DC: Becoming Doomsday in Marvel Universe

From that day on, Tony threw himself completely into developing the Mark armor.

Within five days, he had built the iron boots, complete with propulsion systems. The arm gauntlets were temporarily set aside since their construction was already done, leaving only the installation of flight components. So Tony switched his focus to the boots.

Before that, the most crucial part, the arc reactor had also been completed.

That was originally a large palladium arc reactor designed by Tony's father, Howard, thirty years ago. Tony had long understood its principles, and after coming home, he recreated it in less than a single night.

Now, it sat on the side like a round, battery-like power source.

Rook Tanner watched all this with his own eyes. Tony didn't hide anything from him because, in Tony's mind, it was Rook who had inspired him to create all of this.

Tony didn't know the truth: Rook had simply seen the Iron Man movies. The actual work was all Tony's. Rook had no idea how to build these things himself.

After all, Rook was a general, a commander. He wasn't an engineer, an electrician, or a scientist.

And don't be fooled by how easily Tony seemed to accomplish this. Just because he built the miniature arc reactor in one night didn't mean anyone else could. For example, on Obadiah's side, no one yet realized just how difficult this was. Obadiah was hard at work developing his Iron Monger suit.

Obadiah had access to the company's entire R&D department, better equipment, more engineers, and all the materials he could want. He was doing everything he could to bulk up the Iron Monger, adding as much armor, weight, and weaponry as possible.

He wanted Iron Monger to be a true giant, a machine that would secure him the backing of certain powerful interests. If he succeeded, no one would bat an eye even if he killed Tony.

That was the world they lived in. That was capitalism. As long as you had enough power and leverage, you could have limitless privilege.

Meanwhile, back with Tony, by the fifth day the iron boots were complete and the propulsion units installed. For now, the flight controls still had to be operated manually, and the boots weren't yet integrated properly with the arc reactor. Just a few wires connected them to the power source.

But Tony couldn't wait any longer. He had to test them.

Rook stood to the side, holding a camcorder to document the test. He bit into an apple, completely unconcerned.

It was just a ten-centimeter hover test. What was there to worry about?

But Tony cared. This was his first time experiencing flight in this way, and he thought it was the coolest thing ever.

"Alright, here goes," Tony said, taking a deep breath as he slowly pressed the activation switch.

At the moment, he wore no gear except the boots. This was the first test of the flight capability.

With a whoosh, powerful thrust shot out beneath his feet, generated by the palladium arc reactor's energy discharge. The repulsor blast gently lifted Tony into the air.

"I'm flying? I'm actually flying? Ha!" Tony couldn't stop himself from laughing. He'd only just started to lift off, and because the arc reactor's connection was so crude, the power transfer was weak. The repulsor thrust wasn't very strong either.

It was only because he wore nothing but the boots that he could lift off at all. In a full suit of armor, he wouldn't have budged.

That was why Tony had set such a modest goal for the day: hover ten centimeters and circle once. At least he had a sense of realism.

Still, his feet left the ground. That was enough to make Rook clap in appreciation. He understood the feeling. When he first flew, he'd been just as thrilled.

But Tony quickly lost control. This was his first time, after all. He had no feel for it yet, no sense of how to steer.

He nearly crashed into a piece of equipment.

Thankfully, Rook had been watching closely. At the crucial moment, he grabbed Tony by the shoulder and steadied him.

Tony let out a sigh of relief. The workshop was filled with steel equipment, much of it with sharp edges. One wrong move could have been fatal.

"Be more careful next time," Rook warned, reminding himself he was supposed to be Tony's bodyguard.

Tony grinned and showed off. "Hey, Rook, did you see that? I can fly now."

Rook smiled, lifted his own feet off the ground, and floated easily in midair. "Yeah yeah, I see. You can fly. Look, so can I."

Tony was speechless.

This guy really knew how to ruin a moment.

Rook had flown ships, piloted spacecraft, and gained flight powers after becoming Superman. He was long since used to it.

But Tony couldn't calm down. The feeling was amazing. What started as a quest for new technology had turned into a personal passion.

He was hooked. He could already imagine how fast he'd be once the suit was complete and the reactor could power the entire system.

This was nothing like driving a sports car. It was a completely different experience.

So he threw himself back into work, hammering and tinkering with renewed enthusiasm.

Rook watched from the side. There was no iconic sound of hammering in a cave, no tale of survival and hardship. But even so, this was still the Iron Man he admired. When Tony was focused, he was exactly as Rook remembered from the films.

Even Rook nodded with approval.

That made Tony shiver. He quickly shooed Rook away. Being stared at like that by a man, with that kind of intense gaze? It gave him the creeps.

So Rook left, heading upstairs to help himself to another fine bottle from Tony's wine cellar.

At the same time, he kept tabs on Obadiah.

He discovered that over these ten or so days, Obadiah's project had made considerable progress too. The Iron Monger was nearly finished.

But now they'd hit a wall. None of Obadiah's scientists could replicate the palladium arc reactor.

Even with the full-sized reactor sitting right there, they couldn't create a miniature version.

That was the difference between genius and mediocrity.

"Looks like I'll have to give him a little push," Rook said to himself.

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