Chapter 68: Iron Man (Part 5)

"It looks like I need to borrow the Captain's shield sometime to take a closer look." While Daniel Davis was examining Stark's Mark 3 Iron Man armor, Stark had started using J.A.R.V.I.S. to investigate the secrets of his wand and flying broom.

"Sir, there is a peculiar energy coating this," reported J.A.R.V.I.S. Marvel's technology was truly advanced—after all, they could study even the Tesseract. Examining a wand and a flying broom was no challenge.

"This tiny piece could power a medium-sized city for nearly a year. Remarkable." While Stark delved into magic, Daniel was engrossed in studying the arc reactor—a fresh one Stark had just created. This was part of their agreement.

Stark didn't think twice about this deal and made an arc reactor on the spot for Daniel. In exchange, Daniel would let Stark examine his flying broom for a while. Daniel readily agreed, knowing Stark couldn't fly it without magic. However, he didn't allow Stark to keep his wand for long-term study since he only had one.

Thus, Daniel stayed at Stark's beach house for several days. 

He was the first man to spend the night at Stark's beach house, aside from Pepper and the women Stark occasionally brought home. Even Obadiah Stane had never stayed there.

"Hi, Pepper."

This is why when Pepper arrived, she was surprised to find Daniel there.

"Pepper, you're just in time. Come and try some authentic dragon meat." As soon as Stark saw Pepper, he beckoned her over.

"Dragon meat?" Pepper looked puzzled as she sat on a nearby sofa.

"Yes, it's dragon liver. Daniel brought it from the magical world. It's very beneficial for the body," Stark explained, placing a plate of dragon liver in front of her.

"The magical world?" Pepper, intrigued, picked up a piece with her fork.

"Yes, the magical world." Stark ate the dragon meat and liver while explaining Daniel's background to Pepper. During his stay, Daniel had practically become Stark's personal chef.

"So, are these considered magical potions?"

"No, magical potions can't be mass-produced. What you're eating falls under herbology," Daniel clarified, explaining the difference between potions and herbs.

"By the way, I brought quite a few magical herbs with me. We can discuss them when you have time."

"Alright," Pepper nodded in acknowledgment.

Besides the ingredients, Daniel had brought numerous herbs from the Harry Potter world. In a world imbued with magic, these herbs were far more potent than those in this world. Even following the original recipes, their effectiveness was significantly higher, making them essentially new products, which naturally meant higher prices.

However, with Stark having just returned from his disappearance, Pepper wasn't in the mood to discuss business. Daniel, understanding this, didn't push the topic.

"I'll go with you." As Pepper and Stark finished their conversation and were about to leave, Daniel decided to join them. Of course, he reclaimed his wand and warned Stark not to damage the flying broom. Then he and Pepper drove to a military base, from where they took a private jet back to New York.

"Red Queen, analyze this," Daniel commanded upon returning to his villa, handing over the arc reactor to the AI for a thorough examination.

"So, it's not feasible to recreate it after all," Daniel mused. He had hoped the Red Queen might uncover a way to replicate the arc reactor. But it wasn't that simple. If it were, arc reactors would be everywhere by now. Big corporations or nations would have bought one and reverse-engineered it, making Stark Industries' reactors obsolete.

This is energy, not something trivial with a patent. Reflecting on this, Daniel found Justin Hammer's obsession with Iron Man's armor rather shortsighted. He ignored the far greater potential of the arc reactor compared to mere arms deals.

Similarly, Anton Vanko also missed the point. Despite his ability to recreate the arc reactor, he had struggled in poverty for years. It seemed that scientists often poured all their skill points into intelligence, neglecting practical wisdom.

Even Stark himself had underestimated the importance of having backup arc reactors at home.

"Looks like I'll have to wait for Anton Vanko. But for now, I can build an Iron Man suit for fun," Daniel decided. He input all the schematics of the Mark 3 suit into the Red Queen's system.

"Today, I'll show you what it means to build an Iron Man suit from scratch," Daniel declared. Unlike the arc reactor, building the Iron Man suit was within his reach, thanks to his surgical fruit powers. 

With his precision, cutting even vibranium was effortless, making him a human 3D printer. Angles, curves—all were within his capability, akin to a high-tech industrial machine.

"Done." Tasks that required robotic arms for Stark were a breeze for Daniel with his powers. The parts quickly assembled into a fully formed Iron Man suit.

"Now for testing." Daniel inserted the arc reactor into the suit's chest, and the Red Queen activated it. In a mirrored space, she conducted the tests. With the portal open, signals were still available within the mirrored dimension.

"Perfect." As expected from a suit built with surgical precision, the Iron Man suit performed flawlessly in its maiden flight. Once satisfied, Daniel decided to test it personally.

"It's impressive how Stark mastered flying. It must have taken a lot of training," Daniel thought. Flying the suit with the Red Queen's assistance was different from piloting it himself. Even with his physical prowess, it took some time to fly smoothly.

"Let's try this outside." Confident in his control, Daniel took the suit out of the mirrored dimension and into the real world.

"Wow, this feels amazing. No wonder Stark prefers to be inside the suit rather than remotely controlling it," Daniel exclaimed, hovering above the Statue of Liberty. The freedom and power were exhilarating.

Compared to Stark's Iron Man, Daniel had far more combat options. He could wield his wand and utilize the Undetectable Extension Charm, although his Iron Man suit had to remain hidden from the public.

Boom.

After testing the suit's flight capabilities, Daniel moved on to its weapons. Starting with the basic repulsor blasts from the hands, he then incorporated various weapons into the suit using the Undetectable Extension Charm, including a Gatling gun, missiles, and grenades.

"Apparate!" He then experimented with using the suit to teleport, deciding whether to transport just himself or the entire suit. Naturally, the latter consumed more magic.

"Black isn't quite right. Let's add some gold—black and gold looks better." Satisfied with the new paint job, Daniel admired the sleek design.

Finally, he added Pym particles to the suit, shrinking it down to keychain size. This would make it incredibly convenient to carry around. Smiling, he declared, "From now on, I'm Iron Ant-Man."

The use of Pym particles solved the portability issue. Before the advent of nanotechnology, even Stark struggled to carry his suit around. Stark's solution was a suitcase suit, but it offered minimal protection compared to the robust Mark 3.

However, Daniel's surgical fruit powers allowed him to don the suit without mechanical arms. 

"Seems like the Ant-Man suit and Iron Man suit are overlapping."

"It's time to initiate the Iron Legion plan," Daniel decided. Mass-producing Iron Man suits wasn't feasible by hand, so he delegated the task to the Red Queen. Not all suits needed to be as complex as the Mark 3. Simplified versions could be made, similar to those found online. These would only require arc reactors.

"Iron Man has finally made his move," Daniel noted, smiling at the news footage. The first appearance of Iron Man featured him battling Middle Eastern terrorists—the very group that had kidnapped Stark. Although the video was blurry, captured by a bystander, the image of Iron Man amidst explosions was iconic. Real men don't look back at explosions.

"Calling in the middle of the night? Are you crazy?" Daniel grumbled as he answered a late-night call from an unknown number.

"I'm Nick Fury," came the voice on the other end.

"Oh, Director, what's the matter?" Instantly alert, Daniel knew something serious was up.

"Stark's in trouble at Stark Industries. If you don't want him to die, get there now." Fury hung up before Daniel could respond.

"So, it's happening," Daniel realized. Stark must be facing a significant threat.

"Didn't Stark make any backup arc reactors?" Daniel muttered as he got ready. He had previously suggested Stark create several spare arc reactors, but it seemed Stark hadn't taken his advice seriously.

"These scientists never prepare for contingencies," Daniel sighed. In his world, having backups was standard. He even planned to have multiple wands someday, though he hadn't yet implemented this.

"Should I drive or Apparate?" Daniel debated as he gathered his gear.

"Stark should be fine for now. I'll drive," he decided, opting not to reveal his teleportation ability prematurely. Keeping secrets from Nick Fury was crucial.

"Miss Potts, it's dangerous here. We should leave," urged Coulson, as Pepper anxiously watched the battle between two Iron Man suits atop Stark Industries.

After Stark had sent them the video, S.H.I.E.L.D. launched an operation to apprehend Obadiah Stane. Coulson and his team faced a formidable opponent in the Iron Monger suit, resulting in four agents' deaths. Stark's intervention had saved them from total loss.

Their handguns were useless against the armored behemoth. While waiting for reinforcements, Coulson reassured Pepper despite his own uncertainty.

Thankfully, it was late, and the employees had left. Otherwise, the casualties would have been severe.

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