Tony scooped Arthur up, and together they soared into the air, flying straight towards Obadiah. Obadiah, sensing danger, quickly widened the distance between himself and Tony, ascending higher into the sky.
Arthur watched the massive Iron Monger flying ahead, while Iron Man, with Arthur clinging on, chased relentlessly, steadily closing the gap. Tony glanced at the alarmingly low battery percentage on his HUD—"[-]%," it flickered ominously. With a surge of desperation, he pushed the remaining energy to its absolute limit, unleashing a burst of speed that devoured the distance in one fell swoop. In an instant, they were right on top of the enormous Iron Monger.
As they got dangerously close to the Iron Monger, Arthur turned to Tony. "Give me a boost!" he commanded.
Arthur then planted his feet firmly on Tony's armor, delivering a powerful, outward kick that propelled him towards Obadiah at astonishing speed. The force of Arthur's push, however, sent Tony spiraling downwards, causing him to plummet to the ground below.
Arthur, like a human missile, slammed into the Iron Monger, his fist punching a massive hole directly through the colossal suit's back. The impact sent the gigantic armor careening out of the sky, bringing it crashing down to earth.
Arthur landed hard on the Iron Monger's body, which in turn smashed violently onto the roof of a factory, directly tearing a huge hole through it. Suddenly, a colossal explosion ripped through the entire factory, sending towering flames shooting into the sky.
Before fully landing, Arthur gracefully jumped off the back of the incapacitated Iron Overlord and walked slowly, deliberately, towards the fallen giant. Staring down at the motionless Iron Monger lying before him, Arthur grabbed the Arc Reactor on its chest and, with a powerful wrench, ripped it clean off. Instantly, the enormous mechanical armor lost all power and lay completely inert.
Arthur then seized the Iron Monger's helmet with both hands and violently tore it away. Looking at the dying Obadiah, who lay inside, bleeding from the corner of his mouth, Arthur declared, "Die!" He then delivered a final, decisive punch to Obadiah's chest.
Arthur gripped the stolen Arc Reactor and calmly walked out of the blazing factory. The raging inferno within the factory was growing larger and more intense with every passing second, but Arthur simply turned his head, took one last look, and then walked away, leaving the destruction behind him.
Arthur soon found Tony lying amidst the trees in the nearby woods. He handed him the Arc Reactor. "Are you alright, Tony?" Arthur asked, a hint of concern in his voice.
"I'm fine, yeah, I'm okay," Tony replied, taking the reactor. He immediately installed it, and his armor whirred back to life. "So, is it done? Is he... taken care of?"
"It's done," Arthur confirmed, pulling Tony up from the ground. "That factory over there must have been burned to ashes, so I think it's safe to say he won't be bothering anyone anymore."
"What's with your physical strength, Arthur?" Tony asked, still trying to process what he'd witnessed. "Are you some kind of superhuman?"
"Have you ever seen a Superman who needs to take a taxi to get to a fight?" Arthur retorted with a wry grin, deflecting the question.
Tony stared into Arthur's eyes for a moment, clearly searching for answers. "Alright," he said with a sigh, "forget it if you don't want to talk about it. Let's just head back."
Later, at the Stark Corporation Conference Hall, a throng of reporters had gathered for a highly anticipated press conference. Tony Stark was expected to address the events of the previous night.
In the lounge next to the main hall, Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes was preparing to make the opening remarks. Coulson, standing beside Tony and Arthur, handed Tony a prepared speech. "This is your statement, Tony. You can just read it. It states that you were on vacation on Avalon Island yesterday." Coulson glanced at Arthur. "Fifty witnesses confirm it. Your bodyguard was with you, too."
"Okay, and what about Obadiah?" Tony asked, taking the speech.
"He's on vacation," Coulson said with a straight face, "and the probability of a small plane crashing is pretty high."
Rhodey then stepped onto the podium in the main hall. "We will now ask Mr. Stark to make a statement," he announced to the eager press. "He will not be answering any questions from reporters. Thank you for your understanding!"
Tony Stark then strode onto the podium, the lights of a hundred cameras flashing around him. "The last press conference I held was a long time ago," he began, a charming, self-deprecating smile on his face. "I honestly don't remember how to speak properly in these situations, so I suppose I'll just read from the script."
He cleared his throat and began to read: "There is a suspicion of me being involved in the incident on the highway last night, but in fact I..."
"Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Stark," a reporter named Christine suddenly interjected, her voice cutting through the hall. "But do you honestly think we're going to believe that?"
Tony looked up from the script, a spark in his eyes. "You can question the official statement, absolutely. And you can also question that I am a superhero! Although," he added with a playful grin, "I do have so many personality defects, I wouldn't blame you."
"No one doubts that you're a superhero, Mr. Stark!" Christine shot back, a collective murmur rising from the other reporters.
Rhodey, seeing Tony straying wildly from the script, frantically reminded him to stick to the prepared statement.
"Well, the actual situation is..." Tony hesitated, picking up the speech again, a mischievous glint in his eye. Then, he looked directly at the cameras, and with a confident, defiant declaration that echoed through the room:
"I am Iron Man!"
The entire room erupted in an instant. All the reporters in the audience sprang to their feet, cheering and shouting with excitement.
Arthur watched the chaotic scene from backstage, a small smile on his face. Another truly famous scene, played out perfectly.
The others backstage, including the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, simply covered their heads, groaning. Their brains ached from Tony's unpredictability.
Later, at the Stark Company Restaurant, Arthur sat opposite Coulson, eating lunch. "So, is my mission completed now?" Arthur asked, between bites.
"The task of protecting Tony Stark has indeed been completed," Coulson said, his tone serious. "But now the problem is even more serious."
"What's more serious than a giant, rogue mech?" Arthur inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"Tony Stark created the Iron Armor, and now he is Iron Man!" Coulson explained, his voice grave. "Tony Stark was just a scientist, a playboy, or an arms tycoon, and now he's become a huge danger."
"Dangerous?" Arthur repeated, surprised.
"Yes. Tony Stark's character is relatively... problematic in our investigations. He does things purely based on his preferences, his whims. We can't guarantee whether he will put on that steel suit and do something truly outrageous, something that endangers public safety or international relations," Coulson elaborated.
"So, does that mean I'm also as dangerous as you say?" Arthur asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.
"Yes, Arthur. You are far more dangerous than Tony Stark," Coulson confirmed, meeting Arthur's gaze directly. "So, for individuals like you, we still have to adopt recruitment and management methods. This is precisely what the 'Avengers Project' we mentioned to you before is all about."
"Speaking of which, how many people have actually joined this Avengers project so far? You can tell me now, surely," Arthur pressed, looking expectantly at Coulson.
"Okay," Coulson replied, "there are three in total, including yourself. The other two are our agents, already part of the organization."
"So, I'm the only outsider in this project for now?" Arthur asked, processing the information.
"You could certainly view it that way," Coulson agreed. "Because the Avengers project has not been officially launched yet, and some other potential candidates are still under our observation."
"Let's get back to the original topic," Arthur said, pushing his plate aside. "I think I've completed the task of protecting Tony's safety perfectly. You can change the rest of the surveillance tasks to someone else, can't you? I'm ready to move on."
"Okay, then we'll let your partner complete the next phase of the task. She is much better suited for this type of ongoing surveillance," Coulson agreed to Arthur's request.
"My partner is finally here? She just shows up after I've completed my mission?" Arthur grumbled, feeling that he had been at a huge disadvantage, doing all the heavy lifting alone.
"Let's go meet your partner now," Coulson said, standing up. He then drove the car with Arthur towards the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.
At S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, 18th floor, Arthur finally met his "partner," the famously formidable Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff.
"Arthur, this is Agent Natasha Romanoff," Nick Fury introduced the two, standing between them. "And Agent Romanoff, this is Arthur."
"Hi, I'm Arthur, it's nice to meet you," Arthur said, extending his hand politely.
"Hi, Arthur. Nice to meet you too," Natasha replied, shaking hands with Arthur, her expression unreadable.
Looking at the Black Widow standing in front of him, Arthur thought she was as stunningly beautiful as she appeared in the movies, which was very exciting. However, when he considered her implied age and extensive history, Arthur quickly dispelled any unrealistic or romantic thoughts.
"Alright, Natasha, I'm going to trouble you with the next steps," Nick Fury said to Natasha, and Natasha simply nodded in acknowledgement, her focus already on the task.
"Arthur, you have completed your mission very well," Fury continued, addressing Arthur. "I have nothing else to trouble you with for now. If necessary, we will contact you again, and your mission reward will be credited to your card. Is there anything else you need us to do for you?" Nick Fury asked Arthur, perhaps expecting a simple 'no'.
"Yes, actually," Arthur said, his voice surprisingly serious. "I want to fly a plane!"
"... " Nick Fury's expression remained impassive, but he conveyed a clear message: I just asked you casually; I didn't expect you to take it so seriously.
In the following week, Arthur truly did stay at S.H.I.E.L.D., diligently working to obtain both his car and airplane driver's licenses. He even audaciously asked S.H.I.E.L.D. to provide him with his own personal plane. Nick Fury, however, firmly responded that Arthur was "thinking too much," shutting down that request immediately.