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Morning — Midtown High
"Morning, guys!" Ned greeted them as he caught up to the Parker brothers at the school gate.
"Hey, Ned," Peter smiled. "You look unusually cheerful today."
"Of course I am," Ned grinned. "We're one day closer to the weekend and my date."
Sylas raised an eyebrow. "Just remember to… You know, stay safe."
He gave Ned a sly wink that made Peter choke on laughter.
The three of them split up for their classes.
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In Class
"Morning, Sylas! Did you finish your science report?" Missy asked from behind him.
Missy had already learned that when it came to assignments, Sylas Parker was a certified procrastinator.
Sylas, however, grinned confidently and pulled out a neatly stapled paper. "Oh, you're gonna love this. Stayed up all night finishing it."
(Technically, it was his Shadow Ninja that stayed up all night but details didn't matter.)
"You… actually finished it?" Missy blinked in disbelief, pulling her own backup copy back into her bag.
"Of course! What kind of genius do you take me for?" he said proudly.
"Mr. Parker," came the teacher's voice from the front. "Hand it over."
Sylas strutted to the desk and placed it in Mr. Klein's hand with mock swagger.
"Right on time, sir."
"Miracles do happen," Klein muttered, flipping through it. "Let's hope you didn't just copy this off the internet."
Sylas froze for half a second. "Heh, of course not."
...
A Few Minutes Later
"Mr. Parker!" Klein's voice roared from the hallway.
Sylas turned around, confused. "Uh… yes, sir?"
"Office. Now."
Missy frowned. "What did you do?"
"No clue," Sylas sighed, standing up. "I'll find out."
...
Faculty Office
Klein sat behind his desk, a fake smile plastered across his face. "Sylas, your report is… remarkable. Almost too remarkable."
Sylas chuckled nervously. "So… it's bad?"
"Oh no, it's great. Because whoever you copied it from clearly knew what they were doing."
"Copied oh come on," Sylas groaned internally. His Shadow Ninja must have literally pulled a report off the internet.
"I'll give you one chance. Redo it by tomorrow," Klein said, rubbing his temples.
"Got it," Sylas muttered, walking out red-faced.
Back in class, Missy smirked. "So… plagiarism?"
"Apparently," he sighed. "Turns out my 'assistant' got lazy."
She laughed softly, then pulled a fresh report from her bag. "Lucky for you, I wrote a spare last night."
Sylas's eyes sparkled. "You're a lifesaver!"
"You can thank me by paying for lunch this weekend," she teased.
"Deal," he said instantly.
...
Elsewhere
Across campus, Peter was lost in thought.
The spider bite had changed him. His reflexes, his strength everything. But what was he supposed to do with it?
"Ned," he asked quietly, "if you suddenly had superpowers… how would you use them to help your family? Or, like, make money?"
Ned popped a chip in his mouth. "Underground cage fights, obviously. Oh, and speaking of super stuff you heard about the big explosion last night?"
Peter blinked. "Explosion?"
"Yeah! Stark Industries. Whole areas are locked down. Rumor is Iron Man was involved."
Peter frowned. "Iron Man?"
...
Stark Industries Lab
"Alright, JARVIS," Tony Stark said, rubbing his forehead, "show me who stole my Arc Reactor."
Since recovering from the Iron Monger fight, he hadn't stopped working. He wasn't worried about reverse engineering he was worried about misuse. The Arc Reactor wasn't just technology. It was power.
JARVIS projected holographic footage recorded from the damaged armor's memory banks.
Tony watched the scene play out: himself unconscious, Pepper and Coulson arriving, and a black-masked figure leaping into the crater.
"Pause," Tony ordered. "Zoom in."
The figure's face was obscured, movements agile, deliberate. He hadn't attacked Pepper, hadn't taken money or data he'd gone straight for Obadiah's wrecked armor.
"The guy knew exactly what he wanted," Tony murmured. "And he wasn't there to kill."
"Sir," JARVIS added, "news outlets have reported another theft. A diamond heist. Witnesses described a black-clad individual matching the same description."
Tony leaned back in his chair, connecting the dots. "Looks like our thief's got expensive taste. Keep a trace on any diamond transactions in the next 48 hours."
He pinched the bridge of his nose. "If he's the same one who took the Arc Reactor, we need to find him before someone else does."
"Understood, sir. Also, Miss Potts reminds you there's a press conference after lunch."
Tony sighed. "Great. The fun part."
...
Lunch at Midtown
"Check it out!" Ned said, pointing at the cafeteria TV. "Stark Industries live broadcast!"
Peter, Sylas, Missy, and Ned all gathered around the table, trays untouched.
Tony Stark stood behind the podium, facing a wall of cameras.
Reporters hurled questions until one asked the question:
"Mr. Stark, is it true you're Iron Man?"
Tony paused, smirked, and spoke the words that would shake the world.
"The truth is… I am Iron Man."
The cafeteria erupted.
"No way!" Ned shouted, nearly dropping his sandwich. "Tony Stark is Iron Man?!"
"Who's Iron Man?" Peter asked innocently.
Ned gaped at him. "Bro, have you been living under a rock? He's the guy who's been blowing up terrorist camps for weeks!"
Missy laughed. "Looks like Ned's found a new hero."
"Damn right I have," Ned said proudly. "Genius billionaire playboy philanthropist. What's not to love?"
Everyone was buzzing with excitement.
Everyone except Sylas.
He just stared at the screen, deep in thought.
"Something wrong?" Missy asked, nudging him.
Sylas blinked, then smiled faintly. "Nah. Just impressed."
After all, few people could boldly say I am Iron Man especially when one of them was sitting across from him, The secret thief who had stolen the Arc Reactor powering Tony's heart.
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