บท 20: Chapter: 20
Mark took an ice pack from the refrigerator and handed it to his father, Tony.
Tony was struggling to dismantle his Mark II armor with the help of several robotic arms. The high-altitude icing caused some structural components to deform, making the process even more challenging.
Tony took the ice pack from Mark and gently applied it to his swollen head, which had a large bump from the impact. Tony winced, whether from the cold or the pain, he couldn't tell.
"I told you to be carefull. Are you really okay?" Mark asked, showing concern for his unreliable father.
"I'm fine, just a minor bump. You should have confidence in the armor I designed. By the way, how's your progress going? I've already completed a finished product," Tony deflected the topic, pretending to be nonchalant.
"It's going well. Everything else is smooth, but I encountered some obstacles in implementing the weapon system design I changed. So, progress will definitely be slower than yours," Mark shrugged helplessly, informing Tony of his progress.
"That's normal, that's normal! Hahaha! After all, I'm your old man, and you're my son. There's no shame in losing to me! Let me tell you, the feeling of flying in the air with the Mark II was absolutely amazing. Too bad you can't experience it. Hahaha!" Tony laughed proudly, mocking Mark.
Mark rolled his eyes and turned his head away. He didn't want to see his smug father's expression of self-satisfaction. Glancing around, Mark noticed a neatly packaged box on the workbench with a coffee cup on top.
Pointing in the direction of the box, Mark asked, "What's this? Is it a gift from someone?"
Following Mark's finger, Tony also turned to look. "Oh, that should be the one Pepper sent earlier. I got busy with the Mark II, so I didn't have time to open it. Jarvis, hurry up!"
"Yes, sir," Jarvis responded to the command and accelerated the process of disassembling the armor, quickly helping Tony free himself.
Mark removed the coffee cup pressed on top of the box and saw a note with Pepper's signature. He handed the box to Tony and said, "Pepper went through the trouble of sending you a gift, and you didn't even respond. No wonder you're single. Open it now!"
Tony looked at the box in his hand, carefully tore off the attached note, and then unwrapped the brown paper packaging. When all the outer packaging was removed, a mini glass display case was revealed inside, containing the old Arc Reactor that Pepper had helped Tony replace before.
Tony had entrusted Pepper with disposing of it, whether through incineration or burial. He didn't care, as he wasn't sentimental. However, he didn't expect Pepper to repackage it and give it to him as a gift. And now, there was an additional line of text on the old Arc Reactor.
Tony smiled knowingly, realizing that he had fallen deeply in love with this woman and couldn't extricate himself.
Mark leaned closer, observing this familiar yet strange scene. He looked at the words written on the Arc Reactor and said, "If you break her heart, don't expect me to call you 'dad' anymore."
"I know. If I really do that, then please wake me up, my dear son!" Tony replied, assuring Mark.
"Don't worry, I would do that even without you saying it. Beating the crap out of you is my favorite pastime. By the way, why did you fall just now? Didn't you calibrate the balance stabilizers and thrusters? " Mark asked, curious about the reason behind Tony's fall.
"I was flying too high, and high-altitude icing occurred at the extreme altitude. It caused a system malfunction in the armor. However, we'll know the exact reason after it has been examined. Jarvis, how's the analysis going?" Tony explained.
"The results have been uploaded to your private server, sir," Jarvis responded.
"Open it and take a look. I've reminded you before to give the armor defensive mechanisms against extreme cold and heat. Looks like you've missed out!" Mark finally scored a point and couldn't help mocking Tony.
Tony was speechless and obediently opened the analysis results. "The work log shows that the main sensors of the armor failed above 40,000 feet, and there were also issues with the entire boost system. It should all be due to icing."
"Very accurate observation, sir. If you plan to visit other planets, we may need to enhance the exhaust system," Jarvis suggested, combining sarcasm with a practical recommendation, which made Mark laugh until his stomach hurt.
Tony glanced awkwardly at Mark and pretended to remain calm as he continued the conversation with Jarvis. "Contact Stark Industries and have them reconfigure the outer shell with the 'Archangel' satellite's titanium alloy material. That should strengthen the body while maintaining the power-to-weight ratio. Understand?"
"Yes, sir. Should I follow the instructions on the manual for coloring?" Jarvis asked.
"Yes, that's right!"
"Oh, by the way, I remember there's an annual gathering at the Firefighters' family fund tonight, and you've always been the guest of honor. Aren't you going?" Mark suddenly remembered something and reminded Tony.
"Jarvis, turn on the TV."
"Yes, sir."
As they listened to the host on the TV rambling on, Tony asked, "Jarvis, did I receive an invitation from them?"
"I have no record of it, sir."
"Oh, it seems that the great benefactor Tony Stark has been forgotten," Mark sarcastically mocked beside him.
Tony calmly watched the live coverage on TV, knowing that Jarvis had already completed the rendering of the color scheme after notifying him. "Isn't this a bit ostentatious? What do you think?"
Looking at the shiny golden color scheme, even someone as flamboyant as Tony felt it might be going too far.
"What can I say, sir? You're always ambiguous," Jarvis made another lethal comment.
At this point, Mark made a suggestion, "How about adding some fiery red accents?"
Mark's suggestion was indeed the classic color scheme of Iron Man, and he also thought that the combination of red and gold looked good, so he spoke up.
Tony nodded, finding himself in agreement with Mark's idea. "Truly my own son. Jarvis, do it."
"That will certainly make you more low-key, sir. Rendering complete."
Looking at the rendered image on the screen, Tony smiled with satisfaction. "Hmm, I like it! Let's make it that way and give it a good paint job."
"Automated assembly has already begun and is expected to be completed in five hours."
Tony looked at his watch and turned to Mark beside him, asking, "Do you want to go to the party together?"
"Create some chaos in the party?" Mark raised an eyebrow.
"You know me too well," Tony said as he drove his supercar, heading towards the Disney Concert Hall with Mark.
Unbeknownst to Tony, deep within the terrorist base that once held him captive, members of the Ten Rings organization who managed to survive had found the wreckage of Mark I and were attempting to restore it. However, hindered by their lack of technical expertise and literacy, they had made no progress. Yet, the danger was far from over...
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