You Damn Thing, Dare to Point at Me?

Chapter 50: Bastard, How Dare You Shine That at Me?

The jets of light, one large and one small, streaked across the pitch-black night sky like a big fish chasing a little one.

"Hey! Mr. Stark, what a coincidence." By the time Merlin spotted the two of them, they had also noticed the approaching Wildfire Fighter.

As he spoke, Merlin pulled back on the control stick. The fighter, which had been flying parallel to the ground, tilted perpendicular, then spun like an agile flame bird, its tail exhaust spiraling around them in a corkscrew path.

"Merlin?" Hearing the familiar voice, Stark was a bit surprised.

"It's me. Came out today to test my new fighter. Speaking of which, your arc reactor is really handy. One of these days, I'll build myself a suit of armor too."

"Who's the big tin can behind you? Looks just like the one you wore in the cave, but way bigger. Fat and ugly, almost as bad as that Hulk who caused a ruckus a while back." Merlin threw in a jab for good measure.

Watching Merlin flit around them like a butterfly in his fighter while cracking wise, Stark couldn't help but feel a little speechless.

"Alright, Merlin, stop climbing with us. If we go any higher, we'll ice up."

"But I need you to wait down below and catch me. My power's about to run out."

Seeing they were about to hit the critical point, Stark quickly added.

"OK!" Merlin glanced at the ice warning sensors starting to blare and knew it was serious. He immediately throttled down the fighter.

Icing at high altitude was deadly for any machine.

Inside the Iron Monger, Obadiah breathed a sigh of relief when the unexpected fighter didn't attack, just circled them once and peeled off.

Merlin's fighter was equipped with a Chaff Countermeasure System, so Obadiah couldn't get a solid lock to fire.

As the other craft withdrew, the missile launcher that had popped up on his shoulder began to retract.

But just then, a layer of frost suddenly crept across the surface of his metal shell. The missile launcher, halfway through retracting, got stuck.

Crack! Crack! ... The dense sound of freezing rang out like a symphony. In just a few breaths, a coating of ice crystals covered the Iron Monger's massive frame. The drive system inside the armor, crippled by the low temperature, ground to a halt.

Whirr... Without power, the Iron Monger's colossal body let out a mournful groan, then plummeted straight down toward the ground like a giant iron bucket.

Iron Man, who had also flown to the same altitude, didn't ice over. But the power source in his chest was now depleted. The jets in his feet and the palms of his hands, held in a ballet-like pose, flickered twice before he too began to fall.

Whoosh! The fighter streaked across the dark sky and stopped right below Stark.

The moment before they made contact, Stark used his backup power to fire a quick burst, slowing his descent for a brief buffer, then landed steadily on the fighter's nose.

"OK, you showed up just in time. Otherwise, I'd be tomorrow's headline in Apple City." He gave Merlin a thumbs-up through the glass canopy.

"Honestly, I wouldn't have minded seeing that." Merlin chuckled, then banked the fighter to chase after the falling Iron Monger.

"What are you doing?" Stark clung tightly to the canopy surface, confused.

"Finishing the job. John taught me that."

"...You should hang out with those killers less." Stark thought for a second before figuring out who he meant. He turned around, pressing himself flat against the nose of the fighter to withstand the dive pressure.

"The guy inside is Obadiah. He's the one who was secretly selling Stark Industries' weapons on the black market." He only said two sentences, but the rest was pretty obvious.

"What a cliché plot."

Soon, Merlin's diving fighter caught up.

Once the radar lock was confirmed, Merlin didn't hesitate. He pressed the missile lock button.

"Bastard! How dare you shine that light at me!"

Missiles, one after another, streaked out with crisscrossing contrails, completely blanketing the falling Iron Monger.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!

In the frigid night sky, clusters of blazing fireballs erupted. The explosion's glare painted Stark and the fighter a vivid red.

"Hey, hey, hey... What are you doing?" Stark suddenly yelled as a powerful G-force slammed into him. The fireball, now right in front of him, loomed large.

The fighter had suddenly accelerated, carrying him straight into the inferno.

Whoosh! The raging flames engulfed both the fighter and Stark in an instant.

The next moment, the Wildfire, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, burst through the scorching fireball, trailing billowing smoke as it vanished into the night sky.

"Oh, my god! You're insane!" The moment he landed, Stark flipped up his faceplate and glared at Merlin.

"You threw me right into the fire!"

"I went in too, didn't I? Didn't you feel that adrenaline spike the second we passed through the flames?" Merlin opened the canopy, completely unbothered.

"No. All I felt was taking a tour through a burning hell."

Clang, clang... Fragments still wreathed in flame suddenly rained down around them, clattering against the ground.

"Well... saves the trouble of cremation." Merlin shrugged. Seeing Happy and Pepper rushing over, he closed the canopy again.

"I'm out. Haven't finished my fighter test for today."

Without waiting for a reply, he shot straight up like a rocket and disappeared into the night sky.

"Oh, my god, Tony. I'm so glad you're okay." Pepper glanced at the spot where the fighter had vanished, then came to Stark's side, full of worry.

"I'm fine. Actually, I could go for a hamburger."

"Boss, leave it to me." Happy immediately caught the hint and slipped away.

Leaving only the two of them locked in a passionate kiss amidst the rubble-strewn street.

After completing another hair-raising extreme test inside the Tunnel, Merlin returned to Merlin Aviation.

Back home, Merlin once again pulled out the Notebook.

He glanced at the time, pondered for a moment, then spoke: "Little Mute, send the AllSpark's location to Optimus Prime and the others."

"...And Starscream, send him the location of the frozen Megatron as well."

"Composing message..."

"Sent."

"How's Professor Connors and his team's progress?"

"The Canary Device has been fully deployed. Operation is scheduled for tomorrow night." Little Mute displayed the data on the screen.

"Just waiting for tomorrow, then... I'll take a leave." Merlin casually sent an email to the school teacher.

After that, he started browsing the latest news.

"Hey folks, take a look—this is the Tyrant MK2. Let's run a test."

"Recruiting for the Bevel Magic Treasure convoy..."

"God, I finally snagged a Superburn! Let me show you guys a trick... Boom!"

Merlin: "..."