27: After Party

"They're talking a lot. Are you sure you don't want to look?" At Tony's question, Daniel shook his head and took the glass of whiskey the man was offering him.

He never thought he would feel so stressed in his life, but speaking in front of so many people almost made him wish he could move to another planet. Fortunately, those were just fleeting thoughts that he could easily dismiss.

"I know what they'll say, it'll be chaotic, but over time they'll understand, or rather, over time I'll make them understand." Of course, Daniel didn't believe that everyone was suddenly on his side. He truly thought that it would be his actions, not his words, that would count in the end.

"Actually, global surveys show a 78% acceptance rate, 15% neutrality, and 7% negativity," Tony said casually, but Daniel blinked in confusion and looked at him.

"Surveys?" What surveys?

Tony looked at him and smiled.

"Don't blame me! It was the media's idea. You know, they treat everything like politics and will try to find out how many people around the world are on your side or against you before speaking." Daniel hadn't paid them to speak well or poorly of him, and Tony hadn't either; he had only facilitated the means to deliver the news.

Any opinion was free, just as Daniel had wanted, but the media weren't foolish. When there were no vested interests, they would guide their opinion according to what the masses dictated. They cared more about profits than news or the truth.

Of course, there were still decent media outlets, but when you put them all in one basket, it's obvious that the decent ones would be a minority.

Daniel took a long sip of whiskey. 78%, huh? That was more than he expected and less than he was aiming for. It seemed he needed to make more efforts.

"And what do you think?" he couldn't help but ask. Tony, who was preparing a drink, put down his glass and looked at him thoughtfully.

"Do you want the polite answer or do you want me to be honest?" At his question, Daniel savored the taste of the alcohol on his tongue before shrugging and replying.

"If I wanted to hear lies, I'd be drinking with a girl."

Tony snorted and laughed, nodded, and took a long sip from his glass.

"Well, I think you're dangerous, well-intentioned but dangerous."

His expression became serious, and Daniel could see that he wasn't joking.

"What you want to achieve isn't simple, and the way you want to do it isn't either. Even so, everyone should have ambitions, but you have to be careful. Putting so much power into what people think of you can end up burning you out," Daniel had said that he would only answer to humanity. That was dangerous; if humanity as a whole decided that Defiant wasn't what they wanted, then what would he do?

"Noted. I suppose that's why you do what you want regardless of what others say, huh? Maybe I should have learned something from that." Daniel knew he had put himself at a "disadvantage" when he said that, but it was necessary. He wanted humanity to trust him, and if he didn't give them something to use "against" him, it would only make them distrust him even more.

By implying that they could "judge him," he had given them an imaginary "weapon" against him.

Tony nodded and patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry, D-boy, I'm very good at teaching people," then he looked at his face and clicked his tongue.

"Still, it's strange talking to you like this. I really didn't expect you to have this kind of technology. Did it come with you on your spaceship?" he asked casually, and Daniel laughed.

"I already told you, I was born on Earth."

"Sure, and I'm from Texas," Tony teased but didn't pursue the topic.

"If you want, I can turn it off. I really only use it just in case," he said, knowing that for people who knew his true face, it would be really uncomfortable to talk to him when he used his mask.

Well, except for Carol, since she could easily see through it.

"No, it's actually convenient that you have something like that, or it would have been difficult to give you your surprise."

"Surprise?" Daniel looked at him confused.

"Of course, it's been a while, but I've always said you should celebrate great achievements appropriately! Having a 78% counts as a victory in my opinion, so we should celebrate, don't you think?"

Eh, Daniel hadn't thought of it that way. Could it really be considered a victory?

"What do you have in mind?" he couldn't help but ask. He had been working very hard these days, maybe relaxing a bit would be nice.

Tony smiled and pointed towards his garage, the garage of his house in Metropolis, of course.

"I've already prepared everything, just follow me."

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Daniel should have expected it; it was Tony Stark, after all. Still, when he suddenly found himself in one of the most famous clubs in Metropolis with a drink in hand and two girls by his side, he couldn't help but think that some things never change, no matter which universe you're in.

The girl dancing on his table suddenly leaned towards him, and Daniel had to snap out of his thoughts, taking a sip from his drink and looking at Tony, who seemed quite happy.

"When you said surprise, I was expecting more of a gift, you know, like a yacht or a car," not that he was complaining too much, though…

"Do you really need a car?" Tony asked with a raised eyebrow, and Daniel could only be honest.

"No... but the yacht would have been great." Tony laughed.

"What do you think, ladies? It seems Daniel prefers sailing the seas to having fun with you," the two girls beside him complained. Daniel didn't even know where they had come from, but they seemed quite energetic.

"I think he's tense, Mr. Stark. His shoulders feel too stiff," one of them said, trying to give him a massage while pressing her body against his.

"I think he's nervous, maybe uncomfortable?" the other asked, running a finger down his chest.

Daniel licked his lips and tried to take another drink, as futile as it was. It had been a while since he'd been in a situation like this, so he thought being a bit nervous was normal.

Still, he felt more nervous than he should, and he couldn't help but activate his core to see if there was something unusual. But he could only smile weakly when he noticed everything was "fine." It seemed it was just his youthful hormones acting as they normally should.

Being young again was sometimes really inconvenient, huh?

"Just relax, enjoy the moment a bit. You'll work hard later," Tony said more seriously. He knew that soon things would get busier for Defiant, even for himself. This was probably the last party he would have in a long time... or maybe the last one he would ever have.

Due to such thoughts, he couldn't help but touch the reactor on his chest.

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This gesture did not go unnoticed by Daniel; he knew he was missing something. Well, Tony was lucky; if he couldn't solve it himself, Daniel would do something about it later.

"You're right, we can stress out later," he said, making Tony snap out of his thoughts and nod happily.

Daniel pulled the girls closer to him and sighed inwardly with a smile at the corner of his lips.

The things he did for friendship...

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"How are the preparations going?" Obadiah asked, slowly approaching the nearly finished metal frame of his armor.

It was enormous, over two meters tall, made from the hardest metal he could obtain by bleeding his fortune. He couldn't help but reach out and touch it, already envisioning an unparalleled future.

"This metal is extraordinary, sir! Even though the amount was barely enough for the main structure, its properties will undoubtedly make this armor surpass any other weapon! And it will soon be completed," one of the scientists in charge said. He had never worked with a metal with such unique properties before, making this project undoubtedly the most extraordinary of his career.

Obadiah smiled, though internally he was mortified. Obtaining such metal had been too difficult; in fact, he couldn't have done it on his own.

He had to turn to the Ten Rings again, and they only gave him the initial contact.

Ulysses Klaue had been a difficult man to deal with and very elusive. It had taken bleeding millions just to start the negotiations and dozens of millions more to finally get some of the metal in his hands and test its authenticity.

Fortunately, it was real and not a scam. Rumors of vibranium trading on the black market had been circulating for a long time, but almost no one dared to try buying such metal; its price was simply insane.

If it turned out to be fake, very few could afford such a loss.

If he weren't in a desperate situation, Obadiah wouldn't have taken such a risk.

But with his life on the line, no matter how costly or improbable, he would take all the options.

"There's only one problem, sir..." another scientist, the project's chief, spoke, stepping forward.

"The power source?" Obadiah asked, already knowing what it was about. While the main frame was almost finished, they had yet to start implementing the power system due to the lack of something that could supply enough energy to move the armor.

Initially, Obadiah had planned to steal Tony's reactor, take it directly from his chest, and easily dispose of him.

But the recent revelation that Tony now had direct and public contact with Defiant had made him change his plans.

He didn't know how close Tony's relationship with the hero was; if he acted rashly and carelessly, he might end up facing Defiant prematurely.

He hadn't spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the most powerful metal on the planet just to end up fighting without his armor.

He knew he wouldn't stand a chance in that case.

Suddenly, Obadiah's skin began to glow, and a heat that permeated the surrounding atmosphere started to emanate from within him.

His clothes caught fire, revealing a body very different from what one would expect from a rich old man.

With a smile, he looked at the astonished scientists who stepped back in fear.

"What do you think about a thermal energy source?"

In response to his question, the lead scientist, the only one who didn't step back, also smiled.

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"Do you understand now?" Lara asked, and Carol nodded, looking at the data on the screen.

"This was much simpler than I expected," her mother had been giving some intensive courses, and even though she could only dedicate a few hours before returning home, Carol managed to progress quickly and consistently.

"Your mind and brain aren't like those of humans, Carol. Even without the yellow sun enhancing such characteristics, you must remember you come from the House of El."

Carol rolled her eyes, anticipating another speech.

"Sure, a family of scientists and all that, but personally, I prefer fighting," Carol replied. It was true, something she didn't realize until she found someone to spar with. It was much more fun than studying, much more exhilarating—when you weren't in danger of dying, of course.

Lara nodded and sighed. "Well, that's probably my fault."

Carol looked at her curiously, and Lara couldn't resist wanting to brag a little to her daughter.

"When I was alive, I was one of the most talented cadets at the Military Academy on Krypton." Remembering old times was strange, especially when you knew you were technically dead.

"I thought you were a scientist?" Carol couldn't help but ask.

"Can't I be both? Although, certainly, your father had more talent in that aspect." Maybe if she had dedicated herself to studying from a young age, she could have been as accomplished as him, but she was born to be part of Krypton's military branch.

It wasn't until she met Jor-El that she tried to change the nature dictated to her from birth.

Carol glanced sideways at her mother with a new perspective and thought about something she and Daniel had been looking for.

"Does that mean Krypton has martial arts? Not the normal ones, but martial arts for those under a yellow star?" She knew Daniel had been trying to create a combat method they could use that wouldn't limit them like most human fighting styles.

Seeing her daughter's curiosity, Lara nodded and projected a screen with information on it.

"Though saying it's only for those under a yellow star isn't entirely correct. The reality is that Torquasm-Vo shows its greatest advantages when a Kryptonian is exposed to one."

Carol looked at the information attentively.

"Torquasm-Vo and Torquasm-Rao?"

"Torquasm-Rao focuses more on the mental area. I'm not very well-versed in it, so you'd have to learn it using the recorded data. On the other hand, I can say that I know quite a bit about Torquasm-Vo, so if you want, I can teach you some things."

That sounded much more interesting than studying.

"Well, maybe I can surprise Daniel later." Surely this time she could make him fight more seriously.

And if she managed to pique his interest, maybe she could give him private lessons.

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Daniel slowly opened his eyes and stared at the unfamiliar ceiling. Sleeping always felt strange when you didn't really need it, and so did dreaming.

Carefully, he moved the slender arms that were hugging his bare torso and sat up. There were groans from the two girls sleeping beside him, but he no longer had time to waste. It was time to discuss important matters with Tony.

He threw off the sheets and stood up. Where had he left his pants? He looked around the room, confused for a moment, until he remembered he hadn't been the one to take them off.

Then he looked up and almost sighed. How had they ended up up there?

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Tony turned on the TV in his living room, watching the news. They were still talking about Defiant.

"They're still on that, huh?" Daniel's voice made Tony turn to see him coming down from the second floor with disheveled hair.

"What did you expect, D-boy? They'll probably talk about it for the whole month."

"Unless something else grabs their attention," Daniel said, sitting on one of the couches and watching the TV for a moment.

"The governments have yet to give a definitive response to the hero's statements, but—"

Tony turned off the TV and gestured for Daniel to follow him.

"Instead of listening to the same thing they've been saying since yesterday, it's better if we go and get something to eat. I know there's a lot to talk about."

Daniel nodded, ready to stand up. He had promised to talk about the "monsters" and other topics with him. Maybe he could even warn him about Obadiah.

"How about we chat here? I've brought breakfast."

Tony blinked, confused by the unfamiliar voice, and looked at Daniel, who was already staring in a specific direction.

He turned to see a dark-skinned man with an eye patch walking toward them, carrying two bags that appeared to be filled with food.

"Jarvis?" Tony called out, but his AI didn't respond.

Daniel watched the scene with interest, wondering how he had let himself get so distracted. It seemed he had gotten too carried away.

More footsteps were heard, and soon a beautiful red-haired woman descended from the second floor.

"I've taken care of the civilians."

Daniel frowned slightly and focused his hearing. The heartbeats of the girls were still there, fortunately, just much fainter, as if they were in a deep sleep, likely induced by some kind of sedative.

He couldn't help but raise his hand timidly, drawing the attention of the uninvited guests.

"If I say I didn't see anything, can I leave?" At his words, Tony looked at him in "mortification."

The red-haired woman smiled and shook her head slowly.

"No, I don't think so."

Well, he had tried. What a bother; he would have to modify the features of his disguise later.

"I believe I should introduce myself. My name is Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD. It's a pleasure to meet you in person, Tony, Defiant."

Daniel opened his eyes in "astonishment" and pointed to himself.

"Are you referring to me? I think there's a misunderstanding here, sir—" Before he could finish speaking, the sound of a gunshot rang out, and Daniel saw the bullet approaching him slowly. He couldn't help but sigh and raise his hand to catch it between his fingers.

He looked at the red-haired woman and gently scolded her.

"You know, you could have hurt someone."

"Only if it wasn't you," she replied, holstering her weapon.

Daniel clicked his tongue and deactivated his mask using his watch. There was no point in continuing to use it at this stage.

He couldn't help but look at both of them and ask the question on his mind.

“How did you know?” Even if he had been partying with Tony, that shouldn't be enough to shoot him without hesitation, right?

“I had some doubts, so I put a little morphine in your drink. When you didn’t fall asleep, I tried some Etorphine to be sure,” the redhead said.

Eh, no wonder they tasted different. Maybe he should learn to distinguish such things even if they don't affect him.

“All right, enough idle chatter,” Tony wasn't very happy; he didn't like people entering his house without permission.

“What did you do with Jarvis?” he asked Fury directly. His A.I. wasn't something that could be easily overlooked.

“Probably a backdoor in his systems. Since this isn't your main house, it must have been easy to breach its security,” Daniel answered, already having an idea of what had happened.

“You're quite perceptive,” Nick said, admitting without saying that it was indeed what happened.

Tony clicked his tongue; he should improve Jarvis's security in that case.

Daniel stood up and walked over to Fury, easily taking the bags from his hands, much to the man's bewilderment.

“Smells good, freshly made from what I see,” he walked over to the table in the living room and began unpacking the dishes and arranging the place. When he didn't hear them approaching, he turned to look at them.

“What’s up? Are we having breakfast or not?”

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Note:

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