Mark Three

Meanwhile, Chen Xiao had arrived near Stark Industries headquarters and stood in an empty alley with his eyes closed.

Observation Haki.

His current range covered a radius of six kilometers, enough to encompass the headquarters building and the surrounding area. Everything he sensed formed a three-dimensional, dynamic, detail-filled map in his mind.

He "saw" the outline of the building, the corridors, elevators, and ventilation ducts. He felt the life signs on every floor: security guards on duty, employees working overtime, and Pepper.

On the sixteenth floor, in a small room that looked like a meeting room, Pepper sat on a sofa. Two people stood at the door, watching her.

Chen Xiao opened his eyes. He transformed into a streak of blue lightning, shot up the exterior wall of the building, passed through the ventilation ducts, and entered the sixteenth-floor corridor.

The two guards leaned against the wall in black uniforms, stun guns hanging at their waists as they dutifully guarded the door. An arc of electricity burst out, and both men fell. Their phones hit the floor, their screens flashing once.

Chen Xiao pushed open the door. Pepper immediately rose to her feet. When she saw it was Chen Xiao, the unease finally left her.

"Welcome home, Mr. President."

Standing within the glowing circle, Chen Xiao placed one hand behind his back, elegantly waved the other twice through the air, then rested it over his abdomen and bowed.

Pepper burst out laughing. She pretended to lift her skirt and returned the bow before stepping into the portal.

"Sir, the system has been restored. An abnormal server shutdown was detected; the cause has been recorded. All functions are operating normally. An anomalous energy fluctuation has been detected near Stark Industries headquarters. Do you require—"

"No." Tony cut him off. "Initiate the Mark Three suit-up procedure."

"Sir, your physical condition—" There was a subtle hesitation in JARVIS's voice, likely some algorithm evaluating priorities.

"I'm fine. Start it."

JARVIS fell silent for a second. "Initiating."

The laboratory lighting changed. It shifted from cold white to warm yellow, then several spotlights came on at once, shining down on the suit-up platform in the center of the room. The metal platform rose from the floor with a low hydraulic rumble. Its supports unfolded, and mechanical arms extended from every direction, blue indicator lights blinking at their joints.

Tony walked onto the platform and turned to face the mechanical arms. His legs were still trembling, but his back remained perfectly straight.

"Begin."

The mechanical arms moved.

The first arm clamped the chest plate onto him from the front. The inside of the plate was densely packed with sensor arrays. It fitted itself over Tony's chest, the locks around its edges automatically snapping shut—click. The chest plate locked into place with a sharp metallic sound. The Arc Reactor's blue light shone through the circular opening in his chest, brighter than before.

The second and third mechanical arms closed in from both sides. The arm armor sealed itself downward from the shoulders, piece by piece—upper arms, elbows, forearms, wrists. Every section slid precisely into its designated position. Metal scales tightened in sequence with a continuous series of click-click-clicks. Hydraulic pistons extended and retracted inside the armor, hissing softly again and again. Tony flexed his fingers, and the sensors in his gloves immediately responded.

The fourth and fifth mechanical arms rose from below. The leg armor fastened over his thighs, from hips to knees, then knees to ankles. The hydraulic rods around his knees automatically adjusted into position with a dull click. He stomped once, his metal boot striking the platform with a heavy thud.

The sixth mechanical arm pushed the back plate forward from behind. It was the largest piece, and the last. It slid over Tony's back and locked with the chest plate at his shoulders and waist. Eight locking points closed at once, producing a rapid, dense string of clicks.

The faceplate flipped over from behind and closed over his face. Click.

Tony's vision was overlaid with a blue data interface. Altitude, speed, energy, weapons systems, communications signals—all parameters spread out before him. Energy reading: 61 percent.

Rhodes stood nearby, mouth open and eyes wide.

He had known Tony for over twenty years. He knew Tony had been building something; ever since returning from Afghanistan, Tony had never stopped. But as the military's representative, he never pried unless Tony volunteered information. That was precisely why Tony had never put him in a difficult position.

He stared at the suit gleaming under the lights, at the precise movements of the mechanical arms, at the entire process of Tony being wrapped in armor piece by piece.

"Tony..." Rhodes's voice drifted. "This is..."

"Mark Three." Tony's voice came from behind the unsealed faceplate, carrying a hint of pride. "Looks good, right?"

Rhodes opened his mouth but could not say anything. He stood there like a child entering a science museum for the first time, unsure where to look—the curve of the chest plate, the lines of the arms, the streamlined leg armor, or the pulsing white glow in Tony's chest.

The faceplate closed.

Click.

Tony's vision was overlaid with a blue data interface. Altitude, speed, energy, weapons systems, communications signals—all parameters spread out before him like a glowing galaxy. Energy reading: 61 percent. The old core only had half the output of the new one, but it was enough.

He rolled his neck. The metal collar turned with it, making an almost inaudible whirring sound. He moved his shoulders, and the shoulder plates spread slightly before returning to position. He clenched and unclenched his fists, and the sensors in his gloves responded at once, the numbers on the display jumping.

"JARVIS, run an exterior check."

"Armor fit: 97.2 percent. Joint flexibility test in progress—shoulder joints: 96 percent. Elbow joints: 98 percent. Knee joints: 95 percent. Finger joints: 99 percent. Thrusters preheated. Weapons systems online. Energy reserves: 61 percent."

"Enough," Tony said.

He stepped down from the suit-up platform, each step steady and powerful. His metal boots struck the floor with a completely different sound than before—not the slap of slippers, but the deep, solid thud, thud of metal against the ground.

Rhodes finally found his voice.

"Quick, quick, quick! Make me one too!"

The corner of Tony's mouth twitched beneath his faceplate. "Next time. I don't have your measurements."

The two were still trading jabs when they turned around and froze.

Pepper was sitting there.

Chen Xiao stood beside her, holding a can of cola. Pepper's blonde hair was a little messy, and there was dust on her face, but she was completely unharmed. She wore a light gray knit sweater, its cuffs smudged with dust. Holding a cup of water, she was watching him.

Tony froze.

He remembered that Pepper was still in Obadiah's hands. He had sent Chen Xiao to rescue her, but from going to the server room, to picking up Rhodes, to saving Pepper, Chen Xiao had taken less than twenty minutes. Tony thought Chen Xiao had only just left and had not yet returned.

"Pepper?" His voice changed. "When did you—"

Pepper set down her cup and stood from the sofa. She looked at Tony, her eyes red, but she did not cry.

"Chen Xiao rescued me," she said. Her voice trembled slightly, but every word was clear. "I was already here while you were putting on the armor."

Tony looked at her in silence for a second. Then he walked over, metal boots hitting the floor with a dull thud at every step. He stopped before her, reached out, pulled her close, and embraced her.

The armor's metal shell was cold. Pepper pressed her face to the chest plate and felt the faint blue light within pulsing brighter and dimmer. Her hand gripped the edge of his back plate tightly, her knuckles turning white.

"You scared me to death," Tony said in a low voice. "I shouldn't have let you go."

Pepper said nothing. She buried her face against his chest plate and gripped his back armor tighter.

Chen Xiao stood beside them and took a sip of cola. Rhodes watched the scene, cleared his throat, but said nothing.

Tony released Pepper and stepped back.

His expression changed, relief giving way to something heavy and serious.

"He still has my core," Tony said. "I'm going to get it back."

Pepper took a small USB drive from her pocket and handed it to him. "Obadiah has a massive suit of armor. It's called Iron Monger. It's bigger than yours, with missiles and Gatling guns. This is the data from his computer."

Tony took the USB drive and inserted it into a port on his armored arm.

"Data received. Analyzing." JARVIS's voice was as steady as ever.

Tony looked at Pepper. "That core can't be left there. I'd rather blow it up than let it fall into someone else's hands."

Chen Xiao set down his cola bottle and walked over to Tony. "Want a hand?"

Tony shook his head. "This is my business."

Chen Xiao stared at him for two seconds and said nothing more.

Rhodes walked over from the side and took out his phone. "I'll handle air traffic control."

He dialed a number and walked aside. The other end picked up quickly. In the firm, unquestionable tone unique to a military officer, Rhodes said, "This is Colonel Rhodes. The airspace above Stark Industries headquarters requires temporary control. All aircraft are to clear the area. Yes, now. This is an emergency. I'll file the paperwork afterward."

The person on the other end said something. Rhodes did not bother listening further.

"Thanks." He hung up, turned to Tony, and said, "Done. The military won't shoot at you."

Tony nodded. He looked at Pepper, then at Chen Xiao and Rhodes.

"Wait for me to come back."

The faceplate closed. The golden eye slits lit up. The thrusters began preheating, emitting a low hum that came from his palms and the soles of his feet.

He turned and walked toward the launch bay. His metal boots struck the floor—thud, thud, thud—one step after another, neither hurried nor slow. The metal blast doors opened before him, and the night wind rushed in from outside.

Pepper stood behind him, watching his back.

"Be careful," she said.

Tony did not turn around. He raised one hand and waved at her. His metal fingers opened beneath the lights. Orange-red flames erupted from his palms and feet, and like a red-and-gold bullet, he shot out through the launch bay and tore through the night sky.

"Here comes the little flying stick," Chen Xiao muttered. Then, as though he had discovered a new toy, he suddenly asked, "Want to watch the live version?"

Pepper and Rhodes exchanged looks, then nodded hesitantly.