"Sir, we are nearing the point of breaching beyond Warp 10. Core-temperature is rising by twenty-thousand Kelvins and counting. I strongly suggest against crossing the threshold. There is absolutely no guarantee that the craft will survive, and a state of molecular decohesion is imminent."
Right. He's heard that line of pessimism often enough, may it be from Pepper's lips or J.A.R.V.I.S'. Tony was irreverent, and that's proven in the casual ease which he adopted in the act of dismissing a claim that came backed with a decade's worth of solid quantum-physics groundwork lain and paved by his precursors. If he could manage to turn a deaf ear to his own father's wiles since a child, he could most certainly do the same to that of an omnipresent sentient computer system.
Grip steady upon the yoke of the Quinjet, warp-core engine reverberating in a steady hum behind a buffered compartment in the rear, Tony simply cast a roll of the eyes in response to the android's concerns. He was nervous, sure. However, the man made no effort to let it show beyond the arid dryness to his chapped lips and a fine sheen of perspiration lacing his brow.
"Keep her steady, ol' boy. She'll hold." He murmured.
"Nine-point-five."
The rattling of the craft's chassis rose to a crescendo, now being the only sound audible to ear.
"Nine-point-seven. Sir, need I remind you that upon reaching Warp 10, there is absolutely no guarantee that we will still retain network connection. Should that occur, you would have to--"
With one pointed sigh, Tony glowered between the thick of his gritted teeth. "Rely on the backup copy of your system on board Mark XX. So you've told me. I know. Now just kick back and enjoy the show."
That seemed to sate the A.I.'s present doubts. Though as to how long it would keep him in a state of silence, that was subjected to change at any given moment. So much for programming a human-interface into his BIOS code.
"Nine-point-nine-five.... Warp te---..."
White. Omnipotent light cast from all sides, from all orifices, bright as a dying star; and then absolute darkness, like a switch being flipped off.
