Chapter 6: Making an Enemy of Iron Man
Ethan and Natasha had only been chatting for a short while when a man in a black suit entered the room without a word. He handed Natasha a briefcase, turned, and left just as silently as he had arrived.
Natasha slid the briefcase across the table to Ethan. "The password is '123456'," she said. "Inside, you'll find your new identification documents, your S.H.I.E.L.D. credentials, a satellite phone, and a debit card with a starting salary of one hundred thousand dollars."
She paused, then added, "Also, S.H.I.E.L.D. has already contacted Tony Stark on your behalf. He's agreed to meet with you tomorrow morning."
"Thank you," Ethan said, genuinely grateful.
Natasha stood up. "If there's nothing else, I'll be going."
"See you around," Ethan said with a wave.
As soon as Natasha left, Ethan followed suit, finding a hotel near the bar and checking in. He was exhausted. The moment his head hit the pillow, he was dead to the world.
The next morning, Ethan was jolted awake by his new phone's alarm. He quickly showered and dressed, then hailed a cab to Stark Industries.
Two hours later, he arrived. After stating his purpose to the receptionist, he only had to wait a few moments before Tony's famous assistant, Pepper Potts, appeared.
"Mr. Hunt, hello. I'm Tony's assistant, you can call me Pepper," she said with a warm, professional smile.
"Hello. Is Mr. Stark available?" Ethan asked.
Pepper nodded. "Yes, he's waiting for you in his office. Please, follow me."
She led Ethan to a private elevator that went directly to Tony Stark's office—or rather, his personal workshop. The space was less of an office and more of a laboratory, cluttered with mechanical parts and advanced equipment.
"Tony, Mr. Hunt is here," Pepper announced.
Stark didn't even turn around, his focus entirely on the project in front of him. "So, what's this brilliant collaboration you have in mind?" he asked, his voice dripping with arrogance.
"I can help you develop living machinery," Ethan stated plainly.
Tony let out a short, dismissive laugh. "Ha! And what proof do you have? Show me some results." It was obvious he didn't believe a word. In his world, true living machinery was an impossibility.
"If you willingly allow me to extract your genes, I can build a living machine right here in front of you," Ethan said.
That got Tony's attention. He stopped his work and turned to face Ethan, then burst into laughter. "Willingly let you extract my genes? Do you really think I'm an idiot?" He might be a mechanic, but he wasn't ignorant of the importance of genetics.
"This is a transaction," Ethan said, his tone serious. "I extract your genes, and I give you the technology for living machinery."
"I don't need your technology," Tony shot back. "Besides, you can't produce it on demand anyway, so I'm sorry, but the answer is no."
"I also know how to heal the injury in your chest," Ethan added, raising the stakes.
Tony's face soured. He shook his head in disappointment. "It seems you're just a con artist. You can leave." He had already had Jarvis run countless simulations. His injury was untreatable. The only thing keeping the shrapnel from reaching his heart was the arc reactor in his chest. He didn't believe Ethan for a second.
"Nanotechnology can remove the shrapnel from your body," Ethan pressed on. "And a regeneration cradle can repair the damage."
"You can say all the fancy words you want, but you can't produce the tech. How am I supposed to believe you?" Tony said, his patience wearing thin.
"I don't have the technology for nanites or regeneration cradles myself," Ethan admitted. "But I know people who do. If you let me extract your genes, I will tell you who they are. And I will still help you create living machinery."
"Enough," Tony snapped. "If it weren't for S.H.I.E.L.D., I wouldn't have even bothered to meet with a fraud like you. I'm giving you two options. One, you leave on your own. Two, I have security escort you out."
As much as Ethan needed Tony's mechanical genius, he had his pride. He wasn't about to beg.
"Your decision just made you a new enemy," Ethan said, his voice low and dangerous. He turned and walked away.
The Marvel Universe was full of geniuses.
There was Dr. Helen Cho, whose work with nanotechnology was revolutionary. There was Princess Shuri of Wakanda, who created battle suits far superior to Iron Man's armor. There was Doctor Octopus, whose mechanical arms, while not the most powerful, possessed incredible reaction times. And of course, there was Hank Pym, creator of the Pym Particle and suits that could shrink or grow.
The list went on.
Ethan had chosen to approach Tony Stark first because he had something Tony desperately needed. But he hadn't expected to be dismissed so rudely. He swore he would get his revenge. He would build his own suit of armor—one so advanced and powerful it would make Tony Stark's creations look like toys.
Back in the workshop, Pepper looked worried. "Tony, that man is a superhuman. He's incredibly strong, bulletproof... he's dangerous. Making an enemy of him could bring you a lot of trouble."
"What's there to be afraid of?" Tony scoffed, his ego inflated by his recent debut as Iron Man. "He can't fly. If he messes with me, I'll just send a missile his way and blow him to kingdom come." In his current state of mind, he looked down on everyone, even S.H.I.E.L.D.
Pepper sighed and said nothing more.
As Ethan left Stark Industries, he considered which scientist to approach next. Then, a new thought struck him: Can I extract genes from a corpse?
If he could, he could get the genes of Dr. Arnim Zola.
Zola was Hydra's lead scientist during World War II, a genius who was light-years ahead of his time. He was brilliant enough to transfer his own consciousness into a computer system, a feat that should have been impossible with the primitive technology of that era.
The idea sent a jolt of excitement through Ethan. He immediately contacted the system. "System, can I extract genes from a dead body?"
[Ding! A corpse cannot resist and has no consciousness. As long as it is a humanoid corpse, extraction is possible.]
"Damn it! That's perfect!" Ethan exclaimed aloud. "If I had known I could extract genes from a corpse, why would I have ever bothered with Tony Stark? All I did was ask for trouble."
Filled with a new sense of purpose, Ethan went straight to a motorcycle dealership and bought a heavy-duty bike. He then took out the satellite phone S.H.I.E.L.D. had given him and dialed Natasha's number.
She picked up on the first ring.
"Natasha," Ethan said, getting straight to the point. "I need the address of the secret military base where Captain America was trained."
"What are you planning?" she asked, her voice laced with suspicion.
"Don't worry about it. Just get me the address, and I'll owe you a favor," Ethan replied. For now, he was on his own and had to rely on others. But he knew that wouldn't last forever. Soon, he would build his own AI. Then, he would have access to any information he wanted. The world's surveillance network would become his eyes and ears.
"Alright," Natasha said, her voice brightening. "Wait a moment, I'll look it up for you." A favor from a man like Ethan wasn't something she would pass up, especially when all it cost her was a quick search for an old, defunct military base. It was a bargain.