Chapter 16 - Marcus Gains Powers

Marcus sat on the edge of the metal workbench, rubbing his temples as the aftershock of the explosion settled in. His mind was racing, trying to process what had just happened. Tony's Arc Reactor had overloaded, and the surge of energy had knocked him out cold. He had felt the power wash over him, burning into his skin, but somehow, he was... okay.

More than okay.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Tony asked, glancing at him as he ran diagnostics on the Arc Reactor. "That was a pretty big hit."

Marcus nodded slowly. "Yeah... I think so." But even as he said it, he could feel something beneath the surface—something that wasn't quite right. His body hummed with a strange energy, like static clinging to his skin. He wasn't in pain, but there was an undeniable tingling sensation coursing through him, subtle yet persistent.

Marcus tried to shake it off, pushing the feeling aside as he finished his check of the lab's security systems. The unauthorized access attempts had been blocked, and the network seemed stable for now, but his mind wasn't on the job anymore. It was on what had just happened to him.

"That's the second time the reactor's done that," Tony muttered, more to himself than to Marcus. "I've got to get this stabilized."

Marcus blinked, pulling himself out of his daze. "I'll tighten the firewall, make sure no one else tries to get in." His voice felt distant, like he was speaking from behind a fog.

"Yeah, thanks," Tony said, distracted, still focused on the reactor.

Marcus nodded and turned to leave the lab, but as he reached for the door, he stumbled slightly, his vision blurring for a moment. His hand shot out instinctively, grabbing the doorframe, but something strange happened. His fingers sank into the metal as if it were soft, like clay.

His heart skipped a beat. He quickly pulled his hand back, staring at the faint indentation he had left in the metal. What was that?

He rubbed his eyes, shaking his head, wondering if he had imagined it. Maybe the explosion had rattled his senses more than he thought. He glanced back at Tony, who was too engrossed in his work to notice. Not wanting to draw attention, Marcus left the lab, trying to keep his composure.

As soon as Marcus made it to a quiet hallway, he stopped, his mind racing. His hand trembled as he stared at it, trying to process what he had just done. His fingers had left an imprint in solid metal. How was that possible?

He flexed his hand experimentally, feeling the same odd tingling sensation in his fingertips. There was no pain, just a subtle vibration, like his body was filled with some kind of dormant energy. He hadn't felt it before, but now it was unmistakable.

"What's happening to me?" he whispered to himself.

Marcus rushed to a nearby restroom, locking the door behind him. He needed to figure out what was going on—needed to understand what had changed. He stepped in front of the mirror and stared at his reflection, half-expecting to see some sign of physical damage from the Arc Reactor's explosion. But he looked the same, his skin unmarked, his eyes clear. Nothing seemed out of place.

He held his hand up in front of his face, watching as the faint blue spark flickered across his fingertips, barely visible. It was like the energy from the Arc Reactor was still inside him, running through his veins. He had seen what the reactor could do—how much power it held. But this? This was different.

The rest of the day passed in a blur as Marcus struggled to focus on his work. Every now and then, he would catch himself feeling the same surge of energy ripple through him, and he had to fight the urge to test it further. He couldn't let anyone see. not until he knew what was happening.

It wasn't until later, as Marcus walked through the nearly empty office toward the executive parking lot for his meeting with Pepper Potts, that the full extent of his abilities started to reveal themselves.

As he made his way through the quiet corridors, Marcus overheard a conversation between two engineers near the elevator. They were discussing some complicated technical problem involving one of Stark Industries' new prototypes, something about advanced materials engineering. Normally, Marcus would have only caught bits and pieces of the jargon, it was way outside his area of expertise. but now?

He understood every word.

Marcus stopped in his tracks, stunned. It was like the information was flooding into his mind, every technical term and engineering concept clicking into place with ease. He had never studied advanced engineering, but now it felt as though he had absorbed the knowledge directly from the engineers talking in the hallway. Their expertise was his.

His pulse quickened. This wasn't just some random side effect of the explosion. Something had changed inside him, the Arc Reactor's energy had done something to him. He wasn't just stronger; he was... absorbing knowledge.

Marcus's mind reeled as he continued walking, his thoughts racing. The energy he had absorbed had given him more than just a physical boost. It was as if he could now mimic the skills and knowledge of the people around him. He had only been near those engineers for a few moments, but that had been enough. He had absorbed their expertise without even trying.

His hand tightened around the strap of his bag as he reached the parking lot. What did this mean? Could he control it? And what would happen if people found out?

For now, Marcus knew one thing for certain, he had powers. and they weren't like anything he had ever imagined. But with those powers came a terrifying realization. The more he used them, the more he felt disconnected from himself. It was like every new piece of knowledge, every new skill, pulled him further away from who he was.

As Marcus waited in the shadows of the parking lot for Pepper Potts to arrive, he couldn't help but wonder. How much of himself would he lose if he kept using these powers?