-----
-----
"Sorry, Mr. Superman," said Dr. Selvig carefully, one of the energy researchers. "We've tried all kinds of power storage cells, even some prototype future battery concepts that current tech hasn't fully developed yet."
"But none of them can handle the energy demands of the suit. Realistically, only a nuclear battery would be powerful enough to support it."
"Problem is, we humans haven't figured out how to shrink nuclear batteries down to a portable size."
"That would be the key to the future of mankind... the dream of every energy scientist…"
He looked nervous, worried that Peter—their terrifying "Superman"—would lose patience with their slow progress and lash out.
But Peter stayed calm. He didn't seem mad at all. He just turned his gaze toward Tony, still drinking on the couch.
"Mr. Stark. Got any bright ideas?"
Hearing this, Tony finally set down his glass and stood up, slowly walking over to Peter.
"Alright, Superman. I get that you're in a hurry, but science takes time. Progress is step by step. And energy, well… it's always been the bottleneck for human advancement."
"Unless someone like Newton, Einstein, or Da Vinci shows up—some once-in-a-lifetime genius who can singlehandedly push science forward—then we've got to stick to the normal pace of development."
"If the 'key to the future' were easy to find, it wouldn't be called that in the first place."
Since Tony was about a head shorter than Peter, he had to slightly tilt his head up to meet Peter's eyes.
"So… you, who calls yourself the most brilliant scientist of this era, don't have a better solution?"
Peter asked flatly, his face unreadable.
"Oh, I actually do have a pretty good one."
Tony suddenly smiled and looked Peter up and down before continuing.
"I heard them say you can absorb solar energy and channel it into yourself—that's how you got all that crazy power, right?"
"So, technically… you're already the strongest energy source around."
He didn't need to say anything more.
Everyone in the room, including Peter, immediately understood what Tony was implying.
He was suggesting that Peter himself be used as the power supply for the suit—a walking, talking super-battery.
"Tony, you—!"
The second those words left his mouth, everyone around tensed up, holding their breath.
Someone had actually floated this idea before, but it got shot down instantly—and for good reason.
The reason was pretty obvious.
"If I could solve it myself, why would I need you guys?"
Peter's eyes were starting to glow red, and Reed Richards quickly stepped between them in a panic.
Facing Peter, he pleaded carefully, "Mr. Superman, please—just give us a little more time. We will figure out a solution to the energy problem."
"…Fine. You've got a bit more time."
The red glow in Peter's eyes faded, and after leaving those words behind, he simply turned around and walked away.
"Oh, right—almost forgot to tell you. The food I brought this time should last you about three days."
"But I'm kinda busy next week. Probably won't have time to drop off more supplies. So… try to ration it out and make it through the week."
Peter tossed this comment over his shoulder as he walked out of the lab, not even looking back.
"Only a week? Isn't that cutting it a little close…"
Everyone present was smart enough to pick up on the threat behind Peter's words: one week. That was the deadline for solving the energy crisis.
Immediately, the atmosphere turned grim. Everyone's faces grew darker.
"Oh, and one more thing—I came in such a rush today that I didn't bring any fuel for your power generators. So… if you use your current supply sparingly, it might keep the base running for, like, three or four days."
"Unfortunately, I don't have brains as brilliant as yours. If I did, maybe I could give you a more accurate estimate. But you're all geniuses—I believe you'll figure something out. Right?"
Peter suddenly turned to glance at them, speaking with mock regret.
Then he spun around again, clearly ready to leave.
"Three days? There's no way we can do it in three days…"
Someone finally muttered, and the bitterness on everyone's faces deepened.
The energy crisis had stumped human civilization for decades. And now they were expected to solve it in just three days? That was impossible.
As Peter's figure began to disappear down the hallway, Tony looked around at the people he'd been stuck working with these past few days. They weren't quite friends—but they were familiar now. Fellow inmates, in a sense.
The hesitation on Tony's face finally vanished. Just as Peter was about to vanish around the corner, Tony suddenly called out.
"…Alright, you win."
"I already solved the energy problem."
Antarctica – Scientific Research Base, Energy Lab
Inside the energy lab, one person was busy working alone.
Everyone else had been kicked out and was now crowding around in the hallway, peeking through the glass window.
"Mr. Superman, we honestly have no idea when Mr. Stark figured out the solution. He never mentioned it to any of us," Selvig explained, trying to justify the situation to Peter.
And honestly, it was true. None of them knew when—or how—Tony had managed to solve the energy issue.
"I get it. Just keep watching," Peter replied, his eyes fixed firmly on the figure inside the lab.
He watched as Tony calmly and skillfully laid out materials and equipment, assembling them with practiced ease.
"Tony Stark—the undisputed genius of the Marvel Universe. The man Thanos himself said was cursed with knowledge."
"Back then, he built a revolutionary new clean energy source—the miniaturized arc reactor—in a freaking cave with scraps."
Recalling Tony's original fate, Peter had zero doubts. If Stark could succeed under those conditions, there was no way he'd fail here with a fully stocked lab.
"…Is that a miniaturized arc reactor? He actually…?"
Sure enough, as Tony finished assembling the parts into a palm-sized circular reactor, every single person watching—whether they understood energy tech or not—was stunned.
Even Reed Richards, who considered himself the smartest man alive, looked completely shocked.
At that moment, Tony Stark looked like a god bringing light to the world.
Then, he inserted a palladium core into the newly built arc reactor, hooked it up to the nearby power unit, and prepared to activate it.
Everyone watching held their breath.
They were about to witness a moment that deserved to be recorded in history.
Tony flipped the switch. Current surged into the dull reactor.
Bzzzz… Bzz… BZZZ!
The hum of electricity picked up speed, and the arc reactor began to flicker faster and faster!
And finally—
The hum stopped. And there it was.
Sitting on the table was a palm-sized arc reactor, glowing with a bright silvery-white light—shining like a mini sun.
"I admit it—I am the kind of once-in-a-generation genius who can elevate human civilization."
Only after Tony walked out of the lab with the glowing arc reactor in hand and handed it to Peter did everyone snap out of their shock. Yet their eyes still lingered on the arc reactor in Peter's palm.
"The power of the sun, in the palm of my hand!"
"....."