"Tony Stark, if you want to save James Rhodes, come to XXXX… I'll be waiting for you there." Jarvis read the anonymous message in a serious tone.
"Damn it!"
Tony Stark slammed his fist on the table. Ever since the Iron Patriot armor attacked the President, Tony had been working nonstop in his lab, trying to trace Rhodey's whereabouts. He had been worried something like this would happen—but he didn't expect Rhodey to actually be captured.
No need to guess; this had to be the work of the Mandarin's people.
"Sir, Electro is here to see you. Should I let him in?" Jarvis asked, his sentence barely finished.
"Let him in," Tony said, calming himself down as he looked up at Jarvis.
Electro entered the lab, his expression unreadable as he stared at Tony Stark.
"I don't know why you're here, but you must have some important information," Tony said calmly.
"Yes. The Mandarin actor I captured was just a washed-up performer."
"Wait," Tony cut him off sharply, frowning. "You're saying that the Mandarin who gave the broadcast speeches was actually an actor?"
"Yes." Electro nodded.
"Oh my god… that's disgusting. I look like an idiot—getting angry at an actor." Tony felt deeply embarrassed.
"One of their plans was to eliminate the President. The other was to deal with you," Electro added as he glanced at the Iron Man armors around the lab.
"Destroy me?" Tony smirked. "Looks like I'll have to splash some water on these smoking hot guys and cool them down."
Electro ignored Tony's sarcasm and continued, "According to information from the actor Trevor Slattery, there's indeed someone named Aldrich. Do you know him?"
"Yes. I've found some information—his company and such—but I haven't been able to locate him recently." Tony nodded. "You're saying he's the one behind all this?"
"On my way here, I encountered Super-V. He said those Extremis soldiers seem to have even stronger powers now. Not only high heat—they've gained abilities like fire manipulation and lightning."
"Superpowers!" Tony's pupils shrank. He gestured for Electro to stop talking. "What you just said gave me an idea."
Tony quickly began operating the lab screens while Electro silently watched.
"Based on the Extremis virus—self-repair, extreme heat, limb regeneration… If my data is right," Tony thought, "superpowers might actually be feasible. Especially fire manipulation—that absolutely fits the virus profile."
"But if other world powers start getting involved, things could get unstable."
Tony's eyes widened, excitement flashing within them.
"If that's true… then maybe…"
...
After receiving the anonymous message, Tony Stark decided to personally investigate the location and rescue Rhodes. Wearing his Iron Man armor, he marched steadily toward the designated site.
The address pointed to an abandoned industrial zone—now occupied by Extremis soldiers. A large group of them radiated waves of intense heat, already prepared to face Tony Stark.
"Extremis soldiers! Listen up! Take down Tony Stark—let him witness our power!" one of them shouted as the rest launched their attack.
Blazing flames burst from the Extremis soldiers' bodies, forming a scorching inferno surging toward Tony. Their bodies, infused with the Extremis virus, granted enhanced regeneration and heat capabilities.
Tony stood his ground. His armor's defensive systems deployed a nearly impenetrable shield. He knew how dangerous these desperate fighters were and had to proceed cautiously.
"Come on then—show me how hot you can really get," Tony said coldly.
The intense flames slammed into his shield with explosive force. Despite the overwhelming heat, the Iron Man armor remained stable and unscathed.
But Tony knew defense alone wasn't enough. He needed a counterattack to defeat them and save Rhodes.
Suddenly, Tony launched a counterstrike—firing a needle-like projectile from his armor that struck one Extremis soldier. It injected a special compound.
"What is this…?" The soldier lifted his hand in confusion as the Extremis effect in his body began fading.
"So my hypothesis was correct!" Tony smiled. He injected more soldiers with the suppressant.
With their virus inhibited, their heat and regeneration quickly weakened. Their bodies lost strength.
"No! We can't lose!" one soldier roared, but he could no longer withstand Tony's assault.
Tony pressed the advantage, unleashing his full arsenal to defeat the remaining Extremis fighters.
"Game over," Tony said coldly as they fell.
Just as he was about to question them about Rhodes—
A torrent of flames burst toward him. Tony dodged immediately.
BOOM!
The blistering fire scorched the air as Tony evaded. He stared across at two powerful Extremis fighters—Eric Savin and Ellen Brandt.
"So, you're not ordinary grunts," Tony said as he shifted his armor into combat mode.
"We are Aldrich's enforcers. No one can stop us from completing our mission," Savin smirked. Their mutation granted them extreme power and deadly fire abilities.
Tony wanted to avoid escalating the fight; innocent workers lived nearby. If the battle spiraled out of control, the consequences would be catastrophic.
"I don't want to fight you… but you chose the wrong side," Tony warned.
Savin and Brandt ignored him, unleashing more flames.
Tony dodged agilely while firing rapid laser blasts. Fire and lasers collided in the air, the battlefield glowing with sparks and flames.
"Sir—careful!" Jarvis warned through Tony's earpiece.
Savin concentrated a massive flame burst, forming a fiery vortex to trap Tony. Brandt used the cover to rush in for close combat.
Tony activated a new weapon system on his armor. A large propulsion unit emerged from his back.
"Watch this!" he shouted, firing a powerful jet blast at Savin.
The vortex collapsed as Savin lost control of the flames.
Tony seized the moment, closing in on Ellen Brandt. He unleashed a barrage of lasers and energy punches, clashing fiercely with her.
The fight was brutal and intense—fire clashing against iron.
"I won't let you hurt anyone else!" Tony roared.
Brandt laughed wildly, trying to overwhelm him, but Tony noticed something: after each fireblast, she paused—exhausted.
"That's your weakness!" Tony realized.
When she fired again, Tony darted through the flames with precision, launching targeted laser shots at her weak points.
"You can't escape!" Tony yelled, landing a decisive blow. Brandt, exhausted and fading, could no longer resist. Her flames weakened. She fell.
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