~9:30 PM~
The entire East Coast's signals were completely compromised...
Television station studios, shopping mall promotional ads, sports games playing in bars... all flickered with dense white static before transforming into the symbol of the Ten Rings.
Satellite signals were hacked, and even the White House was not spared.
Amid a montage of terrorist attack footage, the Mandarin appeared on screen, delivering a forceful threat to the United States. His grim face resembled a demon from hell, evoking involuntary fear and trembling in the hearts of those who saw him.
Over the past two weeks, the bombings had left at least a hundred injured and dozens dead. Since 9/11, America had once again been plunged into a tense atmosphere. Even S.H.I.E.L.D. had intervened, launching a massive manhunt for the Mandarin and the Ten Rings.
Meanwhile, Tony Stark, one of the Avengers, remained missing, his fate unknown...
<...Mr. President, it's time for another lesson. This is Thomas Richard, an accountant at Roxxon Oil. He's very good at his job...>
The camera pulled back, revealing the Mandarin holding a gun, his foot planted on the trembling body of a middle-aged man.
The victim's was face twisted in terror like a lamb awaiting slaughter. Everyone held their breath, realizing what was about to happen.
<...I can confirm he's a good man, so in thirty seconds, I'm going to blow his brains out right in front of you. This will be a live broadcast explosive enough to shake the world. And the only one who can stop it... is you, Mr. President! Your phone has this number. If I receive your call within thirty seconds, Tom gets to live...>
Aboard Air Force One, President Ellis picked up his phone, staring at the unfamiliar number. He glanced at the Secret Service director beside him, his eyes filled with uncertainty and alarm.
The Mandarin's reach was terrifying... he had silently hacked into the President's phone. If he could do that, what else was he capable of?
"We can't let terrorists dictate terms," the Secret Service director said firmly, though his eyes betrayed hesitation.
The blue-and-white Boeing 747 cruised smoothly above the clouds. Known as the 'Flying White House', it was a symbol of American power...
In the conference room, everyone remained silent. If the President didn't make the call, an innocent man would die, and he would be blamed. But giving in to the Mandarin's demands meant surrendering to terrorism.
After a long pause, President Ellis dialed the number.
On the Ten Rings' live broadcast, a ringing tone echoed. The Mandarin's grim expression softened slightly as he stared into the camera, as if making eye contact with every viewer.
The room was silent except for the persistent ringing.
Then...
*Boom!*
...A gunshot cracked like thunder. The sound shocked viewers across the nation and jolted President Ellis in his seat.
<...Mr. President, start running. Kiss your wife and children goodbye... because nothing, not your military, not the Iron Patriot, can stop me now...>
The signal cut off, freezing on the Ten Rings' ominous symbol.
President Ellis clenched his phone and turned to the Secret Service director, "Order Colonel Rhodes to find this madman. Now."
"Mr. President, we've traced the broadcast signal. The source is likely in Pakistan. The Iron Patriot is on standby."
...
~Aboard a private jet to Tennessee~
Tony Stark scrolled through the video files Sean had provided... footage of disabled soldiers, all test subjects chosen by A.I.M.
Extremis could 'regenerate' lost limbs after all.
<...You were once outcasts, disabled, but from this moment on, you will become the vanguard of human evolution! As the first batch of volunteers, when you look back on your lives, the hardships and glory will stay with you forever. Today belongs to the brave!..>
The video showed Aldrich Killian speaking like a Wall Street con artist, luring war veterans into the experiment with lies and empty promises, indifferent to the risks.
Later clips depicted the Extremis injections...
In the 'Ultimate Upgrade' phase, the soldiers' skin turned red, glowing like molten lava as their limbs regrew amid agonizing pain.
But not everyone was so lucky. Tony watched as one soldier who was unable to endure the violent transformation burned from within... his skin cracking like ceramic, his mouth spewing blinding light before his body erupted in a 3000-degree explosion.
"So this is the truth behind the Mandarin's bombings..." Tony muttered.
From Sean's intel, he deduced that Killian had sold the flawed Extremis tech to the Mandarin, allowing A.I.M. to profit massively.
"I remember Umbrella Corp. developed limb-regeneration tech years ago," Tony said, turning to Sean with a hint of accusation in his tone.
"Hey, even when Stark Industries led the arms industry, you didn't monopolize the market. Umbrella can't cover everything either. And do you know how many disabled veterans there are in this country? Tony, we're not saviors. Iron Man might make the world better, but he can't erase all crime or wipe out every dirty deal in the shadows."
Sean made it clear, neither he nor Umbrella would take the blame.
These veterans weren't desperate... they were deceived by patriotism and false promises. Killian had exploited them.
"I have to stop them," Tony sighed, anxiety gnawing at him, "Find the Mandarin, the Ten Rings, Killian... I made mistakes. Now I have to fix them."
"But what about the President?" Sean turned his laptop around, showing the Mandarin's threat video from an hour ago.
The Ten Rings leader had openly terrorized the leader of the free world.
"Rhodes is handling it– wait, the Iron Patriot's new design was A.I.M.'s work!" Tony realized something was very wrong.
Killian's plan might be far bigger... the Mandarin, the bombings, all of it could be a distraction.
"The President. They're after the President..."
"Don't look at me like that. Come on, you're the superhero here. I'm just a rich, handsome, and brilliant ordinary guy." Sean shrugged, ignoring Tony's expectant gaze.
"Sean, you have a mutant team. Blonsky, that big yellow guy who fought the Hulk. Even Nick Fury wants you in S.H.I.E.L.D. Here's your chance to be a hero. Doesn't that tempt you at all?"
The young man shook his head, utterly unmoved. If anything, he was amused.
Tony continued, "Fine, I'll owe you one. I'll buy you the fanciest burger in New York when we get back. Deal? I'll handle the Mandarin. You back up Rhodes."
Seeing Tony's shameless persistence, Sean smirked, a shadow flickering in his eyes:
"I have my own way of doing things. You sure about this?" He said, his tone loaded with implication.
The U.S. Presidency was one of the most powerful positions on Earth, but it was also one of the most dangerous. Since the nation's founding, seven presidents had died unnaturally, four by assassination.
Perhaps... this was a rare opportunity. A chance to recreate another Kennedy moment...