Ten minutes later...
"How about it, Tony? How does it feel to finally leave your cozy little cave after all these months?" Malrick hovered above the former prison, carrying Tony and Yinsen, one in each hand.
He smirked. "It's the kind of unforgettable experience most people never get. Don't you want to share your feelings?"
Tony's hair whipped wildly in the wind. "You call this unforgettable? Malrick, if you hadn't turned into a Super human, I'd have made sure you got a taste of this kind of experience once we got back."
"Alright, alright. Someone's in a mood," Malrick chuckled. "My bad. I'll shut up."
Yinsen spoke up, his timing perfect. "Mr. Malrick… What do you plan to do with the base? Will you leave it for the U.S. military?"
He didn't sound thrilled at the thought.
Yinsen had no love for American officials. He believed the terrorists' rise was at least partially due to U.S. negligence—if not direct involvement.
Before Malrick could answer, Tony cut in. "Destroy it. Burn all of it. Everything with the Stark name on it."
His eyes locked onto the crates below, each marked with the "Stark Industries" logo. His expression darkened.
"No problem," Malrick said simply. He carried them higher into the sky, far from the blast radius.
Once at a safe distance, his eyes glowed red.
Twin beams of heat shot downward, igniting the stockpiled ammunition.
BOOM!
One explosion after another ripped through the base. Flames erupted, sweeping through the facility. A towering mushroom cloud surged into the sky, smoke billowing out in waves.
In mere moments, the once-formidable terrorist base was reduced to rubble and ash.
"…It's over," Yinsen muttered, his cheeks flushed from the heat. "Finally."
Malrick nodded. "No more nightmares. That chapter's closed."
"Next stop—Afghanistan's military base. Tony's old friend is there. He'll get you both back to America."
Malrick flew forward, the desert wind howling around them.
"But I won't be going with you. Not yet. My strength… doesn't match my public identity. Not for now."
Yinsen looked like he wanted to protest, but with the ground hundreds of meters below, he decided to trust the plan.
Tony stirred for the first time since the blast, his voice thoughtful.
"You said not for now. So what are you planning to do next, Malrick?"
Malrick's tone was calm. "Things I've wanted to do for a long time. I didn't have the power before. Now I do."
He looked out at the endless horizon. "When I return, I'll act. Show the world what I can do. That way, if someone figures out who I really am, the ones looking to exploit me won't act so boldly."
"We'll talk more once we're back."
Even Superman wasn't safe from the schemers of the world. Lex Luthor made that clear.
And Malrick knew—once people learned what he was capable of, the vultures would circle. Unless he made it painfully clear from the start that crossing him came at a cost.
Power earns respect. Morality doesn't.
"You're not planning on going loud and drawing attention just to flex, are you?" Tony asked.
Malrick raised an eyebrow. "What, you going to stop me?"
Tony hesitated. Then sighed.
"…No. I just wanted to say… I'm sorry. For not listening to you before. You told me to shut down the weapons division. I didn't."
There was guilt in his voice—not toward Malrick, but toward the people who had died because of Stark-made weapons.
Over a year ago, Malrick had urged Tony to transition away from arms manufacturing. Stark tech had already saturated global electronics markets—it was time to pivot.
But Tony had brushed him off, thinking Malrick was just young and naïve.
Now, after being kidnapped and nearly killed by his own creations, he understood.
"There's no need to apologize," Malrick said. He was surprised—but only slightly. He knew Tony would shut down weapons eventually. He just hadn't expected him to own up to it.
Tony Stark rarely apologized. He preferred making amends in other ways—actions over words.
But maybe this time, he had really changed.
"You can't rewrite the past. But you can fix the future," Malrick said. "You built a miniature arc reactor in a cave. If you refine it, it could become a global energy source."
"I believe the world will be better because of you, Tony. Just don't get stuck in guilt."
Tony didn't interrupt. He just listened—quietly. That alone said a lot.
When Malrick finished, Tony gave a faint smile. "Maybe you're right... And then there's the matter of Obie…"
"There's definitely something off with Obadiah," Malrick said bluntly. "If I told you now, you'd hesitate. So I'll wait for you in Los Angeles. Then we confront him. Together."
Tony opened his mouth, clearly wanting to argue. He still held out hope for the man who'd been like an uncle to him.
But in the end, he said nothing.
He just nodded. "Alright. I'll listen to you."
Malrick couldn't help but smirk.
It seemed this whole ordeal had made his voice matter a little more to Tony.
Sometimes life teaches lessons that words never could.
A while later, Malrick descended into the desert and set them down.
"Alright, this is where I leave you. The military base is eight kilometers that way. Here—" He handed Tony a flare gun. "Use this. Fire it into the sky once I'm gone. Someone will come find you."
Tony took it. "Wait!"
Malrick paused mid-lift-off.
Tony continued, "I forgot to tell you—make sure you bring my armor back. And if the blueprints didn't burn, grab those too!"
"You're kidding. Why didn't you say something while we were still there?"
"I thought your hands were full! Come on, just grab it—"
"You know what? You've got it."
Malrick flipped him off with a grin, then shot into the sky, cracking the sound barrier as he vanished.
The two men left behind watched his trail fade into the clouds.
"…Won't your brother get spotted flying around a military base like that?" Yinsen asked.
Tony raised an eyebrow. "What brother? That was Superman. Saved us, then vanished. We never saw his face clearly."
Yinsen blinked. "Right… That Superman really is a kind and enthusiastic hero."
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