Malrick had originally intended to strike Ally directly, but before he could act, a missile roared through the void and beat him to it.
In the darkness of space, the missile's blazing trail made it stand out like a beacon, as obvious as a horn blast echoing across the sky.
With a glance, Malrick's enhanced vision analyzed its contents. The payload carried a high concentration of Kryptonite, along with a device designed to release red solar radiation upon detonation.
Only one man would launch such a weapon.
John Henry Irons. The Steel Man.
Malrick paused, just as a bulky gray armored suit streaked past him. The pilot briefly turned his head, eyes widening in surprise at the sight of another hero already in the field.
"So it really is John… Steel."
In the comics, John Henry Irons was a Justice League ally, a man who donned armor of his own creation to stand among gods. But in the Superman and Lois reality, his story had taken a darker path.
John had once lived in a different universe, where he bore another name—Lex Luthor. In that world, he was bald, his skin dark, his resentment toward Superman the same as any Lex across the multiverse.
But unlike the tyrannical versions of Luthor, this man had once lived peacefully. His wife had been Lois Lane, and together they had raised a daughter. It should have been a life of happiness, but everything was ruined when Superman—the symbol of hope—was enslaved by his Kryptonian brother.
Twisted into a destroyer rather than protector, that Superman turned on humanity. Cities burned, nations fell, and John's world was brought to ruin. Worst of all, his Lois perished beneath Superman's merciless heat vision.
Driven by grief and hatred, John resolved to take Superman down, even if it cost him his life. Yet fate intervened. At the brink of death, John was hurled into the world of Superman and Lois.
Here, his counterpart had already died. Lois still lived, but not as his wife. This world's Superman was not a monster. And yet, John carried his trauma like armor. He donned his suit, forged of X-Kryptonite, and waged war against Superman the moment they met. For a time, he even gained the upper hand.
But in the end, he failed.
He had stood on the cusp of victory, his weapon raised for the killing blow, when Lois and Superman's children stopped him. It was then John realized the truth: in this reality, Superman was not his enemy.
This Superman had a family. He loved Lois deeply, and together they raised two sons, one of whom had inherited powers of his own. John saw the warmth of what he had lost reflected in their lives. Slowly, his hatred crumbled.
He stayed. He rebuilt himself. He even witnessed the moment when Superman, with Lois by his side, broke free from his brother's control. He watched their son take up the mantle of Superboy. He saw the bond between Lois and Clark, and despite the bitterness in his own heart, he grew to cherish this world.
When his daughter from his destroyed universe eventually arrived, she found family among Superman's children. For the first time since tragedy struck, John knew peace.
And now, he was fighting to protect it.
Malrick watched as John hurled himself toward Ally with fearless determination. The sight stirred something inside him. For a moment, his thoughts drifted to his own universe—to the legacy of men like Captain America and Carter. The Steel Man's strength wasn't measured only in his armor or weapons, but in the conviction that burned in his soul.
"This John… he's stronger than most realize," Malrick thought, admiration stirring within him.
But his reflection ended abruptly.
Ally didn't just shrug off John's attack—she devoured it. The kinetic energy of the missile, the heat of its explosion, all of it was absorbed into her form. She redirected the force in a single brutal counterstrike, blasting John away without altering her stance.
Malrick's stomach tightened as he saw the Steel Man hurled across space, his armored frame trailing sparks. And yet, even as he tumbled, John raised a hand and gave Malrick a thumbs up. Whether it meant farewell, encouragement, or a soldier's last gesture of defiance, Malrick couldn't be sure.
His gaze shifted back to Ally.
The woman was a blinding beacon of power, her body radiating the stolen energy of Superman himself. Her aura blazed so fiercely it nearly rivaled Captain Marvel's cosmic brilliance. Her eyes locked onto Malrick's with a warning glare, daring him to step closer.
Malrick answered her silent challenge with a calm, almost gentle smile.
She had just demonstrated that she was more dangerous than Sebastian Shaw, the mutant who thrived on absorbing energy. Heat vision or energy blasts would only make her stronger. Unless Malrick wanted to overload her until she exploded, brute energy wasn't the answer. And while he had more than enough reserves stored within his ring—enough to collapse a star if he chose—he wanted this over quickly, and cleanly.
His bio-field expanded, wrapping her in an invisible grip. In the next instant, Malrick moved faster than light, appearing before Ally like a phantom.
Her reflexes had improved drastically after absorbing Superman's power, but they were still nowhere near enough. Malrick's fist connected with her face before she could react. The force of the strike hurled her body backward through the void.
The strength behind that punch was greater than the weight of Earth itself. Concentrated into a small point of impact, the pressure was enough to compress matter down to its most primal state.
Ally never stood a chance.
Before she could trigger her absorption again, her head disintegrated into scattered molecules. The rest of her body drifted lifelessly into space.
For a moment, Malrick hovered in silence, surprised at how quickly it had ended. He had expected more resistance. After all, Ally carried the energy of Superman, the very power that could bend planets. Surely her body should have been able to withstand at least one strike.
But she had been fragile, like brittle glass.
"Did absorbing Superman's power not strengthen her body?" he wondered. "Strange. That kind of energy, if housed within Clark himself, would have tanked this blow without flinching. But in her… she was as fragile as a cookie."
A faint smirk touched his lips. "Now I understand why Superman always seems to get knocked around at first in his battles. He's testing his enemies, figuring out how much they can take. If he miscalculates, one wrong punch could kill them outright."
It was a lesson Malrick understood, but one he knew he couldn't practice. His strength was too vast, too absolute. Restraint wasn't his ally—it was his burden.
A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Malrick, you actually killed her outright?"
The sound carried into his mind through his comms. Two Iron Man Mark 16 suits soared into view, their thrusters blazing as they hauled the battered Steel Man to safety.
"Tony?" Malrick turned, his own armor's systems reshaping into a communications link. There was no air in the void for sound, but with his super hearing, Malrick could pick up Tony's words.
His own voice, however, couldn't naturally carry. He lacked the "super voice" that Clark possessed. So the faceplate of his armor generated a comm-link.
"You brought backup?" Malrick asked, noting the second suit.
Through the visor of the other Mark suit, he saw a familiar figure. Clark Kent, clad in a modified exo-frame, his dark hair tousled and his jaw covered in stubble. His presence radiated quiet strength, his very expression like sunlight breaking through the storm.
Malrick knew this version of Superman well. This was the one portrayed by Tyler Hoechlin—the "Wolf Superman," as fans had nicknamed him, thanks to his earlier role in Teen Wolf. Among all the portrayals of Superman across film and television, this version stood out as unique: grounded, human, yet still unmistakably heroic.
And now, he was here.
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