[Tony soared into the sky, howling with excitement like a gorilla, reveling in the exhilaration of high-speed flight.]
[After a swift turn, he grinned and declared, "This is incredibly easy to control!" Then, without hesitation, he boosted the power and rocketed toward the city.]
[The long-range detection system of the Mark II was highly advanced, capable of analyzing distant objects with precision. As Tony flew past a Ferris wheel, he zoomed in and clearly saw a child seated inside one of the gondolas.]
[The kid, spotting Tony soaring through the sky, gaped in awe, his mouth forming a perfect 'O.' So stunned was he that he failed to notice his ice cream slipping from his grasp.]
[Leaving the Ferris wheel behind, a thought struck Tony—what was the altitude limit of the Mark II?]
["Let's see what this baby can really do! What's the altitude record for the SR-71 Blackbird?"]
[Jarvis promptly responded, "The altitude record for the SR-71 Blackbird is 85,000 feet, sir."]
["Records are meant to be broken! Let's go!" Tony cranked the thrusters to full power and shot straight up into the sky.]
[As he ascended higher and higher, frost began forming on the surface of the Mark II. Jarvis quickly issued a warning: "Sir! Icing at high altitudes can lead to critical failure!"]
["Keep going!!!" Tony, caught up in the thrill, disregarded the warning and continued his rapid ascent.]
[However, as the altitude increased, more and more ice accumulated on the armor. Soon, sparks flickered from the thrusters on his legs, and then—abruptly—they shut down. The lights on Tony's helmet flickered before going completely dark.]
[In an instant, the entire suit lost power. Tony's body went rigid as he felt himself plummeting from the sky. A scream tore from his throat. "AHHH!!!"]
[Encased in the now-pitch-black armor, Tony frantically called out, "We're frozen! Jarvis, adjust the ailerons! Jarvis!!!" But with the power cut off, there was no response.]
[Spiraling uncontrollably, Tony realized he had mere seconds to act before he hit the ground. "Come on! I need to break the ice—now!"]
[With all his strength, he reached for the emergency release switch on his thigh. Twisting it with a desperate motion, he felt the ice crack apart instantly.]
[As the frozen layers shattered, the suit's systems began rebooting at lightning speed. Just before impact, Tony managed to reignite the thrusters, halting his deadly descent at the last possible moment.]
[Narrowly missing a speeding vehicle on the highway, he pulled up and soared back into the sky, leaving behind a chorus of terrified honks from drivers.]
[Having barely escaped death, Tony let out an exhilarated shout. He then veered toward his Malibu mansion, regaining his composure as he slowly hovered half a meter above the rooftop.]
["Power down," he commanded calmly. The next second, the heavy armor shut off—and Tony promptly crashed straight through the ceiling, landing with a resounding thud onto a grand piano below. Well, so much for Obadiah playing the piano.]
[But it didn't stop there. The impact sent him crashing through another floor before finally coming to a halt—on top of a sleek blue sports car in his garage.]
[A deafening alarm blared through the room as multiple luxury cars reacted to the sudden disturbance. Then, as if adding insult to injury, the robotic assistant, Dum-E, aimed its nozzle at Tony's motionless body and began spraying him with fire-extinguishing foam.]
[Sitting up with a sigh, covered in white mist, Tony tilted his head back helplessly.]
"Tony!!! You actually pulled a stunt this dangerous?! Why didn't you tell me?!"
Hearing the commotion, Pepper came rushing downstairs, her face filled with fury.
"Uh... I'm sorry, Pepper! I didn't want you to worry! Really!" Facing her wrath, Tony immediately offered a heartfelt apology, swearing that he would never take such reckless risks again.
Even though Tony repeated his assurances, Pepper remained visibly upset. Meanwhile, Rhodey and Banner exchanged glances before silently slipping away—they had no interest in sticking around while a couple had an argument.
"Wow! That was insane! He nearly fell to his death!" 1st Gen Spider-Man commented, tilting his head in disbelief.
"Yeah, that was seriously crazy!" 1st Gen Gwen was still shaken, her palms damp with sweat. Even though she knew Tony wouldn't die so easily, witnessing such a close call had made her heart race.
1st Gen Spider-Man noticed her reaction and gently took her hand. Feeling the dampness, he smiled. "Don't worry, Tony Stark isn't the type to die that easily."
Gwen let out a small breath, realizing she had been overly tense. Now that the crisis had passed, she managed to relax.
Meanwhile, 2nd Gen Spider-Man and 2nd Gen Gwen burst into laughter. "Hahaha! Dum-E finally got his revenge!" They found the fire-extinguishing scene far too amusing to worry about Tony's near-death experience.
Harry, on the other hand, was more intrigued by the technological aspects. He compared Tony's Mark II armor to the Green Goblin armor developed by Oscorp.
"Hmm... the Mark II seems to have better mobility," he mused. "But the Green Goblin armor has built-in medical functions—something the Mark II lacks."
This realization made Harry more determined than ever to improve the design of the Goblin glider, aiming to match the maneuverability of Tony's suit.
Ironically, Tony himself, after learning that the Green Goblin armor could even cure spider venom, later rushed to integrate a similar function into the Mark 7. Since medical technology wasn't his forte, he had to rely on Banner for assistance.
As for the Mark I Destroyer armor, it wasn't built for such functions, but it still had its own unique strengths.
[Tony, still covered in traces of ice, made his way into the lab. He grabbed the coffee Pepper had left for him and then noticed a small box beneath the cup.]
[Curious, he picked it up and saw a note attached: "Sent from Pepper."]
[Tearing open the brown paper, Tony's eyes widened slightly—inside was his old arc reactor.]
[A message was written around the circular device: "Proof that Tony Stark has a heart."]
[Staring at the words, Tony's lips curled into a rare, genuine smile.]
[Meanwhile, in a dark cave, the remnants of the Ten Rings organization were attempting to reassemble the Mark I armor.]
[They scrutinized the blueprints Tony had left behind. One of the members frowned and asked, "Where's the piece that was supposed to go on the chest?"]
["Looks like it got lost," another replied nonchalantly.]
[Raza, sitting nearby with a cigarette between his fingers, gazed at the incomplete Mark I. The dim light cast ominous shadows across the scars on his face, making his expression all the more menacing.]
[Staring at the crude metal mask of the Mark I, Raza's mind drifted back to the day they suffered a devastating loss at Tony's hands. As they struggled to rebuild the past, they had no idea that Tony had already moved far beyond the Mark I—creating the far superior Mark II.]
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