The car carrying Charles and others continued its journey towards the base.
In the meantime, Happy had already been taken to the Continental Hotel for wax bath treatment.
Eddie, on the other hand, was still celebrating Christmas with his girlfriend. This holiday was the most important for them, spanning from December 22nd to January 5th.
As for Hawkeye Barton, Eddie apologized when called; he was on vacation and wasn't about to jeopardize his relationship to go off fighting crime. He wasn't that noble.
With Eddie continuously rejecting calls, Barton had to reconsider Eddie's situation.
...
Meanwhile, Tony Stark, carrying his Mark 42 suit, found a warehouse. After confirming that the owner was absent, he forcibly opened the door.
Standing at the entrance, Tony glanced at the items inside. After placing the Mark 42 suit on a sofa, he said to himself mockingly, "Make yourself comfortable."
Tony sat down on the sofa to rest for a moment, then moved to the workbench, picking up pliers to remove the fragments from his arm.
At that moment, a child walked in, holding a potato gun aimed at Tony.
"Stop! Don't move."
Tony looked at the child at the door, put down the pliers, and cooperatively said, "You caught me."
Then he added, "Nice potato gun."
"But the barrel is a bit long, making it hard to aim accurately."
The boy aimed at a glass on the shelf and shot it, shattering it to show that his aim was spot-on.
Tony put his hands down and said, "Now you're out of ammo."
The boy looked at the glowing item on Tony's chest and asked, "What's that on your chest?"
Tony smiled and said, "It's an electromagnet."
"You must know, given all the stuff you have here."
The boy continued, "What's it for?"
Tony didn't answer, instead standing up and shining a desk lamp on the Mark 42 suit on the sofa.
The boy's expression changed as he excitedly exclaimed, "Oh my God!"
"Is that... is that Iron Man?"
Tony looked at the boy and said, "Strictly speaking, I am Iron Man."
The boy walked up to Tony, placed a newspaper on his chest, and said, "Strictly speaking, you're dead."
Tony opened the newspaper, and right in front was his photo with the headline: "Mandarin Attack, Stark Rumored Dead."
Tony sighed and said, "Alright."
He tossed the newspaper aside, while the boy went to the sofa and looked at the battle-damaged Mark 42, asking, "What happened to him?"
"He's alive."
"I built him, maintain him."
"I'll fix him."
The boy looked at Tony and said, "That's just mechanical work."
Tony didn't argue, "I suppose so."
The boy looked at Tony and said, "If I were building Iron Man and War Machine..."
Before he could finish, Tony corrected him, "It's called Iron Patriot now."
The boy exclaimed, "That's even cooler!"
Tony disagreed, "No, not at all."
"Anyway, I would have fixed him up and install a mirror…"
Tony asked, "A mirror reflection device?"
The boy nodded, "So it can turn invisible."
Tony responded, "You want stealth mode?"
The boy confirmed, "Good idea, right?"
Tony nodded, "That's a great idea. I might build that someday."
The boy, curious, started to fiddle with the fingers of the Mark 42 suit and ended up pulling one off.
Tony quickly shouted, "Don't do that!"
"What are you doing?"
"Are you trying to break his fingers?"
"He's injured and in a lot of pain. Stay away from him."
The boy, feeling guilty, said, "Sorry."
Tony asked, "Are you really sorry?"
He continued, "Don't worry, I'll fix it."
Then he asked about the boy's family, "Who's home?"
"My mom's working at a restaurant, and my dad went to 7-Eleven to buy scratch-offs."
"I guess he must have won because he's been gone for six years."
Hearing this, Tony pondered for a moment and said, "That happens sometimes. A dad leaving his kid isn't something to dwell on."
"I need a few things: a laptop, a digital watch, a cell phone."
"The gas canister from your potato gun, a map of the town, a large spring, and a tuna sandwich."
The boy asked, "What's in it for me?"
Tony thought for a moment and replied, "Saving you. What's his name?"
"Who?"
"The guy at school who bullies you. What's his name?"
The boy was curious, "How do you know?"
Tony didn't answer. He knew that a kid who lost his father seven years ago would likely face bullying at school. He walked over to the Mark 42 suit and said, "This might be just what you need."
He took out a metal canister from the suit's arm and held it up, saying, "This is a cricket jar."
"Just kidding, it's a very powerful weapon."
"Don't aim it at your face. Press the button on top, and it'll scare people off."
"It's non-lethal, perfect for self-defense. How's that?"
The boy immediately reached out for it, but Tony didn't hand it over. Instead, he asked, "How about it?"
"Deal?"
"Deal."
After giving the item to the boy, Tony asked, "What's your name?"
"Harry. What's yours?"
Tony replied, "Mechanic, Tony."
Then he looked at Harry and said, "You know what I'm thinking?"
"Where's my sandwich?"
Harry jumped up from the sofa to gather the items Tony had asked for.
…
Meanwhile, at Rose Hill-
Aldrich Killian received a call from one of his men.
"Sir, we destroyed the house, but we didn't find any bodies."
"No sign of Stark."
Killian calmly said, "Understood."
"I have to go. The Master is about to record, but he's a bit…"
"You know his temperament."
"Continue with the plan today. Call me when it's done." Killian hung up the phone and walked into a room filled with cameras and crew members.
He announced, "Listen up, no talking and no eye contact. Otherwise, you get a bullet to the head."
Soon, the Master arrived and took a seat. Looking at Killian, he said, "Alright, what are we waiting for?"
This Master was none other than the infamous leader, the Mandarin, seen in the news. However, in reality, he was just a washed-up actor and a drug addict.
With Mandarin in place, the video recording began immediately.
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