Jessica Jones's face twisted with fury, her expression darkening with every word.
Tony Stark, however, was merciless. His voice dripped with scorn as he leaned closer.
"Didn't you hear me the first time? Nolan Locke's so-called technology and vision reek worse than garbage. And as for you…" He gestured toward Jessica with a smug tilt of his head, "…you can compare yourself to the women beside me. This " he tightened his arm around the waists of two Playboy cover models "this is what a real woman should look like."
The two women clung to Tony without hesitation. They lifted their chins, shoulders back, deliberately emphasizing their curves. Their disdainful looks weren't subtle. For them, sharing a bed with Tony Stark was no shame it was a badge of honor. Everyone knew Stark had a reputation: the billionaire genius only surrounded himself with the best.
Nolan Locke watched the scene quietly, his expression calm but with something else lurking beneath it. Pity. The arrogance radiating off Stark was almost comical. He truly had no idea who he was insulting.
Nolan gave a light sigh, then spoke with surprising patience.
"Mr. Stark, I'd advise you to walk away right now. Because you really don't understand the kind of power the girl standing next to me has."
His tone carried an unmistakable weight, like a veiled warning. Unfortunately, Tony didn't pick up on it. His smirk deepened, his voice positively gleeful with mockery.
"Power? Please. My eyesight's just fine, and from where I'm standing…" He gave Jessica another condescending once-over. "I don't see a thing."
He never finished the sentence.
A fist, small but deceptively fast, filled Tony's vision.
BAM!
Jessica's punch connected cleanly with his cheek, sending a sharp crack echoing through the banquet hall.
Tony let out a startled cry as he stumbled back, clutching his face. He prided himself on keeping in shape, even trained occasionally in combat drills, but not once had he seen that blow coming.
Nolan shook his head, almost pitying, but his voice carried a touch of humor.
"Hey, pal. I told you, I wasn't talking about her charm. I was talking about her fists. Trust me, ten of you put together wouldn't be enough to stop her."
He let the words hang in the air, a knowing grin spreading across his face.
Tony, his eye swelling and his pride in tatters, stared at Jessica with disbelief. That pressure… that sheer presence from a girl barely out of her teens it was suffocating.
He, Tony Stark the genius, the billionaire, the womanizer adored and envied worldwide had just been humiliated in front of a room full of elite scientists. And worse, by a teenage girl.
"You…" His voice cracked, caught between rage and shock.
Jessica didn't even flinch. Holding a wine glass in one hand, she clenched her jaw so tightly the muscles in her face quivered. Then, with a vicious squeeze, the glass shattered into glittering shards, red wine spilling across the marble floor like blood.
"You arrogant bastard!" she snarled.
The venom in her voice froze the air. Stark took an involuntary step back. Even Nolan instinctively shrank his shoulders, a nervous laugh bubbling in his throat.
God help him. He might've snagged a girlfriend, but Jessica wasn't his endgame. His eyes weren't set on one tree in the forest. No his ambitions stretched across oceans and galaxies, across an endless constellation of possibilities.
But with Jessica's terrifying strength… Nolan shivered.
No, no, he couldn't dwell on that thought. What he needed was simple: power. He had to strengthen his own body, his own tech, so that no matter who stood by his side or against him he could keep moving forward.
There were too many extraordinary women in this world, and his grand journey across the stars had only just begun. He refused to stop here.
The banquet buzzed with whispers after the confrontation, but the chaos soon faded. Tony Stark wasn't the type to slink away in humiliation. And Nolan, who hadn't taken any real losses, was more amused than offended.
Still, Stark's ego had taken a brutal hit. The moment he recovered, he kept his eyes locked on Nolan, ignoring Jessica altogether. He couldn't strike a woman, not here, not now. But Nolan Locke? Stark would be more than happy to crush him in the one arena he ruled without equal: technology.
K-01? That little toy? Stark sneered inwardly. Pathetic.
When it was finally his turn to present, Tony straightened his suit, masking the faint bruise forming on his cheek, and strode confidently to the front of the hall.
"Originally, I planned to keep things light tonight," he began, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear. "But since we happen to have the so-called creator of the world's first practical mech here Dr. Nolan Locke I think it's only fair I share some of my own ideas."
His eyes flicked to Nolan, the disdain in them sharp as a blade. Then, with a dramatic pause, he launched into his vision.
A humanoid suit of armor.
Capable of independent flight, bristling with weapons, guided by advanced tracking systems. A weapon that combined firepower, defense, and mobility into a single, unstoppable machine.
It was a perfect soldier, a perfect guardian, a perfect tool of war.
The room stirred with interest. Many in attendance weren't just scientists but military representatives. For them, Stark's concept of the Mark I was intoxicating.
By the time Stark finished, he turned deliberately toward Nolan.
"Well, Dr. Locke? What do you think of my little idea?"
His smile was all sharp edges, his body language dripping with condescension. He didn't need to say the words out loud. His expression was enough: You're not in my league.
Nolan calmly raised his glass in acknowledgment.
"It's an excellent concept," he said evenly. "The energy, mechanics, and sensory systems required are immensely complex. I'll admit it I couldn't build it."
Stark's smirk widened. He opened his mouth, ready to deliver a cutting remark
But Nolan wasn't finished.
"However," Nolan continued smoothly, "I do have an idea of my own. One I think the military in particular will find… very interesting."
That got the room's attention. All eyes turned to Nolan. The military representatives leaned forward, notebooks at the ready. They all knew Nolan Locke had the Pentagon's ear, his K-01 already flagged as a breakthrough. If he had something new to offer, it was worth listening.
Nolan stepped forward, his tone confident.
"My proposal is for a multifunctional combat robot. I call it the SAR Strategic Assault Robot. The design is highly cost-efficient, roughly half a million per unit to produce. Each model can be outfitted with an array of weapons, has built-in short-range radar, long-lasting endurance, and adaptability for various combat environments."
The murmur in the crowd swelled. Half a million was steep, but for the military, cost was always measured against effectiveness. A single infantry soldier, fully outfitted, cost upwards of twenty thousand dollars. Heavy weapons raised that number dramatically. Tanks, for example, averaged five million dollars apiece.
If SAR units delivered even half of what Nolan promised, they'd be a bargain.
Nolan pressed on, sketching out the technical specifications, theoretical framework, and tactical advantages. His inspiration came from a film in his past life Kill Command. Those robots had flaws, yes, but as mass-produced weapons? They were ideal. And in this era, even their basic design was decades ahead of its time.
By the time he finished, Nolan could see the gleam in the generals' eyes. They were hooked.
He turned back to Stark, raising his brows ever so slightly.
Your Mark armor is impressive, sure. But the cost? Ten million per suit, minimum. Who in their right mind would bankroll an army of those?
Stark's smile faltered. He hated to admit it, but Nolan's logic cut deep. His Mark series was revolutionary, but impractical for mass deployment. Nolan's SAR bots, though cheap, versatile, and scalable were exactly the kind of weapon military men craved.
Stark's lips tightened in frustration. He wasn't used to being overshadowed, least of all by someone like Nolan Locke.
Fine. If that's how it was, he'd just build his Mark I faster. When it was ready, he'd show Nolan and the entire world what true genius looked like.
As Stark stalked away, sour and brooding, Nolan chuckled softly to himself.
For some reason, his mood tonight was exceptionally good.