Peter POV:
The system prompt blinked across my eyes.
[SYSTEM REWARD: MULTI-PURPOSE FORERUNNER (HALO) ASSEMBLER VAT UNLOCKED]
— Minoris, Ferrarius and Mercatus Assembler Vat functions.
— Installation: Parker Defence Solutions Sub-Basement Facility.
Deep in the reinforced levels of my company's New York hub, matter shapers roared to life. I switched the feed to the facility cameras. Enormous cylindrical vats as if filled with liquid metal, cables and conduits weaving into it like veins, anchoring itself into the reinforced foundation.
The Multi-purpose Assembler Vat wasn't just an upgrade it was a revolution. Nanostructuring, alloy transmutation and efficient resource application all in one machine. With it, Parker Defence Solutions had leapt into the realm of hyper mass manufacturing.
But first, there was business to be finished here in Malibu.
Stark Lab – War Machine Upgrade
The gutted Hammer suit was little more than junk now, its core gutted and plating stripped. Side by side, me and Tony worked in rhythm. Tony soldering in fresh circuits while I ran latticework simulations across a holo-display.
Rhodey stood behind us, arms folded, watching the chaos that was Stark and Parker engineering in tandem. "So you're saying when I step into this, it won't try to fry me from the inside out?"
Tony smirked. "Not unless you insult my taste in music."
I slid a new arc reactor core into the chest cavity. Palladium but cleaner and more efficient than Vanko's reactor. The blue glow spread across the armor's plating like veins coming alive. "This isn't Hammer's suit anymore. It's yours. Reinforced Titanium A plating, stable reactor, ballistic systems that won't choke. And the software is clean. No back doors."
"Think of it as War Machine 1.5." Tony added. "You're the pilot not Hammer's leash dog."
Rhodey gave a rare smile. "Then let's make sure Hammer never gets another leash."
Me and Tony exchanged a nod. Our plan was already in motion.
Parker Defence Solutions – New York Facility
The AV-49 Wasp cut through the night sky, autopilot guiding me back to my facility. The Wasp had barely touched the ground before striding into the assembler chamber after some twists and turns.
The Multi-purpose Assembler Vat hummed like a living thing. A prism of light stretched upward, breaking matter down to its smallest bonds and reforging them at my command.
On my wrist console, I loaded the schematic I had been designing in secret for weeks. Not for Rhodes. Not for Tony. But for Gwen.
Project: Iron Spider Mk. II.
Core Material: Vibranium-S (Vibranium Supreme).
Synthetic vibranium flowed into the chamber, molecular bonds twisting under the Vat's control. Unlike natural Wakandan vibranium, Vibranium-S was stable, purer and reinforced on a molecular lattice. I strengthened it further with layered absorption, redirection and dispersion systems integrated at the atomic level.
By the time the Vat released the finished frame, the Mk. II gleamed like liquid midnight edged with blue. Stronger than steel. Tougher than Wakanda's greatest treasure and it was for her.
Gwen's Reveal
"Pete? You sounded urgent?" Gwen's voice carried from across the elevator the moment its doors opened. She stepped in, brushing a strand of blonde hair from her eyes.
I smiled and pressed a control pad. The Iron Spider Mk. II unfolded behind me, magenta limbs splaying open in elegant arcs, white, cyan and pink. Hexagonal white light of energy shielding rippling across its surface.
Gwen froze. "…is that…?"
"Your new suit." I stepped aside, letting the full magnificence of the armor catch the overhead light. "Vibranium Supreme. Stronger, faster, tougher than anything I've built before. The Iron Spider Mk. II."
Gwen walked closer, almost reverent. She ran her hand along the plating, fingertips tracing the shimmer of the synthetic alloy. "It's beautiful. Pete, you..." her voice caught, emotions swelling.
I chuckled softly. " It's yours. Made by me for you. My first creation using synthetic Vibranium."
She turned, eyes glistening. "I love It, really. But I'm not giving the first one because that was the first suit you made for me. I'll never let it go. But this…" she looked back at the gleaming Mk. II, "…this feels like the future."
I reached for her hand, squeezing it gently. "The future's ours and I want you ready for it."
Gwen leaned onto me, a smile breaking through. "Then let's make sure the world knows exactly who we are."
Behind us, the Iron Spider Mk. II loomed like a guardian. Vibranium-S pulsing with energy, waiting for its moment.
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