"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A series of explosions from the missiles went off in Lynch's hand, but all they did was create a cloud of smoke.
With a wave, Lynch dispersed the dust, revealing himself completely unharmed.
He crouched slightly, locked onto Iron Man across from him, and shouted:
"Tony, it's my turn!"
"Hey!"
Tony's face twitched under the Iron Man suit, trying to negotiate:
"Didn't you say you wouldn't fight back?"
Lynch chuckled and shot forward at such speed that his voice was left behind:
"I lied!"
"F**k!"
Tony cursed in panic, quickly activating his suit to escape.
Inside Tony's mansion nearby, Natasha smiled while chatting with Pepper. Seeing the two of them chasing each other outside, Natasha commented:
"Does Mr. Stark always have this much energy?"
Pepper shook her head, "Maybe it's something Lynch brings out in him."
The two continued their chase, quickly disappearing into the sky.
Lynch, moving even faster, broke the sound barrier and rapidly closed in on Iron Man.
He caught up and tapped on Tony's helmet.
"Hey, can you go any faster?"
Tony, seeing Lynch raise a fist, broke out in a cold sweat.
"Jarvis, give me full power!"
Immediately, flames burst from Iron Man's limbs, boosting his speed and leaving Lynch behind.
Tony glanced back at the distant Lynch and taunted:
"Lynch, what's wrong? Didn't you have breakfast with me? Can't keep up? You won't burn off that calories with this level of exercise!"
Lynch smiled and shouted back:
"Tony, I'm just letting you fly ahead a bit. Don't cry when I catch up!"
Tony smirked and replied smugly:
"Come on, man. I've got your top speed on record! You'll never catch me!"
"Really?"
Lynch laughed, accelerating instantly, racing past a mountain range.
"Better take note of this speed!"
"Oh..."
Tony stared in shock as Lynch's speed surpassed Mach 1, then Mach 2…
A minute later, Lynch grabbed Iron Man's head and raised his fist.
"Lynch, wait! Don't do this!"
Tony tried to reason with him.
"I'll buy you a burger! My suit cost over a billion dollars!"
Lynch was unmoved. After all, he had been waiting for this punch for a long time.
"No way, Tony. You had this coming. I'll give you a moment to close your eyes..."
With a loud bang, Lynch's punch knocked Iron Man's headpiece askew.
...
"Lynch, that punch just cost me a few million dollars…"
Back at Tony's mansion, he dragged Lynch along, complaining endlessly.
Lynch waved dismissively, saying:
"How about I give you a tip worth billions instead?"
Tony paused, skeptical.
"What news could possibly be worth that much?"
Lynch activated his x-ray vision, and sure enough…
He saw that Tony's body was being invaded by a toxin — the same palladium poisoning from the arc reactor in his chest. The more Tony used the Iron Man suit, the more the palladium entered his body, causing the poisoning that wouldn't be solved until he discovered a new element.
"You're being poisoned, and you're going to die. Is that worth anything?"
Lynch said calmly.
"What?"
Tony was shocked, but still tried to brush it off.
"I feel fine!"
"Are you sure?"
Lynch smiled.
"You might want to ask Jarvis to run a full body scan."
After a moment of hesitation, Tony decided to get himself checked out.
...
"Palladium poisoning?"
Tony sat in a room, muttering to himself.
"Yes, sir. If you continue using the Iron Man suit, the palladium poisoning will worsen," Jarvis confirmed.
"Is there a cure?"
Tony asked, hopeful.
"Currently, there is no cure. It can only be managed..."
"Alright..."
Tony fell into deep thought.
When he first built the arc reactor, he knew there would be severe side effects. I mean, who wouldn't realize that shoving a giant energy source into their chest would come with consequences?
But at the time, it was his only option for survival. He just hadn't expected the side effects to arrive so quickly and be so serious.
If he kept using the suit, the poisoning would become irreversible.
But…
Could he stop?
He was Tony Stark — Iron Man!
Just recently, at a Senate hearing, he had promised to protect the world!
Without the suit, was he still Iron Man?
Could he still protect the world?
Maybe he could find a new element to replace the palladium?
Perhaps Lynch knew something...
Tony pondered this as he left the room.
Lynch, seeing Tony's grim expression, knew he had figured out the palladium poisoning.
"How bad is it?" Lynch asked with a smirk.
Tony took a deep breath and steadied himself.
"It's not that bad — just a few percent. Nothing too serious."
Lynch nodded, thinking it must still be early in the poisoning process.
"Any advice?"
Tony asked seriously.
Sensing Tony's tension, Lynch smiled.
"Do the things you want to do, like finishing the expo, maybe proposing to your assistant. Don't leave any regrets…"
"Wait…" Tony interrupted, his face darkening.
"What are you saying?"
"Start preparing your will, Tony."
Lynch chuckled.
Tony could be saved, and Lynch could easily tell him the solution.
But he wasn't going to. Not directly.
In the movies, the solution was hidden in the 3D model of his father's expo design, where Tony discovered the new element. But before that, Tony truly believed he was dying.
It was his fear, anxiety, and inner turmoil that pushed him through a spiritual transformation.
Only by going through that could Tony's eventual discovery of the new element be meaningful.
If Lynch just handed him the solution now, Tony wouldn't undergo that necessary change.
See how thoughtful, how caring, how much Lynch was looking out for his friend?
Sure, he wanted to see Tony freak out a bit, but that wasn't the main reason.
Watching Tony's expression shift from shock, to disbelief, to a mixture of frustration and despair, Lynch couldn't help but feel a faint sense of guilt and…
A strange sense of joy!
"You're messing with me, aren't you?"
Tony mumbled, talking to himself as he walked toward his workshop.
"It's got to be a lie. I'll find a replacement element…"
"Give it up! No element can save you…" Lynch teased from behind.
"Shut up! Go away. I've got work to do…" Tony, not turning back, started shooing him off.
He's panicking! Tony's panicking!
Just then, Natasha walked over from another room.
"What's wrong with Mr. Stark?" she asked, puzzled.
"What did you say to him?"
"Nothing, just pointed out a little issue he's not happy about."
"Alright, well, I wanted to show you something."
Natasha held up her phone.
Lynch looked closely — it was a picture.
In the image was a familiar hammer lodged in the ground.
"Mjölnir?"
Lynch squinted.
"Interested?"
"Of course."