"No," Gwen said, her tone firm as she shook her head. "Absolutely not. This is too dangerous, Peter. If you can't answer its question, your life could be in danger. I won't let you risk it."
Peter saw the unshakeable resolve in her eyes and relented. "Okay, you're right. It's too dangerous."
After leaving the Marvel building, Gwen checked the time. "So, what's next? We still have half a day of our break left."
Peter's expression turned mischievous. He produced two movie tickets from his pocket, waving them in front of her with a flourish. "What do you think these are?"
Gwen took one and read the title: "Transformers & Iron Man." Her eyes widened in surprise. "Where did you get these? I heard this movie is based on the true story of Tony Stark, with Iron Man himself starring in it, and the alien robots are supposedly real. The tickets have been impossible to buy. Did Harry get them for you?"
"No way," Peter said. "Harry's still out of the country. I got them from the Marvel company. They're giving out free tickets since they produced the film." He paused, a grin spreading across his face. "I figured, since we're officially in the superhero business now, we might as well see what the competition is up to. We'll go to the movies this afternoon. The spider research can wait a few days, and we finished all your ability tests ahead of schedule thanks to their equipment."
"Okay, let's go see a movie," Gwen agreed without hesitation. "I'm actually really interested to see how it turned out."
In his private base, Tony Stark was hunched over a holographic display, trying to figure out how to give the Autobots flight capabilities. He found their ground-based maneuverability to be a massive tactical disadvantage compared to the Decepticons.
Ratchet observed Tony's frustrated expression. "Tony, if you are concerned about our mobility, I believe I have a solution."
Tony looked up from his work. "You can fix it? Ratchet, you can equip your team with flight devices? Why didn't you do it before? Not being able to fly is your single greatest weakness."
Ratchet shook his massive metal head. "No, Tony, my method is different from what you are proposing. You are talking about adding external flight equipment. I am talking about directly improving our logistical mobility."
Tony was confused. "Is there a difference? Do you have a faster method than just flying?"
"That is correct." The Autobot medic walked over to a large console, and an interface extended from his arm, plugging into it. The images on the main display changed, showing the complex schematic of a large, circular device.
"What is this?" Tony asked, his curiosity piqued.
Ratchet made a few adjustments. "This is a Ground Bridge. It is a simplified version of a Space Bridge, capable of achieving short-distance spatial teleportation."
Tony was taken aback. "You have space-teleportation tech? How short is 'short-distance'?" He knew that an Autobot's definition of short distance might be very different from a human's.
"It can only transmit within a single planet," Ratchet said, as if stating the obvious. "It is not capable of long-range interstellar travel."
"That's still short distance to you? With this, we could reach any point on Earth instantly! Why didn't you build this before?"
Ratchet scratched his metal head, a strangely human gesture. "Tony, constructing a Ground Bridge is a complex process that requires a great deal of specialized equipment. We had just arrived on Earth and were immediately engaged with the Decepticons. We had neither the time nor the resources. Now that things have stabilized, I have been able to modify some of your existing infrastructure to begin the project."
"Then what are you waiting for?" Tony's eyes gleamed with manic excitement. "Show me the full schematics, explain the principles, and let's start building it right now!"
Just then, Jarvis materialized out of thin air, his form coalescing from a stream of data. "Sir, Director Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. is here. Again."
Tony groaned, his enthusiasm instantly evaporating. "What does he want now?" He had a terrible impression of the man. S.H.I.E.L.D. claimed to be a global protection agency, but when the Decepticons invaded, they were nowhere to be found, hiding in their bunkers.
"Sir, he has a female agent with him," Jarvis added. "The one who delivered the fighter jet. Her codename is Black Widow. She is carrying a case that appears to be for you."
"For me? Is he trying to bribe me? He really knows how to pick his messengers." Tony thought for a moment. "Let them in. I want to see what that one-eyed wonder is up to."
Jarvis vanished. A few moments later, he returned, escorting Nick Fury and Natasha Romanoff into the lab. As usual, Tony completely ignored Fury and addressed Natasha directly. "Hey, beautiful. You should stop following this guy around. I'll double your salary. There's no future in the secret agent business."
Fury, who had walked in with an air of grim authority, felt his momentum deflate. His expression froze for a second before he schooled it back into a neutral mask. Arrogant punk, he cursed internally.
Natasha simply smiled. "Haha, Stark, I have no problem with that. I see you're in need of an assistant, and I'm very good at being one. I wonder if your secretary would agree?"
"Pepper... ah, that is a problem," Tony said, pinching his chin and pretending to give it serious thought.
Fury could no longer contain himself. He forced himself to stick to his plan. "Tony Stark," he began, his voice low and serious. "The palladium poisoning must be unpleasant. You can't solve the problem on your own, but we at S.H.I.E.L.D. have a solution. The energy source for that little light in your chest is not very environmentally friendly."
Fury thought he had him. He had found Tony Stark's weakness, and a wave of pride washed over him, his confidence growing with every word.
Tony's expression was strange. This guy has spies around me, but his information is laughably out of date, he thought. He couldn't help it; he burst out laughing. "Hahaha! You think you have something on me, Fury? You're like a little kid showing off a good report card to his parents, so proud of something you don't even understand!"
Fury's face darkened. "Stark, what do you mean?" he asked, his voice sullen.
Tony crossed his legs, leaned back, and said with unrestrained arrogance, "You underestimate me, Fury. You think I wouldn't have already considered that minor issue? I solved it ages ago."
Fury's face went rigid. "You solved it? Howard's research is still with me. How could you have synthesized the new element?"
Tony's smile vanished. His eyes narrowed, and his voice became cold and hard. "Hey, cueball. Why are you bringing up my father?"
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