Kapitel 14: 14
10 September 2010, 20:55
The month remaining before the exhibition flew by like a blink of an eye for Stark. Setting up production, studying the enchantment scheme and the properties of Mjolnir metal, researching Thor's blood and Sif's body, who was reasonably helpful after assurances that no blood rituals or curses would be cast on her.
The girl got used to human society quite quickly, even if she initially had some "outbursts". This was especially true of men. What was considered normal for a modern man or was even acceptable, but on edge, for Sif was an offence, and only Pepper's intervention saved unsuccessful suitors from severe injuries or death. It's not that there was no harassment in Asgard; it's just that because of the strength of Asgardian and Van bodies, a girl who didn't like the "attention" could slap the unlucky suitor upside the head with all her might. A girl who can lift 12-15 tonnes. It's clear what that means to the average person. Sif was a warrior from the ruling family of Vanaheim, so her reaction was even tougher. By the way, Loki's curse almost cost him his life at one time, and only Odin's direct intervention saved him. In general, Sif pretended to be Pepper's bodyguard, aided by Natalie's training, who turned out to be Natasha Romanova, an escaped KGB spy from Russia and a current Shield agent. Tony didn't know what Pepper had said to Phil, but Shield had indeed paid for the right to train the warrior, not in money, but in services. So every three days she spent at the training grounds of this top-secret organisation, on those days her job as a bodyguard was done just by Natasha.
By the way, Betty's research of Thor and Sif's DNA revealed the kinship of these clans with humans. They are even genetically compatible and could have children in common. Except that, while humans are a product of natural evolution, the Ases and Vans are an artificially created subspecies. The genome has been cleaned of hereditary diseases, genes that cause ageing have been removed, and those that slow it down have been amplified and duplicated many times. Such a structure could not have been created by nature or selection, only by extensive genetic interventions over dozens of generations.
But even here, the surprises did not end. The energy structure of the souls of the Ases and Van was similar to... titans. That is, unlike the highest magicians, gods, spirits or demons, for whom the body is only a consumable material that can be recreated again at any moment, the Ases and Vans, on the contrary, developed the body and fastened all the shells of the soul with it much more densely. This gave such amazing strength, vitality, and resistance to magic and power. No organic material could withstand such loads - bones would burst, and muscles would tear. But, in contrast to the same titans and even half-titans, the eighth shell of the soul, giving immortality, these Scandinavian "gods" were just beginning. This combination of practically perfect genome and soul structure prolonged their life a hundred times more than humans.
The main thing Stark learnt from this, however, was that his goal of extending Pepper's life was closer. He didn't even think about her refusal. If she refuses, he'll inject her in her sleep. If she finds out and hates him, so be it. Tony had always been selfish and did what he wanted, not what others thought was right. However, there was still a long time before a full-fledged serum was created and tested first on animals and then on humans or artificially created homunculi. The transformation of Benner into the Hulk was a perfect example of what it could lead to.
And finally, after three months of extremely active preparation, the Stark Expo was ready to open. Traditionally, the expo was not limited to Stark Industries. Any company could build a pavilion or rent the main exhibition hall to show its prototypes or novelties. Some especially talented young talents and teams of inventors were given free of charge as support. And in principle, a lot of attention was paid to young people - many schools and institutes received free invitations for excursions to Stark Expo. So the exhibition has always aroused the considerable interest of companies, mass media and ordinary spectators.
At this moment, the already high attention has increased many times over. On the one hand, companies saw it as a chance to displace the "dying whale" compared to what they looked pale before. On the other hand, many wanted to see what Stark had to offer instead of weapons or see the "Last Stark Expo" for themselves. Especially since Tony had not been stingy with funds, building a huge, hemispherical exhibition hall with stands that could accommodate up to twenty thousand people at a time. The most amazing thing about this hall was that there were no supports; it was as if it was made of a single piece of crystal honed into hexagonal honeycombs. Illuminated by holographic projectors, colour-changing spotlights, and a layer of transparent AMOLED screens and electronic tinting, it could show absolutely phantasmagorical pictures, which attracted attention even before the exhibition's opening.
The exhibition hall was full at the moment, despite the fact that tickets to the opening ceremony were by invitation only. Tony didn't want to see only rich people with faces like they were trying to go to the toilet with constipation at his exhibition. So, the invitations were sent out mainly to famous scientists and technical universities. Of course, the companies exhibiting at the show might have invited another five to a hundred people. A couple of invitations went to the editorial offices and news outlets that were the least vicious to Stark. Tony's not vindictive, but Pepper is. So the rest of us had to find other ways to get into the show.
The podium was on an elevated platform right in the centre of the room. From it, there was a narrow walkway to a large stage opposite the entrance. Unobtrusive music was playing, and the ceiling and holograms created the illusion of being underwater: holographic fish were swimming, and the rays of artificial sunlight, distorted by illusory waves on the ceiling, were falling from above as if refracted. People were talking, creating white noise in the crowd, and filming the wonders of technology on their phones. Many believed that this was the presentation of what Stark wanted to show. Others disagreed with them and said it was too shallow for such genius.
Suddenly, three illusory pops and their corresponding flashes were heard. Connoisseurs and fans of sci-fi films, specifically Back to the Future, would have recognised them as the special effect of a time machine moving. But no one had time to realise it, as a flying Delorean appeared right out of the air, which dashingly flew over the heads of the audience and landed on the stage. The car skidded to a halt before it could come to a complete stop. Tony Stark, wearing a blue tailored suit with a blue gold striped tie, dapperly stepped out the door and removed his sunglasses. The lights changed to semi-darkness, and the spotlights highlighted Stark with a separate white spot as people stepped back from the spectacle. Some screamed in fright. Tony spoke softly, but his voice travelled everywhere, and the crowd noise was magically silenced by the active noise cancellation systems.
- I salute you all," Tony raised his hand.
Some of them repeated his gesture. Someone shouted: "I love you, Tony!" And the voice was male.
- Yes, yes, I love you all too. Especially the ones who predicted the demise of my company.
There was muffled laughter from the crowd.
- Except everyone needs to remember what Stark Industries is. Yes, my father made the lion's share of his fortune in weapons, as did I. But that wasn't his goal. His goal was the Future. Sixty years ago, he tried to make a flying car. He was involved not only in the Manhattan Project but also in the creation of Captain America. He started making weapons to get the funds to fulfil his dream of seeing human thought and genius blossom. To see what humanity could achieve if it didn't spend most of its energy and resources on war but pushed progress forward. Conquer disease, gravity, the stars, and their own greed..." Tony spread his arms, and videos of Howard Stark and his projects appeared on the ceiling. - I won't make excuses for myself or be hypocritical. I didn't understand my father's vision, which was to make the world a better place, including for me. To realise this, I had to be imprisoned, on the verge of death and face the consequences of my activities. This opened my eyes and gave me many ideas that my father could not realise due to the lack of technology of his time. So I present to you not just goods, but the Future!
Stark spread his arms out to the sides. Behind him, the hitherto invisible silhouettes under black impenetrable cloths were illuminated, raised by circular lift platforms in the gloom. Approaching the first of them, he dropped it with a jerk to the floor, revealing a silver-coloured, futuristic-looking car. Not a single right angle, the smoothed lines and predatory contours were more reminiscent of Batman's car. However, practicality was still in favour of beauty. At closer examination, the domed roof is rather voluminous and leaves a lot of space inside. And the boot is large, too.
- Introducing the Starkmobile!
Many people in the hall shouted, because of which Tony interrupted and waved his hand, calming the overly excited. Yes, and the noisemaker was working harder.
- Thanks to patented ultra-capacitive battery technology, a single charge at sixty miles per hour is enough for two thousand miles! Charged in fifteen minutes from a proprietary charging station to 80 per cent or from the city grid in twenty-four hours to 100 per cent.
As Tony began to speak, pictures of the Starkmobile in motion appeared on the ceiling behind his back, and its holographic schematic and specifications appeared in the air. The car doors opened upwards and sideways like swallow wings; the bonnet and boot followed, revealing a lot of empty space. The roof became completely transparent, making the five individual anatomically shaped seats - two at the front and three at the rear - visible. The circular lid of the platform on which the car stood began to rotate.
- The Starmobile is equipped with autopilot, licensed for autonomous driving on US roads.
Surviving another noise and shouting crowd, Stark was glad he had made a deal with Shield. Otherwise, he would have spent a long time travelling around the commissions without guaranteeing that he would be granted the licence. And even bribes wouldn't have been a cure-all. The DMV is very conservative in this regard. It is only worth remembering their bans on cars without mirrors, although there have long been cars where their role is performed by cameras.
- The maximum speed is 200 mph but is limited to 150 by software. Tubeless wear-resistant tyres are not afraid of punctures and do not require inflation. Electromagnetic independent automatic suspension not only provides the absence of shaking even on gravel and pits up to twenty centimetres deep off-road but also allows to change in clearance and rigidity. The car can also change colour from a choice of 250 patterns.
The car demonstrated this by gradually changing colour from silver to white, then red, blue, orange, etc.
- But that's not the most important thing about this remarkable car.
A man in a construction worker's uniform ran up to Tony from backstage and handed him a 36-pound sledgehammer. The inventor then walked over to the car, took a wide swing, and smacked the bonnet with all his might. There was a nasty, sharp sound that the noise modifier couldn't quite handle, the floor of the stage vibrated, and that was the end of it. There wasn't a scratch on the car. After that, Tony hit the glass with the same result. Passing the sledgehammer, on which particularly attentive spectators could see dents, Stark continued:
- A special alloy synthesised by our company's scientists.
Tony didn't take all the credit for it. However, he was the one who made it, and by accident, when he tried to turn vibranium into adamantium, but didn't put enough mana into it. Only slightly worse at absorbing kinetic energy, it was much stronger, though not as strong as pure adamantium.
- Called vibration. It could absorb up to one megajoule of energy at a time, enough to collide with a concrete wall at 80 miles per hour. And even above that speed, the internal electromagnetic dampers will kick in, and the interior will be filled with elastic foam! But this is only the first model!
To the yells, screams and other exclamations emitted by human voices, Tony walked over to the second silhouette, pulling it down as well. The car was similar to the previous one but more aerodynamically shaped, with adjustable front and rear anti-wings and two small retractable tailfins at the rear. All these excesses became clear when the wheels were retracted into the wheel arches and covered with retractable fairings. The car was lifted into the air to half a metre height.
- My father had wanted to make a flying car for a long time, and I succeeded. Thanks to the screen effect, Ion-jet engines can lift the car to a height of up to eight feet, using the surrounding air as a working body. The Starkspider has the same features as the Starmobile and can fly up to seven hundred miles in flight mode. As well as a more advanced colour-changing system, any image can be used instead of paint! Starkspiders cannot yet be used in flight mode over public roads, but a licence will soon be granted. True, only in autopilot mode.
Before the eyes of the already amazed public, the Starkspider changed its silver colour to an image of the company's logo, anime characters and SpongeBob. It is not known what struck the audience more, the car taking off or Sponge Bob, but the effect was stunning. People didn't know if it could surprise them even more, but Stark succeeded. After waiting for the audience to calm down, Tony tore off the last cloth.
- And finally, the highlight and star of tonight's programme! Starkflyer! - exclaimed Tony, revealing... a Delorean.
Which gradually changed shape to a Lamborghini Aventador. And after that, a Bugatti Veyron, until it reverted back to the shape of a Starkspider with hidden wheels and flew into the air.
- A full-flying mimicry hybrid. Capable of travelling two thousand miles at speeds up to five hundred miles per hour and up to four thousand when a second ultra-capable battery pack is fitted inside the bonnet. Now you don't need any car in the world, a helicopter or even an aeroplane! You have them all! And yes, it's licensed to fly even with autopilot, for which I thank the Federal Aviation Administration!
Even the deepest of sceptics got into it. Not shouting, of course, but they were excited and started talking animatedly. The cameramen were filming with their cameras, afraid to miss even a moment. Almost everyone took out their mobile phones to take pictures or videos. It took about five minutes to calm everyone down.
- And all of you are now thinking, how much would a flyer cost an unbreakable, ultra-reliable, safe car, speeder or even more so? A million dollars? Two million? Ten? Honestly, I couldn't estimate their value for a long time myself. Until I decided to hell with selling them! They're all subscription-based!
Holograms with prices began to appear above the cars.
- Seven hundred dollars a month for a Starkmobile! Two thousand for a Starkspider! Twenty thousand for a Flyer!
Twenty thousand dollars a month is a lot of money... But not for civil aviation. One helicopter would cost more than that, and it needs a hangar, maintenance and landing space, not to mention fuel. And the helicopter itself is very expensive and requires a pilot's licence. Tony seemed to be trading for nothing. But each machine cost him no more than a pile of scrap metal, which is transfigured in a closed artefact for workers called a special 3D printer. True, to keep people from losing their jobs, a whole production chain had been set up, which was completely useless. Stark looked forward to spies trying to recreate his machine from fake blueprints. Or try to take it apart - because in that case, if they did manage to destroy the vibration, which was already unlikely, they would end up with ordinary steel. The subscription model was chosen for a reason - transfiguration needed to be renewed.
- But even those who want to avoid taking the Starkmobile on a long-term lease can use them in the first unmanned taxi and carshare! Fifty dollars a day, and it's all yours!
It seemed like the last straw, but Tony finished everyone off:
- I'll tell you about the rest of the new products tomorrow!
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein