Several days later, Pepper came to get the injured Stark discharged from the Elders Council Hospital. With their driver at the wheel, Stark and Pepper exited the hospital and hit the main road.
They had not gone far when a sharp explosion echoed from the back of a sedan, followed by the sound of a smoke grenade flinging into the open. Wisps of smoke emitted from it, forming a thick fog that quickly enveloped everything within sight.
Stark quickly pushed Pepper down beside him. The incessant "swoosh" of bullets hitting the bulletproof glass made the whole car vibrate.
Cursing under his breath, Stark reached for his phone to call his Mecha, but Pepper quickly stopped him, "Damn it! You're still injured. Call Rhodes first. Let him pilot the Mecha!"
Before Stark could object, Pepper grabbed the phone from him, huddled underneath the car seat and dialed Rhodes's number, "We were attacked on our way home from the hospital! Send help!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the ground began to shake. Heavy thuds mixed with the mechanical clicking sounds echoed all around. Glancing back, Stark saw several massive robots surrounding their car through the window.
Their driver had now been shot. Stark was forced to scramble into the driver's seat. Pepper, brushing the hair from her face, guided him, "Turn right to the square. Our backup would be able to spot us there!"
Luckily, Stark's car was well built. Without a moment's hesitation, Stark gunned the engine and started to speed away.
With a bang on the steering wheel, he remarked, "Thank God for our late discharge!"
He then glanced behind and saw five to six large robots hot on their trail. "I have to go and fight! It would be a disaster if they decide to self-destruct," said Stark.
"We're in the city center, not far from the Elders Council Hospital. If all these robots explode here, the entire hospital could be leveled!"
The car picked up more speed. It was getting harder for Stark to control it. The tires left pitch-black marks on the asphalt as they screeched around a corner.
Just as the nearest robot was about to leap onto the car, a loud thud was heard as a figure dangling in the air kicked it in the head, sending it flying.
Peter landed on the roof with a thud. He poked his head into the driver's seat and cheerfully asked, "Did I arrived just in time?"
Without waiting for a response, he quickly warned, "Hey, listen! Don't go straight, turn left! There's a traffic jam up ahead. If these big guys get there, all the cars will be flattened!"
With that, he fired a web silk that attached to a wall of one of the buildings. He weaved between the robots, enraging them as he went.
One robot raised its limb and fired a rocket at Peter. The explosion chilled everyone's spine, yet Spider Man escaped without a scratch. However, the door of a store was blown off and shards of glass scratched the shopkeeper. Spider Man had to rush in to save him.
"It seems like Spider-kid is all tied up too," said Stark, "We must have people to rescue the casualties with the havoc these guys are causing."
Pepper responded, "Rhodes must have called both Steve and Shiller. We should take care of ourselves first."
Stark's old injuries still throbbed slightly. His brief stint in the hospital wasn't enough for a full recovery. Suddenly, the shadow of a helicopter enveloped the car. Hanging outside of the helicopter door, Rhodes shouted, "Head south!!! Fast!!! We can't brawl with them here!! Too many people will die!!"
Stark clenched his teeth and turned the wheel abruptly. The car darted to the left, spinning and scraping against two bollards before crashing into a street corner with a heavy thud.
Stark opened the damaged car door. Pepper, slightly dizzy from the impact, was helped out by him.
Spider Man used his webs to sever two massive street lights, swinging one of them around to cause quite some trouble for the robots. Stark yelled, "Jarvis! Arm up!"
A Mecha in hues of gold and red whizzed in. After Iron Man was suited up, he flew Pepper to a safe location on a rooftop. Shortly after, Rhodes too put on his Mecha.
The scene was a small factory manufacturing mechanical parts. Fortunately, as it was already late, most workers had left. The security guards who heard the commotion had also made their escape. When the robots arrived, Iron Man and Rhodes were ready and waiting.
Spider-kid swung in, closely followed by Captain America. The robots had hurt numerous people when stomping through the city. Spider-kid's organizing skills weren't quite there yet, and Steve had to handle the crowd evacuation.
Although Peter lacked close combat skills, his raw strength and speed, coupled with his agility, confused the clunky robots and created a perfect opening for Iron Man.
Several Palm Cannons sparked mini explosions. Iron Man weaved through the giant robots at high speed. Rhodes also successfully knocked down two robots. Suddenly, he shouted, "This isn't working! If they all self-destruct at once, we won't be able to escape!"
"Something's not right, very wrong indeed…." Stark mused, "These robots couldn't be the work of Obadiah. Even if he got a hold of the core energy, he wouldn't have the means to develop so many robots in such a short time. This requires a complete military production chain. Stark's military production line is under Pepper's control; there's no way Obadiah could have produced these robots without her knowing…."