"Number One," Lance said under his breath, "connect to this system and scan the enemy mech's control frequency. I want you to take control of it."
"Attempting… Multiple encryption protocols detected. Cracking will take forty-three seconds."
At that moment, Iron Man was being completely suppressed. He was pinned to the ground, taking repeated blows.
The hulking machine tore a steel rod from the wreckage, aimed it at the arc reactor in Tony Stark's chest, and leaned forward to build momentum.
Then Iron Man suddenly moved. He kicked the machine's knee and followed with a sharp elbow strike to its head.
Even to someone like Lance, it was obvious the machine had design flaws. Its upper body was too heavy, while its lower body lacked stability.
After taking the hit, it staggered and toppled to the side.
"Too slow." Lance fixed his gaze on the motionless machine. "Finish it in twenty seconds. Can you do it?"
"Optimizing algorithms… Seventeen seconds… Twelve seconds… Access successful."
Good.
Lance looked back to the battlefield. The large machine moved again, charging straight at Iron Man, who rushed forward to meet it.
At the same time, black smoke began pouring from the machine. Its entire frame shook violently.
"Tony Stark!" Lance shouted. "Fall back. Now."
Tony hesitated for a split second, but trusted Lance and pulled away.
The machine froze mid-motion. The black smoke stopped. Its raised fist slowly lowered.
The dim blue glow in its eyes flickered twice, then shifted to a soft green.
"You got it?" Rhodes asked in surprise.
"Only temporarily." Lance walked up to the machine and looked up at the towering construct. "It's already triggered a self-destruct sequence. I've only managed to pause and delay it. In the end, it's still going to blow."
"JARVIS?"
"Mr. Prescott, I am here."
"Search all stored data, including communication tracking. This mech is being remotely controlled. Can you locate the source?"
"Retrieving… Encrypted database detected. Cracking… Complete."
"Data extracted and cross-referenced with the missing laboratory components. Confirmed. The mech's assembly parts show a high match with the missing items."
"At the same time, the communication signal has been traced. The last command originated from the third office on the left, second floor, Department of Defense. That office belongs to General Hector Volkov."
Not Obadiah Stane. That was unexpected.
As JARVIS finished the report, Rhodes's expression darkened.
"What, you know this general?" Lance asked.
"He's my superior's superior," Rhodes replied. "The proposal targeting the Captain was put forward by him. Before that, he was also the one working with the military and Congress to pressure Tony into accountability."
"Then it seems we've hooked a big fish." Lance raised an eyebrow.
"Hey… is anyone going to deal with me?" Tony Stark collapsed onto the ground, his helmet opening to reveal a bloodied face.
Aside from a mind that rivaled his ability to make money, Tony Stark had no other superhuman traits. God had given him brilliance, and quite fairly, had taken everything else.
His body clearly lagged far behind his brain.
The fight with that massive machine had been far from easy. Even if his armor had taken the worst of it, Tony himself was badly hurt.
He struggled to lift his arm, trying to wipe the blood from his eyes.
"Is that thing still standing?" Tony asked.
"It is." Lance checked his watch. "It'll blow in ten minutes. That's the most I could delay it."
"That's… good enough." Tony let out a breath, speaking in short, uneven bursts.
"Tell… JARVIS… to find a location, somewhere unpopulated, and detonate it there. That thing's destructive power is too high… the impact will be massive…"
"Still worrying about others at a time like this? Should I give you a Good Citizen Medal?" Lance crouched down and lifted Tony Stark's eyelid. The man had lost too much blood and was clearly drifting in and out of consciousness.
Rhodes immediately ran back to the vehicle, pulled out a first-aid kit, and retrieved a bottle of high-dose painkillers, handing it to Lance.
The drug worked quickly. Tony Stark was dragged back from that hazy, half-conscious state.
He took a few breaths and continued, "That thing was targeting me. It counters my armor perfectly, even predicts my movements. I can't believe it…"
"Can't believe what? That the person you trusted most, the one who knew you best, turned around and betrayed you?"
Lance let out a short, cold laugh. Then, as if remembering some basic decency, he wiped the expression from his face and continued.
"I thought that after locking yourself in the lab for days, you would have figured it out by now. Seems I overestimated you. But that's fine. That's who you are."
"Is that a compliment?" Tony Stark asked.
"It's sarcasm."
Lance glanced at Rhodes, who was staring anxiously at Tony's injuries, then turned away and made a series of calls.
"Given how pitiful you look, I have some good news," Lance said.
"W-what news?"
Tony Stark coughed violently. A thin line of blood ran from the corner of his mouth. Noticing Lance's gaze, he forced his hand up and wiped it away, pretending indifference.
"Don't stare. It's nothing. I'm fine."
"Of course." Lance did not expose him. "According to JARVIS's tracking, this one wasn't controlled by your uncle. At least, not based on the available data. The last signal originated from an office in the Department of Defense. The owner of that office is named Hector Volkov."
"Do you know him?"
"Volkov?" Tony Stark shook his head slightly. "Sounds familiar. I think I've heard the name, but I've never dealt with him. How is that good news?"
"It at least means your uncle didn't betray you alone. He brought a whole team with him."
Lance delivered the remark in a flat tone, but Tony, dulled by the painkillers, failed to catch the edge of it.
Tony lay on his back on the overpass, his eyes fixed on the faint stars scattered across the night sky.
In his blurred vision, the stars seemed to shift and flicker. One of them even twisted into the figure of a younger Obadiah Stane, rushing straight toward him.
"I knew it… what kind of good people could someone like that have as friends…" he murmured. "It makes sense… they'd be just as rotten… I thought…"
"When I was a kid, he used to take me to amusement parks…" Tony's voice grew softer. "I didn't like roller coasters. Too loud. So he would sit with me on the merry-go-round… again and again, until it closed…"
"He told me… Tony, some things only become clear when they move slowly…"
"…Was I wrong… did I let him down…"
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