The first rule of genius engineering: Start small. Think big. Build constantly.
Tony had never needed that rule more than now.
After two days of feigned normalcy—dinners with Maria, cryptic glares from Howard, and subtle mental probing from Obadiah—he locked himself in his personal lab and let the Archive loose.
> [Initializing Design Space...]
[Simulation Environment Active. Time-Dilated Session: 3:1 Ratio Enabled.]
The lab in reality was cluttered. Tools on every surface. Vintage monitors humming beside Stark-brand holo-terminals. But in the Archive's simulated interface, it all sharpened. The chaos became intentional. Clean tables. Neatly stacked microprocessors. A hovering UI full of locked pathways, glowing in icy blue.
Like an RPG tech tree mixed with a 3D engineering sandbox.
Tony dragged a virtual wire across a schematic. His mind translated it into code, the Archive filling in the gaps like a responsive AI lab partner.
> [Arc Reactor Prototype v1.3 - Power Stability: 61%. Heat Dissipation: Poor.]
[Recommendation: Integrate Palladium Loop OR alternate core.]
"Palladium's not sustainable long-term," Tony muttered. "But it's all I've got in this decade."
He swiped a design node, zooming in on the central core—a rough sketch of the miniature reactor his father never perfected. Howard had come close. But only Tony could finish it.
Now that he remembered everything.
---
Three hours later, sweat clung to his back. Real-world Tony had rewired two-thirds of the prototype reactor on his desk. Soldering iron in one hand, micro-core in the other. The Archive whispered constantly: thermal maps, possible instabilities, alternate isotope suggestions.
It wasn't just a tool. It was… a brain partner.
> [Integration of Stark-Level Intelligence Recognized.]
[Unlocking: Genius Protocol Tier 1.]
[Howard Stark → Blueprint: Miniature Arc Reactor v1.0 (95% Completion)]
[NEW PATH UNLOCKED: Advanced Alloy Synthesis - Palladium Series]
Tony stared as the new nodes glowed into view. One shimmered—labeled "Vibranium Compatibility: Locked - Requires Physical Sample."
"Figures," he muttered. "Thanks, Wakanda."
---
That night, Maria peeked into his lab and frowned. "Tony, darling, it's almost midnight."
"I'm… close," he said, not looking up.
She studied him for a moment. Not the usual teenage rebellion. Not drunk. Not even distracted. Focused. Razor-sharp. Obsessed.
"You remind me of your father," she said quietly.
Tony paused. Then, without turning, "Is that a good thing?"
She didn't answer.
He heard her footsteps retreat, and the door click shut.
---
The next morning, Howard was already in the car when Tony slid into the seat beside him. Black sedan. Stark logo on the dash. Jarvis 0.4 running on analog voice-response.
Neither spoke.
Ten minutes in, Tony broke the silence. "Is it true you shelved the ARC reactor after the Pentagon pulled out?"
Howard's eyes narrowed. "Where did you hear that?"
"I read your lab logs. They weren't encrypted well."
"You broke into classified Stark Industries files?"
"You left them in your study drawer behind the decanter. Encryption or not, I'm still your son."
Howard didn't respond for a long time. Then, coolly, "It wasn't viable. Too expensive. Too unstable. Even if it worked, it wouldn't power a nation—it'd power a single lab. Maybe."
Tony smiled faintly. "So… you gave up?"
"I prioritized."
Tony looked out the window, watching the city blur past. "I'm not going to."
---
Later that day, he returned to the Archive with a vengeance.
> [Activate Simulation Suite: Armor Concepts - Pre-Combat Utility Designs]
[Analyzing: Threat Exposure Level – LOW (Timeline Baseline)]
[Note: No current divergence.]
Yet.
Tony opened a blank model file and began shaping something new. Not a weapon. Not a weapon yet.
A shell. A frame. A skin.
It wasn't Iron Man. It was Iron Proto. Something simple. Mechanized joints. Arc reactor in the chest. No flight, no weapons. Just powered strength. A "mechanical assistant" on paper. In reality: a stepping stone.
Within six hours, the Archive had iterated four versions. By nightfall, he had real-world schematics ready.
---
> [Skill Tree Expansion: Armor Engineering Tier 1 Complete.]
[UNLOCKED: Mark I Combat Suit – Virtual Model Available.]
[Note: Real-world data required to proceed to Tier 2.]
"Soon," Tony whispered, eyes locked on the glowing wireframe of his future salvation.
Afghanistan. The cave. Yinsen. The arc of pain and genius and fire that made Iron Man…
He wouldn't avoid it.
He would use it.
---
The next day, Obadiah Stane pulled Tony aside after a board meeting.
"You're looking… sharp lately," the man said with an oily smile.
Tony raised a brow. "Vitamin D. Coffee. Basic ambition."
Obadiah chuckled. "Your father's worried. You're digging too deep, too fast. The reactor project. The private lab upgrades. You're not even out of school yet."
"You afraid I'll invent something useful?"
"I'm afraid you'll do something reckless."
Tony smiled, all teeth and ice. "Obie, if I was doing something reckless… you'd already be in jail."
The smile froze on Obadiah's lips.
Tony walked away without looking back.
---
That night, alone in his lab, Tony stared at the Archive interface again. Dozens of branches. Hundreds of nodes. And one central phrase blinking at the top of the holographic UI:
> [Timeline Stable – Divergence: 0.004%]
Not yet.
But soon.
And when the first crack came, when fate tried to lock him into that cave, into that pain… he'd be ready.
Because this time, he was building ahead of schedule.
This time, the world wouldn't make Iron Man by accident.
He would forge himself.
---
[END OF CHAPTER 2]