A few minutes later, Tony Stark slowly regained consciousness.
The old miniature arc reactor had been reinstalled in his chest, keeping him alive, though barely. The paralysis in his body wasn't fatal, but losing the reactor had nearly sealed his death. Obadiah Stane hadn't struck the final blow with his own hands, but he had shoved Tony into the abyss all the same.
"Thanks, Nolan," Tony said at last, his voice carrying a rare note of sincerity.
A soft beep chimed.
"Alright, Red Queen, stop recording," Nolan said casually.
Tony's pale face froze. His eyes widened.
"What the hell you recorded our conversation?!"
Nolan snapped his fingers with a grin.
"Of course. It's far too entertaining not to keep."
Tony felt a surge of rage rise inside him. For a brief moment, he wanted nothing more than to strangle Nolan with his bare hands, but he forced himself to calm down.
"How did you even know something happened to me?" he asked, his voice sharp.
Nolan gestured toward Tony's phone.
"I called you. You didn't pick up. Remember what I told you before? Obadiah Stane is a lot like my godfather Charles. Charles tried to kill me, so I had every reason to assume you, you idiot, had already been dealt with by Obadiah. Honestly, I only came here to clean up your corpse."
Any flicker of gratitude in Tony's heart instantly evaporated. His mind screamed the same thought he'd had countless times before: How can anyone possibly be this insufferable?
"What do you plan to do now?" Nolan asked, leaning back as if this were all a casual evening chat.
Tony clenched his jaw. "I'm going to bring him down myself."
With that, he stormed toward the basement.
"Nolan Locke, get ready," Tony called, his pride returning in full force. "You're about to witness what a real super-suit looks like."
Nolan didn't bother to answer. He knew today was one of Tony's rare chances to show off, and he wasn't going to steal his thunder.
Barely half a minute later, a gold-and-red armored figure stood proudly before Nolan.
Tony's voice boomed through the helmet speakers:
"Now… it's showtime!"
His tone dripped with confidence, his arrogance as unmistakable as the gleaming suit itself. Even without seeing his face, Nolan could imagine Tony smirking like a child who had just unwrapped his favorite toy.
With only a quick nod to Nolan, Tony launched himself through the skylight, soaring into the night sky.
Nolan exhaled through his nose, shaking his head helplessly as he watched Tony vanish into the clouds.
"Red Queen, where's my T-800?"
"Estimated arrival in three minutes," the AI replied.
"Good." Nolan leaned back on the sofa, a smile tugging at his lips. "Enjoy your little solo performance, Tony. Let's see how spectacular you can make it."
Meanwhile, Pepper Potts had already regrouped with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. After failing to reach Tony by phone, she couldn't sit still any longer and had insisted on splitting up to search for clues.
Just as she was about to set out, her phone rang.
"Pepper," Tony's strained voice came through, "Obadiah's lost it. He just attacked me."
Her heart clenched. "What?! Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine," Tony replied, though his tone betrayed a flicker of discomfort. "Nolan Locke pulled me out of it. Again. I'm on my way to Stark Industries right now."
"We're already here!" Pepper said quickly, relief washing over her.
Agent Phil Coulson stepped forward. "Pepper, take a team and search Stane's office for evidence. I'll lead the others to intercept him."
He was confident. Stane should have returned by now, likely intent on destroying whatever evidence remained. They couldn't afford to waste time.
But before they could even make it inside, Obadiah Stane himself appeared at the end of the hallway.
"Damn it!" His face twisted as he realized what was happening. Without hesitation, he spun on his heel and bolted.
"After him!" Coulson shouted, charging forward. There was no way they were letting him escape tonight.
What Coulson didn't see was the murderous glint in Obadiah's eyes as he fled. These meddlers wanted to corner him? Then they would die here.
Stark Industries had been his domain for decades. Every corridor, every hidden chamber he knew them all. He would crush them, bury the bodies, and erase the evidence.
The chase barreled into the underground labs. The air grew heavy, filled with the faint smell of oil and metal. Coulson signaled his agents to split up, tightening the net.
They had no idea what awaited them.
Obadiah stormed into a chamber where a massive machine loomed in the shadows. Unlike Tony's sleek Mark II, this armor was bulky, crude, yet terrifyingly formidable.
It wasn't built to inspire awe. It was built for war.
He climbed inside, sealing himself in. Thick plates of armor locked into place. Weapon ports primed and whirred to life. This was his creation the Iron Monger, a walking arsenal of death.
Coulson crept down one of the corridors, only to freeze as two red eyes flickered to life in the dark ahead.
A thunderous metallic step shook the floor.
Coulson's throat went dry. He glanced at the standard-issue weapon in his hands, then promptly turned and bolted.
"Found Stane! He's activated some kind of armored mech! Fall back! We need heavy support tanks, missiles, whatever you've got!"
His voice cracked as he yelled into the comms, curses spilling out. "Damn lunatics! What the hell have we walked into?!"
The Iron Monger roared to life, tearing cables from its frame as it stomped forward. Stane, safely enclosed within, grinned with cold satisfaction as he chased after the retreating agents.
The confined corridors gave Coulson and his men a slim chance to escape, but the reprieve was short-lived.
They burst out of Stark Tower's front entrance just as the ground rumbled behind them.
With a deafening crash, the Iron Monger smashed upward through the concrete and steel, leaping into the open night.
Five to six meters tall, its frame bristling with cannons, missile pods, and layers of armor thick as tank plating it was a monster.
Every agent who saw it felt their blood run cold.
How are we supposed to fight something like that?
Obadiah raised his weapons, ready to unleash devastation.
But before he could fire, a streak of red and gold sliced through the sky.
Tony's cocky voice rang out over the battlefield.
"Hey, Obadiah! What's with the oversized tin can? Trying to win a comedy award?"
Iron Man landed with a metallic thud, his stance confident, his presence commanding.
"Tony!" Pepper's relieved voice cracked.
"Stark!" Coulson shouted, just as stunned but grateful.
Tony's suit gleamed under the floodlights, his design a symbol of genius and defiance. Every ally who saw him felt a surge of hope.
Inside the Iron Monger, Obadiah's voice growled with surprise.
"You're still alive? No matter. Tonight, you die!"
His words were punctuated by a salvo of missiles screaming through the air.
Tony rolled hard to the side as explosions ripped apart the pavement. Smoke and fire filled the night sky.
Checking his HUD, Tony cursed. The old arc reactor in his chest was running at only seventy-three percent. He couldn't afford a prolonged battle.
But he had no choice.
Iron Man versus Iron Monger the clash erupted in a storm of fire and steel.
Not far away, Nolan finally saw headlights approaching. A convoy roared into view.
He zipped up his Delta-6 combat suit, mounted a sleek motorcycle, and twisted the throttle. The engine roared like thunder.
Behind him, a transport van screeched to a halt. Inside, a T-800 sat motionless in the driver's seat, its systems linked directly to the Red Queen AI.
Nolan smirked, his eyes glinting.
"Alright then. Let's go save Tony Stark again."
The night was about to descend into chaos.
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