If you want to download the full book, it's available on my KO-FI page. The link is here. 👉 🤩 ko-fi.com/winterstar01 🤩
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Tony Stark walked into his shabby motel room and looked at his hip flask. The motel was luxurious enough to stock the fridge with beer cans. He rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration; drinking wasn't something he needed right now. He filled his flask with water and took a few gulps. It still held the taste and smell of vodka. He didn't bother cleaning it because of the precious hints of flavor he savored.
"A little won't hurt," he thought.
He sank down onto the couch, resting his arms on the back and leaning back. Beside him was his "latest" invention. Soon he would start planning his future, his last plan before trying to shut out the world. The suitcase was red, metallic, and heavy, big enough to give Tony's arms a workout, but not enough to strain his heart. He rubbed his chest and picked up the TV remote.
Breaking news: A fire broke out in a Hardy Foundation building two hours ago. The cause is unknown, but the fire has spread to several buildings. However, additional emergency services have been delayed due to the security cordons set up in response to the mutant incident. Tony ignored the mutant part.
Hardy Building ; he knew Anastasia Hardy. Stark Industries had won "Charity of the Year" (the real award was a name Tony never bothered to remember back then) over the much smaller Hardy Foundation. Anastasia was rich enough to live large and pay her employees, and the foundation was large enough to be known in scientific journals, but it hadn't published groundbreaking patents like Stark I or Oscorp . Tony focused on the fire and the lives of citizens endangered by the shortcuts Anastasia had probably taken (or, to be fair, hadn't known had been taken). He put his bag on, put the hip flask in his pocket, and grabbed his bag. On his way to the door, he grabbed a beer from the fridge. He left the key and the cash payment at the front desk and jogged to the back of the motel. Pouring the contents of the can down his throat, Tony enjoyed the sour sensation in his throat, the sweet taste, and the coolness in his mouth. He tossed the can aside and held out his suitcase. The scanner on the handle read his palm and began the sequence.
The latest creation, his greatest creation. It began to unfold from the suitcase, abandoning the handle, which Tony split in two, attaching each to the red bands of a pair of gloves. He shoved his hands into the gloves and then grabbed the main part of the suitcase. The front folded down to reveal a crystal circle on the chest and cargo pockets at the waist, and then the back expanded. Tony strapped the plate onto his chest and crotch, feeling the clasps on his back fuse. At the same time, metallic red boots popped out of the suitcase with a thud; each boot was on either side of a helmet. Tony stepped into the boots, feeling them tighten around his shins. The golden pumps on the boots and gauntlets connected to the pumps on his chest plate, allowing him to lift the heavy limbs, granting his exposed arms and legs additional protection and increasing his strength. The arc reactor in his chest glowed through the crystal of his chest plate, powering the entire suit. Magnets embedded in his fingertips reacted with the helmet between his feet, lifting it up to his hands. The helmet was red, but the faceplate was gold, with slits for Tony's eyes and a breathing opening. His latest and greatest creation, Iron Man.
The rockets on his boots and back ignited, allowing Tony to fly out of the neighborhood. People watched in awe at the armored hero Tony had become, unaware of who was hiding behind the mask. Tony revealed that Iron Man was an employee of the company, a bodyguard. He didn't do it to protect his loved ones from retaliation, but for himself. He wasn't seeking redemption or to be called a hero. The world had falsely called him a patriot, awarding him a lifetime of achievements—awards he had returned after his ordeal in the desert. Within seconds, Tony arrived at the burning Hardy Foundation.
"Identify possible sources of life," he pointed at the burning buildings.
One gauntlet contained a motion tracker, the other a heart rate monitor. Connecting a cable to his helmet, Tony determined, from the heartbeats, a large number of survivors within the building. He used the motion tracker to pinpoint possible specific locations. Tony knew the type of buildings and how much damage they could sustain. Flying directly through one of the buildings, he grabbed two people and carried them to ambulances.
"Officers, the west stairwell is the best place to access the building. Some survivors are already leaving in that direction," he told one of the firefighters.
Flying back to the building, Tony pulled two devices from his belt, clipped them to his gauntlets, and pulled the triggers. Spinning in a wide arc, he shot a foam spray down the halls. It smothered the flames and turned into a hard paste.
"Everyone, duck and get out, go to the west stairwell, and don't stop to look for anything," he announced through a speaker in his helmet, which also allowed him to distort his voice so he wouldn't be recognized.
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Hello everyone, what did you think of the chapter? Please let me know in the comments. If you want to download the full book, it's available on my KO-FI page. The link is here. 👉
🤩 ko-fi.com/winterstar01 🤩