Chapter 82: Stark Industries, the Supplier

Several days passed quickly.

Tony Stark's Mark II armor had been fully tuned, with only final assembly and testing remaining. Before the test, he thought of Smith Doyle.

"Jarvis, get me Smith Doyle."

"Yes, sir. Calling now."

Smith had just finished his training when he saw the caller ID light up with Tony Stark's name and photo. He picked up.

"Hey, Tony."

On the virtual screen, Tony grinned.

"Hey, buddy. I've been working on my Mark armor, and it's finally complete."

"I promised you'd get to see the finished product — to see what real engineering looks like."

Clearly, Tony was still salty about his first failed test flight. But this time, he was confident he'd impress Smith.

Hearing Tony say the Mark II was finished, Smith was genuinely interested. After all, seeing it in person was very different from seeing it on screen.

"Where do we meet? I admit, I'm curious about your new suit."

Hearing his agreement, Tony's smile widened.

"I'll have Jarvis send you the address. Just come to my house — it's also my private lab."

After hanging up, Tony looked at the silver Mark II next to the battered Mark I and said proudly:

"Smith's going to be blown away. This is a work of art."

Smith noted the address, headed into his garage, and surveyed the cars in front of him — a Maybach, Rolls Royce, Ferrari, Audi R8. He ultimately chose a red Ferrari and drove to Tony's villa.

······

Driving his sports car, he quickly arrived at Tony Stark's seaside mansion.

The doors opened automatically, and Jarvis's voice greeted him:

"Welcome, Mr. Doyle."

Tony walked over, gave him a hug, and said:

"Hey, buddy. You're finally here."

"I can't wait to see your surprised face."

Seeing Tony so confident in the Mark II, Smith chuckled.

"Tony, I'm really curious what changes have you so confident."

"Oh, and I saw the news — you announced the shutdown of the weapons division."

Tony nodded.

"Yeah. After seeing all those Stark-made weapons where I was held… being used by the enemy instead of protecting us — that wasn't what I intended."

"And part of why I invited you was to talk about that."

Smith waved a hand.

"That's not really my business. Actually, your announcement made me a lot of money shorting Stark stock."

Tony smirked.

"No wonder Pepper told me the stock dropped fifty-six and a half points — much worse than the forty we expected. You really piled on, huh?"

"Well, you cleaned up. I think the stock will keep dropping for a while yet."

Smith glanced at the arc reactor in Tony's chest.

"I believe you can lead Stark Industries to new heights. When the time comes, I'll finish my position and buy back in."

Tony's pride was obvious.

"Buddy, sticking with Stark Industries is the right choice."

"But about another matter — when Pepper asked you to rescue me, the third condition was letting you purchase weapons directly from Stark Industries."

"Well, since I've shut down weapons production, that deal is void now."

"So here's what I'm thinking. You tell me if it works."

"One option — I can introduce you to Hammer Industries. They're lousy imitators, but I'm sure they'd do me the favor of letting you buy light weapons through them."

"The other option — I know you've been trying to buy lab equipment and materials, but licensing has been an issue."

"I can have Stark Industries handle procurement for you, even use our quotas to get what you need. Of course, you'll pay for it — I still have to answer to shareholders."

Smith thought for a moment before answering.

"I don't need the weapons channel. You said yourself — Hammer is a lousy imitator. I don't want my guys' guns jamming."

"I'll take the second option. Have Stark Industries handle procurement."

Hearing his choice, Tony's smile widened further.

"I'll have Pepper coordinate with your people. Just send her the list when you're ready."

Smith nodded, then laughed.

"Tony, now that business is done, show me your masterpiece. I can't wait any longer."

Following Tony to the basement lab, Smith immediately spotted the assembled Mark I and Mark II.

He eyed the Mark I curiously. Since Tony brought it back, would Obadiah's Iron Monger still appear? And without Iron Monger and Yinsen's death, would Tony still truly become Iron Man?

Tony stepped onto the platform and turned to Smith.

"Smith, you're about to be the first person besides me to see the Mark II in action."

"Jarvis, suit me up in the Mark II."

"Yes, sir."

Mechanical arms whirred into motion, assembling the Mark II piece by piece onto Tony's body.

"Activate helmet."

"Confirmed!"

"Load all optimization programs."

"No problem, sir."

Smith looked at Tony in the silver Mark II — already very much like the Iron Man in his memory, though not yet painted.

He glanced at the gleaming suit and wondered:

Did Tony remember to solve the high-altitude icing problem?

(End of Chapter)

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