"Where's Tony?!"
Pepper's scream was barely a whisper against the roar of the factory.
Obadiah's Iron Monger armor, massive as a mobile fortress, stomped toward her. Each fall of its colossal metal feet shook the ground, sending sparks flying from its heels.
"Don't you worry, my dear Pepper," Obadiah's voice echoed from the suit's external speakers, distorted and warped, dripping with the playful cruelty of a cat toying with a mouse. "He's next, right after I'm done with you. Stark Industries... needs a more mature leader."
A few agents from the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division tried to open fire with their rifles, but the bullets simply sparked uselessly against the Iron Monger's thick plating.
The Iron Monger didn't even bother with the flies. Its enormous mechanical arm shot up, five fingers spread wide, and came crashing down on Pepper like a collapsing mountain.
The shadow of death enveloped her instantly. Pepper's mind went blank, fear clutching her throat so tightly she couldn't even scream.
In the nick of time!
A flash of pink light shot out from a corner, a blur too fast for the naked eye to follow!
*VMMMM—!*
"Nini," the object Pepper had been clutching, what looked like an exquisite briefcase, instantly disassembled in mid-air, transforming and reassembling!
Countless pink and white precision components bloomed like petals. A mechanical skeleton rapidly extended amidst a flicker of electric arcs, and a combat android, full of sleek, futuristic beauty, took shape.
"Battle Barbie combat mode: engaged."
The cold, synthetic voice announced its arrival as Nini's petite yet indestructible body planted itself firmly in front of Pepper.
*BOOM—!*
The Iron Monger's giant palm slammed down hard on Nini's single outstretched arm.
The expected scene of gore and devastation never came.
The large and the small, the crude and the exquisite—two completely mismatched iron creations were locked in a stalemate against the immense force. The ground beneath Nini's feet cracked and splintered, but its arm didn't budge, having single-handedly blocked the fatal blow.
Everyone present stared, stunned.
Obadiah was even more dumbfounded. He couldn't believe his eyes. Where did this pink toy come from, and how did it possess such terrifying strength?
"Protection Protocol, Sequence One: executing."
A red light flashed in Nini's optical sensors. Its other arm instantly wrapped around Pepper's waist as its thrusters ignited with a pale blue flame, carrying her away in a streak of light. It escaped the Iron Monger's attack range in a heartbeat, landing them safely at a distance.
"You… you…" Pepper, still in shock, stared at the completely unfamiliar combat maid. Was this the same Nini who only scanned health statuses and served tea?
This was clearly the… Battle Barbie that Paul had mentioned!
"Analyzing target threat level… extreme. Immediate evacuation is recommended, Miss Potts." Nini's voice remained calm.
Obadiah's roar echoed through the factory. "Don't think you can run!"
The Iron Monger turned, its shoulder-mounted missile launchers already taking aim at them.
Just then, a streak of crimson and gold tore through the night sky. With a piercing sonic boom, it slammed into the ground between the Iron Monger and Nini!
*CRASH!*
The ground caved in as dust and smoke filled the air.
A figure slowly rose from the smoke. His red and gold armor gleamed coldly in the firelight, the circular Arc Reactor in his chest emitting a brilliant blue glow.
"Obadiah," Tony's voice came through the suit's speakers, thick with suppressed fury. "I take it you weren't satisfied with the retirement package."
"Tony!" Obadiah's tone was filled with venom and jealousy. "That flashy toy of yours won't save you!"
"Is that so?"
Tony wasted no more words. The thrusters in his boots erupted, launching him into the sky like a cannonball.
"Then let's find out!"
The Iron Monger's cumbersome body was clearly not built for flight. It could only passively raise its arm, firing its Gatling gun in a wild spray. But Tony weaved nimbly through the dense web of fire, simultaneously launching a volley of micro-missiles from his shoulders.
*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
The explosions rocked the Iron Monger. While they couldn't penetrate its main armor, they made it stagger, impeding its movement.
Tony had absolute air superiority. Like a falcon circling its prey, he continuously chipped away at his opponent with precision strikes.
But J.A.R.V.I.S.'s cold warning sounded in his ear.
"Sir, the Mark I Arc Reactor's power output is unstable. Power levels are dropping rapidly, now below thirty percent."
*Dammit!*
This behemoth was draining power far faster than he'd anticipated.
Tony's heart sank. He knew he couldn't drag this out. He dove sharply, concentrating the repulsor beams in his palms to their maximum, and aimed for the Iron Monger's exposed hydraulic joints.
"Break!"
*ZzZzZzZAP—!*
The two searing energy beams hit their mark. One of the Iron Monger's arms instantly lost power, hanging limp at its side.
But at the same moment, Tony's suit ran out of power. The light from his thrusters died completely.
He plummeted from the sky, crashing hard and carving a crater into the ground.
*Cough, cough…* Tony struggled to get up, but the suit was a dead weight.
"Hahahaha!" Obadiah's crazed laughter echoed through the factory. "Your time is over, Tony!"
The Iron Monger's one good arm shot out, grabbing the immobilized Mark III armor and hoisting it high before slamming it back down onto the ground!
*SLAM!*
The violent impact made Tony's vision go black. Alarms blared inside the suit.
He was completely overpowered!
"Nini! Go help him!" Pepper screamed from a distance, seeing the scene unfold.
"Command received." Nini's engines flared to life again, and it shot toward the battlefield like a pink meteor.
Pinned to the ground by the Iron Monger, Tony used his last ounce of strength to open a channel to Pepper.
"Pepper! Listen to me! Forget about me!" His voice was ragged and weak. "Go to the main reactor control room on the roof! There's an emergency pressure release button. Push it! Overload the entire reactor!"
It was his last resort—a suicide plan.
"No! Tony! I can't…"
"Go now! That's an order!" Tony roared. He could feel the Iron Monger's mechanical hand slowly crushing his suit, the metal shell groaning under the strain.
Through the slit of his helmet, he stared intently at the Arc Reactor glowing blue in the Iron Monger's chest. It was his technology, the fruit of his labor, now being used as the weapon to kill him.
He subconsciously had J.A.R.V.I.S. run a final scan on the Iron Monger, so close he could touch it.
Suddenly, a string of extremely bizarre code, unlike anything he had ever known, flashed across the suit's analysis interface.
The code was cold, alien, filled with an inhuman logic and… an aggression.
It was like a virus, hidden in the deepest layers of the Iron Monger's system.
There was no way Obadiah could have written this!
Tony's pupils contracted. A horrifying thought flooded his mind.
Obadiah… might just be a pawn! There was someone else behind this!
His tone changed in an instant, fury replaced by horror.
"Pepper! Wait! Change of plans! Don't—"
He never finished his sentence.
*CRUNCH—!!!*
An ear-splitting crash!
The Iron Monger's massive fist, carrying an unstoppable force, smashed down viciously on the Mark III's helmet.
The comm link went dead.
"Tony? Tony?! Answer me! TONY!!!"
On the other end of the line, there was only Pepper's heart-wrenching sobs, and the dead silence of an empty channel.