Sōugo was taken to the Stark Building by car. Tony Stark, as usual, was buried in his lab, tirelessly working on his Iron Man armors. The glow of arc reactors illuminated his weary face as he adjusted some components with a wrench.
Seeing this, Sōugo shook his head and sighed. "If this continues, it's not me who will turn into a vampire, but you."
Tony smirked, not looking away from his work. "The military came knocking again. They want my armor. Guess what they plan to do with it?"
Sōugo didn't answer immediately. He simply watched Tony, whose expression turned somber.
"You already know the answer, don't you?" Tony finally said, tossing the wrench aside and taking a deep breath. "They want to turn my tech into war machines. Even if I destroy all my suits, will it bring peace? Will it stop wars?"
"You should have rejected them outright," Sōugo said. "Then they would step back and say, 'Alright, we don't need your armor, just some standard weapons.' Am I wrong?"
Tony clicked his tongue, knowing Sōugo had hit the mark. "It's the same old game. Do I have to pick a side now? S.H.I.E.L.D., maybe?"
He pulled up a chair and sat down, running his hands through his hair. "The worst part is knowing every road leads to a trap, yet I still have to choose one."
"Howard knew this when he built S.H.I.E.L.D. He was as smart as you, but he still made his choice."
"So you're saying I should just go to S.H.I.E.L.D.? It would save me a headache, but something tells me it'll just bring more trouble."
"Do you have a third option?" Sōugo asked.
Tony was about to argue but stopped. "Damn. I don't. But did you have to say it so bluntly?"
Sōugo smirked. "You think you have to pick a side, but that's not the case. This is a buyer's market. You don't have to choose the one that pressures you more; you choose the one that gives you better terms."
Tony leaned back, his expression complicated. "You're saying... I should play both sides, like a woman juggling two boyfriends, pretending to be with whoever's offering the best deal but committing to neither?"
Sōugo raised an eyebrow. "That metaphor says a lot about you."
Instead of being embarrassed, Tony grinned. "Hey, who understands women better than me? I am the charming Tony Stark."
"Jarvis, you still have the footage from Pepper's office yesterday, right?"
Tony's face immediately paled. "Wait—Jarvis! No! Don't play that footage! Okay, okay, fine! Maybe I don't understand all women. One in particular still confuses me—Pepper."
Jarvis calmly responded, "Sir, Miss Potts has been on the line for twenty-three minutes."
Tony leaped from his chair in panic.
---
The next day, Sōugo's clinic had an unexpected visitor—James Rhodes, a.k.a. War Machine.
"The military wants Stark's tech, but he's being cryptic. I want to know—what's his plan? Is S.H.I.E.L.D. involved?"
Sōugo sighed. "You don't want to be here, do you?"
Rhodey exhaled. "Tony's right. You do charge ridiculous fees for consultations."
"Your bosses know you can't get answers from Stark, or else S.H.I.E.L.D. would have beaten you to it."
"The armor could save lives, Sōugo. It could give us an advantage—"
"And yet you don't believe your own words," Sōugo interrupted. "You know exactly how the military would use them."
Rhodey clenched his fists. "A soldier follows orders."
"Maybe. But what about Stark? He values you. You're forcing him into a corner, using friendship to pressure him. You know Tony doesn't have many real friends. You're one of the few. That's why he compromises—because of you."
"Shut up!" Rhodey snapped.
Sōugo clicked his pen, the sound breaking the tension. "Think about it, Colonel. His friendship is more valuable than any military contract."
Rhodey left without another word, but his expression was deeply troubled.
---
The following day, at Stark Tower, Sōugo encountered Rhodey again. Behind him, his adjutant looked pleased. They had gotten something they wanted, but Rhodey's face was grim.
"They got what they wanted, right?" Sōugo asked.
Tony exhaled. "Yeah. I should've listened to you earlier. I didn't lose anything, but... I still gave in."
Sōugo wrote something in his notebook. "You bought back Rhodey's temporary trust, but the world won't care."
Tony ran a hand over his face. "I know. If I start compromising, I'll just keep losing."
Sōugo looked out the window at the New York sunset. "When you're cornered, what do you do?"
Tony's gaze hardened. "This is my home—Pepper, Jarvis, Stark Industries. No one will take it from me. Iron Man doesn't back down."
Sōugo turned back to him. "Then have you considered flipping the negotiation table?"
Tony frowned. "You sound like a devil tempting me."
"I don't believe in devils." As Sōugo spoke, a burst of blue flames engulfed his body.
Tony flinched, shielding his eyes. The flames didn't burn, but they radiated an otherworldly energy. The entire lab trembled. Tools, notebooks, and even Tony's coffee cup levitated as if gravity had been disrupted. The setting sun illuminated floating objects in eerie, golden light.
Sōugo now stood at the center of the storm, his form morphing into something mechanical—sleek red and silver armor, glowing lines tracing his body. His headpiece bore a sleek, insect-like visor. The transformation was seamless, as if the armor materialized from another dimension.
Tony's jaw dropped. "What the hell?! Are you an alien?! Or—wait, wait, wait. Is this a suit? A mecha? A new material? Tell me!"
Sōugo smirked. "It's called a Rider System."
Tony's eyes widened in excitement. "A Rider System? I have no idea what that is, but I need to study it."
"If you really want to develop something similar, start by studying cosmic energy. Specifically, Nebula Gas—an energy source found in deep space."
Tony looked at Sōugo like a kid on Christmas morning. "Nebula Gas? Like interstellar fuel? Oh, man, I have to build a prototype now. Just imagine—an armor powered by cosmic energy! This is groundbreaking!"
He ran to his workbench, already sketching blueprints.
Sōugo chuckled. "You have no idea what you're getting into."
"Oh, trust me. That's half the fun." Tony grinned. "Welcome to Stark Industries, Rider System. Let's see what you're made of."