Chapter 7: Arc Reactor Overload, A Final Flourish
The fight between Iron Man and Iron Monger escalated into a full-blown urban brawl. Buildings crumbled, cars exploded, and the air was thick with smoke and the metallic shriek of clashing armor. Adam, still unseen, moved through the chaos, a phantom conductor of a very destructive orchestra. He'd done his part to inject some chaos into Stane's operations, but now it was time for the big finish.
"Honestly, these guys really need to learn how to fight without destroying half a city. It's like they're trying to impress each other with their property damage bills. My agency is gonna have a field day with the insurance claims."
He saw Pepper Potts, looking terrified but determined, making her way towards the massive Arc Reactor on top of Stark Industries. She was going to overload it. The plan from the movie. He needed to ensure her safety, and make Stane's defeat as humiliating as possible.
Stane, enraged by the constant "glitches" and the unexpected resistance from Iron Man, was focusing all his firepower on Tony. Adam saw Pepper reach the control panel, her fingers trembling.
"Almost there, Pep," Adam murmured, teleporting to a position directly above her, unseen. Just as a piece of falling debris threatened to crush her, he activated his Force Field, a silent, invisible dome deflecting the rubble away. Pepper flinched, looked up, then continued her work, chalking it up to luck.
Tony, meanwhile, was struggling. Stane had him pinned. Adam knew the Arc Reactor overload was the key. He needed to buy Pepper more time, and distract Stane one last time.
He focused on the Iron Monger, picturing something truly absurd. Something that would make Stane question his entire life's work.
[Illusions & Holograms activated. Target: Optic Nerves. Effect: Giant Toy Transformation.]
Suddenly, in the middle of his triumphant roar, the massive Iron Monger suit shimmered, then briefly transformed into a giant, brightly colored toy robot, complete with oversized, googly eyes and a pull-string that seemed to emit a tinny "I am Iron Monger! Play with me!" sound. It lasted only a second, but it was enough.
Stane froze, his roar turning into a sputtering choke. "What?! What is this?! I'm not… I'm not a toy!"
Tony, seeing the bizarre sight, blinked. "Okay, that's new. JARVIS, did you see that? My suit's not doing that, is it?"
"Negative, sir," JARVIS replied, sounding as bewildered as Tony.
That split second of confusion was all Pepper needed. She slammed her hand down on the control panel. The Arc Reactor began to hum, then glow, then surge with uncontrolled energy.
The Iron Monger roared, power flickering, as the massive energy surge from the Arc Reactor slammed into it. Stane screamed, the suit sparking and failing. Adam watched, ensuring Stane was incapacitated, but not dead. He had future plans for this guy.
[Achievement Unlocked: Prison a Villain (Stane's defeat). Reward: 200 System Points. Achievement Unlocked: Witness a Main Character Defeating a Villain (Tony defeats Stane). Reward: 100 System Points. Achievement Unlocked: Change a Plot (Enhancing the fight's spectacle, saving Stane). Reward: 200 System Points. New Ability Unlocked: Levitation ("Flying").]
"Levitation, huh? Sweet. Now I can really make an entrance. Or, you know, just avoid rush hour traffic," Adam thought, feeling the new power surge through him. The Arc Reactor exploded in a brilliant, contained burst of energy, sending a shockwave through the air. The Iron Monger crashed to the ground, a smoking, inert hulk.
Adam made sure Pepper was safe, giving her a subtle, unseen nudge away from the immediate fallout. He watched as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, now swarming the area, began to secure Stane's wreckage. Stane himself was pulled from the suit, unconscious but alive.
"Well, that's one less megalomaniac trying to steal a genius's toys. And I got to make a giant robot look like a toddler's plaything. Best. Tuesday. Ever."
He saw Tony, battered but triumphant, being helped out of his suit. He saw Pepper rush to his side. The world was safe. For now.
Adam took one last look at the scene, a satisfied smirk on his face. He'd done good. And he'd done it with style. Time to disappear.
He activated his Teleportation, a faint shimmer in the air, and vanished from the scene, leaving behind only the lingering scent of ozone and the faint, unsettling memory of a giant toy robot.