The conference room fell silent. Everyone wore an expression of disbelief.
Iron Man forcing his way into S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Did Tony Stark get his head slammed in a door?
Just as the agents were all looking dumbfounded, the ever-observant Natasha suddenly thought of something.
She offered tentatively, "Could it be because of that manager at Stark Industries who died? He used to be Tony's personal bodyguard."
Hearing Natasha's guess, the agents found it even more unbelievable.
The agents chattered and argued, but Fury's face was pure ice.
This was the critical moment for the mission. He wouldn't allow anyone or anything to interfere with its execution.
Fury immediately contacted the armor squad, ordering them to suit up and subdue Tony.
Whatever his grievance with S.H.I.E.L.D. was, it would have to wait until today's mission was over.
Of the fifty new-energy suits, ten had been destroyed in yesterday's operation, and another twenty had been dispatched for the mission. That left a final twenty suits in the S.H.I.E.L.D. hideout.
......
Tony burst into the S.H.I.E.L.D. hideout, heading straight for the conference room.
He encountered many agents who tried to stop him, but none could stand against him for even a second.
Although Tony was furious, he didn't use lethal force. He just knocked them all unconscious.
"Stark! Stop! Have you lost your mind?"
Just then, the armor squad arrived and blocked Tony's path.
Even facing a 1-vs-20, Tony remained fearless. "I'll only say this once: Get out of my way!"
"Shit! He's completely lost it!"
"Then all bets are off. Subdue him, now!"
With that, the armor squad swarmed him.
Because they all knew each other, both sides refrained from using missiles and electromagnetic pulses, resorting to primitive melee combat instead.
The fight had no suspense. Just a dozen seconds later, Tony was firmly restrained by the armor squad.
......
With the danger neutralized, Fury walked out of the conference room with a group of agents.
Tony opened his faceplate, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at him. "You fucking liar!"
Fury said with a dark face, "What's wrong with you? What in the hell happened?"
Tony roared, "When I agreed to this plan, you promised me you'd protect the people around me. But just now, Happy was murdered by that bastard Jason!"
Hearing this, the agents were all stunned.
So it really was because of him.
Fury sighed. "I'm very sorry to hear that. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s manpower in Los Angeles is limited; we can't be everywhere at once."
"Shut up!" Tony's face was contorted with rage, his teeth clenched. "This isn't the first time! A truthful word has never come out of your mouth!"
Seeing Tony getting more and more agitated, Natasha quickly stepped forward to mediate. "Hey Tony, calm down, okay?"
Tony glared at Natasha, not a trace of his usual softness in his eyes.
A trace of sadness flickered in Natasha's eyes.
She locked eyes with Tony, explaining, "Tony, I understand how you feel. But an accident like this... none of us could have predicted it."
"You know how strong Jason and the Joker organization are. Even if we sent out every S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, we couldn't possibly protect everyone you know. Even if Happy had escaped, someone else would have died."
"We've all experienced these tragedies. We've all experienced this kind of pain. It's because we can empathize that we came together to fight the Joker organization."
"The plan has entered its final phase. We've made incredible progress. So I'm begging you, put this aside for now and help us finish the Joker organization for good."
"That's the right way to get revenge for Happy, isn't it?"
Tony's expression was dark. He was completely unmoved by Natasha's gentle plea.
"Don't look at me like that! You're just like Fury—a liar, full of lies! I'm not falling for it again!"
Her act seen through, Natasha dropped the pretense. The sorrow on her face vanished in an instant.
"This is ridiculous! Take his suit apart. Let him cool off!" Fury, worried about the mission, didn't want to waste any more time arguing with Tony.
Hearing the former director's command, the Iron Soldiers prepared to act.
Tony didn't resist. He just said. "Using my own weapons against me... you really are a bunch of hopeless idiots. I must have been blind to think you could ever stop the Joker organization."
"What?" Fury realized something and whipped his head around.
But it was too late. Tony shouted, "J.A.R.V.I.S., activate security protocol!"
J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice replied instantly: "Yes, Sir."
In the next second, the Arc Reactors on all twenty Iron Man suits simultaneously cut out. The blue glow in their chests faded.
Without Arc Reactor power, the Iron Man suits were just life-sized action figures.
With a burst of strength, Tony easily broke free from their grasp.
While everyone was still dumbfounded, Tony rushed forward and grabbed Fury.
"Tony! Stop!"
Natasha, terrified, quickly drew her pistol.
Tony didn't even look at her. He backhanded her, sending her flying into a wall.
The situation had completely reversed. All the agents drew their pistols, warily keeping their distance.
Fury, though captured, showed no fear in his one eye. Instead, he asked, confused, "The suits passed a full inspection upon delivery. We even used S.H.I.E.L.D.'s own operating system. How can you still control them?"
Tony sneered. "You're wrong. I can't actually control the suits."
"I knew S.H.I.E.L.D. would do a full systems and protocol check after delivery, so I didn't tamper with the suits themselves."
"I just hid a security protocol in the Arc Reactor's power supply agreement. Activate it, and the reactor is forced to shut down."
Fury's face showed realization. He sighed heavily. "No wonder you were unwilling to hand over the Arc Reactor technology."
"And as it turns out, my choice was the right one." Tony lifted Fury with one hand and slammed him against the wall.
"What you're feeling right now... that's what Happy felt before he died. Are you angry? Are you desperate? Do you feel regret?"
Fury's head was scraped against the wall, but he remained calm. "I told you. It was just an accident. S.H.I.E.L.D. can't guarantee everyone's safety."
Tony snorted. "If that's the case, you shouldn't have broken your promise and dragged me into this!"
"I told you, you're the best bait to draw Jason out!" Fury said, his face serious. "Even if I could turn back time, I'd do it again!"
"Turn back time? Hmph. You'll never get that chance." Tony's iron hand began to tighten slightly.
"Stark! Please! Stop!" Natasha struggled to her feet, pleading, "If you kill Fury, what happens to the Joker organization? Can you kill Jason and avenge Happy all by yourself?"
Tony looked disdainful. "When did I say I was going to kill him? I just came to tell you all: as of right now, I am resigning as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s consultant. And I'm cutting off all funding."
With that, Tony released Fury, turned, and strode out of the hideout.
"Stark! Wait!"
Fury clutched the wound on his head and called out, "Those twenty suits in the field... you didn't activate the protocol on them, did you?"
"Relax! I'm not as bad as you!"
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