Chapter 86: Man of Iron [I]

In Stark Tower, Tony was casually tinkering with his latest suit upgrade when a loud alert pinged on his HUD. Jarvis chimed in, his voice calm but urgent.

"Sir, I'm detecting two extraterrestrial beings rampaging through downtown New York. Currently in pursuit of... Spider-Man."

Tony's eyes narrowed, his attention snapping to the nearby monitor showing live security footage. The screen displayed an almost chaotic image: Spider-Man, clutching some kind of glowing amulet, was desperately swinging through the city while two ominous figures—one floating, the other trailing destructive blasts—followed close behind, leaving a trail of devastation.

"Oh, come on! Can't I have one quiet night?" Tony grumbled, but a hint of excitement glinted in his eyes. "Jarvis, keep an eye on them. Friday, I need you to initiate Protocol M1. Activate the drones and the crowd control measures."

"Aye, boss!" Friday responded, already beginning to remotely activate Tony's suits stationed in various parts of the city to help manage the civilians and keep them out of harm's way.

Without another moment's hesitation, Tony suited up, the armour encasing him piece by piece until he stood fully equipped as Iron Man.

A quick scan and his thrusters activated, rocketing him out of the tower and toward the danger in a blaze of red and gold.

As he neared the chaos below, Tony saw Spider-Man swinging furiously, dodging blasts from the two relentless aliens. In a brilliant flash, he dropped down directly in front of Ebony Maw and Supergiant, hovering in the air as his suit glowed in the city lights.

His voice boomed out, modulated and commanding.

"Hey, you two look a little lost," Tony quipped, casually scanning their energy signatures. "Didn't anyone tell you that blowing up my city is a fast ticket off my welcome list?"

Ebony Maw's cold gaze focused on Tony, recognising him as another annoyance in their mission. "Stand aside, human," Maw said icily. "Our business lies not with you."

"Oh, but now it does!" Tony retorted, raising his hand as energy blasts sparked from his repulsors. With a flash of light, he fired at Maw and Supergiant, forcing them to split up.

Spider-Man, swinging wildly, heard the familiar voice and spotted Iron Man making his stand. "Oh, thank god! For a second there, I thought I was totally doomed!" he muttered under his breath, continuing to swing farther and farther away, though he kept an eye on the unfolding battle.

Supergiant sneered and rushed Tony, her psychic energy flaring like blue lightning as she shot forward. Tony quickly activated his force field, deflecting her energy blasts as they collided in mid-air.

She threw telekinetic punches, each strike sending ripples through his shield. Tony countered with quick bursts from his pulse beams, forcing her back just enough to create some distance.

"Friday, what's her energy output looking like?" Tony asked as he dodged her relentless attacks.

"Impressive, sir, but we can match her. However, there are signs of severe psychic disruption," Friday replied.

"Noted. I'll keep my mind to myself, thanks," Tony muttered, firing off another round at her while maneuvering away from Maw, who was approaching fast.

Ebony Maw, watching for an opening, raised a hand, sending a car flying towards Tony. Tony dodged in a flash, his suit's sensors tracking every move Maw made.

"Really? Throwing cars? Bit old school, don't you think?" Tony taunted. In a swift movement, he shot two micro-missiles from his shoulder cannons that curved around and struck Maw from behind.

Maw staggered, caught off guard, but quickly regained composure.

Meanwhile, Peter—still clutching the Eye of Agamotto—caught sight of Maw's brief stumble. Taking advantage of the distraction, he swung down, webbing up some debris and hurling it at Ebony Maw's head.

"Eat cement, E.T.!" Spider-Man shouted, swinging back up and making his way farther from the chaos.

Supergiant growled in frustration, realising Peter was getting away. But Tony intercepted her path, blocking her with a wall of repulsor blasts that crackled across the street, lighting up the dark cityscape.

"Sorry, Stretchy, but I don't think we're done here," Tony said, focusing his energy to blast her back.

"You have no idea the forces you're meddling with!" Supergiant hissed, retaliating with a burst of psychic energy that knocked Tony's shields to the edge.

His armour trembled, but he held his ground, gritting his teeth.

With one last glance at Peter, who was gaining distance, Tony activated his comms, "Spidey, you're clear! Get as far away as possible, and keep that thing safe."

"Roger that, Iron Man!" Peter called back, swinging out of sight as he slipped away, the Eye of Agamotto clutched securely in his grip.

As Spider-Man disappeared, Tony turned his full attention back to Maw and Supergiant, his HUD tracking their every move.

"Alright, you two, let's dance," he said, arms raised, repulsors charged as he launched himself into the fight once more, sparks and energy flares lighting up the darkened New York skyline.

...

The sounds of battle echoed through New York as Tony danced in the sky, dodging attacks and firing back in a flurry of repulsor blasts.

Ebony Maw and Supergiant split up, trying to flank him, their coordinated attacks making it a test of Tony's skill just to keep up.

As Tony fired at Supergiant, he spotted Ebony Maw raising his hands, levitating chunks of broken concrete, lampposts, and even abandoned cars from the street below.

"Oh, we're doing this, huh?" Tony muttered, evading the massive debris hurled his way. Maw twisted his wrist, turning the debris into a barrage of projectiles, each piece following Tony as he twisted and turned through the air.

Down below, the city was alive with the chaos of panicked crowds. Civilians were running in all directions, some ducking behind cars or sprinting into nearby buildings, but a few brave souls paused, phones in hand, recording the showdown.

One of them gasped as Tony deflected a chunk of debris that shattered just yards away.

"This is insane!" someone shouted, holding their phone up to capture Iron Man's sharp maneuver as he blasted a path through Maw's projectile storm.

"Move! Move!" yelled a police officer, herding civilians to safety as they scurried for cover. Despite the terror, the city was transfixed by the aerial ballet of the hero against the invaders.

Supergiant snarled as she raised her arms, psychic energy swirling into a visible field around her, glowing an intense blue. She thrust her hands forward, and the energy shot out like a massive, twisted whip.

Tony barely managed to raise his shields in time, but the impact jolted him, his HUD flickering momentarily from the shock.

"Alright, that's enough!" Tony growled, unleashing a concentrated blast that momentarily forced Supergiant to retreat.

Just then, a familiar voice chimed in his ear. "Sir, the asset is ready," Jarvis said, his tone as calm and collected as ever.

Tony smirked. "Right on time, J," he replied, raising his repulsors to keep Supergiant at bay while looking to the sky.

A massive shape descended from above, casting a shadow over the street as it roared to life. The Hulkbuster suit—huge, red, and bristling with power—crashed down with a deafening thud, creating a small crater in the street.

For a moment, the civilians watching froze, awestruck by the behemoth that had just arrived.

Tony flew backward, calling out, "Alright, let's go big." With a quick command, he transferred his consciousness to the Hulkbuster. The nanotech latched onto his current suit, melding the two as Tony felt the surge of power.

Now standing in the Hulkbuster, Tony faced the aliens with a new level of confidence. "Miss me?" he taunted, raising one enormous fist.

Ebony Maw hesitated, sensing the sudden increase in power, but Supergiant charged forward, her energy whip lashing toward him.

Tony swung the massive Hulkbuster arm, deflecting the whip with ease, then delivered a punishing backhand that sent her flying into a building, the structure crumbling around her impact point.

"Not so fast!" he shouted, activating the suit's thrusters as he barreled toward her, fists blazing with energy. Supergiant barely managed to throw up a psychic shield, but it only softened the blow as Tony's punch shattered her defenses, sending her sprawling onto the cracked pavement below.

Maw's eyes narrowed, and he lifted a dozen cars at once, slamming them toward Tony like a deadly rain.

Tony responded by activating the suit's arms, swatting the cars aside with heavy swings, some exploding into fireballs as they collided with the ground.

The people nearby gasped and cheered, some capturing the fight on their phones as they witnessed Iron Man in all his glory, battling against impossible odds.

A young kid, wide-eyed, turned to his dad, "Is that Iron Man in the big suit?"

"Yeah, buddy," his father replied, barely believing it himself. "That's Iron Man."

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