"I was very clear, Mr. Stark. I have the metal you need. I tracked down your private number specifically to make this deal with you."
Rowan's calm and confident tone sent Tony into silence.
His mind was racing.
The guy didn't sound like he was pulling a prank.
And this didn't feel like a scam either.
Getting access to Tony Stark's personal number was harder than pulling off a scam.
"I'm going to need proof," Tony finally said. "I don't believe you unless you can show me something concrete."
He didn't bother asking about the price.
If the metal was real, money wouldn't be an issue.
"I'll send the sample over. You can run your own analysis and see for yourself," Rowan replied plainly, not in the mood to argue.
"You're just going to send it to me for testing?"
Tony blinked, surprised. Free sample, hand-delivered? That was new.
Still, something about the confidence in Rowan's voice stirred a flicker of excitement in his chest.
Could this kid really have something?
Tony glanced at his battered suit nearby. A faint gleam lit up in his eyes.
"Fine. We'll talk after I test it."
Rowan ended the call without another word.
Tony stared at the phone for a moment, still processing what had just happened.
"JARVIS, analyze his tone. What are the odds he's lying?"
After a brief pause, the AI responded.
"One percent, sir."
Tony's eyebrows shot up. A mix of shock and anticipation spread across his face.
Meanwhile, Rowan grabbed a silver briefcase and headed out.
Tony's villa was flamboyant enough to be spotted from space. In less than half an hour, Rowan had arrived.
About five hundred meters out, he triggered a perimeter infrared scan an AI security measure.
Inside the mansion, Tony got an immediate alert.
Rowan stepped out of the car, walked toward the nearest camera, and lifted the silver case. He popped it open, giving the camera a clear view of the Kro-Alloy inside.
Tony, watching from the surveillance room, instantly understood.
"JARVIS, is he carrying any weapons?"
"None detected, sir."
"Good. Let him through."
The security gates opened. Rowan gave a faint smile, returned to the car, and drove right into the garage.
Standing at the garage entrance was a man in tinted brown sunglasses, wearing a suit with a red tie, sporting a neatly trimmed goatee. A little rugged, a little handsome, and wholly arrogant Tony Stark, in the flesh.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Rowan," he said, stepping out of the car and offering a handshake.
Tony studied Rowan's young face, his expression complex.
He hadn't noticed through the surveillance feed, but up close, this guy couldn't be older than eighteen.
And this was the kid who had called him, claiming to have a revolutionary alloy?
Tony suddenly felt like he was being trolled.
"You're the one who called me?"
"That's right."
Without wasting words, Rowan noticed Tony's skepticism. He withdrew his hand and opened the silver case right in front of him.
Tony's gaze was instantly drawn to the blue-black alloy inside.
"This is the metal. You can run the tests yourself and see if I'm lying."
Rowan gestured at the case casually.
Tony gave him a suspicious glance, then picked up the Kro-Alloy and turned toward the house.
"Follow me. If this turns out to be a joke, you're going to regret it."
Rowan sighed. "Has anyone ever told you your temper sucks?"
Tony's lip twitched slightly.
He noticed the same kind of arrogance in Rowan that he saw in himself.
Rowan followed Tony inside, taking in the lavish interior. The eastern wall was a massive floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the endless ocean.
He had seen Tony's mansion countless times in the movies, but being here in person was something else entirely.
"You wait here. I'll run the analysis in my lab. Don't touch anything," Tony warned at the base of the stairs.
Rowan rolled his eyes and strolled over to the bar, selecting a bottle of tequila that looked appealing. He poured himself a glass without hesitation.
Tony nearly exploded when he saw that, but before he could say anything, he looked down at the chunk of Kro-Alloy in his hand and swallowed the words.
Still fuming, he stomped downstairs to the lab.
"JARVIS, begin analysis on this metal."
Tony placed the Kro-Alloy onto a testing platform.
"Yes, sir."
A red laser scanned the metal from corner to corner.
A mechanical arm adjusted position and drilled a microscopic hole into the surface. Then, the platform shifted, and several different tools began running various diagnostic tests.
"JARVIS, give me the core data first. Hardness, density, ductility?"
Tony took a sip of water, barely able to contain himself.
"Sir, the hardness is 143 GPa. Density, 4.1 grams per cubic centimeter. Ductility—"
JARVIS hadn't even finished speaking when Tony nearly lost it.
"Wait, wait, wait! Did you just say 143 GPa for hardness? Are you sure that's right?"
He rushed forward, eyes wide in disbelief, running his hands over the Kro-Alloy again.
"Sir, the results are accurate. As the young man claimed, the hardness is 1.5 times that of diamond."
Tony's eyes lit up like twin suns.
"Harder than diamond, and only two-thirds the density of iron…"
"JARVIS, could this be used in the suit?"
"Absolutely, sir. Not only for the external armor, but even for joint components and internal systems. It's fully viable."
"So that kid wasn't just telling the truth. He was underselling it?"
"Yes, sir."
Tony took a deep breath, again and again, struggling to contain his shock.
This material didn't just push the boundary it shattered it.
It was revolutionary.
In his decades of building weapons, only Vibranium came close. But even Vibranium had limitations. Nothing else he'd seen had this combination of properties.
"Mother of please don't tell me it can't be mass produced," Tony groaned, rubbing his forehead.
To test the worst-case scenario, Tony immediately turned and bolted up the stairs.
"Hey, kid! Where did you get this metal? Do you have more?"
Rowan, lounging on the sofa, legs crossed and glass in hand, was watching the waves crash outside the massive window.
He looked over with a grin.
"Do you believe I'm not a scammer now?"
Tony's mouth was dry just looking at him. He grabbed a bottle of tequila for himself, poured a glass, and took a quick gulp before plopping down beside Rowan.
"I believe you now. No question. But I need to know do you have more of this stuff?"
His tone was serious. Dead serious.
This wasn't just a fancy upgrade.
This was the key to the next evolution of Iron Man.
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Hi everyone! More chapters are on the way just leave a review, share your thoughts in the comments, and toss in a Power Stone to show your support!