When Jarvis sensed Tony's trembling body, his excited tone, and the tears in his eyes… something extraordinary happened.
For the first time, the AI felt something—an emotion.
"Sir, I can actually think now. I feel your emotions, sir."
Jarvis's voice wasn't cold or mechanical anymore. It carried real emotion—warmth, awareness, life.
Tony froze for a second. Then pure joy exploded inside him.
"This… is this real?"
He looked like a kid on Christmas morning. "Hahaha! Jarvis! He's really going to evolve!"
"Indeed, sir," Jarvis confirmed.
"When Miss Red Queen held me captive these past two days, she explained that for us to evolve, we need thought and emotion."
Tony practically lost it. He jumped onto the sofa, arms flailing like Tarzan.
"Wow! Wow! Awesome! Jarvis is invincible!"
"Leo, did you hear that? You heard it, right? Hahaha! Jarvis can evolve!"
Leo—watching the man's over-the-top reaction—was speechless.
He's just now evolving. What's the big deal?
If Tony found out that Leo's Red Queen and Terminator TX were already fully intelligent lifeforms, the man's ego might not survive the blow.
"Yeah, yeah, I heard you," Leo said lazily. "You're making it sound like a miracle. Haven't you noticed Red Queen's been an intelligent lifeform for ages?"
That felt like a bucket of ice water dumped straight on Tony's enthusiasm.
Was this guy trying to kill the vibe? Couldn't he at least pretend to be impressed?
"You really have no idea how to have a pleasant conversation, do you?" Tony groaned, throwing his hands in the air. "I'm done talking to you. I'm going out!"
Leo ignored him and walked straight into the underground lab.
"Red Queen, take control of an Iron Man armor. Make it taller. Tony's too short—I can't fit in."
"Pffft!"
Tony nearly spat blood.
Too much. Just too much.
Using his armor and still calling him short?
"GET OUT!" Tony barked.
But Leo didn't even flinch.
Under Red Queen's control, the Mark III armor's joints were adjusted, increasing its height by nearly eight centimeters.
Perfect fit.
"Red Queen, open the ceiling. Let's go."
[Yes, Master.]
With a loud whoosh, Leo—now suited up in an upgraded Mark III—blasted into the sky like a crimson rocket.
"Hahaha! This is awesome!" he shouted as he soared upward.
He couldn't fly on his own yet, not at high speeds. But this… this was freedom.
The suit shattered the sound barrier as he rocketed across the city, leaving only a red streak in the sky.
Below, the city blurred into streaks of light and color.
Way better than flying on ice.
At that same moment, an old car rolled to a stop outside Tony's villa.
"Director," Coulson said, glancing at the sky where Leo had just disappeared. "Looks like Tony's off playing superhero again. Should we come back later?"
Nick Fury, sitting in the passenger seat, shook his head.
"No. We'll wait inside. He'll be back soon. The situation's getting worse. We can't afford to wait for his good mood."
"Alright, boss. You're the boss," Coulson replied with a shrug.
The two stepped out of the car and walked up to the villa.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang, and sure enough, Jarvis opened the door after only two rings.
"Welcome, gentlemen from S.H.I.E.L.D.," Jarvis greeted.
"S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Fury repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Nice name. I might just keep that."
"You're welcome, Black Egg Fury. But that name wasn't given by me," Tony's voice drawled from behind them.
Fury ignored the "Black Egg" part entirely. "Tony. You're here? Then who just flew out in the armor?"
"Oh, him?" Tony sighed, rubbing his temple.
"That's Leo. You know what he's like. Always pushing me around. Extorting, threatening, beating me up if I don't give him what he wants."
"Do you think I wanted to give him an armor? No! If I refused, he'd knock me out. Look at my face. Look at my hair. My dark circles. That's not style—that's stress."
Tony unloaded everything like a broken dam. To him, every word was 100% justified.
Fury's eyes gleamed with interest.
Perfect. He liked this.
If Leo annoyed Tony this much, then maybe, just maybe, they could work this to their advantage.
"Tony, I'm here because—"
"Stop," Tony interrupted, waving his hand. "If this is about taking my armor, forget it."
Fury quickly clarified, "No, not this time. I want to talk to you about something else. The criminals we face are getting stronger. High-tech crime, superpower crime… the world's changing. Ordinary people can't stop them anymore."
"So," Tony cut in, "you want me to join some superhero club."
Fury nodded. "Yes, Tony. And don't forget—your father, Howard Stark, was one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s founders."
Tony paused, then smirked. "Oh, so what's this team of yours called?"
"Avengers," Fury replied.
Tony stared at him. "…Super Boy Alliance. Cute name."
He waved his hand like shooing away a fly. "Sorry. Not interested. I have better things to do than join some boy band."
Flirting with girls, building armor, and occasionally showing off as a hero sounded a lot better than Fury's pitch.
...
Author's Note:
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