Tony accelerated into U.S. airspace at high altitude.
Within seconds, NORAD radar classified the unidentified supersonic object.
The object had no transponder.
No flight plan.
No response to IFF queries.
It was flagged as a potential hostile aerial vehicle.
Exactly as Karl predicted.
After several failed radio hails, the Air Force scrambled two F-22 Raptors from the nearest base to intercept.
Interception
The Raptors closed fast.
"Unknown aircraft, you are entering restricted U.S. airspace. Identify yourself immediately."
Tony continued forward.
Jarvis spoke calmly:
"Sir, U.S. Air Force fighters have locked radar on our position."
"Yeah, I noticed."
Missile lock tones sounded.
Tony winced.
"Okay, that's new."
Rhodes Gets the Call
At the base, the command center contacted Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes.
After a brief hesitation, Rhodey dialed Tony.
"Tony, our radar picked up an unidentified high-speed object entering domestic airspace," Rhodey said. "You wouldn't happen to be flying something experimental, would you? Because if you don't answer fast, they're authorized to engage."
Wind roared in Tony's helmet.
"Nope. Not mine."
Rhodey frowned.
"What is that noise? Where are you?"
"I'm… driving."
Static crackled.
Rhodey exhaled sharply.
"If it's not yours, they're engaging."
He ended the call.
Missile Lock
Warning tones screamed inside Tony's helmet.
"Sir, missile launch detected."
"Seriously?!"
Two AIM-120 missiles streaked toward him.
Tony rolled and banked hard.
"Deploy countermeasures."
"Mark III armor is not equipped with conventional flares, sir."
"Then improvise!"
Tony dumped repulsor bursts and rolled sharply. The missiles lost lock and detonated behind him.
He immediately redialed Rhodey.
Second Call
"Tony, it's not too late to tell me that thing is yours!"
"I'm running."
"You told me you were driving!"
"I started jogging in the park, Rhodey—"
An explosion thundered behind him.
"Tony, what was that?!"
"Okay! That thing is mine! I'm inside it! Tell them to stop shooting at me!"
A stunned silence.
"You're… in it?"
Rhodey grabbed the command headset.
"Cease fire immediately! Break pursuit! That is a friendly asset!"
Close Encounter
"Target lost visual—"
"Holy—!"
Tony suddenly dropped below one Raptor to avoid radar lock.
He misjudged the turbulence wake.
His armor clipped the fighter's wing.
The jet spiraled downward.
"Pilot ejecting!" came the radio call.
The pilot punched out — but his parachute tangled and failed to deploy.
Tony dove.
At the last second, he fired a grappling line and deployed his own emergency chute system, stabilizing the pilot's descent.
They hit the ground hard but alive.
The second Raptor broke off pursuit under Rhodey's orders.
Tony lay on his back in the desert, breathing heavily.
"Okay… that never happened."
Back at the Mansion
By the time Tony returned home, Karl and Yinsen were already seated in the living room, calmly drinking from Tony's rare wine collection.
Tony landed in the workshop.
The mechanical arms attempted to remove the suit.
Servos jammed.
Panels warped.
Several sections were fused from impact stress.
Upstairs, Karl swirled his wine.
"Well, looks like our little Tony got into a fight with the Air Force," he said with a grin. "Your suit looks like it lost."
Yinsen frowned.
"Those impact marks… those aren't small-arms impacts. What hit you?"
Tony sighed.
"Two F-22 Raptors. If I hadn't called Rhodey, they might've escorted me all the way to prison."
Karl burst out laughing.
"To quote an Eastern proverb: those who ignore good advice invite suffering."
Tony glared while robotic arms struggled to pry loose a shoulder plate.
Pepper Arrives
Pepper rushed down the stairs.
Her eyes widened at the damage.
"Tony! Those are ballistic impact scars! What did you do — go to war?!"
Tony raised his hands defensively.
"I destroyed weapons that shouldn't exist anymore. I'm fine. You can trust me."
Yinsen quietly slipped toward the stairwell, deciding this was not his conversation.
Karl vanished from the spot, leaving Tony and Pepper alone.
Tony's Request
After calming her, Tony asked Pepper to access Obadiah's office system and copy all shipment records and classified logistics files.
Pepper resisted.
Tony persisted.
Finally, she agreed.
The Laboratory
Meanwhile, Karl reappeared with Yinsen inside the newly established biomedical laboratory funded by Stark resources.
The facility contained:
advanced gene sequencing equipment
cryogenic storage units
cellular regeneration analyzers
high-precision biofabrication tools
Karl gestured around.
"I'll be relying on you again, Yinsen."
Yinsen shook his head.
"I should be thanking you. You saved my life… and you helped my homeland. This is the least I can do."
Karl had already arranged humanitarian shipments to Yinsen's hometown, supplementing Tony's aid.
Yinsen had considered returning home to help personally.
But he understood the reality:
One doctor could save lives.
Resources could save a nation.
Working here would allow him to do far more.
"Let's begin," he said.
Karl looked at the equipment with mild embarrassment.
Biology had never been his strength.
Even in his previous life, higher education had not prepared him for gene engineering.
But now, it was time to change that.
And this laboratory was only the beginning.