Tony's bloodshot eyes were filled with shock.
That voice... he was too familiar with it.
How could he be here?
In Tennessee?
In this godforsaken small town, at the most pathetic... the second most pathetic moment of his life?
"Who... who is it?"
The blonde boy, Harry, clutched the potato cannon in his hand, looking warily at the rolling shutter door.
Tony stood up and patted Harry's shoulder, "It's alright, kid. Open the door."
He straightened himself, trying to regain a semblance of dignity befitting a billionaire.
Though he currently looked more like a homeless man who had slept in a dumpster for a night.
Harry pulled open a crack in the rolling shutter door.
William Rodriguez bent down and squeezed in, casually dusting off his expensive trench coat.
A heavily damaged Mark 42 Armor, with half of its body charred, lay in the center of the garage.
William's gaze finally settled on Tony's haggard face, a maddening smile spreading across his own.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Stark."
He walked around the broken armor, like an insurance adjuster evaluating an accident scene, making "tsk tsk" sounds.
"Hmm... catastrophic structural damage, main power depleted, over sixty percent severe burns and physical impact marks on the shell..."
William turned to Tony, who was looking increasingly grim, and spread his hands.
His tone was full of "regret."
"According to the disclaimer clauses in the policy, our company does not compensate for losses directly caused by the client's own 'foolish actions.'"
Tony's mouth twitched.
He had thought he was miserable enough, but William's appearance only added insult to injury.
Yet, in this extreme absurdity, the nerve that had been stretched to its breaking point strangely relaxed a little.
"You..."
Just then, footsteps sounded from outside the door again.
Jessica Jones, carrying a liquor bottle, sized up Tony.
Immediately after, the figures of Tandy and Tyrone also appeared at the doorway.
When they saw Tony Stark in the garage, their faces were similarly filled with shock.
The superhero Iron Man had fallen to such a pathetic state.
Tony's gaze swept over Jessica.
Then he looked at the two overly young teenagers.
Finally, his gaze returned to William's face.
"You brought all your 'employees'? Is this a company annual meeting?"
"Business expansion."
William shrugged indifferently.
"Alright, Tony, old times' sake is over. Tell me."
"Who attacked you? And, how far along is that foolish plan in your head that made you broadcast your home address to the entire World?"
Tony was silent for a moment, but eventually revealed his findings.
From how his bodyguard, Happy Hogan, was severely injured investigating a mysterious explosion, to how he followed the clues and discovered it was all related to a man named Aldrich Killian and his A.I.M. company.
"The 'Mandarin' is fake, he's just an actor, a front pushed to the stage."
"The real enemy is Killian. He developed something called 'Extremis,' which can rewrite a creature's genes, giving the human body super regenerative abilities and the capacity to generate thousands of degrees of high temperature. Those so-called 'terrorist attacks' weren't bombs at all, but experimental subjects injected with unstable Extremis, who self-destructed."
William's eyes narrowed slightly.
Extremis.
A biotechnology that can rewrite genes and bestow super regenerative abilities.
This thing... if he could get his hands on it and have Dr. Connors analyze and research it... what a "fortune" that would be?
This business trip was not a losing venture, but rather a huge opportunity!
"So, your house was blown up by a bunch of walking heat sticks?"
Jessica took a swig of liquor, summarizing it simply and crudely.
"Hey!" Tony choked, glaring at her angrily, "That's not the point! The point is Killian kidnapped Pepper! He's using Pepper to threaten me, to make me help him stabilize Extremis!"
"So what are you going to do?"
William asked.
"Fix your scrap metal, then rush in alone to die? And broadcast it to the whole World again?"
"I..."
Tony was momentarily speechless. He had indeed been thinking that.
"Listen, Tony."
William took a step forward, looking him directly in the eyes.
"You're not alone now. Your risk management team has arrived on site."
"I don't need..."
"You do!" William emphasized, "You're responsible for being the bait, and we're responsible for clearing the area. Killian thinks you're a drowning dog right now, so we'll play along and make him pay for his arrogance."
"Alright,"
He finally relented.
"I'll listen to you. What... what should we do?"
William showed a satisfied smile, just about to speak the next step of the plan.
Suddenly!
"Sizzle—"
The only incandescent light on the garage ceiling flickered violently, emitting a harsh electrical sound, then went out completely.
The entire garage was plunged into darkness instantly.
"What's going on? Power outage?"
Harry asked nervously.
No one answered him.
Because everyone present felt a suffocating heat emanating from all directions.
"Watch out!" Tyrone exclaimed, pulling Harry and Tandy behind him.
The next second, a sudden change occurred!
The garage's metal rolling shutter door began to glow with an eerie orange-red light from its center.
The light grew brighter and hotter, as if a Sun was rising behind the door.
"Boom!"
Accompanied by a loud bang, the entire rolling shutter door was melted through from the outside by an invisible force!
A huge hole, several meters in diameter, with molten red iron still dripping from its edges, appeared before everyone.
Outside the door, a tall figure slowly walked in.
His entire skin glowed with a dark red, magma-like light, and his eyes were like two burning branding irons.
It was Eric Savin, one of Killian's strongest Extremis soldiers.
He looked at Tony Stark in the darkness, a cruel smile on his face.
"Mr. Stark, your game of hide-and-seek is over."
-------------------------------
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