Rhodes replied, "No, thank you, I don't smoke..."
But then he saw Stark casually take out a cigarette, toss it into the air, and instantly, a thin, blue and silver mecha was assembled around him. Swallowing hard, Rhodes said, "Give me one, please. Thanks."
Meanwhile, General Johnson had just climbed back into the cockpit of a huge robot. What appeared in his field of vision was a fist as big as a sandbag.
Iron Man was about to join Rhodes to confront Johnson, but was intercepted by the restored Iron Monster. He heard Obadiah say, "You know? Most of what I told you about your father was not the truth."
"In reality, he smoked, drank, chased women, daydreamed, and often jumped to conclusions. He messed things up and then passed the buck."
"Those heroic tales about him were all fabricated by me. He was utterly an asshole."
"Do you know how I managed to stop him from spouting dumb ideas?"
Iron Man had a sinking feeling, but before he could answer, he saw a fist as large as a sandbag in his view.
Watching Iron Man being knocked away, Little Spider rubbed his hands and said, "Alright, here's the question—who should we help?"
Slapping his shield, Captain America said, "I think Obadiah was right. After all, he is Stark's elder and has more reason to give him a beating."
"But wouldn't it look bad if we just watch?"
"Then let's not watch. Let's get moving. We have wounded to load onto the ambulance."
Elsewhere, Iron Man was groggily clambering out of a pile of steel bars. He said, "Wait! Uncle... okay, I get it. Howard was a jerk and so am I! But I think there are better ways to settle this. We can have a conversation, or hold a board meeting or something. We don't always have to resort to fists..."
"You're the last person who should be saying that."
With a roar, the Iron Monster leaped. Landing in front of him, its shadow enveloped Iron Man's armor. Obadiah said, "Soon you will realize that your iron shell won't help you at all, even if you give it a new look."
Iron Man seemed helpless, Obadiah was clearly set on beating him up. His temper flared, "You'll soon find out if it's just a new look!"
With that, he swiftly dodged the Iron Monster's punch like a bird. In almost an instant, he was behind the Iron Monster, and he landed a blow on its back.
The Iron Monster swung its arm, but Stark skillfully dodged again. His current armor was lighter, but thanks to the modified power system, it was faster and more agile.
He stretched out his palm, and the steel bars in the nearby rubble began to vibrate slightly. They took off in an instant, aiming directly at the Iron Monster. Jarvis told Stark, "The magnetic control system is still being upgraded and can't operate at high frequency. Also, energy is almost exhausted..."
Stark clenched his fist, and the steel bars flew at the Iron Monster.
Obadiah clearly didn't expect this trick. After all, Iron Man was primarily a warrior who, apart from his palm cannons, spent most of his time trading punches with the enemy. But this silver and blue mecha made him look more like a mage.
With the move of Stark's arms, the steel bars shot at the Iron Monster at high speed. Obadiah only managed to dodge most of the bars on his left side, but a few bars struck his armor's right arm.
But he was unflappable. The moment he was hit, he used the force to jump out and launch an uppercut at the airborne Iron Man.
Iron Man's armor spit out a series of sparks, but he didn't back down and made a nosedive to punch the Iron Monster's neck. The Iron Monster wobbled slightly, grabbed Iron Man's leg, and threw him away.
Iron Man was again thrown into disarray. He fell right into the battlefield between Rhodes and General Johnson. With Rhodes also struggling, Iron Man shouted, "Let's switch opponents for the second half!"
It was the right decision. Rhodes's armor was stronger, but he was up against General Johnson's large mecha equipped with eight tentacles. He'd get brutally smacked if he wasn't fast enough. So, it was more practical to let Stark's more agile armor deal with him.
Stabilizing himself, Rhodes immediately ascended and dived, heading straight for Obadiah's Iron Monster.
After the opponents were correctly paired off, the situation quickly clarified. Stark, with his high-mobility combat skills, swiftly dismantled more than half of the tentacles on General Johnson's back. Without the assistance of the tentacles, Johnson's robot became an actual can of iron – a sandbag for Iron Man. With several punches, the machine started to spark.
The robots that he had summoned were also speedily disposed of by Stark's high-speed movements.
On the other side, although it was tough to deal head-on with the Iron Monster, Rhodes was holding his own. After a few rounds, the Iron Monster fell to the ground, seemingly unable to stand up again due to its previously damaged leg.
Walking to Iron Man's side, Rhodes said, "I once heard my former boss, Old General Andro, mention that he knew your father when he was young. I don't know the details."
"That damn, treacherous little Howard! His dealings with the military helped build up Old Andro! Originally, I shouldn't have been just a minor Air Force general!"
"None of that matters now," Stark said. "At this point, you're probably not going to remain a general anymore."
"Everyone knows that only Iron Man can build these mecha. I was using the technology you provided to the military. As long as..."
"No, I didn't mean it that way. What I'm trying to say is that Howard, as screwed up as he was, did possess qualities worth learning from. For instance, finding a right partner within the military...of course, that's not you…"
"Didn't you intend to shut down Stark's weapons manufacturing department?"
"Where did you hear such rumors?"
Johnson turns to look at Obadiah's mech.
"Did my uncle tell you that?"
"Did he also tell you that every Stark is like this? We change in the blink of an eye. Just a few minutes ago, I changed my mind. Not only will I not close down Stark's weapons manufacturing department, but I plan to officially collaborate with the military. I have some ideas on a single soldier exoskeleton and medical support systems..."
"No! You can't do that! Bloody hell, I already promised Hammer Arms Industry…"
"Fools always seek other fools," the sound of Obadiah's voice echoed from afar.
Johnson's mech spits out a series of sparks. Apparently, he was pounding on something inside.
"It seems these mechs were made for you by Hammer Arms Industry, but sorry to say this, they're quite outdated."
"Yes, you've only given outdated tech to Rhodes." Even now, Johnson couldn't help but sow discord.
Rhodes crossed his arms and said, "He just gave me a cigarette, a quite fashionable one."
Stark didn't waste words with Johnson any longer. He went to the collapsed Iron Monster and opened the cockpit. Obadiah was lying inside. He didn't seem physically injured, but his complexion was awful, looking as if he were on the brink of death.
"Doctor! I need a doctor!"
Shiller appeared at the call. He spread his hands, "I guess you need more than a psychologist."
"Of course, but stop the chatter, get him to a hospital now."
"His heart..." the host said inside Shiller's head.
Shiller checked Obadiah's pulse and found it indeed peculiar. Obadiah coughed and said, "The external energy core can't sustain such a behemoth…"
"Did you do something to your heart?" asked Shiller.
Stark anxiously tore open Obadiah's shirt, and sure enough, there was a scar on his chest. He urged Shiller, "Hurry up! Take him back to my lab!... Damn it, the path of bionics is a dead end! It's nothing but draining life!"
"You're as obstinate as your father, never listening to others..." Obadiah said, but he fell silent at the sight of the blood trickling down Stark's forehead.
"Take him back first. I know a pretty good neurosurgeon - you'll meet him at Stark Building shortly."
After Shiller and Stark had left, only General Johnson and Rhodes remained on the battlefield. Johnson was cursing wildly, "You damn madman! Rhodes! Don't you know a soldier's duty is to follow orders? I am your superior now! Old Andro is long retired!"
"Yeah, he retired honorably as a general, got a high-paying sinecure in Congress, collected tons of pension. Last winter, he even spent two months in Hawaii, and his granddaughter just got accepted by Harvard..."
Johnson's mech exploded violently again.
After a while, he said, "You'll regret this, Rhodes. Never trust a Stark. You will regret being his friend."
"They're selfish, sensitive, suspicious all the time. In the end, they ruin everything. They have a genius mind to save themselves, but they won't save you - not even a watchdog."
Rhodes stepped out of his mech, looking around.
The scene had been reduced to ruins. Not far away, the Little Spider and Captain America were getting the wounded onto ambulances. Most people had orderly evacuated, but quite a few were hurt while running from the blast waves. They had just been rescued.
New York is vast. The battle's aftermath only affected a few nearby streets. Further away, the roads were still bustling with vehicles and pedestrians.
Suddenly, a streak of crimson light illuminated the distant sky. Dawn was about to break.
"You're right. The Starks are all rotten - impulsive, willful, never considering the consequences, leaving others to clean up their mess. But Iron Man is different..."
Rhodes stared at the light on the horizon. He raised his hand, plucked off his epaulets and looked down at them. He squeezed them between his fingers, and tossed them onto Johnson's face.
"...Iron Man never steps back."