Marvel - The Blood God

As Maverick prepared to leave, Pepper Potts quickly stood up and said, "Mr. Cassain, won't you stay and take a tour? Tony has some incredible high-tech inventions."

Tony suddenly felt a bit nervous. He didn't want Maverick to see the nearly completed Mark II suit; he wanted to surprise him with it later.

"How dare he say my armor is ugly and useless?" Tony thought. "I have to show him what it's really capable of. If I don't prove him wrong, am I still Tony Stark?"

Maverick glanced at Tony and smiled. "Perhaps another time. Thanks for the offer."

"Tony, we're heading out. Thanks for the wonderful dinner," Peggy Carter said as she stood up.

Tony quickly got up to see them off. As he hugged Peggy, she whispered in his ear, "Be careful with Obadiah."

"What?" Tony was taken aback. Aunt Peggy warning him about Obadiah? Could Obadiah intend to harm him?

That can't be. Obadiah had always been good to him, helping whenever needed. Tony considered him a father figure. Sure, he often relied on Obadiah to clean up his messes, but isn't that what fathers do for their sons?

Peggy didn't elaborate. She nodded at Pepper, then turned and left with Maverick. She hadn't driven herself today, so she caught a ride with him.

In the car, Peggy asked Maverick, "Do you really know how to read people, or were you just putting on a show back there?"

"You're wondering if Captain America might still be alive?" Maverick smiled. "Well, Peggy, let's talk science."

Peggy was momentarily speechless. He had seemed almost mystical earlier, and now he wanted to discuss science?

Maverick said, "Recently, I acquired five cryogenic devices on the black market. If I'm not mistaken, they're from the former Soviet Union's Winter Soldier program."

Peggy was stunned. "The Winter Soldier program? Didn't their attempt to replicate Steve fail?"

"A partial failure, perhaps," Maverick replied. "Their super-soldiers weren't stable, so they erased their memories, kept them frozen, and only thawed them when needed."

"That's inhumane, treating them like tools," Peggy said coldly.

Maverick smiled. "Many nations have their dark sides. Let's not dwell on that. I've tested the freezing devices. After freezing a rabbit and then thawing it, it was still alive."

"So you're saying that if Steve crashed into the Arctic, he might have been frozen, like the Winter Soldiers?" Peggy asked. "But the natural environment isn't the same as controlled cryogenics."

"You didn't find Steve back then, which suggests he went deep into the Arctic Circle, where temperatures are much lower," Maverick explained. "And don't forget, Steve's physiology is far beyond that of an ordinary person."

"So it's possible that Steve is still alive?" Peggy's eyes lit up. She didn't believe in miracles, but this was science.

Maverick smiled. "Scientifically, it's highly probable. And if you believe in destiny, perhaps it's certain."

"That's wonderful." Peggy was so excited she momentarily lost her composure. But she quickly regained it. "Maverick, I want to organize an expedition to search for Steve."

"I'll fund it under the guise of a scientific exploration," Maverick offered. "But don't be too impatient. If the time isn't right, Captain America might not appear."

"The right time?" Peggy asked, puzzled.

Maverick, sounding almost prophetic, said, "Heroes often return when they're needed most."

Tony was very upset by what Peggy had said at the party. Having stayed indoors for days, he decided to get out and relax. He hopped into his sports car and headed to Manhattan to attend a charity gala.

At the event, Tony learned from a female reporter he had once been involved with that terrorists were once again using Stark Industries' weapons, and they'd attacked Yinsen's hometown, Gulmira.

Furious, Tony confronted Obadiah for answers, only to learn that he'd been ousted by the board—a move initiated by Obadiah himself.

Tony couldn't believe that Obadiah, whom he saw as a father figure, would betray him like this. In a daze, he returned home and researched news from the Middle East. The horrific situation in Gulmira made up his mind.

He decided to destroy the weapons his company had supplied. He wouldn't allow Stark Industries to cause more harm. Yinsen fully supported him; after all, it was his hometown that had suffered.

So, wearing the Mark III suit (the Mark II had been scrapped due to high-altitude icing issues), Iron Man officially made his debut. He destroyed the terrorists' weapons, making them pay dearly. He even had a close encounter with two F-22 Raptors, costing the military millions of dollars.

An exhilarated Tony had no idea that his actions were being secretly recorded by Maverick, who was showing the footage to Ivan Vanko and his father, Anton.

Maverick pointed at the gold-and-red Iron Man on the screen. "This is Tony Stark's latest creation, the Mark III."

Though Ivan was impressed, he scoffed, "That suit is for show-offs. It's as flimsy as paper."

Anton nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Only playboys like the Stark family would wear such armor."

Maverick couldn't help but smile wryly. Like father, like son.

Seeing the Mark III solidified the Vankos' resolve. Anton Vanko said, "Maverick, I want to become a vampire. I hope you'll keep your promise. In return, we'll honor ours and help you design all kinds of things."

"Rest assured, my word is good," Maverick replied with a smile. In truth, he had no intention of deceiving them. If anything, he was more concerned about Ivan betraying him. But with Anton around, it shouldn't be a problem.

Besides, he had plans in place to handle any unexpected betrayals.

Obadiah was shocked by the appearance of Iron Man. He personally traveled to the Middle East to meet with Raza, the leader of the Ten Rings.

Obadiah didn't have good intentions during this visit, but upon arriving at Raza's base, he wisely abandoned any hostile plans; Raza had far more men than he anticipated.

"I thought his forces were decimated. Why are there so many?" Obadiah wondered. He left his mercenaries outside and entered the tent to meet Raza. To his surprise, besides Raza, there were two unusual individuals present.

One was incredibly muscular, with skin as pale as stone. The other was gaunt, almost skeletal, with piercingly cold eyes.

Raza, his face scarred by burns, greeted Obadiah warmly. He introduced his companions: "These are my friends, sent by the Mandarin to help me seek vengeance."

"The Mandarin?" Obadiah was surprised. Though he'd done business with the Ten Rings, he'd always thought the Mandarin was a myth—a figure of legend said to have lived for centuries.

Without further ado, Raza showed Obadiah the wreckage of the Mark I suit and the complete set of blueprints he had recovered. "My friend," Raza said, "these can all be yours if you agree to two conditions."

Obadiah, intrigued by the Mark I, asked, "What are your terms?"

Raza declared, "First, when you've replicated this technology, sell some suits to me. I will use them to conquer in the name of the Mandarin."

"That shouldn't be a problem. I'm an arms dealer, after all," Obadiah replied.

"Second," Raza continued bitterly, "my comrades and I will go to your city to seek revenge on Tony Stark and Blade. They will pay for our fallen brothers."

Obadiah frowned. He didn't know much about Blade, but if it meant getting rid of Tony, he was willing to agree.

"Revenge." the two strange men shouted, glaring at Obadiah with fierce eyes. Obadiah hesitated but ultimately agreed. He really wanted Tony Stark out of the picture, and as for Blade, he didn't care. Tony's friend or not, he'd let them handle it.

"Blade, you're finished." Raza touched a new ring on his finger, adorned with a lightning symbol, and said with a grim expression.

Once Tony started, he couldn't stop. He made several trips to the Middle East, and the media was abuzz with news of Iron Man, which made him very proud. Tony Stark was, after all, meant to be the center of attention.

But Tony hadn't forgotten about Obadiah. He asked Pepper to use a special flash drive to hack into the company's mainframe from Obadiah's office, so he could find out who was selling weapons to terrorists.

Pepper was willing to take the risk for Tony. After accessing the mainframe, she discovered that Obadiah was secretly building a large suit called the Iron Monger.

Frowning, Pepper dug deeper and found a shocking video.

A video from the terrorists to Obadiah, demanding more money—the terrorists hadn't known they were supposed to kill Tony Stark.

"Obadiah not only sold weapons to terrorists but also wanted Tony dead?" Pepper was stunned. She quickly copied all the files onto the flash drive. Just then, Obadiah entered the office, greeting her and nearly giving her a heart attack.

Pepper, ever the professional, remained calm. While chatting with Obadiah, she discreetly covered the flash drive with some documents and set the screen to a screensaver.

Once she felt it was safe, Pepper retrieved the flash drive under the guise of organizing papers. As she closed the door behind her, she let out a sigh of relief. That was nerve-wracking.

Before Pepper could leave the building, Obadiah realized something was amiss and hurried after her. Fortunately, she ran into Agent Coulson from S.H.I.E.L.D. Obadiah didn't dare make a move in front of an agent, so he had to let her go.

"There's no turning back now," Obadiah thought. He immediately drove to Tony's mansion and, at the same time, contacted Raza's group, who had entered the country. He instructed them to go to Stark Industries to deal with the impending S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.

It didn't take long for Obadiah to arrive at Tony's home. Unaware of any danger, Tony was paralyzed by a high-tech sonic device, rendering him immobile.

Under Tony's horrified gaze, Obadiah used a tool to remove the arc reactor from his chest.

Gazing at the glowing arc reactor, Obadiah was filled with fascination. Such a small device could drive the world mad and make the military offer him limitless protection.

The military wasn't ignorant of Obadiah's dealings with terrorists; they weren't that incompetent. It was all about profit.

"Tony, thank you for laying this golden egg for me. Now, you can die here slowly. It's a shame about Pepper." Obadiah whispered in Tony's ear, "Tony Stark, I was never your caretaker."

Tony couldn't speak or move. He could only watch as Obadiah left. His heart was filled with bitterness. In truth, I never saw you as a caretaker; I thought of you as a father.

With shrapnel in his bloodstream and no electromagnet to keep it at bay, the fragments would soon reach his heart and kill him. Fortunately, there was someone else in the mansion whom Obadiah didn't know about: Yinsen.

"Tony." Seeing Tony's condition, Yinsen quickly retrieved the earlier version of the arc reactor and placed it back in Tony's chest—it was the makeshift one Tony had built in the cave, which Pepper had kept as a memento.

Once Tony recovered, he immediately tried calling Pepper, but there was no answer. Panicking, he barely took the time to explain to Yinsen before donning the Mark III suit and flying toward Stark Industries at full speed.

Meanwhile, at Maverick's villa, Ivan looked at the beer, peanuts, and potato chips on the table and asked in confusion, "Did you invite us over to watch a game?"

"It's better than any game—Iron Man versus Iron Monger. I've been waiting for this showdown for a long time." Maverick grinned as he turned on the TV. Footage of the front entrance of Stark Industries appeared. He said to Ivan, who was teasing a parrot, "These are drone feeds I've set up. If they fight out in the open, we should be able to see everything."

"I know Iron Man is that show-off, but who's Iron Monger?" Hearing Tony's name, both Ivan and Anton became interested. It's worth noting that Anton had become a vampire and was no longer frail, though full recovery would take some time.

"You'll find out soon enough," Maverick replied with a chuckle. Just then, his phone rang. He answered it, and Nick Fury's voice came through: "My agents have been captured by terrorists, and they've specifically asked for you, Maverick."

"What does this have to do with me?" Maverick was puzzled. "This is U.S. soil. Don't tell me you can't handle a few terrorists. I'd be disappointed."

"Our New York branch's strike team has been wiped out, Maverick. We've put a lot of pressure on you lately. I hope you'll help us save those agents and Tony," Director Fury said. "Consider it an act of goodwill."

Maverick understood that Fury's real concern was Tony. He wanted Maverick to help Tony deal with Obadiah.

Fury was always adept at manipulating situations to his advantage.

"Is that so?" Maverick thought for a moment. "How about you owe me a favor?"

Director Fury was silent for a moment before saying, "Fine, but you know my limits."

"I'm a law-abiding citizen. What's there to worry about?" Maverick sneered. He hung up, stood up, and said reluctantly, "I wanted to enjoy the show, but now I have to get involved. So much for my snacks."

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