29: Fire and Steel

“What do you think of this: the Avengers, the Earth's mightiest heroes!” Tony said in a grandiose voice.

Daniel raised an eyebrow, turning to look at him with a smile on his face.

“Already looking for a slogan? Although I think it sounds a bit pretentious, Earth's mightiest heroes? You know there are only two of us, right?” he couldn't help but say with amusement, slightly dampening the man's enthusiasm.

Tony snorted and crossed his arms, his new and freshly built armor gleaming with the moon's glow in the sky.

“You have to think big, we protect the whole planet, of course we're the mightiest.”

“Perhaps you want to postpone your discussion for later and on a private line,” Natasha's voice came through the communicator, interrupting their conversation.

“Jealous? Maybe we can make room for you, although on second thought that might lower our combat capability,” Tony said, and Daniel shook his head, deciding to interrupt now before the professional assassin decided to take revenge on his new friend by putting laxatives in all his drinks and food.

“Mocking the super spy is not what I call a great idea, Tony, besides, I think she already has a place, or am I wrong?” he asked, looking at the dark sky.

“Super spy? You seem to think highly of me, though you’re not entirely wrong. You could say I'm Fury's liaison with the team,” something expected, after all, Fury still had to take care of all of SHIELD. It was more sensible to delegate some things to his most trusted agent.

“And exactly why are we finding out about this now?” Tony asked suddenly.

“Maybe because you decided to rush and deal with the whole Obadiah matter right now before we finished fine-tuning these details?”

Just as she had said, they were now looking at Stark Industries, more precisely its central building.

“Well, I apologize for not wanting a criminal with close ties to a Middle Eastern terrorist organization to remain at large and in control of my company... a company that produces weapons en masse in case anyone forgets,” he emphasized the last part.

After the big talk with Fury, which culminated in them being "incorporated" into the team, Tony had decided to resolve the whole Obadiah matter as soon as possible so he could focus on things that, in his opinion, were more important.

Thus, he had decided to excuse himself from the meeting and end this matter before it became more troublesome. He hadn't expected SHIELD and Daniel to decide to join in out of the blue.

Fury argued that the Ten Rings might interfere and it was better if SHIELD handled them. Daniel simply said he wanted to see the show and ensure everything went well.

In Tony's opinion, this was something he could easily handle by himself, but since they had decided to join, he could only sigh and accept the help, even if it was somewhat excessive.

Still, it would be fun to see Obadiah's face when Defiant descended from the sky to cuff him, something unnecessary but that Tony had decided he wanted to witness. Daniel didn't refuse the request since it was something quite simple to do.

To make it even more dramatic, he decided to bring along the newly built Mark 3. Maybe old Uncle Obie would be surprised enough to have a heart attack or something, which was the least he deserved for trying to kill him, in Tony's opinion.

“I don't think anyone has forgotten that point, Stark,” Natasha said, looking through the sniper scope in her hands.

Recently, Obadiah had been accompanied by many “bodyguards.” Stark Industries headquarters had become his “fortress,” and the man rarely left it. The regular employees had been expelled long ago, and almost the entire building was occupied by what were clearly forces of the Ten Rings.

SHIELD had already deployed troops around the area and cleared the place in preparation for a confrontation. Of course, with Defiant present, it was most likely that any altercation would be easily resolved. Even so, they didn't skimp on personnel for this mission. The Ten Rings were usually elusive, and this was a great opportunity to capture several of their members. They wouldn't let anyone escape.

“Well, I think we've waited long enough. How about we get this party started?” Tony spoke, beginning to prepare.

“Alright then, I'll give the order for the agents to move in,” Natasha said, but before she could do so, Tony interrupted her.

“You know what? I think it's better if I flush him out of his lair myself. There's no need to put any agents in danger.”

After saying that, he activated his thrusters, rising into the air quickly, and within seconds, he was in front of the main doors of his company. He landed heavily in a classic heroic pose, alerting all the guards in the area.

“Old Obie! I’ve come to say hello,” he said, activating his loudspeakers. His voice rumbled through the entire building.

In her place, looking through the scope of her weapon, Natasha sighed with an ironic smile.

“Hold your positions for now,” she said to the waiting troops.

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“Old Obie! I’ve come to say hello,” Stark’s voice rumbled down to the lab on the lower floor of the building. Obadiah frowned deeply, quickly moving to where several monitors were located. There, he could see the building's security cameras.

He saw Tony confidently standing in his new armor in front of the building's doors.

“No, no!” He wasn't supposed to arrive so soon!

He looked at his armor; it was almost ready, just a bit more needed.

“How much time?!” he quickly asked the scientist in charge of the project. The man wiped the sweat from his forehead as he felt the heat rising in the room, swallowed hard, feeling his throat dry, and quickly responded.

“At least 5 minutes, the system is still calibrating, sir.”

Five minutes?! The guards wouldn’t last even 30 seconds against Stark.

What should he do? Fight without the armor? Feeling the burning fire coursing through his veins, Obadiah gritted his teeth, indecisive about this course of action.

“It seems you have failed, Stane,” the voice made him freeze. Slowly, he turned to see how the image on all the monitors had suddenly changed.

All the screens now displayed a Chinese character, one that Obadiah recognized.

“Mandarin,” he said quietly, fear beginning to rise in him, but his state of shock was quickly left behind as he understood what the man was suggesting.

“No! Not yet, it’s almost ready. I just need more time.”

“More time, more resources, more men. So far, every investment made in you has only resulted in failure, Stane.”

.

“Why should I continue to trust you?” In a different place, an imposing figure sat on a majestic throne made of various types of precious materials. Lines of golden engravings and ornaments covered its surface, representing different Chinese characters as well as drawings of ancient mythical beasts.

Simultaneously, green energy lines resembling circuits occasionally lit up on its metallic surface, creating a clear contrast with its ancient and oriental appearance.

In front of the throne, several holographic screens displayed the situation inside and outside Stark Industries.

“This time I will succeed. I can defeat Tony and I can kill Defiant. If you abandon me now, everything you've invested in me will be for nothing. Besides, your men are still here!”

The desperation in Stane's voice was somewhat amusing to the figure on the throne.

“Do you think my men are in danger?” There was a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Don’t get things mixed up, Stane. For me, it’s easy to clear a path for them. You, on the other hand, matter much less to me. Even so, you're right about one thing: it would be a real waste of time and resources if I simply let things end like this.”

The Mandarin stopped looking at the screens and turned towards the lower part of his throne.

Kneeling at his feet, Aldrich Killian patiently awaited his orders, his head bowed.

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“Let’s give Stane some more time.”

Aldrich Killian nodded upon hearing his words, and with a signal from his hand, several figures entered the throne room, kneeling beside him.

The Mandarin looked at the screens again and spoke to Stane one last time.

“No matter how, I expect you to kill Tony Stark tonight. After that, you must kill Defiant within a week. I will not tolerate any more failures.”

He then raised his right arm, four rings glowing in different colors adorning his fingers. Suddenly, one of them intensified its glow, the purple light reflecting off the Mandarin's majestic armor.

“Go,” he said, pointing his hand towards his soldiers.

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Tony strutted in front of the building walking casually.

“Listen, Obie, let's not make things difficult. If you come out obediently, I swear I'll be kind,” he joked a little, then looked at the guards pointing their guns at him and spoke to them.

“...and you all, it's better to put those down or you might hurt yourselves. Just step aside and we won't have any problems,” he warned in good faith.

As if taking his advice, the guards lowered their weapons and began to back away. Tony blinked in confusion. Did that really work?

Then, applause began to be heard. A figure emerged from the building's doors with a smile on his face.

“Tony Stark, as arrogant and conceited as ever. It seems no matter what happens to you, you'll never change that.”

Tony frowned at the blonde man. Had he seen this guy somewhere before?

“Sorry, you're not Obie. He's much less young and much more bald. So, if you don't mind, could you, you know, step aside, whoever you are?”

The man chuckled softly, stopping his applause.

“It's no surprise you've forgotten, but it doesn't matter now. The past is the past, and we're not here to reminisce about old encounters.” Then he snapped his fingers, and from several directions, dozens of figures leaped from the shadows, surrounding Tony in a circle.

They wore dark full-body suits with green armor plates and golden details. Tony had to pause for a moment to assess the situation.

“Uh, is this a costume party? Because I'm glad I came dressed for the occasion,” he said, pointing to his armor.

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From the top of a building, Daniel watched the situation with furrowed brows. Although he felt that things might be different from what he remembered, he didn't expect so many changes. Something wasn't right here.

“Are you going in?” Natasha's voice came through the communicator. Daniel thought for a moment before shaking his head.

“Although the situation is strange, I feel Tony can handle it. Let's wait for now.”

His presence was still unknown to the enemy. It was better to keep it that way and see what happened.

If things really got out of control, then he would act.

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Upon hearing his words, Aldrich Killian smiled and nodded.

“...yes, it’s a party. Your farewell party, Tony. I'd like to talk more with you, but I'm a busy man, so I'll leave you to have fun with these guys. I hope you enjoy it,” he finished and turned, walking back into the building once more.

“Hey! Why don’t you stay?” Tony shouted, igniting his thrusters, ready to go after him. He didn’t like how things were going at all.

His figure shot forward in an instant, easily surpassing the speed of sound. The Mark 3 was vastly superior to the Mark 2 in every aspect, whether it was the improved damping system with energy shields or its speed, it was undoubtedly top-notch.

Even so, Tony was surprised when a figure suddenly blocked his path. At the speed he was traveling, if he collided with it, he would undoubtedly pulverize it, but changing direction now was too difficult.

Tony could only chastise himself for not integrating a better braking system, something he would have to do later.

He covered his face with both arms to avoid seeing what was about to happen, but what happened was not at all what he expected.

With superhuman speed, the figure stretched out both hands, orange light shining even through its dark clothing.

Then there was a shockwave, the ground beneath their feet cracked, and Tony opened his eyes in surprise as he felt his forward motion come to an abrupt halt.

He heard a growl and looked ahead. Despite the mask covering the figure's face, Tony could see a pair of pupils glowing intensely yellow.

“Detecting several sources of extreme heat, sir,” Jarvis's voice reached his ears. Tony took a step back and for the first time seriously looked at the figures surrounding him. In his HUD, his infrared vision activated, showing how waves of extreme heat were emanating from their bodies.

“Well, this is... unexpected. It looks like everyone here has a severe case of acute fever. How about we go see a doctor?” he said, receiving only silence in response.

Then, all at once, they launched themselves at him.

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“Shouldn’t you help him now?” Natasha's somewhat worried voice sounded, and Daniel pondered his response for a moment.

He saw Tony being assaulted by dozens of warriors from all directions. Despite the situation, Tony stood firm, dodging their attacks and firing his repulsor beams.

The attacks landed, but they barely made his enemies retreat for a moment before they charged at him again. As if they had no concern for their safety, they advanced without hesitation, attacking with clearly trained movements.

High-level martial arts, no doubt.

He saw three of them dodge Tony's attacks and strike directly at several key points. Although this didn’t scratch the armor, it did momentarily throw him off balance.

“Nah, I think he can handle it,” Daniel said. Before Natasha could respond, Tony moved, much faster than before. He intercepted one of the blows and with a quick motion, twisted the attacker's arm, making the sound of breaking bones audible.

“See?” Daniel smiled, a smile that faded when the broken arm suddenly healed instantly with an intense yellow-orange glow.

Hmm, maybe he would need to interfere?

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Tony's eyes widened as he saw the wound he had just inflicted heal instantly. Although he had fought against something superhuman before, it was still unique to see abilities like these.

But his astonishment soon passed, and a smile grew on his face.

“Since you’re so tough, you won’t mind if I get a little serious, right?” In response, they charged at him again.

Tony dodged a flaming fist and moved his hand to strike the side of one of his attackers. Then the thrusters on his back roared to life, moving his body to the side to dodge two kicks aimed at his head.

His palm met the chest of one of them, and his repulsor ray ignited with much more force. The blue light outshone the yellow light, and the energy beam pierced the man’s chest instantly.

Tony planned to throw the body aside, but before he could, the light suddenly intensified. All the enemies surrounding him quickly jumped away, and then a massive explosion engulfed the area.

The fire rose high into the sky, the concrete melted, and smoke began to spread. A five-meter diameter crater formed at the zero point of the explosion.

The Mandarin's men looked up expectantly, then a hand waved forcefully, clearing all the fire and smoke with a powerful gust of air.

“Alright, enough games,” Tony said as he walked through the shattered ground, seemingly unaffected. His gleaming armor didn’t have a single blemish on it.

He looked at the dozen enemies with a frown, wondering how Obadiah had enlisted the help of these people. The only connection he could think of was the Ten Rings, but if they really had forces like this under his command, then what Fury had said was true: they were much more than a simple terrorist organization.

Looking at the calculations in his HUD, Tony realized they were genuinely dangerous. If not for his energy shields, the searing heat emanating from their bodies would be enough to penetrate and melt the gold-titanium alloy of his armor.

It was unfortunate for them that Tony no longer had such a weakness.

“Alright, Jarvis, disable the limitations. Let’s finish this quickly.”

“Understood, sir.” Suddenly, his armor lit up, the three arc reactors that had been idle came to life. Tony could almost feel the energy flowing through him.

“Energy at 400%.”

The thrusters ignited, and in a burst of speed surpassing anything he had shown before, his figure blurred, leaving only an afterimage behind.

He then appeared beside one of the figures, and his hand shot out in a blade-like shape. Faster than any of his attackers could react, his strike hit the mark, slicing cleanly through flesh in an instant.

The enemy didn’t even have time to blink; their head went flying through the air.

Quickly, Tony grabbed the body and hurled it towards two of his enemies. They couldn't react in time, and an explosion similar to the previous ones suddenly engulfed them.

Seeing the changing situation, several of them tried to retreat, but before they could, Tony attacked.

Suddenly, the place was enveloped in dozens of thunderous explosions, shaking the nearby buildings.

.

Daniel blurred into motion, evacuating the nearby SHIELD agents at high speed. After all, it would be really bad if they were hit by the consecutive shockwaves from the explosions.

When Natasha blinked, she found herself in a different location, which almost disoriented her. Even so, she quickly adapted, shaking her head to clear any lingering discomfort.

"I'd appreciate a warning," Natasha said, frowning at Daniel, who was standing beside her, watching the battlefield now enveloped in flames and smoke.

"I'd rather ask for forgiveness than permission," Daniel replied with a smile, making her snort.

Then he took a deep breath and exhaled, controlling his breath enough not to flood the place with ice, but still strong enough to extinguish the flames and clear the smoke.

Dozens of craters, some overlapping with others, littered the area, and Tony stood amidst it all without a single blemish on his armor, holding the last living enemy by the neck.

The man tried to break free from his grip in vain, his hands glowing intensely. Still, a blue energy field easily resisted the high temperatures, preventing them from reaching the metal of Tony's glove.

Daniel extended his hand to Natasha, who raised an eyebrow in doubt but quickly understood the gesture. She nodded, and he then took her by the waist, and together they quickly descended from the building, landing beside Tony.

"Alright, I'll give you a chance. Tell me why you're here," they heard Tony say.

"I don't think talking is his strong suit, Tony," Daniel said, eyeing the yellow glow on the man's body with interest.

"Well, maybe I can get him to say a thing or two," Natasha commented casually.

In response, they heard a raspy laugh. The man stopped struggling and looked at them with amusement.

"The time—" he said in a low voice.

"Huh? Speak up," Tony loosened his grip a bit.

"The Time's up!" Before Tony could react, Daniel stepped forward, grabbing the subject by the arm and hurling him forcefully into the sky. In an instant, a flash illuminated the night, and a powerful explosion cleared the surrounding clouds.

Although that explosion wouldn't have harmed him and Tony, Natasha was still by their side. It would be really bad if he let her get hurt while being present.

"Suicidal madman," Tony spat, then looked around and whistled.

"This might take some time to fix, I might even have to move my company to another building," of course, the whole place was a mess.

"You need to learn to moderate the damage to the surroundings. If Shield hadn't evacuated, many people would have gotten hurt," Daniel commented.

"Hey, I knew there was no one nearby, otherwise I would have dealt with them differently," Tony tried to defend himself.

"Except for the Shield agents that I evacuated. You're welcome, by the way," Daniel smiled, seeing Tony's annoyance at being reprimanded.

"I knew you would save them, so everything was part of my plan. Anyway, what do you think that guy meant? 'Time's up'? What a cliché and dramatic phrase."

Before Daniel could respond, the ground suddenly began to shake violently.

He placed his hand on Natasha's shoulder to steady her and looked towards the Stark Industries building.

Cracks spread through its walls, the shockwaves from the explosions had significantly affected the structure.

Then suddenly a yellow light flooded the entire building, The shaking intensified along with the temperature, and a thunderous voice echoed throughout the place.

"Hahahahaha! TONY! Sorry for the wait! Let me give you a welcome!"

At that moment, as if a volcano erupted, the entire Stark Industries building exploded.

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