Nuclear Winter

Five minutes. That was all the time before every nuclear missile aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier was launched.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier carried nuclear weapons; that was no secret to the world. But there were truly only a handful of people on Earth capable of hacking into the system and obtaining the launch codes.

After trying several methods and failing, Stark quickly stopped.

The hackers were highly skilled, and they were in an extremely passive position. Under these circumstances, Stark did not believe he could break the lock within five minutes. Continuing would only be a futile waste of time.

"Attention, all units. Execute Contingency Plan Nine." Stark took a few steps back, turned, and called out loudly. "Everyone, abandon ship immediately!"

The director's orders were absolute. No one objected or questioned his judgment. Every agent immediately began preparing to evacuate.

But Stark himself had no intention of leaving. He raised his hand, activating the guidance system implanted in his arm. The command room doors opened, and an Iron Man armor equipped with an automatic guidance system shot down the corridor on golden exhaust flames, piece by piece attaching itself to Stark.

In less than a second, S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Tony Stark vanished, replaced by Iron Man.

The agents in the command room also withdrew swiftly and orderly. Maria Hill walked over to Stark's side. "What are you planning to do?"

"Blow up the Helicarrier," Stark said.

Hill frowned. "But the system's locked down, isn't it? The self-destruct sequence should have already..."

"Yes, which is why I have to trigger it manually." Flames burst from beneath Stark's feet as he lifted into the air. "Evacuate with the others, Hill. I can handle the rest myself."

Whether it was lucky or not, it was fortunate that Stark was S.H.I.E.L.D. director right now. To be