"I couldn't help it. You were still unconscious when I left to find Kara, so of course, I couldn't take you with me."
Malrick smirked, "After all, you wouldn't want Iron Man to be a burden, right, Tony?"
Tony's eyelids twitched before he reluctantly sat back down in his chair.
"You really don't understand your older brother at all, do you, kid?"
The three of them were standing in the open forest just outside Metropolis. Tony had brought all his equipment with him from the Marvel world, securely stored inside the dimensional ring Malrick had given him. Inside, he'd already set up multiple armor production lines—Jarvis kept them running nonstop.
"So," Tony asked, adjusting his watch display, "what exactly did you two do?"
"I finally tracked down Kara's location," Malrick replied, "but I didn't expect you to get there first."
After Tony had officially met Kara, he turned his attention back to Malrick, pulling up a projection screen filled with encrypted data logs. He swiped his hand through the holographic interface, and a video file began to play.
The recording showed a dark night sky split by a blazing meteor as it crashed into the courtyard of a heavily guarded estate. The ground trembled, dust rising as mercenaries scrambled for position. Through the chaos, a voice shouted, "Protect Young Master Rex!"
When the dust settled, the soldiers surrounded the crater. Inside lay a massive, egg-shaped capsule—its surface sleek and metallic, something straight out of science fiction. A mercenary approached carefully, tapping the capsule with the butt of his rifle. A soft hiss followed. The capsule opened, revealing a young blonde girl inside—fragile-looking, her skin pale as marble.
The screen went silent. The girl opened her eyes, only to see a wall of gun barrels pointed straight at her. Panic flashed across her face, and she bolted—faster than any human could track. Gunfire erupted instantly, the scene turning into chaos.
When the shooting stopped, the girl was unconscious on the ground, her skin unmarred except for faint red marks where bullets had struck. None had pierced her. Tony paused the footage and turned to Malrick.
"After Jarvis and I analyzed the global data, we realized this world mirrors a Flashpoint-type event," he said. "Only this time, it's Supergirl being held captive instead of Superman." He flicked through another few holograms. "This video's been circulating in old databases for decades—between ten and thirty years old. Kara's capsule landed in the Lex family estate… in Kansas."
He sighed. "But right when we started digging into the Lex family and LexCorp…" He gave Malrick a side-eye. "You just pop up and say you found her—and handled everything yourself."
Tony rubbed his temples. "Tell me, shouldn't Superman usually hesitate a bit? You know, let his Super Brain do the thinking first?"
Malrick shrugged. "Tony, you can't blame me. My powers are just… too strong. Sometimes I don't even need to ask—the bad guys start confessing on their own."
Tony gave a disbelieving snort. "You know, it's a good thing you never joined the Avengers. If you had, Cap and I could've retired twenty years early."
Malrick grinned. "Not exactly. Based on future records, you died in 2023, so maybe just fourteen years early."
"Well, thank you so much," Tony muttered, rolling his eyes.
"Look on the bright side," Malrick said lightly. "You might not be the best in a fight anymore, but you are still the smartest guy in the room."
Tony frowned suspiciously. "What are you getting at? Wait—are you trying to ask me for help?"
Malrick put on an innocent face. "Depends on how we define 'help.'"
Tony burst out laughing. "Ha! I knew it. You've got a problem you can't solve, huh? Come on—spill it. Not everyone gets to ask Iron Man for a favor."
Malrick sighed, amused. "First of all, it's not asking for help—it's asking for assistance. You know about the Life Codex, right? I explained it before. The thing's crucial to Kryptonian biology. But now, it's not on Clark—it's inside Kara."
Tony rested his chin on his hand. "Wait, last time you said it was on Clark. What changed?"
Malrick summarized what had happened in this timeline—how he'd saved Kara, and the difference between this universe and theirs. As Tony listened, his expression shifted—from skepticism to that smug, older-brother smirk. He raised an eyebrow at Malrick, as if to say, So the little brother who used to bug me is now charming alien girls? Guess karma works both ways.
Malrick gave him a flat look. Compared to your track record, I'm practically a saint.
Tony grinned wider. "Saint? So focusing only on the most beautiful girls counts as faithful now?"
Kara, who had been watching the silent exchange, frowned. "What are you two doing?"
Both men immediately looked away.
"We're discussing how to extract the Life Codex safely," Malrick said with a straight face.
Kara blinked. "With eye contact?"
Tony nodded solemnly. "That's how scientists communicate. Inspiration… sparks from mutual understanding."
Kara folded her arms, unconvinced. "So? Any progress?"
"Actually, yes," Tony replied, tapping his chest reactor. The holographic displays vanished, and the forest dimmed around them. "My brilliant plan starts with leaving right now."
He powered up his armor, the thrusters flaring blue. "You did just assassinate—well, technically—the President in the White House. In Metropolis. And now you're standing in the suburbs chatting with me." He floated off the ground, shaking his head. "Are you two trying to provoke an entire country's retaliation on live television?"
With a roar, the Iron Man armor blasted upward into the clouds.
Malrick turned to Kara. "He's got a point. Let's go."
Kara rose beside him, cape fluttering. "Where are we heading?"
"Judging by his flight path," Malrick said, glancing at the sky, "probably Gotham."
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