“Tony!
Tony!” Rowan came sprinting into the workshop like his pants were on fire.
“Perfect timing.” Tony didn’t even let him speak.
“I’m about to test the armor’s flight system.” “Help me record the results.” The words Rowan had rushed over to say instantly got stuck in his throat.
“…Oh.” “Okay.” “Ready to begin.” Tony stepped into position.
“Wait.” Rowan raised a hand.
“Let me buff you first.” A layer of Mark of the Wild settled onto Tony.
As for Rejuvenation…
That spell had practically become a permanent fixture.
Tony’s stamina recovery never stopped.
Combined with his existing workaholic tendencies, it had transformed him into something even more terrifying.
A workaholic with infinite energy.
“Done?” Tony cracked his neck.
“Then let’s go.” “Twenty percent thrust.” “Takeoff.” With magical protection covering him, Tony had become considerably bolder.
No more cautious testing.
Straight to twenty percent.
Then— BOOM!
He shot upward like a rocket.
Directly into the ceiling.
The workshop roof exploded.
A massive hole appeared.
A moment later— THUD!
Tony crashed back to the floor.
Nearby, one of the robotic arms reacted several seconds too late and immediately sprayed fire suppressant directly into his face.
Rowan folded in half laughing.
Tears streamed down his cheeks.
This was priceless.
Pure gold.
Every second belonged in the Iron Man Black History Archives.
Over the following days, Rowan completely forgot about the reason he’d originally come down here.
Watching Tony gradually improve the armor was simply too entertaining.
Seeing Iron Man’s armor come together piece by piece in real life was something no Marvel fan could resist.
What fascinated Rowan most wasn’t even the armor.
It was JARVIS.
And the holographic interfaces.
The futuristic controls.
The entire system looked incredible.
“Once Tony-ge finishes…” “I’m definitely making him build one for me.” “Imagine playing video games with this thing.” “That would be awesome.” A goofy grin slowly spread across his face.
Tony looked over.
Then sighed.
“My little brother is great.” “But he randomly becomes stupid sometimes.” After attaching another component to the armor, Tony called out: “Rowan.” “Stop daydreaming.” “I’m testing the flight stabilizers.” “Oh!” Rowan snapped back to reality.
“Right.” “Go for it, Tony-ge.” “Nothing can go wrong while I’m here.” Famous last words.
At that moment Pepper entered carrying coffee.
“Tony.” “Obadiah is waiting upstairs.” Then she noticed the equipment in Tony’s hands.
“I thought you stopped making weapons.” Tony immediately objected.
“This isn’t a weapon.” “It’s a flight stabilizer.” Totally different.
Definitely.
Absolutely.
Then he activated the system.
A moment later— Tony disappeared.
CRASH!
BANG!
CLANG!
A series of catastrophic sounds echoed through the workshop.
Several seconds later, the future Iron Man could be seen buried underneath a mountain of mechanical parts.
Rowan calmly pulled out his phone.
Click.
Click.
Click.
Iron Man Black History Collection +1 When Tony and Rowan eventually returned upstairs, Obadiah Stane was casually playing the piano.
The old man greeted Tony warmly.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, he immediately got to the point.
“Tony.” “The board has requested a temporary suspension of your duties.” “They believe you’re suffering from post-traumatic stress.” Rowan rolled his eyes.
The board, my ass.
This bald bastard pushed the whole thing himself.
Tony looked shocked.
“Because the stock dropped forty points?” “Fifty-six point five.” Pepper corrected automatically.
Tony nearly choked.
“That doesn’t matter.” “I still control the company.” Obadiah spread his hands.
“The board has the authority.” “They believe your current projects aren’t in the company’s best interests.” “You need to show them something.” Then his eyes drifted toward Tony’s chest.
“Give me the reactor.” “I’ll use it to convince them.” He looked incredibly sincere.
Like he was only trying to help.
Tony rejected the suggestion instantly.
“No.” “That stays with me.” “End of discussion.” Obadiah tried pressing further.
Tony ignored him completely and headed downstairs.
Right now, all he cared about was finishing the armor.
He wanted to prove the board wrong.
He wanted to prove the world wrong.
Most importantly— He wanted to remind everyone that Tony Stark was still the greatest genius on Earth.
Underground Garage Workshop Day 11 Test Number 37 Version 2.0 “Tony-ge!” “Good luck!” Tony gave a confident thumbs-up.
“JARVIS.” “Start at one percent.” The repulsors ignited.
White streams of energy emerged from Tony’s hands and feet.
Slowly— Steadily— He rose into the air.
Then gently landed.
“Excellent.” Tony nodded.
“Increase thrust by two point five percent.” This attempt was considerably less elegant.
Tony immediately started bouncing around the garage like a pinball.
He nearly set several luxury cars on fire.
Destroyed a workbench.
Accidentally punched a wall.
But somehow managed to land safely.
Rowan applauded enthusiastically.
This was way more fun than watching the movie.
Nearby, one of the robotic arms eagerly approached carrying a fire extinguisher.
Tony immediately pointed at it.
“No.” The robotic arm slowly lowered the extinguisher.
Rowan could swear it looked disappointed.
Honestly?
He was disappointed too.
Watching Tony get sprayed never got old.
“I CAN FLY!” Tony shouted excitedly.
After completing flight-system testing, assembly of the full armor finally began.
Piece by piece.
Plate by plate.
The silver armor gradually took shape.
At last— The first true Iron Man suit stood completed.
Mark II Aside from the color scheme, it looked exactly like the armor from the movies.
Rowan stared.
His eyes practically glowed.
“Tony-ge.” “I want one.” Tony smirked.
“Cool, isn’t it?” “Don’t worry.” “I’ll build you one someday.” Then he turned toward the armor.
“JARVIS.” “Let’s get to work.” The AI immediately came online.
System checks began.
System diagnostics complete.
Preparing shutdown sequence.
Beginning data analysis.
Tony interrupted.
“Actually…” “Check weather conditions.” “Flight restrictions.” “Ground-control communications.” JARVIS understood immediately.
Sir, perhaps we should perform proper preparation before attempting actual flight.
Tony grinned.
“JARVIS.” “Before you learn to walk…” “You have to run.” He pointed dramatically.
“Three.” “Two.” “One.” The repulsors ignited.
Mark II launched.
The armor shot from the garage and into the open sky.
Inside the helmet, Tony laughed like a maniac.
“WOOHOO!” Flying freely through the air was unlike anything he’d ever experienced.
The adrenaline rush was incredible.
For a while he soared above the city.
Then he angled upward and accelerated toward the upper atmosphere.
Suddenly— JARVIS issued a warning.
Sir.
Something is approaching.
Very quickly.
Extremely quickly.
Tony frowned.
“What?” The next second— A massive bird appeared beside him.
Over a meter long.
More than two meters in wingspan.
Majestic.
Elegant.
Absolutely badass.
Then a familiar voice rang out.
“Tony-ge!” “I’m here!” Tony nearly crashed.
“…Rowan?!” Yes.
The bird was Rowan.
His transformation forms were finally working again.
Originally he’d come to the workshop to tell Tony exactly that.
He could fly now.
And he wanted to visit China.
Then he got distracted watching Iron Man development.
Which was understandable.
Only after seeing Tony take off had he remembered.
The biggest surprise, however, was his flight-form skin.
The system’s “China Exclusive Edition” wasn’t some ordinary bird.
It was a Roc.
The legendary giant bird of Chinese mythology.
Well…
A miniature version.
Thankfully.
If it were mythologically accurate, he’d be too terrified to transform.
The current version was roughly the size of a large eagle.
But despite being smaller…
The speed was ridiculous.
Mark II couldn’t shake him.
Not even close.
Rowan could easily keep pace.
And he could already feel the form becoming faster as his Mana Strength increased.
He couldn’t help sighing.
“The stupid system really is amazing when it comes to support abilities.” “This flight form gets five stars.” His anticipation for the other forms increased immediately.
Tony stared at Rowan.
Then at Mark II.
Then at Rowan again.
Then at Mark II.
Silence.
A very long silence.
Finally— A single thought appeared in Tony Stark’s mind.
The armor suddenly doesn’t feel nearly as cool anymore.
Because that bird…
Was unbelievably awesome.
And now— He wanted one.