"You don't need to be in such a hurry to leave."
As soon as they entered the elevator, Tony Stark pressed the button for the top floor, eyeing Indra. "Unless, of course, you have something more pressing to attend to."
"Like blowing up a bank or a failing burger joint," Stark added with a smirk.
Indra frowned, asking, "So, you really believe I'm behind all that?"
Tony Stark nodded, "Shouldn't I?"
Indra remained silent, clearly unwilling to engage further. But Stark wasn't done.
"Of course, I don't have concrete evidence for those incidents," Stark continued. "But here's something I do have proof of—you assaulted Captain America."
Stark tilted his head, mocking, "I know you have powers, like shooting flames. I don't oppose superhumans, but..."
He paused, his expression growing serious. "I just want to see how powerful you really are."
Indra stared at Stark, his voice cold. "You can accuse me of anything you want. Say I'm a killer, say I'm a villain. But I have my own sense of right and wrong. I don't need your judgment."
Stark's face twisted with irritation. He raised an eyebrow, "You seem confident you can beat me."
"Sure, you beat Captain America... but, sorry, that doesn't mean you can beat me," Stark said, his confidence palpable. "I mean, I'm better than Captain America."
Just then, the elevator dinged, signaling their arrival at the hotel's top floor.
Stark looked at Indra, his tone dripping with contempt, "I'm not Captain America. I won't hold back. I'm Iron Man!"
Indra's eyes narrowed. "To me, there's no difference between the two of you."
The hotel's rooftop is a helipad, rarely visited at night.
Tony Stark pressed the elevator button for the top floor, his intentions clear: he was declaring war on Indra.
"Unlike Captain America, who talks too much, I'm more about simple, straightforward violence," Stark said as the elevator ascended.
Just then, with a loud "boom," a red suit of armor flew towards Indra from nowhere. It looked like it was going to hit him, but it crashed into a rooftop pillar instead, scattering pieces everywhere.
Tony sighed, addressing JARVIS, "Couldn't you summon a different suit? Why does it always have to be the MK42?"
Indra sneered, "I thought you'd be different, but it turns out you both like sneak attacks."
Red energy enveloped Indra's body, his eyes glowing a menacing red. The air around them heated up rapidly, turning the helipad into a giant oven.
Tony spread his hands, feigning nonchalance. "I just wanted to give you a surprise," he said. Then, his eyes hardened. "But it seems you have no sense of humor."
He extended his hand, and the scattered pieces of armor flew towards him at high speed, assembling onto his body. When the last piece clicked into place over his face, he smirked. "I am Iron Man."
With that, he raised his arm and fired an arc reactor blast at Indra. Indra dodged it with ease.
In truth, Indra could have attacked Stark before he donned his armor or even while the suit lay in pieces on the ground. But Indra didn't. Only the weak fear attack; the truly powerful are fearless.
Indra frowned and punched at Iron Man with a fierce blow. Though Indra, enhanced by the Extremis virus, wasn't the fastest, he was still several times quicker than an average person.
Iron Man quickly flew into the sky, firing another arc reactor blast at Indra. Stark expected this one to hit, but Indra dodged it again. The blast tore through the air, leaving a gaping hole in the helipad.
Tony was frustrated. "Damn it... How could I miss?" he muttered.
"JARVIS, target the high-heat signature and fire," he commanded.
In reality, Tony was holding back. If he truly believed Indra was behind the bombings, he could have told JARVIS to go full force. But without solid proof, and out of curiosity about the man who defeated Captain America, Tony wanted to see Indra's true capabilities.
"Yes, sir," JARVIS responded, launching another arc reactor blast at Indra. But Indra dodged it once more.
Tony was exasperated. "JARVIS, what's wrong with the targeting system?"
"Running diagnostics now, sir," JARVIS replied.
Meanwhile, the three arc reactor blasts had caused slight tremors throughout the hotel. The loud noises echoed through the city, drawing the attention of passersby who looked up to see what was happening.
"It's Iron Man!" they exclaimed.
The hotel wasn't very tall, and with the city illuminated at night, Iron Man was easily recognizable. Hearing the explosions, people initially panicked, thinking another bomb had gone off. But once they saw Iron Man, they began to cheer.
"It's Iron Man! He's fighting a villain!"
"Look! That guy is glowing!"
People started taking out their phones, cameras, and even binoculars, capturing the battle while shouting:
"Iron Man is invincible! Get him!"
"Go Iron Man! He can't beat you!"
"Iron Man, you're our hero! You're America's pride!"
The crowd grew larger, and traffic around the hotel came to a standstill. The hotel entrance became congested as people gathered, their eyes filled with fear and hatred towards the glowing Indra. They didn't know why Iron Man was fighting him or if Indra had ever threatened the world, but they speculated.
"That glowing guy, is he the one causing the explosions?"
"I don't know, but Iron Man is fighting him, so he must be!"
"Yes! Heroes don't make mistakes! They protect us! We have nothing to fear!"
The entire neighborhood was gridlocked, with only the sounds of the crowd's voices filling the air. They eagerly anticipated Iron Man's victory, steadfast in their belief that heroes are never wrong.
Hearing the cheers, Tony was a bit smug. "Do you hear that?" he taunted Indra. "The whole city is cheering for my victory."
Indra scoffed, "Isn't it a bit early to be saying that?"
Indra frowned. Though his abilities had significantly increased—his speed, strength, and powers now several times greater than a normal human's—the lack of flight was annoying.
"Maybe I should find a way to get some flying abilities," he muttered before shooting a fireball at Iron Man.
He wasn't expecting it to hit, but because Stark was distracted with JARVIS's diagnostics, the fireball struck Iron Man, sending him crashing to the ground.
Tony heard JARVIS's voice in his ear, "Sir, diagnostics show no malfunctions. Target acquired, ready to fire the unibeam!"
Seeing Iron Man hit the ground, the crowd gasped in shock. They couldn't see what was happening on the rooftop and had no idea of Iron Man's condition, but they shouted up at the hotel:
"We're not afraid of you! We have our hero!"
"Yeah! Iron Man has defeated aliens before. You just shoot fire, what's so great about that?"
"Iron Man, beat him! Send that menace back to his planet!"
.....
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