Chapter 109 – Scientific Fraud?

On the other side.

Pepper Potts once again arrived at Tony Stark's seaside villa.

As the newly repaired lab doors opened, she immediately saw Tony tinkering with the Mark IV armor.

Hearing the doors, Tony turned and saw it was her. He stood and said:

"Pepper, speed up the procurement of equipment for Smith's side. Get it delivered as soon as possible."

"Oh, and ask if their company is ready to launch that product of theirs. If they need help with permits or anything, we can pull some strings under the Stark Industries name."

"I'm curious what that little Bulma girl came up with to give Smith so much confidence."

Pepper held a folder and flipped it open.

"The equipment orders for Smith's side are already underway. This latest batch alone is worth billions."

"Once we finalize the orders, we'll send them right over."

"To be honest, what we're doing here isn't exactly above board. Some of these things aren't supposed to be sold for private use… but since they're in the U.S., our name can suppress any complaints."

"It might be smart to take at least a token stake in their company — even just 0.01%. That way it all looks legitimate."

Tony nodded.

"I'll talk to Smith about that."

Pepper raised an eyebrow.

"So, who exactly is Bulma? Some scientist on his team?"

Tony smirked, thinking back to how the girl had called him old man.

"She's a sixteen-year-old kid."

"But Smith calls her his 'chief scientist,' and all those fancy toys are for her."

Pepper froze in surprise, then couldn't help blurting out:

"Sixteen? He's really putting all his chips on her? Doesn't he realize this could just be a giant con?"

"Not to mention she's still a minor. If anything happens, there's no legal recourse…"

Tony chuckled.

"Well, we'll see if they deliver. Don't expect too much — she's just a sixteen-year-old girl."

Then his tone shifted.

"By the way — you free right now?"

"Do me a favor? Go to my office, hack into the main server, and pull the latest shipping manifests for me."

He handed her a flash drive-like device.

"This'll get you in. Try the admin folder first. If it's not there, check any hidden partitions. Look for the smallest-numbered file."

Pepper eyed the device, then looked at Tony skeptically.

"And what exactly are you going to do with this data?"

Tony was adjusting a piece of machinery when he replied flatly:

"What I always do. They've been dealing behind my back for years. I'm going to stop them. Track down my weapons and destroy them."

Pepper sighed softly.

"Tony, you know I'd do anything for you…"

"But if you keep going down this path, I might not be able to help you anymore."

Tony paused, then walked over and looked her straight in the eye.

"This is the only thing that matters now. I won't go back to ribbon cuttings and galas. This is my purpose."

"I'm not crazy, Pepper. I just finally understand what I should be doing."

"I learned one thing from Smith Doyle: justice needs to be done by your own hands — even if the path is lined with thorns."

Pepper stared back at him, took a deep breath, then picked the device back up from the desk and met his gaze.

"Then I guess I have no choice either."

Then she remembered the main reason she'd come today.

"Tony — our stock price is still down overall, but it's started climbing again lately."

"I checked — someone's been aggressively buying shares. They'll probably file a stake notice soon."

"And that someone… is Smith Doyle."

Tony didn't even flinch. He just smirked.

"Figures. He's seen what the Mark series can do. Has a brain, that one. Shorted us when we were falling, now scooping up shares before we recover. Kid's making all the money."

He tapped the ARC reactor on his chest.

"He's probably betting on this. Let him."

Pepper didn't push the issue — after all, Smith had saved Tony's life, and being a shareholder wasn't necessarily bad. Stark Industries was also buying back shares now, competing with him for control.

Watching her leave, Tony let out a small smile.

Later, Pepper sat at his office desk, booting up his computer. When it asked for a password, she plugged in the device Tony gave her.

"Warning! Security breach detected. System compromised. Access granted."

…

(End of Chapter)

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