[Malibu Mansion. The Living Room.]
The sun had set, casting long, bruised shadows across the ocean. Tony poured two glasses of scotch. He looked tired but victorious. The news was calling Iron Man a hero.
The doorbell rang.
"Sir, it is Mr. Stane," J.A.R.V.I.S. announced.
Tony sighed. "Let him in. Maybe he finally wants to sign the paperwork."
The heavy glass doors slid open. Obadiah Stane walked in. He wasn't smiling. He carried a heavy box under his arm—pizza from New York, supposedly.
"Tony," Obadiah said, his voice strangely flat.
"Obie," Tony gestured to the drink. "I was just about to toast to... well, to not being fired."
In the hallway, deep in the shadows, Sebastian Michaelis stood perfectly still. He merged with the darkness, invisible to the human eye.
He smelled it.
The pizza box smelled of grease, yes. But beneath that, Obadiah Stane smelled of adrenaline, envy, and murder. The intent was so loud it was almost deafening.
Sebastian tilted his head. He could step forward. He could slice Obadiah's head off with a flick of his wrist. It would take less than a second.
But what would that teach the Young Master? Sebastian mused. Tony Stark believes he can charm his way out of anything. He believes his friends are his shield. He needs to learn that in the world of power, there are no friends.
Sebastian took a step back, deeper into the shadows. His eyes glowed fuchsia in the dark.
Let us see if you have the will to survive, my little merchant of death.
[The Living Room]
"You know, Tony," Obadiah placed the box on the table. He didn't open it. He walked behind the sofa where Tony sat. "I've been working hard. Cleaning up your mess."
"I know, Obie. I appreciate it."
"Do you?" Obadiah put a hand on Tony's shoulder. It felt heavy. "Because you locked me out of the board. You locked me out of the designs."
"It's my name on the building, Obie."
"It was," Obadiah whispered.
He pulled a small device from his pocket. He pressed it against Tony's neck.
ZZZZZT.
A high-frequency sonic pulse slammed into Tony's nervous system.
Tony gasped. His muscles locked instantly. He couldn't move. He couldn't speak. He could only stare, wide-eyed, as his godfather walked around the sofa to face him.
"Breathe, Tony," Obadiah said softly, picking up the sonic device. "It's a little gadget I funded. Temporary paralysis. Taking a while to get the FDA approval, but... it works."
Obadiah reached out. He grabbed the glowing Arc Reactor in Tony's chest.
"You think just because you have an idea, it belongs to you?" Obadiah sneered. He twisted the device.
Pain. Agony.
Tony wanted to scream, but his vocal cords were frozen. He felt the device—his heart, his life—being ripped from his chest.
CLICK.
Obadiah pulled it out. The blue light vanished. Tony slumped back, his skin turning gray instantly.
"Beautiful," Obadiah marveled at the reactor. "The irony, Tony. You built the engine to kill you. And now, I'm going to use it to kill... well, everyone else."
Obadiah pocketed the reactor. He patted Tony's cheek.
"Don't worry. I'll handle the company. And I'll deal with your freak of a butler, too."
Obadiah picked up the pizza box and walked out. The glass doors slid shut.
[The Crawl]
Tony was drowning.
Without the magnet, the shrapnel was inching toward his heart. His lungs burned. His vision blurred.
Move, he screamed in his mind. Move, damn it!
His finger twitched. The paralysis was wearing off, but the cardiac arrest was setting in.
He fell off the sofa, hitting the floor with a thud. He couldn't walk. He had to crawl.
The elevator. He had to get to the lab. The old reactor. Pepper had framed it. Proof that Tony Stark has a heart.
He dragged himself across the floor. Inches felt like miles.
Where is he? Tony thought, his vision tunneling. Sebastian... where are you?
"You look pathetic, Young Master."
The voice came from the corner.
Tony gasped, struggling to lift his head. Sebastian stepped out of the shadows. He was immaculate. He wasn't rushing. He wasn't panicked. He was watching Tony like a scientist watching a rat in a maze.
"Seb..." Tony wheezed. "Help..."
Sebastian didn't move. "Mr. Stane walked right past me. I could have stopped him. I didn't."
Tony stared at him. Betrayal, colder than the ice in his veins, washed over him.
"Why?" Tony rasped.
"Because you are arrogant," Sebastian said calmly. "You thought you were untouchable. You thought the suit made you a god. But without your toy, look at you."
Sebastian leaned down, his face inches from Tony's.
"You want to live?" Sebastian whispered. "Then crawl. Prove to me you are worth serving. Prove to me your soul isn't just cheap metal."
Anger.
Pure, molten anger flooded Tony's system. It burned hotter than the shrapnel. Screw you, Tony thought. Screw Obadiah. Screw everyone.
He dug his fingers into the carpet. He dragged himself forward. He didn't look at Sebastian. He looked at the elevator button.
He reached up. His hand shook. He slammed his hand on the button.
The doors opened.
Tony dragged himself inside.
Sebastian stood in the living room, watching the doors close. A slow, terrifying smile spread across his face.
"Yes," Sebastian whispered. "That is the look. That is the hunger."
[The Lab]
Tony smashed the glass case. He fumbled with the old reactor. His hands were numb.
He jammed it into his chest.
CLICK.
Blue light flooded the room.
Tony gasped, taking a huge, desperate breath. Oxygen flooded his brain. The pain receded.
He lay on the floor among the broken glass, panting. He was alive.
"J.A.R.V.I.S.," Tony said, his voice weak but steady.
"Sir?"
"Get the Mark 3 ready."
"The suit is combat ready, Sir. However, power levels are..."
"I don't care," Tony stood up. He staggered, then steadied himself. "And J.A.R.V.I.S.?"
"Yes, Sir?"
"Lock Sebastian out of the comms. I don't want to hear his voice."
Tony stepped onto the platform. The armor assembled around him. Clank. Hiss. Whir.
The faceplate slammed shut.
"I'm going to kill him."
[End of Chapter 9]
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