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Chapter 21 Iron Overlord

"What do you mean he hired someone to kill Tony?" Rhodes said loudly, "Why did Obadiah want... Where is Tony now?"

Pepper tried not to sound too flustered. "I don't know," she said into the intercom. "He didn't answer the phone, and neither did Jarvis. Can you go to his house and see what's going on with him? I'll go to his lab."

"Is it safe for you to do this?" Rhodes asked.

"I've got a few people from the government going with me," Pepper replied. "I think we can sort this out."

"If Tony is at home, I will find him." Rhodes assured her.

"Thank you, Rhodes." Pepper hung up the phone.She was delighted to see Agent Coulson arrive with five other agents.They'll need a small army to match the resources that Stanley and Stark Industries have.

Her first priority, though, is to convince Coulson to help her find Tony, and he's now obliged.If Tony is still in the Stark Industries campus, the high-tech laboratory located under the Ark reactor is their breakthrough.But unfortunately, Stanislav knows this too.

As they made their way to the lab, Pepper felt a chill run down his spine.She prayed that she and Rhodes didn't come too late.

Obadiah Stane arrives in the laboratory beneath the Ark's reactor on the Stark Industries campus, holding the stolen repulsor core, glowing faintly.

The lights above his head had been turned off and everyone had gone home.He walked straight across the room with purpose.In the darkness, only the red safety emergency lights flickered faintly.

The prototype armor stood quietly in the corner of the room.It is this set of armor that can benefit the shareholders of Stark Corporation more.Beside it is a series of Sampson machines that created the prototype armor and the original suit.

Stany carefully opened the breastplate of the new armor and inserted the stolen core.

The sensors on the helmet panel lit up, and a pair of eyes glowed red in the dark.

Stanley smiled.

The elevator doors opened, and the studio appeared in front of Tony.He struggled to catch his breath and wanted to take a step, but his knees gave way and he fell face down heavily on the ground.

Tony had to slowly and painfully get up from the studio floor.He could see what he was looking for, in a clear resin case on a table across the lab.That was his original heart.Thank God Pepper saved it.

Although it was less than fifty feet away from Tony, it was far away for him now.Tony's heart was beating violently, shrapnel could kill him at any moment.

He finally reached out to the workbench.He propped himself up and fumbled wildly on the table, trying to reach the plastic box.His hand brushed against the box, but he didn't have the energy to move it.He fell to the ground and just lay there thinking the worst was about to happen.This time he was really going to die here, and so was Pepper.

At this time, the transparent plastic box fell on the ground beside him.

He looked up.Dazed beeped and circled above him.Tony said to Drow one thing he'd never said to it: "Good boy."

Tony shattered the box with the last of his strength, taking the old repulsion core in his hands.

Maybe he won't die so soon, thanks to the dumbest robot in the lab.

The door to the second basement laboratory was locked, so Agent Coulson placed something on the door's hinges.Somehow, Pepper's code hadn't worked, but neither of them wanted to waste time trying to figure out why. "What's this?" she asked. "You look like you're going to use it to unlock the door."

"You should probably take a few steps back," Coulson said, taking a few steps back.

Everyone retreated to the corner of the stairwell and crouched.Coulson pushed a button and the door's hinges blew open.Once again, Pepper felt his approach was wrong.

Agent Coulson led the team through the smoking door and into the inner hallway.Pepper noticed the camera staring at them from a corner in the ceiling.If Tony was here, was he watching them?Where is Stanley?
The huge laboratory in front of them was pitch-black, only the lights of the automatic machines were shining.These machines filled the entire laboratory to the brim.It has been a long time since Pepper was here last time, and everything here is different now, and the whole laboratory gives off an ominous feeling.

"Tony?" she called tentatively. "Obadiah?"

Something moved in the dark, and Pepper jumped up.All the agents had their guns drawn, aiming around.Coulson shined a flashlight in that direction.

But all they saw was a worn suit of armor.It was apparently the suit of armor Tony wore when he escaped from the kidnappers.

"What's this?" Coulson asked.

"New plan," Pepper replied. "You shouldn't see it."

"I think this thing looks old," another agent commented.

"I'm not talking about the armor," Coulson said. "I'm talking about the empty hooks on the side."

Pepper looked at the hooks in bewilderment.Just then, something grabbed an agent following the line and yanked him into the darkness.

Rhode staggered back a few steps and kicked off the hinges on Tony's door.The room was strangely dark and very quiet.When Rhodes entered, even Jarvis didn't greet him.

The living room was a mess: the furniture had been turned over and a few lamps were broken.An untouched box of deep-dish pizza sits on a coffee table, looking out of place with its surroundings.

"Tony?" Rhodes called, "Jarvis?"

But no one in the room responded.

"Tony, where are you?"

Rhodes walked towards the elevator leading to the laboratory, but it seemed to be stuck on the lower floor.He found the stairs and rushed down in three steps at a time.The laboratory door was also locked, so he kicked it open.

As soon as he entered the door, Rhodes was stunned by the sight in front of him.The studio seems to have been transformed into an armory, with electronic components everywhere and lab storage racks filled with rows of helmets, boots and gloves.

A few steel cables stretched from the ceiling in the center of the room, and two sets of gleaming armor hung on it. It looked like the drone that Rhodes had seen in the surveillance photos of attacking the rebels in Comilla.

"Tony?" he called again.

Tony Stark lay on the floor.He looked terrible, but he was alive.Robotic arms danced around him in what seemed to be an intricate dance.In fact, they were operating on Tony's chest.

"Tony, are you okay?" Rhodes asked.

Tony looked at him darkly and said, "Where's Pepper?"

"She's fine. She's accompanied by five agents who are going to apprehend Obadiah."

The robotic arm finished installing the core and retracted to the ceiling. "Not enough people," Tony said as he stood up, took off the red and gold suit of armor on the steel cable, and put it on.

"What's your plan?" Rhodes asked.

"I'm going after Stanis," Tony replied.He put on his armor and lowered his helmet visor.

"It's the coolest thing I've ever seen," Rod said.

Hearing this, Tony almost laughed, but he still has business to do now.

Rhodes understood what Tony was going to do.Twice he was almost killed by his friend and mentor, and now, this person is his... Although Pepper is not his girlfriend, she means everything to him, and now even she is in danger middle.

"Not bad?" Tony said, "Go ahead."

Rhodes nodded and said, "Do you need me to do anything else?"

Tony nodded at him too, and said, "Just make sure there's nothing flying around." With a sound like a jet taking off, Tony took off.The rocket-propelled boots burst into flames and sent him flying through a tattered hole in the studio roof.

Rhodes looked at it for a while, feeling awe spontaneously. "It's so handsome," he said.At this moment, he remembered that there was another set of silver armor here.He took the helmet of this suit of armor off the shelf and inspected it for a while.

"Choose you next time, baby." Rhodes said.He ran to the garage, picked the fastest car, started the car, and went after his friend.

Pepper hides behind various equipment in the lab, trying to stay out of sight.She felt something terrible had happened, but wasn't sure exactly what.

Behind the empty pegs, a set of lights glowed like eyes, as did an Ark reactor.That thing looks like a bigger version of Tony's armor.It burst into the great armory, and everyone ran in all directions.

There was a burst of gunfire nearby, and the bullet burst the pipe, sending steam into the half-dark place.Pepper moved in the opposite direction, trying to get as far away as possible from where the gunfire was coming from, and to set up more machinery.

She pulled out her tiny phone, stuck it in her ear, and tried to find a signal, but found nothing.

At this moment, something exploded, a huge piece of metal whizzed past, smashed through several pipes, and more steam spewed out.

An agent stumbled toward her from the rising steam. "Agents down! Agents down!" he yelled into his walkie-talkie.At this moment, he saw Pepper, and added, "Get out of here!"

He pushed Pepper towards the exit.In the thick smoke, Pepper hadn't found the exit before, so she ran out in a hurry.

Behind her, the entrance to the lab was blasted into a cloud of dust and debris, but Pepper didn't dare look back.She ran to the stairs and didn't slow down until she reached the third floor, panting heavily.

The wall beneath her vibrated, as if something was about to burst through the door.But the thing was too big and got stuck in a pile of debris and couldn't get into the stairwell.

It was a huge set of metal armor, much larger than the one she had seen Tony wear in the lab.

The thing looked like a cross between a man and a tank, a pair of red eyes glowing dimly in the semi-darkness of the room.

Pepper turned and ran as fast as he could, not daring to look back.

Once outside, she called Tony on her cell phone.To her great relief, Tony answered right away.

"Tony, thank God I can still get in touch with you!" she said, "Listen to me..."

"Pepper," Tony replied, "where are you?"

At this moment, the ground under her feet suddenly shook.She fell sideways and the earphones fell from her head.A armored fist pierced the ground beneath her, followed by another blow that widened the gash.Those iron hands paved the asphalt as if it were a thin candy wrapper.

The fully armed Iron Overlord rushed out of the crack in the road.The first time Pepper saw what the full armor looked like, it looked terrifying.

There stood the Iron Bully, maybe fifteen feet high, maybe twenty feet, and as wide as four or five people standing shoulder to shoulder, missiles firing from launchers on his shoulders and arms.

Pepper stumbled back on the broken sidewalk.The steel giant towered over her like a tower.

"Listen..." Pepper said, stepping back.

The Iron Overlord took a step forward, piles of asphalt and steel fragments scattered from him. "Where are you going?" growled his voice amplified through distorted speakers. "You're not much use anymore."

(End of this chapter)