Chapter 89: Tinkerer

"My dear Toni," a voice murmurs from behind her.

Toni, immobilized, looks wide-eyed as Obadiah Stane steps in front of her.

"Remember this device?" Obadiah shows her a small gadget in his hand.

"Sonic Taser. The military never greenlighted it, but it's very effective. So many applications for short-term paralysis," he explains, pointing at his ears where he was wearing filter plugs.

He gets closer to Toni, who lies paralyzed on the sofa. "Did you ever think this day would come?" he sneers.

"What remarkable technology," a voice remarks from up ahead. Toni strains her eyes to see an old, short man examining her Mk-II suit.

"Is this how you escaped from those people, Toni?" Obadiah questions as he approaches the gigantic Mk-II.

"It is some kind of power suit. The suit is remarkable, but the most astounding thing is its power source," the old man notes, studying the readings on a device that he is holding in his palm as he nears the suit's middle section.

"Is it operable, Phineas?" Obadiah inquires thoughtfully.

"Don't call me by my real name—call me Tinkerer!" the old man snaps. "And yes, it's in top condition," he adds, gazing at the metal giant in fascination.

Obadiah's smile widens as he turns to Toni. "Oh, Toni, I've made some new friends. They're very keen on me acquiring Stark International again," he reveals with a grin.

Toni looks at him, perplexed, not understanding his meaning.

"There's a celebration at the headquarters tonight, right? Pepper, your little old assistant, has risen to my position," Obadiah seethes. "My new friends are going to make that celebration their last," he announces dramatically, making Toni's eyes widen slightly. "You will all be wiped out in one night, and the charges against me will be proved fabricated. My new friends will then gain the Watson Group too."

"But I know you Toni, I knew you'd be at your house instead of the celebration. Honestly, it's too easy a way for you to just die like that," he continues, turning towards the metal giant. "I was honestly not sure what would be the perfect way to get my revenge, but as always, you're my lucky star, even giving me the means to execute my revenge perfectly," Obadiah declares with a wicked smile.

Toni struggles in vain as the old man and two more masked men help Obadiah don the suit. "Toni, I'll use your own creation to kill Lucas and Pepper. And I'll make sure the world thinks you did it!" Obadiah proclaims, stepping forward in the suit.

"I've removed the original A.I. and added a rudimentary one for now. It can mostly help with aiming and direction," the old man clarifies. "And as you wanted, I also added a voice modulator," he mentions, pressing something on his touchscreen pad.

"L-lee...ave...al-…one," Toni gasps, struggling to speak.

"Oh, you want me to leave them alone? But I know how much you adore those two, and I want to take them away from you, its fitting after you took away what rightfully belonged to me," Obadiah mocks, closing his visor. "And the best part is, they'll think it was their beloved Toni Stark who killed them," he adds, speaking in Toni's voice through the suit's speakers.

Toni looks on in pain, trying her best to move.

"You three stay here. I'll finish this quickly and come back. Tomorrow's news report will say that Toni Stark, in a fit of madness, donned a metal suit and rampaged at her own company's party. We can even give it a love triangle angle, with both women pining for the same man, or a PTSD angle. The people will think it's tragic, but ...Toni never really came home completely, did she?" Obadiah taunts with a smirk.

On Obadiah's orders, one of the masked men turns on the TV on the wall.

"Today, we are here at the Stark International Headquarters, where the company, which has been in the news for the past weeks, is throwing a lavish party," reports Christine Everhart.

"Watch, Toni, and watch carefully as I destroy everything you care about," Obadiah jeers with a smirk.

Toni glares at the Iron-armored Obadiah with pure hatred.

"I told you, Toni, that you will pay!" Obadiah roars, firing his repulsor blasts and flying awkwardly through the basement's sky outlet.

Toni bites her lips, her mouth filling with blood. She has to do something, and fast!

Toni grunts in pain as she takes a note of her surroundings.

There are two thugs in front of her, their eyes glued to the television, guns held loosely in their hands.

"Such an exquisite design," the old man mutters, admiring the spare parts of Mk-III on her workbench.

Toni grunts again and strains her fingers; they twitch slightly. The paralysis is starting to wear off. Ever since the day she spent with Lucas, her body has felt more resilient than ever—perhaps that's why the effects of the paralysis are diminishing more quickly than it should.

But she can't afford to dwell on these thoughts right now; time is of the essence. Obadiah would reach Lucas and Pepper soon, she will not let him harm them!

With no one watching her closely, Toni realises she has a chance to act. Multiple Plans go through her head. 

Grab a Hidden Pistol: Toni knows there's a concealed firearm in a secret compartment within her workbench. She could attempt to discreetly reach for it and use it to threaten the thugs or create a distraction.

Ambush the Thugs: While still appearing incapacitated, Toni could suddenly attack the thugs in an attempt to wrestle their guns away. This would require precision and timing, which would be tough given her current state.

Take the Old Man Hostage: Using the old man as leverage, Toni could threaten him to gain control over the situation, potentially forcing the thugs to disarm themselves.

Activate Mk-III Armour: The Mk-III armor should be ready by now. It is stored just beneath the floor. There's a remote control within reach that could activate the floor mechanism, revealing the armour. Toni could quickly equip either a leg piece or a gauntlet from the Mk-III, each capable of significantly enhancing her combat abilities.

Send a Distress Signal: Hidden among her tools is a device capable of sending a coded distress signal to Lucas and Happy. Activating this could bring help, though it may not arrive immediately.

Hack Electronic Devices: If she can access any electronic device or terminal within reach, Toni might be able to reactivate Jarvis and the workshop's security systems to lock down the room and activate defensive mechanisms.

Use Improvised Weapons: Toni could use various high-tech tools and components from her workbench as improvised weapons. For instance, wielding a soldering iron or spraying chemicals to temporarily blind or disorient the thugs.

Feign Continued Paralysis: She could continue to feign paralysis to buy time, waiting for a better opportunity to make a move or for the thugs to lower their guard even more.

Toni knew that her best option was to get her Repulsor gauntlets on and attack the goons!

Her second options could be to get her leg piece on and use it for an enhanced kick!

***

Chosen Plan: Activate Mk-III Armour (Gauntlet)

***

Toni paralyzed and struggling, is barely able to move her fingers. She looks desperately around and notices the remote for the Mk-III armor mechanism just within reach. With tremendous effort, she stretches her fingers, inching towards the remote. Her breath is shallow, each movement a monumental task. Finally, her fingers brush the remote, and with a Herculean effort, she manages to press the button.

"Come on, come on..." Toni murmurs silently.

A section of the floor in front of her slides open quietly, revealing the gleaming parts of the Mk-III armor. Using every ounce of her fading strength, she crawls towards the opening. She drags herself inch by inch, her body barely responding but driven by sheer willpower. Reaching the edge, she pulls herself over the threshold and towards the scattered parts of Mk-III.

"Just a little more..." Toni whispers to herself.

Her hand trembles as it reaches for a metal gauntlet. Clenching her fist, she secures the gauntlet, each movement laced with pain but also determination. The gauntlet finally clicks into place, activating its internal systems. She barely gets the gauntlet on when the two thugs turn around, alerted by the noise.

"Stop! Don't move!" they yell, pointing their guns at her.

Toni, still mostly paralyzed, raises her hands slowly. The menacing barrels of their guns are trained on her, but her fingers curl subtly around the controls of the gauntlet. With a deep breath, she readies herself.

"Sorry, guys. Not today," she murmurs aloud.

Bang!

With a sudden flash, the gauntlet's repulsor blast fires. The force sends the thugs flying backward, crashing into the workshop's cluttered walls. The impact knocks them unconscious. Toni turns swiftly toward the old man, who is staring in shock.

"I am innocen—" the old man begins, but Toni cuts him off with another blast.

Bang!

The repulsor blast knocks the old man off his feet, and he slumps to the ground, knocked out cold. Toni now feeling her body able to move, quickly surveys the room to ensure all threats are neutralized, then she goes towards her computer and reboots Jarvis.

"Jarvis… are you there?" she asks, out of breath.

"Yes, I am back online," Jarvis replies smoothly.

"Jarvis, status report. How did they shut you down?" Toni asks, perplexed.

As Jarvis performs scans on itself to find out the problem, Toni stands on the platform as pieces of the Mk-III armor start attaching onto her, assisted by the machinery in her workshop.

"Jarvis, chart a course for Stark International and track how far the Mk-II armour has reached," she says as the armour pieces click into place.

"I must strongly caution against that. There are terabytes of calculations still needed—" Jarvis starts but is interrupted.

"We don't have time for that. I'm going to do this and that's final!" Toni says with an angry look as the helmet closes and her HUD lights up, with Jarvis perfectly integrated inside.

Toni then uses her repulsor blasts to fly out from the basement. She attempts to call Pepper and Lucas, but neither of them picks up.

This was her first time flying, but instead of the joy, all she could feel was anxiety and worry about Pepper and Lucas.