"He went down to his workshop to put on the suit," Logan said casually, jerking his thumb toward the stairs behind him. "You can wait here."
Obadiah Stane's eyes narrowed. He didn't hesitate.
"Kill him," he ordered coldly. "Then go downstairs and bring Tony up."
"Yes, sir."
The lead mercenary raised his rifle and fired point-blank at Logan's forehead.
Bang.
The bullet struck dead center.
And then… dropped.
It fell to the floor with a dull clink, squeezed out of Logan's skin as if reality itself had rejected it.
For a heartbeat, no one moved.
"Christ," Logan muttered, setting his drink down. "Kids these days. No patience at all."
Metal snapped free with a sound like knives being unsheathed by the world itself. Three claws burst from each of Logan's hands. He crossed his arms and charged straight into the gunfire.
Bullets tore into him, slowing nothing.
Logan ignored the mercenaries entirely. He leapt.
In a single bound, he landed in front of Obadiah. One clean thrust. Fast. Precise.
The claws punched straight through Obadiah's chest.
Obadiah Stane died without understanding how.
At that exact moment, the ceiling exploded outward as Tony Stark rocketed up from the lower level, encased in his newly forged Iron Man armor, repulsors blazing as he joined the fight.
Outside the mansion gates, Phil Coulson skidded to a stop as gunfire echoed through the estate.
"Damn it," he muttered, drawing his weapon. "You two stay here. Don't move."
He sprinted inside.
Pepper Potts stared at the bodies of fallen guards near the entrance, her face draining of color. She turned desperately to Rowan Mercer.
"Rowan, please. You have to save Tony."
Rowan didn't look worried.
"Relax," he said calmly. "Tony Stark isn't the same man he was yesterday."
Pepper didn't know about the armor yet. She didn't know that Tony had crossed the line from genius to weapon.
And Logan was inside.
They moved forward together.
In the main hall, they found Tony standing unharmed in the Iron Man suit, smoke curling faintly around him. Coulson stood nearby, frozen in disbelief.
Logan was nowhere to be seen.
Rowan's gaze dropped to the floor. Obadiah Stane lay there, unmistakably dead, his chest pierced clean through.
"So it really was him," Rowan thought. The Hydra ambush earlier suddenly made sense.
Tony removed his helmet, wearing an expression of effortless confidence. "Minor complication," he said lightly. "Handled."
"Tony!" Pepper rushed forward, tears spilling as she hugged him. After the blood and bodies, the fear finally caught up to her.
Tony froze, then slowly returned the embrace. Of everyone in his life, Pepper was the one he trusted most. After nearly dying, that truth felt heavier than ever.
"I just didn't want to update my résumé," Pepper sniffed, pulling back. She handed him the flash drive. "Everything's on here. Obadiah's crimes. His deals with the people who kidnapped you. Though… I guess we won't need it now."
She gestured toward Coulson. "This is Agent Coulson."
Tony glanced at Obadiah's corpse and shrugged. "Self-defense," he said pleasantly. "Nice to meet you."
Coulson stared at the armor. "Mr. Stark… what exactly are you wearing?"
"Oh, this?" Tony tapped the chest plate. "Advanced prosthetics."
Coulson blinked. "Prosthetics?"
"Absolutely. Helps me move better. As for these guys?" Tony waved vaguely. "I took Wing Chun lessons. You should see the footwork."
Coulson stood there, speechless.
Tony clapped his hands together. "Anyway. Let's go somewhere that doesn't smell like gunpowder and blood. You can tell me about your agency with the incredibly long name and why my father was involved."
"It's the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division," Coulson replied automatically.
Tony winced. "That's awful."
"We usually go by S.H.I.E.L.D."
"Much better."
Rowan motioned Pepper to follow them and quietly headed downstairs instead.
In the workshop, Logan sat on a crate, drinking calmly.
"Fill me in," Rowan said.
Logan explained what happened after Rowan left. "When I heard you coming, I disappeared. Figured it was better not to show my face."
Rowan nodded. "Good call. Coulson would recognize you. Staying off the government's radar is still the smart move."
He escorted Logan out through the air, delivering him to a cloaked X-jet hovering invisibly above the estate, then returned alone.
With a flick of his hand, Rowan gathered the remaining bodies together. Another gesture erased blood, scorch marks, and every trace Logan had been there.
When Tony, Pepper, and Coulson returned half an hour later, the hall was spotless.
Coulson stared. "That was… fast."
Rowan said nothing, standing quietly by the door like any other bodyguard.
Tony handed the flash drive to Coulson. "Since my father worked with you people, I'll leave the cleanup to S.H.I.E.L.D."
Coulson accepted it solemnly. "We'll take care of everything. In a few days, just announce that Obadiah Stane died in a private plane crash."
Tony smiled faintly.
Just another secret buried.