章 5: Ch.5 I Just...Convinced Myself?
Tony Stark 1's words were clearly directed at Ronan.
He could never have imagined that one day he would come face-to-face with someone who looked exactly like him, wearing nearly identical Iron Man armor.
More importantly, the "imposter" in front of him even seemed a bit more mature than himself.
What the hell is this?
"Uh…"
"What if I told you this is a bionic Tony Stark I created, and I developed a brand-new suit for him?"
"The new suit uses the latest—oh, future nanotechnology, with more advanced abilities and combat power."
"I call it the Mark 85 Nanotech Armor 2.0, a very powerful and excellent—"
Ronan seemed to have found some amusement in the situation and began to enthusiastically introduce the Iron Man suit worn by Tony Stark 2.
However, his kindness wasn't exactly appreciated.
"Shut up!"
"Shut up!"
Both Tony Starks spoke at the same time, with identical tones and voices.
One was thinking, "What do I do?"
The other was wondering, "Who is this guy?"
Even though Loki had been captured, why was there still someone who looked exactly like him?
Could this be one of Loki's accomplices?
Tony Stark 1 raised his right hand slightly, and Ronan noticed the bracelet on his wrist.
Oh!
Are they about to fight?
Ronan's eyes lit up even more, and he pointed his camera at Tony Stark 1, who seemed ready to transform.
He even had the title of the video ready in his head:
Iron Man vs. Iron Man!
This will definitely get better ratings than "Batman vs. Red Underwear," right?
"Wait! Wait!"
"I know you want to suit up, the bracelet on your right hand is the remote for Mark 7."
"And I know everything about you, including what you're planning to do next."
Tony Stark 2 hurriedly tried to stop Tony Stark 1's actions.
This moment of trying to stop oneself was undeniably comical.
Hearing this, Tony Stark 1 tilted his head, hesitating for a moment.
Seeing this, Tony Stark 2 seized the opportunity.
"I also know that the Mark 7 still has some issues and isn't ready for use yet."
"If you suit up again, you'll be low on power, and Jarvis should have already told you that I'm you."
Tony Stark 2 raised an eyebrow, and to show his sincerity, he deactivated his Iron Man armor.
As soon as Tony Stark 1 saw the armor disappear, his confusion deepened.
This suit only existed in his imagination.
To be exact, he hadn't even created a folder for it yet.
"Tony, are you okay?"
"We're heading downstairs."
At that moment, Steve Rogers' voice came from nearby.
The atmosphere, which had started to ease, suddenly became tense again.
Even Ronan pointed his camera toward the other side, clearly entertained.
Not only did he feel no tension, but he was also somewhat excited, eager to see things escalate.
As for the future?
Whether the timeline would change?
Ronan didn't care at all.
After all, the Ancient One hadn't stopped him, meaning everything Ronan was doing was "legit and lawful."
At least from his perspective, there was nothing wrong with what he was doing.
"Oh no, oh no, oh no, you've been exposed."
"Should we bail?"
Scott Lang, still hiding on Tony Stark 2's shoulder, finally poked his head out.
He had been scared by what had just happened.
Now they had two choices:
Either fight, or flee.
In the first case, they'd have to face the entire Avengers team. In the second, their mission would fail.
No matter how you looked at it, their plan seemed doomed.
However, Tony Stark 2 didn't speak, simply locking eyes with his other self.
"Do you trust yourself?"
"More precisely, do you trust your own intelligence?"
Ronan watched the two with great interest, thoroughly enjoying the moment.
Tony Stark 1 glared hard at Tony Stark 2, then slowly turned around.
"It's fine, Cap. You go ahead; I'll bring the Tesseract down in a bit."
"I just need… uh…"
"I just need to find a secure way to return the Tesseract to S.H.I.E.L.D."
Steve Rogers frowned slightly but chose not to say much in the end.
He didn't know what Tony Stark was doing, but he decided to trust him.
At least for now, the two had a decent relationship.
"Okay, I'll wait for you downstairs."
After saying that, Steve Rogers glanced at Tony Stark and then shifted his gaze to Ronan.
"Even though I don't know who you are, thank you."
Steve pointed at Ronan and nodded solemnly.
Ronan responded by thumping his right fist against his chest and pointing back at Steve Rogers.
He acted like they were best buddies.
After that, Steve Rogers took the elevator downstairs.
Once again, the atmosphere froze.
"Alright, who are you?"
"Or rather, are you really me?"
As soon as Steve entered the elevator, Tony Stark 1 finally asked.
Tony Stark 2 was about to answer but suddenly stopped, as if realizing something.
"Sorry, I can't tell you that."
"As me—well, as you—you should understand the concept of a 'time paradox.' There are many things I just can't share."
"What I can tell you is that I have something I absolutely need to do here."
Tony Stark 2 took a deep breath, realizing he could only explain so much.
After all, if Tony Stark 1 learned too much, the future could change significantly.
"Time paradox?"
"Do you really think you can convince me with that?"
Tony Stark 1 frowned. This wasn't a good enough reason.
However, it was the most Tony Stark 2 could offer.
This led to an awkward situation where neither side was entirely convinced nor willing to speak further.
Ronan, meanwhile, had no intention of helping to explain, simply continuing to film.
He was just an ordinary bystander, after all.
"No way, no way, you're not actually buying this flimsy excuse, are you?"
"You didn't believe me when I said I was a shinobi aiming to be Hokage, did you?"
Oh, he was still trying to stir things up.
As soon as Ronan finished speaking, Tony Stark 2 shot him a fierce glare.
He still didn't know who this guy wearing the Iron Man helmet was!
If it weren't for him, none of this mess would have been exposed, and the series of chaotic events wouldn't have happened!
So, he really wanted to have a real face-off with Ronan.
However, now was not the right time.
"Guys, I've found Loki's accomplice."
"He's pretending to be me, and he's holding the scepter!"
At that moment, Steve Rogers' voice came through Tony Stark 1's earpiece.
Simultaneously, Tony Stark 2 heard the familiar line in his earpiece: "Guys, I've been made."
Although the voices weren't loud, in the silence of the moment, they were clear enough for everyone to hear.
"He's here too?"
Tony Stark 1 raised an eyebrow.
Tony Stark 2 opened his mouth but could only nod helplessly.
"Yes."
"That… American ass…"
┓( ´∀` )┏.
Tony Stark 1 took a deep breath and let it out heavily.
His heart racing, his hands shaking.
He turned around.
"Whatever, I'll pretend I never saw you."
With that, Tony Stark 1 took two steps forward, then stopped again.
He turned back, this time focusing on Ronan.
"Hey…"
He pointed at Ronan, then at his own face.
"Next time, change the sound effects for that helmet, okay?"
"Or, at least… change the Jarvis. That works too."
After saying this, Tony Stark 1 awkwardly retracted his hand, nodded at Ronan, and left.
Ronan just stood there, shrugging.
The show was over.
He lightly raised his right foot, and a portal appeared before him.
He glanced at Tony Stark 2, a slight smile curling his lips.
"Well then, to commemorate this day, how about my next AI be called…"
"Friday?"
"What do you think?"
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