46: New Element

"What do you think of this?" Daniel moved the blue light projections with his hand, causing the atomic structure map in front of him to change and reshape once again. Both men in the "laboratory" silently watched the image until the projection turned an alarming red, and the entire structure collapsed in an instant.

Another failure.

Exhaling all the air he had been holding, Tony placed his hands on his hips and shook his head.

"Alright, this isn't working. It's clear we're doing something wrong; we need to change the approach." At his words, Daniel, who was rubbing his chin with his hand, looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Change the approach? Tony, there's no better solution than finding a new element to replace palladium in the arc reactor, unless, of course, you want to look for a heart donor."

Suddenly, Tony snapped his fingers and pointed at him.

"Yes, that! Well, I like my heart where it is, thanks, but... maybe there's an alternative that doesn't require taking it out of my chest, maybe surgery to remove the shrapnel! Jarvis, give me a list of the best surgeons in the world." At his command, Jarvis began working, and quickly, a screen with a lot of data on different doctors appeared in front of them.

"According to their achievements and records, I have selected the top ten candidates for what you're seeking, sir. Still, I must warn you that the risk is too high, and the chances of success are almost nil." In the current era they were in, Earth didn't have the medical technology necessary to do what Tony was looking for, at least not without taking enormous risks.

Tony looked at the information in front of him with a frown. He didn't like this option either. Jarvis didn't need to tell him because he was well aware since he returned from Afghanistan that removing the shrapnel from his chest had very little chance of becoming a reality at this time; otherwise, he would have already done it and wouldn't be putting so much effort into finding other options to replace the palladium. But that he thought about this option again could not be avoided. With each failure, he felt as if his life was slipping through his fingers, and his death became increasingly inevitable. Even if the chance of success was a mere one percent, it would still be preferable to simply waiting and dying without more.

Daniel glanced briefly at the information on the screen, raising an eyebrow as he noticed a vaguely familiar name. Vague memories came to him, and he mentally noted it as something to investigate later before turning his attention back to Tony.

"Isn't it too soon to give up just like that? Do you really want to throw in the towel this way?"

The billionaire clicked his tongue and waved his hand, making the screen with the doctors' information disappear. Then he looked at Daniel with a hint of reluctance.

"Even if I don't want to, it seems like I don't have better options left. We've tried all the known elements, all the possible combinations, and nothing! Even 'creating' a new one doesn't seem to be giving results."

Hearing the discouragement in his voice, Daniel decided it was time to stop wasting time. There were a few reasons why he hadn't just pulled the solution out of his ass and given it to Tony immediately. The first was to test Tony's abilities firsthand. Knowing someone is a genius is one thing, but seeing that genius push themselves and work on something with all their strength is another.

A kind of experience very valuable in many ways, one that gave him a more advanced understanding of how a truly intelligent person worked and their advanced thought processes.

After all, to learn to imitate something, you first need to know how that something works, right? Daniel had learned a lot from this interaction, gaining knowledge that couldn't be reached just by reading study materials and books like he had been doing so far.

In the end, Tony wouldn't be the first or the last genius he'd work with, and if he wanted to keep up with such "monsters," he needed more than just a perfect memory and an accelerated thought process.

He needed to find his own "spark," metaphorically speaking.

Another reason was that he wanted to clear up his memories by spending time with him. Although he knew the possible solution to the problem, many other things had been blurry, and if there was something unknown that could be harmful to Tony, it would be better to avoid it from the start.

This testing period, working alongside the playboy, had made him remember many things he'd previously overlooked. Now he fully knew how Tony had discovered—or rather, rediscovered—the new element, at least in another reality. In this universe, though the Tony he knew had some similarities to the Tony of his memories, he was also different in several important aspects.

That made him worry a little. What would happen if his plan didn't work? In that case, Daniel still had a Plan B, but he preferred not to use it if possible. Continuing to rely so heavily on the Fortress and Kryptonian technology didn't sit well with him, even though he knew that was a somewhat selfish thought in a certain sense. Still, he was self-aware enough not to dismiss the possibility if his ideal solution failed.

If he kept owing Carol so many favors, he feared his debt to her would grow so large that the only way left to repay her would be with himself.

'If it really comes to that, I'll have no choice but to sacrifice myself for the greater good.' After all, as a hero, it was his duty and responsibility to step up in times of crisis.

"Why does your face suddenly look so strange? I feel like you're having some disordered thoughts. Did something occur to you?" Seeing the look of determination, resolve, and courage that suddenly appeared on Daniel's face, Tony couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. For some reason, he felt something odd about that expression, something off, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was.

"Ahem! Well, actually, I do have some ideas. Even though we've failed several times, that doesn't mean it was for nothing. A failed attempt is just one less mistake we can make, and it's something we can learn from." Pushing the strange thoughts out of his mind, Daniel had Jarvis pull up the simulations and models of all the failed attempts at the atomic structures of the possible theoretical elements and present them before them.

In truth, throughout these tests, Daniel had been slowly building the correct model piece by piece, though still incomplete. He'd only added about 30% of the true structure to see if Tony could fill in the missing parts and solve the "puzzle" on his own. And it had actually worked—but not entirely.

Tony was definitely getting closer. Many of the pieces Daniel hadn't provided, Tony was able to figure out, making the model increasingly stable. Daniel believed that if this continued, in two or three days, the billionaire could discover the new element on his own without Daniel's direct intervention.

The problem was that this approach required Tony to have a certain level of patience in his work—something that was clearly running out fast.

Well, it was time to fix that.

"First, let's discard the early attempts and keep the most stable ones." Daniel quickly removed the most incomplete models from the projection and kept the ones he knew would be useful.

He then began selecting each of them, and with a gesture of his hand, he made each model overlap in several layers, forming a new one. The errors in the structure highlighted in a light red, while the most stable and promising areas remained blue.

With a critical eye and feigned seriousness, Daniel studied this new structural model down to the smallest detail. Then, he snapped his fingers and smiled confidently as if he had just discovered something. Tony, who had been frowning in distraction, snapped out of it and started focusing as well when he saw Daniel working with such confidence. A spark of interest lit up in his eyes.

Using the projection with the superimposed models as a base, Daniel began a new design, taking only the parts he knew were "correct." At first glance, it seemed strange—after all, he didn't discard all the errors, nor did he keep all the successes. Instead, he began to create a mix that, to others, might seem nonsensical if viewed superficially.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

This action puzzled Tony, as a move like this was something only someone who already knew how the pieces fit into a larger whole could make without hesitation.

Without stopping for a moment, Daniel continued moving his hands, making the structure—which had previously been just a bunch of loose "pieces"—come together into something much more complete, more "ordered." Not only that, but he also began adding things that hadn't been there before.

In a matter of minutes, the model was 60% complete, causing Tony to step forward, eyes wide with surprise, his previously disheartened mind now starting to work at full speed.

Seeing this from the corner of his eye, Daniel smiled inwardly and deliberately made an incorrect move when he thought the timing was right.

"No, no, that's wrong!" Tony took another step forward, raising his own hand and beginning to manipulate the model, quickly correcting the mistake Daniel had made on purpose.

Then, as if entering a flow state, he began adding his own contributions to the design. It had to be said—a genius is a genius. With just a push, Tony was able to see the path that had once seemed blurry and unreachable much more clearly.

Of course, there were still small deviations, which Daniel swiftly corrected. At the same time, he kept adding new elements, intentionally making mistakes now and then so Tony could correct them as well, all with the sole purpose of guiding the billionaire toward the desired result, little by little letting him complete the design on his own.

With one final move, Tony condensed the atomic structure of the new element into a single piece, which floated before them like a bright, spherical core. Emerging from it were multiple three-dimensional geometric branches connecting various polygonal nodes, molecular connections glowing as they distributed "energy" through the structure in a stable and continuous manner. Several orbital layers resembling "rings" floated around it in different directions and angles.

Both men took a step back as the tension in the room reached its peak.

Then, the projection pulsed, its brightness intensifying for a moment before returning to normal, and Jarvis's voice came through.

"Structural stability is fully stable and functional. Congratulations, gentlemen—you have created a new theoretical element with high potential to replace palladium."

Tony felt his legs almost give out beneath him, barely managing to stay upright. He stared at the projection in disbelief until he finally reacted, realizing they had actually done it.

"Holy shit, Yes!" He clenched his fists tightly, raising them into the air in excitement as a huge smile spread across his face.

Daniel didn't interrupt his celebration; instead, he looked at the completed model, idly wondering if Howard Stark had left something similar for his son in this universe. Though, in truth, it no longer mattered.

"Looks like that surgery is going to have to be postponed," Hearing this, Tony calmed down and took a deep breath.

"Yes... seems like it." The billionaire wasn't used to being grateful to others, so he wasn't exactly sure what to say at this moment. After all, just a few minutes ago, he thought his life was truly coming to an end, but now that had changed. Now he had a chance, and he knew that without Daniel, he might not have been able to find it on his own.

"Listen, I—"

"If you want to thank me, spare the formalities. We're a team, remember? Helping each other is what we're supposed to do." Hearing this, Tony relaxed, leaving his momentary discomfort behind. If he put it that way, then—

"Besides, if I let you die, it'd be hard for me to find another sidekick at your level."

"You son of—" Tony almost let his tongue slip, but he managed to calm himself when he saw the mocking look on Daniel's face, then he huffed.

"You don't know how to read the room, do you?"

"I don't think you're the right one to point that out."

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After the conceptualization came the materialization. With both of them working together and an entire floor of Tony's new building that they had modified without hesitation, soon a "homemade" particle accelerator began to take shape.

"Seems like you've been quite busy."

"Agent Romanoff, it's good to have you visiting. Has something interesting happened?" Daniel greeted the curious Natasha, who entered the place, eyeing the mess he and Tony had made during their construction process.

"I'm just checking in. With the world as it is now, the lack of news from our only 'heroes' for so long is concerning. Besides, your communications have been silent. That's why I thought I'd look for you personally. The last time they saw Defiant, he was flying over New York, and since Stark just acquired this building in the city, I thought I'd check here. Seems my intuition was right."

As the liaison between SHIELD and the team, Natasha was responsible for ensuring that both were available in case of any major event that might arise, a job that had become much more important since Graviton nearly destroyed the entire East Coast.

Upon hearing her, Daniel frowned, quickly pulled out his phone, and checked the time. It seemed he and Tony had lost track of time while working. Still, he wasn't too worried. Even though, as Natasha had said, they had both silenced their communications to focus and avoid interruptions, that didn't mean he had been ignoring potential emergencies. If something really bad had happened, Overwatch would have notified him immediately, silenced communications or not.

"Though having a sexy spy stalker looking for me doesn't bother me, we're kind of busy at the moment, as you can see," Tony finally joined the conversation, his good mood clear, making Natasha raise an eyebrow.

"Can I ask what you're working on?"

"Ah, well, I don't like to brag—" Tony ignored the flat stares both gave him, "—but we're about to make history."

That didn't tell Natasha much, so she looked at Daniel for a better explanation.

"It's a bit complicated to explain, but in simple terms, what Tony means is that we're about to materialize a new element."

Materialize a new element? Though she wasn't specialized in science, she had enough knowledge to understand what those words meant. Saying she was surprised would be an understatement, but she quickly remembered who was in front of her. Whether it was the man who built his armor and miniature arc reactor in a cave or the invulnerable and mysterious superhero, neither of them was normal. If they said they were going to synthesize a new element, then she had no choice but to believe them.

"That's something I have to see."

"Well, in that case, take this." Tony grabbed one of the tools he had been using and tossed it to her. She easily caught it and raised an eyebrow in confusion at Tony, who simply shrugged in response.

"Someone's gotta tighten the screws."

With an extra hand joining in, the construction process sped up a bit more, and before they knew it, the particle accelerator had been successfully completed.

"Alright, is everyone in position? It's time to start." Tony rubbed his hands together with enthusiasm. Natasha adjusted her protective goggles, and Daniel simply crossed his arms, watching expectantly.

"Initiating particle accelerator," came Jarvis's voice. A humming sound began to fill the room as the massive "machinery" started up.

Soon, the energy peak was reached, and a beam of bright blue particles shot at full speed toward the center of the room, where the base for what would be the new core had been previously prepared. It hit with full force, causing an even more intense glow to fill the space.

Tony maintained this state for a few more moments before quickly shutting down the accelerator, causing the particle beam to disappear and the workshop to fall back into silence almost immediately, with only the faint residual hum of the systems in standby mode filling the air.

Tony removed his protective goggles and walked to the center of the room, gazing excitedly at the newly created triangular core, pulsing with waves of glowing blue light.

"Well, that was easier than I expected," not that it was a bad thing—Tony preferred not having an explosion happen in his newly purchased building.

"I think it's time." Before he realized it, Daniel had joined him, pulling him from his thoughts and placing the Arc reactor, which they had modified in advance to test the new core, in front of him. Tony licked his lips before nodding and grabbing a pair of metal tongs with which he carefully lifted the glowing triangle from its base.

Then, with steady hands, Tony leaned down and carefully fitted the core into the reactor. The fit was precise, but still not completely secure. It needed one final push. Tony took a deep breath and, with a slight motion, the core snapped fully into place.

The reactor responded immediately. A soft hum became audible, and the light waves began to intensify, flowing in a controlled manner through the metal veins of the device. Tony took a step back, releasing the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in his lungs.

"Jarvis, give me a diagnostic," Tony ordered, and the AI complied.

"It seems the new core has been successfully integrated, replacing the palladium core without any apparent issues. Energy levels have stabilized, and an 88% increase in performance is projected compared to the previous reactor."

"88%... that's a significant improvement." Tony couldn't help but whistle, and Daniel had to nod in agreement with his words.

"I suppose congratulations are in order," Natasha approached them, eyeing the new reactor with interest for a moment before asking another question.

"Do you know what you're going to call it?"

"Huh?"

"I mean the new element. Since you both created it, I assume you have a name in mind, right?" Neither of them responded to that. Well, Daniel tried to recall, but it seemed that even in that other universe from his memories, Tony hadn't given it a name—at least not one he could remember.

And since he had technically stolen the original design from Howard, he didn't feel right suggesting anything, so he decided to leave it up to Tony.

"You can name it if you want; I don't mind." Hearing that, Tony looked at him with some surprise before shrugging.

"Well... I might have an idea."

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Note:

Well, I think this has been one of the toughest chapters to write so far. Initially, I thought about skipping all this and simply starting with the new Arc reactor already created. I won't lie; it would have made things much easier, but I also would've missed out on a lot of development for Daniel and Tony's relationship, as well as several other things I thought were important to include.

I know the pseudo-scientific talk is tough, whether it's writing or reading it. God knows I won't remember half of what I read to write this in a vague attempt to make it make sense. Did I succeed? No idea, but at least I hope it seems like I did.

With that said, I hope you liked it. Feel free to comment on what you thought, leave your advice or constructive criticism. I really appreciate the feedback.

Finally remember that You can already find the next chapter (and several more chapters) of this story on P)atreon ( p)atreon com/EmmaCruzader) All the support received is appreciated ;D