NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4: FINDINGS
{ C004 — FINDINGS }
-
-
-
The next day, Tony was still working on improving his suits, while Zayne was tasked with searching for a replacement for the palladium core in the arc reactor. After a day went by, Zayne decided to approach Tony with a plan in mind.
"Hey, Tony. You told me that it was your dad who came up with the idea of an arc reactor," Zayne asked Tony while faking a curious tone.
"Yeah, but I was the one who made it real," Tony replied with pride, as he didn't like it when he was compared to his dad, who even Tony believed was smarter than him.
Zayne paused for a moment as if thinking about something, he then said, "Tony, no matter how genius of a scientist your father is, he couldn't have come up with the arc reactor without some inspiration. Even your suits are inspired by sci-fi movies."
Tony thought for a moment and he couldn't deny it, "You are right. But what is its use?"
"I mean, the tech back in your father's time was, honestly, primitive. I don't think he was inspired by some man-made object, but rather, by some alien tech. Even I believe my herbs are from another planet," Zayne quickly explained his hypothesis to Tony, hoping he would believe it.
Tony nodded his head, as he felt it might not be far from the truth, "Even so, it's of no use. He isn't alive. Do you want me to ask his grave or something?"
Zayne quickly shook his head and said, "I believe your father was quite smart. He must have left some clues. Even if he might have been part of some secret organization that must have sealed all of his research materials after his death, Howard was simply too smart."
"I think he must have made backup plans, after all, you would have done it if it were you. So, I was wondering if we could check out the items he left behind." Zayne paused after finishing his explanation, giving Tony the time to process his words.
"You might be right. Let me take you to where his items are kept," Saying this, Tony stood up and led Zayne to a store room covered in dust and webs. It looked as if it hadn't been used for ages, but both of them didn't care about it.
Tony quickly started removing the covers on the boxes. Showcasing different techs and items from the old century. Meanwhile, Zayne removed the covers from the table, revealing an old 3D model of a park.
As soon as his eyes landed on the 3D model, Zayne knew this was it. Still, he acted curious and asked Tony, "Hey, what's this?"
Tony glanced at the model before continuing to rummage through the boxes. He said, "It is the earliest model of the Stark Expo Park. Although, the park has been renovated multiple times ever since."
Zayne didn't say anything, instead, he waited for Tony to finish. A few minutes later, Tony brought out a set of record tapes. He said, "These are the onlythingsg that might be important. The rest are simply junk or items belonging to my mom."
"Let's play it," Zayne said after thinking for a moment. Tony nodded and started preparing a projector to run the tapes. Meanwhile, Zayne prepared himself for the emotional roller-coaster that Tony would go through.
-
Half an hour later, after the two finished watching all the tapes, Tony was almost in tears. But being in the presence of a junior prevented him from shedding tears.
Zayne, who was feeling a bit awkward, decided to change the topic. He told Tony about his findings, "Tony, all the tapes are either about you or the Stark Expo. It means that you both are the things that he valued the most."
"You are his blood, and he loved you dearly. But I think Howard considered the Stark Expo as his second greatest creation, after you, of course."
Tony was thankful that Zayne changed the topic. But he was still unsure if the Stark Expo was as important as Zayne said, "Why is the Stark Expo that important? It is just an exhibition."
Zayne quickly shook his head and cleared Tony's doubts by saying, "No, you are right. The Stark Expo itself isn't that important. But it might contain something that might be important."
He then walked towards the 3D model of the Stark Expo Park and said, "It's no wonder I felt a bit weird when I first saw this model. Although it looks like a park, its buildings are strategically placed. If you simply place dots instead of the main buildings, it would look like a solar system."
"But of course, it is not. Then, what could it be?" Zayne paused and let Tony digest his words.
"What is it?" Tony impatiently asked as his brain was still occupied by the revelation that his father loved him the most. Fortunately, Zayne didn't keep him in more suspense and replied.
"It's an atom, Tony. An atom." He paused to build up dramatic effects and continued, "An atom of an element that doesn't exist on this planet. Your father must have found it from some meteorite, and made the blueprints of the arc reactor after countless hours of research."
"If no element could be safely used to power the arc reactor, your father wouldn't have left those blueprints. Albeit, the technology of his time prevented him from making an actual arc reactor."
"But since he hid this element from you, it likely is an alien element, and quite important to some people. Or else, your father wouldn't have to make the Stark Expo Park based on it. He could have simply left you his research materials. But those were likely taken away by the same people after your father's death."
Zayne quickly explained his findings. He then paused and gave Tony some time to think. A few minutes passed in silence, before Tony spoke up, "It makes sense now."
Seeing that Tony caught up to what he was saying, Zayne continued, "Although it might be impossible to find the original element, given the atomic structure, which we already know, it shouldn't be hard for you to make an artificial one."
"Alright then, let's get started," Tony said in determination. He then started barking out orders to J.A.R.V.I.S. who would provide essential assistance in creating the element.
Meanwhile, Zayne left them to their devices. He knew they wouldn't need his help, instead, he planned to read some books for the rest of the day and grind some levels on his skills.
-