Awakening Kryptonian Bloodline In Marvel.

Marvel Universe.

Stark Mansion, Los Angeles.

"Beep, beep, beep!"

As soon as Malrick reappeared in the basement, alarms flared and every warning light in the lab turned red. Sirens blared like the place was under siege.

The AI-assisted cleaning bot, zipped over on a wheeled base and sprayed him with disinfectant. Meanwhile, the second bot holding a fire suppression nozzle, was seconds away from hosing him down.

"Alright, enough! Do I look like an intruder to you?" Malrick waved his arms. "You're treating me like I broke in!"

The alarms cut out, and the lights shifted back to normal.

"Welcome back, sir. I gather your time in the other universe wasn't... optimal?" Jarvis said coolly.

"Back? You say that like I was gone forever." Malrick frowned. "How long was I away, anyway? Please don't tell me it's been a decade."

"If you're worried about the Schumia incident, you can relax," Jarvis replied. "It's been exactly 12 hours and 37 minutes since your departure. Local time: 7:49 AM."

Malrick raised a brow. "Twelve hours? And you used the word 'finally' like I vanished for years. Jarvis, your syntax settings might need a reboot."

"Sir, that word choice was based on Mr. Stark's emotional state during your absence."

"Oh? So Tony missed me that much?" Malrick chuckled.

"It would appear so. Three hours ago, he asked about your return every seven minutes on average."

Malrick smirked. "And in the last three hours?"

"He fell asleep."

Just then, Tony Stark barreled down the stairs in pajama pants and a white scarf, clearly fresh out of bed.

"You talking trash about me again?" he muttered, squinting. "Look who finally decided to show up. What happened, kid? Got roughed up and came home to cry?"

Malrick gave him a bemused look. "What, worried the empty house was too quiet without me?"

"It was peaceful. But according to Jarvis, you were the star of my dreams." Tony collapsed into a chair with dramatic flair.

Malrick laughed. "Only twelve hours apart and you're already whispering my name in your sleep?"

"Jarvis, you told him that?" Tony groaned.

"Sir, I refrained from mentioning the 17 instances of name-calling during your sleep cycle. Until now."

Tony covered his face with a sigh. "Traitor."

"So," he said, turning back to Malrick. "Did things go sideways over there?"

"Why do you assume that?" Malrick frowned. "You and Jarvis both seem awfully sure."

"Well, for one, you're back without the Super Mark I armor—and that included a Jarvis subsystem."

"Right," Malrick nodded. "I left the armor behind intentionally."

He gave Tony a quick rundown of his time in the alternate world—carefully leaving out any mention of Kryptonian blood experiments.

Tony rubbed his chin, processing. "A sentient world consciousness… and viral bioweapons? Sounds like quite the trip."

"But here's what's weird," Tony added. "You say twelve hours passed there too?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Why?"

Tony jumped up, grabbing a pencil and an empty box. "Because that shouldn't happen!"

He shoved the pencil through the box like a student teaching quantum physics.

"Let's say this box separates two universes. This pencil? That's you, traveling through."

"The left side represents a universe with higher mass, and the right a smaller one. Now, does time flow the same on both sides?"

Malrick hesitated. "Not unless the mass of both universes—and the local space-time curvature—are identical."

"Exactly." Tony snapped his fingers. "According to general relativity, time moves slower in stronger gravitational fields. So two universes having the exact same time flow? Nearly impossible."

Malrick's eyes widened slightly. A thought clicked.

All this time, he had assumed equal time flow simply because that's how it worked in novels—because he thought it should be.

Tony noticed the shift in his expression. "You're getting it, aren't you?"

He leaned in, energized. "The moment you jump between universes, you're not 'pausing' time in either one. The universe keeps spinning."

"So it's not about how much time passed—it's about when you arrive."

"And you might have subconsciously landed in a timeline that matched your expectations. Your thoughts shaped the return point."

Malrick nodded slowly. "So I could re-enter this world seconds later, or years later... depending on how I think about it?"

"Exactly. But be careful—different entry points may cost more energy. You'll need to test that theory yourself."

Tony patted Malrick on the shoulder with exaggerated pride. "See? Having a brain is great. Using it is better."

Malrick gave him a flat look. "Thanks, Professor Stark."

Tony grinned. "You're welcome."

Malrick stood up. "Alright, you enjoy your victory lap—I'm heading back to test this theory."

"Hold on!" Tony suddenly leapt to his feet, the scarf slipping off his neck. "Take me with you this time. If it only costs 1% more energy, I'm worth it!"

"It's dangerous, Tony. You could get infected."

Malrick's eyes landed on the glowing triangle in Tony's chest.

"Wait, you reinstalled the arc reactor?"

Tony smiled smugly. "Yup. Synthesized the new element two hours after you left."

"I call it Badassium. Catchy, right?"

Malrick raised an eyebrow. "Catchy, sure. If your dad were alive, he'd probably climb out of his urn just to smack you."

"Luckily, he's ash. Can't do much now." Tony grinned darkly. "So... do I get to tag along?"

"I'll think about it," Malrick replied.

"Who said you don't think enough?" Tony scoffed, pretending to look around. "Let me talk to that guy—he sounds annoying."

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