MARVEL Photon: the Primes (Chapter 3)

World on Fire: Part 3 is the third chapter of MARVEL Photon: the Primes.

World on Fire: Part 3
'''SHIELD Summit, former Manhattan Bay, SHIELD Danger Classification: 7 '''

Tony marches down a corridor of one of the upper floors, heading for the conference room.

“Mr Stark, it would appear as though SHIELD is still without a Director. I would recommend walking away, it may be some sort of ambush.” The artificial intelligence, JARVIS, rings through Tony’s earpiece.

“No can  do, JARVIS. If it’s an ambush, I’m taking it like a man.”

As Tony walks into the room, Don chuckles, “You’ve never been a man in your life.” Tony scowls at him. Looking across the table, he sees Hank and Bruce, along with three armed guards behind them.

“Why did you call me here?”

“We want to…talk to you.” Hank leans forward, resting his hands on the glass table. “Why did you steal the RepulsorTech?”

“I don’t know what you’re…”

A screen behind Don shows footage of Tony taking a file off of Hank’s desk, labelled ‘RepulsorTech’. “It would seem the footage says otherwise.” Don taps the table, impatiently. “So? Are you going to tell us?”

“Come on, like you were going to finish the work yourself!”

“It WAS finished!” Hank yells across the room, enraged. “You just slapped the name StarkTech onto it and claimed it as your own. You lying, manipulative…”

“Hank!” Bruce tries to calm him down, while Don speaks up. “Fury wouldn’t have allowed us to call you in like this. Don’t care what the next Director would say, his judgement isn’t on us yet.” He stands up, “Give Hank credit, or so help me you won’t move for a week!”

“What are you going to do? Electrocute me?” Tony stands and walks towards Don. “I’ll sue you faster than you can say Mjolnir.” He pokes Don’s chest, “You can’t touch me. You can’t prove that I stole anything.” Stark looks at the video, “You could have edited that footage to appear as you wanted.” He laughs, “I am immune. Put it however you like, you so much as lay a muscled finger on me, I’ll grab your entire fortune.”

Don takes several deep breaths. Clenches his fists, and sits down. “You win this time. But we will get revenge on you, some way or another.” He points to the door, “Get out.”

Tony smiles as he fixes his collar and begins to walk away. “I’m immune.” He chuckles, “I’m immune.” He bursts into straight out laughter, and as he walks out the door yells, “I’m immune!”

“You’ll get him, sometime.” Bruce walks to the door, “Are you okay to help start up the generator?”

<p class="MsoNormal">Don nods, “I’ll be down when I can.” Bruce leaves the room, “Are you okay, Hank?”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Yeah, I’m fine. That ***hole just got under my skin for a moment there.” He looks out the glass wall at the city outside. “There probably isn’t a single apartment or office out there that doesn’t have the word ‘Stark’ in it somewhere. He has everything, why can’t he leave some for the rest of us?” He rises to his feet and leaves. “I’ll see you at Asgard, tomorrow.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“See you there.” Hank closes the door behind him. Instantly, Don grabs his hammer. He swings ‘Mjolnir’ and smashes it into the table, shattering the glass and crippling the metal frame. “That ***hole isn’t pulling this game anymore.”

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">'''Stark Vaults, below Stark Tower, SHIELD Danger Classification: 2 '''

<p class="MsoNormal">Tony enters his ‘Hall of Armours’, a large room, that holds all eight armours he’d created. He looks at the first six armours, each with a large red cross on their chests, and the word ‘FAIL’ spray painted onto them. He then draws his eyes to the seventh, red and gold, boxy armour. He bites his lip, “My first success.” He smiles, “A great one at that.” He then looks up the steps at the larger, smoother armour on display, the Mark 8, and his current one. He feels an arm slide down his chest. Looking over his shoulder, he sees his girlfriend, Juniper Potts, standing right behind him.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I missed you.” She smiles, he puts his hands on her waist.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I was only gone an hour.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“An hour alone in bed is a lot for me.” She begins to pull him, “Let’s get back in bed.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“I can’t right now.” He tries walking to the armour.

<p class="MsoNormal">She pulls on him again, “One round? The flight will give you some time to recover for today’s fifth round.” She winks at him the moment he looks at her.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Sorry, can’t. As soon as I get back. No more than twenty minutes, I promise.” She lets go of Tony, who almost falls forward when she does. He walks to the armour, which opens as he approaches. He turns and walks backwards into it. As it closes on him, he winks at his girlfriend and says, “Get the candles ready.” The helmet closes and seals, lights appearing before him. A large circular door in the ceiling opens, revealing a tunnel that runs all the way up through the building, and out the top. The jets in his boot roar into life, and he’s propelled straight up, through the tunnel. Bursting out the top, he quickly turns and shoots across the sky.

<p class="MsoNormal">CLANG! The armour is hit, and Tony is flung across the sky. His armour shuts down, leaving him useless as he hits the top of a building and slides across, almost falling off the edge. “You’ve crossed the line!” Tony looks up at Don.

<p class="MsoNormal">“How do you put up with yourself? I just told you not half an hour ago that I’m immune! Because of this you’ll be hearing from my…”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Iron Man has lawyers?” Don laughs, “I don’t remember Iron Man telling me he was immune. I remember the low life scum that is Tony Stark telling me. I was just flying about New York, when I saw an unregistered, armed machine flying towards the SHIELD Summit.” He looks down at Tony, “A possible terrorist threat.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“F*** you! You know it’s me!”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Sorry? What’s that? I can’t understand you!”

<p class="MsoNormal">“You know I’m Tony!” Stark becomes angry. He tries to stand up, but the weight of the armour is too much for him to lift by himself.

<p class="MsoNormal">“How could I know that? Pull back that helmet to prove it!”

<p class="MsoNormal">Tony tries to open the helmet with the hand controls. “I can’t! It’s too heavy!”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Ah, so that’s how it is? Try tricking me out by claiming the helmet doesn’t off? Sorry, won’t work.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“My helmet won’t open because my armour shut down! Which FYI, is you fau…son of a b****!” He tries to stand, “So that’s your play? Setting me up? You’re smarter than I gave you credit for!” Don squeezes the handle of his hammer, and electricity begins to run along the surface of the main section of the hammer.

<p class="MsoNormal">“How could I have set you up? You’re a possible terrorist threat that I just became aware of not three minutes ago.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“I’ll sue your ass! You f***ing sh**!”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Sue me? How can you do that?” Don crouches down, “I stepped in to stop a possible terrorist threat, I’m immune.” Tony’s jaw drops. He tries to speak, but mere mumbles come from his mouth. “So, let’s put it this way: You’re being disposed of.” He thrusts his hammer up and swings down, squeezing the handle harder. A massive blast of electricity fires down into the Iron Man armour.

<p class="MsoNormal">A computerised voice echoes through the armour, “Armour online.” Another quick blast to the helmet, and Tony’s faceplate seals to the main bulk of the helmet.

<p class="MsoNormal">CLANG! Tony finds himself being flung away. Don takes several steps back, runs and jumps off the edge dropping slightly before flying up and forwards towards Stark. “You're selfish, Stark! You took MY technology and turned it into that retched armour! You're nothing more than a liar, and a cheat!” He grabs the armour’s ankle midair and changes his flight path, dragging Tony along with him. He throws Tony down into Central Park. He skids across the ground, dragging up soil with him. Don lands on the ground with a thud and walks forward, using the residual speed from his flight to catch up to Tony. “It wasn't even you who created the repulsors! You know Hank spent years working on it, and then you steal his research the moment his back is turned, and claim it as your own! You're pathetic!”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Don! Please! I’m…I’m s…”

<p class="MsoNormal">CLANG! Iron Man is knocked to the side, his helmet denting. “I spent four years creating the 8TW ThorGod Technology! You're lucky your selfish, thieving mind didn't take that as well! Because otherwise your lesson wouldn't be taught!” He smacks Tony over and over, scratching and denting the armour.

<p class="MsoNormal">“DON! PLEASE!” Inside the suit, Tony screams in terror. Tears stream down his face. “I’M S…”

<p class="MsoNormal">“I'm going to pound you into the Earth, as long as it takes before you get the hint and work on something original!” With one final smash, Tony’s armour shuts down once again. With the weight lifting systems turning off, the heaviness of the metal is suddenly felt by Tony. “It’s too late for sorry!” He stands above Tony, “You’re entire life has been worthless!” He yells at the top of his voice, startling the civilians watching, “You’re pathetic, Stark!” He crouches down, as electricity begins to run across his body, singeing the silver suit he wears. His red tie darkened by the burns. “Does it pain you to know that all of this…” He taps the armour, “…came from this?” He unbuttons his jacket and pulls up his shirt, revealing metal plating covering his torso. “You stole it all. The next generation of soldier protective gear, and it took you half a year to make it into a run-down, bulkier, version.” Standing up again, he increases the electricity, and his entire suit begins to burn off, flaming shreds gently floating to the ground. The metal plating beneath shines reflecting the light of the electricity giving Don an eerie yet majestic glow.

<p class="MsoNormal">Tony looks up in horror, “Don! Please! I’m sorry! I’ll stop! I’ll stop doing the same work as others!”

<p class="MsoNormal">“NO!” ZAP! A bolt of electricity shoots up into the sky. “I don’t care about people doing the same work! There are only a certain number of fields to study, there are bound to be overlaps.” Tony’s armour begins to spark and overheat, making Tony uncomfortable in the heat and static disturbances. “I want you to stop stealing! I want you to stop being an asshole to everyone you come into contact with! I want you to be the hero you claim to be!”

<p class="MsoNormal">“What…what do you mean?”

<p class="MsoNormal">“I mean…you’re going to act like a hero…like Iron Man…or I’m personally going to dismantle those armours, and that entire fortune of yours.” Tony’s eyes close, the last words he hears being, “Be somebody.”