---

Happy Hogan stared out the window of the private jet. He watched as they traveled over the ground below. Looking away from the window, he saw his boss, Tony Stark, sitting back in his reclining leather chair, nursing a glass of Dr. Pepper, and watching the large TV screen embedded in the wall.

“Although he has been cleared of any wrongdoing in the Syrian crisis, the problems appear to keep coming for billionaire industrialist Tony Stark. After giving a speech at the UN where he warned that anyone caught using unauthorized Starktech will suffer consequences, Stark Enterprises’ stock once again took a dive. Rumors have it that Tony Stark may soon have his own company stolen out from under him.”

“How can you watch that crap, boss?” asked Happy.

Tony just shrugged. “You get used to it after awhile. People have been trying to crucify me for years, Hap.”

“Yeah, but yer takin’ it all in stride. This is your company an’ the board thinks they can just put that bastard cousin of yours in charge?”

“Morgan Stark couldn’t manage a Starbucks. If the board is so intent on seeing what happens when they put him in charge, let them try,” said Tony. “Meanwhile, I’ve got more important things to worry about.”

“Like what?”

Through the use of the Extremis system in his body, Tony was able to control the television with a thought. It changed to images of the Starktech used in Syria. “Like this. I don’t think Ivan Vanko could have done all this on his own.”

“What makes you say that? Thought he was a pretty smart guy.”

“Oh, Vanko is a gifted inventor, no question about that,” said Tony. “But this is more than just simple invention. Vanko acquired Starktech somehow. For a man who spent the past several years working at a university, he sure managed to make connections with some of the worst of the worst awfully quick. That means someone needed to get him the tools he needed and make the introductions he required.”

“Who could do that?”

“Well…” With a thought, the screen changed again, revealing images of several of Stark’s rivals over the years. “My first thought would be the Mandarin—he’s been pretty silent as of late and this could be a way for him to re-announce his presence. But this doesn’t feel like his doing. There’s also Kenjiro Fujikawa. The turmoil this has caused with the board definitely benefits him, seeing as how he can use this opportunity to reclaim full control over SE. That doesn’t seem to fit, either. Fujikawa would’ve tried to get one of his own people appointed, not Morgan. Few other candidates, too—Sunset Bain, Norman Osborn, Roxxon.”

Tony rubbed his goatee and took another sip of his drink. “On the other hand, it could be someone completely different. A brand-new player.”

“So why are we doin’ this?” asked Happy. “With thing’s so crazy right now, don’t it seem like the time to batten down the hatches, not goin’ on vacation?”

“Tell me something, Hap. When you’re in the ring and you hit your opponent, do you let down your guard?” asked Tony.

Happy shook his head. “Course not. You get ready for payback or you strike again while the iron’s hot.”

“Exactly my point,” said Tony. “Whoever’s behind this, they’re on high alert right now, just ready for a strike. They think I’m going to let them get to me. So instead, I twist their strategy around. I’m refusing to play their game. They want me to drive myself insane trying to figure out who they are. And as I’m distracted with that, they’ll continue striking at my weakest points.”

“So…your solution is to just do nothing?” asked Happy. “Sorry for sayin’ so, Tone—but that sounds rock-fuckin’ stupid.”

Tony chuckled. “You certainly have a point there. But this trip isn’t just about me—it’s about you.”

“Me?”

Tony stood from his chair and walked over to the small mini-bar. He opened the tiny refrigerator and took out a fresh can of Dr. Pepper, refilling his glass. “You’ve been through a lot. I can tell you’re under a lot of stress. So think of this as a vacation for both of us.”

“Mr. Stark, Mr. Hogan, we’ll be approaching the airport shortly,” came the voice of the pilot over the PA system. “Please fasten your seatbelts and prepare for landing.”

“Hear that, Hap? We’ve arrived.” Tony sat down and pulled the belt across lap. He flashed his old friend a smile and raised the glass. “Vegas, baby! Vegas!”

---

FIRE & ICE

By Dino Pollard

---

The fake Iron Man armor carrying Tony landed atop a burned Once they reached the hotel, Tony wasted no time hitting the casino floor. He paid the bellhop to take their luggage up to their suites. Tony immediately dragged Happy out to the floor with him and they went to the craps table. Happy watched as Tony gleefully joined the game, shooting dice and winning eruptions of cheers when he made a good roll.

Happy stood by Tony’s side, watching with curiosity at the game. But his thoughts weren’t really on the game. He was worried about his friend’s nonchalance at the whole situation. A part of him wondered if this was the beginnings of Tony suffering from a breakdown of some sort. After all, with everything the man had been through in his life, would it really be such a surprise?

“Excuse me.”

Happy turned at the soft voice and saw two women standing before him, both stunning. One was a redhead and wore a tight, yellow dress. The other was blond and wearing a blue number. Both dresses left little to the imagination and Happy couldn’t help his eyes wandering.

“Is that Tony Stark?” asked the redhead, before sipping her champagne.

At the sound of his name, Tony left the craps table and came up beside Happy, patting his friend on the back. “Why yes it is, ladies. And this is Happy Hogan, prize-fighter extraordinaire!”

“Oh wow, the Tony Stark!” said the blond. “I’ve wanted to meet you since like, forever!”

“Really?” asked Tony, flashing her a smile.

She nodded. “You’ve always been my favorite Avenger. I used to have an Iron Man poster in my room when I was in high school.”

“Isn’t that sweet,” said Tony. “Hear that, Hap? She’s a fan! I’m sorry, and your name is…?”

“I’m Eve,” said the blond before she wrapped her arm around her friend’s shoulders. “And this is Amanda.”

“Eve and Amanda.” Tony kissed each of their hands in turn. “Charmed.”

“Hey Tony, I think I’m gonna go have a drink,” said Happy.

“You sure about that?” asked Tony, turning a concerned glance at his friend.

Happy nodded. “You go on, have a good time. I’m a little tired.”

Tony turned to the girls and wrapped his arms around their shoulders. “Well ladies, it looks like I’m being left in your care. Please, be gentle with me.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that, Tony,” said Amanda, tossing a mischievous glance at Eve, who returned it with a smile. “You’re about to have a night you’ll never forget!”

Happy watched them walk off and walked to the bar. He sat down on the stool and waved the bartender over. “Maker’s Mark on the rocks.”

The bartender nodded and went to make the drink. When he brought the glass, Happy set a ten-dollar bill on the counter and the bartender accepted it with a thanks. He nursed the drink and wondered if he’d done the right thing letting Tony go off with those two. Sure, he could handle himself. But it didn’t stop Happy from worrying about his friend’s mental state.

“Well Mr. Hogan, isn’t this a surprise.”

Happy turned to the side and saw a handsome young man in a fine suit with short, brown hair. Happy wagged his finger, trying to remember the man’s name. “Hey…I remember you.”

“Sinclair Abbot,” he said, offering his hand. “A pleasure to meet you again.”

“Right, Mr. Abbot,” said Happy, accepting the handshake. “What brings you out here?”

Abbot sat on the stool next to Happy. “Oh, just business. And a bit of pleasure. What are you drinking?”

“Whiskey.”

“Sounds great.” Abbot waved the bartender over and pointed at Happy’s glass. “I’ll have what he’s having.”

“Right away, Mr. Abbot.”

Happy chuckled. “So they know you here, huh?”

“Maybe I’ve been known to lose a few thousand dollars every now and then. I’m afraid I’m not much of a gambler,” said Abbot. He raised his glass when it arrived and Happy clinked his own against the side. “Cheers.”

The two men sipped their drinks and silence passed between them for a few moments. Abbot was the one to finally break it. “So, have you given any thought to my offer?”

Happy sipped his drink and set it on the bar. He turned his head to look at the man. “Listen Mr. Abbot, I’m flattered you think I’m the guy to take care of your security. But it’s not really somethin’ I feel up to. My boss…he needs me.”

Abbot sighed. “Very well. I’m sorry to hear that, but I understand, of course.”

Happy finished his drink and set the glass down. “It was good seein’ you again. Hope you have a nice night.”

“Hold on, you’re not leaving so soon, are you?” asked Abbot. “Have another drink. On me.”

Happy hesitated but nodded. “All right, I’m game. Let me just run to the little boxer’s room real quick.”

“Of course.” Abbot gave a smile and summoned the bartender over as Happy moved to find the bathroom. Abbot ordered another Maker’s Mark and asked the bartender to put it on his tab.

Happy hadn’t returned once the drink was ready. Abbot adjusted the cuffs on his dress shirt, and no one but an expert who’d been paying close attention could see the small vial Abbot removed from the hidden pocket beneath the sleeve of his jacket. He quickly held the vial over Happy’s drink and dumped the clear contents into it. Abbot turned back to his own drink, slipping the empty vial into his pocket and took a sip of the whiskey.

“Back,” said Happy a few moments later, sliding onto his stool once more. He took the glass and held it up in Abbot’s direction. “Thanks for the drink, Mr. Abbot.”

“My pleasure, Mr. Hogan,” said Abbot with a grin. “My pleasure.”

---

Amanda and Eve were sharing a room at the hotel. They walked in, both hanging off Tony’s arms and laughing as he joked with them. Tony exchanged kisses with each of them and they shoved him onto one of the twin beds.

“Now this is what I call a vacation,” said Tony.

“Oh just one second, we’re going to change into something a little more…comfortable,” said Amanda with a wink.

“Hurry back,” said Tony.

The two girls giggled and moved into the bathroom. Together. Tony smiled at that thought and sat up on the bed. He pulled his tie loose and undid the collar of his shirt. He walked over to the mini-bar and opened the refrigerator. There was a bottle of sparkling water and he took it from there. He took the ice bucket and raised the lid, only to find it empty. Taking the bucket in hand, he walked up to the bathroom door and knocked a few times on it.

“I think I’ll run down the hall and get us some ice.”

“Oh, that’s not necessary,” said Eve from behind the door.

Tony felt the temperature drop suddenly. He stepped away from the door as it was blown apart by shards of ice. Eve stepped out of the bathroom, wearing some kind of white and blue suit of armor. She held up her arms and waves of ice shot out.

“We’ve got plenty of ice!”

Tony jumped over the bed to avoid the attack. He looked up to see Amanda come out of the bathroom, also wearing a suit of armor. But this one was red and yellow. “Not to mention fire!” She held out her hand and unleashed a jetstream of flames. Tony dodged as best he could, moving into the corner of the room.

“Say hello to Blizzard and Firebrand,” said Eve.

“The new and improved versions,” said Amanda.

“Y’know, the only thing that surprises me the most about this is two lovely ladies such as yourselves taking on the identities of low-rent losers like Blizzard and Firebrand,” said Tony.

“Cut the chatter, Stark,” said Firebrand. “You want out of here alive? You’re gonna have to pay.”

“Yeah, not so tough without your Iron Man suit, are you?” asked Blizzard.

“And you two aren’t really up to date on current events, are you?” asked Tony.

“What are you—” Blizzard was silenced when she saw the golden liquid seeping out of Tony’s pores. It quickly covered his body, encasing him and he stood there like a gold-plated man.

Firebrand took the initiative by unleashing another wave of flames at him. Tony was protected by the undersheath for the most part, but he would still need the rest of his armor to reach full capacity. And there was one way he could summon it to him quicker while also getting these two away from the hotel.

He turned and jumped at the window. Tony raised his arms and bent them over his head. He shattered the window and dropped towards the ground below. As he predicted, Firebrand and Blizzard followed him, Firebrand’s suit capable of flight while Blizzard traveled on an ice-slide beneath her feet.

“Maria, you’d better hurry this up!” he muttered to himself.

Blurs of crimson burst out of a window several floors above. The armor components streaked past the women and quickly affixed themselves to Tony’s body. The armor extended and formed around him, with the helmet and faceplate being the final components to arrive.

Iron Man’s eyes lit up with bright, blue energy powered by the arc reactor. He activated his boot-jets and halted his descent. The women were still diving towards him and he had to get them away from the area. He rocketed off down the Vegas strip, and the followed.

[Incoming!] said Maria.

Iron Man avoided the ice and fire blasts. He increased his speed, flying high above the streets and rising towards the clouds. He turned in mid-air and raised his arms, unleashing an array of repulsor blasts at the two.

They managed to mostly avoid the attacks, still flying straight for him. Firebrand was faster thanks to her suit’s propulsion. She tackled Iron Man in the air and held her hands against the sides of his helmet. She passed flames through her fingertips and right into the armor at point-blank range.

[I’m having difficulty maintaining core temperature. If you don’t get away from her, she could very well cook you inside your own suit.]

“Gee, thanks for that visual.” Tony diverted energy to the chest-plate, firing off a uni-beam that blew Firebrand from him. She flew at him again, screaming in anger as she grabbed hold of him once more. This time she positioned herself so she was on her back.

[I cannot target her without also targeting us.]

“Don’t worry about it, I’ve got an idea.”

Tony hit his thrusters and flew into the upper atmosphere. The air grew thin and Firebrand’s suit had difficulty keeping the flames alive. Frost began to form on both of them and she found herself growing light-headed. After reaching a high enough altitude, she lost consciousness and fell from the sky. Iron Man flew after her plummeting form, reaching his hands for her.

A blast of ice struck him from the air and knocked him off course. Iron Man recovered and saw Blizzard take hold of Firebrand in midair, holding her in one hand while she moved about on her ice-slide with the other.

“One down, one to go,” said Iron Man, flying after them.

He fired repulsor blasts, which Blizzard was surprisingly good at avoiding. But her options were limited when she still needed to worry about her partner. “Even though Firebrand’s out, looks like her suit’s still hot. I’m getting high heat signature readings off it. Activate heat-seekers.”

Slots opened on Tony’s shoulders, three small missiles armed in each shoulder-launcher. All six launched simultaneously, streaking towards the pair. They locked on to Firebrand’s heat signature and Blizzard looked over her shoulder to see what was happening.

“Damn!”

She threw Firebrand at the missiles and jumped from her ice-slide. After falling for a few minutes, she formed a new one, watching as the heat-seekers struck her partner. Blizzard wasn’t too concerned—Amanda’s armor would protect her from the worst of the explosion. But she had to get away. No sense in them both getting captured.

But Blizzard had been so distracted by the missiles that she lost sight of Iron Man. And she didn’t see him again until a crimson arm knocked her off her slide and into a giant, neon sign for Las Vegas.

Tony and Happy stood on the tarmac, waiting as the private jet was being prepared. Tony wore sunglasses and had his hands stuffed into his pockets.

“Well, that’s not the vacation I’d hoped for.”

“Sorry about that, boss,” said Happy. “Guess I should’ve stayed with you, huh?”

Tony shook his head and gave Happy a pat on the shoulder. “Don’t be ridiculous. If I had to worry about keeping you safe, I may not have been able to take them out as quickly.”

The plane’s hatch opened and the staircase lowered.

“Come on, let’s go home.”

---

Sinclair Abbot sat behind his desk, working on the computer. He reviewed the footage from Iron Man’s battle in Vegas and when a call came in over the computer’s video messaging, he answered it.

“Blizzard and Firebrand failed,” he said.

“It’s no concern,” said the man on the other end of the call, whose image was not shown on the computer. “We now know with Extremis, it’s not so easy to catch Stark unawares. What about your part in this?”

“It’s done,” said Abbot. “Hogan has been affected. We’ll see the results soon.”

“Good. Then all’s proceeding according to plan.”

The call ended. Abbot moved away from the desk and walked over to the bookshelf. He activated a hidden switch and the cases parted, revealing a red and black suit of armor. He ran his fingers over the helmet and smiled.

“Soon, the Spymaster will strike.”

---