BOOM!
The earth screamed and split open like God himself dropped a sledgehammer.
Tony sprinted full-tilt, repulsors blazing for extra speed, yelling over his shoulder, "How many charges did you bury?!"
"Not that many. Hundred or so."
"???"
Tony felt PTSD from a cave in Afghanistan slap him across the face.
Back then he ran in a bathrobe.
Now at least he ran in style.
The blast was deep underground, so the shockwave lost most of its bite by the time it reached the surface. After a hundred-meter dash the ground finally stopped trying to throw them into orbit.
They skidded to the rim of a fresh crater the size of a city block.
Tony peered down into the smoking pit. "Okay… he's gotta be paste now, right?"
Daniel glanced at his quest log. "Nope."
THUD.
A mangled mountain of steel erupted from the hole.
Iron Monger looked like it had lost a fight with a volcano: armor cracked, cockpit blown wide open, Obadiah Stane hanging half-out, hair smoking, eyes wild.
"Thought you'd finished me, huh?!"
Stane cackled, drunk on survival.
Tony instinctively lifted his palm repulsor.
[Warning: Reactor at 4%]
Stane saw the dim glow and grinned like a shark. "Out of juice, kid? My tu—"
Crack!
One clean gunshot cut the gloat short.
A neat red hole appeared dead-center in Stane's forehead. He stayed upright for two full seconds, smile frozen, then sagged against the restraints.
Daniel blew imaginary smoke off the gold-plated Desert Eagle and shrugged.
"Rule one of mech combat: always wear a helmet."
"…"
Tony stared at the corpse, then at Daniel, then back at the corpse. Words failed him.
The system didn't.
[Ding! BOSS 'Iron Monger' Obadiah Stane defeated!]
[Calculating damage contribution…]
[Rewards: 10,000 EXP, 5 Attribute Points,
'The Lethal Weapon Three Thousand' (10-in-1 murder blender),
'Master Key' (opens doors and steals Wi-Fi),
'Red Mushroom' (makes you bigger),
'Blue Pill' (also makes you bigger, different direction),
'BT-7274 Vanguard-Class Titan']
Daniel's eyes locked on the last line.
[BT-7274 – Vanguard-class Titan]
[Protocol 3: Protect the Pilot.]
A whole goddamn Titan.
He almost summoned it right there in front of Tony just to flex.
Thud.
Iron Monger toppled sideways, lifeless.
Tony finally found his voice, quiet and tired. "I used to call him uncle…"
Daniel gave a sympathetic nod. "Pretty sure his daughter's thinking the same thing about you right now."
Tony: "?"
Minutes later S.H.I.E.L.D. convoy screeched in, lights painting the wreckage red and blue.
Coulson stepped out, looked at the crater, the corpse, the two of them, and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You two are easier to find than a taxi in the rain."
Tony threw up his hands. "I'm the victim here!"
Coulson's team started cordoning the area. He frowned at the fallen armor. "Quick question: where's the arc reactor that was in its chest?"
Tony walked over. The cavity was empty.
He spun toward Daniel, eyes narrowed.
Daniel raised both hands. "Hey, I didn't take it!"
He genuinely didn't.
Auto-loot had just been left on.
Next day, Stark Industries press room.
"The truth is… I am Iron Man."
America lost its collective mind. S.H.I.E.L.D. lost three shifts of overtime. Nick Fury gained invisible eye bags.
His voice rasped through Daniel's earpiece that night.
"Agent, your babysitting gig with Stark is officially over. Black Widow's taking point from here."
Right on cue:
[Main Mission 'Observe Tony Stark' completed!]
[Rewards: 1,000 EXP, S.H.I.E.L.D. Rep +30, Honeycomb Smoke Grenade, Loitering Munition x1]
Daniel was already daydreaming about orbital bombardment when Fury continued.
"New job. Bronx. Over a hundred people missing in the last month, locals and tourists. Pattern screams 'not normal.'"
"I need you to go find out why they're vanishing."
[Nick Fury has issued side mission: Vanishing Bronx]
[Objective: Discover the cause of the disappearances]
[Reward: 500 EXP, Rep +10, Random Equipment x1]
Daniel cracked his neck.
"On it, boss."