1 Tony Stark

Under the night sky, Gotham was filled with its usual energy, the tall buildings casting long shadows over the streets. Amidst the city's ceaseless activity, one particular structure stood out—the Stark Tower, its illuminating sign gleaming brightly.

In the workshop at the tower's summit, a solitary figure toiled away, bathed in the warm glow of artificial light. Tony Stark, his black hair tousled and a hint of stubble adorning his jawline, focused intently on his workbench.

His attire comprised of a simple black t-shirt and worn cargo pants, his muscular form accentuated by the steady movements of his hands as he wielded a welding tool.

Sparks would occasionally go off, as he tinkered with a red/golden gauntlet.

As he worked, Tony's mind wandered. He thought back to the day he woke up in this strange new world, realizing he was reborn as Tony Stark at the age of 22. It had been five years since then, and he still couldn't shake the feeling of being out of place.

In this Gotham, his 'parents' had died in a plane crash, and whether or not it was murder, was a mystery to him, as he knew his Dad was a sought after man.

But since the day he woke up here, Tony had been chasing a single goal: to build a suit of armor all by himself. He received a holographic prompt that promised some kind of system activation if he could manage to create it. But for someone who wasn't a tech genius like his Marvel counterpart, it was harder than it seemed.

Five years of failure weighed on Tony's shoulders, but he refused to give up. He'd thrown himself into learning engineering, determined to prove himself, and when considering he had Tony Stark's brain, he picked up on things easier.

And amongst all the memories of young Tony who graduated MIT at age 17, occasionally he would get flashes of inspiration to able to even create an Arc Reactor.

It was like a dream, whenever he struggled on certain aspects of technology, memories of his older self would suddenly appear in his head. He couldn't conclude the cause, but he was grateful nonetheless.

Focusing back on the helmet, he continued working with a reminiscent look.

"It's taken years of hard work," Tony admitted, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips, "but I'm almost there."

After a few moments of anticipation, he finally set down his tools and lifted the gauntlet, his hands trembling slightly with excitement. With deliberate care, he positioned it atop the suit's awaiting frame, the metallic clang resonating through the workshop as it locked into place with a satisfying click.

As the glove seamlessly connected to the suit, a soft hum filled the air, and a brilliant light illuminated the circular arc reactor at its chest. The workshop was bathed in an otherworldly glow.

"Ha! It's done!" Tony exclaimed, his voice a mixture of disbelief and triumph. With arms outstretched in a gesture of victory, he couldn't help but marvel at the sight before him.

The culmination of years of effort and determination stood before him, a testament to his ingenuity and perseverance.

In that moment, amidst the flickering light and the hum of machinery, Tony felt a surge of pride wash over him. This was more than just a suit of armor—it was a symbol of possibility, of endless potential waiting to be unleashed.

And as he stood there, basking in the glow of his achievement, he knew that nothing would ever be the same again.

Not even a moment later, a blue holographic screen materialized in front of him.

...

[Neural Link Assimilating!]

[8%]

[34%]

[57%]

[76%]

[99%]

[Neural Link Assimilated!]

...

"Ooo, very interesting." Tony had a hand under his chin as he watched the prompt curiously.

The blue screen suddenly contorted into a blue human figure, someone who Tony recognized.

"Tony Stark?" He uttered, his voice tinged with disbelief as he stared at the holographic copy of himself, albeit older.

The holographic Tony flashed a confident smirk. "You betcha, it's yours truly! The one and only Tony Stark, at your service. Now, I can see you're a bit puzzled, but fear not! I'm here to shed some light on this little technological marvel we've got going on."

With a flourish of his virtual hand, the holographic Tony gestured toward the neural link now assimilated into Tony's brain. "What you've just experienced is the assimilation of the Neural Link system. You might've been unaware, but that chip you've got in your noggin? Well, it's now a part of you, buddy! Your brain has embraced it like a long-lost friend, and now you've got access to a whole new world of possibilities."

Tony leaned in, his holographic form exuding an air of enthusiasm. "Let me break it down for you. With this Neural Link, you've essentially got a direct line to the cutting-edge technology at your disposal. Want to control your suit with your thoughts? Done. Need access to every database known to mankind? Consider it done. This thing's like having J.A.R.V.I.S. on steroids, but better because it's all up here." He tapped his temple with a wink.

"Now, let's talk about genius levels." holographic Tony continued, pacing back and forth with animated energy.

"You see, there are six levels of genius: Novice Genius, Competent Genius, Skilled Genius, Expert Genius, Master Genius, and last but not least, True Genius. Each one unlocking new capabilities and upgrades for your suits. And here's the kicker: the smarter you get, the more badass those upgrades are. It's like leveling up in a video game, but with way cooler rewards."

Tony paused, his expression turning slightly more serious. "Now, I could've kept this all to myself, tinkering away in my own little workshop. But where's the fun in that? No, I've decided to pay it forward, to pass on this legacy to a random Stark from another multiverse. Call it my way of leaving a mark on the world, even when I'm not around to see it."

With a charismatic grin, holographic Tony added, "So, my friend, buckle up and get ready for the ride of a lifetime. With great power comes great responsibility, and you, my friend, are about to embark on one hell of an adventure."

Finishing it with a curt wave and wistful smile, holographic Tony offered his farewell. "Good luck out there, pal. Make me proud." And with that, he vanished into thin air.

In front of his still stunned eyes, another interface showed up.

...

|Iron Man System|

Host: Tony Stark

Intelligence: Novice Genius

[Blueprints]

Abilities:

[Technopathy (Active)], [Thought Acceleration (Active)], [Photographic Memory (Passive)], [Analytical Insight (Passive)], [Rapid Learning (Passive)], and [Mental Resilience (Passive)]. 

...

"Ha!" Tony couldn't help but chuckle as he covered his mouth in shock.

Before it turned incontrollable.

"HAHAHAHA!"

"Tony Stark, you crazy bastard! I love you!" He couldn't help but shout out in the empty room.

He could feel it, from this day forth, his life would be much better.

Shaking his head, Tony calmed down as he observed the system.

Just like how the hologram said, their were Genius Levels, and he was at the very bottom, namely the Novice Level.

This meant his access to the blueprints were limited to that of a Novice. Nevertheless he pressed the [Blueprints] icon.

...

Blueprints:

[Mark V Suit]

[Mark VI Suit]

[Mark VII Suit]

[Hulkbuster Armor]

.

..

...

Their was a decent sized lists of various suits, and he could only marvel, using these, he would have the recipe organized in his head, all he needed to do was provide the materials and create the suit himself. Which is essentially the easier part, especially since he had the help of various robots in the workshop and was the owner of Stark Industries.

His eyes then glanced toward the abilities.

...

[Technopathy]: It allows the host to communicate with and manipulate technology using his mind. This ability grants him the power to interface directly with his Iron Man suit, controlling its functions, accessing its systems, and even modifying its design remotely. Additionally, you can tap into any online database or network, accessing vast amounts of information and intelligence in real-time.

[Thought Acceleration]: Thought acceleration is the ability to process information and generate thoughts at an accelerated rate, allowing individuals to think faster and react more quickly to stimuli. Currently your thoughts can be accelerated by 10x that of an ordinary person.

...

Tony unconsciously cursed as he looked stunned, "Well, shit!"

Quickly calming down, he focused on the two abilities, as they were the most interesting since the other abilities were pretty self explanatory.

"Fortunately these two abilities also complement each other perfectly," Tony continued, his thoughts racing ahead. "While thought acceleration allows me to process information at lightning speed, technopathy enables me to control my suit with my mind. Hypothetically speaking, with a mind fast enough, I could even contend with the likes of the Flash or Superman using my suit as an extension of myself."

But he quickly shook his head, "That's a bit much. It's best to just test out my abilities for now."

With a focused thought, Tony envisioned his thoughts accelerating and his mind racing.

In an instant, it felt as though time itself had slowed down, the world around him practically coming to a standstill.

Tony marveled at the sensation.

Eager to explore further, he reached for his phone, his mind already buzzing with possibilities. As he grasped the device, he felt a surge of energy coursing through him, granting him access to its functions with a mere thought.

With a smirk, he effortlessly navigated through apps and even accessed security cameras within the building.

However, when he attempted to manipulate objects from a distance, he found his abilities limited. Puzzled, Tony concluded that physical contact was necessary to gain access—a limitation he speculated might change as he continued to develop and refine his abilities.

And he noticed their was a limit to it which depended on the encryption of the databases. For example he could access a basic public security camera, but something on a higher level like Nasa, or the FBI, wouldn't be possible at his current capabilities. Indicating that in order to reach hack such systems, he would need to increase his intelligence/genius level.

Rubbing his chin, he nodded contently, "Hmm, very interesting..."

After a few minutes of practicing his abilities, he got used to them, and finally his gaze landed on the suit at the center of the room.

Specifically, it was the Mark III Suit.

___________________________

Express your thoughts!