39.

All of a sudden in front of their very eyes, the man was lifted off his feet and torn in half as his screaming continued to ring as the terrorist terrorists began firing wildly in all directions, their fear overtaking any semblance of control. The gunshots echoed loudly in the narrow cave, the flashes of gunfire briefly illuminating the darkened space.

Natalie ducked instinctively, pulling Tony and Yinsen down with her. "Stay low!" she shouted, her voice barely audible over the chaos.

One after the other terrorists were flung against the wall as the entity didn't seem to be affected by any means of screaming or bullets, as the path finally cleared.

One after the other, terrorists were flung against the wall as the entity remained unaffected by their struggle. The heads caved in against the impact each time creating a loud thud. The cave echoed with the sounds of bodies hitting stone, the terrifying force moving unseen through the chaos.

Natalie's mind raced. They needed to use this distraction to their advantage. "Move, now!" she urged Tony and Yinsen, her eyes darting around for a clear path.

They crawled along the cave floor, staying low to avoid the wild gunfire. The dim lighting and the chaos made it difficult to see, but they could just make out the exit in the distance.

Another terrorist was thrown into the wall near them, the sheer force of the impact leaving a sickening crunch in the air. Tony winced, glancing at Natalie. "What the hell is that?" he whispered, his voice tinged with both fear and awe.

"No idea," Natalie replied with a hint of annoyance. "But it's buying us time. Keep moving!"

As they kept moving along, they finally reached the exit, Natalie kept a watchful eye on their surroundings. They emerged from the cave into the open desert, expecting to find more terrorists outside, but instead, they were met with an eerie silence. The place was completely desolate as if the crowds of terrorists that had been running around moments ago had vanished into thin air.

Cautiously, they stepped forward, their senses on high alert. The quiet was unnerving, a stark contrast to the chaos they had just escaped. Natalie led the way, her weapon drawn, while Tony and Yinsen followed closely behind.

Tony glanced around, his eyes falling on the sets of weapons scattered on the ground. They bore the unmistakable mark of Stark Industries. He took a deep breath, the weight of the situation pressing heavily on him. If Natalie hadn't shown up, he knew the terrorists would have forced him to build the weapon they wanted. He shuddered at the thought, thankful for their narrow escape.

Luckily he wouldn't have to ponder on that question much longer instead he had something else to worry about. He glanced down at the car battery he was hooked up knowing he had to get it fixed first and foremost.

But even as relief washed over him, Tony couldn't shake the questions swirling in his mind. Who was Natalie, really? And what was that force that had saved them? He glanced at her, noting her calm yet intense demeanor. There was more to her than she was letting on.

And even more concerning was who the hell sent her to rescue him.

Before he could ponder further, Yinsen let out a gasp, stopping in his tracks. "Look," he whispered, his voice tinged with fear.

Natalie turned, following Yinsen's gaze as she saw a trail of blood lead to the dune buggy.

"..."

"Don't worry... he's my boss, who sent me here," Natalie said flatly as the scene before her, reminded her that this man was not just an asshole but a powerful killer who took over a Don by causing mayhem all over NewYork and killed Magneto.

Tony squinted, trying to make out the figure slumped against the dune buggy. As they approached, the outline of a man became clearer, blood and chunks of meat pooling around him as he couldn't help but gag realizing what had happened.

"Sir," Natalie muttered under her breath, her face hardening.

Kai opened his eyes and smirked cheekily. "Took you long enough," he rasped.

"I wonder how to rate your performance... based on your smarts I got to hand it to you with the bomb strategy but then again you didn't do what I asked." Kai got off the Buggy as he walked towards Natalie, "But you did kill, so I guess I'll let you go for now."

"Was this necessary..." Natalie mumbled, "I mean, sir, we could've just handed them over to the police or-"

"Fuuu! C'mon now they were terrorists. I've just done the world a huge favor and if anything it's your fault for sending them over." Kai's eyes gleamed with a dangerous mix of amusement and frustration as he continued, "Isn't that right, Mr. Stark?"

"Huh? What?"

"People should do their job especially when they are employed to do the very same thing, am I right?"

"I guess... Hey, man, I appreciate your help but we should get going." Tony awkwardly stated as Kai shook his head staring down at the car battery he was carrying, "Oooh electromagnet, I wonder what would've happened if it got disconnected?"

"He would die, sir." Yinsen spoke in fear of what Kai might do, "It's keeping the shrapnel from entering his-"

"I know. A victim of your own weapon, ironic, don't you think, Natalie?"

"Yes, sir..." Natalie muttered, her voice barely audible. She stood stiffly, trying to maintain her composure despite the unease coursing through her.

Kai turned his attention back to Tony, his eyes narrowing. "You see, Stark, the world is full of people who don't appreciate the power they wield. You're one of them. But today, you got lucky."

Tony shifted uncomfortably, his mind racing with possible escape plans. "Yeah, well, I don't plan on making the same mistake twice."

"That's great since this makes it very easy." Kai nodded in agreement, "In return for saving your oh-so-precious life, all I want in return is the Weapon Manufacturing Division of your company with an added agreement of you never working on recreating that division again."

"A fair trade, right?"

Tony's eyes widened in shock. "What? You can't be serious!"

"Oh, I'm dead serious," Kai replied, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "Consider it a fair trade. Your life for your principles."

Tony's mind raced, trying to find a way out of this impossible situation. He couldn't simply hand over the division that had made Stark Industries what it was, but he also couldn't afford to die here in the desert. Especially with this psycho in front of him, god knows what he might do.

Kai's gaze hardened, his patience wearing thin. "Make your choice, Stark. Your life or your legacy."

Tony took a deep breath, his resolve hardening. "Fine," he said reluctantly. "You get the weapons division. But I walk away from all this. No more threats, no more demands."

Kai's lips curled into a satisfied smile. "Deal."