Affairs of the Arc Reactor (DarkledMind and Eli)

[DarkledMind]

Tony eyed the bottle of diazepam in his hand thoughtfully. Part of him knew he needed to take it, and part of him just wanted to go to sleep and let the enticing dreams flow through his drunken mind. A frown crossed his lips as he thought of what he had done already without the sedative. He took two of the small green tablets and popped them into his mouth. They tasted horrible as he swallowed them dry.


For the rest of his night until his eyelids became so heavy and the room was spinning, he sat in his bath. He let his arms drape over the side of the tub and he stared up at the mirrored ceiling with distaste. His muscles were tense and he ground his teeth together as he stared himself in the face. Eventually he had to turn off the lights from above so only the ambient light filled the room and obscured his face.


Tony slithered down in the tub, letting the warm water touch his upper lip. He needed to relax, and until the meds kicked in that was nigh impossible. Even now, moments after the event, he didn't know why he had done it: Why he had swooped in and kissed his best friend so passionately. He scowled and sat back up straight. His weary mind was drifting in and out of sleep and thought listlessly, and he knew he had to go to bed.


With a splash of water in his face, he left the large tub and drained it of the dirty water. He watched it circle around the drain a moment, his hands on either side of the tub. He couldn't really see anymore by the time the tub gurgled empty, and the billionaire wandered off to his solitary bed. He had the one he and Pepper had shared thrown away, and even had to rearrange the room before he could sleep in it again.


He was awoken by his own loud snores late that morning. The bed sheets were doused in sweat and crumpled around him like a mag pie's nest. His muscles ached as he moved his arms from above his head and took the pillow away from his eyes. That was a mistake. The light burst in and surrounded his eye sockets, gripping them gently as his head started pounding.


Tony was preoccupied with the pounding in his head as he stumbled around his cold room. Lazily, he reached for a robe and threw open the door to the hallway, his eyes not even open. A calloused hand rubbed at his scraggly face and ran through his hair. "Hey JARVIS, do we have waffles?"


The AI made a nondescript noise before answering. "We have gluten free waffles, sir."


Tony made his way to the kitchen and sighed, pain obvious in his voice. "Why do we still have those? Pepper moved out three months ago." His voice cracked a little mentioning her name as he sat at the granite breakfast nook. If his guest was nearby, Tony was not aware of it as he had stumbled in blindly. In fact, he was unaware his friend was there at all, his memory cloudy in recalling last night's events.


"Do we have what it takes to make waffles from scratch?" He leaned across the stone and placed the side of his face against the cool surface. He sighed in relaxation.


"Yes, sir. Would you like me to make them?" Tony simply nodded and covered his head with his arm, the soft powder blue felt brushing on his forehead.

 

[Eli]

Banner was munching on some lightly buttered rice bread when the voice of Tony sounded through the halls. He took a shallow sip of his steaming tea when his host stumbled into the kitchen.


"Why do we still have those? Pepper moved out three months ago."


Stark seemed oblivious to the scientist's quiet presence, and continued his waffle discussion with JARVIS. His friend seemed disoriented and groggy, which was to be expected, considering the events of last night paired with alcohol and Valium. Bruce had already figured something had happened to Pepper -- the most likely scenario being a break-up -- but the confirmation of her being gone three months was mildly interesting. That was certainly a contributing factor to his friend's deteriorating mental and physical condition. He took another bite of the rice bread and picked up a chunk of soft cheese. He'd already cleared a bowl of porridge, and was considering rifling through the fridge to see if he could find some bananas.


He wanted to watch JARVIS make waffles, but decided that it might be better to focus on the collapsed figure before him. When he finished his mouthful of food, he cleared his throat.


"Feeling improved?"


He wiped at the crumbs littering his lips with the back of his hand before knitting his fingers together on the counter. His gaze was clinical, detached, just how he preferred it; he was fully aware that the violation of last night was induced by the problems Tony was facing, and not an attraction to Bruce. He rubbed his knuckles. Didn't make the situation any less uncomfortable, though.

 

[DarkledMind]

Tony bolted upright in a second and made a quick series of movements that looked vaguely like mixed martial arts. This ended up in Tony nearly falling off of the bar stool. He grasped the side of the nook as his ankles knocked against the wooden panel and the stools. The one he had been sitting on fell over. It was oddly humbling to react like that in front of his friend in just his bathrobe and sweats.


JARVIS made what sounded like a disgruntled series of beeps and clicks before he spoke again. "I am not sending the Mark 43 to you when you are like this."


The genius sat down on his bar stool again, and placed his chin on the table and faced Bruce. "Oh thank God it is just you." He paused and closed his eyes sleepily, then he bolted upright without falling off of his stool. "Holy fuck, Bruce, I am so sorry about last night. I have these seizures and--" Tony just began rambling like an idiot, gesturing wildly.


Eventually he calmed down and simply face-planted onto the granite. With a groan, he repeated, with much more heart than usual, "I am so so sorry, Bruce."


Meanwhile JARVIS was making waffles.

 

[Eli]

Bruce slipped halfway off his stool as Tony startled, as if he could catch him before he careened to the floor, but when he saw the uncoordinated offensive movements he drew back. There were few things worse than people running up to him when he was grappling for control, and he wouldn't subject Tony to similar distress. But when he recovered from his fright Tony suddenly devolved into a blathering, profuse apology, accentuated by rapid hand waving.


"I am so so sorry, Bruce."


Banner paused, taken aback by the honest apology. He hadn't expected such remorse from the man; he assumed the unpleasant night would never be breached, or it would be tiptoed around cautiously. A direct, immediate apology, from the man who had clearly been struggling in recent months, was not what Bruce had anticipated. He blinked and realized he should say something.


"Uhh, it's okay. I know you weren't well." A small smile tugged at his lips. "Thanks," because he felt like he was supposed to say thank you. He took another bite of the bread. He'd never been particularly graceful in such situations, but he recognized Tony's effort. He idly twisted his hands and glanced over his shoulders to the advanced machinery creating perfect, fluffy waffles.


"While you wait for that, do you want tea?" He gestured behind him to the teapot resting on the stove.

 

[DarkledMind]

Tony tilted his head up and looked at Bruce with desperate and pleading brown eyes. His head was foggy with sleep still and with rushing thoughts of all the things he had done last night. He felt lost inside his own head. In an attempt to bring himself back, he asked, "What type of tea is it?"


Stark sat up slightly, still slouched over the nook. His fingers found his hair and he ran them through the now clean mess of black. In all honesty, considering what had happened, he was surprised. Bruce had stayed. And in some small way that gave him hope. But hope was something he never could cling onto for very long.


The Arc Reactor whirred softly in his chest, the slight vibration coming from it was comforting as he breathed in and out slowly. He was trying not to doze off again but it seemed as if that was an inevitability.

 

[Eli]

"What type of tea is it?"


"Masala chai. You had mamri, and spices, so..." He rubbed his thumb on the handle of the mug. Bruce's voice was muted; Tony seemed to be on the verge of nodding off.


He took another sip and considered the flavors. It didn't quite taste the same. His method of making the tea was developed from a woman in Kolkata. Accumulating the ingredients, grinding the ginger and cardamom, bringing the components to a boil, adding just the right amount of milk, was a simple routine that kept his hands busy and resulted in a pleasant drink. This tasted empty, without its usual balance; some of the spices he normally used were missing, although Stark's collection was extensive. He'd found the mamri, though; that simple touch was convenient, if surprising.


He glanced at the slumped man and thoughtfully rubbed at the prickly growth on his neck. "I'll trade you tea for a waffle?" He'd made too much, anyways, and even though it wasn't the ideal brew, it was better than scotch. Plus the waffles smelled good.

 

[DarkledMind]

He snorted with a small content smile on his face. "That sounds good." Tony stretched for a long time, accompanying the satisfying stretch with a series of small whimpers. Most people had a morning routine, but Tony took a very long time to wake up. His routine usually consisted of wandering around, tripping in things.


After the stretch he stood up and grabbed the waffle off of the iron. The little robot that resembled a mini Dummy nodded it's claw up and down and received a rewarding pat from Tony. "Do you want syrup or berries?" He opened the fridge to see what they had and gave a small childish giggle. "Or just some whipped cream? "

 

[Eli]

Bruce nibbled on his last morsel of rice bread. His lips twitched amusedly as Tony stretched luxuriously and padded over to the waffles, then to the fridge. The scientist slipped off his stool smoothly and started preparing his host's tea. Unlike Stark, he was able to function and get going from the moment he woke up; late to bed, early to rise had been his routine for most of his life. To have his senses about him soon after waking up was a necessity.


"I think blueberries will be fine," and he set the warm cup on a saucer. "Actually." He furrowed his brow, "Can I, uh, have some whipped cream too?" He stepped over to Tony's place and left the lazily whirling tea on the counter before turning to inspect the waffles.

 

[DarkledMind]

Tony placed Bruce's two waffles in his spot, next to the half-full cup of Chai tea. Right then, they were plain. He then turned back into the rest of the kitchen, and opened the freezer. He quickly grabbed out an airtight bag of blueberries, frozen perfectly. "This may take a bit." He placed the bag on the counter and gestured at the mini-Dummy. The little robot whirred and picked up the bag, zipping away to the microwave as its master pulled out a small stainless steel pot.


The tiny robot had opened the package and placed it in the microwave. Stark snorted in amusement. "You may want to stay away from the microwave right now, while it is on this setting. We don't need you any more irradiated." There was an unusually bright flash from the box, and then a long and loud beep associated with microwaves. Mini-Dummy opened up the appliance and whirred back over to Tony, who now had perfectly thawed, fresh blueberries.


The genius proved that he could cook for himself quickly as he reserved half of the blueberries for later, pouring the rest into the small pot with some sugar, butter, and a bit of fresh orange juice. He smashed the blueberries with the back of a spoon in the pot and stirred them all together for a few moments. Cooking helped wake him up, and waffles were easy enough for JARVIS to preform for him. And there was the small itching in his head that he needed to do something for his friend.


Within five minutes , Tony poured some of the compote on his friend's still steaming waffles, then sprinkled with the fresh blueberries as well. He then took the can of whipped cream from the fridge, and handed it to his friend. "Go after it, big guy. I have another can of this in the fridge, so don't worry about using it all." He winked while taking a sip of his untouched Chai before going to prepare his own waffles in a similar way.

 

[Eli]

"You may want to stay away from the microwave right now, while it is on this setting. We don't need you any more irradiated."


Bruce's mouth twisted sardonically. "Strangely enough I'm not too concerned about that." He leaned back on his heels and watched the light burst from the microwave, and soon Tony was stirring up a blueberry mix that was bound to pair nicely with the waffles. Banner wrapped his arms around his chest and shuffled his feet, slightly apologetic for his friend's effort. He wanted to insist that it wasn't necessary, but he knew that Stark would have none of that.


He stood back as his friend finished the blueberries, poured them onto the waffles, then snatched a can of whipped cream from the refrigerator. "Go after it, big guy. I have another can of this in this in the fridge, so don't worry about using it all." Being waited on made Bruce feel vaguely like a child. He perched on his stool as his friend turned to prepare his own breakfast.


"Ah, thanks. It looks..." He licked his lips. "Good." Very good? Was 'good' not appreciative enough? He picked up his fork and cut into the waffle. He chewed a small bite, and it was, indeed, very good. But his stomach abruptly curdled as the food shoved him back to his childhood, when his mother would make him little waffles with blueberry sauce that smelled and tasted so similar to the ones lying before him. A small frown had crept upon his lips before he could lock away the memories. He rapidly corrected his expression. Bruce fixated on the waffles, slathered an excessive lump of whipped cream over them (and the blueberries), and tucked into the meal.


The whipped cream was overwhelming, but it masked the unwanted flavors sufficiently. He polished off the plate quietly and carried his dishes to the sink, where he gently washed them.


"I'll be in the lab today, if that's alright..." He glanced at his host. "I have an idea for what element to use so the nanotechnology can borrow from the body to repair itself," and he explained the possible progress he had made the night before. Tony was the more practiced engineer and the scientist wanted his feedback. He'd briefly forgotten Tony's exhaustion, and wondered whether he'd want to work this morning.

 

[DarkledMind]

Tony yawned and dumped the rest of the blueberries onto his two waffles, then smothered it in the whipped cream. He yawned again and stretched before diving into the food as well. He savored the first few bites before simply devouring the soft yet crunchy Belgian waffles. Every few bites he washed down the breakfast with the Chai tea, which he absolutely adored. "This tea is amazing, Brucie." A small inward giggle before he returned to stuffing his face.


He finished his food soon after his friend did, and walked over to stand next to him. With a full belly he was now much more awake, not exhausted but not well rested either. Stark yawned and placed the dishes in the sink, and the little mini-Dummy made a series of happy whirs and beeps before going in and helping Bruce with the dishes.


His friend mentioned the lab and Tony smiled happily. Things didn't seem to awkward, which he was infinitely glad for. "Of course it is all right. That's where I plan to spend most of my day." When Bruce mentioned the element he cocked a dark brow and stared at his companion. "An element? What element?" He crossed his arms and leaned against the counter with a curious gleam in his dark brown eyes.

 

[Eli]

Bruce observed the minitature Dummy as it scrubbed the dishes; they coordinated their movements, and soon the smudges and sticky crumbs were wiped clean from the plates. He neatly stacked the plates and searched for a towel to dry them. When he did he polished the surfaces; he preferred drying dishes manually to leaving them on a rack. It kept his hands busy. Meanwhile he determinedly ignored Tony's 'Brucie" comment; he hated being called Brucie, and he hadn't made the tea particularly well anyways.


"An element? What element?" He glimpsed into Tony's interested eyes as he rubbed at a tea cup.


"Carbon. Specifically diamonds." He leaned against the counter, facing Tony and folding his arms. "Nanodiamonds - durable, they'll conduct electricity, they're nontoxic with tunable surface structures and they're ..." He continued to explain at length how they might be able to utilise nanodiamonds in their technology. "But it depends what you're using it for." The question was clear in his eyes. He set down the cup and finally wiped his hands dry.

 

[DarkledMind]

Tony was an expert at dancing around questions and had to hide his smirk a little. "Well the whole point of the nano-tech is to be a cheap way of helping rid the body of diseases that we don't have cures for. Like being the white blood cells in HIV patients, or destroying virus infected cells before they spread, etc."


The little mini-Dummy climbed carefully out of the sink and whirred around loudly until the engineer tapped him affectionately. "And the diamonds sound like a great idea, but... how could we make them cheaper... Could the bots make diamonds in the body? On a small scale would be easy, in theory..." Tony leaned against the counter and crossed his arms, holding a hand to his chin.

 

[Eli]

Bruce nodded along with Tony's unnecessary explanation of the possible uses of nanotech. He was well aware of what it could do and how it might revolutionize medicine; but he needed to know why he was developing this, not only to make it efficient for its specific purpose, but because he didn't trust anything -- or anyone, for that matter -- that was kept in the dark. But he would not confront Tony, not yet, and the man was rushing onto the next subject too quickly to interject anyways.


The scientist's eyes flitted briefly to the chirruping mini-Dummy before returning to Stark. He hummed in response to the conundrum of mass-production. "Well, to make it cost-effective we'll need something more efficient than HPHT." He turned away from Tony for a moment and allowed his mind to process the idea. He scratched at his scruff and left his hand hanging off his chin, unconsciously mirroring Stark.


"Bots making diamonds in the body..." He lifted his head from his hand. "It'd be a complete overhaul of the ultrasonic irradiation method... But, if we could streamline the technology, package it so it wouldn't affect the surrounding area..." He elaborated, mentioning the graphite powder, nanowires and nanorods, and how this process might create a sufficient amount despite the size and atmospheric conditions, but abruptly paused. "Uh, it might be better to draw it out. Lab?" His eyes betrayed his eagerness to get started, and he fidgeted at the strap of his watch with mild impatience.

 

[DarkledMind]

Tony nodded in agreement and started heading for the lab just two stories down. Meanwhile, he began, "Well the nanotechnology could be injected, and the bots in the serum could immediately start working on a production factory located in the abdomen. That could work as a central hive and provide isolation to create the diamonds as well as the bots themselves. "


He opened up the door to the stairwell and looked down the long winding passage. Stark furrowed his brow a little. He was still in his light gray sweat pants and powder blue robe. The Arc reactor peeked out slightly. Maybe he should change. But he dismissed the thought quickly. Too many accidents had happened for the genius not to have a set of back up clothes in the lab.

 

[Eli]

Banner trailed Stark, bobbing his head to the suggestion. "And they should be able to cannibalise themselves. One stops working and can't be repaired, it can be transported to the factory and recycled. After consuming the initial amount of graphite they won't be able to produce more diamonds unless they can do that, or if we inject carrier bots every so often... Or pills that contain the needed materials..."


He descended the steps lightly, feeling more present now that he had eaten. He hadn't slept enough, but that wasn't so unusual. As he pushed through to the lab he rolled up his sleeves; sleep wouldn't be a concern for a while, not with nanotechnology to create. He strode to the nearest worktable and reproduced the model he had toiled over the night before. He considered omitting the features pertaining to his alternate idea, but kept them in, glancing uncertainly at Tony. The man would dig it up anyways, and since Tony was clearly hiding something regarding this tech, it might prompt a reveal. At this stage it was only protection from radiation; easily justifiable.


After slipping his glasses on Bruce stepped back to reasses the holograph. He squinted critically at it, and decided he'd need to rework the concept. Those would be durable, but unstable. He moved to minimize the levitating model. "What's your focus? Administering drugs, an active manipulation of the cells...?"

 

[DarkledMind]

Stark gazed at the model as well, his thumb rubbing circles along his bearded jaw and fingers tapping out an unknown rhythm. The idea was a good start, a better one than he had earlier. He nodded slightly as he looked at the model. "Well, we could cheapen production further by using graphite originally, then as the bots cannibalize themselves, use the diamonds and the HDHT method."


"What's your focus..."


He snorted lightly. "All of it. The administration of drugs as well as active manipulation. Even using it as a quasi-cure for seizures." his eyes glided down to Banner then flashed back up to the hologram. He quickly adjusted the model, changing the main structure into a carbon-based polymer infused with another iron compound, making the structure more stable.


"You see," Tony paused to bring up an older simulation, "The nanobots would stay in the neural gap, and when, through a hive mind, they sensed over active neural synapses, they block the signals from the dendrites." The simulation showed the whole process, and the genius began to smirk widely. "Because of this, they could also control and manage fibromylagia, as well as many mental diseases that consist of too many or too little of a certain neurotransmitter."


Then a frown graced his features and with a sigh, he turned away from the repeating simulation. "But then there is a problem. If someone could control the nano-bots, they could also control nerve function as well as all brain function, creating zombies." He sat in the same spinning chair as yesterday, his arms crossed as he slouched heavily on the chair, falling halfway off of it.


"So right now there are more questions than answers, which I hate."

 

[Eli]

Seizures. That was the answer -- the reason why they were building nanotechnology, and why his host was so tight-lipped about it. To fix Tony; not just the seizures, but the other problems he had witnessed last night. Bruce contemplated the implications of creating what his friend was suggesting. His lip twisted downwards.


He nodded in quiet approval when Tony stabilized his model, and scrutinized the simulation with genuine intrigue; opportunities flashed before Bruce's eyes and idea after idea surged into his skull. But he clamped down on them and filed them away for later, when he might have a moment to thoroughly mull over them -- for now, there were more immediate matters to discuss, even though he was reluctant to do so. He refocused on Tony as the man plopped down in his spinning chair.


"So right now there are more questions than answers, which I hate."


Banner chuckled weakly, but his expression rapidly sobered. He continued to observe the looping simulation as he addressed his friend, "So... you create this tech. Fix your health problems." His eyes flitted to Tony's face knowingly before returning to the holographic nanobots. "What then? I'm not -- I won't tell you what you should do, because I'm the last person you want for ethical advice." His fingers danced over his knuckles as he faced Tony, "But are you thinking to just cure these problems for anybody on earth who might be suffering from them? Because..." He stared down at his calloused hands before meeting Tony's gaze with raised brows, "I don't think that'll work out very well."

 

[DarkledMind]

Tony sighed and let his undamaged hand run through his hair. He was worried his split knuckle might get infected because it hurt so damn much, but he had some antibacterial cream still from the after-effects of Pepper leaving. Genius billionaire playboy philanthropist. He examined his knuckle before speaking. "I'll give it to my boys. They'll figure out what to do with it. And the board will decide what to specifically market it as. Or maybe I'll distribute it through SHIELD so I have direct control of the influx and don't have to worry as much about cost efficiency."


He rambled on for a few more minutes before stopping, letting his words putter off his lips like a tiny little motor bike. Exasperatedly he stood and cancelled the ongoing loop of the nanobots. He attempted--he tried so hard--to look into Bruce's prying eyes but he had to concede. In defeat he sighed angrily and turned away, his body began to perspire with anxiety and he opened up the bathrobe. Tony leaned over his work bench, the tassels from the robe hanging down off of him like tendrils of light swimming down and away from the ignition source. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists--hard--against the table, a shrieking noise echoed throughout the room.


"Bruce, I honestly have no idea what to do."

 

[Eli]

"Bruce, I honestly have no idea what to do."


Banner pursed his lips and diverted his gaze from Tony. He contorted his hands uncertainly before wrapping his arms around his chest. He realized he needed to be careful with his friend, whose mental and physical conditions were troubling. He simply was not certain of how to go about this; he was not a therapist, he only recently accepted Tony as friend and not merely colleague, and he knew Stark was not referring to the nanotechnology when he said he didn't know what to do. This was a matter of emotions, and Bruce had always avoided such things whenever he was capable. He blinked behind his glasses and was silent for several long seconds.


"Tony, I don't know either." He rubbed at his jaw before folding his hand back under his arm. He suppressed a sigh. "I can't help you. I'm not the right person to help you. But..." Bruce propped himself against the counter, facing opposite of Tony, and found himself speechless, even though for once he wished he had words to offer. He chomped down on his lip. It was a shame Stark didn't have better taste in confidants. His eyes instinctively, if briefly, peered at the door.

 

[DarkledMind]

"Hey." Tony reached out and placed his hand on Bruce's shoulder. A smile graced his face, a sad smile, but a smile that mad his eyes lift slightly at the corners. "Right now, what I really need is some one to be here." He stood up straight and turned to a small screen that sat on his work desk. He clicked away at it and more holographic models popped up, filling the space above them.


His head was clearing as he gazed at the models, the ideas, the equations. He was waking up finally. Rubbing the back of his neck, he turned his eyes back to Bruce. "So, um, thanks for staying here with me. Despite the whole--everything--last night." He let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding and backed up a bit so he could take a good look at his ideas.


"New rule, okay? Our motto is: we'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Stark gave his signature click of his tongue, a wink, and a finger shot before focusing in on a model that was drastically different than the rest. It looked very similar to the machine Tony had been working on when Bruce first entered the day before.

 

[Eli]

Banner lifted his head as Tony's warm hand touched his shoulder. He furrowed his brow and his lip stuck out a little as he considered the man's smile and words. He didn't understand how his presence could be that valuable; he had very little to offer that might be comforting. He turned his attention to the holographic models that had materialized and hoped that the conversation could be dropped.


"So, um, thanks for staying here with me. Despite the whole--everything--last night."


"Uhh, yeah." He offered Tony a small smile. "Running water is... refreshing. And a working lab is even better." He returned to the models, because those were a lot easier to comprehend. He folded his hands before him, one thumb gently running over the other, as his companion spoke with his signature theatrics. Bruce snorted at their supposed motto, and threw an incredulous look at Tony. "If I followed that motto a lot of stuff would... get smashed," and he allowed another shallow smile to don his face.


He noticed the model Tony was concentrating on and stepped forward for a clearer view. He recognized it from yesterday, and recalled the trouble the engineer had been having with it. He analyzed the holograph. It was tricky; they were attempting to build something incredibly intricate despite how miniscule it needed to be. "You said it couldn't get the circuits small enough?"

 

[DarkledMind]

Tony shook his head and expanded the model, chanting 'no' under his breath. He gestured with his arms spreading out like an eagle. Each individual part came and was spat out of the original hologram. "No, no, no. The problem with this is currently trying to get the electron microscope to work." He pulled up the part that represented the current problem and highlighted it a bright red. "With both The TEM and the SEM, the product has to be either treated with certain chemicals that destroy biological samples or placed in a vacuum. Neither of those create a good environment to build in."


He gave a combination of a growl and a sigh, running his hands through his now clean hair. "So basically we either reinvent the electron microscope or compromise and use a high level, regular, digital microscope." He placed his hands out and mocked weighing the actual decision in his calloused palms. "One requires more work, but the other we won't be able to see the actual product as well."


Another sigh escaped him as he steeped his fingers and pointed to his scruffy chin. "The biggest problem really is that we have to create so much technology before even moving into the building process." He gave a small sarcastic smirk. "Not like I don't do that on a daily basis." His eyes flashed to Bruce for a split moment before moving back to the model before them that was still glowing brightly.

 

[Eli]

Banner squinted at the expanded models, first absorbing the structure as a whole, then focusing on the problem areas, as Stark explained their predicament. Both options had definite advantages and disadvantages, and the scientist found himself tallying up all of the pros and cons, and possible methods to circumvent the obstacle altogether. While reinventing the electron microscope piqued his interest, the factor of time was a problem. He wasn't going to stay forever, and Stark wasn't exactly the picture of perfect health.


He rocked on the heels of his scuffed shoes for a moment and just looked. Tony quieted and returned his gaze to the models as well, and a busy silence settled over the lab. He'd once made a working centrifuge out of a broken toaster and a can of Spam -- not the actual can, but its contents -- and he thought that with all of this high-end technology around him, he should be able to think of a sufficient solution. He frowned a little, filed the holographic model away into his memory, and settled his hip against the worktable.


The optical microscope wouldn't produce an image with satisfactory resolution; the wavelengths were simply too long for that. For nanotechnology so intricate, Bruce thought the effort of tinkering with the electron microscope would be tedious, and they might see better results elsewhere. His tongue flickered over his lips. "Have you considered AFM?" His eyes flitted over the frames of his glasses to briefly meet Tony's eyes. "Better conditions to build in, no treatments, and we can improve the process to lessen any thermal distortions..." His voice faded out, although he might have continued, and he shrugged lightly.

 

[DarkledMind]

This went on for uncountable hours. For a long while it was just the two men throwing ideas back and forth. Then, to Tony's pleasure they began to make headway. The models before them began to change and be manipulated, sometimes into forms that were completely different than what they began with. The science, and the ability to bounce ideas off of someone who actually understood him, to Tony, was intoxicating. And despite the bottle of scotch, laying there at his workspace, creativity and companionship were the only intoxicants in his system.


After the first five hours or so, his mouth began to dry out from speaking so much. He had never really collaborated with someone like this before, and it was much more penalizing than working alone. His eyelids dropped lazily and Tony had to resist the urge to yawn. He had gotten up before the Valium had worn off completely, and the drugs left him still woozy after a few good hours of sleep.


Tony rubbed his eyes vigorously, trying to get them to see straight rather than down his nose at papers and holograms and diagrams and formulas. He gave a heavy sigh and flopped into his rolling chair, letting himself slide away a few feet before placing his bare foot down on the tile floor to stop himself. No matter what he did the holograms were still out of focus.


Rubbing his eyes again, Stark sighed and offered, "Maybe we can take a quick break, eh?"