Ultimate Iron Man

1 bonus chapter: 300 powerstones [Today's goal]

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[Horizon Island – Main Research Wing]

Tony stood at the central console, holographic displays flickering around him. He was deep in thought, eyes scanning strands of DNA unraveling in midair. He adjusted the magnification, highlighting rogue segments of genetic code linked to unstable X-gene activation.

Rogue sat nearby on a medical platform, her sleeve rolled up. A small sample of her blood spun inside a containment vial behind a glass panel. Tony glanced over at her, then back to his screen.

"Alright," he said, his tone focused but calm. "This is going to take some time. Your X-gene's structure is more layered than most. And your mutation seems to have multiple sublevels, in simple words. That's what makes your touch dangerous. But it also means you have more potential than you think."

Rogue gave a nod, "Potential?"

Tony smirked faintly. "You are special. Your mutation just needs boundaries. Once I isolate the right suppressor frequency, I'll pair it with a stabilizer serum. You'll still have your powers, but you'll be able to control when they activate. And you might just become the strongest of all. Anyway, that's for later. For now, let's take one step at a time."

Rogue exhaled, slower this time. She stood up. "Thanks. Really. For not treating me like a problem to be solved."

Tony looked up from his work. "You know, you should really stop thanking me. This is like your 15th thanks."

She gave him a small, grateful smile, then turned to the glass doors at the far end of the lab.

"Ok. I'll try. So... Can I look around this place?"

Tony waved a hand in response without looking. "Go ahead. You'll find a few people worth knowing out there. They've been through their own version of what you're going through. Just ask that bracelet for direction. It'll show you the map of this island and the restricted areas."

[Horizon Island – Courtyard]

The wide-open spaces outside the lab were filled with activity. Training platforms, greenhouses, the robotic sector, then there was the production sector, and a couple of other places. This place went through multiple revamps over the years.

Rogue walked through the courtyard, her eyes taking in the advanced tech alongside natural beauty. Small drones buzzed past overhead while the Widows practiced hand-to-hand combat and shooting in the training ground.

She walked into a shaded area where a woman with short brunette hair sat cross-legged on a bench, watching a movie on her tablet. She wore a white and purple suit. The woman looked up as Rogue approached.

"Hey. You're new."

"Yeah," Rogue said. "First day. I'm Rogue."

"Janet," the woman replied. She stood and extended a hand. "Janet Van Dyne. I hear Tony's working on something special for you."

Rogue hesitated only for a second before shaking her hand. The bracelet on her wrist gave a soft pulse, reminding her she was safe.

"Yeah. He's trying to stabilize my mutation."

Janet smiled. "Good. You deserve to live without fear of yourself. If he says he can do it, he will." She closed her tab and placed it on the bench. "C'mon, let's take a round."

They walked for a few minutes, talking about Horizon Island, the training sessions, and the other residents.

As they reached the edge of a pathway, they stopped near a little balcony with stairs on the right that led to the beach. Rogue looked at Janet curiously.

"So, what about you?" she asked. "You got powers too?"

Janet nodded, her steps light and relaxed. "I'm a mutant, same as you. My body can alter its size at will. I can shrink down to insect-scale or grow big enough to knock over a transport truck. I can also generate bio-electric stings and fly."

Rogue blinked, impressed. "Damn. That's... a lot."

Janet gave a small laugh. "It is. And for a long time, it was a mess. The shrinking and flying, sure, those came with a bit of training. But the stings were tied to my stress. The bigger problem was something else entirely."

Rogue asked. "What kind of problem?"

Janet hesitated for a beat, then looked forward with a serious expression. "I had insectoid genetics. I had these insect instincts. I used to get urges I couldn't control. I would feel the need to lay eggs. I craved insects, live ones. I would wake up in the middle of the night with the instinct to burrow. I couldn't be near people without worrying that something primal would take over. It was humiliating."

Rogue stared at her, stunned. "That's... And Tony fixed that?"

Janet nodded. "He did. He isolated the rogue behavioral pattern in my brain's neural feedback loop and neutralized it without affecting the power source itself. It took time. Some trial and error. Well, here I am, completely normal. Now, I don't build nests or eat insects." She said the last part with a chuckle.

Rogue took it in slowly. Her grip tightened slightly on the railing as she looked out at the view. "I've always been scared to get close to people. My touch can kill someone. Well..." She paused for a moment, then continued. "When my mutation awakened, I nearly killed someone. So, you know. I've always been alone and treated my power as a curse. Everyone was afraid of me. Well, right now, thanks to the suppressor, I can feel human again. I can't wait for the serum." She smiled a bit.

"C'mon, enough with he gloomy talk and the past," Janet grabbed Rogue's arm and pulled her along as she ran down the stairs, straight to the beach. There were a couple of widows playing volleyball. "Time to enjoy the day."

[10 minutes later] [Beach]

It was a sunny day. The salt breeze rolled in gentle waves, mixing with laughter and the sound of volleyballs thudding against sand. Rogue stood barefoot near the edge of the net, her toes curling into the soft ground. She was wearing a blue bikini that Janet gave her. Her hair was tied back loosely, and the breeze caught strands as she moved.

She bumped the ball upward with both hands, laughter slipping out as it nearly spiraled out of bounds. One of the Widows, a woman named Eva with a red headband and lightning-quick reflexes, dashed in from the side and slammed it back over the net. The group burst into cheers.

Janet gave Rogue a high five and grinned. "Not bad for a first timer."

Rogue couldn't help but laugh. "This is fun."

"Yeah, it is," Janet replied.

They reset the ball, and the game continued. Sunlight bounced off the water, and seagulls called from above. Around them, the tension that usually followed Rogue like a shadow was completely absent. She ran. She played. She even shouted with mock frustration when she missed a serve. And for the first time in what felt like forever, her laugh came without hesitation.

By lunch, her face was flushed red, and she got tan lines. She walked back from the waterline with the others, her hair damp from a splash fight she didn't start but definitely escalated. As they reached the outdoor tables, Jane handed out sandwiches, fruit bowls, and cold drinks. Janet handed Rogue a plate and nudged her toward an empty spot beneath a sunshade.

"You look different already," Janet said, sitting beside her.

Rogue bit into her sandwich and nodded. "Feels different. I never thought I'd laugh like that again."

"You'll do more than laugh," Janet said. "Just wait for the rest of the team to get back."

Rogue looked around, watching the women chat, stretch out in the sun, and throw towels around each other in half-serious wrestling matches. She saw people who had been broken before but were healing. And now she was part of it.

In that moment, the fear that had been her constant companion felt far away. She wasn't just suppressing her power. She was beginning to live.

[Main Facility – Observation Balcony]

Tony leaned against the edge of the second-story balcony, a plate of food in one hand, a glass of iced tea in the other. The glass was already sweating in the heat. He looked down at the beach, quietly watching Rogue laughing with the others. She had just flicked sand at Eva, who countered by grabbing a water bottle and chasing her toward the shore.

A rare expression flickered across Tony's face. It wasn't pride or satisfaction. It was something quieter. Something closer to peace. He took a bite of his wrap, still watching as Rogue doubled over from laughing too hard to run.

He shook his head lightly and turned away, walking back toward the entrance of the cafeteria.

"Better enjoy this lunch before Yelena calls just to yell about how I skipped a meal again," he muttered.

Inside, the table auto-adjusted as he sat down, pulling up the day's analytics on a side screen. He reached for a fork, paused, and glanced back once through the glass wall toward the beach.

Rogue was still smiling. And this time, she wasn't pretending.

Tony allowed himself a small smile, then dug into his lunch. The work could wait another ten minutes.

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