DC: Becoming Doomsday in Marvel Universe

There was no denying that Tony was a genius. All he had ever lacked was a spark, a catalyst, an idea to ignite his brilliance.

Take, for example, the new element he eventually created to replace palladium in his arc reactor. Sure, it had originated as a discovery of his father's, but Howard Stark's era lacked the technology to bring it to life. In the end, it was Tony who made it a reality.

So when Rook proposed the concept of the Iron Man suit, Tony sprang into action. In just one night, with the help of JARVIS, he designed a refined and complete blueprint far beyond Rook's crude sketch.

That was a true blueprint. It was lightyears ahead of the clumsy, childlike drawing Rook had shown him earlier.

Even Rook was impressed. When he first saw the 3D model JARVIS projected, it felt like he was staring at the real Mark I suit.

That's right. It was the Mark I, bulky and rough, just like Rook's crude initial concept. Naturally, Tony's design followed that line because of the foundation Rook had laid out.

The blueprints were broken down into sections. The chest plate had a designated slot for the arc reactor, and the boots were equipped with primitive flamethrower propulsion systems for flight.

It looked exactly like the Mark I suit from the movies.

Rook nodded in satisfaction but made a request. "Make me a copy of the blueprint."

Tony, still riding high on his excitement, paused and frowned. "What do you want that for?"

"To give it to someone else, of course," Rook said bluntly.

Tony froze. Was this guy really announcing he was going to act as a double agent right to his face?

For a moment, Tony didn't even know what expression to make.

Rook just chuckled. Then he asked, "You haven't figured out whose weapons those attackers used against you, have you?"

Tony's face darkened. He had suspected as much at the time. After all, he oversaw the weapons division of Stark Industries, their crown jewel.

He'd sensed it already—that those weapons might have been his own designs.

At first, he'd tried to brush it off, telling himself they must have come from the black market.

But now Rook was bringing it up, and that meant something.

"If I told you that someone on the inside sold them those weapons and orchestrated the whole attack, would you believe me?" Rook asked.

"Who was it?" Tony's voice was cold as ice. He wanted to know who had betrayed him, who had sold him out.

Rook, infuriatingly, only smiled and deflected. "You'll find out soon enough. I'll make sure you do. But first, give me that blueprint. And by the way, this first-generation suit? It's garbage. You think this clunky pile of metal is what I'm trying to give you? Go back and improve it. All I did was give you a starting point. The rest is up to you. You need to develop a suit that reflects your vision, your style."

The Mark I was destined to be scrapped anyway. There was no point wasting time on it.

Rook pointed at the blueprint and began explaining. "First of all, those boot thrusters? Way too primitive. How much fuel can you even carry for those? And aren't you planning to use the arc reactor as a power source? Change it. Add propulsion to the arms too. It'll boost your speed and give you more maneuverability. The hand thrusters can even double as weapons."

"And another thing..."

Rook outlined a slew of advanced concepts, sharing ideas inspired by the future versions of Iron Man suits he'd seen before.

And to Tony's credit, he listened closely, his mind racing with possibilities.

The propulsion system definitely needed work. Tony had known that already. What he'd created was just a rough draft based on Rook's initial suggestion, not a final design.

But adding arm thrusters? That would give him four points of propulsion—two on the feet, two on the hands—offering greater speed and far more precise control for mid-air maneuvers.

And if those thrusters could lift an armored suit, their raw force could easily be weaponized, like a compact air cannon.

Rook's input wasn't nonsense. It was valuable.

Which left Tony even more confused. "What's your game here?"

Tony could tell Rook genuinely wanted to help. That wasn't the issue. What he didn't understand was why Rook would then turn around and offer the blueprint to someone else.

Rook sighed. "I'm helping you identify your enemy. If they're willing to take this blueprint and try to act on it, that means they really want you dead. That whole attack, the ambush, it wasn't random, Tony. Someone is out to kill you. We need them to take the bait so we can expose them."

"Don't underestimate this. I haven't been here long, but even I can see it. These people knew your schedule, planned the perfect ambush, and used your own weapons against you. There has to be a traitor."

He wasn't wrong. Tony knew that too.

"Who are you giving it to? Who's going to get the blueprint?" Tony pressed.

But Rook shook his head. "I can't tell you that. If I did, you'd go after them right now, and that would tip them off. Just trust me. I'm on your side."

And that much was true. Tony figured if Rook wanted him dead, he could've crushed him like a bug at any time.

Still, Tony didn't like it. "Aren't you just giving my enemies a way to get stronger?"

Rook shrugged. "I'm your bodyguard. With me watching your back, what do you have to worry about? And I'm telling you to upgrade the suit, right? If they can still beat you after that, well, maybe that's on you."

Tony wanted to strangle him. How had this turned into his fault?

But Rook wasn't done. His tone softened. "Tony, I'm trying to help you flush them out, and the sooner the better. If they get their hands on your core technology first, it'll be too late."

Tony knew he was right. But what really kept him up at night wasn't that.

He stared hard into Rook's eyes. Given how tall Rook was, Tony had to tilt his head up to do it.

"Just tell me this," Tony said quietly. "Are you my enemy?"

Rook burst out laughing. "Are you stupid? If I were your enemy, why would I give you the blueprint? Why wouldn't I just hand it straight to them? You think I can't draw my own plans?"

"Then draw one," Tony challenged.

"Oh, you want to play this game? Fine. Keep pushing, and I'll go hit on Pepper next."

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