Chapter 16: Mark vs Obadiah Iron Monger (3)
Obadiah was freaking out.
He was a businessman, used to the cutting-edge tech Stark Industries developed. Witchcraft and other supernatural stuff? Totally out of his realm of understanding.
In that sense, he and Stark were two sides of the same coin – science guys through and through.
But Stark had seen Mark in action, wiping out those terrorists like it was nothing. Those guys had guns, bombs, the whole nine yards, and they were annihilated in minutes. Mark even took a bullet to the head and walked it off! That kind of thing messed with your head, made you realize there was a whole lot you didn't know about the world.
Obadiah, on the other hand, only had rumors to go on. He'd heard about Stark being rescued by some sorcerer.
He figured sorcerers were all smoke and mirrors – parlor tricks, illusions. Maybe they could pull a rabbit out of a hat or conjure a fireball, but could they stop a bullet?
Turns out, they could.
So, could you blame him for being surprised?
Seeing Mark casually stop those bullets, Obadiah frantically hit another button. The Iron Monger's shoulder armor swung open, revealing a missile launcher.
"If bullets don't work, how about this?"
Mark glanced at Obadiah and flicked his wrist. A massive crane from the other side of the lab ripped free from its moorings and slammed into the Iron Monger.
The ten-ton crane smashed into Obadiah's suit, sending him stumbling backward.
Then, with a deafening roar, the missile launcher exploded.
The impact from the crane had triggered the missile prematurely. It detonated with incredible force, sending the Iron Monger crashing to the ground in a shower of sparks and debris.
"Ugh... Uh..."
Stark, seeing the Iron Monger go down, desperately tried to get Mark's attention. He was still in bad shape, and time was running out.
"Oh yeah, you."
Mark finally noticed Stark struggling on the floor. He pulled out the prototype arc reactor. "How does this thing work? Do I just plug it in like a nightlight?"
"P-please... let me... do it..."
A weak voice called out. Pepper Potts, still unable to stand, was crawling towards Stark. "I... helped Tony install... the reactor..."
"Alright, you do it then."
Mark nodded and handed the reactor to Pepper.
Obadiah, meanwhile, was getting back on his feet. The missile had packed a punch, but the Iron Monger's armor was tough.
"Sorcerer, I underestimated you."
Back in the safety of his suit, Obadiah felt his confidence returning. "But here at Stark Industries, technology reigns supreme!"
"Oh really?"
Mark chuckled. "Guess I'll have to open your eyes a bit more."
Before Obadiah could react, Mark raised his hand, a faint purple glow emanating from his palm. He made a swift downward motion.
Obadiah stared, bewildered by the arcane gesture. Then, alarms blared inside his suit. He looked up to see the entire ceiling caving in.
At the same time, the doors burst open, and Agent Coulson rushed in with a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
"Where's Fury?"
Mark looked around, but Nick Fury was nowhere to be seen.
"Director Fury had other business to attend to. He left us in charge," Coulson said, raising his gun. "What about the hostiles? Neutralized or escaped?"
"Not neutralized yet, but we're getting there."
Mark pointed towards Stark and Pepper. "You guys should get them out of here before they get hurt..."
"Well..."
Coulson hesitated, unsure if he should take orders from Mark.
"I'm a S.H.I.E.L.D. consultant now. Technically, that makes me your superior officer," Mark said, seeing Coulson's reluctance. "Now, move it, or you're fired."
Coulson opened his mouth to argue – a consultant wasn't exactly high-ranking – but seeing the look on Mark's face, he thought better of it. "...Get Mr. Stark and Miss Potts out of here," he ordered his team.
The agents carefully carried Stark and Pepper out of the collapsing lab.
Obadiah clambered out of the rubble.
"Your magic can't hurt me..."
He was furious at being knocked down twice. But before he could finish his sentence, a huge piece of machinery flew straight at him.
Obadiah braced himself, ready to deflect the blow. But the impact never came. He looked up, confused.
The machine was hovering in mid-air, held in place by some invisible force.
Mark stared at the scene, his eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Huh?"
Obadiah was equally puzzled. Had the sorcerer finally realized the Iron Monger was too powerful to handle? Maybe he'd been right to bet on Stark's tech after all. A surge of triumph coursed through him.
But Mark wasn't worried about the Iron Monger. As tough as that suit was, it was nothing compared to the Abomination.
[System Prompt: New Module Detected. Download permission Granted Upon Research.]
What had caught Mark off guard was the system notification.
"What... is going on?"
He was completely baffled. Where had that come from?
If it was a reward for defeating a boss...
Why hadn't it triggered when he first attacked Obadiah?
"Is it that thing?"
Mark eyed the machine suspended by some kind of force field. He had no idea what it was, but it seemed to be the source of the notification.
He reached out to grab the machine and examine it.
But before he could, Obadiah made his move. Seeing that Mark seemed to be stumped, his confidence swelled. He smashed the machine to pieces and charged towards Mark.
"Damn it!"
Mark's eyes narrowed. That machine was his ticket back to the Minecraft world! Obadiah had just crushed his hopes, and that made him furious.
"You messed up, pal."
He'd been planning to take Obadiah alive, but now... With a thought, his Stand, Steve, materialized cobblestones and arranged them in a circle around him.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, the rocks shot into the air like a volley of cannonballs.
Obadiah roared, dodging the first rock, punching the second one aside. But the third one hit him square in the chest, throwing him off balance. Before he could recover, the rest of the rocks slammed into him, sending the Iron Monger flying.
But Mark wasn't done.
He clenched his fist and pulled back.
The Iron Monger screeched to a halt in mid-air and flew back towards Mark.
"Think your tin can is so special?"
Mark grinned at Obadiah, who was trapped inside the suit. "This force field can't directly affect living beings. I had to wear down the Abomination first. But you, you idiot, you've built yourself the perfect coffin..."
He waved his hand again, and the Iron Monger smashed into a pile of debris.
"You...!"
Obadiah struggled to his feet. As he opened his mouth to speak, he saw Mark raise both hands, and alarms started blaring inside his suit.
Two massive stone walls had appeared on either side of him.
"What the—?!"
"Say goodbye!"
Mark slammed his hands together.
The stone walls glowed with purple energy and rushed inwards. With a deafening crash, they collided, crushing everything between them in a cloud of dust and debris. The entire lab shook violently, threatening to collapse.