Tony stared at Ethan as if he had seen a ghost, his mouth hanging slightly open. He had never imagined Ethan's guess would be so accurate.
That was exactly why he had come here. He wanted Ethan's help developing an energy source that could function inside the suit, because he now understood, with brutal clarity, that there were some things he simply could not handle alone.
For Tony, who had spent most of his life being proud, brilliant, and arrogant enough to justify it, that realization was deeply frustrating. But if he wanted to achieve his goal, if he wanted to stop Obadiah Stane and make sure what had happened in that cave never happened again, he had no choice but to come here and ask for help.
Ethan had already known, the moment Tony arrived at his door, that Tony had not yet discovered the inheritance Howard Stark had left behind. Too many things had changed because of Ethan's presence, and the future he remembered had begun to bend away from its original path.
After hearing Ethan's words, Tony finally managed to pull himself together. A long moment passed before he forced out, "You're joking, right?"
Ethan raised an eyebrow but did not say anything more. He simply watched Tony with calm, unreadable eyes.
Tony Stark stared hard at him, trying to find even the slightest trace of amusement on his face. Unfortunately, Ethan's expression showed no hint of a joke at all.
After a tense silence, Tony asked, "Can you give me power?"
Ethan smiled but did not bother with a grand explanation. He merely lifted one finger slightly.
Tony's eyes widened as the beer can in front of him rose from the table on its own. Then, as if guided by an invisible hand, the pale golden liquid inside streamed out through the opening and flowed directly into his half-open mouth.
"Ugh—cough, cough!"
Tony choked, caught completely off guard. He lurched to his feet again, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he stared at Ethan in disbelief.
"You're a mutant?"
Ethan looked at him calmly. "Mutant? You could call it that. But that's only one expression of power."
"Are you kidding me?" Tony scoffed, still glaring at him. "The power you're talking about is mutant ability?"
Ethan did not get angry. He knew exactly what kind of person Tony was: young, brilliant, wealthy, and arrogant enough to look down on anything that did not come from his own mind or his own laboratory.
In Tony's worldview, technology belonged to those who could build it, control it, and profit from it. Mutation, on the other hand, probably looked like luck wearing a cheap disguise.
"Buddy, throw away that ridiculous pride and think for a second," Ethan said. "The radiation has already spread through your body. How long can you keep going like this? Technology is powerful, yes, but you still haven't found a way to cure yourself."
Tony's face darkened slightly, but he did not interrupt. Ethan leaned back and continued in the same calm tone.
"I have a way to cure you. That method is both technology and superpower, something beyond what you can currently imagine."
His voice was even, almost casual, but the meaning behind those words made it impossible for Tony to dismiss him outright. The palladium poisoning had already become a shadow hanging over him, and Ethan had struck directly at the place Tony least wanted anyone to see.
Seeing that Tony's expression had shifted, Ethan continued, "Whether it's technology or superpowers, they're only tools for achieving a purpose. You can use scientific methods to develop superpowers, just like you can use superpowers to push technology forward. Otherwise, how do you think I built everything I have at my age?"
Tony's lips pressed into a thin line. For once, he did not immediately fire back.
"Don't underestimate mutants," Ethan said. "And don't underestimate power just because it didn't come from your workshop."
Tony fell silent, which was rare enough to feel unnatural. He lowered his head, thinking quietly for a while, the usual arrogance on his face fading behind a far more serious expression.
Then he suddenly looked up. His gaze locked onto Ethan's with sharp intensity.
"So you really can cure what's happening to me?"
"That's right," Ethan said with a smile.
Tony's fingers curled slightly against his palm. The answer was too direct, too simple, and because of that it was far harder to ignore.
"So now the decision is in your hands," Ethan said. "If you want to become stronger, then follow me from now on. Keep up with my pace, and throw away that ridiculous pride of yours. You'll find that this world is far more complicated than you think."
His tone carried complete confidence. It was not a sales pitch and not a threat, which somehow made it worse.
Tony remained silent. Ethan did not bother pressing him, because the idea had started as a bit of mischievous curiosity anyway. He genuinely wanted to see what kind of changes a genius like Tony Stark could bring to the world if he possessed both superhuman power and that terrifying mind of his.
The combination would be dangerous. It might even become unpredictable.
That was exactly why Ethan found it interesting.
"Fine," Tony said suddenly. "I'll agree, but you have to promise me one thing too."
Ethan was slightly taken aback. He had not expected Tony to agree so readily, and he gave him a meaningful look.
It seemed the radiation in Tony's body really had pushed him closer to despair than he wanted to admit.
"Say it," Ethan said.
Tony took a deep breath. "I won't do anything that goes against my conscience."
"That's impossible."
Ethan's answer was calm, as if he were discussing something trivial. "There's an old saying: once you step into the game, you don't always get to choose how it's played. Go back and think carefully. After all, I don't actually need anything from you."
"Damn it," Tony snapped. "You really are always this self-righteous."
"You're the self-righteous one." Ethan's gaze sharpened. "Open your eyes and take a good look at the world. I thought this incident would have made you grow a little, but it seems I overestimated you."
The disappointed look on Ethan's face stung Tony more deeply than any insult could have. Tony clenched his fists, his jaw tightening as anger flashed through his eyes.
"Fuck," he cursed. "I knew it."
Ethan only shrugged.
Tony stood up and paced back and forth for a while. His frustration was written in every sharp step, but underneath it was something heavier, something he had been trying to avoid since the moment he crawled out of that cave alive.
Finally, he stopped. He leaned over the table with both hands planted on its surface and stared down at Ethan.
"I agree," Tony said, enunciating every word. "But you'd better understand one thing. Don't make me hate you."
"It doesn't matter." Ethan simply waved a hand. "Whether you hate me or not is irrelevant to me."