Chapter Fifty-Two: Is This What Howard Taught You?

“Tony, we don’t have much time left. They’ll realize something’s wrong again soon,” Dr. Ethan said as he adjusted the Mark I suit before him, following Tony’s instructions.

“I know. Faster. As long as we succeed, we can use this to get out of here!” Tony replied, fastening parts of the suit onto the rack behind him as he spoke.

The equipment and materials here were pitifully crude. Just managing to forge the main components of the suit was already pushing Tony to his limit. As for putting it on, it could only be done piece by piece, by hand. Thankfully, the man before him was reliable enough—otherwise, Tony had no idea how he’d manage to put the whole thing on by himself.

“Ethan! Tony! Come out!” The terrorists shouted loudly. They’d already noticed something amiss through the surveillance—both men, who should have been visible, had disappeared for several minutes.

“They’re in there! Quick! Send more people, we must find them!” The terrorists continued shouting outside. Tony drew a deep breath; just a little longer, he needed a bit more time to guide the program into the command system.

“Keep going! I’ll hold them off!” Ethan gritted his teeth, ready to buy those crucial seconds with his own life.

At that moment, a commotion erupted outside, and amidst the chaos, the sound of screams could be heard.

“Is Tony Stark in here? Someone who speaks English or Russian, okay?” Ivan Vanko asked, watching the terrorists swarm toward him like insects. Unfortunately, no one answered.

Rat-a-tat-tat!

The terrorists before Ivan Vanko clearly had no intention of talking—there was only one thing they knew how to do: pull the trigger.

With a sigh, Ivan Vanko shifted his palms slightly. The rock walls on either side instantly slammed together, a trickle of bright red blood seeping from the crevice. After all his studies, Ivan Vanko’s greatest skill was manipulating electricity and the magnetic fields it could create. If he wished, altering the terrain a little was no challenge at all.

The alchemical array he now used was a modified version inspired by other professionals’ abilities—more versatile than the original and better suited to different environments. It ensured that, even if an alchemist’s powers were countered, he wouldn’t be rendered useless.

Clang! Bang! Clang!

After Ivan Vanko restored the wall to its normal state, mechanical noises echoed from within. Curious, he glanced over—just in time to see an armored figure lumbering out on heavy steps, with a bald man following behind.

In the cramped space, the two sides faced each other in standoff. Outside, the remaining terrorists had set up their firing positions at the cave’s mouth.

Taking in the ironclad figure’s appearance, Ivan Vanko ventured, “Tony Stark?”

“He doesn’t look like he’s with them, Tony—maybe he’s your backup,” Ethan whispered.

“Big guy, your job’s done. I’m out on my own. But I’ll pay you as promised—now step aside,” Tony said warily. In this place, he only trusted Ethan, the man who had saved his life.

“I intend to get you out, but not for money. Seems I arrived a bit late,” Ivan clicked his tongue and shook his head. “But at least I found something new to mock—you’re awful at welding, and honestly, ever consider changing your taste? This thing’s hideous.”

“Move,” Tony said, not wasting words. He opened the firing port on his right arm, revealing a micro-missile aimed squarely at Ivan Vanko.

Ivan’s face turned cold. “You’re just as annoying as Howard. And don’t tell me you think that’ll work on me.”

As he spoke, Ivan pressed his hands together, merging the alchemical arrays etched on his palms into a perfect circle. Sparkling arcs of electricity danced around him.

“One second is all it would take for me to rip that tin suit apart!” Ivan threatened.

“You’re welcome to try,” Tony retorted, not backing down—he’d disliked this man from the moment he laid eyes on him.

“Gentlemen, gentlemen! Since we’re not enemies, how about we focus on the real threat first?” Ethan hurried to mediate. “The terrorists may have us surrounded!”

“Hmph!” Tony, conceding to Ethan, lowered his arm. “Stay behind me. Their bullets can’t penetrate my armor.”

“Oh, how impressive,” Ivan sneered. “Bullets can’t get through, but what about an RPG? Or a missile? I saw plenty of your company’s products on my way in—business is booming, huh? This place is full of your customers.”

Tony bristled at the jab, but Ethan kept signaling him—another ally was better than none right now.

Seeing no one rise to his taunts, Ivan shook his head and moved to the wall.

“I’m not about to pin my hopes on your tin can, and honestly, I prefer brains over brawn,” he said with a wry smile.

As he spoke, the wall before them sank inward, revealing a passageway.

“Follow me. Those fools outside would never expect us to skip the front door,” Ivan said, taking the lead. He relished Tony’s silence, certain the man was stunned by his abilities.

He wasn’t wrong.

Inside his suit, Tony kept glancing at Ivan, wondering how he’d created the tunnel and manipulated electricity as he did. Of course, Ivan had no intention of explaining—let the man die of curiosity.

Ethan, walking between them, breathed a sigh of relief at the slightly eased tension—he’d worried the two were about to come to blows.

The group moved forward as the passage extended before them, closing behind them as they went. Ivan even opened a few air vents along the way; otherwise, they’d have suffocated. He was confident that, even if the terrorists searched every inch of the cave, they’d never figure out how the trio had escaped.

Ten minutes later, an opening appeared on the side of a sandy slope.

“There, you’re rescued. Now it’s time for my reward,” Ivan said, turning to Tony as he lifted his faceplate.

“How much do you want?” Tony asked calmly. He had plenty of money, if nothing else.

“I don’t want money. I want you to say, just one sentence: ‘You’re smarter than I am!’” Ivan enunciated each word.

“Never!” Tony snapped without hesitation.

“Is this how you treat your savior? Is that what Howard taught you?” Ivan pressed, never missing a chance to mention Tony’s father.

Tony fell silent. He could never admit he was less intelligent than someone else. Yet, however abrasive Ivan might be, there was no denying the man had just saved his life.

With all those Stark Industries weapons outside, Tony wasn’t certain he could have escaped with his makeshift suit alone.