Chapter 39 Copying Begins
"When we built the first reactor in that cave in Afghanistan, the control hardware only supported two-hundred-hertz thermal feedback."
Tony Stark leaned back slightly in the chair.
"Later versions upgraded the armor systems, weapons, and power routing…"
A pause.
"But the reactor itself kept functioning, so I never rebuilt the thermal control architecture."
"Functionality doesn't mean optimization," Lynn replied evenly.
Tony exhaled once through his nose.
Reluctant agreement.
"You're not wrong."
Then—
"What's the second issue?"
"The outer-shell radiation shielding."
Lynn pointed toward the reactor housing.
"You're currently using titanium alloy containment."
"Durable."
"But insufficient for long-term ion suppression."
Tony folded his arms.
"You have a better material in mind?"
"Vibranium."
Tony's expression remained neutral.
But his attention sharpened.
"Even a 0.1-micron internal vibranium coating would reduce radiation leakage by over ninety percent."
"Vibranium isn't exactly available through retail suppliers," Tony replied dryly.
"Wakanda restricts export harder than most countries restrict nuclear material."
"But not impossible to obtain."
Lynn looked at him calmly.
"You're Tony Stark."
A short snort.
No denial.
"The third problem," Lynn continued, slowing his speech slightly,
"is palladium itself."
He picked up a pen and drew a triangular lattice structure on the back of a prescription form.
"Palladium's atomic structure becomes unstable under sustained extreme-energy cycling."
"The 4d orbital configuration is efficient for conduction—but imperfect for prolonged reactor-state containment."
He added several marks to the diagram.
"At sufficiently high output thresholds, lattice cohesion degrades."
"Atoms detach from structural equilibrium and ionize."
He tapped the center of the triangle lightly.
"That ionization process is your poisoning."
Tony stared at the diagram silently.
"What you need isn't a better palladium alloy," Lynn said.
"You need a replacement element."
"An entirely new one."
"A material capable of sustaining reactor-level energy density without producing toxic ionic degradation during continuous operation."
Silence.
Tony's gaze remained fixed on the sketch.
"Do you know how to synthesize it?" he asked finally.
"No."
Lynn set the pen down.
"But I know where the answer may exist."
Tony looked up.
"Your father."
A subtle shift passed through Tony's posture.
Not fear.
Not surprise.
Resistance.
Public records alone were enough to establish the tension between Tony Stark and Howard Stark.
Lynn continued anyway.
"Howard Stark was one of the leading engineers and physicists of his generation."
"He worked alongside some of the most advanced scientific minds of the twentieth century."
"If he pursued experimental element theory—and left records behind—those materials may contain the foundation you need."
"Research notes."
"Blueprints."
"Archived projections."
"Even old recordings."
"You're in a better position than anyone else to find them."
Tony didn't respond.
He remained seated.
Looking at the triangular sketch.
For a long time.
Then he stood.
"How much do I owe you?"
"Nothing."
Tony's eyebrows lifted slightly.
"One adjustment," Lynn added.
"I want a full Stark Medical high-end equipment suite."
Tony looked around the small clinic.
"A quantum imaging scanner."
"A nanoscale surgical-assistance arm."
"A bioelectronic monitoring system."
"For this place?"
Tony glanced toward the hallway.
"This building barely fits a refrigerator."
"I'll expand it."
Tony considered him for a second.
"Anything else?"
"An emergency communicator."
"The kind that contacts you directly."
Tony looked at him carefully.
"You want direct access to Iron Man."
"I'm a doctor," Lynn replied.
"My patients may require emergency follow-up."
Several seconds passed.
Then Tony reached into his pocket and removed a small metallic device.
Gold and red.
Slightly larger than a coin.
Single embedded activation button.
"Press this and JARVIS routes the signal directly to me."
He handed it over.
"Don't abuse it."
Lynn placed it into his coat pocket.
Tony walked toward the exit.
Hand already reaching for his sunglasses.
At the doorway—
He stopped.
Without turning around.
"JARVIS."
"Yes, sir?"
"Do you think this guy might actually be smarter than me?"
"Current data suggests his intelligence profile differs significantly from yours, sir."
A brief pause.
"However, if his rate of development continues—"
"Stop there."
Tony put on the sunglasses and stepped outside.
The clinic door closed.
Immediately—
The system interface activated.
[Ding! Treatment complete! Rating: S·Extraordinary!]
[Divine Hand Copying initiated…]
[Core Talent Detected: Super Genius — Engineering & Invention (S-Rank)]
[Highest-quality compatible talent selected automatically…]
[Copy Progress: 9% → 33% → 58% → 81% → 100%]
[Ding! Copy complete!]
[Obtained: Super Genius — Engineering & Invention (Incomplete — 65%)]
[Ability Effect: Grants top-tier engineering aptitude in nanotechnology, energy systems, weapons engineering, and advanced mechanical design.]
The change struck immediately.
A second form of intelligence integrated into Lynn's cognition.
Completely different from Batman's.
Bruce Wayne's cognition focused on deduction.
Observation.
Pattern reconstruction.
Problem dissection.
Tony Stark's cognition focused on creation.
Visualization.
Assembly.
Innovation.
One deconstructed reality.
The other rebuilt it.
And when both systems coexisted—
Something changed.
Lynn felt it clearly.
His mental framework expanded.
Previously—
He could analyze a problem completely.
Now—
He could also engineer the solution from nothing.
Diagnosis and invention.
Analysis and construction.
Perfectly complementary.
The system updated again.
[Reputation Change: +90 (Healed Iron Man — Superhero-Level Treatment)]
[Current Reputation: 580]
The unlock requirement for Ability Forge—
Threshold reached.
…
The equipment arrived one week later.
Three Stark Industries transport trucks filled the rear alley behind the clinic.
The shipment exceeded expectations.
Tony had added additional systems beyond the original agreement:
A biochemical analysis platform.
A backup energy array.
Several specialized fabrication modules.
A handwritten note rested on top of one container.
Messy handwriting.
Don't break them.
—T.S.
Below that—
Smaller writing.
P.S. You were right.
I found my father's files.
Lynn placed the note into a drawer.
Installation required three days.
During daytime—
Patients.
At night—
Construction.
Calibration.
Modification.
Total sleep across those three days remained under eight hours.
His healing factor compensated for the physical strain.
After each system was installed, Lynn inspected its operational limits using Batman's analytical cognition.
Then—
Using Tony Stark's engineering talent—
He rebuilt and optimized the systems beyond factory specifications.
Visit /ShiroTL for more chapters.