NOVEL NEXT Chapter 216: Treatment
With the launch of Capsule Corporation's two new products complete, Smith Dole brought Bulma and Fox along and turned to Tony.
"The press conference is over. Now, let's deal with your problem."
"Come on, we should get going."
Tony nodded, then pushed open the backstage door and called to his bodyguard outside.
"Happy, we're leaving."
With Happy leading the way, the four of them made their way through a swarm of women trying to flirt and children asking for autographs, finally reaching the parking lot.
Two cars were parked there — a Rolls-Royce Phantom with John Wick waiting beside it, and a convertible sports car with a beautiful woman standing next to it.
Tony looked at the woman and teased Happy.
"Is she included with the car? I sure hope so."
He stepped forward with a grin.
"Hi, and you are?"
"Marshal," the woman replied.
Tony glanced at Smith.
"Irish girl. I like her."
The marshal wasn't ruffled by the comment and simply greeted him.
"Nice to meet you, Tony."
By now, John Wick had opened the Rolls' door. Smith looked to Tony.
"Buddy, we've got things to take care of."
Tony slid into his car's passenger seat, sighing in mock regret.
"Guess it's not meant to be. I'm heading out."
The marshal stopped him.
"Tony, here's a subpoena for you. And one for Mr. Smith Dole as well. You are both ordered to appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee at nine o'clock tomorrow morning."
Tony didn't take the paper, frowning instead. Happy quickly grabbed it and explained,
"Tony never takes things from people's hands."
"It's just my quirk," Tony said with a shrug.
The marshal then held out Smith's subpoena.
"Do you have the same quirk, Mr. Smith?"
Smith simply waved a hand. The subpoena flew out of her grasp and into his.
"What the— magic?" she exclaimed, eyes wide in disbelief.
Tony, watching from the car, asked,
"Mind if I see your badge?"
She showed him her ID briefly, while Smith ignored her and climbed into the Rolls. Bulma and Fox followed.
"Let's go, back to base."
At Smith's word, John Wick started the Phantom and drove off.
Tony turned to Happy.
"Let's follow them to Smith's base."
The convertible tailed the Rolls toward Smith's facility in the New York suburbs, leaving the marshal standing alone in the lot.
…
At the League of Assassins' base.
In the recovery room, Smith looked at Tony, who had removed his shirt to reveal the arc reactor in his chest.
"Tony, if you're being poisoned by palladium, why not install an arc reactor in your suit instead, and replace the one in your chest with a simple electric-powered device? The one in your chest just needs to keep the shrapnel out of your heart — no need to accelerate the poisoning."
Tony rolled his eyes.
"Smith, you really need to read more. A degree isn't necessary, but knowledge is."
"The arc reactor's palladium-based fusion generates heavy radiation. If it's used to power a building, no problem — nobody's standing right next to it. But in the Mark series suits, an external reactor would still be pressed up against me, same as the one in my chest."
"And no battery on the market is small enough to power the suit for long. You expect me to yell 'time-out' in the middle of a fight to change batteries?"
"The truth is, without a replacement element, anyone operating the suit long-term will suffer palladium poisoning."
Smith nodded in understanding. So close to the body, the radiation exposure was unavoidable — especially under high power output.
At that point, Bulma adjusted the controls of the medical pod and entered Tony's injury data. The machine displayed a treatment plan.
"Tony, once you're inside, you'll have to remove the arc reactor and all its mounting hardware. The pod will extract the shrapnel from your body, and the cavity in your chest will regenerate flesh."
Tony froze.
"Bulma, this isn't a joke. Without the reactor, if the shrapnel isn't removed immediately, I'll be meeting my father in no time."
He eyed the machine skeptically, unable to picture how it would extract the fragments.
"Tony, do you trust me?" Smith asked.
Tony thought of the times Smith had saved his life and replied seriously,
"All right. I trust you."
Happy stayed silent, sensing this wasn't the moment to interrupt.
Smith smiled.
"Drop your pants, remove the reactor, and get inside."
Without hesitation, Tony stripped down to his boxers, removed the arc reactor and all associated parts, then stepped into the pod.
Following Smith's instructions, he attached four monitoring cables, placed the oxygen supply in his mouth, and let Bulma check the setup before pressing the start button.
The treatment fluid began to fill the pod. Tony's procedure had begun.
Smith then asked Bulma,
"So how are you removing the shrapnel? The fluid can't pull it out — Tony's going to die in there, right? Oh no, the world's about to lose its beloved Iron Man."
Inside the pod, Tony's eyes went wide.
Bulma chuckled.
"Quit teasing him. The nanobots in the fluid will enter his body, disassemble the shrapnel, and remove it. They'll also repair his internal injuries. After one treatment, his body will be restored to peak condition — it's like adding ten years to his life."
(End of Chapter)
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