Chapter 12: 12: Ordinary people
When Lyon entered the lab, he found that besides a few arc reactors and a stack of DC comics on Tony's desk, there wasn't anything particularly noteworthy.
Even Tony wasn't there.
"Tony?" He looked around. "Where are you?"
Lyon didn't always have his super hearing activated.
It's similar to how Superman functions in the movies.
He has to focus his attention and filter out most of the external information to live in a quieter world.
With no response, Lyon slightly tilted his head, trying to locate any sound from Tony. "Sounds like he's in the garage, but why does it seem a bit noisy?"
When Lyon found Tony in the basement, Tony appeared to have dark circles under his eyes, yet he was full of energy.
He was wearing mechanical shoes with exposed wires, holding a controller in his hands, directing his "little assistants."
"Dum-E, keep recording, and You, move over there, yes, right there. You're in charge of fire control."
Tony stood in the center of his makeshift experiment platform, taking a few deep breaths.
"Okay, let's give this a try. Start with ten percent thrust and prepare for takeoff. Breathe…"
Tony shook his shoulders, taking deep breaths to steady himself. "Alright, three, two, one!"
He pressed the control device in his hand, and immediately, powerful jets of flames burst out from the iron shoes on his feet.
Whoosh!
The fierce thrust launched Tony straight into the air, only for him to slam into the ceiling with a loud thud, clearly hitting it hard.
"Ouch!!" Tony cried out in pain as he crashed back to the ground.
A nearby robotic arm, programmed to respond to such situations, instantly released a fire-extinguishing spray.
"Oh, that must've hurt," Lyon remarked, watching as Tony was covered in the white mist, his head tilted back in sympathy.
"Ugh.. Lyon?" Tony turned his head at the sound of Lyon's voice, his face twisted in pain as he tried to move his shoulders on the ground. "Give me a hand, will you? I think I might have cracked a rib."
"Coming… maybe next time, you should have Dum-E prepare some crash pads for you," Lyon said as he lifted Tony into a chair.
He scanned Tony up and down: "Looks good, just some minor injuries. You can continue with your extreme sports."
"That wasn't extreme sports," Tony rolled his eyes, "I was working on the Mark II armor!"
"You mean to say your second suit of armor is just these shoes? Are you hoping people will aim for your shoes? Come on, they're not Captain America's shield," Lyon teased.
"Of course not! I'm testing the propulsion system right now. Once this phase is complete, the rest will be much more efficient."
Tony immediately retorted, not missing the chance to mock, "Of course, someone as average as you probably can't grasp the logic behind all this."
Now it was Lyon's turn to roll his eyes: "I did get into Columbia University, you know. Maybe you have a bit of a misunderstanding about what 'average' means."
"Oh? Is that so? Well, I can't help it. By the time I was your age, I had already graduated from MIT years ago and had three PhDs from Cambridge. It's hard for me to relate to the feelings of ordinary people."
Tony waved dismissively with a smug expression: "But it should all be about the same. When you get to Columbia, you'll realize that even your professors won't understand my armor."
"Well, sorry to disappoint, but my major was in business. My professors probably could understand the economic impact of your armor."
Before Lyon awakened his abilities, he could only pursue a career in managing a company, so naturally, he chose a business-related major for college.
But now things were different.
He knocked on Tony's iron shoes: "And that was then, this is now. Don't forget what kind of abilities I've awakened."
"Abilities, what abilities? Heh~ Isn't it just getting stronger by basking in the sun?" Tony asked, smug.
"It's Superman's abilities!" Lyon emphasized. "Whatever Superman has, I have too!"
"So what? Are you here to confess that you're actually a Kryptonian, and yesterday your super-genius Kryptonian dad showed up to make you wear red underwear and save the world?"
Tony said with an exaggerated expression, "Or are you saying your Kryptonian cousin picked up a distress signal from a spaceship and is coming to capture you tomorrow, so you're here to ask for my help?"
Lyon was speechless. "Tony, when did you start having such childish ideas? Of course, I'm an Earthling. You took me for physicals so many times when I was a kid—don't you know that by now?"
Lyon was undoubtedly an Earthling.
Nineteen years ago, he crossed over into this world and became an infant.
By chance, he was adopted by the Stark family.
Although he had no memories from before he turned one and didn't know if he had any biological parents in this life, his appearance, which wasn't much different from his previous life, and the fact that his blood tests had always been normal since childhood, left no room for doubt.
It was clear that he was a native-born Earthling.
"And besides, you've been reading too many DC comics lately! Our world doesn't have the DC darkness!" Lyon complained.
"So what are you trying to say?" Tony tilted his head.
"What I'm saying is, Superman has a power called a super brain, and I have it too."
A super brain allows him to achieve more in scientific fields, even making it easy for him to reach the pinnacle.
Lyon pointed at the iron shoes. "So now, I can completely understand your research, and even surpass you."
"Surpass me?" Tony tilted his chin upward. "Lyon, April Fool's Day has already passed this year; you can save this joke for next year."
He squinted his eyes. "And I don't remember Superman having that ability. If he had a super brain, would he still always rush in and throw punches every time he encounters an enemy in the comics?"
Lyon smacked his lips. "Maybe... his super brain tells him that when facing difficulties, the first thing to do is to trust in his super strength?"
"That's just a brute's brain," Tony concluded. "So, you still don't understand my armor."
Lyon didn't want to argue anymore. "Stop! Let's end this pointless debate here! People like you who only read half of the comics are the most annoying. After this, go back and finish reading all of Superman's comics before you try to argue with me again!"
Before Tony could argue further, Lyon cut him off, saying, "With your mortal intellect, since you claim I can't understand your armor, how about letting me learn from you?"
Lyon raised a finger. "All I need is one day, and your knowledge will become my knowledge."
"And in three days, I will create a suit of armor better than yours!"
"What did you say?"
Now Tony was fully awake.
The one thing Tony couldn't stand was someone challenging his expertise, especially when the challenge came from his foolish little brother.
"This is the funniest joke I've heard in 2008."
Suddenly, his chest didn't hurt anymore. Tony jumped out and looked Lyon directly in the eye.
"I accept your challenge."
He declared triumphantly, "Mortal intellect? Hmm? I'll return that title to you in three days."
"Follow me."
With a wave of his hand, Tony returned to the lab area and began directing the intelligent robotic arms.
"Dum-E, clean up the area; You, fetch the materials; the rest of you, wait for me to design the new jet structure."
Lyon squinted as he watched Tony, who was now full of competitive spirit. He felt his own desire to win igniting as well.
"Jarvis, send all the knowledge related to exoskeleton armor to my Stark Pad. I want to understand Tony's design within half an hour."
"Understood, Master Lyon," Jarvis replied.
Then it asked, "But Master Lyon, do you remember your original purpose for seeking out Tony, as well as Miss Pepper's earlier request?"
"Pepper? What about Pepper? Never mind that for now."
Lyon stretched his arms, "Today, I'm going to show Tony what a super brain really is."
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