Chapter 4: The Genius and the Stubborn Father
The Stark family home on Long Island, New York, was always quiet—unless Kent and Howard were in the same room. And that meant a little fight was imminent.
Kent was growing up fast. At 10, he wasn’t just any genius—he was a kid with a mature brain and a mind thousands of years ahead of him, thanks to something he could never quite explain… the System.
System: “Good morning, Host. Today’s goal: complete the redesign of the radiation-resistant armor version 3.0, and confuse the world’s scientists by publicly mentioning ‘ion neutron self-oscillation’.”
Kent:
“I just woke up, hey… Let’s have some coffee.”
System: “Coffee contains caffeine. Not good for a 10-year-old. Data shows: 84% chance of you becoming an insomniac with dark circles under your eyes.”
Kent:
“But I like it. Besides, mentally I’m already 25.”
System: “Your body is still a child.”
Every morning started like that. Kent argued with System in his head, while drafting advanced technology in the basement room that unofficially became his laboratory. In that room, he built everything from early models of mini AIs, heavy-duty mechanical arms, to home security systems that would make Tony’s JARVIS look like Windows 95.
Howard, who was initially proud of having a genius son, began to feel the pressure. Every time he entered Kent’s office, he felt like he was entering a secret alien base.
“What’s this?” Howard asked one day, pointing to a hologram model showing a mapping of the human brain with the addition of a microscopic chip.
“Artificial neuro-interface sensors. For assistive devices for paralyzed people,” Kent replied casually.
“A 10-year-old should be flying kites, not tinkering with human brains!”
“A 10-year-old shouldn’t be able to speak five languages, Dad,” Kent replied, half teasing, half serious.
Howard snorted, walking around the laboratory that was designed like a mini bunker.
“I don’t know where you learned all this from.”
Kent held his breath. He couldn’t say, “Oh, I have a System from another dimension that gave me a mission to build strength to face global scenarios.” Well, of course Howard would panic.
“The Internet, Dad. Books. Observation. I just… learned fast.”
Howard wasn’t satisfied with that answer. But he also couldn’t deny—his son was a genius who surpassed the limits of logic.
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In the following years, small conflicts became more frequent. Kent began to be more daring in making big projects. He assembled a mini satellite at the age of 12, programmed an AI to regulate the temperature of the house at the age of 13, and accidentally created an AI assistant named K.E.L.A.—a miscoding of Kent’s name + System + Lambda who later became his nighttime chat buddy.
System: “Important: you have to hide that biotechnology project. Your father smells traces of abnormal activity on the server.”
Kent:
“Let him be. Once in a while he needs to know I’m serious.”
System: “Is this the typical ‘teenage rebellion’ moment that happens at age 14?”
Kent:
“Yeah. But the scientific version.”
The relationship with Howard was like two scientists opposing ideas. Howard still carried the old way of thinking: cautious, calculating, afraid of ethics and control. Kent was the opposite: modern logic, pragmatism, and knowing too much about the future that hadn’t happened yet.
When he was 15, Kent had created a prototype for a regen-pod—a DNA-based internal wound healing device. But Howard stopped him.
“This is… too dangerous, Kent. You’re messing around with biotechnology.”
“I know what I’m doing,” Kent said flatly.
“A 15-year-old shouldn’t be messing with recombinant DNA without permission. You haven’t even graduated from high school yet!”
“I’ve already completed three online Harvard degrees, Dad.”
That was the first time Howard slammed a folder on the table.