MARVEL/DC: DOCTOR IN THE MULTIVERSE

Lynn knew exactly what Tony was doing.

The All-Seeing Eye had already scanned the energy signatures coming from Stark Tower's underground laboratory.

The prototype Anti-God Armor had officially entered the preliminary design stage.

Lynn even knew the armor's core concept.

A vibranium outer shell.

Combined with a high-output energy deflection shield.

The idea itself wasn't wrong.

In fact, it was quite clever.

The problem was that it didn't solve the fundamental issue.

The masked man's power output simply exceeded the design parameters of any energy-deflection system.

A shield could redirect kinetic energy.

It could disperse impact.

It could even convert force into heat or electromagnetic discharge.

But when the incoming energy exceeded the structural tolerance of the shield's framework itself, every defensive mechanism became meaningless.

The shield wouldn't fail because its operating principle was flawed.

It would fail because the material supporting that principle would be destroyed.

The simplest analogy was a drainage system.

A perfectly engineered drain could handle enormous volumes of water.

But if the rainfall exceeded the maximum throughput of the pipe network, the pipes would eventually burst.

The Anti-God Armor faced exactly the same problem.

Still, Lynn never told Tony that.

Whenever Tony came to consult him, Lynn occasionally answered a few technical questions.

Material-processing temperatures.

Alloy optimization formulas.

Thermal stability calculations.

Minor details.

Nothing that affected Lynn personally.

But to Tony Stark, even those scraps of information were priceless.

Every conversation sparked new ideas.

Every answer opened another avenue of research.

As far as Lynn was concerned, it was merely a way to pass the time.

After all, whatever Tony built would never truly threaten him.

Bruce Wayne's approach was far subtler.

Unlike Tony, Bruce didn't show up at the clinic carrying blueprints and tea leaves.

He sent encrypted messages.

The questions always appeared academic in nature.

"What is the theoretical replication limit of Kryptonian cellular structures under continuous yellow-sun exposure?"

Or:

"Can an activated X-Gene experience catastrophic collapse under prolonged biological stress?"

Or:

"How would enhanced neural pathways respond to sustained electromagnetic interference?"

To an outsider, they looked like harmless scientific discussions.

Lynn understood exactly what they were.

Probes.

Every question was designed to establish boundaries.

Bruce was trying to define the limits of the masked man's abilities.

Lynn answered every single time.

Carefully.

Precisely.

Each answer contained enough truth to satisfy Bruce.

Enough information to feel useful.

Enough detail to create progress.

But never enough to reveal anything important.

The core mechanisms behind Lynn's abilities remained completely hidden.

Thus, ten days passed.

...

The morning of the eleventh day.

Miracle Clinic.

A pot of tea steamed quietly behind the counter.

Lynn sat comfortably in his chair while reviewing a vibranium molecular spectroscopy report.

His phone rang.

Tony Stark.

Lynn already knew what the call was about.

He answered anyway.

"Lynn."

Tony's voice sounded unusually energetic.

"Are you free this afternoon? I have a question about energy-deflection phase synchronization."

"No."

A brief pause.

"Then tonight?"

"No."

"Tomorrow?"

Lynn closed the report.

"Mr. Stark."

"You've visited six times this week."

"I'm a doctor."

"Not your personal research consultant."

Tony sounded genuinely wronged.

"But you answered before."

"That's because you brought me a bottle of 1982 Lafite."

"The effects of that wine have expired."

"I'll bring another bottle."

"No need."

Click.

The call ended.

Two minutes later.

Bruce's encrypted message arrived.

"Regarding neurotransmitter attenuation models in the brainstem under extreme electromagnetic environments, I would like confirmation regarding several variables."

Lynn glanced at the message.

Then locked the screen.

No reply.

Five minutes later.

Nick Fury called.

"Lynn."

His voice sounded exhausted.

"I've secured your authorization."

"Four entries into the archive facility."

"When are you planning your first visit?"

"In a few days."

"Which day?"

"I need to arrange security details in advance."

"In a few days."

"Lynn, can you please provide an actual—"

Click.

The call ended.

Lynn leaned back in his chair.

Then closed his eyes.

Too noisy.

Far too noisy.

Tony called almost every day.

Bruce sent several messages daily.

Fury checked in every forty-eight hours.

There were ordinary patients.

Enhanced patients.

Heroes.

S.H.I.E.L.D. observers.

Government agencies.

Insurance companies.

Reporters.

At this point, Miracle Clinic was busier than some emergency rooms.

Lynn opened his eyes.

Then made a decision.

He stood up.

Walked toward the entrance.

Removed the "Open" sign.

Replaced it with a new one.

DOCTOR ON VACATION

NO APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE

Then he locked the door.

Closed every blind.

Disabled the clinic's external communications.

Disconnected every publicly accessible system.

Afterward, he headed into the basement.

Golden sparks erupted from the device around his wrist.

A ring of brilliant light expanded outward.

A portal opened.

On the opposite side stood a quiet courtyard.

Kamar-Taj.

Lynn stepped through.

The portal closed behind him.

Cold Himalayan air filled his lungs.

Dry.

Crisp.

Thin from the altitude.

Peaceful.

The contrast with New York was almost absurd.

Standing atop the stone steps was the Ancient One.

As though she had known he was coming all along.

Which, considering who she was, she probably had.

"Sorcerer."

Lynn placed both hands inside the pockets of his white coat.

"Would it be possible for me to stay here for a few days?"

"I require a quiet place to hide."

The Ancient One regarded him calmly.

"Hide from what?"

Lynn answered immediately.

"The nightmare of clients chasing deadlines."

For the first time, a faint smile appeared in the Ancient One's eyes.

She didn't ask further questions.

Instead, she stepped aside.

Revealing the stone doorway behind her.

"The guest rooms are in the eastern wing."

"The tea is in the kitchen."

"Perfect."

Lynn nodded.

"Thank you."

Then he stepped fully into Kamar-Taj.

The portal vanished.

Silence returned.

...

Ten minutes later.

New York.

Tony Stark arrived outside Miracle Clinic.

In one hand was a bottle of 1978 Bordeaux.

In the other was a stack of technical schematics.

His expression froze when he saw the sign hanging on the door.

DOCTOR ON VACATION.

Tony stared.

Then knocked.

No response.

He called.

The phone was off.

He sent a message.

No reply.

Tony stood there holding an expensive bottle of wine while experiencing emotions he couldn't quite describe.

"JARVIS."

"Yes, sir?"

"Lynn ran away."

"Based on available evidence, Dr. Lynn appears to have temporarily closed the clinic. Current data is insufficient to confirm whether he has left the city."

"He ran away."

Tony repeated the conclusion firmly.

For ten seconds, he stood in silence.

Then he called Bruce Wayne.

The line connected almost immediately.

"Wayne."

"Stark."

"Lynn disappeared."

"The clinic is closed."

"Phone is unreachable."

"Do you know anything?"

Bruce remained silent for three seconds.

"No."

"You tracked him?"

"I attempted to."

Bruce's voice remained calm.

"All conventional methods failed."

"His phone was disabled."

"The clinic surveillance system was physically shut down."

"The micro-cameras I placed within a five-hundred-meter radius of the clinic captured nothing."

Tony blinked.

"All of them?"

"All of them."

Tony tapped the Bordeaux bottle with one finger.

"He doesn't want to be found."

"Agreed."

Silence followed.

Then Tony spoke first.

"He'll come back."

"What makes you certain?"

"Intuition."

Bruce considered the answer.

Then replied:

"..."

"Then we'll wait."

"Wait."

The call ended.

Tony looked at the bottle in his hand.

Then at the clinic's closed door.

Eventually he sighed.

Turned around.

And got back into the car.

The bottle was placed carefully on the passenger seat.

"JARVIS."

"Yes, sir?"

"Take me home."

"Of course, sir."

A brief pause.

"Should I continue monitoring Dr. Lynn's known communication channels?"

"Yes."

Tony fastened his seatbelt.

"And notify me immediately when he turns his phone back on."

"Understood."

The car pulled away.

Soon disappearing into New York's afternoon traffic.

Behind the sealed blinds of Miracle Clinic, there was no movement.

No sound.

No sign of life.

Only the handwritten notice hanging beside the entrance swayed gently in the breeze.

"Doctor on leave, no appointments available."

...

Visit /ShiroTL for more chapters.