Tony flew southeast at maximum speed. The Mark Infinity Supreme armor cut through the atmosphere without resistance.
Behind him, the Canadian wilderness disappeared into the distance.
Ahead, India waited.
"M.A.R.V.E.L., status update on Famine's location," Tony said.
[Target confirmed over Mumbai. Storm's weather manipulation has created a Category 5 cyclone. Wind speeds exceeding 200 miles per hour. Casualties estimated at 400,000 and rising.]
Tony increased his speed. The armor's systems handled the acceleration without strain. Quantum energy flowed through every circuit and conduit.
He crossed over the Pacific Ocean in minutes. Islands blurred beneath him. The curvature of the Earth became visible at this altitude.
Then he saw it.
The storm covered hundreds of miles. Massive clouds spiraled in a perfect circle.
Lightning flashed constantly within the dark mass. The ocean below churned with waves that reached fifty feet high.
And in the center, floating above it all, was Storm.
Famine hovered a thousand feet above Mumbai. Her corrupted form glowed with Celestial energy.
Her white hair whipped around her face in winds that should have torn a normal person apart. Her eyes were pure white with no pupils visible.
She raised her arms toward the sky.
The storm intensified. Lightning struck the city below in rapid succession. Buildings collapsed under hurricane-force winds. Flooding swept through streets carrying cars and debris.
Tony's sensors showed the devastation clearly. Millions of people trapped in the city. Thousands dying every minute.
He had to act fast.
Tony dove toward Famine at full speed. His armor's energy systems charged to maximum output. He needed to get her attention. Pull her away from the city before she killed everyone below.
"Storm!" Tony's voice boomed through external speakers. "Ororo! Fight the corruption!"
Famine's head turned toward him. Her expression was blank. No recognition showed in those white eyes.
"Another insect," she said in a hollow voice. "You will drown in the storm."
She gestured toward Tony. The winds shifted instantly. A tornado formed around him. Wind speeds that could tear apart steel.
But Tony's armor was quantum-phased. The winds passed through him without effect.
He shot forward and grabbed Famine by the shoulders. "Ororo, I know you're in there! This isn't you!"
For just a moment, Storm's real eyes appeared. Brown instead of white. Confused instead of blank.
"Help... me..." Her voice was barely a whisper.
Then the Celestial corruption reasserted control. Lightning erupted from her body directly into Tony's armor. Millions of volts of electricity.
The armor's systems absorbed the energy and redirected it. Tony's amour arc reactor glowed brighter as it processed the power.
"M.A.R.V.E.L., prepare lightning rod protocol. We need to drain her energy reserves before I can burn out the corruption."
[Protocol ready. Warning: This will attract all lightning in a 50-mile radius.]
"Do it."
The armor reconfigured. Electromagnetic fields formed around Tony that made him the perfect conductor. Every lightning bolt in the massive storm began targeting him simultaneously.
Thousands of strikes hit him every second. The armor glowed white-hot from the energy. But it held.
And more importantly, Storm was weakening. Her weather manipulation required energy. By forcing her to attack him constantly, Tony was draining her reserves.
Famine realized what was happening. She tried to pull back.
But Tony held on tight.
"Not this time. You're coming home, Ororo."
He channeled the absorbed lightning back through his hands directly into her. But not as an attack.
As a disruption. The energy interfered with the Celestial programming that controlled her.
Storm screamed. The sound echoed across the storm. The Celestial armor covering her body began to crack.
Tony increased the power. He had to time this perfectly. Too much and he'd kill her. Too little and the corruption would reassert control.
The armor around Storm shattered like glass. Pieces fell away revealing her normal body beneath.
Tony caught her as she went limp. Her eyes were closed. Breathing shallow. But alive.
"M.A.R.V.E.L., scan her. Is the corruption eliminated?"
[Analyzing. Celestial corruption reduced by 94%. Residual traces remain in neural pathways. Subject's weather manipulation abilities destabilized. Recommendation: Immediate medical attention required.]
Tony looked at Storm's unconscious face. She looked peaceful now. The madness was gone from her expression.
But the storm she'd created still raged around them.
"M.A.R.V.E.L., disperse the cyclone. Use the armor's electromagnetic systems."
[Acknowledged. Initiating weather dispersal protocol.]
The armor's systems reached out across the massive storm. Electromagnetic pulses disrupted the air currents that sustained it.
The cyclone began to break apart. Winds decreased. Lightning stopped.
Within minutes, the storm was gone. Only normal rain remained.
Tony descended toward the ground carrying Storm carefully. Mumbai was devastated but the immediate threat had passed. Rescue operations could begin now.
He landed in a partially destroyed plaza. Emergency responders were already rushing to help survivors.
A familiar figure approached through the rubble. Doctor Strange in his blue robes with the Cloak of Levitation. He must have portaled here when the fighting started.
"Is she freed?" Strange asked.
"Yes. But she needs medical attention immediately." Tony handed Storm to Strange. "The corruption is mostly gone but there are residual traces. Can you handle it?"
Strange examined her with his magical third eye. "I can. Take her to the sanctum and stabilize her there." He paused. "Two Horsemen freed. Two remain."
"War and Death," Tony confirmed. "Magneto and Colossus."
"Magneto will be harder to free than the others," Strange warned. "His powers are tied directly to the Earth's magnetic field. If the corruption is using that connection..."
"I know." Tony had already considered the problem. "But I'll handle it when the time comes."
Strange opened a portal with a gesture. Golden sparks formed a circular gateway. "Good luck, Stark. The world needs you right now."
He stepped through carrying Storm. The portal closed behind him.
Tony stood alone in the destroyed plaza. Rain fell around him. The Mark Infinity Supreme armor was scorched and damaged from the lightning strikes but already beginning to repair itself with nanite technology.
"M.A.R.V.E.L., locate War. Where is Magneto?"
[Target detected over London, England. Magnetic disturbances consistent with large-scale infrastructure destruction. Estimated arrival time at current speed: 47 minutes.]
Tony looked up at the clearing sky. Two down. Two to go.
Then the real fight would begin.
He activated his repulsors and shot into the air heading west toward London.
Meanwhile, another team was headed towards where Colossus was.
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