After finalizing the terms of his deal, Soren dismissed the agents and officer his Tea lounge at Everlife Medical Center.
The flickering of lights, the hum of New York City's atmosphere faded around him as he stepped out into the cool night air.
He raised a hand, the faint shimmer of space bending around him, and in the next instant, vanished.
Reappearing on the northern coastline of the United States.
Stretching along the shoreline, a weathered, half-abandoned shipyard loomed, rusting cranes clawing at the night sky.
On the surface, it looked like any forgotten industrial relic, hollow docks, corroded freighters, long-dormant machinery. But beneath this crumbling facade, a secret lay hidden in plain sight.
This was where Aldrich Killian had his entire operation.
The heart of his Extremis project, and the stage for his final, terrible spectacle.
Inside the largest of the old docks, the President of the United States hung suspended in midair, bound within a heavily modified Iron Patriot suit, his limbs forced outward into a Jesus cross.
The harsh lights gave him a glow, reflecting off the steel, making him look less like a man and more like an offering.
Killian paced before him, the heat radiating from his body causing the air itself to steam unnaturally. Extremis coursed through him, making the flesh on his face glow faintly.
"Time's up."
"Let's begin."
A desperate soldier stepped forward, nodding in obedience, moving to set up the Mandarin's live broadcast feed. The world would soon see what terror looked like.
Carefully crafted images of fear would be driven deep into the hearts of millions.
But before he could even finish, a thunderous roar split the sky.
A streak of red and gold crashed down.
Tony Stark.
Armored up and radiating righteous fury, Iron Man landed hard at the edge of the dock, the ground cracking beneath his impact.
"Killian!"
His modulated voice was cold and controlled, but barely.
"Where's Pepper?!"
His voice wavered just a fraction, the name tightening his chest.
Killian turned, his expression twisting into a sneer. "Still alive… for now. But you're too late, Stark."
Without wasting another word, Killian raised his hand.
Dozens of Extremis soldiers emerged from the shadows, their skin laced with orange-red heat lines that pulsed like exposed lava veins. Their eyes gleamed with bloodlust.
These weren't ordinary soldiers, they were living weapons, enhanced and remade into nearly indestructible monsters.
The soldiers charged.
Tony immediately took to the sky, repulsors roaring. Even so, the numbers were overwhelming. Two fists couldn't beat a hundred enemies.
Blasts of searing heat chased him through the air, and for every soldier he dropped, two more took their place.
His armor's temperature readings screamed warnings as Extremis-enhanced hands clawed at him, melting and tearing at the suit's plating.
His heart pounded harder.
Where was Pepper?
Then, as if summoned by the thought, Pepper Potts appeared.
Bound tightly, she was dragged to Killian's side by two desperate soldiers. But Tony froze when he saw the telltale shimmer of Extremis heat radiating from her body.
Her skin glowed faintly under the harsh dock lights, veins of fire flickering beneath.
His blood ran cold. "Pepper…"
The anger in Tony's voice cracked.
"Pepper… what did you do to her?!"
Killian grinned.
"A gift, Tony. A better version of her. You see, she survived the Extremis process. Stronger, faster… and very soon, I'm going to make you watch her burn."
For a second, Tony saw a flicker of recognition in Pepper's eyes, awareness through the haze of Extremis' influence. A brief, silent plea.
"Hold on, Pepper. I'm coming for you!"
Driven by fury, Tony shot toward Killian, desperate to break through.
But it was exactly what Killian wanted.
Tony slammed into the scorched metal floor, sparks bursting as he skidded across the dock. Alarms wailed in his ears, every inch of his suit screaming under the relentless assault.
One Extremis soldier lunged.
CLANG!
Tony barely twisted in time, his forearm repulsor flaring point-blank into the soldier's face.
The blast sent the man flying, but three more replaced him, leaping through the flames like devils unleashed.
The horde closed in, surrounding him in a wall of blistering heat and violence. He fired off repulsor blasts, micro-missiles, and EMP bursts, but.
The Extremis soldiers took the hits and came back, their charred flesh instantly regenerating.
One grabbed his arm. Another struck his chest, sending his armor's systems into overheat.
A third grabbed his leg, molten hands melting through the alloy.
Warning alarms blared inside his HUD.
[Armor Integrity: 47%]
[Temperature Critical]
[Flight Systems: Compromised]
Within moments, Tony was grounded, surrounded, the armor hissing and glowing red-hot, plating half-melted and smoking.
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
Merry Christmas in advance Everyone. Your support for this was overwhelmingly shocking, Thank you.
I am currently preparing a Second story, hopeful it will be even Quirkier than this one. I will leave a hint.
.
..
...
The protagonist is not a human...
It should be released on the 10th of January.
PhantomDream