Syria

Iron Man had been knocked down by a surprise hit. A repulsor blast fired from a man clad in a crude suit of armor. It looked pieced together, nothing all that advanced. But in the center of the armor’s chest, Iron Man could clearly see the familiar blue glow of an arc reactor. There were exposed cables connected to the chest plate and running down the arms until they ended in repulsor units on the palms.

“Surrender or die,” ordered the armored man. He spoke in Arabic, which Maria helpfully translated for Tony’s ears.

“That’s repulsor tech, you’re running the risk of a lawsuit,” said Iron Man, translated into Arabic by Maria. “And worse, that suit of yours doesn’t look too sophisticated. It’s like using a revolver against a machine gun.”

The grunt didn’t seem to care and instead fired another repulsor blast. Iron Man had prepared for this one and threw up a forcefield that absorbed the repulsor energy. His thrusters kicked in and Iron Man launched at his foe, delivering an aerial uppercut with his left, followed by a downward punch with his right. A blast from his chest plate threw the grunt to the ground.

Iron Man hovered towards the grunt as he struggled to get back to his feet. “I’d stay down. Otherwise, this won’t end well for you.”

“I have my orders!” said the grunt, channeling his power into his own chest plate. Iron Man swerved and avoided the blast and pointed his fist at the grunt. A compartment rose from his forearm and launched a small missile, exploding on impact.

The grunt staggered now from the onslaught. His armor was damaged, and wouldn’t last much longer, but he wasn’t prepared to give up yet. The energy output from his arc reactor was recorded by Iron Man’s sensors and the data flashed across Tony’s HUD.

“Maria, put everything we’ve got into the shields, if these readings are correct, it looks like he’s going to expend his entire reserves!”

Energy began collecting in the palms and chest plate. The grunt braced himself as he channeled the reactor’s output into his weapon systems. But even that wasn’t enough to keep him from nearly knocking himself off his feet as he unleashed a massive burst of repulsor energy that lit up the square. Iron Man held firm, crossing his arms over his chest and raising his legs, concentrating his own power into his forcefield. He was thrown like a ball, careening back into a tenement. He went through that building before he finally came to a stop.

Iron Man shook off the blast and flew back towards the site of the battle. The grunt was kneeling face-forward on the ground, his energy output reading very low. Iron Man landed beside him and bent down, turning him so he could see the man’s helmet. And that’s when a klaxon began to blare inside his armor.

Iron Man hit his thrusters and shot into the sky. The reactor that powered the grunt’s suit went off, exploding in a massive surge that caught Iron Man in its wake. The wave of energy washed over him, and Tony’s systems one by one went black just before he plummeted to the ground.

He landed hard, his armor forming a small crater. Tony lay there, motionless, as Syrian military forces surrounded him, their guns ready.

WHIPLASH

Part II

By Dino Pollard

Stark Tower

“The tense situation in Syria had a new development today as Tony Stark, the Avenger known as Iron Man intervened in the crisis. A spokesman from Stark Enterprises announced that this intrusion was due to intelligence that Syria had illegally obtained Starktech of its own. The Syrian government, however, insists that this technology was obtained legally and in accordance with international law. But the incident took a turn for the worse when the Syrian armor detonated. Stark was injured in the blast and has been taken into custody by the Syrian government, who claim that the explosion was caused by Stark himself. Due to a UN resolution that granted the Avengers sovereignty, this has some experts speculating that Stark’s actions may be interpreted as an act of war against Syria, which has angered Syrian allies Russia, China, and Iran and placed the United States and the Avengers in very difficult positions.”

Pepper turned away from the screen. “Turn it off.”

Happy kept his gaze locked on the screen, either ignoring or perhaps not even hearing her comment. Rhodey stared at Happy, then looked back at Pepper. On the TV, pundits continued to debate the merits of the situation.

“Hap,” he said. “Pepper said turn it off.”

“What?” asked Happy, then finally registering the request. “Oh, sorry.”He clicked the power button on the remote, turning off the set in Tony Stark’s office.

“Just what was he thinking?” asked Pepper. “What made him decide to barrel right into Syria?”

Her question was directed at the fourth person standing in the room—Maria Hill, super-spy and liaison between the Avengers and the international peace-keeping agency called SHIELD. Hill knew she was taking a risk when she came to meet with Stark’s closest confidants, but she felt it was appropriate for them to hear the story directly from her as opposed to piecing their information together from various sources.

“Syria had somehow gotten their hands on a suit of armor, and they were using it on the resistance. Intelligence suggested it was Starktech, so I came to our resident Starktech expert—Stark himself. I just wanted to consult about it, but before I knew it, he was off to Syria and now…this.”

“Why didn’t you send out an Avengers emergency signal?” asked Rhodey.

Hill stared at Stark Enterprises’ COO as if he had just torn his shirt off. “Are you nuts? And create an even bigger international incident? One Avenger invading a foreign country, even if it is their leader, we can work with that. But the entire team and we’re in World War III territory.”

“So who’s in charge of the Avengers while Tony’s held by Syria?” asked Happy.

“Barton.” Hill’s tone indicated she wasn’t particularly happy with that decision.

“Does he plan to do anything?” asked Pepper.

“If left to his own devices.” Hill raised her arm and held her thumb and index fingers just centimeters apart. “I’m this close from declaring him an enemy combatant.”

“We can’t just leave Tony there, we have to do something,” said Pepper.

“And what exactly are you gonna do?” asked Hill. “Stark’s in a world of trouble right now. More than that, a lot of people are praying for him to go down in flames. I’d suggest you all get your resumes in order, because this doesn’t look good. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go stop Barton from putting an arrow in Bashar’s head.”

She left Tony’s office, closing the door behind her. Pepper sighed as she took a seat in one of the chairs in front of Tony’s desk, rubbing her forehead. “This is a nightmare…after everything that happened with Bastion, and now this?”

“Hill’s got a point,” said Rhodey. “The board’s been anxious about Tony ever since he regained control of the company. If we’re not careful, there could be some moves made against him.”

“Who’d try that at a time like this?” asked Happy.

“You mean from the current board?” asked Rhodey. “Well, Kenjiro Fujikawa comes to mind. He wasn’t exactly happy about Tony’s return from the dead a few years ago, nor his daughter’s relationship with our man. It’s not unrealistic to expect him to try and regain control of the company he spent so much money buying out.”

“What about you?” asked Happy. “You still got the War Machine suit, right?”

“Starktech turns up in Syria, and both Stark Enterprises’ CEO and COO go charging into Syria after it? Both of whom are card-carrying Avengers? Something tells me that wouldn’t play well.” Rhodey glanced towards the door. “I just remembered something I wanted to ask Agent Hill about. I’ll talk to you both later.”

He left the office, and now it was Happy and Pepper alone. Happy leaned against the wall, tilting his head back slightly so it rested against the surface. He closed his eyes, trying to think of something he could say to comfort the woman he loved.

“Don’t sweat this, Pepper. Y’know what Tony’s like, he’ll figure a way out,” he said.

Pepper gave no response.

Rhodey caught up to Maria Hill just as she entered the elevator. He ran towards the doors, sticking his arm between them and triggering the sensor to open them. The two stood side by side and once the doors closed, Hill activated a tiny device in her utility belt to scramble the security camera.

“I take it you wanted this discussion to be private?”

“Why hasn’t Fury greenlit my team to go in after Tony?” asked Rhodey.

“I think you mean Monroe’s team,” said Hill.

“You know what I mean.”

“Okay, then here’s an answer—you guys are not going in because you’re not really good at being secret. Most of your missions have ended in some pretty big messes that it’s my job to clean up. More than that, you and several of your teammates are well-known Avengers. Active or inactive, that means your actions could be considered an Avengers intervention.”

The elevator dinged as it reached the floor. Hill stared up at Rhodey. “I don’t expect you and I will have another conversation like this again, will we?”

“No, ma’am,” said Rhodey.

“Good.” Hill exited the elevator, and Rhodey just stood there, internally arguing with the recent choices he’d made.

Syria

The explosion managed to set off a small electro-magnetic pulse that disabled Tony’s armor. The Syrians were able to remove the outer shell of the armor, leaving only the gold undersheath. The arc reactor that powered his heart was only shut down temporarily, but quickly managed some emergency back-up power to keep him alive. Anything more than that, however, seemed impossible at the time. For some reason, Extremis wasn’t responding to his mental commands and Maria appeared to be completely offline.

The cell door opened and two armed guards stood there, keeping their rifles trained on Tony. A third man entered, wearing a suit. He smiled down at his prisoner, who was kept in a tiny cell with no window and no cot. The suit offered a handshake.

“Mr. Stark, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said. “I am the Defense Minister.”

“Then you’re the man I wanted to speak to,” said Tony. “Where did you get access to Starktech designs?”

“I do not believe that is any of your concern,” said the Defense Minister. “You see, you have violated Syrian airspace. Launched an attack on the Syrian government and you killed a national hero.”

“I didn’t kill anyone, you sent an overpowered suicide bomber after me,” said Tony. “And you used my technology to do it.”

“That is a serious accusation. We have been developing this technology for some time. Any similarity to Iron Man is—”

“Save it for the press releases. We both know you’re using Starktech to kill your own people. I want to know where you got it.”

The Defense Minister wasn’t the least bit phased by Tony’s accusations. He maintained his composure, hands clasped behind his back. “Mr. Stark, do not play games with me. We both know you were responsible for that explosion. You are going to be executed for your crimes against the state.”

“You do that, and you’ll have the full force of the Avengers bearing down on you.”

“I do not think so. Your team has made such threats already, and both China and Russia have countered by warning that any further superhuman intervention will result in dispatching both the People’s Defense Force and the Winter Guard into the situation.”

“This cell won’t hold me forever,” said Tony.

“It will do. We have a means of prohibiting you from accessing your Extremis commands.” As if anticipating Tony’s thoughts, the Defense Minister added, “Yes, we know all about your recent…upgrade. And we have a way around it. You see, we have thought of every—”

The ground shuddered with a sudden impact and a deafening boom. The guards instantly readied their weapons and stepped outside the cell. All the lights in the prison suddenly went off. The Defense Minister went to the door, looking outside. It was pitch-black, save for the bursts of gunfire. And then there were bright flashes—blue beams of energy, followed by the sound of the soldiers being struck down. The Defense Minister then saw a new source of light, marching towards him. Glowing circles in the darkness, with lines of light connecting them. And two, bright blue eyes.

The lights came closer and a steel grip clamped around the Minister’s throat, slamming him against the wall. The lights flickered, power being restored. And the Defense Minister saw himself staring at a man clad from head to toe in a black bodysuit with glowing, blue devices around his chest and arms. He wore gunmetal gray gauntlets and boots, and his gold faceplate was quite familiar.

“Who…are you?” the Minister struggled to ask.

“Iron Man,” said the intruder. He twisted his arm, snapping the Defense Minister’s neck. Once he dropped the lifeless body, he turned his attention to Tony. He stepped closer and Tony backed up in the cell. The mysterious armored man extended his arm, fingers outstretched. The repulsor unit on his hand glowed brightly and Tony braced himself for the inevitable strike.

[Tony? Can you hear me?]

“Maria…?” asked Tony. Sure enough, his artificial intelligence was back online, as were his Extremis senses.

[Yes, I’m back online. But Tony, who is this?]

“Your guess is as good as mine,” said Tony.

The mysterious Iron Man fired a repulsor burst at the wall, blowing a hole in the cell. He grabbed Tony and rocketed out into the night.

United Nations

“This is absolutely outrageous!” screamed the Syrian Ambassador. “Tony Stark invaded Syrian airspace, killed a Syrian hero who opposed him in self-defense, and, while trying to escape, slaughtered not only many Syrian soldiers, but our Defense Minister as well! I have spoken with the President and the Syrian Arab Republic has no choice but to regard this as an act of war perpetrated by the Avengers!”

“Mr. Ambassador, please,” said the Secretary General. “At this moment, we have the Avengers’ SHIELD liaison here to speak on behalf of this situation. Agent Hill, if you please.”

Maria Hill stood from her seat and approached the podium. “Ladies and gentlemen, here are the facts we know. In response to intelligence that the Syrian Republic seemed to possess illicit Starktech, Tony Stark in his guise as Iron Man set a course for Syria to investigate. Once there, the details are sketchy at best. We know there was an altercation between Iron Man and Syria’s own armored guardian. This altercation ended with an explosion, an explosion that took the life of the Syrian pilot and allowed Iron Man to be captured by Syrian forces. The only other thing we know as of now is that there was another invasion by another armored figure, who killed several Syrian troops in addition to the Defense Minister before departing Syria with Stark in tow. Whether or not this figure was there to liberate Stark or simply kidnap him is still in question.”

“There is no question about it!” shouted the Syrian Ambassador. “Security footage has revealed that the pilot identified himself as Iron Man just before assassinating the Defense Minister in cold blood.”

“As I recall, Mr. Ambassador, this all began because Syria was in violation of UN sanctions against the use of Starktech,” said Hill.

“Agent Hill, do you have any evidence behind such an accusation?” asked the Russian Ambassador. “Tony Stark is not the only man capable of designing this technology.”

“Syria had no such capabilities until now. The attacks on the resistance are consistent with repulsor technology,” said Hill.

“Regardless, Tony Stark is now a fugitive, and the Russian government will side with our ally in pursuing him,” said the Russian Ambassador. “Should the Avengers attempt to interfere in this, the Russian government will side with Syria in their declaration that this was an act of war perpetrated by the Avengers. And we will respond by sending out the Winter Guard.”

“The People’s Republic of China will respond as well, with the People’s Defense Force,” said the Chinese Ambassador.

“Are you listening to yourselves?” asked Hill. “You’re willing to set the stage for World War Marvel.”

“This sort of aggression cannot stand, Agent Hill,” said the Russian Ambassador. “I suggest you keep your so-called Avengers on a very short leash.”

Moscow

Seated behind a desk and wearing his uniform, Colonel Dmitri Bukharin answered the phone as it began ringing. “Yes?”

Beneath his stylized mustache, Bukharin frowned. “Yes, I understand. Anthony Stark is now a fugitive and the Russian government has an obligation to bring him down before he can cause further difficulties. You have a location? Very well. The Winter Guard…? No…that won’t be necessary. Not yet, anyway. Allow me to handle this myself, Mr. President.”

Bukarin set the phone on the cradle and sighed. He stood from his desk and walked over to a control panel before a metal door. He entered a code into the panel and then placed his thumb on the scanner. The door slid open, revealing a white suit of armor with red trim.

“Tony, old friend, I fear what this may mean for the both of us.”

It took only a few moments for Bukharin to don the various parts of his armor. Once he was ready, his suit sent a command opening the skylight. Airstrike flew from the Defense Ministry, his armor’s HUD already displaying a lead on where he could find his target…

To be continued…