"I really ought to thank those insatiable terrorists. They didn't listen to me and kill you outright. I thought you, my golden goose, had lost your value."
"I never expected you to surprise me, Tony. You laid the biggest golden egg of your life."
As Obadiah spoke, he pulled a magnetic extractor the same size as the reactor in Tony's chest from inside his jacket.
"You really are a genius, Tony. This thing will change the entire world!"
Obadiah abruptly pressed the button, and the Arc Reactor was slowly drawn out.
"Beautiful. This is a work of art, an absolutely perfect work of art! You know, I built a suit of armor more powerful than your new toy especially for this masterpiece."
Obadiah admired the reactor in his hand.
He gave Tony a contemptuous look.
"You haven't grown at all since you were twenty-one. You actually believed I'd hand the company over to you!"
Obadiah swung his hand and slapped Tony.
"You wanted to buy my shares at fifty percent above market price? Drive me out of my kingdom? Enjoy the last few minutes of your life, Tony!"
"You won't be lonely. Pepper will be joining you soon. She's such a good woman, isn't she?"
Obadiah left, laughing loudly.
Tony lay slumped on the couch, straining his neck as he tried to move, but he couldn't even speak.
Only after the clock on the wall had ticked 193 times did Tony breathe a sigh of relief.
"JARVIS, call Qin. Tell him to get to Stark Industries right away. Pepper's in danger!"
After giving JARVIS his instructions, Tony staggered toward the basement.
At the same time, he took out his phone and quickly dialed Pepper Potts.
For some reason, though, no one answered her phone.
He stumbled and tumbled down the long staircase.
He finally reached his workbench, but even with all his strength, he couldn't reach the first-generation Miniature Arc Reactor on top, which Pepper Potts had repackaged.
"Aah!"
Tony let out a hoarse roar.
Without the Arc Reactor, he could even feel the shrapnel blocking his blood vessels, for no apparent reason.
Even breathing became difficult.
"I hope Qin can get to the company and save Pepper. He should be able to handle it, right?"
Tony's consciousness began to blur, and just as he was about to give up.
The intelligent robot with the metal arm, usually so clumsy and often the butt of jokes.
Seemed to sense its owner's predicament.
It actually began slowly rolling over from the distance.
Then it swung its metal arm and swept the Arc Reactor straight off the table.
The glass case shattered the instant it hit the floor.
Tony abruptly mustered every ounce of strength, grabbed the Arc Reactor, and shoved it straight into his chest.
"Ho! Good boy!"
He took a deep breath of air and didn't forget to praise the metal arm along the way.
He had finally recovered, and a feeling of having narrowly escaped death welled up within him.
"JARVIS, have you reached Qin?"
"I'm sorry, sir. Mr. Qin hasn't answered the phone!"
"There's no time. Pepper!"
Pepper Potts's importance to Tony went without saying. Having recovered, Tony hurriedly put on his armor and had JARVIS keep calling her nonstop.
Fortunately, while he was flying toward the company, Pepper Potts answered.
"Tony?"
Pepper Potts had just finished her work when she noticed that her phone, left on the couch on silent, was full of missed calls from Tony Stark.
"Pepper, thank God you finally answered. If you're still at the company, leave right now! Obadiah stole my reactor, and he secretly built a suit of armor."
"Oh, my God! Are you all right? Tony, I mean, what are you going to do without the reactor?"
Just like Tony, Pepper Potts's first concern was the other's safety.
"I'm fine. Luckily, I had that heart of Stark's you gave me. I'm fine. I'm heading to the company right now. Leave immediately, right now!"
"Oh, okay!"
Knowing Tony was safe, Pepper Potts immediately got up and ran toward the elevator.
Unfortunately, Pepper Potts had only just reached the company entrance.
The asphalt and concrete on the ground heaved.
A steel giant over three meters tall burst straight through the ground, emerging from the secret underground research facility.
"Oh, my God!"
Pepper Potts abruptly backed up several steps, staring at Iron Monger in shock as she spoke.
"Pepper! It's wonderful that you're here. I'll send you to join Tony right now!"
Obadiah piloted Iron Monger, raising its steel right arm.
If Qin Xiao had been there, he would certainly have marveled at the wonders of fate.
Because even though his arrival had changed quite a few things.
And even brought the creation of the Iron Man Armor forward by a full two months.
Some events still unfolded just as they had in the original movie.
As though someone had set them up in advance.
This moment was no different.
Just as the Gatling gun on Iron Monger's right arm was about to riddle Pepper Potts with bullets.
Tony descended from the sky in his armor.
Whoosh!
Propelled by his powered acceleration, he slammed straight into Iron Monger's head and crashed through the wall along with him.
Together, they tumbled onto the busy street outside.
The two steel figures, one large and one small, smashed straight through the cargo compartment of a large box truck on the road.
Both rolled into the middle of the road.
The enormous figures that had suddenly appeared blocked an entire lane.
Nearby vehicles swerved sharply into other lanes at the sudden turn of events.
There was no telling how many vehicles around them collided with one another.
Some drivers farther back, unaware of what had happened ahead, hammered their horns.
Another car changed lanes sharply, avoiding Iron Monger and Iron Man sprawled across the road.
But a car behind it wasn't so lucky. It was traveling at high speed when the vehicle ahead suddenly swerved.
Only after it swerved did the driver see the enormous steel giant lying across the road ahead.
In his panic, he instinctively slammed on the brakes.
He stopped in front of Iron Monger only an instant before a collision.
Before he could even breathe a sigh of relief.
Obadiah piloted Iron Monger up from the ground.
Seeing the station wagon before him, he casually picked it up.
Amid the driver's screams, he raised the car high overhead as a weapon.
"Concentrate all power in the chest!"
Tony glanced at the person in the car and hurriedly gave the order.
The reactor in his chest suddenly flared.
A laser blast thicker than those from his palms shot out with tremendous force.
It sent Iron Monger tumbling several times.
Then Tony stretched out both hands.
The Mark 2 steadily caught the vehicle just before it hit the ground.