DC: Becoming Doomsday in Marvel Universe

The genius Tony had managed to recreate the arc reactor at home in just a single night of tinkering.

Meanwhile, over at Stark Industries, a whole team of scientists worked in a state-of-the-art lab, with the original massive palladium arc reactor right beside them for reference, complete with better equipment and all the materials they could ask for.

Yet all of them combined couldn't match what one man had done. After more than ten days, they still hadn't produced a usable power source.

Obadiah was practically furious enough to spit blood. The Iron Monger suit was almost finished, but the energy issue remained unsolved. It was maddening.

On Tony's side, about a month later, the second-generation Mark armor was finally complete.

Though they called it the second generation, it was really the third. The second-generation Mark suit had been designed as an improved model for various tests after the Mark I. But it had a fatal flaw: it couldn't handle the cold. It was prone to freezing up and losing control.

Thanks to Rook Tanner's guidance, Tony had addressed that issue in the design, effectively turning it into what should have been the third generation.

That night, with Rook by his side, Tony finally donned his suit for the first time.

The Iron Man armor hadn't been painted yet. The entire suit gleamed with the silver-white color of bare metal.

But it still looked awesome. Piece by piece, with mechanical arms assisting him, Tony suited up. The workshop's ambient lighting added to the sci-fi vibe, and even Rook felt his blood stir at the sight.

Finally, Tony stood there fully armored, encased in steel, exuding a powerful mechanical presence as if they were filming a futuristic movie.

"Run the final checks," Tony ordered.

He'd incorporated a system into the suit, and it was managed by his AI butler, JARVIS, acting as a support system.

With Tony's command, JARVIS handled the diagnostics, reporting back only if there were actual issues to address. There were many other advanced features too, including flight assist functions.

At supersonic speeds, Tony's reaction time might not be enough. That was where JARVIS would take over.

"Wait, don't tell me you're planning to test-fly tonight?" Rook heard the shift in Tony's tone and immediately tried to stop him. "Don't joke around. You could die."

The armor had just been completed. Tony was being way too bold. One mistake and he could end up a splattered mess.

But Tony grinned, completely unconcerned. "Aren't you here? You're my bodyguard, right?"

Rook was speechless. "I knew this job wouldn't be simple."

Of course Tony had been counting on him.

"Fine. I'll fly with you. If anything goes wrong, I'll make sure you stay alive," Rook promised.

That assurance made Tony even more confident.

Even JARVIS, who had been ready to object, fell silent. Instead, the AI simply reported, "Initial launch preparations complete. The tunnel has been scanned. Local conditions and maps have been uploaded. Ready for takeoff."

"Well then, what are we waiting for, JARVIS? Let's go crazy for once," Tony said without hesitation. At his command, the repulsors in his boots and palms roared to life, blasting out powerful energy waves and lifting him into the air.

In the blink of an eye, Tony shot out of the underground garage like a silver comet.

Right from the start, he hit supersonic speed, breaking the sound barrier.

But Rook was even faster. He didn't even need to move. Arms crossed, feet floating just off the ground, he effortlessly kept pace with Tony, flying beside him into the night sky.

They hovered for a moment above the villa, gazing out at the endless ocean. The sight filled Tony with exhilaration.

Glancing at Rook, who floated there calm and collected, Tony couldn't resist the urge to challenge him. "Rook, race me!"

Without waiting for an answer, he shot off toward the distant city lights, leaving a silver trail in the sky.

It was late at night, so there was no need to worry about causing a scene.

Rook shook his head. Compete with him? Tony had no idea what he was up against. Rook could reach the sun in an instant. Tony couldn't even orbit Earth quickly yet.

Rook let Tony race ahead for a while before casually overtaking him, reaching New York City's outskirts first and blocking Tony's path.

Tony was stunned. "JARVIS, did you see how he did that?"

Even JARVIS paused before replying in an uncertain tone, "He likely exceeded light speed. The satellites couldn't track him."

Tony swallowed hard. Exceeded light speed? Could anyone really do that? It sounded impossible.

But Rook didn't seem to think much of it. He even suggested, "Want to see how high you can go?"

Tony hesitated. "You're sure nothing will go wrong?"

He was remembering Rook's warning about the freezing problem and was starting to worry.

Rook chuckled. Now he got nervous? After all that bravado?

"Don't worry. I've got you. Let's go," Rook said, rising into the sky ahead of him.

Tony, unwilling to be outdone, fired his thrusters and shot upward after him.

The two of them soared higher and higher, as if heading for the moon.

Of course, they weren't some mythical figure from folklore.

This was also a test of the suit's limits. They only stopped when the air thinned so much that Tony could barely handle it.

Rook nodded. The armor was ready. It was time.

Drifting closer, Rook spoke in a low voice at that altitude. "Tony, I need you to make a flawed arc reactor. I'm going to give it to Obadiah. But don't hand it to him directly. Leave it where I say, and when he comes to steal it, you can copy his computer system and get all his incriminating records."

Tony stared at him. "You're saying it's time to reel him in?"

"Exactly."

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