Chapter 32. The End of Vanko

Tony and Rhodey had just dealt with the latest wave of drones. Tony retracted his energy cannons, and Rhodey let his machine gun cool down. Thanks to Noah, who had destroyed many of the drones, Tony didn't have to resort to using his laser beams.

"Is it over?" Rhodey asked, walking up to Tony and looking at the wreckage of the drones. Today had been rough for him: first, being under mind control, shooting at everything in sight, and then getting beaten up by Tony.

"I don't know. Maybe," Tony shrugged, although he knew that Ivan Vanko, the main villain, had yet to show up. So it was far from over.

"Alright, let's head back to the expo, and then—" Rhodey was interrupted as several unknown objects crashed into the lawn of the eco-park. Tony and Rhodey looked over and saw that these were drone fragments.

Another loud sound drew their attention. This time, it was a person in armor, very different from Iron Man's suit. This armor was black with orange accents, and unlike the heavy Iron Man suit, this one was sleek and streamlined.

Noah stood tall, looking at Tony and Rhodey. Six eyes met in silence. Noah appeared relaxed, while Tony and Rhodey were on alert.

"Tony, there's another drone heading your way. This one's different," Natasha warned over the comms.

"Thanks, Agent Romanoff, but next time, give me a heads-up sooner," Tony quipped, thinking Natasha was talking about Noah.

"What?" Natasha started to clarify, but didn't get the chance.

Another massive drone arrived, landing heavily on the grass. Ivan Vanko's face was visible as he opened his helmet.

"Good to be back," Ivan sneered.

"I've got something special for this guy. I'll take down his bunker with the 'Ex-Wife,'" Rhodey said, stepping forward. A turret rose from his shoulder, and a missile was loaded.

"This is gonna be good," Noah thought, realizing it was about to be the iconic comedic scene.

Ivan, watching the missile fly toward him, didn't even bother to close his helmet. Rhodey fired, and the missile hit Ivan's chest, only to fall to the ground with a metallic clunk, sparking faintly.

An awkward silence followed. Rhodey felt embarrassed and started cursing Justin Hammer, the developer of the weapon. Tony asked if the missile was from Hammer Industries, and Rhodey confirmed.

Ivan, knowing all about the modifications to Rhodey's suit, wasn't worried. These missiles wouldn't explode at such close range (possibly due to Ivan's tampering or just poor quality).

He glanced at Noah and noticed his armor.

"So, you're the one who took out my drones? All of you are going to die here today."

"Ivan, go back to prison!" Tony didn't want to waste time on banter. He raised his shoulder turret and fired several mini-missiles at Ivan, which exploded on impact.

Ivan had closed his helmet in time, and the missiles didn't do much damage. He started swinging his electric whip, launching a swift attack at Tony and Rhodey. They quickly backed off, and Rhodey, rolling to the side, began firing all his machine guns. But with one strike, Ivan knocked the gun off Rhodey's shoulder, forcing him to keep dodging.

Tony flew into the air to strike from above, but Ivan caught him by the waist with the whip and slammed him back into the ground. Rhodey tried to cover Tony with fire, but Ivan grabbed him by the neck and flung him aside.

Meanwhile, Noah stood on the sidelines, watching the scene unfold. He found most early villains to be too weak, and given his current speed and strength, they would be defeated instantly. So, he refrained from intervening for now, finding the situation entertaining, like a movie.

Tony took to the air again, accelerated, and tried to engage Ivan in close combat, but was clearly outmatched. Ivan caught him around the neck with the whip again. Tony, struggling to break free, felt his suit starting to spark from the electricity. Ivan, swinging the whip, also caught Rhodey. Now both heroes were trapped, their armor deteriorating under the constant electrical surge.

"Hey! You over there! Whose side are you on? If you're with us, stop standing there and watching the show!" Tony yelled, addressing Noah, who stood with his arms crossed.

"Huh?" Ivan looked in Noah's direction. Hearing Tony's call, Noah finally decided to act. He drew his plasma sword and made two quick slashes, sending wind blades that severed the whips holding Tony and Rhodey. Ivan, startled, took a few steps back, while Tony and Rhodey got to their feet.

Tony rubbed his neck and looked at Noah.

"Now it's clear. There are three of us and one of you. Give up and drop your whips," Tony said mockingly.

"I'll help you shut your mouth for good, Tony Stark," Ivan growled, swinging his cut whip and preparing for another attack.

Tony aimed his repulsors at Ivan, ready to fire, but Noah was faster. A yellow lightning bolt pierced Ivan's chest, exploding on impact and forcing him to stumble back.

"Not bad, bro," Tony remarked, glancing back and seeing that it was Noah who had raised his hand to summon the lightning.

Noah nodded in return, then pulled out a few Hextech grenades and tossed them at the enemy. Ivan, just recovering from the lightning strike, saw the grenades flying toward him and sensed danger. He tried to take off to avoid them, but the grenades exploded in mid-air, surrounding him with an electrical field. He was stuck inside, unable to move.

Satisfied with the result, Noah decided to finish the fight. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared and reappeared next to Ivan, delivering a powerful strike that sent Ivan flying. He crashed into an artificial hill in the eco-park.

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