Chapter 517

Why am I hiding inside the armor?

Tony stared at Evenson as though the question itself were ridiculous.

Where else was he supposed to hide? Was he supposed to charge into battle half-naked like everyone else?

He was already the meat inside the armor. Was Evenson seriously suggesting he become the armor’s meat?

"Hmm."

Evenson made a thoughtful noise but didn’t answer. Instead, he continued examining the Iron Man suit in front of him, even flicking one finger against the armor’s plating.

"Not bad, Tony. Durable armor. Excellent support systems. Impressive firepower."

He stepped back and looked it over.

"This is technology from another era. Iron Man’s technology is at the absolute forefront of this age. In some respects, it’s gone beyond it entirely."

"Of course it has. I designed it."

Tony had plenty of flaws, and arrogance was certainly one of them. The annoying part was that his arrogance wasn’t entirely undeserved.

Evenson suddenly changed direction.

"But..."

He pointed at the armor.

"Iron Man has a weakness. A very serious one. Do you know what it is, Tony?"

Tony immediately started running through possibilities.

A design flaw? Excessive energy consumption? Some overlooked engineering limitation?

Then he noticed Evenson staring directly at him.

His expression changed.

"You mean me?"

"You can’t be serious."

Evenson shook his head.

"Your ordinary human body is too fragile. It’s actually holding the armor back, preventing it from reaching its full potential."

"That’s nonsense."

Tony turned his face away.

He’d always considered himself and the armor a single unit. The idea that he was the weak link was absurd.

"How fast can the armor fly?" Evenson asked.

"Designed top speed is Mach nine."

Tony folded his arms, answering as casually as if he’d been asked the time.

"And in practice?"

Tony hesitated.

"Usually around Mach eight."

That was already ridiculous by ordinary standards. The fastest aircraft in the world operated in roughly that range.

"Then why can’t you reach Mach nine?"

Evenson smiled and pointed at the armor.

"Is the armor the problem?"

His finger shifted toward Tony.

"Or are you?"

Tony went still.

Could the armor actually handle Mach nine?

He knew the answer better than anyone. Its engines could reach that speed. The materials could withstand the stress.

The problem was him.

Tony was reasonably healthy aside from the anxiety he’d been dealing with, but he couldn’t compare with the carefully selected pilots trained by the Air Force to withstand extreme acceleration and high-speed flight.

Mach eight was already possible only because of the protective systems he’d designed into the armor.

A system capable of keeping his body intact at Mach nine?

He hadn’t developed one yet.

Tony had no doubt that when he eventually solved that problem, the next generation of Iron Man armor would probably break Mach ten.

Which meant his body would always be one step behind his armor.

"If you were wearing the armor while lying flat on the ground," Evenson continued, "and Thor brought Mjolnir down on you with everything he had, would the armor still be able to fly afterward?"

"Probably?"

Tony hadn’t exactly tested that particular scenario.

Still, every major component of the armor could function independently, so he assumed the suit would survive.

"And you?"

Evenson’s smile became suspiciously pleasant.

Tony rolled his eyes.

"I’d be dead."

Exactly.

The armor could survive things its pilot couldn’t.

And apparently, his body wasn’t merely one step behind the armor.

It was several.

"So I don’t understand why you’re hiding inside it."

Evenson frowned as though genuinely baffled.

"All the weapons are mounted on the armor. Targeting is handled by the automated systems, which are more accurate than you are. JARVIS calculates enemy movement and predicts their combat patterns."

He looked Tony up and down.

"And as for physical strength..."

Evenson gestured dismissively at Tony’s arms.

"With those skinny little limbs, are you planning to have some miraculous power-up and personally increase the armor’s output?"

"Control."

This time Tony had an immediate answer.

He wasn’t going to let Evenson dismantle the argument that easily.

"The armor’s support systems are extremely sophisticated. But there’s one thing I still have to do myself."

Tony tapped his temple.

"Make the decisions. Every action the armor takes ultimately requires my command."

"Your command?"

Evenson glanced around the room.

"What’s stopping you from giving commands here?"

Tony stared at him.

Evenson sighed, suddenly sounding almost paternal.

"Tony, you used your intelligence to bypass the usual price people pay for power. Or maybe the process of accumulating all that knowledge was your price."

He met Tony’s eyes.

"Either way, you have something we don’t. Knowledge. Intelligence. The ability to solve problems with your mind."

Evenson gestured toward the armor.

"So why not actually use that advantage to keep yourself out of danger?"

Tony’s expression tightened.

"Why not develop some kind of brainwave synchronization system? Keep your body somewhere safe and comfortable in the lab while remotely controlling the armor."

Evenson spread his hands.

"Then both of you are free. You can pull yourself out of dangerous situations, while the armor no longer has to accommodate your fragile human body. It could operate at a much higher level."

He paused, then grinned.

"Seriously, once you hit a four-hundred-percent synchronization rate with the armor, you might actually become a god."

Tony considered that.

"That..."

He hesitated.

"Actually isn’t a bad idea."

His lack of surprise made it obvious he’d already considered something along those lines.

There was still a problem.

"You do realize remote control systems can be hacked, right?"

"If someone is capable of hacking your system, staying inside the armor won’t protect you."

Evenson scoffed.

"If you’re in the lab, you might actually have a chance to hack them back and shut them down. But if you’re sitting inside the armor, what exactly are you going to do?"

He pointed at Tony’s arms.

"Twist your own arms off? Because that’s about the only way you’re going to stop the armor manually if someone else takes control."

"Hmm..."

Tony fell silent again.

Clearly, that wasn’t the real objection.

"What are you actually worried about?"

Evenson studied him.

Then he noticed the look on Tony’s face.

His eyes widened.

"No."

Tony gave him an awkward little shrug.

"Yes."

"You still want to show off?"

Evenson’s jaw practically dropped.

"You’re seriously worried about giving up the admiring looks?"

Tony gave the tiniest nod.

Yes.

He liked those looks.

The mixture of envy and helplessness whenever people watched Iron Man take the field was deeply satisfying.

Evenson stared at him in disbelief.

"Tony, you should understand by now that the enemies you’re dealing with aren’t a bunch of terrorists carrying rusty rifles."

He spread both hands.

"The fights you’re getting into are becoming more dangerous by the day. So it’s time to make a choice."

Evenson pointed at Tony.

"Do you want to look cool, or do you want to stay alive?"

Tony gave him a sheepish grin.

"Can’t I have both?"