Chapter 15: Mark vs Obadiah Iron Monger (2)
"Let me show you what real power looks like," Obadiah snarled.
He slammed his fist on a button, bathing the lab in harsh light. Every fixture blazed to life, turning the cavernous space into an artificial arena.
Stark blinked against the sudden glare, but his eyes were drawn to the monstrous figure dominating the lab's center. A suit of armor, towering even over the Hulk, gleamed with menacing silver. Cables and chains snaked across its surface, crackling with raw energy.
Stark's blood ran cold. It was a twisted reflection of his own design, a grotesque mockery of his prototype. Obadiah had stolen his technology, weaponized it, and scaled it up to terrifying proportions.
Fury and betrayal warred within him. All those years, Obadiah had been playing the loyal friend, the trusted confidante. But behind that facade, he'd been plotting, scheming, stealing. Pepper's warnings echoed in his mind – the diverted weapons, the suspicious attack. It all pointed to Obadiah.
"Why?" Stark's voice was a hoarse whisper. "I treated you like family..."
Obadiah's laughter boomed through the lab. "Family? Don't be ridiculous."
"Stark Industries was built by Howard and me!" Obadiah raged. "I've kept this company running, poured my life into it. I'm the real backbone of this operation!"
He jabbed a finger towards Stark. "And you? You coast on your father's legacy, playing with gadgets. Everyone treats you like a genius, like a god. And now you're shutting down the weapons division, destroying everything I've worked for! Has anyone ever acknowledged my contributions? You and your father, you took all the credit, all the glory, just because you have the Stark name. Well, now it's my turn!"
Obadiah's face was contorted with rage, his voice thick with resentment.
"You..." Stark stared at the man who was like an uncle to him, his heart heavy with disappointment. "Obadiah, there's still time to stop this."
"Stop? I'm about to have it all! I'll be the most powerful man in the world!" Obadiah sneered. "Why would I stop now? Do you think we can just go back? Wake up, Tony!"
Stark saw the madness in Obadiah's eyes, the unwavering determination. Words wouldn't reach him. "At least let Pepper go," he pleaded. "She has nothing to do with this."
"Don't you get it?" Obadiah laughed. "You need to give me the arc reactor first. Didn't I make that clear?"
"Do you think I'm an idiot?" Stark shot back. "If I give you the reactor now, Pepper dies, I die – the only two people who know how it works. Let her go, and you'll get the reactor. Those are my terms."
"Making demands when you're on the verge of death?" Obadiah scoffed. His eyes flickered with calculation. "If you want to see her one last time, take off the suit."
The message was clear: disarm or Pepper dies. Obadiah didn't trust Stark not to attack, and his own suit was still powerless.
"Fine," Stark agreed, desperate to save Pepper.
But the Mark I armor was a clunky prototype. Without robotic assistance, getting out of it was a struggle. He triggered the emergency release, and the suit exploded outward in a shower of parts. There was no way he could get back into it quickly.
Obadiah smirked. Stark's willingness to disarm himself confirmed Pepper's importance. He gestured, and several guards dragged Pepper into the open.
"Tony!" Pepper's eyes were filled with fear and regret. If she hadn't been captured, Stark wouldn't be in this position.
"Pepper, it's okay," Stark said, relieved to see her alive. "It's going to be alright. I promise..."
But as Stark focused on Pepper, Obadiah subtly slipped something over his ear and reached into his pocket.
A high-pitched whine filled the air, and everyone except Obadiah collapsed. Stark's vision blurred, his body went numb.
"Remember this, Tony?" Obadiah sauntered towards Stark, a small device glinting in his hand. "A sonic emitter. Too bad the military didn't see its potential. Quite useful, wouldn't you say?"
Stark was paralyzed. The sonic waves disrupted his equilibrium, leaving him helpless. He could only watch as Obadiah approached.
"You're a golden goose, Tony," Obadiah said, his voice dripping with malice. He grabbed a tool from a nearby workbench and knelt beside Stark, aiming it at the arc reactor in his chest. "But a goose can't enjoy its own eggs."
"Thank you for providing me with the best egg of all."
With a cruel smile, Obadiah pressed the tool's trigger. The reactor ripped free from Stark's chest, leaving a gaping wound. Stark's face went white.
Without the magnetic field, the shrapnel in his body surged towards his heart.
Pepper cried out, struggling against the sonic waves that held her captive. She could only watch in horror as Stark's life ebbed away.
"Such a magnificent creation."
Obadiah, oblivious to their suffering, approached his own suit with reverence. He carefully inserted the stolen arc reactor into the Iron Monger's chest.
The suit hummed to life, its eyes glowing with an eerie blue light. Obadiah climbed into the cockpit, barely containing his glee. The Iron Monger lurched to its feet, snapping the chains that bound it.
"This power... it's incredible."
Obadiah savored the moment, testing the suit's movements. Then, he sealed the cockpit and turned the Iron Monger towards the helpless Stark.
The sonic emitter's effects were starting to wear off. Stark could feel a flicker of movement returning to his limbs. But without the arc reactor, the shrapnel was closing in on his heart. Pain clouded his thoughts. He could only crawl feebly backwards, each movement an agonizing effort.
He cursed his reliance on magic. Mark had promised him a solution, but where was he now? If he survived this, Stark would put his faith in science, not sorcery.
As Stark dragged himself across the floor, the Iron Monger loomed over him. Obadiah's voice boomed through the lab. "It's over, Tony."
The Iron Monger raised its arm, a Gatling gun extending with a terrifying whir.
Stark braced himself for the end. The black muzzle pointed at his head, and death felt imminent. Obadiah wouldn't hesitate. This was it.
But just as Obadiah prepared to fire, a flash of purple light filled the lab, and a voice cut through the tension.
"Tony, what are you doing? Get out of the way!"
"Ugh..."
Stark's heart leaped with hope. He tried to call out, but the sonic interference still scrambled his speech.
"What the...? Did you have a stroke or something?"
Mark stared at Stark, a hint of amusement in his voice. "I told you not to mess with palladium, but did you listen? Nope. Now look at you, irradiated and mutated. Can't even speak properly, just flopping around like a fish out of water."
"Who the hell are you?!"
Obadiah, startled by the sudden appearance of this stranger, swung the Iron Monger's Gatling gun towards Mark. He'd heard rumors of this sorcerer, Mark, but dismissed them as fairy tales. Now, seeing him materialize out of thin air, a wave of apprehension washed over him. What was this guy capable of?
Before Mark could respond, Obadiah unleashed a torrent of bullets.
"Rat-a-tat-tat!!!"
The air filled with the roar of gunfire and the smell of cordite. But the bullets, inches from Mark's face, froze in mid-air, suspended by an invisible force. Obadiah stared in disbelief.