Chapter 38: Arrest Gone Wrong
The artificial intelligence knew that once the Iron Spider Armor was removed, Amadeus Cho might die. It didn't care. The master written into its core programming was Peter Parker.
"So the voice I heard that sounded like Amadeus Cho… that was you too?"
"Correct," the AI replied. "Based on my calculations, the enemy was fully prepared. Your chances of success if you went to the Arctic were extremely low. I did not want you to go."
"Uh… don't do that again in the future."
"Yes, Mr. Peter Parker," the AI responded obediently.
"You don't have to call me Mr. Peter Parker. That's way too formal. Just call me Peter."
"Yes, Peter."
"Do you have a name?" Peter asked.
"No. Mr. Amadeus Cho did not give me one."
"Then I'll give you one. Let's see… how about Kelly?"
"That is a wonderful name. Thank you, Peter."
After being given a name, Kelly's voice shifted into that of a young woman.
"Kelly, why didn't you tell me you existed when I put on the Iron Spider Armor?"
"Mr. Amadeus Cho designed me using himself as a template, so my personality may resemble his in certain aspects. I wanted to surprise you and let you discover my existence on your own."
"That just proves Amadeus has a terrible personality," Peter remarked dryly.
"Peter, should I continue deleting videos related to Spider-Man?"
"Yeah, keep doing it."
…
Over the next few weeks, Spider-Man continued fighting crime across New York.
What surprised him was that Nick Fury never contacted him during that time.
One day, as Spider-Man swung through the city…
Ring, ring, ring…
The phone Natasha had given him started ringing.
Spider-Man landed on a rooftop and glanced at the screen.
Nick Fury.
"Hey, Director Fury. Miss your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man?"
"Spider-Man," Fury replied without humor, "we need you to come to Stark Industries headquarters."
"What's going on?"
"We need your assistance at Stark Industries. Agent Coulson is moving to apprehend Obadiah."
"Obadiah? A shareholder at Stark Industries? What's he done?"
"We've confirmed that he's been selling Stark Industries weapons to terrorist organizations."
"Got it."
…
Stark Industries Headquarters.
Agent Coulson stood with a team of elite agents, surrounding Stark Industries Headquarters.
"Agent Coulson, what are we waiting for? We already have solid evidence. We should storm in right now and arrest Obadiah." Pepper Potts urged anxiously.
"Miss Potts, we're waiting for someone," Coulson replied calmly. "With him here, the operation will be much safer."
"Who?"
"Spider-Man."
"Spider-Man? He's with S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"Not exactly. We're partners."
"We don't have time to wait," Pepper pressed. "Obadiah could escape at any moment."
Coulson glanced up at Stark Industries headquarters.
He agreed with her.
Obadiah could run at any time. Waiting any longer wasn't an option.
Besides, Coulson believed his team alone should be more than enough to take Obadiah down. He didn't quite understand why Director Fury had insisted on involving Spider-Man.
"Miss Potts, when we go in, stay behind us," Coulson instructed firmly.
"I know," Pepper replied.
Coulson led his team into Stark Industries headquarters.
The building was enormous. Guided by Pepper, they made their way to the entrance of Section 16.
"Miss Potts, are you sure Obadiah is inside?" Coulson asked.
"I can't be certain," Pepper admitted. "But if he's still in the building, this is the most likely place."
With that, Pepper swiped her ID card at the access panel.
"Access denied," a mechanical voice announced.
"Right… I forgot. I don't have clearance," Pepper said awkwardly.
"Step back, Miss Potts."
Coulson pulled a miniature explosive from his pocket and planted it on the door.
Pepper hurried a few steps back and covered her ears. Coulson and the agents turned away, bracing themselves.
Boom.
The explosion shattered the lock.
Coulson and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents drew their pistols.
"Careful, Miss Potts," Coulson warned.
They advanced cautiously into Section 16.
Inside, they found the remnants of the Mark I armor Tony Stark had built in the cave, along with detailed schematics showing Obadiah's modifications to it.
"Whoa…" one agent whispered.
Coulson and Pepper noticed an empty equipment bay designed to house a suit of armor.
"Retreat! Now!" Coulson reacted instantly. Obadiah was far more dangerous than he had anticipated. He had armor.
Before the words were even out of his mouth, a massive iron fist came crashing toward them.
Coulson shoved Pepper aside and rolled away, narrowly avoiding the blow.
Crash!
The enormous fist slammed into the floor, spiderweb cracks ripping through the ground.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Coulson opened fire.
The bullets struck Obadiah's armor and did absolutely nothing.
"Are you trying to tickle me?" Obadiah's mocking voice echoed.
"Miss Potts, run! We'll hold him off!"
Pepper didn't hesitate. She turned and sprinted for the exit.
"Hold me off? You think you can?" Obadiah scoffed.
"Everyone," Coulson ordered calmly through the comms, "Spider-Man is on his way. Until he arrives, we cannot let this walking pile of scrap leave Stark Industries and threaten civilians outside."
"Sir… can we really handle that thing?" a young agent stammered, staring at the three-meter-tall, silver-gray steel giant before them. His voice trembled despite his effort to stay steady.
"We have to, even if we can't."
Coulson fired first, unleashing a barrage of gunfire at the Iron Monger. The rest of the agents followed suit.
Bullets rained down on the Iron Monger, leaving shallow white marks across his armor.
The Iron Monger turned slowly, the white glow of his faceplate locking onto Coulson.
"Little bugs of S.H.I.E.L.D.," Obadiah's mechanically amplified voice thundered. "You shouldn't have interrupted my performance."
The Gatling gun on the Iron Monger's left arm began to spin.