Chapter 20: I Am Iron Man

Tony scooped up Arthur and soared toward Obadiah, who, sensing trouble, ascended higher, widening the distance between them. The Iron Monger flew ahead, while Iron Man, cradling Arthur, gave relentless chase, steadily closing the gap. Tony glanced at his power reserves—only four percent remaining. Gritting his teeth, he poured every last bit of energy into a final burst of speed, rapidly narrowing the distance between him and the steel giant.

As the Iron Monger loomed closer, Arthur said to Tony, “Give me a boost!”

Arthur planted his foot on Tony’s suit and pushed off with all his might, rocketing toward Obadiah. The sudden force sent Tony spiraling down toward the ground.

Arthur crashed into the Iron Monger like a missile, his fist punching a gaping hole through its back and dragging the machine down toward the earth. He landed atop the Iron Monger, smashing it down with devastating force onto a factory roof, shattering it with a tremendous crash. Instantly, the entire factory erupted in a violent explosion, flames billowing skyward.

Moments before landing, Arthur leapt clear of the Iron Monger’s back. He strode forward and seized the machine’s chest reactor, ripping it out with a single heave. The enormous war suit immediately lost power, falling inert.

Arthur gripped the Iron Monger’s helmet and tore it off with brute strength. Staring at Obadiah, who lay before him with blood at the corners of his mouth, barely clinging to life, Arthur declared, “Die!” and drove his fist through Obadiah’s chest.

Carrying the arc reactor, Arthur walked out of the burning factory as the flames raged ever higher, then turned and left.

He found Tony lying in the woods and handed him the reactor. “Are you all right, Tony?”

“I’m fine. Is it over?” Tony took the reactor and reinstalled it, powering up the suit once again.

“It’s over. In that factory over there—probably nothing left but ashes now.” Arthur helped Tony to his feet.

“How is your body so strong? Are you Superman?” Tony asked.

“Have you ever seen Superman needing to hail a cab?” Arthur replied.

Tony stared into Arthur’s eyes. “Forget it if you don’t want to say. Let’s go home.”

...

Stark Industries’ conference hall.

A throng of reporters had gathered for the Stark Industries press conference, where Tony Stark was set to address the previous night’s events.

Colonel James Rhodes was delivering the opening remarks. In a lounge off to the side of the main hall, Coulson handed Tony and Arthur a sheet of paper. “Here’s your speech. Just read it as is. Yesterday, you were vacationing on Avalon Island—there are fifty witnesses.” He glanced at Arthur. “Your bodyguard was with you.”

“Fine. But what about explaining Obadiah?” Tony took the speech.

“He went on vacation. Small planes have a high accident rate,” Coulson replied.

Rhodey took the podium. “Now, Mr. Stark will make a statement—he will not be taking questions. Thank you.”

Tony approached the microphone. “It’s been ages since the last press conference. I barely remember how to speak in public. Guess I’ll just stick to the script.”

“There are suspicions regarding involvement in last night’s highway incident. Actually, I—”

“Excuse me for interrupting, but do you really think we’ll buy your story?” reporter Christine cut in.

“You can question the official account, or you can question whether I’m actually a superhero! Even with all my personal flaws,” Tony responded.

“No one’s questioning that you’re a superhero!” Christine shot back.

Rhodey, sensing trouble, signaled Tony to stick to the script.

“Fine, the truth is…” Tony hesitated, glancing at the speech.

“I am Iron Man!” he declared.

The room exploded into chaos. Reporters leapt to their feet, clamoring with excitement.

Arthur watched the scene unfold from backstage. Yet another legendary moment.

Meanwhile, the others could only clutch their heads, groaning in exasperation.

...

Stark Industries’ cafeteria.

“I promised to help you protect Tony. I’ve fulfilled my mission,” Arthur said over lunch to Coulson, who sat across from him.

“Thank you for your help. You did an outstanding job. But now, things are even more complicated for us,” Coulson said gravely.

“What’s more complicated?”

“Tony Stark built an iron suit. He’s become Iron Man! He used to be just a scientist, a playboy, an arms magnate—but now, he’s a significant threat.”

“A threat?”

“Yes. Our investigation shows Tony Stark’s personality is... problematic. He acts purely on whim. There’s no telling what he might do in that suit,” Coulson explained.

“Then by your logic, I’m a threat too?” Arthur asked.

“Indeed, your threat level far exceeds Tony Stark’s. That’s why we believe people like you must be recruited and managed—which brings us back to the Avengers Initiative I mentioned before,” Coulson said.

“So, how many people have actually joined this Avengers Initiative? Can you tell me?” Arthur asked.

“Currently, just two—and both are S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Once again, I sincerely invite you to join the Avengers,” Coulson offered.

“Sorry, I’m not interested for now. Maybe in the future,” Arthur replied.

“Very well. Since the Initiative hasn’t formally launched, and our candidates are still under observation, we won’t pressure you,” Coulson agreed.

“Since I’ve fulfilled my promise to keep Tony safe, I’m done with any remaining video footage,” Arthur announced.

“Understood. We’ll assign someone else to take over—that’s her specialty,” Coulson assured him.

“Great! I can finally take a break,” Arthur said with relief.

“Come on, I’ll take you to meet your replacement—and to collect your payment,” Coulson said, driving Arthur to S.H.I.E.L.D.

18th floor, S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.

Arthur finally met the legendary Black Widow—Natasha Romanoff.

“This is Arthur Yorn, and this is Agent Natasha Romanoff,” Nick Fury introduced them.

“Hello, I’m Arthur. Pleased to meet you,” Arthur said, extending his hand.

“Hello, the pleasure is mine,” Natasha replied, shaking his hand.

Arthur observed the woman before him—just as stunning as in the films, enough to quicken the heart. But recalling her true age, he wisely dismissed any unrealistic ideas.

“All right, Natasha, I’ll leave the next assignment to you,” Fury said. Natasha nodded in acknowledgment.

“Thank you for your help. We now owe you a favor. If you ever need us, just call. Your payment will be transferred to your account. Is there anything else we can do for you?” Fury asked.

“Yes, I’d like to fly a plane!” Arthur replied earnestly.

Fury was speechless—he hadn’t expected Arthur to take the offer seriously.

For the following week, Arthur stayed at S.H.I.E.L.D. and earned both his car and pilot’s licenses. When he asked S.H.I.E.L.D. to lend him a plane, Fury made it clear: he was hoping for too much.