, and the company management rights held by Pepper, the only one who can unlock and access all the core technology is you, Kara.” He turned to her, his gaze sharp and heavy: “This isn’t to make you the successor to Iron Man, nor is it to have you use them—unless the situation is so critical that there is no other choice.
Your task is to ensure they are not misused.
If anyone attempts to force Pepper or Rhodes, or uses any means to steal the technology…
you have the right, and the ability, to make these technologies disappear from Earth completely.” Kara gazed at the faintly rotating blue projections, silent for a moment.
These were not just a few suits of armor; they were the crystallization of Tony Stark’s wisdom and heart’s blood, the power with which he tried to change the World.
Now, he had entrusted this heavy trust to the one he called a “friend”.
“I promised you, Tony.” She finally spoke, her voice steady, “I will keep them safe.
Unless necessary, they will only be blueprints in a database and parts in a warehouse.
But…” She changed the subject, “I still believe that finding an alternative is more important than you making arrangements for the aftermath.
You said you’ve tried all known elements?” “Known, stable, and theoretically feasible.” Tony walked to the holographic periodic table, his fingers unconsciously tapping the glowing little squares, finally stopping at the position of “Palladium”—the light there seemed particularly dim, “Jarvis has simulated millions of combinations.
None can replace Palladium’s stabilizing role in miniaturized fusion.
This is a dead end.” Kara walked to his side, Super Vision scanning over the jagged black veins around the reactor on his chest once more.
Her gaze also landed on that periodic table.
Although the Kryptonian knowledge base in the Fortress of Solitude was incomplete, its basic understanding of matter and energy far exceeded that of current Earth.
Her gaze moved slowly, sweeping over the various element symbols and descriptions of their properties.
Her consciousness sank into the different dimension within her.
She awakened the AI “Silver” in the Fortress of Solitude.
“Silver, if one were to replace Palladium’s stabilizing role in miniaturized fusion, and it had to be harmless to the human body, is this feasible in Kryptonian technology?” “Feasible, my Master.” Silver’s response was calm and comprehensive, “The database records that Krypton once overcame the application of miniaturized cold fusion in medical devices.
The key is to induce element property transformation artificially—’guiding’ basic particles into a stable state, where their extra-nuclear electron arrangement or lattice structure undergoes permanent optimization, thereby providing more efficient and cleaner catalysis and stabilization than natural elements.” “How to induce it artificially?” “Kryptonians once used the radiation of a special Kryptonite to catalyze a common element.” “Kryptonite?
What is that?
Where can it be found?” “Kryptonite is a mineral unique to the deep layers of Krypton.
Its colors and effects vary; the most common is Green Kryptonite, which can weaken the physique of Kryptonians.
However, the Planet where the Master is currently located does not have this mineral.” “What about other Planets?” “Kryptonite is unique to Krypton.
If the Master can find fragments from after Krypton’s destruction, it might still remain on them.” Kara gave up completely.
Krypton had long since perished along with the Universe it belonged to.
Apart from herself, the Fortress of Solitude, and that mysterious different dimension, everything from that Universe was perhaps gone forever.
She pulled her consciousness back from the Fortress of Solitude.
In reality, Tony was still whispering.
“So, Palladium is the only known one…” “Tony,” Kara interrupted him, “In our World, the boundaries of the ‘known’ are defined by human technological levels and observation methods, right?” Tony was stunned, looking at her: “Of course.
But we are talking about the substrate for stable cold fusion, which requires extremely specific physical and chemical properties…” “What if there were an element,” Kara interrupted again, “that wasn’t ‘naturally stable’, but in a specific energy field—could be artificially intervened with to enter a lasting stable state?
The changes in its extra-nuclear electron arrangement or lattice structure could provide more efficient and cleaner catalysis than Palladium, while…
being almost non-toxic to the human body?” Tony froze, his brows tightly locked: “You mean…
artificially inducing element property transformation?
It’s been discussed theoretically, but the energy levels and precision requirements for actual operation are extremely high.
Currently, relevant human technology is still limited to the synthesis and improvement of existing elements.
And I have tried all paths based on existing elements.” “I don’t know the specific technical details,” Kara confessed, “If this path is currently impassable, perhaps we can only hope for whether new usable elements exist outside of Earth, or…
magic.
You could try the latter.” “Extraterrestrial new elements?
Slim hope.
As for magic, Kara, do I look like someone who knows a wizard?
Except for that evil wizard in the cave.” Tony’s tone dropped.
“Relax, Tony,” Kara tried to ease the atmosphere, “Didn’t I give you a small magic shield prop?
It can block enemy attacks at critical moments.” “magic prop?” Tony showed a strange expression, “Kara, are you actually a wizard?” “No.” Kara played with a strand of hair and shook her head, “Due to some encounters, I just know a little bit of basic knowledge.
But I cannot use magic myself; magic and I don’t get along.” “Doesn’t that just bring us back to square one?” Tony sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly, “I need a brand new element.
Something…
that perhaps doesn’t exist on Earth’s periodic table at all.”