James's superhuman vision pierced the skyscrapers, spotting a chaotic street. Tony Stark, in an upgraded Mark armor, battled a three-meter mech, their energy blasts devastating the area.
"Looks like our billionaire's having fun," James murmured, smirking. He bent his knees.
BANG!
He shot through the sky at blinding speed. Onlookers looked up, shouting, "Is that… Superman?!"
Inside Tony's armor, Jarvis announced, "Sir, rapid approach detected. Energy signature: James Holden."
"Finally back," Tony said, repelling the enemy with a repulsor blast. "Just in time to see my new toy."
James stopped short before them, floating, his black armor glinting in the sun. "Need a hand, Superman?" he teased.
The enemy mech seized the moment to strike James's neck. The fist stopped inches away, blocked by an invisible wall.
Tony shrugged. "Thanks, but I'm just testing the armor's new specs." He gestured at the enemy. "Some cranky villain."
James shook his head. "No need to test. You'll have to upgrade it."
"Huh?" Tony lifted his visor, puzzled.
James turned to the mech, which activated all its weapons. "Goodbye," he said, tracing a golden symbol. A blue vortex swallowed the mech, reappearing it three kilometers up, free-falling.
"Jarvis! Track it!" Tony yelled.
James shot up, catching the mech. A single kick shattered it. Before the debris fell, another portal consumed them.
He descended, tossing the unconscious pilot to stunned cops. "You're… who?" one stammered, hand on his gun.
James smiled. "Call me Superman."
Tony landed beside him. "What was that? Magic? Jarvis says the mech's gone!"
"Teleported to your warehouse," James replied, patting Tony's shoulder. "Asgardian magic."
Tony's eyes widened. "Magic?"
"We'll talk later," James said, noticing the crowd and smartphones. "Unless you want to make tomorrow's headlines."
They took off, leaving the crowd in awe. Kids shouted, "Iron Man and Superman! They're a team!"
In Stark Tower's lab, Tony examined the teleported debris. "Incredible!" He grabbed a twisted plate. "Instant teleportation, zero energy loss, no spatial distortion! It defies physics!"
James, by the window, watched the dusk. "Asgardians call it Heimdall's blessing. It's World Tree energy manipulation. I saved Thor and visited Asgard."
Tony dropped the plate with a clang. "Asgard? You mean…"
"Yeah, Norse gods," James confirmed. "Odin, Loki, Thor—it's all real."
Tony stammered, "It's… real? We're on Earth, and now myths are true?"
James pulled a box from his system space. "More real than you think." He opened it, revealing a glowing Uru block. "Gift from Thor. Material for Asgard's divine weapons."
Tony, awestruck, touched the Uru. Jarvis alerted, "Unknown element, ultra-stable atomic structure, incompatible with the periodic table!"
Tony downed a whiskey. "So, Odin, Loki… they're real?"
"Pretty much," James said. "They see themselves as an advanced civilization, not gods. Thor's just an alien prince who loves swinging his hammer."
Tony's eyes lit up. "Their tech? Weapons? Energy? Transport?"
James smiled. "Here's your surprise number two." He activated a rune on the box, which disintegrated into nanometric particles, reforming as a small hammer. "Asgardian nanotechnology. More advanced than your Marks."
Tony, awestruck, approached. "Impossible! Nanometric recomposition needs massive computing power and energy control…"
"Plus a touch of Uru magic," James added, snapping the hammer back into a box. "I decoded the principle and adapted a version for Earth materials."
Tony grabbed a datachip James offered. "It's all here: parameters, Uru-alloy fusion. Enough to turn your Marks into nano-armors. Make me one too."
Tony, trembling with excitement, ordered, "Jarvis! Scan it! Start modeling!"
A hologram appeared, displaying complex molecular structures. Tony, possessed, manipulated the data. "This conduction system… this recomposition algorithm… James, it's genius!"
James leaned against the console. "Careful, Uru needs a specific energy frequency. Upgrade your Arc Reactor first."