"Stop right there."
A blinding yellow beam blasted into Marcus's metallic claws. The collision of silver and gold erupted in a shower of sparks, the sheer force pushing him back several steps. Before he could recover, a surge of hot air from rocket thrusters swept over him, whipping up clouds of smoke and dust.
Out of that haze descended a figure clad in red and gold—the iconic armor gleaming under the streetlights, a glowing blue arc reactor shining at its chest.
It was Iron Man.
Tony Stark hovered protectively in front of the fallen Spider-Man, his right hand raised, repulsor still faintly glowing.
"Kid," Tony said, pointing a finger at Marcus, "I don't know what your beef with the kid is, but ever heard of talking things out before murder?"
Marcus chuckled softly. "We did talk. It was a very pleasant conversation."
Tony glanced back at Spider-Man, who was lying motionless behind him, his breathing shallow, life flickering like a candle in the wind. Tony's tone hardened.
"Doesn't look too pleasant to me."
Marcus grinned coldly. "I meant—I enjoyed it."
In the instant Tony turned his head, Marcus struck. His clawed hand shot forward, slashing at Tony's chest with blinding speed. Silver blades scraped across red-gold armor, producing a hideous screech—like metal nails tearing across glass. Sparks flew in all directions as Marcus dug in, his claws gripping tight and yanking hard.
Five streaks of light flared across the armor, sending a burst of embers scattering through the air.
Tony barely flinched. His gauntlet flashed, and a jet-assisted punch slammed into Marcus's chest, sending him flying several meters backward. Marcus clawed into the ground to stop himself, leaving deep furrows in the concrete before skidding to a halt.
When the sparks faded, Tony looked down at his chest. The damage? Five faint scratches. Barely visible.
Marcus stared grimly.
'So that's the strength of Iron Man…'
He'd already pushed his new abilities to their limit fighting Spider-Man—and Iron Man was on an entirely different level.
"I'll give you a piece of advice, kid," Tony said, his tone calm but commanding. "Stand still, and don't make me work for it."
With a motion of his wrists, two panels unfolded from beneath his gauntlets. Twin bursts of blue light erupted from the emitters—electric nets charged with crackling plasma energy flew straight at Marcus, filling the alley with a sizzling hum.
In an instant, Marcus's claws shifted into twin blades. Two arcs of silver light flashed, and the electric nets were sliced cleanly into shreds, fluttering down like glowing ribbons of silk.
Tony blinked, then grinned beneath his helmet. "Wait—you can morph your body into metal? That's... that's incredible!"
And it truly was.
To Tony Stark—the man who relied on his exosuit for everything—the ability to become a living, self-contained suit of armor was revolutionary. A biological, self-generating Iron Man.
No waiting for armor to fly in.
No need for assembly or external power sources.
A human machine capable of transformation at will.
It was the dream of every engineer—and it was standing right in front of him.
Even without seeing his face, Marcus could feel Tony's fascination. That gaze wasn't of hostility—it was the look of a scientist studying a miracle... or a test subject.
But Marcus knew he couldn't fight him now. He'd already burned through too much energy. His only option was to run.
With a burst of strength, Marcus dug his feet into the ground, leaving two deep craters where he'd stood. Then he sprinted into the nearest alley at a speed faster than a cheetah. Within seconds, he disappeared around a corner.
A normal human—or even a squad of armed police—would've lost sight of him instantly.
But this was Iron Man.
Tony calmly opened a comm channel. "Jarvis, bring up satellite surveillance. Predict his escape route."
"Already done, sir," Jarvis replied smoothly. Within seconds, a holographic map materialized inside Tony's visor—an overlay of the city blocks, with a red marker blinking at Marcus's location.
Tony smirked. "You picked the wrong planet to play hide-and-seek on, kid."
BOOM!
Twin streams of white flame burst from Tony's palms and boots. With a deafening roar, he shot into the sky, streaking across the night like a blazing comet.
His speed quickly surpassed Mach 1, shattering the sound barrier as he dove toward the alleys below. Within moments, he spotted Marcus sprinting through the maze of streets, his metallic body glinting faintly under the city lights.
Tony dropped low, flying just above ground level, matching Marcus's speed stride for stride.
He spoke over the roar of his thrusters, his tone almost casual.
"Listen, kid—I don't want to hurt you. Not yet, anyway. You just need to come with me to my lab. I'll run a few tests, draw some blood, maybe do a scan or two. Simple stuff."
Marcus didn't look back. "Iron Man, this isn't something you should be meddling with."
He couldn't let Tony analyze his biology. If Stark discovered the existence of the zombie virus, he'd build a cure—or worse, a weapon. That would destroy everything.
Tony's voice softened, but his intent was unyielding.
"Relax. I promise, no one else needs to know. Just you, me, and the science."
Marcus's eyes narrowed.
He knew there was no stopping Stark's curiosity once it was piqued. And the longer this went on, the higher the risk.
Tony extended his right hand. The arc reactor in his palm flared to life, and a sphere of blinding yellow energy condensed at its center.
"Last chance," he said.
Then, the repulsor beam fired.
A roaring column of plasma shot forward, striking like a lightning bolt. It was one of Iron Man's signature weapons—the Arc Pulse Cannon. By adjusting its output, Tony could control its lethality; at full power, it could vaporize a man instantly.
Marcus raised his right arm. A disk of gleaming metal unfolded from his forearm, forming a circular shield. The energy blast slammed into it with a deafening crash, bathing the alley in white-hot light.
Flames and sparks exploded outward as the air rippled from the impact. The heat was unbearable—even behind the shield, Marcus could feel it searing his skin.
Tony, ever the showman, quipped through the comms,
"That shield looks familiar. A little paint, a star in the middle... you'd be Captain America's long-lost cousin."
Marcus didn't reply. The blast finally faded—but he was barely standing. That one hit had drained the last of his bio-energy.
And Tony wasn't even close to his limit.
Tony's fingers spread slightly, and the beam thickened, doubling in intensity. The glow lit up the entire street.
Marcus's shield began to glow red-hot. Sparks flared and merged into steady flames. The sheer kinetic force of the pulse slammed into him like a freight train, driving him backward.
He crashed through one wall—then another—then a third, each one exploding into rubble as he was hurled through building after building.
When he finally stopped, buried beneath a pile of debris, smoke and dust filled the air.
Iron Man hovered above the destruction, eyes locked on the wreckage below.
He wasn't sure what kind of creature this kid was—but he knew one thing for certain:
He wasn't human anymore.