Chapter 91: Time itself is my ally!

At the same time, amidst the chaos at Stark International, you find a secluded corner away from the panicked crowd. You glance around, ensuring no one is watching, and activate your Invisibility, causing both you and your metal suitcase to vanish from sight.

You then focus your thoughts and activate your Metal Constructs power. The metal suitcase begins to deform, its surface rippling as it starts to envelop your body. Thin metal wires weave around you, covering you completely in a sleek, gleaming super suit.

As the suit finishes forming, you waste no time. Activating your power Force Field Manipulation, you envelop yourself in an invisible force field and lift off the ground. Hovering silently, you fly towards the broken window, still cloaked in invisibility.

As you approach the window, you see the thugs firing their weapons into the air, trying to control the restless crowd.

There is no HUD in your Super Suit, but D.A.I.S.Y. can still communicate with you through it, she has already accessed the local electronics and identified the three leaders among this people.

The Melter (Bruno Horgan), who has discarded his coat, revealing his absurd attire.

Grey Gargoyle (Paul Duval), who looks just like a normal tough dude.

Basilisk (Basil Elks), who is still wrapped in his black cloak.

They were small time villains and were unpopular in the comics so they are not even in you Index, the information about their identities was found by D.A.I.S.Y. in the extensive Shield database.

The three leaders are shouting angrily, demanding to know your and Pepper's whereabouts, their voices filled with menace as their thugs grow increasingly violent, shoving and threatening the guests.

You know you have to act fast. Undoing your invisibility just as you enter through the broken window, you make it appear as if you have just arrived from outside.

The moment you become visible, the room falls silent. Eyes widen with shock and awe as your golden-white super suit glows under the ceiling lights. The golden mask gleams, and the flowing gold cape attached to your back gives you a regal yet imposing appearance.

"I am here to save you all," you declare, your voice resonant and confident. You survey the room, making eye contact with several terrified guests who start to relax at the sight of you. The golden mask and cape give you an almost mystical appearance, and whispers ripple through the crowd as they take in your imposing figure.

"Who is he?" someone whispers.

"I don't know, but he looks like he can handle those thugs," another voice replies, hope creeping into their tone.

"Look at his suit! It's incredible!" a young man exclaims, his eyes wide with admiration.

"Look at his pants," a girl whispers to another. "It can't be that big, can it?" she asks shyly.

The armored thugs quickly shift their attention towards you, their weapons now trained on you. The leaders—The Melter, Grey Gargoyle, and Basilisk—look particularly irate, their faces twisted in anger.

"After those four clowns, now everyone thinks they can be a hero," The Melter sneers, aiming his weapon at a woman. "We will kill everyone in this place if you don't just fuck off to wherever you crawl out of."

Hovering in the air, you maintain a calm yet determined expression behind the mask. "Don't worry," you say with a confident smile. "I'll take care of the bad guys." You pause for dramatic effect, your cape flowing behind you like liquid gold. "Time's up for you villains!"

You've performed the first part perfectly, and now every thug in the place has their weapons pointed at you. But The Melter was right; they have a hostage situation here, where any attempt to fight could easily result in numerous casualties.

So you move on to the second part. Extending your hand, fingers splayed, you let a shimmering, ethereal energy emanate from your palm. The room seems to hum with a strange vibration, the air thickening with the sensation of mystical energy.

Your eyes narrow behind the mask, and your mind focuses on one particular power.

The thugs still have their weapons pointed at you, none of them wanting to be the first to fire at the ethereal-looking person with a golden cape. The Melter seems confident, holding his gun to the temple of a woman who has wet herself in fear, ready to use his special melter gun at the first sign of an attack.

Grey Gargoyle stands with his arms folded, watching, while Basilisk keeps his eyes on the crowd, still searching for their targets.

"You have no idea what you're up against," you say, your voice calm and commanding. "because Time itself is my ally!"

Just as you say that, you activate your power, Temporal Looping.

The energy from your hand expands rapidly, engulfing the dozens of Hydra thugs, including The Melter. They freeze for a moment, confusion flickering across their faces, before they begin to repeat their actions in a continuous loop.

One thug raises his gun, fires into the air, then lowers it, only to raise and fire again. Another thug starts to shout, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly, the same angry words looping endlessly. The Melter's weapon crackles, ready to fire, but then it resets, over and over, trapping him in a cycle of impotence.

The crowd watches in stunned silence, eyes wide with disbelief and awe. Whispers ripple through the room as they realize what's happening.

"Have they gone mad?" a man mutters, bewildered.

"He... he just trapped them in time," a scholarly man murmurs.

"That's incredible! Look at them, they can't do anything!" another voice exclaims, a mix of relief and amazement in their tone.

You descend slowly and land gracefully as your boots touch the ground with a soft thud, your golden cape billowing behind you. The crowd parts around you, their expressions a mixture of fear, hope, and admiration.

"Don't worry," you say, your voice carrying easily across the room. "These thugs are caught in a temporal loop. They won't be able to harm anyone now."

The two remaining villains, Grey Gargoyle and Basilisk, are visibly furious. The Grey Gargoyle steps forward, touching his right hand to his left as his skin turns to grey stone, glinting under the lights.

"You think you've won, hero?" he snarls, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "You have no idea who you're dealing with!"

Basilisk, removes his black cloak and underneath is a green skinned man with large red eyes.

His red reptilian eyes glowing with malice, hisses in agreement. "You'll pay for this. We'll tear you apart!"

You stand tall, your golden-white armour gleaming. "I've already dealt with your men," you say, your voice steady and confident. "Now it's your turn!"

Outside the HQ

Just as Obadiah was gunning down Toni, a car crashes into him, but he remains unscathed while the car suffers severe damage.

"I love this suit!" Obadiah yells as he easily lifts the car above his head.

"AAAAH!" The woman inside the car screams in horror, clutching her children close.

"Put them down!" Toni commands angrily, her voice stern and serious.

"It's just collateral damage, Toni!" Obadiah responds nonchalantly, his voice reverting to its original sound as when his suit crashed it must have messed with his voice modulator.

Toni looks pissed inside her suit; she has to make a decision fast.

Repulsor Blast to the Face: Use a high-powered repulsor blast aimed directly at Obadiah's metal mask, attempting to disorient him and make him drop the car.

Missile Barrage: Fire a barrage of small, precision-guided missiles at Obadiah's metal legs to destabilize him and make him drop the car.

Flight Charge: Use the suit's flight capabilities to charge at Obadiah and tackle him away from the car, prioritizing getting him away from the civilians.

Unibeam Blast: Use the unibeam from the chest to deliver a powerful, concentrated energy blast aimed at Obadiah's mid section to throw him away and drop the car.

Collateral Damage: Stop thinking about random people's wellbeing and just focus on attacking Obadiah, this is the golden chance with his arms currently occupied, so punch him in the face or kick him in the nuts.

Verbal Distraction: Insult Obadiah and his nine generation, verbally question his manhood to distract him while manoeuvring into a better position for a surprise attack. He might just put the car down in depression, or throw it at you in anger.

Toni thinks that the Unibeam Blast is her best option, Obadiah is stuck in a place so she can blast him away and save the car if she is quick enough.

_

Round 2 (Unibeam Blast Selected)

Toni: UniBeam Blast: 53 (15%) AC: 20 Energy: 89%

Stane: Picking up a Car (2%) AC: 24 Energy: 100%

_

Toni's mind races as she watches Obadiah lift the car with ease. With determination, she quickly decides on her next move. "Divert power to chest RT," she mutters under her breath.

Toni's suit hums with power as the energy from her repulsor blasts is redirected to the arc reactor on her chest.

Bam!

With a loud, resonating pulse, a concentrated energy beam shoots from her chest, hitting Obadiah.

The impact is immense. Obadiah is blown away, skidding across the highway and colliding with a concrete barrier, causing substantial damage to his suit.

Toni rushes forward and catches the car that is in mid-air. She grits her teeth, and the Mk-III armor helps her put the car down gently.

"You're safe now," Toni reassures the terrified woman and her children inside. But in their panic, the woman slams her foot on the accelerator. The car lurches forward, catching Toni off guard.

The car hits Toni with considerable force. She tries her best to hold on as it drags her along the road for a few meters before she slips and falls underneath the car. The vehicle runs over her and speeds away.

"Ugh," Toni groans as she lies on the ground.

She winces slightly, feeling the impact through the suit. "Okay, that hurt," she mutters, trying to stand up, feeling disoriented.