Midtown High. The Library.
Gwen Stacy adjusted her glasses, reading the news on her phone.
"STARK INDUSTRIES SHAKE-UP: OBADIAH STANE ARRESTED FOR EMBEZZLEMENT."
"It's happening," Gwen whispered. "Lucas was right. But... he said Stane would build a suit. The news just says he stole money."
She looked around the library. Lucas hadn't shown up for tutoring today. He was "sunbathing" again.
"Is the timeline fixed?" Gwen wondered. "If Stane is in jail, does that mean no Iron Monger? No big battle?"
It seemed too easy.
The Apartment.
Lucas Chen was thinking the exact same thing.
"This is anticlimactic," Lucas muttered, scrolling through the headlines. "Tony Stark actually used the legal system? He sued the main villain into submission?"
"That's... efficient. But boring."
He looked at the TV. Stark Industries stock was fluctuating wildly, but Tony seemed to be in control.
"So, no rooftop battle," Lucas sighed. "No 'Tony Stark built this in a cave with a box of scraps!' speech. Just... a subpoena."
"This timeline is weird. It's too logical. Where's the drama? Where's the explosions?"
"Maybe I should just focus on my cultivation," Lucas decided. "If the villains are getting arrested by the IRS, maybe I don't need to be Superman. Maybe I just need to be... a good accountant."
Stark Mansion. 8:00 PM.
Tony Stark slumped onto his sofa, loosening his tie. He was exhausted.
Firing your godfather is hard work. Explaining to the SEC why your CFO was funneling millions to Afghan warlords is even harder.
"But it's done," Tony exhaled. "Obie is in custody. The lawyers have him dead to rights. He's going to rot in federal prison."
"Sir," Jarvis interrupted. "Incoming video call. Priority One override."
"Override?" Tony frowned. "Who has override codes?"
"Unknown source. But the encryption signature matches... Stark Industries internal servers."
"Put it on."
The holographic screen flickered to life.
A face filled the frame. Bald. Bearded. Furious.
"Obadiah?" Tony stood up. "How are you calling me? You're supposed to be in a holding cell."
"Money opens many doors, Tony," Obadiah Stane sneered. "And so does loyalty. You think a few lawyers can stop me?"
The camera pulled back.
Obadiah wasn't in a cell. He was in a hangar. A very familiar hangar. Specifically, Sector 16.
And he wasn't wearing a prison jumpsuit.
He was standing inside a massive, hulking suit of gray armor. It was crude, bulky, and terrifying. The Arc Reactor in its chest glowed with a sickly pale light.
And in the suit's massive hydraulic claw... was a woman.
Pepper Potts.
"Tony!" Pepper screamed, her voice tinny through the speakers. "Don't come! It's a trap!"
"Pepper!" Tony shouted, his blood turning to ice.
"You took everything from me, Tony," Obadiah's voice boomed, amplified by the suit. "Thirty years I built this company! I cleaned up your messes! I protected you from yourself!"
"And how do you repay me? You stab me in the back! You try to lock me away like a dog!"
"You tried to kill me first, Obie!" Tony yelled back. "You hired the Ten Rings! You put a hit on my head!"
"Business is business, Tony," Obadiah scoffed. "You were a liability. You were unstable. The board knew it. I knew it."
"But now?" Obadiah grinned, the faceplate of the Iron Monger sliding down with a heavy clank. "Now it's personal."
"I have the suit, Tony. I have the power. And I have your heart."
He squeezed the claw slightly. Pepper cried out in pain.
"Come and get her, Tony. Come to Sector 16. Or she dies."
The screen went black.
Tony stood there for a second, the silence of the room deafening.
Then, the rage exploded.
"Jarvis!" Tony roared. "Mark 3! Now!"
"Sir, the Mark 3 is still undergoing repairs from the high-altitude test. The icing problem..."
"I don't care! Assemble it!"
The floor opened up. The robotic arms whirred to life, attaching the gold-and-red plates to Tony's body.
"And Jarvis?"
"Yes, Sir?"
"Call Fury. Call the Bald Egg Head. Tell him Stane is out. And tell him..."
"Tell him to bring a mop. Because I'm going to make a mess."
SHIELD Headquarters.
"Iron Monger is active," Fury announced, putting down the phone. "Stane broke out. He has Potts."
"Stark is engaging," Coulson reported. "He's flying to Sector 16."
"It's happening," Natasha said. "The rooftop battle. Just like Lucas predicted."
"But Stane has a hostage," Fury noted. "And Stark is emotional. That's a bad combination."
"We need backup," Fury decided. "We need someone who can move faster than Iron Man. Someone who can catch a falling hostage."
He looked at the screen tracking "Superman" in Queens.
"Coulson," Fury ordered. "Call the kid. Tell him... his stock dip just arrived."
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