Hum—!
As Obadiah initiated the sequence, the Arc Reactor in the Iron Monger's chest flared with blinding intensity. Visible arcs of electricity began to spray wildly from the joints of the armor.
"Not good!"
In the distance, Tony's expression shifted from relief to pure horror. "Jarvis! Analyze the energy signature, now!"
"Sir, the opponent's reactor has entered a state of critical overload. Energy output is growing exponentially. Estimated ti to terminal criticality is ten seconds. The resulting explosion will be catastrophic."
"Blast radius?" Tony barked.
"The thermal shockwave is estimated to level everything within a five-kiloter radius, sir."
Jarvis's cold, synthetic voice sent Tony's heart sinking to his boots. This was the heart of New York! Directly beneath them was the bustling district of Brooklyn.
Even though they were hundreds of feet in the air, a blast of that magnitude would rain fire and debris on thousands of innocent civilians.
"Dammit!"
Tony roared, no longer content to play the spectator. He slamd his thrusters to 100%, the Mark III streaking toward the ticking "mobile nuke."
"Obadiah! You're insane!"
He planned to grab the Monger and carry it as high into the atmosphere as possible to minimize the ground impact. But he was too far. The math didn't add up.
"Ten, nine, eight..."
The chanical countdown from the Iron Monger sounded like the ticking of the Reaper's scythe.
"You can't stop , Tony!" Obadiah's voice crackled over the comms, manic and broken. "Co to hell with ! Hahaha!"
"Sir, I recomnd imdiate withdrawal. Your current distance cannot guarantee survival," Jarvis issued a final warning.
In that split second, the image of Dr. Yinsen—charging forward with a machine gun to buy him ti—flashed through Tony's mind. He gritted his teeth, a look of grim determination in his eyes.
I can't back down!
Just as he prepared for a suicidal tackle, a hand rested lightly on his tal shoulder.
"Take a breath. It's not that big a deal."
Peter's lazy voice possessed a strange, grounding magic. Tony blinked, turning his head to see Peter floating right beside him.
"Not a big deal?! It's about to go nuclear!" Tony was nearly screaming.
"Relax," Peter patted the Mark III's shoulder. "Just watch work."
In the next heartbeat, Peter vanished.
Shave (Soru)!
Before Tony could even register the movent, Peter appeared directly in front of the Iron Monger's cockpit. Obadiah's laughter cut off as his pupils shrunk to pinpricks.
He saw a blur, and then that demonic silhouette was right there, inches away.
Peter didn't waste words. He punched straight through the reinforced ballistic glass, grabbed Obadiah by the collar, and ripped him out of the cockpit like a weed.
"Catch."
Peter tossed the old man toward Tony. Tony instinctively caught him, his mind reeling. With Obadiah removed, the pilotless Iron Monger didn't fly away; it began a rapid, heavy descent toward the streets below.
Wait, this is making it worse! Tony thought, his heart racing as the countdown reached "Four, three, two..."
But then, Peter reached out and pressed his palm against the scarred, vibrating husk of the Iron Monger. The reactor's glow had reached its absolute peak.
"One!"
At that mont, Tony felt like his heart was going to stop. But the world-ending explosion didn't happen. Instead, there was a strange, localized ripple in space.
Under Tony's bewildered gaze, the massive Iron Monger—overloaded reactor and all—simply vanished into thin air.
Just like his Mark I had vanished months ago.
[Detected Sacrificable 'Deep Blue' Item: Iron Monger Armor]
[Description: A massive cha powered by an Arc Reactor. Contains energy equivalent to a small nuclear plant. High lethality and extre energy research value.]
[Sacrifice Reward: 1,000 Points]
[Confirm Sacrifice?]
"Sacrifice!"
Peter hadn't considered trying to absorb the energy himself. Even with his enhanced physiology, a reactor going critical was a different beast than a power line.
Electro had been "blown out" by too much power; Peter wasn't about to test if he could handle a miniature sun.
By yanking Obadiah out, he turned the suit into an "unclaid" object, making it eligible for a high-value sacrifice. Not only did it save the city, but it padded his points significantly. A total win-win.
Tony and the now-shivering Obadiah stared at the empty space where the titan had been. Stane finally snapped, oscillating between weeping and laughing hysterically.
Tony swallowed hard. "The Iron Monger... where is it?"
"Think of it as being exiled to another dinsion. It won't bother Earth again," Peter gave an explanation Tony could wrap his scientific brain around.
Hiss—
Tony took a deep breath. A new commandnt ford in his mind: Never, under any circumstances, piss off Peter Parker.
If he could do that to a skyscraper-sized suit of armor, what could he do to a person? Exile to a void? Instant deletion? The guy was too overpowered.
"Anyway, what do you want to do with this guy?" Peter pointed at Obadiah.
Tony looked at his ntor, his expression a storm of conflict. Finally, he sighed. "I'll tell your family you died at the hands of the kidnappers. I'll make sure they're taken care of. So... goodbye, Uncle Obie."
Snap.
Tony didn't hesitate. He broke Obadiah's neck in one clean motion. Peter nodded in approval before turning to the billionaire.
"Handle the military and SHIELD. Also, do a favor—ask your 'friends' in the Pentagon why they set this trap to lure Ghost-Spider and here."
"If they don't give a reasonable explanation, I wouldn't mind visiting a few Generals for a little 'chat.'"
Tony's grief faded into a tense, uneasy focus. He knew Peter wasn't joking. He didn't know what role the military had played yet, but he was certain—if the Pentagon tried to play their usual gas, things were going to get complicated.
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